Dairy Farmer September 2020 by AgriHQ

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September 2020

Better Bulls Better Calves focus

Farming through the lens Biological farming gets results New head of AgResearch

Farming with a laugh A Waikato farmer is giving people a laugh with his informative yet funny farming videos

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COVER Waikato farmers Bart and Vanessa ven de Ven are sharemilkers at Paeroa milking 500 cows. Photo: Stephen Barker

September 2020

Farming through the lens Biological farming gets results New head of AgResearch

Farming with a laugh

A Waikato farmer is giving people a laugh with his informative yet funny farming videos

www.farmersweekly.co.nz ISSN 2624-0939 (Print) ISSN 2624-0947 (Online)

DAIRY FARMER

September 2020

Contents NEWS 17 Milk Monitor Uncertainty continues in the dairy industry 18 No containers Dairy exporters struggling to find containers

ON FARM STORY

8 Making people laugh Waikato farmer Bart van de Ven chronicles life on the farm through YouTube

20 Farming differently Whakatane farmer Alan Law is reaping the rewards from biological farming

FARMING CHAMPIONS

7 Guest column Peter Nation

28 Dairy champion Dr Sue Bidrose

FEATURE 48 Better bulls, better calves

REGULAR FEATURES 32 Industry good – DairyNZ 34 Women in agribusiness – Renae Flett

GlobalHQ is a farming family owned business that donates 1% of all advertising revenue in Farmers Weekly and Dairy Farmer to farmer health and wellbeing initiatives. Thank you for your prompt payment.

38 Research 44 Innovations 46 Farmstrong

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NAIT ready for calving? Help build lifetime animal traceability Make sure you can tick off the following: Selling calves: All my calves are NAIT tagged correctly I have registered the calves in my NAIT account – after tagging them first I have recorded a movement in NAIT for the calves I sold – within 48 hours of them leaving. Note: This is not required when selling to a saleyard. I’ve filled out an ASD form and have a Declaration to Livestock Transporter (DLT) form ready – if required

Buying calves: I’ve checked the calves I bought are tagged and NAIT registered I received an Animal Status Declaration (ASD) form from the seller I have recorded a movement in NAIT for the calves I bought – within 48 hours of them arriving I’ve updated the calves’ production type to beef – if brought in from a dairy farm.

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GUEST COLUMN

A magical Fieldays first

New Zealand National Fieldays Society chief executive Peter Nation talks about the challenge of hosting Fieldays online.

T WAS a surreal feeling looking out across an empty Mystery Creek Events Centre on June 10, a classic Waikato winter morning, complete with lowlying mist was accompanied by a still silence on what would have been opening day for Fieldays 2020. The Society sorely missed welcoming all the familiar faces to what would have been the 52nd Fieldays. Young families taking a day off-farm before calving, seasoned volunteers awaiting visitors at the ticketing booths, the hum of exhibitors preparing for four busy days of sales, catching up with our key sponsors over a hot coffee on the village green, the sound of chainsaws and tractors starting up in the crisp air and the crowds – all the things we took for granted before all major events ground to a halt after March 16. Thankfully, our farmers never stopped. Our primary sector once again reminded us why they are still the backbone of our economy. Farmers are well-seasoned in the flux of uncertainty, weathering droughts, fluctuating pay-outs and much more. The Fieldays team also did not stop. Working remotely over lockdown, a hive of activity was under way as the organisation, for the first time in its 52year history, began rebuilding a newlyimagined digital Fieldays. Going from a thriving events business to zero income almost overnight was a huge blow. We immediately began to look for alternative opportunities to fill the void left by Fieldays, while attempting to restabilise the business. In 2019, Fieldays generated $549 million of national sales revenue with $183m into the Waikato alone, creating over 2000 jobs and an injection of $247m into the national GDP. It was imperative we delivered an alternative that could offer our exhibitors an opportunity to connect with their customers while keeping Fieldays alive, in spirit and in business. Refocusing our energies, we called on the help of Satellite Media, leaders

DAIRY FARMER

September 2020

Fieldays chief executive Peter Nation says the cancellation of the event this year due to covid-19 was a challenge but his team worked tirelessly to bring the event online.

in digital events and activations, and began building the Fieldays Online platform in just under 108 days. Although covid-19 delivered a major blow to our economy and inhibited the freedom New Zealanders usually enjoyed, the Fieldays team made the decision to override local and global restrictions with a purely online event, accessible to anyone, anywhere, at any time. Reminded of our commitment to education, globalisation and innovation, a virtual event fulfilled all these objectives. Working alongside key supporters and sponsors we wanted to ensure we could keep the Fieldays brand and greater NZ brand sustained, even though our borders remained closed. It was a significant undertaking and something we knew was going to need immense collaboration with all stakeholders as there was no benchmark of its kind for reference.

We were grateful for the encouragement and support from industry experts and forward-thinking brands who jumped at the chance to be a part of Fieldays history. These partnerships resulted in high-quality exhibitors, international and local renowned speakers presenting on relevant issues and over 20 hours of engaging content. Fieldays Online was a two-week-long affair, with a Fieldays TV component that featured across seven days of the event, offering both live and on-demand viewing. Over 90,000 virtual visitors attended Fieldays Online from over 75 countries, while nearly 300 exhibitors hosted digital sites, accessed by an interactive Fieldays map reminiscent of the physical event. The event was opened by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, followed by a special appearance from His Royal Highness, the Prince of Wales. The Prince last visited Fieldays in 1970 and fondly remarked on the experience, while stressing the fundamental role of agriculture both globally and locally. The event wasn’t without teething issues and the site subsequently crashed on its opening day as visitor numbers skyrocketed. This was quickly fixed, and the digital gates reopened again for keen attendees. In a year littered with uncertainty, it was truly heartening to connect with industry leaders and friends to bring Fieldays Online to life. We were reminded of the Kiwi can-do attitude in the face of the unknown and couldn’t have achieved any of it without coming together despite the challenges. Whatever 2021 holds, we know that the online and physical Fieldays will combine the best of both worlds. The return of Fieldays physical will bring back the tangible magic of the event that cannot be replicated by the digital one, while the online platform will continue to play an important part in disseminating information both nationally and internationally – keeping our brand and reputation for innovation and smart thinking alive globally. n

Bart van de Ven has a YouTube channel called â&#x20AC;&#x153;Farming with a Laughâ&#x20AC;? where he posts informative and sometimes DAIRY FARMER September 2020 funny videos on day-to-day life on the farm. Vanessa and Bart share a laugh. Photos: Stephen Barker

The fun of farming A Waikato farmer is gaining a loyal group of followers after tweeting farming posts and starting a YouTube channel chronicling their daily lives on the farm – and garnering a few good laughs along the way. Cheyenne Nicholson reports.

FTER a challenging few years on the farm, a Waikato farmer has found solace and encouragement from social media. An avid tweeter, Bart van de Ven started using Twitter a few years ago and last year started to upload videos about his daily life on the farm. With close to 3500 followers, his videos are as educational as they are entertaining. Bart chronicled his ‘Journey to Calving’ on Twitter, uploading weekly updates on where pasture covers were at and how he was feeling. “I’m almost on there too much,” he says. “I’ve enjoyed it and the farming community there is awesome. “You can ask any question, and you won’t get pushed down. “It’s a supportive space, and I’ve learned a lot about different farming systems both here and overseas.” He has noticed an increase in urban followers and says he’s enjoying the opportunity to educate them on farming and give them a few laughs along the way. He also started a YouTube channel

called “Farming with a Laugh.” “It all started when I took over the New Zealand farming page for a week showcasing a different farmer showing their day-to-day operation,” Bart explained. “I think my videos came across well and I could answer most questions so ever since then, I’ve been slowly wanting to move to YouTube as there are a lot of farming families sharing their day-to-day goings on. “I looked to see if there were any NZ dairy farmers on there and there weren’t so I thought I’d give it a crack.” It is now four months since he started posting, but Bart’s own farming journey has had its fair share of ups and downs. The past 10 years have seen him and wife Vanessa take some significant risks, enter into a successful business partnership, farm large scale farms in the South Island and have a few dud jobs along the way. He has however come full circle, and he and Vanessa are lower-order sharemilking on a 171ha farm in Paeroa near where he grew up. “I look back over the last 10 years and it’s certainly been a ride,” Bart says.

“Farming is where it’s at for me, I love being out here every day with the cows and that’s what it boils down to I guess, doing something you love.” He was 12 when his family emigrated from the Netherlands after they fell in love with NZ during a holiday in 1996.

Continued page 10

FARM FACTS n Farm owners: Kevin and Sandra Gillingham n Lower-order sharemilkers: Bart and Vanessa van de Ven n Location: Paeroa, Waikato n Farm size: 171ha with 40ha runoff block n Cows: 500 Friesian cross n Production: 2019-2020: 205,000kg MS n Production target: 2020-2021: 210,000 -215,000kg MS

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Vanessa and Bart van de Ven are in their third season of lower-order sharemilking on a farm at Paeroa where they milk 500 Friesian cross cows.

Settling in the Waikato farming town of Morrinsville in 1998, the family quickly became used to a life on the land that had been a long-awaited dream by Bart’s father Piet. “Dad grew up on a farm in the Netherlands but he had bad asthma. Because farming is done mostly indoors in the Netherlands, health-wise he wasn’t able to take on the family farm so his brother took it on. Dad got a job with Xerox, but he always wanted to go back to farming,” he recalled.

Piet started as a dairy farm assistant for Mike and Liz Admiraal at Elstow milking 300 cows. Bart learned the basics of farming, including cupping and driving tractors on the Admiraals’ farm while helping his dad. The family then moved on to lowerorder sharemilk for Ron and Christine Bell at Waihou, milking 300 cows. During his seventh form year at Morrinsville College, he was “getting up to a bit of mischief” and got suspended after a particular incident on a school trip. His

grades reflected his disinterest in school and his careers advisor pulled him aside one day and ‘gave it to him straight.’ “Basically she said ‘look you’re not doing well at school; you’re not showing any interest in being here’,” Bart says. “She knew I enjoyed being on the farm and suggested I look at the Certificate in Agriculture at Wintec. It had just started, and they wanted more people. “I went along one day to check it out and enrolled.” Although the hands-on course taught many skills that he already knew, he thrived in the practical learning environment and it gave him the ticket he needed to enrol in the diploma of agriculture at Massey University. Unlike Wintec, the diploma was teaching the business side of farming which he was keen to learn. His first job out of study was on the Bells’ home farm milking 215 cows. Bart worked on their System 1 farm for 18 months. It’s where he learnt most of his pasture management knowledge and has put into practice in recent years to help manage through back-to-back droughts. “I still think about Ron a lot, if I’m ever stuck I say to myself what would Ron do? He was a great mentor and I fall back on his advice a lot even today. I had such a great time working there,” he says. Flipping the tables, he moved onto a System 5 farm owned by family friends Victor and Angelique Kooter at Waihou,

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September 2020

milking 260 cows. There he learned a completely different system, tackling year-round milking and feeding out. Vanessa comes from a farming family in Morrinsville and has been milking, driving tractors and rearing calves since she was 10 years old. “I attended Morrinsville College and was friends with Bart’s sister,” she says. Leaving school Vanessa went to Lincoln University and completed a Diploma in Agriculture too. “My plan was to study science and be a soil scientist but I didn’t like being indoors so I left university and went dairy farming in Waimate for a while. But then returned to help dad on the farm,” she says. The couple knew each other but reconnected after meeting at the Naugra Young Farmers Club. They shared the same passion for cows, had both grown up in farming and shared the same goals. They married in 2013 and now have daughters Britta, eight, and Taylor, five. Bart stayed with the Kooters for two years until, filled with youthful enthusiasm, he took the huge leap into the sharemilking world. Looking back he says it was a very premature move but one that ultimately started him on the path to a successful partnership. The leap into sharemilking came about during a casual yarn at his 21st birthday party with his friend Guido van Kessel. They got talking about their future in the dairy industry and Guido suggested pooling their money together and going into partnership to get a 50:50 sharemilking job. “It was probably one of the luckiest breaks I ever had,” he says. “We had a job in mind, there were two

Vanessa rears the calves although Bart pitches in helping to fill the feeders.

applicants for it, but we got the gig. So at 21, knowing basically nothing about sharemilking, we got a 50:50 job. “I remember telling Victor that I was leaving for a 50:50 job and he said you’re not ready. “Looking back, he was totally right. “It’s one thing turning up to work and getting your list of jobs, but it’s another being self-employed, employing staff, dealing with accounts.” Wanting to make the most of the opportunity they signed a three-year contract just before the 2008 global crisis. They purchased some cows and got started on their new venture. Guido with his wife Elise stayed working in his manager’s role on a

Bart goes for the herd ahead of afternoon milking. DAIRY FARMER

September 2020

different farm while Bart took charge of the sharemilking farm. He says in many ways Guido’s manager role is what helped them get through financially. Two years into the partnership, Guido and Elise landed a contract milking job in the South Island. He helped them move down and took the opportunity to take a mini-break as well. Seeing the size and scope of dairying down south piqued his interest. When Guido approached them six months later with a proposition to move down south to work on another farm owned by the same boss, they jumped at the chance. “I had worked in the South Island after uni so I was really keen to move back down there to go farming,” Vanessa says. “Moonlight farms, owned by Mike and Kathy McDonald, was the farm where Guido and Elise worked. They had three farms. “A job came up to contract milk on one of the farms. Vanessa and I moved down with the 205 cows we owned with Guido and Elise and leased them to Mike and Kathy. “We worked there for two years. Eventually, the boss wanted to buy his own cows so we either had to sell our cows or move on to find a 50:50 job. We’d worked bloody hard for our cows, so we opted to move on.” While business partnerships with friends can be risky, Bart and Guido had polar opposite skills and key interests

Continued page 12

Vanessa and Bart check the calving data entered into the LIC database.

when it came to the farm, which means they balanced each other out. Add into the mix Elise and Vanessa’s skills, their partnership worked like a well-oiled machine. “The only reason I think it worked so well is we all had jobs that we were responsible for, and we all trusted that each other would keep on top of what they were in charge of,” he says. “We had regular meetings to make sure we were all on the same page.” The partnership went through a tough few years, with a few opportunities not panning out as hoped, including an equity partnership which went bust when the third party went broke not long after signing the agreement. With no job and a herd of cows, things were looking bleak for a while. An 1100 cow 50:50 job in Clydevale came up where they stayed for five years. He was now working on a farm with the size and scale that had initially piqued his interest but says he began to lose touch with the aspects of farming that he really enjoyed. “We ended up securing the next door 50:50 sharemilking job and milked 1800 cows on two properties for the Whitestone Trust in our fifth season there and honestly, looking back it was too big for me,” he says. “I felt I was losing connection with the cows. “We were breaking in 400-plus heifers every year, (and) by the time I learnt all the animals we had more coming in. “The farm was 750ha, so I didn’t see parts of the farm for weeks. “Farming for me is about the 12

connection with the animals and the land. I lost that a bit on that farm.” Vanessa felt that way too and says, “I felt we were losing touch with farming – what we were doing was staffing not farming. “I like my pet cows and I was not a fan of rearing 450 calves either.” Guido approached Bart one day and said that they were in an excellent position to buy a farm in a few years if they stayed put in their current job for a while. “He put to us the option of staying on or selling up to Guido and Elise and moving on,” Bart explained. “Vanessa and I missed the North Island and felt a bit disengaged with the larger farm. “I’ll admit the stress was getting to me a bit. We decided to break up the

partnership and go our separate ways.” The partnership went through the usual ups and downs of the dairy industry, saw each couple welcome children into the world and supported each other through other life and work milestones. He says it was a huge deal leaving the security and safeness of the partnership but is glad of where it’s taken him. “I will be forever grateful for what Guido and Elise have done for us,” Bart says. “Right from the start of our partnership when we bought 40 calves through to when we sold the business when we had 1800 cows, I’m really proud of what we achieved.” Ready to make the move back north, he found a new job through his accountant. Scaling down, Bart and Vanessa have been lower-order sharemilkers on a 171ha, 500-cow farm owned by Kevin and Sandra Gillingham for three seasons. “I think working on those bigger farms taught me a lot about time management,” Bart says. “Here we tend to have milking done and dusted by 7.30am, so it leaves us free to do other farming things like discussion groups. That wasn’t an option on the bigger farms. “Vanessa and I really enjoy that sort of stuff, and we can also fit in more family time with our daughters.” Vanessa now does the relief milking, calf rearing, administration and tractor work. “It can be a bit of a juggle but when I get time, I go and do what needs to be done,” she says. “In summer, I often head out after dinner and do weeds or mow silage.” The change to a smaller farm has

The farm is a System 3 and about a tonne of bought-in feed is fed per cow along with chicory and maize grown on-farm. DAIRY FARMER

September 2020

I’ll admit the stress was getting to me a bit. We decided to break up the partnership and go our separate ways. been a welcome one but not without its challenges. The first point of focus for Bart was improving the herds’ six-week in-calf rate and empty rates. When they first arrived, the six-weekin-calf rate was 55% with the empty rate sitting between 22-25%. “I wanted to fix it in a year but little did I know it would take closer to three. This has been our focus,” he says. “When we got here we had no grass and skinny cows so we spent that first year setting ourselves up for the next season and trying to get the girls to a body condition score five.” They have upped the six-week in-calf rate to 73% and dropped the empty rate to 9%. A combination of good feeding, making sure copper and selenium levels were in check and having a great mating programme set out with their vet has been key to achieving this along with perfecting their heat detecting. The production target for this year on the System 3 farm is 210,000-215,000kg MS or around 410kg MS/cow. To achieve this they are using around a tonne of bought-in feed per cow along with utilising the chicory crop.

Bart shows Britta how to pasture score using the plate meter.

“We are going to grow more maize to reduce the amount of bought-in feed as the droughts are here to stay and we want to bring our feed costs down,” he says. “We’re always trying to do the maximum production for the least amount of money, so we’re always working on our budgeting and finetuning things as we go. Mistakes will (and have) been made, but we learn and move on.” November 2018 saw the Paeroa district and surrounds get dry fast with no rain until the following March.

A cracking winter was quickly followed by a very dry spring. Water tables were low, which meant the 2019-20 summer was just as unkind at the one before it. Come April 2020, when pasture should have been romping ahead, the farm was 40t behind where they needed to be with pasture covers sitting around 1800. Already relying heavily on the supplementary feed grown on the runoff block and PKE prices not looking inviting,

Continued page 14

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DAIRY FARMER

September 2020

Vanessa and Bart along with their daughters Taylor and Britta were keen to move back north after milking in the South Island and are now in their third season on the Paeroa farm.

Bart says he started to feel nervous for their situation leading into calving. “This is our third season here, so I’m starting to notice trends, and it’s looking like the dry is starting earlier and earlier,” he explained. “We are starting to calve earlier to combat that. “It means we can dry off and prepare earlier, especially the runoff block as we rely on the silage and hay we take off it.” Instead of jumping the gun and spending money on bought-in feed for the winter months, Bart and the farm owner decided to play things week-byweek and keep the option of buying in feed up their sleeve for when they really needed it while hoping for the rain they desperately needed to get them to the 2500 covers they needed. He focused on the things he could 14

control such as his weekly pasture walks, updating autumn feed budgets and sticking to a long round. He regularly punched the numbers to find the balance between feeding his cows fully and encouraging pasture growth. “From a feeding perspective, we’ve learned a lot since coming here,” he says. “When we farmed in the South Island we always tended to have overly fat cows with the weather being a lot colder. “We then moved north again and as a result, had a lot of down cows at a 5-plus body condition score (BCS). “Our second year here, our average BCS was 5.2 (excluding heifers), and we had the same problem. “This year we’re averaging 4.8, and so far, no downers and calving is going a lot easier.” May saw an increase in covers aided by

the application of urea in April/May and sticking to a 100-day round. Youngstock were kept at the runoff a few weeks longer than usual to try and build covers on the home farm. A big dumping of rain in June combined with good soil temps saw growth rates rocket ahead and got them across the 2500 cover line, just in time for the lead up to calving. “I wasn’t confident we’d get there. The last 10 days of June were phenomenal,” he says. “We grew the most grass we’ve ever grown this dry season which is crazy. “It’s the middle of winter, it shouldn’t be growing like this but we were owed this growth coming off a drought. “We’ve had only a handful of frosts, and soil temperature is sitting around 10-11 degrees.” Bart admits his mental health was getting grim through March and April as his feed worries mounted. “Having a supportive wife who is out there doing it with me and bouncing ideas off each other, along with sharing my problems on Twitter made a really big difference and helped me work through that,” Bart says. The next cab off the rank is getting their planned start of calving earlier and ticking off 80% production before Christmas. This goal is largely to counter the effects of the dry summer period, which seems to be inching its way earlier and earlier each year. Now that calving has kicked off, the main focus is sticking to his round lengths from his spring rotation planner, leaving good residuals in the lead up to silage season and getting in 80% of production before Christmas which is a three to five year goal. Calving started on July 12 with 120 heifers reared as replacements each year. “I have reared calves for more than a decade but there are always new things or ideas that can be learnt,” Vanessa says. “I am always listening to others and reading articles in case there is something I can put in place for our calf-rearing system. “Our weaning policy is eight weeks on milk and then wean. Friesian calves will ideally be around 90kg, and the Jersey calves 75kg. “Calves leave the farm for the runoff in late November, early December and get 2kg of meal per calf until they leave to go to the grazier.” Mating will start October 1 this season with five weeks AI using Friesian and

DAIRY FARMER

September 2020

Bart looks after the day-to-day running of the farm while Vanessa does the administration, relief milking and calf rearing. They employ two staff to help them. Bart checks the shed ahead of milking. Wagyu semen followed by five weeks with the bulls. For the time being, they’re using Jersey bulls and are exploring the low birthweight Herefords as an option for next year. So what’s next for the family? “Well, that depends,” Bart says. “Kevin and Sandra are great bosses who let us run the farm how we want to, supplying us with what we need to do the

job right. We have warm houses, great infrastructure, a tidy farm and good pay – it makes it hard to leave. If we had to stay here for the next seven years, we’d be happy to. “We would love to go 50:50 on this farm but that’s not really up to us. For now, we love it here and will see what the next few years bring.” “A lot of people comment on our step

down from 50:50 to lower-order but honestly, for us it has worked out really well. “I’ve experienced lots of different farming systems and ultimately the farm we’re on now is our happy place,” Vanessa added. And in the meantime, Bart will continue to make his videos for social media and try to make people laugh. n

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MILK MONITOR

Fingers crossed Each month the milk monitor Gerald Piddock delves into the dairy industry and gives us the low-down on the good, the bad, the ugly and everything in between.

EW Zealand dairy farmers who felt the worst impact of last season’s drought are recovering well thanks to a relatively kind

winter. From all accounts, calving has gone smoothly and most farms have good pasture covers, setting them up well for spring. But despite those positives, farmers will need this season to be as close to perfect as possible if they are to fully recover from the drought. The event caused most to burn through any remaining supplementary feed reserves, and therein lies the problem. The well-documented struggles of worker shortages in the agricultural contracting industry could see fewer maize and other summer feed crops in the ground this spring. It could also mean a fall in grass silage baled and stored for after Christmas. There will be no surprises if orders of palm kernel or other imported supplementary feeds jump as farmers look to make up the shortfall. The big question mark will, however, be if there are feed shortages this season, which could be a disaster if farmers have another drought like last season. Weather-wise, farmers will need a good spring followed by an as normal summer as possible. The other piece of this equation is of course the dairy payout. At the very least it needs to stay in its current $5.90$6.90kg MS range. The three consecutive falls in August – 0.7%, 5.1% and 1.7% – of the Global Dairy Trade (GDT) fortnightly auctions could start to put pressure on Fonterra when it updates its forecast in September. In the latest auction on August 19, average prices were at $3004 per tonne, whole milk powder prices fell 2.2% to US $2936/t, AMF fell 2.9% to US$3873/t, LAC was back 3.3% to US$1303/t and SMP lifted 1.1% to US$2608/t. There has been some indication from some of the banks that it may lead to reviews of its payout forecast.

DAIRY FARMER

September 2020

The mild winter throughout the country has meant good calving conditions for farmers, but uncertainties remain around the markets and availability of feed for the season ahead.

ASB senior economist Chris TennetBrown said in the bank’s Commodities Weekly publication, “If the softness we have seen at the last two auctions continues over the coming auctions, our $6.75kg MS milk price forecast for the 2020-21 season will need to be reviewed.” He said they did still see milk prices tracking in the top half of Fonterra’s $5.90$6.90/kg range. US-based Rabobank research dairy analyst Thomas Bailey said the trading event showed the dairy market is in a period of high uncertainty and volatility. He illustrated this with the example of US spot cheese prices, which had seen a 100% increase followed by a 40% decline since April. “This level of extreme volatility may be behind us at this stage, but it is a reminder of the magnitude of volatility we have seen this year, and higher than normal market volatility is expected for months to come,” Bailey said. The bank will be reviewing its $5.95kg MS in September. NZX were more positive, lifting their forecast two cents to $6.66kg MS. While this is contrary to the overall 1.7% decrease at the GDT event, the increases in prices – namely futures contracts – have outweighed any decreases, it said. Westpac senior agri-economist Nathan Penny said the result compounded the fall at the previous auction.

“Over the two auctions this month, WMP prices have slipped 9.5%, while overall prices have fallen nearly 7%. Prices are back below their pre-covid levels after having wiped those price losses over July,” he said. The price fall came as countries came to terms with renewed outbreaks of covid-19. As a result, dairy markets have acted on this renewed risk and have pushed prices lower, he said. Prices though were still consistent with the bank’s $6.50kg MS forecast despite the auction results, however Penny said the cumulative fall through August means prices have a little less wriggle room than previously. But like Bailey, he said there was still a high degree of uncertainty about how the season could play out and what impact covid-19 will have. “On this basis, we recommend that farmers approach the season with eyes wide open and continue to closely follow dairy market developments,” he said. It will mean that the results of the next GDT could determine whether Fonterra holds or revises its forecast this month and give an indication how the season will pan out. For now, although it’s still very early days into this season, farmers will have to plan for the worst and hope for the best and hope they get that perfect season. n

NEWS

Containers in short supply TONY BENNY

EW Zealand farmers are producing plenty of food for domestic and global markets but exporters are struggling to find enough containers to carry their products to overseas markets as the covid-19 pandemic continues to disrupt supply chains, says supply chain expert David Ffowcs-Williams. “We’re now getting to the point where there are not enough containers, or in fact even enough air freight space,” FfowcsWilliams said. There’s always been something of an imbalance between full and empty containers to and from NZ because we export greater volumes than we import so the country is a “net importer” of empty containers, he says. With many of our exports needing to be chilled or frozen, we need a high percentage of refrigerated containers, called reefers. “NZ uses a hell of a lot of reefers and what happened quite early on, and it’s rearing its head again now, is there’s not enough containers coming into the country with goods in them, like electronics and other consumables, to match demand for exports,” he said. “There are probably fewer containers moving round the world and you’ve also got the situation where we can produce enough food for 40 million people and there’s only five million of us so what we consume locally, from a food point of view, is really not a lot to do with how much we can push out.” Ffowcs-Williams is head of supply chain for Datacom, New Zealand’s largest technology company which has large clients including, Zespri and MBIE. He recently spoke to exporters and academics at an event called “Controlling the Oscillating Supply Chain with Real Time Visibility” at Lincoln University’s B.Linc innovation centre. “There could be as little as a third of normal air freight capacity available so product is getting pushed into other channels and there’s not enough to take all the exports at the moment,” he said. “It seems to have got worse in the past

Supply chain expert David Ffowcs-Williams says there are not enough containers or air freight space available to ship our products across the world.

It’s not so much a refusal to share, it’s having systems that make it easy to share, not creating a burden in any one point in the supply chain. few weeks as this crisis deepens around the world.” Ffowcs-Williams argues that the solution lies in using data and technology to create greater efficiencies, better linking demand for export space with availability. “If you have really good visibility of all the container freight coming in and where those containers are, all the container freight going out and the capacity, and if you could get all that data into a place where you go, actually, there is a spare thousand containers sitting around in terms of partial or full containers and I just need to get my 10 cubes into a 40 foot container somewhere, there’s that much capacity and it’s going to the same port, great,” Ffowcs-Williams said. The trouble is, all that data could be spread across 20 or 30 different freight consolidators who may or not have access to that information. “The more information you share, the more efficient the system becomes,” he said. He says the software is available reasonably cheaply to achieve that, as long as the data can be shared.

“It’s not so much a refusal to share, it’s having systems that make it easy to share, not creating a burden in any one point in the supply chain,” he explained. “You’ve got to book your container and people will share that on a portal but that’s not getting into other people’s systems very easily.” Fonterra and Silver Ferns Farmfounded Kotahi, a supply chain collaborator, is making good progress making the supply chain more efficient, Ffowcs-Williams says, but even they are hampered by not getting more timely data. Container locations typically only get updated once a day, if they’re lucky, so nobody knows when something’s actually arriving in port, or if it’s running late. “That makes it very hard to book a truck so you’ve got stuff sitting in a dock for 24 hours more than it should and then you’re getting charged demurrage because you had it sitting there too long and the whole system becomes very inefficient.” he said. “If you move to good interfaces and real time data, the whole system becomes more efficient.” n

DAIRY FARMER

September 2020

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ON FARM

The Laws are farming land that has been in their family for 100 years. Brandon, Cameron and Alan Law are on a journey to reduce synthetic nitrogen and improve the Bay of Plenty farm for future generations. Photos: Anne Boswell 20

DAIRY FARMER

September 2020

Biologicals reignite farming passion A Bay of Plenty farmer has taken on a new way of dairy farming which is giving him and the farm a new lease of life. Anne Boswell reports.

AST season, a Whakatane dairy farmer was so fed up with the ever-changing rules and regulations that he was ready to quit. As a proactive and keen industry participant, Alan Law sat on enough committees to know that environmental regulations were on the cusp of tightening – again – and without drastic action, most farmers would not be able to maintain a profitable business for much longer. “At 62 I thought, was dairy farming even worth the effort and stress anymore?” Alan says. “As we grew our business and increased our mortgage, we found ourselves putting on more and more nitrogen, but we knew that wasn’t sustainable.” The crunch came when Minister for the Environment David Parker released the National Environment Standard on

Freshwater Management in September 2019. “It really upset us,” Alan says. “It made us realise that our whole business, which is dairying and a bit of beef, was at risk from governmental intervention and restrictions, with no recognition of good stewardship whatsoever.” But Alan’s proactive nature meant he didn’t sit on his laurels. Over the past 12 months, a whole system overhaul has been implemented that has the whole family buzzing about dairy farming again. The Law family has a rich farming history in the Whakatāne region. In 2019, the family celebrated 100 years on their Thornton farm. Alan bought his first 60-hectare in 1981 and started milking 200 cows. “I thought that was me, that would be my career,” he laughed.

“In the 1980s we really struggled through Rogernomics, with the high debt, but we reared a lot of beef calves and got through that period reasonably well. “In 1991, after looking at several different business growth opportunities, we decided to purchase a second farm.” They have continued to grow their farming business and the family now milks 850 cows on a 260ha milking platform split into three farms – the 89ha home farm, Wyndlea, 55ha Robins Road and 120ha Oriini, which was purchased six years ago. Alan acts as overseer across all three properties and runs the Robins Road farm himself. Alan’s wife Wendy works full-time for the Fonterra Global Sourcing Team, and as administration manager and calf rearer on the home farm. Their eldest son Brandon contract milks 410 cows on the Oriini farm, with a 2IC and a farm assistant. The herd is made up of 320 mixed age cows, 90 rising two-year-olds and 90 rising one-year-olds. Half the herd is wintered and most young stock are grazed off-farm.

Continued page 22

FARM FACTS

The 850-cow mixed age herd is run on three farms and averages 500 kilograms of milksolids per cow. DAIRY FARMER

September 2020

n Owners: Alan and Wendy Law n Location: Whakatane, Bay of Plenty n Farm size: 260ha n Cows: 850 Holstein Friesian cows n Production: 2019-2020: Wyndlea: 133,000kg MS; Oriini: 205,300kg MS n Target: 2020-2021: Wyndlea 150,000kg MS; Oriini 210,000kg MS

Brandon, Cameron and Alan Law with their herd. The family runs three farms; Wyndlea, Oriini and Robins Road. The business has grown from humble beginnings milking 200 cows in 1981 to the 850 they milk today.

The Laws’ cow Felicity, or Fliss, is an impressive 18 years old.

Old girl still going THE Law family reckon they should enrol their 18-year-old to vote. But there’s just one problem, you can’t tick a box with a hoof. Felicity, or Fliss, an 18-year-old Red Factor Friesian has the dignified title of the oldest cow on-farm. Brandon Law first took Fliss to Calf Club as a 10-year-old, where she did well, winning several awards for type.

But she’s not just a pretty face, she has only been empty two times in her illustrious career. “Her udder attachments and loins are still really good,” Alan says. “The only giveaway that she is 18 are her grey eyelashes” Empty this year, Fliss spends her days relaxing with the yearlings, and will be a cherished member of the herd until her time comes.

Brandon also leases a block next to the home farm on which he milks 164 cows independently to grow his equity. He employs permanent relief milkers as well as family input. His wife, Jessica, is a schoolteacher. Their youngest son Cameron contract milks 300 cows at Wyndlea, with a 2IC and Alan and Wendy rear the calves. The Wyndlea herd is made up of 226 mixed age cows, 74 rising two-year-olds and 74 rising one-year-olds. Like Oriini, half the herd is wintered and youngstock is grazed off farm. Both farms start calving on July 20, with calving spread over 10 weeks. Heifers are put to low birthweight Herefords, while the mixed age herd is ABd for five weeks with a nominated sire, then tailed with Hereford bulls. The average in-calf rate is 90% of the herd. Bobby calf numbers are only approximately 6% of the total calves, and replacement heifers make up 24% of the total. “Traditionally, beef-cross calves were reared to 110kg liveweight, then sold,” Alan says. “In the 2019-20 season we reared 750 and sold them as weaners. “Wyndlea had 160, and Brandon reared

DAIRY FARMER

September 2020

Calving begins on July 20 and is spread over 10 weeks. Replacement heifers make up 24% of the total calves born. Alan, Cameron and Brandon feed the calves at Wyndlea.

“The boys have always been involved 600 of his own calves at Oriini.” in the farm right from the get-go. They are The farms average 500kg MS/cow, both very capable young men.” or 1600kg MS/ha, with some seasonal Historically, he applied urea twice variation that is usually weather annually – once in spring and once in related. autumn, “even during the 80s when it Alan says it was his sons’ commitment was really tough and we had to make our and interest in the future of the farm income stretch,” he says. that led him to rethink the way they were However, in recent years nitrogen farming, particularly the generous use of products were being applied every six nitrogen. weeks, peaking at 180 units of N. “Succession farming was a big “The traditional farmer brain would consideration when we decided to go on say, ‘the farm needs N,’4:01 andPM in the end we this journey, because this land has been in HFS - Dairy Farmer Sept 2020 - 210x86mm - PRINT5mmbleed.pdf 1 18/08/20 were just following the cows with it,” Alan the Law family for 100 years and we have says. a real sense of belonging here,” he says.

Despite the high nitrogen use, the family has slowly been moving toward a more holistic way of farming. “We’ve been using an independent farm consultant who is not aligned to any fertiliser or consulting companies,” he says. “Also, in recent years we have used quite a bit of Sechura Reactive Phosphate Rock (RPR), and some muriate of potash. “And in the last two years, stocking rates have been reduced by 5%, down to 3.2 cows/ha. Cow numbers were reduced

Continued page 24

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Calving begins on July 20, with calving spread over 10 weeks. Replacement heifers make up 24% of the total calves born. Alan, Cameron and Brandon feed the calves at Wyndlea.

by 17% on the Oriini farm when we purchased it.” When it became apparent to him that change was the only way forward, he

contacted his brother, biological farming consultant David Law, for advice. David introduced him to a concept called Total Replacement Therapy, which

The farm was oversown with chicory in autumn. Alan checks out the chicory. 24

aimed to grow quality pasture with less synthetic nitrogen, reduce methane and leaching and increase soil water holding capacity whilst improving the soil structure. The concept is heavily based on the Albrecht/Kinsey system of soil fertility, and although Alan had attended two Neal Kinsey seminars in recent years, he was “too hesitant to change his system so dramatically.” “As farmers get older, we gain a bit more wisdom, but also get a bit more conservative,” Alan says. He took a very measured, cautious approach to the concept. Before he agreed to undertake the programme on his farm, he calculated the average fertiliser spend for the past four years and set that figure as the fertiliser budget for the 2019/20 financial year. The fertiliser recommendation, which included both solid fertiliser and biological liquid enhancement, came back at $18,000 under that budget. He also stipulated the programme could not have a negative impact on the business’ cash flow, profitability or

DAIRY FARMER

September 2020

pasture production. The transition period had to be actively managed. “We also insisted everything on the Government’s ‘hit list’ was measured and managed: carbon footprint, soil carbon, status of methane and other emissions and water quality,” he says. Satisfied that he had reduced the risk as much as possible, the family pressed ‘go’ on Total Replacement Therapy with much excitement and a little trepidation. “It did feel a bit like a leap of faith, I hoped we were doing the right thing,” he says. “But the support we got in the transition period was outstanding, and everyone involved put us fully at ease.” After comprehensive soil tests to assess the condition of the soil, the whole home farm, plus 10ha of Oriini, was spread with a combination of a liquid biological soil conditioner, fish fertiliser, molasses, kelp powder, baker’s yeast, cobalt and molybdenum on October 19. Between then and June 2020, another three rounds were applied that included sugar, lime flour, boron, cobalt and S.O.A to build feed going through the winter to early spring. A microbial livestock feed supplement was also fed to the cows on the home farm. After the first application, the family didn’t have to wait long to see a response. “The first thing we observed was an increase in the clover in the paddock,” he says. “When we started it comprised around 10% of the pasture sward, and now it has reached around 70%.

Alan hooks the calf feeder to the quad for Cameron to refill at the shed.

“This is what we want to see as not only is clover extremely palatable to cows, but it fixes the nitrogen from the atmosphere naturally, decreasing the rate at which we will need to apply synthetic nitrogen.” The farm “hung on” well during the drought conditions that the 2019/20 summer brought to the region. “We had never seen the farm grow grass like that,” he says. “Our farm consultant said our farm had more cover than any of her other clients in the region. “Traditionally, we would feed out additional PKE to fill feed deficits, but last

The family that farms together stays together. Brandon, Cameron and Alan Law are a tight-knit family and work well together. DAIRY FARMER

September 2020

year we didn’t feed any until May when farm pasture covers were dropping due to lack of rain.” Milk production reflected the substantial feed available over the summer months, with the herd producing 100kg MS/day more than last season in early summer, and by April it was still producing 1.5kg MS/cow/day. But perhaps the most exciting transformation since implementing the biological system was the dramatic reduction in nitrogen achieved in under a year. “We are using the equivalent of 21 tonnes less urea on Wyndlea, we’ve gone from using 180 units of N to 70 units of N,” Alan explained. “We thought we might be able to reduce nitrogen by 40%, but to have achieved 60% in a drought year is quite astounding.” The growth of quality pasture has been key to the success of the programme, as pasture persistence on the home farm has been a challenge in the past. “We’ve direct-drilled a quarter of Wyndlea every year with new species since 1981, as the ryegrass just doesn’t last,” he says. “And due to flooding, we had to re-grass 40% of the farm in 2017. “We’re hoping the new system will see an improvement in the area of pasture persistence.” Historically, pasture management has followed the spring rotation planner

Continued page 26 25

At 62 I thought, was dairy farming even worth the effort and stress anymore?

Alan Law’s farms have undergone a biological transformation over the last year. Alan checks out clover roots which stretch down through the soil, a sign of a healthy biological system which helps mitigate leaching.

strictly – by September 25, the pasture round is 24 days, 30 days in summer, 40 days by April 1, 55 days by May 15 and 100 days by June 1. Pasture is supplemented with maize silage, palm kernel, chicory and grain to achieve pasture covers and production targets are met. Four hectares of maize is grown at Wyndlea and 8ha of maize is grown at Oriini and at the Robins Road property, 9ha of maize is grown to share between Wyndlea and Oriini. Maize silage is fed to the herd throughout autumn, winter and spring. Eighty tonnes of palm kernel is fed at Wyndlea and 120t at Oriini to supplement the cows’ diet throughout the summer dry, or in autumn, alongside maize silage to put condition on cows. Due to the farm’s wet conditions, a 26

feed pad is used to feed supplements and minimise wastage. In-shed feeding was introduced in 2010, with around 2kg/cow of grain mix fed for around 300 days of the season. Zinc is added to the shed feed to guard against facial eczema, as well as trace elements. The family also grew a chicory crop in the 2019/20 season, 14ha at Wyndlea and 19ha at Oriini, which “saved their bacon” through the drought. However, in the autumn of the 2020/21 season, chicory and clover was oversowed across all dairy farms, instead of as distinct cropping paddocks, to help manage a longer pasture rotation if required. “The traditional cover targets may change with the biological farming system,” he says.

“Summer rotation lengths may end up longer in the future. “There are a few benefits to this, the longer the rotation length, the more natural drop you get, so essentially you are getting seed for free. “Also, it provides greater ground cover so the soil won’t dry out. “There is ongoing investment in pasture improvement. It is the backbone of the farm.” He has also found that the farm’s weeds have reduced. “As we lifted the pH of the soil, the pasture density improved and the weeds became much less dominant,” he says. “The penny royal has disappeared and (so has) the creeping cress, which was a major problem at Oriini... there is now a strong ryegrass presence.” There has also been an improvement in animal health since transitioning to a biological system. Being located on a flood plain, the farm can present challenges that go beyond pasture persistence. With low, wet land, the herd, while generally healthy, can encounter some issues with mastitis. “We apply gold-standard management to control and reduce clinical mastitis and minimise somatic cell counts in whole milk and reduce milk wastage by reducing antibiotic usage,” he says. “All cows get short-acting antibiotics and are teat sealed at drying off, and all rising two-year-old heifers are teat sealed. “Best practice management is followed, including breeding and culling management. “Cows that are repeat offenders with mastitis infections or high somatic cell counts are culled. When selecting sires to breed from, key indexes are carefully considered. “However, since doing Total Replacement Therapy we have seen a decline in mastitis, and somatic cell counts,” Alan says. He says fortunately, foot rot is generally not a big issue. After one year on the programme, the

DAIRY FARMER

September 2020

Brandon takes feed out to the herd.

Pasture is supplemented with maize silage, palm kernel, chicory and grain to achieve pasture covers and ensure production targets are met. Maize is grown on all three farms and fed throughout autumn, winter and spring.

dollar terms, having spent $40,000 less on fertiliser over the past two years, as well as in soil health. “The microbiology is silently working in our soil all the time, there’s been a huge improvement in soil structure.

“This system is a lot less stressful and a lot more interesting. And, I think we’ve only just started to see the benefits. “We believe biological farming is going to be the future of farming in New Zealand.” n

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September 2020

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transition phase has been declared a success. “The transition period needed to be smooth for us to be comfortable,” he says. “From the beginning, the team involved reassured us that we weren’t taking a risk, but more importantly, they didn’t pressure us with a purist concept from the start. “It has encouraged us to aim for even less nitrogen and better pasture this season.” A biological farming system has not only helped Alan and his family achieve their nitrogen goals, but it has revitalised his attitude toward farming after many years in the industry. He says his whole outlook on farming has changed, and they look for measures of success beyond production and profitability, while still achieving the KPIs they set out in the beginning. “We used to look at milk production or figures, but now we take a spade and look at root depth and worm population,” Alan says. “Total Replacement Therapy has given our family a whole new concept of farming sustainably. “We have achieved sustainability in

DAIRY CHAMPION

Sue Bidrose says good science is important for the wellbeing of New Zealanders and AgResearch is at the forefront of that good science.

Invermay protestor takes AgResearch leadership The new person at the helm of AgResearch once fought against restructuring the organisation but now wants to focus on doing great science to benefit farmers. Tim Fulton reports.

AMPAIGNING against restructuring in another arm of government doesn’t really fit the form book for a public sector chief executive, but it’s even more remarkable when the lobbyist goes on to take the job at that very organisation. AgResearch’s new chief executive Dr Sue Bidrose knocks the stuffing out of bureaucratic stereotypes. She recently adopted the Twitter handle “Sue B, Chch biker chick,” a nod to her love of motorbikes and a move from her beloved Dunedin to the job based at Lincoln. “I’ve ridden motorbikes since I was a teenager, mostly Japanese bikes but also a healthy smattering of British Triumphs and Royal Enfields,” she says. She recently took her Triumph for a

weekend cruise to get to know Canterbury better. Little stops her on a bike, except perhaps the frostiest mornings. “The weather’s nicer (when you’re) riding home but you’ve got to get here, right?” she says. Still, she’ll no doubt enjoy opportunities for fresh air as she takes on one of the most complex science management jobs in the country. Bidrose knows science, having started her working life as a lab technician and more recently fighting for the future of AgResearch’s Invermay research centre while working as chief executive at Dunedin City Council (DCC). In 2013, Invermay announced its AgResearch’s Future Footprint plan would consolidate staff into major sites at Lincoln and Palmerston North. By some estimates, Invermay may have lost as many as 85 people and jobs

would have also disappeared at Ruakura research centre in Waikato. Speaking on the first day of week four leading AgResearch, Bidrose was part-way through a tour of the institute’s four sites, which still includes Invermay. Looking back on her time at DCC, she says she enjoyed fighting for Invermay, alongside farming groups, Otago University and private science organisations. A petition to AgResearch garnered 12,450 signatures and the organisation dialled back on sweeping changes at the southern centre. It has since been reported that few Invermay scientists have moved north, though 40 have resigned. After years of uncertainty about its future, AgResearch last year confirmed Invermay would remain a centre for genomics and sheep research.

DAIRY FARMER

September 2020

It’s good to be the person who comes in when you’re out the other side of something.

With Invermay staying pretty much intact, the Future Footprint plan is basically dead. “That (DCC opposition) was a politically-led campaign. The mayor at the time and the local MPs were very keen to keep Invermay,” she says. “The public story was that Invermay might shut down altogether which wasn’t actually what was being planned but regardless of that, keeping Invermay as a thriving hub was pretty important for Dunedin.” While leading DCC she also fought to save the chair of neurosurgery at Dunedin hospital and to restore the city’s historic courthouse complex. She says her job description was to make Dunedin thrive “and when you love a place, that’s a pretty good job description to have.” Born and raised in Hutt Valley, Bidrose left a chief executive role with DCC to run an organisation with 700 staff and four regional campuses including Invermay - the one she once lobbied to save from restructuring. Schooled in Wainuiomata, Bidrose did

Sue Bidrose comes from a science background and has operational and strategic experience and strong understanding of local government. Sue at the official welcome as AgResearch chief executive.

a psychology degree at Victoria University but finished it with a PhD in the field at Otago where she focused on the impact of trauma on children’s development. She started her working life in social welfare, in client management at Work and Income New Zealand, then policy for the Ministry of Social Development. In the past 15 years, she held management roles in local government, mostly at DCC, but also in a seven-year term as chief executive of Waitakere City Council. She’s also worked in the volunteer/notfor-profit sector, including working as a

AgResearch has 700 staff spread over four regional campuses. DAIRY FARMER

September 2020

counsellor for Youthline and workwise. Other life experience includes social work in London and travelling around Africa. Now based at Lincoln for science, you could be forgiven for seeing her career as a kind of loop. Bidrose’s first employer was the Ministry of Agriculture, who took her on as a lab technician at Wallaceville, Upper Hutt. Part of the daily grind was faecal sampling to get a fix on parasite levels. Next it was those central government roles, then local bodies before coming “all the way around to circle back here.” She acknowledges AgResearch staff have had a bumpy time lately, Lincoln included. After years of scoping a plan to build and operate a new, super-sized building in partnership with Lincoln University, AgResearch and Lincoln have opted for separate facilities, albeit just metres apart. The organisation’s coming to the end of that restructuring, she says. “It’s good to be the person who comes in when you’re out the other side of something,” she says.” “The science staff want to get on and do good science – and the backroom staff want to enable that and make the books balance and your partners want you to do good science that’s going to work in that partnership. “And all of that has meant there’s been a lot of push and pull and change at AgResearch.”

Continued page 30 29

New AgResearch chief executive Sue Bidrose tours the facilities and checks out a carpet tufting machine.

While lobbying for Invermay, she met scientists and heard plenty about AgResearch’s relationships with science and business partners, and a smattering of farmers too. Now that she’s exploring AgResearch’s nooks and crannies, she’s impressed at the passion of the science team and the breadth of their work, from research into microbiomes in the gut, fungi that symbiotically pair up with ryegrass to help with pest resistance, or genetic breeding to reduce methane emissions. “There’s a lot going on to make farming more compatible with a clean environment, to improve pastoral farming’s contribution to climate change, gas emissions,” she says. “It does make you fizz, going around the science parts of the organisation meeting these bouncy scientists who are really fizzing about the work that they do and the potential to make a change.” Bidrose says she’s naturally inclined to dig deep into the working life of the organisations she leads. “That’s the best bit of the job. And the challenge is that I don’t get so swamped with budget, HR process and monthly reporting … that I forget the reason that I’m here, which is doing great science so that farmers can be even-better farmers,” she explains. 30

Her initial impression is that the “science part” of AgResearch is making progress but she’s wary of hasty conclusions. “I’m not here to meet my own ends. It would be pretty dumb for me to think that I’ve got a plan for AgResearch mapped out because it is about making sure that scientists can do what they do – and I absolutely need to make sure that I know what that is,” she says. “If our key stakeholders feel like we’re making a great contribution to them working with farmers, then I’ll feel like my work here is done.” She joins a large organisation with “fairly healthy” funding but it still has to make hard financial calls. “We do have to make sure that our backroom processes support the science, that it’s as efficient as it can possibly be. And we do have to make sure that we balance the books, that the money we bring in from science is enough to pay our costs,” Bidrose says. By earning more, AgResearch can employ more staff, for example. The institute also raises revenue for science from its partners, like DairyNZ, from intellectual property and subsidiary businesses. “All of those sources of income have to not be exceeded by our expenditure, and that’s ongoing work,” she says.

One of her immediate challenges is taking AgResearch through a covid-19 response. “We’ve got a team with some good science representation meeting to talk about it,” she explains. “We’re at level 2 for all four of our campuses but we have three people in Auckland and we’ve had some research that’s been impacted because of the nature of the volunteers who would have had to come in for it. “It’s tough for the scientists who have had to put a hold on things.” She’s aware of at least one research project that now needs urgent help because of covid-19 interference and she says the organisational goal will be to “ramp things up again as quickly as possible if that’s what is needed.” Bidrose replaced Tom Richardson, who led AgResearch for nine years. In an introductory media statement in July, she said it was a great time to be working back in science. “The whole country has seen how important good science is for the wellbeing of New Zealanders, and AgResearch is at the forefront of that good science,” she says. AgResearch Board chair Dr Paul Reynolds said Bidrose had worked “with scale and complexity,” so was ideally placed to lead the organisation because

DAIRY FARMER

September 2020

There’s a lot going on to make farming more compatible with a clean environment, to improve pastoral farming’s contribution to climate change, gas emissions. of her “science background, proven operational and strategic experience and strong understanding of local government.” She also has a proven “success record and is held in high political regard across the Dunedin and the New Zealand local government sector, and by central government agencies,” Reynolds said. n

Dr Sue Bidrose once lobbied against restructuring at AgResearch and, ironically, is now the chief executive.

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INDUSTRY GOOD

Taking pain out of disbudding Kevin McKinley

DairyNZ consulting officer – Bay of Plenty

’M SURE many of you have heard tales from a few decades ago when small children – including me – were sent to the dentist to have their fillings put in without any pain relief. We were all happy to see the back of that cruel practice, and more recently, our focus has shifted to animal welfare as a raft of research has reinforced that cows and calves feel pain like we do. Today, we know that stress hormone levels rise quickly when calves are disbudded without pain relief. When pain relief is administered these hormones are more stable, indicating the calf is much more comfortable. As a consulting officer, I’ve seen a huge shift to use pain relief for disbudding by farmers in my region. It’s now widespread and seen as a core part of providing good animal care. It’s the right thing to do – and since October 2019, it’s been a legal requirement. Legally, local anaesthetic must be used for disbudding. This numbs the horn bud for about two hours – like a dentist numbs your tooth. Using an anti-inflammatory or a topical anaesthetic is also recommended to provide longer term pain relief. Some farmers use vets to sedate calves for disbudding. This removes much of the handling stress, and recent evidence indicates it provides some extra pain relief for up to 24 hours. While disbudding is often done by contractors and vet practices, some farmers have worked with their vets to receive training to do it themselves. Whether you disbud the animals 32

Placing calves in a crate creates a safe, calming environment for disbudding.

If you have new staff, talking to them about why pain relief is important for disbudding and other conditions, such as lameness and mastitis, is a great way to get them thinking about animal care. yourself, or contract this out, farmers tell me that using pain relief makes it much easier as calves are calmer to handle. They

with DairyNZ may also be less stressed with farm staff in future. If you have new staff, talking to them about why pain relief is important for disbudding and other conditions, such as lameness and mastitis, is a great way to get them thinking about animal care. Lastly, if you’re planning to disbud calves it’s worthwhile getting onto this soon. Calves can go through this procedure from two to six weeks old. Younger calves tend to be easier to handle. In older calves the procedure is more painful, as removing a hornbud attached to the skull leaves a bigger wound. New Zealand farmers have a great reputation for animal care. Providing pain relief during disbudding, lameness and difficult calvings is good for our cows and will also help reinforce our position as world-leading farmers. Let’s keep up the good work. n

DAIRY FARMER

September 2020

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WOMEN IN AGRIBUSINESS

Farming passion through a lens A love of capturing a moment in time through the lens is helping a Manawatu farmer reach her goal of 50:50 sharemilking. Cheyenne Nicholson reports.

IX years ago Renae Flett combined her love of farming with her love of photography to create her photography business Renae Flett Agri and Events

Photography. Her photos feature in farming magazines and agricultural marketing campaigns, and she has shot several weddings, maternity shoots and everything in between. “I love to take photos of anything farming. I love farming. It’s my passion just like photography, so being able to combine the two makes me pretty lucky, (and) it’s all grown pretty organically,” she says. Renae says her business essentially took off without her even realising. Her love of taking photos of everything has grown into a small, side business that is now able to help her reach her next goal in her farming career – 50:50 sharemilking. Learning the tricks and tools of her trade through trial, error and time on tools, she has purchased and upgraded equipment as finances allow. Like many businesses, social media has been the place where Renae has grown a following for her work. She says that her social media pages have been great for gaining photography jobs, but her primary goal is to share the beautiful side of farming with the public. “I love being able to show the world the positive and beautiful side of farming, the care farmers put into their stock, land and environment,” she says. “Using an image to tell a story and put smiles on people’s faces is what I love. “If my photos help to give even just one person a different perspective on our industry, then I’m happy.” 34

Renae Flett is combining her love of farming with photography to create additional income to help reach her farming goals.

Fitting in photography jobs has become a fine art for Renae, who along with the farm is also juggling study. Although, she quickly realised she had to be realistic about the time she could invest in it. “Calving is the main time I don’t take on photography work unless I can capture that image on my own farm,” she explained. “It’s just too busy to go off the farm for jobs. Other times of the year though, I do enjoy being able to get off-farm. It helps

keep my mind fresh and focused having that mental break.” Over the years, Renae’s eye for a good photo has been well-trained. While she enjoys the days she gets to wear her photographer’s hat, she doesn’t have plans on growing the business for a while. Instead, she has her eyes firmly set on advancing her dairying career, something the photography business is helping her do. Although not a huge income, every little

DAIRY FARMER

September 2020

bit helps to reach her goal of buying a herd and going 50:50 sharemilking. It also provides a good back up income and can support her farming business should it go through some financial hardships. “I want to keep growing the social media side and keep the followers growing so I can keep sharing images and spread the positive side to the hard work our farmers are doing,” she says. “Doing that helps keep jobs trickling in, and it provides me with a creative outlet for when things are getting full-on on the farm, it’s a bit of a break, I guess.” Renae says she can pinpoint the exact moment she fell in love with dairying. A weekend milking cows with a friend was all it took to get her hooked. She’s been in the industry for 12 years now and says it’s the best decision she’s ever made. “I grew up in town, so I’ve very much had to work my way up the ladder. I’ve had some wonderful opportunities to work on different farms and gain experience in different systems and areas,” she says. Two-years into her dairying career Renae took up a job working with racehorses. But the pull of the dairy farm was too much, and she was quickly back

Renae Flett’s photography work is helping her work her way towards her farming goals by creating extra income.

in her red bands and in the milking shed. “I ended up relief-milking most days, and for those two years, I always wanted to be back full-time on a farm.

“I found a farm assistant job and went back to farming and worked my way up.” Renae has been sole contract milking on a 180-cow farm in the Manawatu for

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I’m so excited to own my own small herd. I’m aiming for a herd size of up to 230 cows and to keep building the business side of the operation.

the past five seasons with her partner James Martin working part-time on the farm and being a stock truck driver the rest of the time. The predominately Ayrshire cow herd is 180-185 with 35-40 heifer replacement calves reared each year and 75 bull beef calves for the farm owner each year. A further 10-12 heifer calves are reared and added to her small herd. The System 2, 70ha farm is home to heavy clay soils which can make management during extreme weather conditions challenging. “Last season’s production came in at 65,858kg MS. Our target was 66,000kg MS. This was due to the prolonged drought, we really struggled so are thankful we didn’t miss it by much,” she says. “This year’s target has been set at 66,000kg MS again, although the aim is to get well above that this season.”

Renae Flett competes on her horse Sonic as a way to get off-farm once in a while.

Her primary focus for the current season is improving the six-week in-calf rate. This has been a huge battle over the past four seasons despite following veterinary advice on the issue. “It’s just slowly fallen below where it needs to be. This obviously affects production as well as raises the risk of not being able to get those cows back in calf. I did manage to drop the empty rate from an average of 23-24% to 14%, which was a big win,” she says. Another focus for the season is improving pasture utilisation, growth and quality to achieve the production target for the season.

Renae Flett has been sole contract milking on a 180-cow farm in the Manawatu for the past five seasons. 36

“I’ve been struggling with the pasture type, minimal fertiliser use and getting the balance right so this is a big focus this year,” she says. “With using minimal fertiliser then the extreme weather we have been experiencing that fine line of getting it right and getting it wrong.” Soil type challenges aside, one of the farm’s biggest strengths is the cows. Ayrshires are a hardy breed and have held their condition even through some challenging weather events on a mainly pasture-based diet. Ready for the next step in her career, Renae is on the hunt for her first 50:50 sharemilking position for the 2021-22 season. “I’m so excited to own my own small herd. I’m aiming for a herd size of up to 230 cows and to keep building the business side of the operation,” she says. “I’d like to eventually lease a farm or own a small dairy unit, that’s the long term goal.” When not wielding a camera or out on the farm, Renae can be found indulging her other love in life – horse riding. She competes with her horse as regularly as she can and has a small team of cows and youngstock, which she shows as well. “I think when you’re looking to start any side business, you need to do your research and think about if you can realistically fit it in with your day to day job without putting yourself under too much pressure,” she says. “It has to be something you enjoy.” n

DAIRY FARMER

September 2020

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RESEARCH

Milking cows once-a-day during early lactation leads to a decrease in production but has many other benefits.

OAD milking during early lactation CHEYENNE NICHOLSON

NCE-a-day (OAD) milking is often used by dairy farmers either strategically (long term) or tactically as a short-term response to adverse seasonal conditions. OAD milking in early lactation gained a lot of traction a few years ago as a way of reducing workload and improving herd body condition score immediately after calving. Several years ago, DairyNZ underwent several research projects that looked into the effects of OAD in early lactation. DairyNZ senior scientist Dr Claire Phyn said that although there are any number of reasons to consider OAD in early lactation, farmers need to be clear in

what they want to achieve from it and weigh up the risks and benefits for their farm. The results from DairyNZ research found that cows milked OAD for three weeks immediately post-calving had 20% lower production and stayed at 8% lower even when switched to traditional twicea-day (TAD) milking again. Cows switched from OAD to TAD six weeks into lactation had a 12% production loss across the whole season. “Milking the herd OAD for a set period, such as six-weeks from the planned start of calving reduces the total farm production loss by about 3-5%,” Phyn said. “This is because as calving progresses the fresh cows have increasingly short durations at OAD milking. “This loss can be further reduced to

about 2% by limiting the OAD period to three weeks, or by only using OAD for colostrum cows.” From a physiological point of view, this reduction in production can be explained by understanding the effects of the mammary gland when a cow is milked OAD. Firstly, there is a reduced number of milk-producing cells and secondly, there is reduced activity of milk-producing cells which limits production even when cows are shifted onto TAD. OAD milking in early lactation is often used as a method to boost body condition score immediately after calving and alleviate body condition score (BCS) loss during feed shortages. Although OAD improves the energy state of a cow, which has major benefits in reducing instances of metabolic disorders

DAIRY FARMER

September 2020

Milking the herd OAD for a set period, such as six-weeks from the planned start of calving reduces the total farm production loss by about 3-5%. like ketosis, the flow-on effects to her BCS won’t be immediate. “One of the key points is that the longer the cows are on OAD, the greater the improvement,” Phyn said. “In early lactation, cows lose BCS immediately postpartum which is difficult to change. “Typically there are no differences in BCS loss in the first couple of weeks of lactation, regardless of OAD or TAD milking.” Research showed that BCS loss was the same in underfed cows on OAD and TAD for the three week period following calving, supporting the idea that OAD as a strategy for improved BCS isn’t suited for short periods (such as the colostrum period) with the benefits greatly increasing the longer cows are on OAD. “Even though there’s a decrease in milk production on OAD, the cows don’t eat much less so coupled with a better energy status, over time they will have an improved BCS, usually detectable from about five-weeks onwards,” Phyn explained. OAD milking for three to six weeks before switching to TAD was not shown to reduce the length of the post-partum

Once-a-day milking in early lactation is often used to boost body condition score immediately after calving and alleviate body condition loss during feed shortages.

anoestrus interval, indicating that OAD milking just over the colostrum period will have no effect either. The improvement in energy status is not sufficient to reduce the anoestrus interval or improve reproductive parameters. A longer period of 10 plus weeks on OAD is needed to have a positive effect.

“Whether it be for labour savings, decreasing workload and stress on people or improving the energy status in cows, farmers need to consider the trade-off against the milk production losses and assess if that’s an acceptable trade-off and financially valid,” she said. n

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RESEARCH

Kiwis collaborate globally

LANTS, pests and diseases can threaten our production systems so knowledge is key to protecting our environment and natural

ecosystems. New Zealand scientists recently joined Euphresco which will allow them to collaborate and learn from experts across the globe. Euphresco is a global organisation comprising 50 countries that allows international experts to study and share information in the phytosanitary area and the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI), supported by Better Border Biosecurity (B3), now belongs to the organisation. B3 is a multi-partner, cooperative science collaboration that researches ways to reduce the entry and establishment of new plant pests and diseases in NZ. Scientists from B3 and MPI are currently contributing to a dozen projects including senior scientist at MPI Dr Chandan Pa, who is investigating what kind of DNA we can find inside of plants siad, “Euphresco has helped us build unique partnerships with our counterparts from other countries in the plant health research area, and understand and build a common infrastructure required for research and innovation.”

MPI’s Plant Health and Environment lab team have joined global organisation Euphresco to help them share knowledge with scientists from 50 countries.

B3 director and Euphresco associate member for NZ Dr David Teulon said being part of the global network provides great opportunities for B3 scientists to connect with international researchers working in areas of mutual interest. “This opportunity to formalise NZ’s involvement in Euphresco is another important step in making sure we are sharing information and working together internationally on issues of concern to NZ’s plant biosecurity,” Teulon said. The overall goal of Euphresco is to support coordination and collaboration around phytosanitary research, relating to the health of plants, especially with respect to the requirements of international trade, an important factor for NZ agriculture.

The rate of introduction and establishment of new plant pests has increased steadily over the last century because of expanding globalisation of trade, exacerbated by climate change. It takes proactivity to prevent damage to productive and natural ecosystems and avoid endangering human and animal health. “We know how much damage plant pests and diseases are causing overseas, and science partnerships will help us stay ahead,” MPI’s diagnostics and surveillance services director and NZ’s representative on the Euphresco board Dr Veronica Herrera said. “Our NZ scientists can work on common biosecurity solutions and share their practical knowledge with their peers on the other side of the world.” n

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ANIMAL HEALTH

Biosecurity a good BVD insurance

IOSECURITY is high on most New Zealanders’ minds this year, thanks largely to covid-19 and the need to keep it firmly on the country’s border edges to avoid it spreading throughout the community. Meanwhile, for New Zealand farmers there is a disease that does not affect humans but can, with good biosecurity, also be avoided. Estimates are that about 80% of this country’s dairy and beef herds have been exposed to Bovine viral diarrhoea (BVD). Over the past decade as more herds have cleared it, they have again become susceptible, or ‘naïve.’ This leaves them with no resistance to a disease that can account for a variety of undiagnosed ailments. Zoetis veterinary operations manager Greg Chambers says comprehensive control of BVD relies upon three key planks in any farm campaign – testing/ culling, vaccination and biosecurity. Chambers says biosecurity is best described through the BVD Steering Committee’s definition, “in, out and over” for managing a farm’s biosecurity challenges. Stock coming onto a farm, particularly service bulls, can be a critical source of BVD infection, and avoiding them bringing it in demands some attention well before the day they hit the unloading ramp on-farm. Having bulls vaccinated for BVD before coming on-farm two to three months prior to using them will reduce risk of them infecting the herd. A blood test for BVD’s presence should also be required from the bull supplier, along with the vaccination. He cautions against the “buyer beware” principle and recommends farmers specifically ask vendors and agents if bulls have been tested and fully vaccinated before trucking. When it comes to stock heading off the farm, young heifer calves can be particularly high risk for bringing BVD back home. “They leave, will usually get pregnant

DAIRY FARMER

September 2020

Zoetis veterinary operations manager Greg Chambers says vaccination is a critical part of on-farm Bovine viral diarrhoea control.

before coming back, and can come back pregnant with a calf that is infected (socalled “Trojan calves”), even if the mother is not – it can be a real tough one to detect until it is too late,” Chambers said. Vaccination of young stock before leaving the home farm will provide biosecurity peace of mind not only for the grazier, but for the stock owner when those pregnant heifers come back home. “The problem of having persistently infected (PI) calves is even greater for dry stock cattle farmers,” he said. “Many PI calves leave at four days of age on dairy farms. But that’s not the case with beef farmers, so those PI calves can be in herds for years, shedding and spreading BVD.” The third element of biosecurity control, the “over” component, involves stopping stock from getting into neighbouring properties or encountering neighbouring cattle through the fence. “Typically a double boundary fence with a gap of at least two metres is the best solution to avoid this,” he said.

“It requires more than just an out-rigger along the edge, but it can be difficult to do depending on contour and terrain. “There is also the problem of deliberate contact, through sharing yards or milking facilities at different times of the year for whatever reason.” Chambers cautions BVD, like covid-19 in people, is a relatively contagious disease and easily spreads between livestock. “So if you were forced to share something like a milking shed due to a breakdown, you would want to make sure you have given it a really good hose down between the two different herds going through it. It’s the same story for cattle yards too,” he said. He emphasised vaccination is a critical part of on-farm BVD control. “But all your effort and expense there on the milking herd will only extend so far if attention is not paid to biosecurity – it’s something you want to always have in your mind, and plan ahead for well before you need those bulls in, or have to send those youngstock away.” n

CALF CLUB

The best time of the year ANNE BOSWELL

EXI Gordon’s calf Autumn has a reputation around the shed as a bit of a princess. “She knows she’s one of our best calves,” Lexi says. “And, she has a beautiful

trot.” Mum Nicky Gill, who milks around 300 cows on 100ha at Maketu in the Bay of Plenty with partner Daryl, agrees. When trying to get Autumn on her feet for her photoshoot, Nicky laughs that Calf Club calves do what they want, when they want – outside of the ring that is. “They know they’re the special ones, because they get to sneak in and have milk with the little babies,” Nicky says. “When you open the gate and let them into the calf shed, you see them instantly making their way through the others.” Pongakawa School students Lexi, eight, and her brother Conrad, five, both have calves entered in this year’s Calf Club NZ competition. Lexi’s calf Autumn is an Ayrshire, born July 23, while Conrad’s calf, Galaxie, is a Friesian, born July 26. He describes Galaxie’s black markings as silvery, hence the extra-terrestrial name. Both children have had Calf Club calves since an early age. “Conrad had his first calf, Bambi, when he was at Playcentre,” Nicky says. “He took her to the school Ag Day – he must have been two – and led her around the ring perfectly. “It was so cool to watch.” Conrad’s second calf Bumblebee was entered into the competition in 2019, and training is under way with Galaxie for this year’s competition. “My favourite thing to do is lead Galaxie around the ring,” he says. Conrad also loves cleaning Galaxie. “I even shined her hooves,” he said. This will be Conrad’s first year of formal judging, as pre-school entrants are judged socially. Lexi has had four Calf Club calves: Lightning was her first, followed by Patrick (unable to compete due to M. bovis), Trixie in 2019, and Autumn this year. 42

Pongakawa School students Lexi and Conrad Gordon from Maketu with their calves entered in the online Calf Club competition.

Lexi says this is her favourite time of the year. “Spending time with animals and looking after them are my favourite parts of Calf Club,” she says. Nicky says Lexi’s school diary is filled with entries about Calf Club. “She gets up at 6am to write stories about it,” Nicky says proudly. “She just loves it.” Nicky says the digital version of the Calf Club NZ competition, now in its third year, is really enjoyable to take part in. “I really enjoy the judges coming to the farm,” she says. “Not only is it easier for the calves not to travel, but the judge that came last year was excellent. “He spent a lot of time talking to Lexi and encouraging her and giving her

helpful tips. He was awesome.” Nicky says despite a small hiccup last year, when Lexi’s leading event was interrupted by a mob of curious calves at the fence line, Lexi handled herself beautifully. “She didn’t get upset, and she carried on,” Nicky says. “She did so well and did it with a smile on her face.” This year, Lexi and Conrad will also enter their calves into Pongakawa School Ag Day, which will be held on school grounds with biosecurity measures in place. Lexi did well last year, winning the Taft Cup for the Holstein Friesian breed, as well as a cup for her school Ag Day diary. Nicky says Calf Club teaches the kids valuable animal husbandry skills.

DAIRY FARMER

September 2020

Conrad and his Calf Club calf, Galaxie. Conrad enjoys leading his calf and grooming her.

Spending time with animals and looking after them are my favourite parts of Calf Club.

Lexi Gordan

“Lexi will go and lock the cows away with no problems,” she says. “Calf Club gives them a lot of confidence to handle animals.” Nicky says she also loves watching a

Pre-mating blocking

Lexi and Autumn. Lexi says Calf Club is the best time of the year.

bond form between the kids and their calves. “It stays, too,” she says. “If the cows are in the house paddock, the Calf Club calves will always come up to the fence for a pat. “And Lexi was over the moon to see that Lightning, her first Calf Club calf, calved on August 14.” It’s not only the kids that are forming lifelong bonds with the animals. “Each year the Calf Club calves build a strong bond with each other, and they become lifelong friends,” Nicky says. “It’s quite amazing. Lightning and Bambi are still best friends, they are always in the same row in the shed, and they are always together in the paddock. And it’s the same with Trixie and Bumblebee.

“Bambi is still waiting to calve so we’re hopeful the pair will be reunited soon.” Nicky says the family are very thankful for everyone involved in making Calf Club NZ available to all kids. “They are keeping Calf Club alive and fun through M. bovis, and hopefully it can keep going well into the future, even once M. bovis is under control,” she says. Calf Club NZ marketing manager Josh Herbes says registrations for the competition were tracking really well. “Registrations are coming in daily, and on August 17 we were at 247 entries – already well over last year’s 180 entries.” n

Children have until September 1 to submit their entries for the 2020 competition. Go to www.calfclubnz.co.nz to enter.

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INNOVATION

Clever Kiwis win at Fieldays

EDUCING urinary nitrogen is high on the agenda for the dairy sector but there is a lack of tools available for farmers to meet the everchanging environmental requirements and consumer demands. AgriSea have been working on a product to add to the toolbox to reduce urinary nitrogen and they were recognised at the 2020 Fieldays Online Innovation Awards, which were announced digitally in late July. Their product, newly-named Fortress +, won the Established Prototype Award. It is a bioactive formulation which has been proven to reduce urinary nitrogen and increase animal performance. It incorporates both marine and terrestrial plants with high bioactive compounds. “We have a PhD student at Lincoln University working on this product with us, so the science is there supporting the benefits,” Agrisea business development manager and director, Clare Bradley said. “It increases the health of stock at the same time as reducing nitrogen excretion by up to 18-20%. “So, there is an environmental benefit as well as a benefit for the farmer themselves. The product is liquid based and can be administered in a variety of different ways, including adding it to feed and grain. The judges saw Fortress + as a valuable addition to agricultural nitrogen control. Another Innovation award winner is Waikato-based Hivesite, who scooped the Grassroots Prototype Award and the James & Wells Innovation Award with their in-beehive autonomous, chemical free, thermal treatment for Varroa mite. Varroa infection of beehives leads to colony collapse and is a growing global problem. The judges were impressed how they are using technology to enable an efficient, innovative and self-contained system that uses heat to kill Varroa without the need for chemicals. Pesticides impact bee productivity and should be avoided during the honey flow, plus there is a labour cost involved in their application.

AgriSea’s Fortress + is aimed at reducing urinary nitrogen and increasing animal performance and won the Established Prototype Award during the online event. Tane Bradley of Agrisea with their award.

Antahi Innovations Ltd were awarded the Innovation Launch Award for their Trusti Colostrum Management System. The system is used for testing, storing, feeding and pasteurisation. The kit includes Trusti Colostrum bags and accessories for chilling colostrum to maintain quality, easy transportation to calves and hygienically feed directly from the bag. The bags can be used alone or in conjunction with the Trusti Pasteur colostrum pasteuriser, eliminating harmful pathogens that cause diseases, like Mycoplasma and Johnes, and it also minimises contaminant bacteria, so the calf can absorb more of the critical colostrum antibodies. The Trusti Pasteur also enables rapid thawing and warming of colostrum within colostrum bags, to ensure there are no delays with providing the highest-quality colostrum within the critical timeframe after birth. They received great feedback around the well-thought-out system and the judges recognised it offers an exciting commercial opportunity worldwide for the New Zealand-based business. “It is exciting to see our new colostrum

management system adopted so quickly by our progressive farmers here in NZ,” Waikato veterinarian and chief innovator at Antahi Ursula Haywood said. “We look forward to helping many more farmers manage their crucial gold colostrum for their future herd. “The Fieldays Innovation Awards will not only help spread the good word domestically but also strengthen our exports.” Ballance Agri-Nutrients, AgResearch, Tussock Innovation, Ecolibrium Biologicals Ltd, Fleetpin Ltd and MagGrow were among the award winners for their exciting innovations. The Young Inventor of the Year award was taken home by a group from St Paul’s Collegiate School. James Barker, Thomas Glenn, William Cowan and Curtly Harper had worked together to create an LED turbine powered water flow detector they called Flashflow. The Fieldays Innovation platform provides an excellent opportunity for innovation, for big and small companies to get support, recognition, insight, and commercial expertise to grow and move to the next level. n

DAIRY FARMER

September 2020

INNOVATION

Award-winning MagGrow hits the mark Irish company MagGrow took out the International Innovation Award at Fieldays with their cutting-edge crop technology which seeks to reduce spray drift while maximising efficiency and output for farmers. TONY BENNY

P TO 70% of pesticides miss their target but an Irish company has come up with an innovation to change that, solving the compromise between drift and coverage associated with conventional spraying. MagGrow won the International Innovation award at the New Zealand National Fieldays in July for a simple innovation that results in higher pesticide coverage on and inside the plant canopy. The technology is a two-component system that uses permanent rare earth magnets and can be retrofitted to existing sprayers or installed on new sprayers. Pesticides pass through the magnetic fields, changing the physical properties of the fluid, thereby optimising the spray droplets. The unique spray characteristics and optimum droplet size deliver superior spray drift control and crop coverage. The innovation award judges said

they were impressed by MagGrow’s deep understanding of both science and farming, applied to an innovation that can improve both environmental and commercial outcomes globally. “They tick all the boxes in terms of saving money, reducing chemical use and saving water. A really practical, straight direct impact on-farm right now, easy to understand and apply,” awards guest judge Brendan O’Connell said. The Irish win continues a strong farming connection between Ireland and NZ, with businesses from both countries regularly competing each other’s innovation awards, providing a stepping stone into markets on the opposite side of the world. “This dynamic connection allows us to share knowledge and support our local entrants as they look to work in the Irish market,” Fieldays Innovation Awards event organiser Gail Hendricks said. “Covid-19 has highlighted the fundamental role of agriculture and food production around the world.

“Together NZ and Ireland are demonstrating how innovation is at the centre of stabilising this for the future and the need to encourage and support innovators.” MagGrow says it has already spent €10 million (NZ$18m) developing the technology and recently raised an additional €6 million (NZ$10.8m) from international investors for a commercial roll-out, working with partners including Trimble Ag. The funding will be used for additional research and to build manufacturing capability. The company claims farmers who adopt the technology typically see a return on their investment within a year thanks to using less chemicals and less diseased crops due to the increased coverage. “A key selling point for farmers is the fact that there is virtually no maintenance with no moving parts, cables, electrical wires or power supply,” MagGrow said. n

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production is not jeopardised. “We need food so other sectors need to do better. “This is a breath of someone to finally fresh air for say Rankin says while that.” reports have been previous scathing of farming, this one is less so. “I felt like this report has helped us turn a corner, that affected by climate farmers are change but we The Intergovernme also really need them.” on Climate Change ntal Panel The report found (IPCC) report global food is being welcomed systems account by New for a quarter of Zealand farming greenhouse gas leaders as an emissions and endorsement of agricultural emissions of nitrous our low impact systems and the oxide and methane importance of are increasing. maintaining food But land also has production. a role as a The IPCC says carbon sink, absorbing land on which 30% of the we rely for food, planet’s greenhouse water, gas emissions health and wellbeing energy, between 2008 and 2017. is already under pressure Crop production and climate is being change will exacerbate affected by higher temperatures, through desertification that changing rain patterns degradation potentially and land frequency of extreme and greater affecting events. food security. The report warns consumption The report’s advocacy patterns, land management and balanced diet including of a population growth will determine animal protein sourced the planet’s future from resilient, in a changing sustainable, low climate. greenhouse systems is an endorsement gas “Pathways with higher demand for NZ, for food, Beef + Lamb chief feed, and water, insight officer more ON-FARM training Jeremy Baker says. resource-inten courses have an sive consumption important role to “This is the NZ She said there should and production play red and more limited always future, Feilding High in agriculture’s be an opportunity production system. meat technological improvements Reesby said the to role that form Meaghan Reesby School student training because do practical of training plays “It is definitely in agriculture yields, says. trained in increasing the not saying that The year 13 pupil result in a better understanding staff have skills of people in we all need to higher risks from of how their agriculture should become vegetarian agri-commerce at plans study water scarcity workplaces, such not be overlooked Massey University or vegan.” in drylands, land as farms, function, and any future next year but said degradation and which is good for changes in how not everyone employers and It is an opportunity food insecurity.” training course are interested in agriculture employees. delivered needs to ramp wants to go up promotion to remember that. Report contributor to university. of the Taste Pure Feilding High School The daughter of Associate Himatangi dairy Nature brand, Professor Anita Some people prefer can build their practicalpupils farmers, Meaghan’s to tell Wreford, of farming global meat eaters 40 million on approach, whether a more handsLincoln University’s experience while on the family farm, brother works about NZ’s lowthat is through at school by Agribusiness complementing a cadetship or beginning carbon footprint, and Economic taking courses offered what he learns at he says. Research Unit, work with building their knowledge a job and Gateway, a programme through DairyNZ climate says it shows the practical courses, through change importance of for young while her sister courses offered people in their last ambassador Trish also is also full time not implementing by workplace year of school Rankin is on contradictory the farm, training that allows them providers such as fitting her Massey heartened the policies. to Primary report says some course work ITO. training made up complete around that. sectors need to “The report is of theory and reduce their highly practical unit standards. emissions faster for NZ as we grapple relevant to ensure food MORE: trade-offs involved with the greenhouse gas P3 emissions, with reducing adapting to the change, managing impacts of climate the areas we value and maintaining supporting our communities and and societies in this process. Neal Wallace

neal.wallace@glo balhq.co.nz

HE red meat industry hopes to ramp up its Taste Pure Nature brand campaign on the back of international climate the latest change report.

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FARMSTRONG

Farmstrong ambassador Sam Whitelock says just as he does with rugby, there are steps farmers can take to help them get through the busy season.

Having the right fuel in the tank Farmstrong ambassador Sam Whitelock recently notched up his 150th game for the Crusaders and auctioned his anniversary match jersey for Farmstrong. We asked him to share what he does to stay on top of his game when life gets busy. Here’s what he had to say.

UGBY and farming are very similar in that they are both driven by a seasonal calendar, which can make life pretty hectic at times. It’s been all-go for me recently with rugby. I know in farming it’s the same. Many people are either calving at the moment or about to go into it, same with lambing. The weather at this time of year can also be harsh which can make life challenging. Here are a few things I’ve learnt from growing up on a farm and during my sporting career to get through.

Dad was great at keeping things enjoyable for us even during the busiest times. We’d come home during the school holidays and Dad would say, “right come on let’s go out on the farm, help out where you can.” My brothers and I found that challenging sometimes, but we knew we had to help out. We could see the pressure that was on Mum and Dad and the staff having a larger dairy farm and when you’re calving big numbers in a small amount of days, the challenges that are involved are massive.

But to Dad’s credit, he always really drove the enjoyment side of it and that’s probably why a couple of his sons are in farming now. I’ve also learnt through farming and rugby that you really have to think about what you put into your body. Having the right ‘fuel in the tank’ is vital. I’ve found eating good food and having a lot of food, small and often, is the best way to do it, because it keeps your energy levels up. Something as simple as taking a water bottle with you, even if it’s just for half an hour, is also important. As we know at this time of year, half

DAIRY FARMER

September 2020

When you’re really busy, taking extended breaks is not an option. That’s when I make sure I schedule in minibreaks or time out during the day to recharge. Scheduling in mini-breaks or time out during the day helps you to recharge. an hour can turn into three or four hours pretty quickly so having a little bit of water there, even though it’s cold, definitely keeps you in a good space. Sport has taught me that staying hydrated really helps with fatigue levels and decision making. When you’re really busy, taking extended breaks is not an option. That’s when I make sure I schedule in minibreaks or time out during the day to recharge. This is something I picked up from my Dad. He always used to have a quick power

nap each day. He had that ability to take just a bit of time out no matter how busy things got, even if it was just for a minute or two. He’d take that opportunity to just stop, refresh and assess what needed to be done in the afternoon. Then once he’d decided, he was ready to go and he was right back into it. If I have lots of things on my mind, one of the things I do to make sure I get a good night’s sleep is to write them down before I go to bed. It frees me up mentally. I think

Eating well often helps to keep energy levels up during the busy times on the farm.

“right I’ll deal with that tomorrow.” Another thing that’s also helped me is keeping away from my phone half-anhour to an hour before bedtime, so I’m not distracted by social media or reading something on the phone. I just put it aside and use an alarm clock instead. When I get rid of my phone early in the night, I find it definitely improves the quality of sleep I have. And, when I’ve got a long list of things to juggle, the first thing I do is prioritise the list. For example, is there something I can do that’s going to eliminate two or three of the other things on the list? It’s a bit like rugby in that respect. If your scrum’s not going very well, then your back attack’s not going very well, so if you sort your scrum out, nine out of 10 times it sorts your back attack out. It’s about asking yourself, what is the priority and where does it sit on my list? Is it a priority or is it a nice-to-do but not a must-do now? Let’s face it, in farming whether you have a small lifestyle block or 25,000 acres there’s always something to be done and not enough time to do it in. So, you’ve got to work out what your priority is and what you can live with and then work back from there. n

Under the pump? For tips and ideas, visit farmstrong.co.nz

DAIRY FARMER

September 2020

BETTER BULLS BETTER CALVES

Dairy farmer invests in Belgian Blue A Canterbury farmer is no longer feeling blue about calving as she now uses a beef breed that is easier all round. Anne Boswell reports.

Debbie Geddes milks 700 cows at Willowby and now puts her tailenders to Belgian Blue after finding other beef breeds were difficult to calve. Samen NZ Dairy Beef Coordinator Trudy Bensted, farmer Debbie Geddes, and Hospice South Canterbury Marketing and Events Manager Jeanna Munro and Abby Geddes (lying down) check out the stock.

ANTERBURY woman Debbie Geddes considers herself a dairy farmer through and through but the opportunity to dabble in beef – thanks to some outstanding genetics – has left her excited about her future with the Belgian Blue breed.

Milking 700 Holstein Friesian cows on a 275-hectare family farm at Willowby, south of Ashburton, Geddes was searching for an alternative to the traditional breeds she tailed her herd with. “Generally, I crossed the tail-enders with beefies (usually Hereford) but I had a bad season with them two years ago

where I was pulling calves constantly,” Geddes said. “I’ve used Samen for my genetics for 15 years now, and both the ease of calving and short gestation traits of their Belgian Blue genetics really appealed to me.” In the 2018/19 season, Geddes artificially inseminated her late calvers with Belgian Blue straws and got 60

Belgian Blue cattle behind Hospice fundraiser SAMEN NZ and Hospice South Canterbury have teamed up in a unique opportunity to raise vital funds to support palliative care patients and their families. Hospice South Canterbury marketing and events manager Jeanna Munro says the two organisations will support farmers to breed, rear and finish Belgian Blue calves. Samen will donate Belgian Blue straws to interested farmers, who donate one calf produced from the straws back to Hospice. Once the animals are finished, the proceeds of the sale of the animals will be returned to Hospice to help run its valuable service.

Munro says she became interested in the potential opportunity after a meeting with a group of local farmers produced some excellent fundraising ideas, which was followed by Munro reading an article about Belgian Blue breeder Lockwood Smith. “It is something just a little bit different to traditional Hospice fundraisers,” she said. Although the project is in its early stages, Munro says the potential is huge. “We’ll be starting with around 50 calves, but we see the project growing over time,” she says. “We’d like to support farmers in

rearing and finishing the calves by finding sponsors for feed, milk or grazing. “We want farmers to enjoy the process and consider doing it again next year, not feel burdened with costs and responsibility. “We’d like the project to feel like a partnership between farmers and Hospice.” Munro says Samen has been “absolutely fantastic.” “They have been incredibly helpful and have jumped on board, boots and all.” “It is such an exciting opportunity for Hospice to work alongside our rural community.”

DAIRY FARMER

September 2020

Belgian Blue calves as a result. “Calving went really well,” she recalled. “The Belgian Blue were robust, strong calves of a good size, and did not require pulling out. “They were on their feet quickly, and on the feeder drinking with no problems.” Geddes says after the first week, the calves were doing so well that they were comfortable dropping to once-a-day feeding. “I had staff saying that they would happily calve 1000 of the Belgian Blue calves because they were so easy,” she says. Geddes sold 12 of the original 60 Belgian Blue calves at 100kg, but kept 48 to finish, which are now 10 months old. “I’m a dairy farmer through and through, but I’ve so enjoyed having the Belgian Blue calves,” she says. “I was going to on-sell them all at 100kg but now that I understand the breed a bit more, I can see that they are going to grow out a lot quicker than other breeds do. “It will be viable for me to carry them through to finishing at 16 months old. “They are so big already. You can see the double muscle on their bums.”

Although navigating the beef market is not something Geddes ever expected to do, she enjoyed the experience so much she repeated the exercise last season, using the Belgian Blue across her later-calving cows to bring their calving forward and get more days in milk. At the beginning of August, Geddes had three new Belgian Blue calves on the ground already. “The calves are just awesome,” Geddes explained. “They are nuggety, solid little calves with a lovely nature and no calving issues.” “I’m planning to keep turning them over like this in the future. They are so easy to handle, and they look after themselves. “They grow well on basic feed, and because they are grown out in 16 months, I don’t have to carry them through a second winter.” Geddes says although she hasn’t taken her finished animals to market yet, she is optimistic about the returns. “I’ve been told that with the double muscle they are heavier in meat and muscle, are lighter boned and yield better

than other beef animals,” she says. “Of the 12 I sold in the first year, the comments I’ve had are that they are easy calves to rear and have grown really quickly compared to other beef breeds they raised.” Geddes admits she was a little sceptical when considering the Belgian Blue genetics because it sounded “too good to be true.” “But now, having used it, I can say they were 100% right, the calves are everything I was told they would be,” she said. And although the Belgian Blue have met the criteria Geddes was looking for in terms of ease of calving and short gestation, they have also fulfilled a personal aspiration of Geddes’. “My parents used to breed Charolais cattle on the side when I was a child, and I wanted to find my own breed that I could rear in the background and foster a passion for,” she says. “I wanted to explore a breed that was different to the most common breeds on the market, something to grow and enjoy for myself. “The Belgian Blue does all that, and more.” n

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BETTER BULLS BETTER CALVES

Canterbury dairy farmers Craig and Hannah Fulton use Ezicalve Herefords over their herd to create additional income from beef animals.

Ezicalve a ‘winning formula’

HE idea of running Hereford bulls over dairy heifers can send shivers down spines. The vision of heifers struggling to push the beefy calves out is enough to put many off. But Canterbury dairy farmers Hannah and Craig Fulton have used Ezicalve Herefords for the past seven seasons and believe in their winning formula. They have been on their 160-hectare effective farm at Hinds milking 650 cows for seven seasons, owning it in an equity partnership with Chris Bolderston and contract milking on it. They source their bulls from the Ezicalve stud in Rangitikei as well as ensuring their heifers are well-grown and meeting liveweight targets. “The bulls aren’t cheap, but neither is losing a heifer,” Craig said. “With Ezicalve you’re paying for peace of mind and insurance. We know if the bull has the Ezicalve tag in his ear he’s a safe bet to look after our girls.”

“We used to AI our heifers but we had good repro results already and were finding we had an abundance of heifers and no market for the excess. But there was a big demand for beef calves, particularly Herefords,” Hannah added. “It’s also a great option to decrease the number of calves going on the bobby truck.” Will Morrison of Ezicalve listens to their requests and feedback and handpicks the bulls for their herd. “We send pictures of progeny and let him know if we’re having any challenges, Hannah explained. “One season we had a run of broken face-marked calves that weren’t as popular in the market, but Will took the feedback on board and we haven’t had any problems since.” Some calves are sold at six-days old, and they have found loyal customers return every season, so nothing needs to go to the sale yards. They also keep some themselves to rear and sell at 100kg. “It’s a great way to supplement the farm income. The first two seasons on this farm were the low-payout years and we had to

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September 2020

2020 SPRING BULL SALE CALENDAR NZ Farmers Livestock are proud to bring to you the following sales for the upcoming Spring Bull Season.

Manawatu

Contact John Watson – 027 494 1975

Sept 10 Riverlee Hereford, Rangiwahia – Livestreamed 64 2yr Hfds Sept 17 Riverton Ezicalve Hereford, Fordell – Livestreamed 160 1yr; 30 2yr Hfds

Taranaki

Sept 29 B&C Donald, Ngakouka Herefords, Dannevirke 30 Ylg Hfds Oct 6

Lower NI all breeds dairy bull, Rongotea

Contact Simon Payne – 027 241 4585

Sept 7 Downs Family Farms, Pukengahu 120 PB Hfd; 80 Angus 2yr owner bred

Sept 22 D&R + I&N Smith & Families, Shadow Downs, Waverley 70 polled 1&2yr Hfds

Sept 10 Hurley Farms Trust, Stratford 150 all-breeds 2&3yr

Sept 24 R&J Jupp, Hurstpier Herefords, Tikorangi; Horizon Pedigree Herefords, M&N McLeod 60 1&2 Yr Hfds

Sept 14 Burmeister Partnership, Warea 55 Ylg Jsy & 4 2Yr Jsy Sept 15 Fowler Farms, Patea 330 all-breeds, 1, 2, & 3yr Sept 18 WE & JJ Craig & Family - Puketahi Farms, Pukengahu 400 all-breeds 2 & 3yr Sept 21 H&J Megaw, Waitara 240 all-breeds 2yr

Waikato

Sept 25 Bexley Station, Awakino 48 Hfd & 21 Ang Ylg Sept 28 KV & SI Collins & Family, Croyden Rd 300 Hfds, Ang & Jsy 2&3yr Sept 29 C&C Burkitt, Rahotu 60 Ylg Jsy & 4 2Yr Jsy Oct 1

PR & A George, Inglewood 40 2yr PB owner bred hfds

Contact Brent Bougen – 027 210 4698

Sept 8 Lynrich Jersey, Cambridge Livestreamed 200 recorded Jsy Ylgs Sept 15 Valda Rose, Walton Livestreamed 30 1&2yr Hfds Sept 16 Waitawheta Angus, Paeroa Livestreamed 35 Ylg Angus Sept 21 Ratanui Hereford, Cambridge Livestreamed 60 Ylg Hfds

Ezicalve calves are easy to calve, fast-growing, robust and can be finished quickly.

Sept 21 Tusons Hereford, Rongotea 35 2yr Hfds

Sept 22 Rapu Hereford, Te Aroha 30 1&2yr Hfds Sept 24 BullsEye, Huntly 300 all breeds 2yr Sept 30 Momona Herefords, Tirau Livestreamed 60 Ylg Hfds Oct 8

Morrinsville all breeds service bull Livestreamed

Visit mylivestock.co.nz for more details

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make some decisions about how we could increase our income because we couldn’t really cut our costs a lot more,” Hannah says. “Rearing beef calves was one of the things we came up with and we’ve done it ever since because it’s a good way to add value. “It does add to the workload but you’re busy anyway.” They are diligent in maintaining records and matching cows and calves in the paddock, so it was a natural transition to join the LIC Sire Proving Scheme. It also keeps the team interested, noting the traits other than production when they are milking the new heifers each season. They are using mostly crossbreed semen with some Friesian and the odd Jersey straw over the bigger cows. “We are aiming for an F12 type cow, we don’t want them too big, but we like the look of the Friesian,” Craig explained. Mating starts October 20 with just over five weeks to AB then they put the bulls out. They use the yearling Ezicalve bulls in their first season over the heifers, then carry them over and put them in with the herd as two-year-olds. “One thing we really like about the Ezicalve bulls, when they come into the herd as two-year-olds, they’re not a massive Hereford that damages the cows. They’re a good size so there’s no accidents from bulling injuries,” Craig says. “The bulls cull at a decent hook weight and there’s no problems with calves being too small or struggling to grow. It’s great all round for our system.” The farm achieves great reproductive performance, with their mixed-aged cows achieving six-week in-calf rates around 74-76% every year. They start calving July 29 and by August 15 this year they already had 440 cows in. Craig and his two team members have a good system. “We know they’re going to calve fast, but we prepare for it. We have contingency plans for what the weather throws at us, and plenty of feed on hand to get through till balance date,” he says. “And when things settle down, we get into a routine. The staff prefer to get them in quick and we can maintain a roster of eight on two off through calving, with everyone home by 6pm at the latest.” Craig and Hannah have no reservations about using the Ezicalve brand Hereford over their heifers, with the security the Ezicalve stud provides. They trust the recording and genetics that goes into breeding the quality bulls and recommend exploring them for other farmers who may be considering utilising beef in their herd. “You can’t put a price on peace of mind.” n

BETTER BULLS BETTER CALVES

In the first year of using Fleckvieh semen, Cameron shepherd got 28 heifer calves and this year 18 were born.

Keeping it interesting A Northland farmer likes to mix things up and do things a bit differently to stay motivated. Tony Benny reports.

DESIRE to improve the fertility and longevity of his herd led Cameron Shepherd to trial the dual-purpose meat and dairy breed Fleckvieh alongside his pure-bred Friesian cows. Shepherd milks 370 cows on the 160ha family farm at Wellsford and averages about 500kg MS/cow. He says he’s always had an interest in different breeds including beef animals so when a rep from Samen told him about the Fleckvieh breed, he was keen to try them. “There are a lot of trials around the world where they’ve crossed the Holstein Friesians with the Fleckvieh and it has huge benefits for the fertility of Friesians, their longevity and other health traits,” he says. “The first year I got 80 straws of one Fleckvieh bull and I thought if I’m going to trial the breed, I need a decent group of heifers to trial it. “I ended up with 28 heifer calves from the original 80 straws. That was really good going.” “Those 28 heifers will calve in 2021 and I’m just waiting to see how they turn out really. I guess if they’re really successful as far as the milking goes, I’ll use more of them.” 52

The Fleckvieh of today was created in the 1870s when yellow-coloured Swiss Simmentals were crossed with red and white spotted Austrian Fleckvieh to create a medium-sized, robust breed suited to alpine grazing. The breed has now spread across Europe, South America, Australia and New Zealand. “They’re used more for dairy than beef but they are genuinely dual-purpose. They have got similar characteristics as beef Simmental but with very good milking ability,” Shepherd says. He’s more interested in their milking than their beef attributes, though he expects the bull calves will fetch the same good prices as his Friesian animals. They get a premium because there are no Jersey genetics in his herd, somethng beef finishers generally avoid. “I’m not anti-Jersey but if you’ve got a herd that hasn’t got Jersey, once you put it in there, all your beef calves have that Jersey influence and you get a lesser price for them,” he says. “I get a premium for my calves and we’ve had no bobby calves in probably eight years now. I’ve always got a huge list of people who want my calves.” Shepherd calves in autumn which he says suits the Northland climate. This year another 18 Fleckvieh calves were born

and he hopes to have 100 of them by next year. “We still have really good pasture growth rates in winter and especially so this last year, Shepherd says. “We’re basically guaranteed drought from January to April every year so even though we often calve in a drought, we’re usually just coming into grass again.” Calving starts on March 8 and Shepherd has a winter milk contract with Fonterra. At mating, both Fleckvieh and Friesian semen is used. “I pick cows that are slightly weaker in the confirmation or need strengthening and I put them to the Fleckvieh to try to put in some of those health attributes and strengthen the cow’s frame up as well,” he explains. “The more balanced type of dairy animals will go back to a Friesian bull.” If the Fleckvieh-Friesian cross animals perform as well as he hopes, he’s considering going to a three-way cross in future, this time using Swedish Red semen. “Swedish red’s another breed that Samen’s been pushing, another very good dairy breed, that’s probably a bit lighter. I guess without putting Jersey into your herd, if you don’t want that influence,” he says. Shepherd says his interest in alternative

DAIRY FARMER

September 2020

I get a premium for my calves and we’ve had no bobby calves in probably eight years now. I’ve always got a huge list of people who want my calves. breeds is a way of keeping dairy farming interesting for him. In the past, he’s used Simmentals over most of the cows that don’t go to a Friesian bull and has also tried Charolais, Belgian Blue and Limousin. He does most of the breeding work himself to keep costs down. “I buy a couple of really good bulls and then get my own AB taken off them and that reduces the price of your AB down to about $5 a straw,” he says.

The Fleckvieh heifers will calve in 2021 and Cameron Shepherd hopes they will be high-performing cows.

“I’m quite interested in the breeding side so we do our own AI as well. “To me it gets a little bit boring just seeing Jerseys and Friesians so that’s probably where I’ve looked at these

other breeds as an interesting thing rather than a money thing. “Sometimes you need something that’s a little bit different in farming just to get you out of bed.” n

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BETTER BULLS BETTER CALVES

Tool to pick Herefords POSY MOODY

EW Zealand Herefords have made it simpler for buyers to identify the appropriate bull for the dairy industry by running their own Boehringer Ingelheim Dairy Merit Sire programme. Bulls in the programme have displayed low birthweight, high growth and good maternal index. Using these criteria, the programme identifies sires which will be ideal for use within dairy beef programmes. It is a tool that should be used in conjunction with eye appraisal as structural soundness and smooth shoulders also positively assist calving ease. To qualify for NZ Herefords Merit Dairy Sire status, registered Hereford bulls must have a maximum of +1.6kg for birthweight (in top 10% for bull calf drop), top 20% for the dairy maternal index and top 70% for 600-day growth rate. Interestingly when the programme first started in 2013, the maximum birth weight at the time to be eligible for the award was 3.7kg, so you can see how the breed has developed to reduce birth weight, while still providing genetics in your calves to grow into prime beef. A full list of the 2019 born sires which

qualified for the award are listed on the NZ Hereford website. Alternatively, look for the Boehringer Ingelheim Dairy Merit sires’ brand at your Hereford spring bull sale. Herefords are one breed that can deliver in both areas; easy calving and growth. The NZ Hereford Association warns farmers not to persist in playing Russian roulette with “bush bulls.” The decision to buy registered Herefords is black and white – you have some assurance regarding the bull’s traits and the progeny they will sire. The genetic variation within all breeds dictates that now more than ever dairy farmers need to be armed with good bull selection tools. We know that dairy farms are busy places so efficiency and convenience reign supreme, which is why we urge dairy farmers to view the list of registered dairy merit sires and consider their options before buying. The use of beef bulls over dairy cows is an activity that has varied in popularity over the years. The use of beef bulls was once widespread, and then curtailed in response to increased calving difficulty as the beef breeds made genetic improvement for growth and concurrently increased birth weight. However, with careful genetic selection made over the years by stud breeders and focus on calving ease, they have been able

craigmore

to produce sires with low birthweight, while maintaining high growth. The contribution of calf sales to overall farm income on a dairy farm is increasing and with impact on farming by the social conscience of consumers, we are likely to see this increase more. Producing beef-cross dairy calves for sale as feeder calves instead of Jersey or Friesian sired calves destined for the processing at four days of age is seen now as a means of generating additional income. Previously it was reported that the use of beef bulls created some risks, particularly around calving difficulty,

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DAIRY FARMER

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Dairy farmers using registered Herefords can be assured of the bullâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s traits and the progeny they will sire.

however, we now know that the selection of appropriate bulls is critical to the success of such programmes, as a result Beef and Lamb Genetics created a research programme. The Dairy Beef Progeny Test is now heading into its fifth year exploring the performance of beef bulls with a range of estimated breeding values (EBV) to determine appropriate bull types for use in dairy herds. NZ Herefords support the research programme yearly by encouraging their stud breeders to enter bulls into the trial. The previous tests showed that progeny performance reflected sire EBVâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s, so farmers can use EBVs to get the types of calves they want from beef bulls. There are some exceptionally highperforming beef bulls available, which could be used via artificial breeding in dairy herds to generate surplus calves of high value. Using beef bulls over 15-month-old heifers requires very low birthweight bulls and well-grown heifers. NZ Herefords strongly advise potential buyers to contact the stud breeders and explain what they are looking for prior to the spring sales. You will find breeders are passionate about providing the best bull to meet your farming system so will be more than happy to help. n

DAIRY FARMER

September 2020

Posy Moody is the general manager of NZ Herefords.

For more information regarding the registered Hereford Spring Sales dates and locations, refer to NZ Hereford website: herefords. co.nz/bull-salecalendar.

BETTER BULLS BETTER CALVES

Registered bulls vital to success A Northland Angus stud breeder shares his thoughts on what dairy farmers should do before selecting and buying bulls for their herd. Ross Nolly reports.

VER the past 22 years, Northland farmers Chris and Karen Biddles have developed a strain of easy-calving Angus cattle that are ideal for use on dairy farms, as well as for the beef farmer. It all began on July 7, 1998, when their first registered Angus calf was born at Te Atarangi Angus stud, a 490-hectare property at Te Kopuru. “We have 310 (270 stud) cows and winter 730 cattle. The numbers jump by 300 at this time of the year due to calving. We also have a flock of 22 ewes so we don’t have to live solely on beef,” Chris says. Thirty-five years ago, Chris found himself struggling to find a decent Angus yearling bull to use over his Hereford heifers for ease of calving. So he decided to breed his own. “The breed’s attributes depend whether you’re talking about the breed, or the breed as we farm it,” he says. “There is a great deal of genetic diversity within the breed and different breeders breed for different traits and characteristics. “Our entire herd is aimed at ease of calving and heifer mating. I’m pretty sure that we’re the only Angus stud in New Zealand whose complete programme aims to provide those traits and to sell all of their very best bulls as yearlings at auction.” In their breeding programme, they aim for a maternal animal with moderate growth and very good ease of calving. There is a misconception that any Angus bull should be good at easy calving. But that depends on what traits each particular breeder is concentrating for. About 60% of Te Atarangi’s clients are beef farmers and 40% are dairy farmers, but 60% of their bulls go to dairy and 40% to beef. They have some dairy farmers who buy five or six bulls, whereas many beef clients only buy one. For dairy farmers it’s not simply a case of grabbing the first Angus bull they 56

Chris Biddles has been breeding Angus cattle for more than 20 years on his Te Atarangi Angus stud in Northland.

find, homework and due diligence is required to source a bull that suits a farm’s particular requirements. “The first thing a dairy farmer should do if they’re going to use an Angus bull is to source it themselves. Maybe with the help of an agent, but don’t get an agent to buy it unless they absolutely trust that agent,” Chris says. “Choose the breeder before you choose the bull. Look at the breeder list and their programmes, and then decide who you’re going to buy from, then choose the bull. “I’ve heard horrendous stories from people who have bought the wrong bull. If the bull isn’t registered you never know what you’re getting.” By choosing the right breeder, farmers have the opportunity of very good ease of calving with some marketability bonuses with the progeny. A short gestation bull allows farmers to get their cows into the shed earlier and tighten up their calving period. If a dairy farmer is planning to use an Angus bull over Friesian or crossbred heifers it’s imperative to use the right bull. There is a great deal of information to help make the decision but there is also

the bull’s structural assessment to take into account. Bulls bought from an unregistered breeder may be cheaper, but in the long run they may not work out that way. There can be many downstream costs – it can be a ticking time bomb, and no farmer wants his heifers damaged by producing oversized calves before they even begin milking. “I was told of a circumstance by a farmer who now buys our bulls, but prior to that used to pick up cheap bulls. When I asked how they got on he said that season they’d put down two cows, had a caesarean and quite a few downed cows,” he says. “I told him that it wasn’t a cheap bull at all, it was bloody expensive. “They lost $4,000 for the two dead cows plus the loss of production and vet expenses. That cheap bull probably cost that farmer $10,000-15,000. “That gave him pause for thought. You really need to look at the big picture.” Biddles feels that it’s important for dairy farmers to look at the entire suite of information, not just the birth weight. There are factors to take into account

DAIRY FARMER

September 2020

such as CE % Direct, CE % Daughters, Gestation Length EBV and et cetera. All the parameters that build up a picture compared to just solely the birth weight. “The bulls aren’t used to walking and it’s very important for dairy farmers to buy enough bulls, especially if they are tailing off their cows,” Chris says. “If they don’t buy an adequate number of bulls it can get very expensive. “All that needs to happen is for two cows to be missed on one day due to the lack of bulls in the paddock, which means three weeks of missed milk next year.” Farmers don’t want temperamental bulls and he strives to provide bulls that have a good temperament. Te Atarangi has a Five-Star rating for completeness of recording and there are only 21 Five-Star Angus breeders in NZ. They record every possible trait over the entire herd. “Over the last three-years we’ve invested a great deal of money ($22,000 in 2019) in HD 50K testing of our heifers and bulls to enhance our EBVs,” he says. It’s very expensive, but we’ve had a few animals whose EBV’s have changed considerably once their DNA was tested. Those are the type of bulls that you

Chris Biddles has developed a strain of easycalving Angus cattle that are ideal for use on dairy farms, as well as for the beef farmer.

thought were suitable for heifer mating and their DNA has told us otherwise.” This testing provides prospective buyers with a wide range of results to aid those making correct decisions for their farming operation. “People often wonder why I have dairy farmers who are prepared to pay $3,0004,000 for a yearling bull, and buy three or four of them,” he says. “It’s because they’ve worked out that the actual cost of the bull is nothing compared to having live, healthy heifers and calves.” Most dairy farmers get two-three

years out of their bulls. A well-looked after rising three- four-year-old bull can still be worth $1,800-2,000, so it’s a good investment when you consider that it has helped produce approximately 30 calves each spring. “Every time a drought occurs we lose a number of breeding cows from the nation’s herd. Farm consultants tend to get rid of a number too. The beef industry is relying more heavily on the dairy herd to provide beef farmers with progeny. “There’ll be people who say they can’t afford to buy a registered bull. But I say, can they afford not to?” he asks. n

Te Whanga Calving Ease Sires.

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JASON COFFEY 691 Te Kopi Rd, RD4, Masterton P. 06 372 77 20 M. 0274 570 526 www.borthwick.co.nz te_whanga@borthwick.co.nz

DAIRY FARMER

September 2020

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BETTER BULLS BETTER CALVES

Chloe Spencer Bower helps dad look after the Speckle Park calves on their Canterbury farm.

Speckle Park breed not a fad A Canterbury farmer looking to improve his herd’s genetics is using a breed he thought was just a fashion fad. Tony Benny reports.

HEN Sam Spencer-Bower first heard about the distinctively marked Speckle Park breed, he dismissed them as a new fashion fad but after seeing how well their progeny were doing at a neighbour’s place, he decided to give them a go and now they’re an important part of his operation. “I didn’t really know much about them but the calves that come from them are bloody amazing,” he says. Spencer-Bower, the fifth generation on the same land, runs three dairy farms and a runoff block on his family’s property Claxby in North Canterbury. Milking a total of 3100 crossbred cows, he’s working to improve the herds’ genetics and Speckle Park semen is part of the plan. The lesser breeding value cows – the bottom 20% on one farm and 10% on the other two – are inseminated with Speckle Park semen from Parkvale stud and at calving, the difference between this progeny and the crossbreeds is very clear. “The beauty of the Speckle is the really good markings. It’s as plain as day it’s not a replacement, so that’s part of the strategy and the other part of it is they produce really good saleable beef calves. They come out big and strong and there’s

DAIRY FARMER

September 2020

quite reasonable demand for them,” Spencer-Bower says. Previously he’d used Herefords over his lesser crossbred cows but the calves tended to be “a bit brown and speckly,” throwing to their Jersey heritage, making them less in demand as beef calves. With strong demand for the Speckle Park-cross progeny, he has also been able to reduce the number of bobby calves he sends away as well. “Bobby calves are probably morally not the greatest thing to be doing but it is what it is with nature. But I think if we can at least reduce it, it’s probably the right thing to be doing,” he says. A few of the Speckles have been kept on-farm for beef and Spencer-Bower says he’s impressed with how well they grow. “Apparently the meat is fantastic, even as a dairy cross and when they’re born you can just tell they’re solid and chunky and have that beef structure,” he says. “They’re also a little bit easier calving than the Hereford. “We’ve had struggles in the past with Hereford cross giving calving troubles because they’re really quite big-framed animals. It’s not a massive difference but the Speckle cross has a slightly smaller stature but they have that chunkiness.” He also uses Speckle Park semen at the end of replacement mating for a week

before introducing Angus bulls to follow up. “The issue with the Angus is you get black calves which can be confused with heifer replacements, so what we do is have a week’s break after our replacement mating and use the Speckle semen as a marker to stop any overlap between the replacement calves and the Angus,” he explained. The unique speckled markings makes it easy to identify those calves. The Speckle Park breed was brought into New Zealand from Canada in 2008 by Maungahina Stud in Wairarapa. The breed is descended from a uniquely speckled heifer, identified in Saskatchewan in 1937, thought to be descended from a Teeswater Shorthorn which also carried the White Park gene. In 1959, Canadian breeders crossed the speckled cows with stud Angus bulls and over the next 40 years the new breed evolved and stabilised and was recognised in Canada as a distinct pure breed in 2006. There are still not many bulls for sale but Speckle Park semen is becoming increasingly popular with dairy farmers like Spencer Bower. “Initially I thought, nice idea but … then we tried them and for all those factors I mentioned, it just seems to work really well and they look cool,” he says. n

BETTER BULLS BETTER CALVES

Katherine McCallum has a strong connection to the Angus breed as her grandparents owned a stud and gave her Angus heifers to start Rockley Angus at Balfour, Southland.

Passion for Angus

A Southland couple are carrying on the tradition of breeding Angus 157 years after it was first introduced to New Zealand. Ross Nolly reports.

HE Angus is the oldest European breed of beef cattle and has been recorded in Great Britain since the 15th century. In 1863, the breed arrived in Otago and 157-years later, Katherine and Philip McCallum are proudly bearing the standard for the breed at their Rockley Angus Stud at Balfour. Angus cattle are the most popular beef

“

breed in the country for a reason, and the sheer fact that the breed has been here for so many years, shows that the breed suits the purpose it was designed for. The love for Angus cattle flows deep in Katherine’s veins. She grew up in the farming industry and together with Philip have been farming together for 12 years. Philip also hails from a dairy farming background. “It’s a family thing. My grandparents had an Angus stud (Lora Angus Stud) and

started me off with two heifers to start my stud,” Katherine says. “My grandfather showed his cattle at the A&P Shows, and receiving an Angus NZ scholarship in 2008 to visit Australia for six-weeks to spend time with different Angus studs ignited my passion even further.” The McCallum’s bought Katherine’s parent’s 319-hectare Balfour farm in 2013, and now lease her parent’s 20ha property at Balfour. The 290ha effective hectare

Do you want more for your beef calves, Angus bulls are the most profitable terminal sire for your cows and heifers

5th Annual Yearling Bull Sale TUESDAY, 22 SEPTEMBER 2020 1PM AT 43 FINLAY ROAD, CAMBRIDGE Viewing of bulls from 11AM 45 Yearling Bulls Our bulls are purpose bred for Calving Ease and short gestation

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Visitors always welcome, all inquries Sam LeCren • M: 027 474 9989 Andy Transom, PGGW • M: 027 596 514

DAIRY FARMER

September 2020

farm boasts flat-to-rolling country with some steep portions. The property runs 94 stud cows, 50-60 yearling bulls, 1100 mixed-aged ewes, 300 hoggets, 168 R1 dairy heifers and 150 R2 dairy heifers. They also winter 500 dairy cows from the Mandeville dairy farm they have recently taken over from Philip’s parents. Due to M. bovis they have tried to keep everything “in-house” in recent years. “We run our R1 Angus heifers with the dairy heifers just for mob size. You have a lot of mobs when you run sheep, beef and dairy stock,” Katherine says. Over the last three years, the couple have held a yearling bull sale, predominately to beef farmers, for heifer breeding. “We have a strong focus towards calving ease. Angus cattle are generally easy care, yield well and finish quickly. They’re not the biggest carcass but you must look at their efficiencies and their eating quality too. We don’t want to be wintering animals twice.” she explains. “We usually lease our yearling bull bottoms out to the Mandeville dairy farm to use over the cows after AI. The bulls are then rested and used to tidy up some paddocks for a few weeks and sent straight from the dairy farm to the works. They’re very efficient and end up weighing well. Last season they averaged 308kg carcase weight.” There is a very large gene pool for Angus cattle in NZ which allows farmers to work within the breed for their own specific target market. Some will breed more along a terminal line to achieve bigger animals with bigger carcasses and higher growth. They are aiming for moderate framed, more efficient, easier calving animals. Katherine ensures the Herdsire bull’s calving ease figures are present before ever putting them over stud heifers and cows. The aim is to have the birthweight at 35kgs and at present, the newborn calves range in weight from 30-42kg. But that is retrospective of the environment and feeding. At present all of Rockley’s clients are beef farmers. But she sees future opportunities to put their bulls over dairy heifers to obtain earlier calves and to reduce the amount of bobby calves. “The Angus NZ EBV breed average is +4.3 for birth weight. When we’re looking for bulls to breed over our stud herd it must be below that,” she says. “The breed average for calving ease direct and calving ease daughters is +1.6 and +1.9 respectively.

DAIRY FARMER

September 2020

Each year the McCallums hold a yearling bull sale with clients, predominantly beef farmers, for heifer breeding.

“For us, it must be over +5 or better in both figures.” All of their bulls are sold as yearlings. They can be grown well over winter and be ready for the farm’s October bull sale. She aims to have her yearlings at 450kgs at sale, but they can range from 420-540kgs.

It’s a family thing. My grandparents had an Angus stud and started me off with two heifers to start my stud. Katherine McCallum

She also aims to have their bulls away to clients within two-weeks because their dairy heifer grazing AI starts around two weeks later on Rockley. Katherine says they only keep good temperament cows and bulls. “When we’re weighing and tagging calves at birth, any cow that tries to get in

the trailer with Philip as he weighs the calf will be culled,” she says. “We do structural assessments of our heifers, and if they have a temperament score of a three or above (a two is marginal), they’re culled. “Bulls with a good temperament help ensure the safety of everybody on the farm. “Our contract milker has told us that our bulls last season were very quiet and good to work with.” They have found the Angus bulls have good libido and are able to get a lot of the girls in-calf. They work their way around the cows and aren’t lazy. The resulting calves are a good moderate size when born, and the cows tend not to have any calving issues. “There’s a great deal of diversity within the breed which provides a great selection for beef and dairy farmers,” she says. “There are Angus studs from the top to the bottom of the country and NZ breeders have had many years to weed out many poor traits. “Each stud breeder has their point of difference so it’s simply a case of understanding their programme to see if the animals they produce fit your requirements. “The stud breeder you pick should be two steps ahead in the direction of your own breeding objectives for your cow herd.” n

Ruapehu Speckle Park purebred bulls for sale

56th Annual Hereford Bull Sale Wednesday 23rd September, 12noon

ON FARM - LUNCHEON PROVIDED 660 Ngaroma Rd, 26km off SH3, Sth East of Te Awamutu.

36 TOP YEARLING BULLS & 62 2-YEAR OLD BULLS

All progeny from Canadian blood lines. Phone: 07 895 4730 Ray 027 365 4641 Email: raynjanbrown@outlook.co.nz

KELVIN & CYNTHIA PORT • P: 07 872 2628 • M: 022 648 2417 E: kelvin@bushydowns.co.nz • Web: www.bushydowns.co.nz ROBERT & MARIAN PORT • P: 07 872 2715

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Sound bulls with exceptional temperament. Selection of Short Gestation & Low Birth weights available. Free delivery 80kms. • Full EBV details in catalogue.

You can’t argue with genetics when it comes to maximising the value of your dairy herd. To find out more about buying a registered Hereford bull, visit your nearest Hereford Bull Sale. SEPTEMBER 3 4 4 8 9 9 10 10 14 15 15 17 17 17 18 18 21

Waimaire & Otengi Hereford Studs Matapouri Hereford Stud Hukaroa Hereford Stud Kokonga Hereford Stud Shadow Downs Hereford Stud Charwell Stud Hereford Maranui Hereford Stud Riverlee Herefords Craigmore Hereford Stud Marua Hereford Stud Valda-Rose Hereford Stud Riverton Ezicalve Hereford Stud Kairaumati Hereford Stud Mangaotea Hereford Stud Mahuta Hereford Stud Gembrooke Hereford Stud Hillcroft Hereford Stud

Kaeo Marua Te Kauwhata Waikaretu Valley Waverley Whakatane Waihi Rangiwahia Ohaupo Hikurangi Morrinsville Fordell Thames Tariki Glen Murray Dannevirke Drury

22 23 23 24 25 28 30

Ezicalve Morrison Farming Marton Bushy Downs Hereford Stud Te Awamutu Herepuru Station Hereford Stud Whakatane Hurstpier Hereford Stud, Horizon Hereford Stud Waitara Maugahina Hereford Stud Masterton Penny Lane Hereford Stud Stratford Shrimpton’s Hill Hereford Stud Cave

OCTOBER 6 7 12 13 15 21

Matariki Hereford Stud Kaikoura Bluestone Hereford Stud Cave Okawa Polled Herefords Ashburton Richon Hereford Stud, Beechwood Hereford Stud & Woodburn Hereford Stud Amberley Kane Farms Gore Pyramid Downs Hereford Stud Gore

www.herefords.co.nz

DAIRY FARMER

September 2020

GeneticChoice is your Choice in Beef and Dairy Beef! Proven calving ease, short gestation, carcass merit

Make GeneticChoice your Choice!

Contact Ben Jakschik 027 426 2364 ben.j@geneticchoice.co.nz

YEARLING BULL & HEIFER SALE

12 noon – Tuesday 8th September, 2020 Karamu, 662 Rangitatau YEARLING BULL & HEIFER SALEEast Rd, Wanganui

LK0103471©

Our Business is your Beef $$$!

RANUI ANGUS

12 noon Tuesday, September 25, 2007

ON OFFER: 25 yearling bulls On offer: 25 yearling bulls 35 will yearling 30 yearling heifers, which be sold in lots heifers Karamu, 662 Rangitatau East Rd, Wanganui

 All cattle BVD & EBL tested  All cattle electric fence trained

Bulls have Low Birth Weight & Early Gestations

 TB status C10  Vet inspected

ENQUIRIES TO:

INQUIRIES TO: Lindsay Johnstone Lin Johnstone Lindsay Johnstone 027 445 3211 06 342 9833 06 342 9795 Maria Johnstone 027 610 5348 W & K AGENTS Blair Robinson Don Newland or contact your local agent 027 491 9974 027 242 4878

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 Quiet temperament

MURRAY GREY BEEF Celebrating 50 years in New Zealand

• Calving ease • Polled calves • Colour dominant • Easy to sell calves • Easy to finish progeny

PROFITABLE BEEF CATTLE! DAIRY FARMER

September 2020

P: 06 323 4484, E: murraygreys@pbbnz.com, murraygreys.co.nz Like us on facebook: NZ Murray Grey Breeders

RIVERLEE HEREFORDS Spring Bull Sale – 10th September 2020, 11.30am Held under cover on farm 2354 Rangiwahia Rd Rangiwahia, Manawatu

Also online at: www.mylivestock.co.nz

Catalogue can be viewed at NZ Herefords.co.nz

LK0103394©

62 2yr Polled Hereford Bulls BRED FOR CALVING EASE, MODERATE BIRTH WEIGHT AND TEMPERAMENT.

Selling Agents: Carrfields Livestock: Dan Warner 027 826 5768 NZ Farmers Livestock: John Watson 027 494 1975

www.herefords.co.nz

Enquiries & Visitors Welcome Murray & Fiona Curtis 06 328 2881 or 027 228 2881

Email: mfcurtis@farmside.co.nz

24th Annual On Farm Sale

Thursday Sept 17th 2020, 12 Noon 183 Mangaotea Road, Tariki, Taranaki

LK0103486©

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Better Bulls, Better Calves Our feature runs in May and September Assist farmers to make the right purchasing decisions for their herd. To find out more, contact Hannah Gudsell on 06 323 0761, 027 602 4925 or email livestock@globalhq.co.nz

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DAIRY FARMER

September 2020

One last word …

ERE we go again. The country is at different alert levels of covid-19 after community transmission was discovered in

Auckland. But for us farmers, we don’t care if we are level 1, 2, 3 or 4 because at the end of the day, we provide an essential service, regardless. And being at level 1 is no different to working under level 4 – as farmers will still get up every morning to milk and produce food to not only feed the nation, but also for the world. At the higher alert level, farmers can still access services and products if they need to, they just can’t leave the farm. But then again, at this time of the year, leaving the farm is a bit of a novelty anyway with calving in full-swing. Under level 2, we are encouraged to socially distance and, again, farmers are well used to this as they can go days

and weeks without going to town during these busy months. So the resurgence of covid-19 in the community won’t pose much of a problem for the nation’s farmers. Continuing to work and produce food during the first lockdown, highlighted the importance of farmers and the primary sector. And people were reminded that agriculture is the backbone of the economy. One would think and hope that urbanites would have learnt from the first lockdown though. With the announcement of level 3 in Auckland, mayhem in the big city ensued with long queues at the supermarkets as people bought in excess, and some trying to leave the city to go to their baches in Coromandel. I had several calls from our farmers who couldn’t believe the silly behaviour was happening again. But as one farmer said, as long as people kept buying their goods he was happy to keep producing

it and as long as no infected person managed to get out of the city and start spreading the virus, they wouldn’t have a problem. This time around, the Government is advising the use of face masks in some public places. But we don’t have to use them on-farm and for a bit of light relief and humour, I decided to share this photo (pictured) from Robert Collier. Robert is a farmer in Stanardsville, Virginia, and this is his cow Miracle. He tells me the farm he is on is fairly secluded and while other states have covid-19 problems, life has not really changed for him and they are doing fine. They are some of the luckier US citizens. Take care and stay safe.

Sonita Like us: farmersweekly.co.nz Follow us: @DairyFarmer15 Read us anywhere: farmersweekly.co.nz DAIRY FARMER

September 2020

Dairy Diary SEPTEMBE

September 2020 September 1 – DairyNZ Join us for a mid-calving catch-up at the Wharepapa South Hall. We know that calving is a hectic time of year. If you can only join us for part of the event, please don’t let this stop you from attending all together. Lunch will be provided from about 12.30pm. Speaker to be confirmed. Info at www.dairyevents.co.nz September 1 – DairyNZ Milton online calving discussion group. Register to join us for a lunchtime calving catch-up via zoom to connect with others to hear how the area is going so far for spring. Compare notes, discuss any on-farm issues and trends and hear some quick commentary from local area rural professionals. Info at www.dairyevents.co.nz September 1 – DairyNZ Recharge your repro online, Northland. We are planning to share some experience of what has worked and continues to work for better performance in reproduction. Link to join the meeting will be sent out via the monthly newsletter email and text. Info at www.dairyevents.co.nz September 10 – DairyNZ Join us at Shannon Reproduction Rally this September as we visit three farms for a timely reproduction chat. The focus will be what is already happening that will influence mating e.g. BCS what we can influence between now and mating (heat detection practical activity). Info at www.dairyevents.co.nz September 16 – DairyNZ First Lower North Island organic group of the year. Our hosts are Amy and Greg Gemmell, farming just out of Bunnythorpe. They are in their first season converting to organics. The Gemmell’s are interested to talk about their system and get any advice from other organic farmers in the area, so come along for an interactive session and a good mid-calving catch up. Info at www.dairyevents.co.nz September 22, 23 and 24 – DairyNZ Over the past year, DairyNZ and LIC have worked alongside local case study farmers in Canterbury to help improve their reproductive performance. Come along to your local pre-mating field days at local farms to hear how they are managing their atrisk cows, see how the cows are responding to these changes, and discuss what other challenges farmers are facing locally. Info at www.dairyevents.co.nz

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September 23 – Owl Farm Owl Farm Focus Day update on the season to date for Owl Farm plus seasonally relevant topics. Info at https://www.owlfarm.nz/ September 23, 24 and 25 – DairyNZ, Farm Source and Barenbrug In association with Farm Source and Barenbrug the Northland Pasture seminar will dive into: spring pasture management, making grass silage dos and don’ts, drought management, ryegrass persistence factors, debunk ryegrass myths, weed control importance, feeding our pasture, and anything else you can think of that is topical. Info at www.dairyevents.co.nz September 24 and 30 – Dairy Women’s Network NAIT and OSPRI are proud to deliver this interactive workshop on the fundamentals of NAIT in south Waikato. This three-hour workshop is suited to any person who uses the NAIT system or who is in charge of animals. Understanding the importance of traceability. Info at www.dwn.co.nz/events September 30 - Shrimpton’s Hill Herefords Shrimpton’s Hill Herefords bull sale at 170 R2 registered Hereford bulls at auction, bred for short gestation length and calving ease. Catalogues available at www.shrimptonshillherefords.co.nz in early September Info at www.shrimptonshillherefords.co.nz

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