Farmers Weekly NZ December 11 2017 by AgriHQ

24 City man joins Feds board Vol 16 No 49, December 11, 2017

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Stock flood fears Alan Williams alan.williams@nzx.com

EAT processing plants have become very busy in the last two weeks as farmers react to very dry conditions by unloading stock but it’s just become a typical season for this time of year, the companies say. Plants were working overtime and on Saturdays and livestock backlogs were starting to build-up. “Two weeks ago I would have said the season was slow but now it’s up to normal,’’ Anzco Foods general manager of agriculture and livestock Grant Bunting said. “It usually happens about now.” However, the change had been sudden and three to four weeks ago farmers who usually had a weaning draft were contemplating finishing lambs themselves. There was feed still in all areas but at the stage where farmers wanted to protect what they had. There was more inquiry for bull and prime cattle space than just a week earlier but now was when that season typically kicked into gear. Dry conditions were widespread, even extending into Southland, Alliance livestock and shareholder services general manager Heather Stacy said. With poor spring conditions in some areas the quite sudden drying-out could mean some lambs being killed lighter than farmers and processors wanted. The stock flow was for both lambs and beef cattle and part of

GOING: Farmers are increasingly looking to offload stock as dry weather reduces pasture feed.

the backlog was because big cattle animals were coming off farms in greater numbers as pastures dried, NZX Agri analyst Rachel Agnew said. Schedule prices were largely maintaining their historically elevated levels though Agnew expected a gradual but steady fall in the beef schedule with the United States imported beef market already coming back in price in response to the build-up in supply. Lamb prices had come off their top but had been very high with schedules well above $7/kg. They remained very solid. Agnew was confident of prices in the $6.50/kg to $7/kg range till Christmas and noted some processors had minimum price

contracts for $6.50/kg into January and February. So far the slippage from the $7plus level had been in the 5c/kg to 10c/kg range but that could move to 10c to 20c increments if dry weather kicked in further over the next few weeks, Bunting said. There was a lot of inquiry for space for heavier lambs but the time was also getting critical for mutton because there wasn’t much feed left for ewes. The companies processed the lambs first, meaning a waiting list for ewes. He agreed with Stacy that lambs were lighter in some areas and said companies were trying not to contemplate weights down to the 14kg level, where the value discounting started.

Photo: Aaron Davies

“We don’t want to think about that yet but if there’s no grazing in a week or two farmers mightn’t have a choice. “At the moment there are enough early season lambs ready and we’re focusing on those.” Stacy said the supply level coincided with a return to a frozen lamb focus after the completion of the European and United Kingdom chilled Christmas orders, which also caused an easing of the schedule. However, the return to business after the Christmas-New year break would bring on the demand for chilled lamb to meet the UK Easter market, falling next year at the end of March, a couple of weeks earlier than this year. That would help farmer returns

and they would also be helped by the fact that whatever lamb volumes came in there would be a good market. Co-operative Alliance was prioritising processing space for shareholders, particularly those on the status programmes who provided all their stock to the company. Alliance didn’t operate between Christmas and New Year but Bunting said some companies would be working out whether to do so if there was no rain in the meantime, given that the hooks were full and there was just a couple of weeks till then. There had been some big yardings of store lambs but prices had held in the $3/kg to $3.30/kg range in the South Island, Agnew said in her latest Livestock Insight. Prices had been mixed in the North Island. Some lambs struggled to get $2.80/kg but in other areas were still at the $3.10 to $3.30 mark. Bunting said there would be a store lamb quandary for farmers if the dry weather continued. Usually, North Island and North Canterbury lambs found a good market in the southern South Island but this year that area was dry as well. If the market became too heavily discounted as a result, with prices falling towards $2.50/ kg, farmers with lambs not quite at prime level might have to look at the option of taking their chances there anyway.

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NEWS

NEW THINKING

Soil Moisture Anomaly (mm) at 9am December 8, 2017

25 Carbon building goes with

flow

60 Wetter than

New Zealand is a fortunate country when it comes to carbon levels thanks in part to young soils high in organic matter capable of containing more than 100 tonnes of carbon a hectare in the top metre alone.

normal (mm)

OPINION

28 Alternative View 4 Drought alarm sounds

Alan Emerson thinks it’s a tough time to be a dairy farmer and sector leaders aren’t helping.

Officals are keeping a close watch on how farmers and growers are managing in dry conditions, Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor says.

Editorial �� 26

8 Fonterra result a mixed bag

Pulpit �� 27

Fonterra took 35c/kg milksolids off its milk price forecast and reported a mixed bag of first quarter trading results while keeping the faith for a fruitful season.

17 Quad bike ban spreads to

OSPRI

The use of quad bikes by farm service agencies and companies is being debated as OSPRI takes steps to ban use of the machines by its rural contractors.

Genetics, emissions on agenda �� 3

Cartoon �� 26

30-32 Nitrate time bomb

being stored up

Fertiliser use in intensive agriculture is storing up a nitrate timebomb that could negatively affect watercourses, a British report says.

Map reading tips This map shows the difference or anomaly in soil moisture level at the date shown compared to the average, generated from more than 30 years of records held by NIWA.

Job

REGULARS

Quad bike ban spreads to OSPRI �� 17

of the

Week

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New partner on board with FarmIQ �� 18 Rodney activists will fight on �� 19 Sniffer dogs hunt needle grass �� 22 Final plea for water uptake �� 23

Newly co-opted Federated Farmers national board member Andrew Maclean will initially spend two to three days a week supporting the lobby group’s business development and new partnership management.

Drier than normal (mm)

WORLD

MARKETS

24 Farm change is here to stay

-50

From the Ridge �� 29

Summer weed pest watch steps up �� 13

NEWSMAKER

-30

Alternative View �� 28

Fonterra result a mixed bag �� 8

WMP futures volumes double �� 5

-20

Letters �� 26

Real Estate �� 33-39 Employment �� 40-41 Classifieds �� 41 Livestock �� 42-43

Drought alarm sounds �� 4

-10

48 Rams reflect confidence High confidence in the sheep sector was the key message from the record Meadowslea ram sale in South Canterbury.

Market Snapshot �� 44

our pioneering

spirit tells us

nothing’s

Contact us Editor: Bryan Gibson Twitter: farmersweeklynz Email: nzfarmersweekly@nzx.com Free phone: 0800 85 25 80 DDI: 06 323 1519

Back in 1860, exporting meat to the other side of the world seemed about as easy as nailing gravy to the ceiling. But a few determined kiwis took the bull by the horns and now our grass-fed beef and lamb is sought-after all around the globe. At AFFCO, we see the same pioneering spirit alive and well in farmers today. We’re playing our part too – exploring every opportunity to take New Zealand’s finest farm-raised products to the world.

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News

THE NZ FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – December 11, 2017

Genetics, emissions on agenda Richard Rennie richard.rennie@nzx.com THE hot button issues of climate change, water quality and gene technology all come with some strong recommendations from Environment Ministry staff to incoming Minister David Parker. While representing the views of the ministry and not necessarily Government policy, the contents of the papers would be top of the reading list as Parker assumed his new role in the high-profile portfolio. The papers also provided a valuable and rare insight into the views held by ministries before their ministers started to wrestle with the conflicts of budgets, sector needs and coalition partners. In a surprising move after

years of it having been shunted into a legislative cul de sac, gene technology was on the ministry’s agenda as an area needing revision if New Zealand was to have legislation relevant to approaches taken by the rest of the world. The ministry’s briefing paper noted how the latest developments in genetic technology were unknown when it was included under hazardous substances and new organisms rules in 1996. They were amended in 2003 with no further work since. The ministry was calling for a review to determine if the rules remained fit for purpose to control genetic technology. That includes trying to better understand the uses or methods now involved and would include

Feed supply will continue Annette Scott annette.scott@nzx.com SEALES Winslow staff were focusing on ensuring farmers could get the dry spell feed they needed after a fire put the firm’s Ashburton factory out of action last Monday. It was extremely grateful firefighters saved the press tower where stock feed pellets were pressed, which contained the most expensive manufacturing equipment including mixers and grinders and main control room, chief operating officer Chris Brown said. Product could still be made but that was subject to a full structural assessment. “We have lost all the packaging and storage facilities so, while the manufacturing equipment was saved, until we complete a full structural

assessment we just won’t know what the down-time will be and what the rebuild will entail. Brown said it was the company’s intention to continue business as usual and ensure farmers got feed. The firm, owned by Ballance Agri-Nutrients, had a plant at Morrinsville, three times the size of Ashburton’s, and one of a similar size at Whanganui. “We are not anticipating our farmers to be affected.” The Ashburton plant got much of its grain locally and with most of last season’s grain now off-farm and this season’s harvest still a few weeks away the company had time to assess its options. Brown said given the supply relationships with local growers the company was keen to preserve its Mid Canterbury legacy.

In a surprising move ... gene technology was on the ministry’s agenda as an area needing revision. the rapidly evolving area of gene editing. The ministry said some countries had already decided not to regulate some products made using new technologies or were reviewing their rules. While the rules needed a revamp for gene technology the ministry also said the Resource Management Act was underperforming and failing to cope with the multiple issues of population growth, pollution and fresh water allocation. Staff described the problems in those areas as pervasive and called for reform of the RMA with multiple parties working in the background to advance that change. They viewed the support for change as a chance to build a fit-for-purpose system. They recommended such a system could be phased in, possibly starting with reform in urban areas. The ministry also said there was a window of opportunity for NZ to meet its Paris Accord targets for climate change. However, that required reviewing agriculture’s role and it recommended considering a full range of policy options to reduce nitrous oxide and methane emissions. There was also a need to improve NZ’s transparency, predictability and long term accountability for setting and achieving climate goals. The ministry also reiterated putting the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) once again front and centre of future climate change policy while

BUSY MAN: Environment Ministry staff have told new Minister David Parker water quality and allocation, genetic technology, resource management and emissions all need his attention.

acknowledging its flaws. The exclusion of agriculture did not show the sector in a good light and did not reflect changes in market preference for low carbon exports. The idea of acknowledging how cleaner waterways contributed to lower nitrous oxide emissions was also raised, suggesting combining the ETS with the National Policy Statement on Freshwater Management was possible. That approach had featured strongly in the analysis done by environmentalists and ecologists including Dr Alison Dewes. Maintenance or improvement of water quality appeared to have a more-of-the-same approach, with ministry staff recommending pushing ahead with stock exclusion rules bought

in by National and tweaking contaminant definitions to include some not already captured. The ministry did, however, note the misalignment between the National Policy Statement on Freshwater Management and local council tardiness in enforcing those standards. It recommended using the Auditor General’s office or Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment to push compliance harder. And water allocation appeared set for a shake-up. Staff suggested a catchment-bycatchment approach be adopted, replacing the standard first-come, first-served system and ensuring sharper economic incentives to lead to better decision-making.

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News

THE NZ FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – December 11, 2017

Summer weather brings warnings Neal Wallace neal.wallace@nzx.com THE country could be headed for drought with no widespread rain expected for the next month to provide relief from the sweltering start to summer, Weather Watch head forecaster Philip Duncan says. Farmers have contacted him concerned at the dry conditions and with little obvious respite he has warned the Ministry for Primary Industries there are signs the country could be in the early phases of a drought. “I think we’re going into one but it is a long way off being declared. “It is very dry and some areas on the east coast of both islands and north of Auckland towards Whangarei are the areas to watch. “Western areas such as the West Coast, Taranaki and Manawatu have a better chance of getting a bit of rain.” NIWA principal forecasting scientist Chris Brandolino said that after a dry start to summer most parts of the country, except the South Island’s east coast, should by the end of the season have near normal summer rainfall. An unseasonably dry, hot November and early December had forced farmers and growers to look at their options. In recent weeks Southland dairy farmers had started feeding grain and palm kernel and were considering 16 hours milking intervals. Central Otago orchardists reported some apricot varieties were ready to pick several weeks earlier than normal and exports of other types of fruit had started early. Low river flows forced the

Otago Regional Council to impose restrictions on water takes from the Taieri, Pomahaka and Kakanui rivers. Otago Regional Council environmental monitoring and operations director Scott MacLean said light snow caps meant rivers were not being recharged by snow melt. “It is early in the season to be getting this situation and it is being exacerbated by the lack of snow on the hills.” Duncan said the cause for the heat and dryness was persistent, large, high weather systems parked over the country that blocked wet fronts inundating parts of Australia from reaching us. “I don’t see anything at this stage leading to the upsetting of that pattern.” Rain was forecast for December 15 but was likely to be confined to the west coasts of the South Island and lower North Island with little expected to reach eastern areas or the north of the North Island. Later in summer those dominant dry weather systems could lose some of their hold, allowing wet fronts to cross the Tasman or sub tropical rainmakers to venture south. “We are very dry very early and very hot very early and there is no sign that is about to change.” Brandolino said that after a dry start, the La Nina weather pattern would weaken, providing the northern and eastern parts of the North Island with normal to above normal rain. Areas in the rest of the North Island, the north and west of the South Island could also end up with near normal rain but for the rest of the island rainfall could be near to below normal.

The south of the South Island enjoyed idyllic spring conditions and while feed was still available, regular rain stopped falling in November, slowing regrowth. Regional council data showed most southern areas had less than 20mm of rain in the last month. North Otago Federated Farmers president Simon Williamson said rain so far this year was 100mm below average. Otago Federated Farmers president Phill Hunt said summer reliable areas like south Otago were getting dry and he had heard of farmers delaying the purchase of store stock because of the conditions. Otago dairy sector chairman Stephen Crawford said dairy farmers were not hitting the panic button just yet but the lack of rain was affecting management decisions. The federation’s Southland president Allan Baird said this was the driest spring he had experienced in 12 years with 175mm falling from August to November. He had previously recorded 300mm over the same period. Baird said the time was looming for farmers to take remedial action such as culling poor performing cows while sheep farmers were quitting old ewes and having early drafts. Alexandra fruit grower Earnscy Weaver said the fruit season was one of the earliest he had experienced. “And I’ve seen a lot of them.” The first Sundrop apricot varieties were being harvested in early December when picking usually started around New Year. Fruit quality was high because of the heat.

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Drought alarm sounds OFFICIALS are keeping a close watch on how farmers and growers are managing in dry conditions, Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor says. The hot start to summer was affecting soil moisture levels across the country. “Farmers and growers in many of our regions are experiencing lower than normal soil moisture levels for this time of year,” O’Connor said. They were planning ahead to manage stock, feed and water if they didnt get some decent rain over the next few weeks. “Local knowledge is essential and our Ministry for Primary Industries analysts in each area work with their local farmers and groups to keep an eye on how climate conditions around the country are affecting rural communities. “I have asked them to be especially vigilant in reporting concerns over the next few weeks.” MPI worked closely with groups, including rural support trusts, regional councils, local civil defence emergency management groups and other

government agencies to gather information. NIWA meteorologist Chris Brandolino said below normal rain was expected for most of New Zealand for at least the next 10 days with perhaps only localised exceptions. “It’s distinctly possible that much of the country will experience below normal rainfall through to the Christmas holiday period and December temperatures are very likely to remain above average for all of NZ and the summer season as a whole.” Particular hotspots were found across Hawke’s Bay, in parts of southern ManawatuWhanganui, northern Waikato and Wellington-Wairarapa. Hotspots were developing across much of the South Island with the exception of parts of Central Otago because of last week’s thunderstorms. Industry groups, including DairyNZ and Beef + Lamb NZ had information to manage dry conditions. Farmers and growers can also call their local rural support trust for a chat or to get pointed in the right direction on 0800 787 254.

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HANG ON: The La Nina weather pattern is likely to weaken and bring a return to more normal rain levels, Niwa scientist Chris Brandolino says.

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News

THE NZ FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – December 11, 2017

Farmers need more rain soon Annette Scott annette.scott@nzx.com DROUGHT fears are growing as farmers across the country suggest they could be in big trouble if it doesn’t rain before Christmas. Many farmers were reporting lower than usual cuts of balage and silage with others pushing stock off early to processors. For deer farmers a dry early summer was a real challenge because it coincided with the fawn drop and the need of hinds for lush, high-quality feed for lactation and maximum fawn growth. Deer Industry New Zealand producer manager Tony Pearse said it was important to make a plan. “Planning means you are more likely to act when you have time for manoeuvre. “It will also give you the confidence that comes from managing your response to circumstances over which you have no control,” Pearse said. Contractors were concerned grass had stopped growing while in some regions soaring temperatures were forcing spray rigs to park up. “The spray loses effect if it’s too hot and I had one contractor saying he had 10 spray rigs parked up at one point when the heat of the day put an end to spraying,” Rural Contractors NZ national president Steve Levet said. While contractors were snowed under in early spring they had now almost run out of work across the country. “Work is just drying up before their eyes as the drought conditions set in. “We call November, December and January rains the dollar rains because there’s so much to gain. “It hasn’t been like that since the start of November and any rain now will be like gold from

Why the weather is a worry 1.20 1.00 0.80 0.60 0.40

0.84

0.73

0.67

0.59

0.54

0.51

0.20

0.37

0.27

0.37 0.11

0.00 Moisture Index

Growth Index 10yr ave

PROBLEM: Drought-hit farmers have low silage stocks and bought-in feed will be in short supply, Federated Farmers dairy chairman Chris Lewis says.

heaven,” Levet said. The way the season was shaping he predicted there would be a shortage of harvested feed come autumn. Mid Canterbury cropping farmer and arable industry vice chairman Brian Leadley said the dry was kicking in right across Canterbury and the impact had hit arable farmers.

2014

Crops were under pressure and losing yield by the day with some barley crops cut for silage. “We just can’t keep up with crops needing 8mm a day in this heat. The top irrigation systems are only designed for 5.25mm a day and that’s on dairy.” Leadley said farmers were at the stage of making some tough decisions as to whether they dropped yields right across their crops or whether they selected the higher retuning crops to get the water and cut their losses on the lesser crops. Several Canterbury irrigation schemes were already on restrictions with rivers starting to run low. Federated Farmers meat and fibre chairman and South Canterbury sheep farmer Miles Anderson said his region hadn’t had rain since October 25. “The tap turned off and we have gone from one extreme to the other since the wet winter but still I think we are better off at the same stage than the drought of 2014-15. “But if we don’t get rain in the next 10 days we will be in big trouble and the rest of the country is much the same so there will be nowhere to offload stock. “Every man and his dog will be trying to get stock to the

Brushweeds out of control?

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works and I don’t think the meat companies will have the capacity to cope – it will be serious and a shame in a year when finally we are seeing some better prices in sheep farming but we may not be able to take advantage of that.

I don’t think the meat companies will have the capacity to cope. Miles Anderson Federated Farmers Reports from Wairarapa and Manawatu were of parched pastures with water levels dropping, forcing early feeding of supplements to dairy cows to keep them milking. Further north the coastal areas of Taranaki were very, very dry, Federated Farmers national dairy chairman Chris Lewis said. “While towards the mountains was not so dry I have had reports that coastal pastures are just screaming out for water,” Lewis said. Lewis said milk production dropped significantly in the heat.

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Source: AgriHQ “The cows are just standing there, they are not producing, nothing does well in the heat and of course the heat is damaging clovers and pasture as well.” While not wanting to overplay the situation, Lewis urged farmers to think ahead and have a contingency plan because feed would be short. “The other big issue is there’s not been much onfarm silage made so if it keeps dry the pressure will go on buying supplement feed and of course that snowballs to other things.” While he had good stocks of maize silage Lewis said with no pit silage this year he was 80-100 tonnes of dry matter feed down on the past five years. “And I am growing less grass so I don’t really want to do the sums on that.” Palm kernel was already booked out well into January and while the feed might be ordered it was another issue to get the trucks booked for delivery. But on the other hand farmers in parts of Bay of Plenty and the Hauraki Plains were still battling the aftermath of the flooding. “So there’s other struggles going on for those guys. “It’s a tough one out here at the moment in more ways than one,” Lewis said.

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News

THE NZ FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – December 11, 2017

Disease makes bulls redundant Annette Scott annette.scott@nzx.com

CAUGHT UP: South Otago bull farmers Ross Clark and Rachel Frost have so far lost more than $300,000 as the impact of the cattle disease Mycoplasma bovis cripples their business. Photo: Sharron Bennett

That’s my business properly stuffed for another year, at least. Ross Clark Farmer “But we are still under restriction and I haven’t been able to send one bull off the place as a service bull as we can only send them to the works. “All we keep hearing about is affected dairy farmers. “There are quite a few of us other guys who have suffered because of it.” Clark received the blood tests results of the calves at the end of August. By mid-September the decision was made to cull them. “We decided to cut losses and the best thing to do was to send them to the works. “MPI wouldn’t tell me to slaughter them but I talked around to friends and neighbours and all agreed that would be best

for me, best for neighbours and best for everyone really. “I thought I would get something for them but what I got was a $30 bill a head for slaughtering – if I had known that I would have shot them on the place. “That was $30k down the drain but I thought I had done the right thing to get on with business.” Despite having a 60-day standdown period on any paddock the calves had grazed, including sheep grazing, Clark thought he would have had the RP lifted. But that was when he really started to get “bogged down” with MPI. His father’s sheep farm was also put under lockdown because Clark went there for feed. “I go over there on my tractor for balage. “Admittedly the risk for that place was very minimal and the stupid thing was what about all the farms between my place and his?” While the RP had now been lifted on his father’s property, Clark remained under lockdown. “In September I had 600 bulls all tested and ready to go as

service bulls. None could go.” He had a meeting with MPI in November and was told one more test and he should “be good to go”. The tests came back negative but still the RP remained in place. “They reckon they are trying to work to get me off (RP) but it’s quite a process. “Then last month I had an MPI staff member ring me from Oamaru and hassle me about one animal. “I said they are all dead – one died and the other 51 went to the freezing works, that was September,” Clark said. “The (MPI) left hand doesn’t know what the right hand is doing. “What I know is, all this has stuffed my business. “And now with this Mb jumping the fence again in Canterbury and North Otago I cannot see them lifting my restriction any time soon.” By the end of December all 600 of Clark’s service bulls would have been sold or leased. Instead, still under the RP, they could go only to slaughter under permit with restrictions. “It doesn’t take too much to

work out 600 bulls at $450 apiece, that’s not including the cost of keeping them through until now under belief I would get the RP lifted to sell my bulls, which is all too late now anyway. “While individual MPI staff have done their best the wider MPI processes have proven extremely frustrating business.” Clark had also been unable to get on and buy calves for next season. “I have no cashflow and that’s my business properly stuffed for another year, at least.” While he understood there would be compensation he was not holding his breath. “I can imagine it will be a long process getting money out of the Government.” Meantime, he has put some feed barley in the ground and leased some land to a potato grower. “So it’s not just about the van Leeuwens and dairy – there’s a lot of others and small guys out there hurting real bad too. “MPI really does need to sort this out and pretty damn quick. “We all need answers and we all want to get back to business,” Clark said.

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SOUTH Otago bull farmer Ross Clark bought calves from a North Otago calf rearer and ended up affected by a cattle disease that has cost him dearly. Clark has been putting out 600 service bulls annually for the past 11 years but this year his service bulls are going to slaughter. Clark and his partner Rachel Frost had built up a substantial business supplying service bulls to the dairy industry. The couple rear a large proportion of the bulls they put up for sale or lease each year. This year they bought some calves from a North Otago rearer in mid-June. Those calves have so far cost Clark’s bull business more than $300,000 and the costs continue to cripple his farming operation. By the end of July the cattle disease Mycoplasma bovis had been found on a van Leeuwen Dairy Group farm in South Canterbury. The 52 calves Clark bought from North Otago were linked to a van Leeuwen property and that immediately affected his farming business. “I ended up in this bloody M bovis pickle.” Clark’s farm was put under restricted place notice by the Ministry for Primary Industries. That threw his farming business into turmoil. Four months down the track he is still counting the mounting costs and the only place he can move stock off farm is to slaughter. “So once the calves I bought were traced to the source of the disease they put me straight on RP notice. “We blood-tested the calves and they came back negative but the restrictions on those animals were quite a lot so we killed them,” Clark said.

News

THE NZ FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – December 11, 2017

Fonterra result a mixed bag Hugh Stringleman hugh.stringleman@nzx.com FONTERRA took 35c/kg milksolids off its milk price forecast and reported a mixed bag of first quarter trading results while keeping the faith for a fruitful season. The forecast reduction to $6.40 meant about $50,000 average lower income for its farmer suppliers or $530 million for milk payments overall. Directors did sweeten the pill by lifting the advance payment by 10c/kg for the remaining six months of the season. It came a week after the board was forced to take 10c out of the earnings guidance when litigant Danone was awarded $183m for recall costs following the 2013 whey protein botulism scare. The twin downgrades came as dairy farmers faced a long, hot summer after a wet spring, such that Fonterra now expected no milk production growth in 2017-18. Glass-half-full farmers found some sustenance in Fonterra’s package of announcements and the total available for payout this season at $6.75 to $6.85/kg MS remained the fourth-best in history. The cashflow boost would be welcomed by farmers and was the most appropriate thing the cooperative could do for them, chairman John Wilson said. Everyone in the company was focused on driving up value, optimising production and cutting costs to deliver the official forecasts and possibly recover the earnings hit. A day before Fonterra’s

release Global Dairy Trade auction prices found some stability after two months of consecutive losses totalling more than 10%. The GDT index rose 0.4% and whole milk powder prices rose 1.7%. Oceania skim milk powder prices were up 4.7%. On the downside butter fell another 11% and was now 24% lower than its September peak and back into relativity with all other dairy commodities. Wilson said it was not possible to say if the peak of prices had passed in this dairy cycle, that supply and demand worldwide were still balanced and that WMP was under-priced. “Now that NZ milk production is just steady, no more volume of WMP can be expected so prices could start increasing again,” he said. “That SMP stockpile in Europe is being talked about more, which concerns us, and Canada has shown some destabilising behaviour by dumping SMP on world markets. “However, demand remains strong in China, southeast Asia, and Latin America where our main markets are. “We believe $6.40/kg is a prudent forecast at this stage and it is a good one historically but we never like having to reduce the milk price.” Federated Farmers Waikato dairy chairwoman Jacqui Hahn said the reduction in milk price forecast had been expected and anything over $6 was still good for farmers. However, the damages awarded to Danone were disappointing and sent

Fat quality scheme softened and delayed Hugh Stringleman hugh.stringleman@nzx.com

HOPE: Fonterra’s farmgate price is prudent but whole milk powder is too cheap and prices could rise, Fonterra chairman John Wilson says.

a bad message to other food companies that were obliged to do the right thing by declaring a possible risk. Many Waikato farmers were now short of grass and the 10c lift in advance payments would help put money in the bank. That was echoed by Taranaki dairy leader Janet Schultz who said many farmers were only clawing their way out of extra expenditure during the wet winter. She was not surprised by the payout fall because GDT prices had fallen recently but it would hit hard when Taranaki farms were getting so dry, many having gone on to 16-hour or once-a-day milking. ASB senior rural economist Nathan Penny said the full benefit of the

NZ dollar depreciation of about 5% or 4c/kg against the United States dollar would not be felt until next year because Fonterra hedged most of its sales revenue. The dry weather had the potential to put upwards pressure on dairy prices and therefore Penny would stick by his seasonal forecast of $6.50. The AgriHQ milk price forecast moved down only one cent after the GDT to sit at $6.18. WMP prices rose in the GDT event and futures contract prices were also stronger than two weeks ago. The September 2018 milk price futures contract settled at $6.35 after Fonterra’s announcement while the 2019 contract lost two cents to be at $5.98.

FONTERRA has confirmed it plans a milk fat grading system with payment penalties but delayed its start by three months and considerably widened and softened the fat evaluation index (FEI) grades. The FEI threshold had been moved from 8 to 9, above which farmers would have 10% (grade C) and 20% (grade D) payment deductions. Milk graded C or D for three consecutive days would be retested before demerits would be applied, Fonterra’s regional Farm Source head Lisa Payne said. After consultation the changes made to the grading system were increases to the FEI levels in all four grades. A grade now went up to 7.5, B grade was 7.5 to 9, C grade was 9.1 to 11 and D grade greater than 11. Farmers would have until September 2018, three months longer than originally announced, to make any necessary adjustments before demerits were applied. The delay was to enable winter milkers to have a full season of evaluation, a Fonterra spokesman said. The changes in FEI levels within the grades were to help farmers to meet the required standard through changes in the diet composition of cows. “They will make minor onfarm fluctuations and

screen variations less influential than originally proposed,” he said. The historical results for each farm, going back to January this year, would now be adjusted to the new grading scale, accessible through the On Farm app. Some farmers who previously received a C grade might now find their results in the acceptable band. While feeding cows with palm kernel was the key influencer of the FEI, other onfarm factors including breed, stage of lactation and other feeds also influenced milk’s fat composition. The advent of a long, hot summer with an increasing need for palm kernel supplementation was not a factor in the timing of the announcement or the delay in implementation. The FEI scheme would not be suspended because of extreme weather but Fonterra could nullify the penalties if the board decided the circumstances were appropriate to do so. “Farmers will have had 21 months to make any onfarm adjustments before demerits are applied. They are encouraged to use this time to plan ahead for adverse weather events.” Perhaps palm kernel feeding could be directed more to non-lactating cows and young stock, freeing up pasture, silage and maize for lactating cows, Fonterra suggested.

WHO’S COMING FOR CHRISTMAS THIS YEAR? Make sure all dogs are dosed for sheep measles at least 48 hours before going on, or near, sheep pasture. For more information contact your veterinarian, phone Ovis Management on 0800 222 011 or go to www.sheepmeasles.co.nz

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THE NZ FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – December 11, 2017

Alliance strategy wins farmers over ALLIANCE has more work to do to make farmershareholders confident it will pay them the best returns over the long-term, chairman Murray Taggart says. Prime beef and bull prices had to be lifted and Alliance needed to better manage the response to competitor price-movements. The co-operative was recovering market share, increasing its number of suppliershareholders and offering better livestock prices to farmers. It was working hard to maximise its weekly schedule price as it tried to remain competitive. More North Island farmers were becoming shareholders, attracted by yield contracts and associated priority processing. The business had taken a number of steps to improve prices in response to feedback from farmers, he said in the annual report. That included more minimum price contracts, which did not disadvantage farmers when prices rose. A farmer survey showed shareholders believed Alliance was now focusing on being like a cooperative and doing a better job of rewarding loyal shareholders. “However, our research also made clear that we have more work to do in building confidence around paying the best price over the long-term,” he said. Alliance processed about seven million lambs and sheep, more than 200,000 cattle and about 90,000 deer a year. It doubled operating profit to $20.2m in the year ended September 30 from $9.8m the year before. Another $7.8m was secured in a one-off gain from the sale of the Makarewa venison processing site, making a total of $28.1m. A new venison processing plant was being built at Lorneville, Invercargill, for $15.2m. Alliance set aside $11.38m for pool distribution to shareholders, up from $9.7m the previous year. The after-tax profit was $14.4m compared to just $102,000 previously. The group would have an extra $3.8m cash for reinvestment because that amount in shares would be issued to undershared farmers. The pool distribution would be $1.80 a lamb, $1 a sheep, $10 a head of cattle, $1 a calf and $7.50 for every deer animal supplied. “While we are doing a better job and providing some returns to farms we can do better,” Taggart said. Alliance was a much fitter co-operative, more efficient, reducing costs, boosting capabilities and capturing more value from markets. It had a wide range of short, medium, and long-term programmes under way to gain deeper market penetration and capture more of that value and was building a differentiated portfolio of products and a suite of premium brands. A high-profile project was the food service initiative in Britain, aimed at high-end restaurants and hotels and selling direct to customers rather into wholesaling. There was also an increased focus on the domestic market with the main Pure South brand in major restaurants and more resources put into Auckland. The Lorneville and Pukeuri plants also supplied chilled product into China as part of this year’s sixmonth trial, which the industry hoped would lead to permanent access. The group was also diversifying its venison markets to reduce the reliance on Germany, with good demand emerging in Britain and the United States. There had also been considerable growth

in demand from the premium pet food sector, improving the value of offal. Alliance directors and management put a lot of store by balance sheet strength, with a 71% ratio of shareholders’ funds of $323m to total assets of $455m on September 30. Operating cashflow for the year was $31.4m, down from $126.6m. Some of that reduction was because of higher payments to suppliers. Group revenue rose to $1.52 billion, from $1.41b previously.

STAYING TRUE: Farmers believe Alliance is now behaving like a co-op and rewarding loyalty, chairman Murray Taggart says.

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10 THE NZ FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – December 11, 2017

Kit makes faecal egg count easy Neal Wallace neal.wallace@nzx.com NEARLY 40% of sheep farmers in a joint United Kingdom-New Zealand study have ineffective lamb drench programmes because of undetected parasite resistance. A technology grant by UK supermarket giant Sainsbury’s helped Techion Group accelerate development of the new internetbased faecal egg testing kit, Fecpak G2, by involving 100 farmers who supplied lambs to Sainsbury’s in a trial using the new technology.

What they want to do is align lamb with the many other products they stock. Greg Mirams Techion Techion Group managing director Greg Mirams said the involvement of Sainsbury’s also provided an insight into the greater scrutiny supermarkets were putting on their supply chains. It was a none-too-subtle message that food retailers such as Sainsbury’s were looking closely at how suppliers managed and produced food that would eventually be stocked on their supermarket shelves, including lamb. “What they want to do is align lamb with the many other products they stock,” he said. The Dunedin-based company had released Fecpak G2, an internet based faecal egg counting kit that replaced its microscopebased model released 25 years ago. Mirams said the Sainsbury’s

grant accelerated development by at least two years but in the process the three-year trial revealed 37% of NZ farmers involved were using ineffective drenches because of previously undetected resistance. The results followed 1000 tests from close to 300,000 lambs, which he estimated the annual cost of lost productivity a farm at just under $75,000, equating to $19 million across Sainsbury’s lamb supply chain. By detecting an unknown parasite problem, lamb growth could improve by up to 50%. Sainsbury’s head of livestock Gavin Hodgson said farmers involved in the project were already making savings through reduced drench use, using more effective drench types and increased lamb output. “The increasing threat of drench resistance, viability of the lamb sector and harsh climatic conditions in which they farm across the United Kingdom and New Zealand pose a significant threat to our farmers, which is why together with Techion Group and Sainsbury’s Lamb Development Group we collaborated on this project in 2014.” Fecpak G2 was the culmination of a vision Mirams had for the technology when he established Fecpak 25 years ago. It was also a sign of how the internet was changing the way people farmed. Specimens of animal faeces were prepared as they were now but the new kit used a small camera installed in locallydeveloped technology called a micro-eye. It combined several photographs of each sample into one that was uploaded to the internet and accessed by technicians in Dunedin or Wales. Previously the operator used a microscope to count worm eggs but now trained technicians read the samples then emailed the

CRACKED IT: Techion Group managing director Greg Mirams with his new faecal egg counting kit, Fecpak G2.

information back to the farmer and anyone else they nominated, such as vets or advisers. The invitation for Mirams to apply for a Sainsbury’s technology grant followed a chance meeting at a Sheep Veterinary Association Conference in Rotorua in 2013 and coincided with the development of the new kit. Mirams worked with Otago University and Dr Stephen Sowerby of the university’s Department of Biochemistry, who specialised in bio-engineering to develop the Minixis micro-eye.

Other engineers, many of whom had previously worked at Fisher and Paykel, helped design components for the new kit. The micro-eye was built at Techion’s offices at AgResearch’s Invermay campus. Mirams said Fecpak kits were in use around the world and across various species. Techion had researchers investigating potential new uses made possible because of the immediacy and efficiency of the new operating system. They could include testing for

liver fluke and possibly facial eczema and he was meeting Australian crocodile farmers where parasite resistance was causing issues in skin quality. Mirams said the new operating system provided opportunities for farmers such as enabling the planning of animal health programmes and to clean up parasite issues. Centralising the data and information also meant technicians could monitor parasite trends not just on farms but across regions.

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THE NZ FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – December 11, 2017

Open days show cereal trials results Annette Scott annette.scott@nzx.com A TOUR of Mid Canterbury’s wheat and barley crops is set to reinforce the importance of local breeding activities as industry members review a range of trial plots. The cereal performance trials field day on December 13 was aimed at lifting local cereal production to meet demand in the animal feed sector and food processing industry in a bid to reduce imports, Plant Breeding and Research Association general manager Thomas Chin said. It was an opportunity for agronomists, seed company representatives, merchants, traders, millers and other end users to assess new varieties developed for NZ conditions and their performance in a range of soils on both irrigated and nonirrigated sites. Chin said plant breeders were focused on providing farmers with an improved range of varieties that aimed to increase disease resistance, yields and grain quality and boost the profitability and value of cereal crops. “It will be an opportune time for agronomists, grain buyers and producers to come together and assess the cereal

performance trials, especially given the arable industry is interested that people are taking notice of South Island cereals for milling and for animal feed purposes.” Local cereal breeders from private companies, Crown research institutes and universities put substantial research into developing the best cultivars and the process could take up to 10 years before a new variety was released to farmers.

These efforts ensure that the New Zealand farmer stays at the forefront of research in NZ. Thomas Chin Plant Breeding and Research Assn The cost could be as much as $2 million. “This is why the plant breeding industry is such a strong advocate for payment of royalties on licensed sowing seed, based on sales to growers. “These moneys provide the ongoing research funding to

COSTLY: Plant breeders can spend $2 million developing a new cereal strain, Plant Breeding and Research Association general manager Thomas Chin says.

ultimately develop further and better cultivars for both farmers and end users,” Chin said. The trials system had been running for more than 30 years and had delivered improved cultivars with traits that increased yield and resisted specific pathogens such as leaf rust, fusarium and some insects. “These efforts ensure that the NZ farmer stays at the forefront of research in NZ to the benefit of the local industry.” NZ produced more than a million tonnes of grain crops annually with an estimated farmgate value in excess of $400m. Meanwhile. a maize variety open day would take place at the Foundation for Arable Research (FAR) northern crop research site, Tamahere Hamilton on Thursday, December 14. It would show a range of crops including maize varieties trialled under the 2017-18 maize performance trials programme. Performance such as yields would be discussed while crop and nutrient management insights would also be addressed.

New bankers back SFF Nigel Stirling nigel.g.stirling@gmail.com SILVER Fern Farms will head into the new processing season backed by a new banking syndicate that replaces three of its four previous lenders. Led by the ANZ, the new syndicate included BNZ, Bank of China and Rabobank, which was also part of the meat processor’s previous line-up of lenders rounded out by CBA, HSBC and Westpac. Chief executive Dean Hamilton said $200m of new equity from Shanghai Maling for 50% of the business in December meant it had achieved much better terms from its new syndicate in respect of fees, borrowing costs and less onerous covenants to comply with. Furthermore, a significant amount of cash still on the company’s balance sheet at the start of the season meant a reduction in the size of the

funding line it had asked for from its banks. “The facilities are much lower given the improvement we have done with our own working capital and also the equity investment made by Shanghai Maling has allowed us to set up a lower level of facilities, which is always good because facility size drives facility fees.” SFF’s debt peaked at $480m in the 2013 financial year when it came under severe pressure from its banks to recapitalise. Hamilton said its new arrangements would allow it to draw down up to $200m and included enough headroom to cope with fluctuations in stock flows. Such was the strength of the company’s balance sheet the new facility would be dipped into only for livestock purchases and funding inventories and other working capital requirements. The annual $20m

earmarked by the company to spend upgrading plants was expected to come from cash and retained earnings. “We will start with cash and we will go right into the season and have some borrowings and finish with cash on the balance sheet … that is a really strong position.” Hamilton said each of the banks in its previous syndicate had put their hands up to contribute to the new facility but only Rabobank had been successful. “They all stuck with us through challenging times. “Obviously the business is in a really strong financial position now. “We took the opportunity to go to market and look at what we could achieve in terms of scale and flexibility. “We have more flexibility and lower priced flexibility than what we have had before.” The facility would be reviewed after two years.

News

12 THE NZ FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – December 11, 2017

Cash ready for quake advisers

CHANGE: Some people can’t farm as they did before the Kaikoura earthquake, Primary Industries Ministry director-general Martyn Dunne says.

Annette Scott annette.scott@nzx.com ADVISORY activities after the Kaikoura earthquake will be determined by local priorities then coordinated, Beef + Lamb New Zealand northern South Island farmer director Phil Smith says. The Primary Industries Ministry fund offering grants of up to $5000 was criticised by farmers who wanted immediate help while the offer was for advisory services to plan for future earthquake recovery. However, Smith said the approach would allow sharing of knowledge and ideas and observation of field trials. Farmers would also be able pool their advisory services funding. “We see it will be more cost-effective for some farmers to take up expert advice together.” Farmers, growers and foresters could use the services to plan how they would farm in future. MPI had approved advisors with specific skills. Services could include long-term land use planning, farm business strategic planning, environmental plans, farm system analysis, alternate use and farm change scenarios and technical or financial advice and planning.

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“Some of the land damage has to be seen to be believed,” MPI director-general Martyn Dunne said. “For some it means they simply can’t farm as they did pre-earthquake.” Dunne said the wet winter had already caused significant erosion on fractured farmland, which affected grazing land, waterways, drains, roads and fences. “It’s really important that farmers take the opportunity to get a chance to take stock and see what opportunities can come out of the disaster in terms of defining how best to move forward,” he said. Part of the fund dedicated $3.6 million to support eight community-led projects focused on researching future land use and land recovery. The eight projects were expected to significantly contribute to the region’s recovery by investigating the best approaches to land use changes. The funded projects spanned sheep and beef, dairy, viticulture, seafood and waterways. Funding for the community groups would be provided over three years and all projects were to make their findings and lessons public to ensure everyone benefited.

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THE NZ FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – December 11, 2017

Summer weed pest watch steps up Annette Scott annette.scott@nzx.com SURVEILLANCE on the pest weed black grass has stepped up as the flowering season hits its peak in Canterbury. The heightened surveillance comes as the arable industry prepares for the second year of its second black grass response initiated in Mid Canterbury last year. If there was any chance of black grass appearing it was most likely to show its face at flowering time. Black grass has been a biosecurity issue in the Mid Canterbury region since the first response operation following the spillage of red fescue seed contaminated with black grass in July 2013. At this stage there’s been no indication of a link between the two separate outbreaks. The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) black grass response team, including Foundation for Arable Research (FAR) staff and industry stakeholders met last month for a response update on planned surveillance this season. As black grass was known to flower in December and January in Canterbury, surveillance would be stepped up during that time and continue until all risk of flowering for the season was over. Black grass was a herbicide-resistant, invasive weed that competed with cultivated crops. It had proved to be one of the toughest weeds to control on European and United Kingdom cropping farms. The initial biosecurity breach cost seed company PGG Wrightson Seeds $357,000 and sent a message of responsibility to other industry organisations following the charges laid by MPI. The biosecurity response was initiated in a partnership between Federated Farmers, FAR, Canterbury Regional Council (ECan), Ashburton District Council, NZ Grain and Seed Trade Association and PGG Wrightson. Anyone suspecting they had found black grass should take a photo and call the Pest and Disease Hotline 0800 809 966 to report it. In Britain a new post-emergence herbicide for spring use on winter wheat was set to offer 10% better control of black grass than its predecessor, Atlantis – enough to turn the tide on black grass infestations, the UK Farmers Weekly reported. Monolith from Bayer was being positioned as a specialist grass weed herbicide that could give a 0.3t/ha yield benefit. Bayer had removed the broad-leaved weed herbicide iodosulfuron from Atlantis and added propoxycarbozone, a second black grass active. That change coupled with an increased amount of mesosulfuron had improved black grass control over Atlantis by an average of 10% in 19 independent trials. The new herbicide also performed more consistently, meaning a grower who saw only a 16% control of black grass with Atlantis could potentially achieve 53% with Monolith, Bayer said. Ben Coombs, the group’s cereals herbicide manager, said that in the trials Atlantis offered between 16% and 94% control while for Monolith the range was just 53% to 95%. Meanwhile, the industry’s seed and grain crop readiness and response biosecurity – the farm border project is set to get under way. The Sustainable Farming Fund project facilitated by FAR aimed to develop a farm biosecurity plan with modules that could be readily adapted by cropping farmers. The project outlined effective biosecurity needed at three levels in NZ. The national border was predominantly managed by the Government with a wide range of risk assessments, procedures, plans and responses. The regional border was managed by regional councils that, in their pest management strategies, had identified key risks and responses. The third level was the farm boundary and the level of risk assessment, planning, preparedness and procedures that varied markedly between farms. In the cropping industry effective biosecurity

would often rely on the ability of individual farmers to detect and respond to biosecurity threats on their farms. The project outlined those biosecurity risks as not only pests that were not present in the country or a region but also pests that were not present on the farm or changes to existing pests (agrichemical resistance) onfarm or in regions. The project would provide options for famers on how to manage farm biosecurity in relation to farm businesses while also identifying links to regional and national biosecurity programmes. Key biosecurity risks to cropping farms would be identified using a combination of a pathways and priority pest approach.

UNWANTED: Surveillance for the noxious week black grass is stepping up.

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farmersweekly.co.nz – December 11, 2017

ANONYMOUS: Wool classers are not using the Q for quality stencil because they don’t want to be associated with poor workmanship.

Thrift affects wool quality Alan Williams alan.williams@nzx.com CROSSBRED wool farmers are being urged to help shed handling teams better prepare their wool-clips. Signs of reduced emphasis on wool handling were showing up in the low use of the Q-stencil stamp on wool bales, indicating its high quality, NZ Wool Classers Association executive officer Bruce Abbott said. He believed farmers were asking shearing teams for cheaper rates to match the low crossbred wool prices and that could be achieved only by having fewer shed hands. So the senior shed hands with level 4 qualifications, who were qualified to use the Q stencil to grade wool, were not doing so because they were not happy with the resources going into the wool handling and the quality of the baled wool. They didn’t want to be associated with poor workmanship. The issue seemed to a general problem

around the country, Abbott said. Crossbred wool prices were low but the evidence was that well prepared wool was still selling relatively easily but that poorly prepared wool wasn’t and was left languishing in storage.

It’s taken the farmer six to 12 months to grow the wool and in a few minutes in the shed they discount all the work they’re putting in. Bruce Abbott Wool Classers Assn Unsold wool was a cost to farmers and they could do more to make it more sellable by taking the right action at shearing time. The Q stencil was a worthy

qualification, which the association had been promoting over the last few years, he said. It was disappointing to see it not being used. “I’m sure farmers don’t rush to buy a product which is not well presented and prepared so why do they allow their wool clip to be presented so poorly? “It’s taken the farmer six to 12 months to grow the wool and in a few minutes in the shed they discount all the work they’re putting in.” The reduced number of wool handlers in the shed meant they were very overworked and undervalued and that was contributing to the problems attracting staff into the wool harvesting industry. That came at a time when there was a big move towards accountability and traceability of wool, especially for fine wools but also for crossbred wool in a minor way. Wool was an amazing, natural product and the industry had to work hard on preparation to bring buyers back to it, he said.

MacPherson elected to Westland board TE AWAMUTU farmer Andrew MacPherson has been elected a director of Westland Milk Products. As an equity partner in Sewell Peak Farm, a 365ha property milking 920 cows northeast of Greymouth the former dairy veterinarian was also a Westland shareholder. He has also worked in a range of senior executive roles including as a chief executive and had extensive experience across a range of agrisector businesses as governor, senior manager, business owner and farm owner. Westland chairman Pete Morrison said “Andrew will be an asset to his company. He brings with him considerable experience as a business manager, director and owner. “Throughout his career he has developed knowledge of driving performance and change in large organisations. “This has included company restructuring and leading companies with international operations. He has led brand development and marketing plans. His governance roles have included dealing with a broad range of stakeholders.”

MacPherson built a successful veterinary practice and had owned both dairy and sheep and beef farms in the North Island including the historic Waipaoa Station, where he was instrumental in establishing the award-winning Waipaoa Station Farm Cadet training Trust. He held chief executive roles at AgVax Developments, Canesis Network and Nimmo-Bell and was country manager for Intervet. He also worked as general manager commercial development and previously as strategy and performance general manager for Landcorp and was now chief executive of FarmCare and GrazCare. MacPherson was also a part owner of a sheep milk business that recently won the supreme award at the Food Innovation Awards. He had been a director of AgResearch and the Animal Health Board and was chairman of Te Ako Wools, Pastoral Robotics and the Cobb and Co restaurant chain. There was only one vacancy on the board this year because the number of directors was being reduced from 11 to eight. Four candidates sought election.

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THE NZ FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – December 11, 2017

Quad bike ban spreads to OSPRI Richard Rennie richard.rennie@nzx.com THE use of quad bikes by farm service agencies and companies is being debated as OSPRI takes steps to ban use of the machines by its rural contractors. Charged with managing the country’s TB-free programme the agency had contractors engaged in testing and pest control who would no longer be allowed to use a quad bike on the job. OSPRI chief executive Michelle Edge said the death of an OSPRI worker earlier this year had been “one too many” and had prompted the ban. An inability to change the fundamental design of the quad, monitor its use or provide adequate worker protection were all considered in the agency’s decision. “We had taken all practicable steps with our training and set a very high benchmark. While OSPRI was not found to be at fault it is still one person too many.” She estimated 60% of OSPRI staff would have used a quad bike. The ban came only weeks after kiwifruit marketer Zespri was required to make an enforceable undertaking as a penalty under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015. Under new health and safety regulations Zespri was deemed one of the parties connected to an incident where an AgFirst contractor was killed on a quad bike. The worker was contracted to AgFirst, in turn contracted by Zespri, to take kiwifruit drymatter samples before harvest. The enforceable undertaking required Zespri to provide

initiatives that contributed to improved health and safety and meant the company would not face charges. It was estimated to cost the marketer about $250,000 and would include health and safety initiatives, training programmes and a scholarship. The decision by OSPRI prompted discussion among directors and senior staff at a number of agri-business operations where quad bikes played a role in operations. A Zespri spokesman confirmed the company was looking long and hard at the future use of quad bikes among its contracting companies. “It is certainly a topical issue. “It is a discussion we are looking to have with the rest of the industry, certainly a level of examination to assess options there,” a company spokesman said. Landcorp had already reduced quad bike use on its properties, with numbers down by two thirds. They were replaced with side-by-side vehicles or two wheeled bikes on all dairy farms. Where practicable on dry stock properties they had also been replaced. AgFirst consulting director James Allen said his company’s Waikato consultants used to use quad bikes on farms but the company’s team now had fourwheel-drive utes while many farmer clients had moved to side-by-side vehicles. “We have not outright banned quad bikes but we are certainly keeping a watching eye on this. Many of our dairy farming clients are also finding twowheelers are the way to go too.” Landcorp spokesman Simon King said where quads were not able to be replaced the state-

BANNED: No one working for OSPRI or its contactors will be allowed to use quad bikes.

owned enterprise had focused heavily on safety, putting in roll bars, compulsory helmets and vehicle monitoring systems. “We are also working to change rider behaviours that lead to incidents.” Health and safety consultant Geoff Brokenshire said he suspected the move by OSPRI signalled a shift in agencies in attitudes to quad bike use. “I think this is a combination of a recognition about how wide the new health and safety regulations go in terms of responsibility and a recognition that quad bikes are risky for users.” Edge said a primary industry health and safety group that included OSPRI and Landcorp was examining safety issues around equipment including quad bikes. Her background in Australia in the primary sector had seen assorted agencies and businesses work together on safety issues and she was keen to see industry take the next step and invest in safety initiatives. “We might see an initiative that could have cost one firm $500,000 instead cost $50,000 if shared among several in the sector. “It could be applied to collectively developing new technology and methods to make things safer and training those who have to continue to rely on technology like quad bikes to be safer. “Not every organisation is fortunate enough like ours to be able to consider other options.”

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Spierings takes over as head of GDP pleased to be taking on the FONTERRA chief executive role and playing a part in Theo Spierings has been maximising the contribution appointed chairman of the dairy could make to Global Dairy Platform, the world. effective immediately. “More than He took over ever, people are from Dairy Farmers turning to dairy for of America chief nutritional security executive Rick Smith, and sustainable food who chaired the and every day we see organisation since the good that dairy 2015. Theo Spierings can do. Smith would continue to serve on the board with Arla Foods chief executive Peder Tuborgh and Royal FrieslandCampina chief executive Roelof Joosten. Spierings said he was

“We also recognise that the world will have more than two billion more mouths to feed by 2050. “With food demand expected to increase by at least

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18 THE NZ FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – December 11, 2017

New partner on board with FarmIQ Richard Rennie richard.rennie@nzx.com FARMIQ has moved a step closer to digitally linking all channels in the agri-supply chain with Farmlands taking a 30% shareholding in the company. Farmlands’ stake put it on an equal ownership footing with Silver Fern Farms and Landcorp, with Te Awamutu based VetEnt taking the other 10%. FarmIQ chief executive Darryn Pegram said it had been a lengthy courtship. The union meant farmgate inputs might ultimately be captured with the software package, further enhancing transparency and traceability further up the supply chain to processors, including Silver Fern Farms. The partnership, which now included investment from all points of the agri-supply chain, was fulfilling the original aim of the Primary Growth Partnership (PGP) under which FarmIQ was established. “The PGP never set out to simply create a farm management software company. It was to add value to red meat through integrating the value chain, which included getting farmers on board.

“So now joining up the elements of the value chain means market signals can be returned down it, on things like product quality.” Pegram imagined the signals would also move the other way with investment from a rural supplier like Farmlands enabling the traceability of farm inputs through to processing and beyond to market.

We have been blown away by the enthusiasm the dairy sector has shown for FarmIQ. Darryn Pegram FarmIQ “Increasingly we are seeing customers expecting that type of quality control.” He agreed the next step would be to adopt a form of block chain technology capable of offering insights at every point in the supply chain, open to all parties involved in the transaction. FarmIQ claimed a critical mass of drystock farmers in

its subscription base and had recently launched a dairy package. Subscribers so far include 1600 active sheep, beef, deer and dairy farmers and 3700 users. Pegram acknowledged the software market was now a crowded place in the dairying sector but research showed farmers were increasingly seeking a one-stop package for farm apps and data access. “We have been blown away by the enthusiasm the dairy sector has shown for FarmIQ. The subscription cost has not proven to be a barrier to uptake.” He was encouraged by moves in the industry to avoid re-inventing the wheel when it came to software packages. Greater connectivity and the internet of things meant companies wanting to develop specific software for their equipment were increasingly approaching established platforms like FarmIQ to integrate with them. The high cost of development for farmers’ increasingly sophisticated software needs had also prompted more companies to seek joint cost-sharing for development. “For example, we had a pasture meter company come to us wanting to be on board and

WIDER: FarmIQ chief executive Darryn Pegram, left, and chairman John Quirk have welcomed the supply chain coverage the Farmlands deal brings.

Giltrap had a smart silage wagon system. “They did not want to have to develop the software for it, rather approaching us to develop and integrate it with FarmIQ.”

Farmlands chief executive Peter Reidie said the shareholding was another step in the co-operative’s goal in becoming market leader in agricultural knowledge and expertise.

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THE NZ FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – December 11, 2017

Rodney activists vow to fight on Glenys Christian glenys.christian@nzx.com PEOPLE north of Auckland unhappy with belonging to the city have vowed to fight on despite the Local Government Commission turning down their application to separate. “We’re not surprised as there were indications that the commission was looking at ways of blocking us,” Northern Action Group chairman Bill Townson said. The group has protested against the local government boundary since 2013. “It’s taken the safest path without looking at what the community wants.” The decision appeared to be based on a lot of in-house opinion strongly linked to a commissioned report that concluded a small unitary council would operate at a deficit of $13.5 million annually, meaning a rates increase of 48%. “But that’s based on Auckland Council, one of the most costly councils in the country,” he said. NAG’s own report, comparing a new council with Tasman, Marlborough and Gisborne, showed operating costs would range between a $5.5m deficit and a $5m surplus. “But that hasn’t been looked at.” NAG had to decide before December 22 whether to appeal against the decision. It would also like to clarify before then the state of New Zealand First promises before the election that it would support a referendum of local residents.

“It would be by far the fairest and most democratic thing to do,” Townson said. “You couldn’t organise it overnight but just an assurance it is coming would be enough.” NAG had several hundred members including a large number of farmers, mostly north of the Dome Valley. Their concerns, aired at a public meeting, were mainly about urban councillors and staff having little knowledge of the rural sector despite farmers paying a high proportion of the area’s rates. Lead commissioner for the Auckland reorganisation, Geoff Dangerfield, said the commission had taken its decision only after careful consideration of the applications before it from north Auckland and also Waiheke Island. It found neither met the statutory legislative tests and there were no alternate proposals put forward that did. “We recognise that people do feel strongly about local government in their respective districts and some consider there to be significant shortcomings,” he said. “However, the commission does not consider structural change as set out in the applications will best promote the purpose of local government for the respective communities.” To be considered the alternative proposals needed to be reasonably practicable and the commission had to be satisfied there would be sufficient resources, an area appropriate to the new body’s role, that there were distinct

PRESENT: At a meeting to discuss the future of Rodney were, from left, Auckland Federated Farmers Rodney sub province chairman John Glasson, Auckland Federated Farmers vice-president and Franklin local board member Alan Cole, local board member Colin Smith and Northern Action Group chairman Bill Townson. communities of interest and catchmentbased flooding and water management issues would be dealt with effectively. Auckland Federated Farmers president Andrew Maclean said the commission’s decision was broadly in keeping with its own position and the submissions on the proposals put to it. But it agreed the distribution of functions between the council’s governing body and its local boards needed to be reviewed. “One of the priorities is the improvement of local roads for both rural communities and the diverse primary sector businesses that rely on them,” he said. “Food producers, farmers and the significant primary services sector drive a huge part of our local and national economy. “High quality and well maintained local roads are an essential part of this infrastructure.” The federation’s efforts would focus on ensuring North Rodney received its fair share of Auckland Council services.

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Wet weather raises spectre of yellow wool problems Tim Fulton tim.fulton@nzx.com LAMBS’ wool and good second-shear are bright spots for crossbred growers as the trade continues to manage a bulge of stored fibre. Some of that strong micron was up to a year old, held back from sale until demand lifted and prices improved. It would help the industry if supply was tighter but overseas buyers knew New Zealand had an overhang and generally bought wool as they needed it, New Zealand Council of Wool Exporters president Peter Whiteman said. “They’re not there trying to pinch the last five cents.” Whiteman, chief executive of direct buyer and exporter Segard Masurel, said the arrival of the freshly-shorn clip in the North Island could add to the imbalance but the industry was doing a good job of managing inventory in challenging conditions. Growers could expect good prices for lambs’ wool and the best second-shear fleece but wet conditions were likely to mean more yellowing in the general clip. There were signs of that discolouration in latest North Island shearing. “With the wet spring we’re going to see a little bit more yellow crossbred and fleece and second-shear.” Unfortunately, it had been unusually wet across the country.

SARAH PERRIAM

IN STORE: Some of the strong micron crossbred wool held back from sale is now a year old.

PGG Wrightson South Island sales manager Dave Burridge said some of that wool was being offered in sales known as out of auction tenders. Prices were comparable to auction and the one-off live auction at the Canterbury A&P Show. “There’s been some business written and the buyers are in it.” A Napier auction in early November offered 1000 bales by tender in addition to the usual rostered 8000 bales sold by open auction. “It’s something we don’t hold on a

regular basis. It’s only when our buyers come under volume pressure.” It was farmers’ call on when and how their wool was sold but a growing number were asking for their clip to be sold before an early-December deadline for export shipping. “Some of this wool’s going to have a birthday soon and you’ve always got new wool coming on.” Fresh wool always had priority over older stock when deciding which fibre went to auction any given week. “If growers want the wool sold, we’ll make it happen,” Burridge said.

RICHARD LOE

News

20 THE NZ FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – December 11, 2017

POPULAR: Finishing farms made up a third of sales.

Farm sales activity hits a lull FARM sale volumes for the three months to the end of October fell by nearly 100 on the corresponding period a year earlier. The extent of the slowdown, caused largely by poor spring weather, was highlighted by the

261 October sales being lower than for the 271 for the three months to September. The fall from the October period last year was 92, a 26% drop. The median sale price was $24,982/ha for the latest period, more than 8% down on September

and 3.8% lower than October last year. The Real Estate Institute Allfarm Index, which adjusted for difference in farm size, location and type, fell 5.7% September to October but finished 7.3% ahead of October last year, institute rural

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spokesman Brian Peacocke said. Twelve of the 14 regions recorded reduced sales, headed by Auckland and Wellington. There were low sales of dairy farms around the country, just five for October alone, with one of them being at a price close to $70,000/ha in Waikato. The dairy farm median price for the October period was $40,012/ha, up from $37,812/ha in September and slightly lower than the $40,716/ha in October last year. The institute’s Dairy Farm Index, which also adjusted for difference in farm size and location, went

Scales expects result to be at the upper end Alan Williams alan.williams@nzx.com

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in the other direction, down 4.4% from September but up 9.2% on October last year. Finishing farms accounted for the largest number of sales by sector, with 33% of the total over the three-month October period. The median sale price was $29,057/ha, compared to $30,828/ ha in September and up 8% from 26,834/ha for October last year. Peacocke reported good prices paid for several well-located finishing farms in Canterbury. The province also had increased arable farm sales activity, including one very strong sale in the Methven area at just over $58,000/ha.

SCALES Corporation’s operating earnings are likely to be at the upper end of earlier guidance of $55 million to $62m, managing director Andy Borland says. The company’s biggest trading unit, Mr Apple orchard and export business, was expected to provide a resilient result for the year ended December 31, after the challenging early growing season. The smaller divisions, Food Ingredients and the Storage and Logistics group, were expected to between them provide consistent or slightly better results that last year, Borland said. Both new acquisitions, the Longview orchards and packhouse and transporter OceanAir, had performed well. Scales also announced an interim dividend of 9c a share, to be paid on January 19, which was up from 8c a year earlier.

The annual earnings upgrade followed a lower half-year to June 30 result with the operating earnings down to $48.4m from about $54m previously. In that period, Mr Apple had its worst growing season in 10 years, following 2016’s best conditions in 10 years. Mr Apple was about 75% of the total group business and a lot of Hawke’s Bay orchards were pounded by heavy rain from mid-February to the end of the harvest while the ex-cyclone Cook blew apples off the trees just before Easter. The group’s premium, highervalue apples suffered more than the traditional varieties in the conditions. Partly because of weather risk, Scales typically took a cautious approach to forecasts and had a history of exceeding them. Borland said the group now expected operating earnings in the $58m to $65m range this year.

News

THE NZ FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – December 11, 2017

Zespri plan outlines challenges Richard Rennie richard.rennie@nzx.com A MIXED bag of challenges and opportunities faces Zespri and kiwifruit growers in the coming five years as they grapple with the continuing bite of Psa disease, uncertain production levels and the looming threat of other competition. The marketer’s updated and revised five-year plan had expanded this year with a 47-page analysis offering industry players a snapshot of prospects, threats and opportunities ahead. One outcome of Psa had been to tighten up orchard biosecurity and management in the past five years. With that came an exceptional increase in Green variety productivity that had kept pressure on marketers to maintain value amid higher volumes than expected. In 2010-11 volumes appeared to be evening out at about 73 million trays but a leap in orchard

productivity led to a significant increase in supply to more than 80m trays for 2015-16. That prompted Zespri to increase its efforts to develop some Green markets more rapidly, putting stronger focus on early Green sales, rebalancing fruit portfolios offered to retailers and pushing the certified gut health claim held by kiwifruit harder to consumers. Zespri picked the greatest threat to NZ Green coming from Chinese grown fruit at the beginning and end of the season as that country’s ability to grow quality crops improved. Taste standards had also undergone a revamp to more closely fit with desired consumer taste profiles. Per tray returns were expected to range between $4.80 and $5.80 a tray for 2016-17 but higher crop yields had also put more downside risk on that estimate. A near doubling of the SunGold variety from 32m trays in 2015 to more than 60m by 2020 meant

pressure would be on Zespri to maintain its stated goal of a 20%40% price premium relative to Green.

Zespri picked the greatest threat to NZ Green coming from Chinese grown fruit at the beginning and end of the season as that country’s ability to grow quality crops improved.

A high level of per-tray market spend was expected over the next two years, increasing consumer awareness and market penetration. For their part, growers would be expected to deliver optimised taste profiles through higher drymatter fruit.

The report acknowledged SunGold was still a relatively new fruit variety, with much being learnt about its early supply, optimal conditioning requirements and storage and pressure was on to learn quickly. Orchard gate returns were forecast to remain strong, well over $100,000/hectare and with costs of about $40,000 a hectare, margins were looking good for growers over the coming six years. Per-tray returns were estimated at $7.70 to $9. As Zespri tried meet all-year supply demands from customers, the report highlighted some risks to non-NZ supply sources. They included an extremely competitive northern hemisphere sales window with Greek, Italian and French

kiwifruit already well established on shelves. The surge in SunGold volumes over the coming years into a mature European market would require an emphasis on migrating customers to 12-month supply contracts. Meantime, Asian demand meant China provided an enormous opportunity for Zespri to fill the market with premium Zespri product for 12 months of the year. Sourcing supply from within China was identified as an important potential development.

A BRAND NEW FARMING SHOW LIKE YOU’VE NEVER SEEN OR HEARD BEFORE

OTHERS: Competition is one of the big threats to kiwifruit in the next five years, Zespri says.

Growth award for Zespri ZESPRI has won the best growth strategy award at the Deloitte Top 200 Awards. Zespri chief executive Dan Mathieson said the award was welcome recognition for the work done across the industry to grow a genuine global sales and marketing organisation and drive demand for Zespri’s premium kiwifruit. “This award is real testament to the great team we have at Zespri – passionate, dedicated people around the world who bring to life our global grower-to-consumer strategy day in and day out – and the long-

term partnerships we have with our customers. “Kiwifruit is big business in New Zealand but it only makes up 1.5% of the globally-traded fruitbowl so we see huge potential to grow the overall category. “How are we going to double sales in seven years? We’ll continue to grow market demand for our products by building our premium Zespri brand and kiwifruit products to best meet the needs of our growing consumer base with a relentless commitment to quality, taste and safety,” Mathieson said.

A recent report from the University of Waikato showed the NZ kiwifruit industry on track to create another 29,000 jobs and triple GDP contribution to more than $6 billion by 2030, due largely to Zespri’s gold variety SunGold. “Doubling sales in the next seven years would mean over $3 billion returned to communities around NZ – our export returns were $1.6b to NZ last season and this will double by 2025. “This is a vital contributor to communities in kiwifruit growing regions across NZ,” Mathieson said.

22 THE NZ FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – December 11, 2017

News

Sniffer dogs hunt for needle grass Tim Fulton tim.fulton@nzx.com BIOSECURITY dogs are moving into paddocks and vineyards to find Chilean needle grass, one of the country’s hardiest and most elusive pest plants. Plant ecologist Fiona Thomson, a hunter of rare plants, started the project after hearing about an Australian sniffer dog hunt for koalas. At about the same time Southlander John Taylor started using his border collie Rustie to find noxious velvetleaf. Until now Thomson and biosecurity officials had only trained dogs in lab conditions to detect needle grass leaf. Needle grass was found in parts of Canterbury, Marlborough and Hawke’s Bay. Dogs were heading to an affected area in Marlborough for a field test to find real plants. Thomson said needle grass would be a good test for the dogs because it was a grass within grass and didn’t have a strong

smell, unlike velvetleaf. “Chilean needle grass is one of the hardest weeds to do.” The real plants in the field scenario would test dogs’ detection skills before needle grass seeded, giving farmers the best shot at control with sprays like Taskforce. Checks before seeding would also prevent dogs being injured by the notoriously sharp seeds, which were known for twisting into sheep pelts and muscle. Trainer Geoff Bowers said dogs could remember up to three million smells and it took only about an hour to impregnate their senses so they could indicate for a new one. They could detect to 99% accuracy so the hardest part was training the handler so they didn’t give false indications, he said. “There’s absolutely no limit, myrtle rust ... no limit.” Working with Thomson and biosecurity officials, Bowers would soon start training dogs to find velvetleaf and about 15 other rogue plants.

Bowers, owner of the Kuri Dog Training Centre in Canterbury, said Thomson initially asked if he could train dogs to find wilding pines. He suggested dogs could do that so easily they might get sensory overload so it would better to train them on something tougher. People could find needle grass themselves without much trouble at certain times of the year but it was harder after a paddock had been grazed or mown. Dogs usually had no trouble finding a single plant so Bowers was now training them to systematically work an area. Thomson’s work was funded by a grant from Environment Canterbury and the Ministry for Primary Industries. Dogs and handlers on needle grass properties would be were subject to the usual seed checks and wash-down protocols, including checks for seeds on vehicles, clothes and other equipment.

READY: Plant ecologist Fiona Thomson with Tahi, one of the Chilean needle grass detector dogs.

News

THE NZ FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – December 11, 2017

Final plea for water uptake Annette Scott annette.scott@nzx.com THE final plea is out to farmers and investors to ensure a South Canterbury irrigation project can proceed. Without the minimum uptake the proposers of the $110 million Hunter Downs irrigation scheme have indicated they would be forced to pull the plug. The project, which had been 12 years in the making, was 10% short of the minimum uptake needed to proceed. “We are making a final appeal to farmers and other key stakeholders to invest in this project,” Hunter Downs Water chairman Andrew Fraser said. HDW has been holding water share funds in trust since April 2017. Fraser said the board had come to a point where it needed to make a decision on whether to proceed or return funds to those who had already made the commitment to take water. The date for that decision would be December 14 at the company’s annual meeting. Fraser said Hunter Downs had secured a unique set of features that meant water could

NEARLY THERE: Hunter Downs Water chairman Andrew Fraser wants to hear from farmers willing to take water from the scheme.

be delivered at a viable cost while securing future land use opportunities. They included a highly reliable water take and use consent from the Waitaki River, nutrient rights capable of seeing the region into the future in both a sustainable and environmentally friendly manner and the ability to augment the Wainono Lagoon to a help achieve community water quality aspirations – all in an innovative design that used the existing

Morven Glenavy irrigation infrastructure. “It is the combination of all the above features that makes this scheme viable at this time. “However, there are critical time constraints around a number of these aspects,” Fraser said. Financial support and funding from Crown Irrigation Investments had been secured but with conditions. It had agreed to provide $70 million term debt funding to make

water affordable while not creating significant subsidisation between farmers. But, as part of the funding conditions, HDW needed 9500 shares sold and 7000 water shares (equal to 7000 hectares) issued. HDW had fallen short of that required minimum water share uptake having secured commitments from 50 shareholders for just over 6000 water shares. Fraser made one last plea for investment in the scheme. “I would urge anyone who has an interest in the scheme to contact us directly, ensuring that we have a viable scheme to take forward and ensure the future prosperity of the region.” Initial investment remained at $2650 a water share payable in thirds. Given the delays in securing support the further payments would be delayed and were now likely to be late 2018 and mid2019. To be so close and not to succeed would be a lost opportunity for the region, HDW project manager Stacey Scott said. It would also have significant economic impact on the growth in the region and onfarm wealth,

We are making a final appeal to farmers and other key stakeholders to invest in this project. Andrew Fraser Hunter Downs Water including the loss of a unique and highly valuable water take consent. “Key relationships would be lost and would be unlikely to be repeated in the future which makes this scheme affordable and possible at this time,” Scott said. “We would welcome the opportunity to meet with anyone who might reconsider supporting the scheme to ensure we get it across the line. “We would like to hear from you in the next few days so we can develop protocols for the board’s recommendation at the annual meeting.” When complete the scheme would meet the water demands for farms and the wider community between Waimate and Timaru.

Newsmaker

24 THE NZ FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – December 11, 2017

Farm change is here to stay Aucklander Andrew Maclean was definitely a country type till an accident put paid to his rural activities. The skills and contacts he has since gained will now be put to use helping the agriculture sector as he becomes a co-opted member of Federated Farmers’ national board. He spoke to Glenys Christian.

EWLY co-opted Federated Farmers national board member Andrew Maclean will initially spend two to three days a week supporting the lobby group’s business development and new partnership management. “I had already started assisting the national organisation, working on new partnerships and commercial relationships,” Maclean, the president of Auckland Federated Farmers, said.

One of the reasons for getting involved was that I felt the way farming had been portrayed was inaccurate and unfair and respect for those in the primary sector was being challenged. Andrew Maclean Federated Farmers “They considered someone from a non-rural environment had merit as the organisation needed to reconsider how it operates in the commercial partner space as well as alternative sources of revenue and different business relationships than in the past.” The 55-year-old had strong connections with the rural sector despite living in Auckland’s

Remuera. He was brought up in Wellington and Wairarapa. “Family were farming in Wairarapa so a passion for country life was hard-wired from an early age,” he said. After working on farms throughout his college holidays he started out as a shepherd on John Daniel’s Wairere stud at Bideford followed by rural contract work that included fencing, scrub cutting, mustering and working in shearing gangs in the North Island and on properties in Marlborough. Then it was off to Lincoln College, more contracting, and a stint in the Territorial Army, after which he went on to manage a 500-hectare sheep and beef farm at Elsthorpe in Central Hawke’s Bay. “I loved the challenge of stepping up and gaining new skills.” But an accident where he was dragged by a horse when mustering fractured two vertebrae in his back and meant a total change of career was required. “One of the biggest wrenches was giving away my dogs,” he said. “And having to abandon rural life was difficult.” Overseas travel called and he spent 15 months in the Americas working for three months for a legal firm in El Salvador during that country’s civil war. In London he found work as a financial analyst before moving to Scotland where he met his wife, Vikki, and became involved in marketing, helping launch a strategy to promote and export high-end products and services.

FARM MAN: New Federated Farmers board member Andrew Maclean with dog, Digby.

“It was an invaluable experience and I worked with a number of primary industry organisations,” he said. “It was ground-breaking marketing at the time. “Both Scotland and New Zealand have small economies heavily reliant on food and drink exports with high quality perceptions.” After 15 years in Scotland it was

time to move home with sons, Angus, now 23, and Oliver, 19. Initially Maclean consulted for NZ Trade and Enterprise on a project in China then went to Auckland with the Australian infrastructure development group, Leighton. He joined Auckland Federated Farmers three years ago and was persuaded in 2016 to step up to become president.

“At first I was dead against it because I felt a non-farmer in the role might have some unintended consequences,” he said. “But one of the reasons for getting involved was that I felt the way farming had been portrayed was inaccurate and unfair and respect for those in the primary sector was being challenged. “But that doesn’t exclude us from the need to change and continually improve our management practices.” While the federation had a strong voice the perception some New Zealanders had of food producers didn’t reflect the facts when it came to the benefits delivered to the national economy, he said. “It’s hugely significant for tourism, the thousands of jobs it supports and hundreds of rural communities around the country.” After a relatively stable period the changes now demanded had taken some farmers by surprise. “There’s more scrutiny on the source of food and food safety and that’s escalated in a way no one could have predicted.” He believed agriculture had been slow to tell the market and consumers the story of contemporary food production in NZ and the positive stories around environmental responsibility. “It’s not that farmers aren’t doing more.” The talk of a rural-urban divide during the election campaign showed the extent to which there could be a disconnection. “But it was also an opportunity to reframe the economic importance of the primary sector,” he said. “It got a lot of things out in the open and on the table. “Transformation is here to stay and our primary sector has much to be proud of as demand for high-quality food and drink products continues to grow.”

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Helping grow the country

New thinking

THE NZ FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – December 11, 2017

Carbon building goes with flow Understanding the ability of soils to absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, including that generated by the farming activities on their surface, has improved thanks to the efforts of a team of Waikato University scientists. Professor Louis Schipper told Richard Rennie how farmers can help lift and protect carbon levels in soils to curb greenhouse gas losses and improve soil health.

EW Zealand is a fortunate country when it comes to carbon levels thanks in part to young soils high in organic matter capable of containing more than 100 tonnes of carbon a hectare in the top metre alone. About half of organic matter is made up of carbon. The soils might be able to play a valuable role in absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and had focused researchers’ minds on how much more carbon dioxide could be absorbed with appropriate practices that encouraged organic matter buildup. “For the year 2015 it was estimated the land, that is plants and soils, removed a net 1000 million tonnes of carbon from the atmosphere,” Waikato University scientist Professor Louis Schipper said. “In the same year global carbon emissions included 9900m tonnes from burning fossil fuels and 1300m tonnes from land use change such as converting forestry to cropping or pasture.” NZ pasture soils were relatively effective at maintaining their high organic matter content partly because large-scale, long-term cropping had not been part of the agricultural system. The largely pastoral system contrasted with places like the United States’ mid west, Russia and Europe where continuous cropping, which decreased soil organic matter stocks, had been part of life for decades or even centuries. “However, there are some important exceptions, for

example, like the Waikato’s drained peat soils which have lost and continue to lose a lot of organic matter and therefore carbon dioxide as they continue to subside and decompose.” Schipper said the carbon flow absorbed into and emitted from a farm system could be viewed like a cash budget flow. A pasture would capture carbon dioxide from the air by photosynthesis and farmers might mistakenly believe that activity alone indicated carbon losses in pastoral farming were minimised. “The argument goes ‘we are growing a lot of grass so we must be absorbing a lot of carbon dioxide in our system’.”

Any reduction on the time taken to get new pasture started is good and in our work that was achieved through direct drilling without full cultivation. Louis Schipper Waikato University In the first instance that was true but plant respiration rapidly released much of the carbon back into the atmosphere and decomposition of dead plant material below the soil surface also released carbon dioxide. Grazing animals digested the plants, releasing carbon as carbon dioxide or methane, converting

them into milk and meat which was released as carbon when exported off the farm or was retained on farm in the dung and urine of the animals. Schipper and his team measured the carbon transfers from three Waikato dairy farms, all run quite differently. They ranged from a lower stocked property to an exceptionally high stocked property that imported more than 1300 tonnes of feed a year for its 520 cows. A preliminary and surprising discovery from the research was a relatively small net gain in carbon experienced by the highly stocked, intensive dairy unit. However, that was achieved only as a result of large imports of carbon in the form of supplement and did not set an example template for how farms could improve soil carbon. “It is a bit like the old income versus expenditure argument – you may earn a lot but if you are spending a lot too, the gain can be very small, if at all.” Alternatively, the lighter stocked farm gained considerably more carbon, at 600kg extra over the year, compared to only 160kg for the heavily stocked, high-import farm. Part of the differences might be caused by variability from year to year in all the carbon stocks and flow. The researchers also identified the process of pasture renewal as a key one for affecting a farm’s carbon gain or loss. “The issue arises when you kill off the old grass and leave the soil surface bare, which means no photosynthetic input of carbon until the new sward takes hold.

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KEEP IT UP: Good farming practice can maintain or increase soil carbon storage, Waikato University environmental science professor Dr Louis Schipper says. Photo: Sarah Brook

“What does not stop is the activity of the micro-organisms in the soil. They continue to break down organic matter and release carbon dioxide.” The losses in carbon varied depending on how the process was done, ranging from losses of 0.7 tonne a hectare to four tonnes a hectare. “What we found was the loss depended very much on how long you left the soil surface before new pasture was in place and the level of soil moisture at renewal time.” Drier soils would limit the activity of the micro-organisms in the soil and slow the breakdown of organic matter and therefore carbon release. “Any reduction on the time taken to get new pasture started is good and in our work that was achieved through direct drilling without full cultivation. “Based on average soil moisture, every additional day the soil is bare resulted in a loss of 50kg of carbon a hectare.”

Given the focus on trees for absorbing carbon and helping NZ cope with its Paris Accord commitments, it might seem reasonable to examine storing more carbon in soils as another sequestration method worth building into any emissions policy. However, Schipper cautioned the soil carbon figures could vary significantly year to year, depending on management practices and moisture levels. He did, however, wonder about whether continuing carbon losses from Southland and Waikato drained peat soils could or should be accounted for as the country assessed areas to reduce carbon emissions. “But otherwise what we have found is that good farming practices, which many farmers already undertake by maintaining a healthy pasture sward and minimising pasture renewal time, will at least maintain carbon levels and possibly help increase them.”

Opinion

26 THE NZ FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – December 11, 2017

EDITORIAL

One mistake can ruin reputation

Stephen Bell

LETTERS

Has the killing gone too far? WITH an average farm with up to 6000 animals, twice the size of many rural villages such as Geraldine, not every animal is 100% healthy all the time. As you can imagine you are always going to have the odd animal with problems, such as eye infections, hoof issues, a sprained muscle, a bit of foot rot or arthritis and on odd occasions a broken leg. If you took a rural village the size of Geraldine, despite the constant attention of three doctors, two physios and a full-scale hospital nearby there are quite a few people who are not 100% well. Many have sore joints, pulled muscles, arthritis and the odd person’s disabled. If I have an animal, which, having been treated, I believe

I’ve completely healed and is experiencing no pain but still has a stiff or fused joint – should I kill it? Do I kill him just because he is disabled? Doesn’t an animal also have rights, a right to life, a certain amount of liberty and the pursuit of happiness? When I’m convinced that he is not experiencing any pain what gives me the right to kill the disabled, just because they are disabled? What, I don’t like the look of him? So I kill him because I don’t like the fact that he limps? Am I becoming a Hitler practising eugenics, eliminating the weak and disabled just because they are disabled? Or has this culture of euthanasia being imposed on farmers by the Ministry for

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Dave Stanton Geraldine

Animal lovers I’M ALL for opinion but I find freelance journalists who have Town Talk opinions a bit rich. In Amy Williams’ article in the December 4 Farmers Weekly Opinion she seems to have a foot in both camps. I found the most poignant sentence when she said “My youngest gagged on the texture of the toe-food (tofu), my five-year-old asked for chicken next time and my eldest held up a piece of bright red capsicum with suspicion wondering what else had been substituted”. Maybe her meatless Mondays have limited

appeal in her family. Doesn’t this say generally that human beings like to eat, in moderation, what tastes delicious and, in my opinion, high-protein meat products are still a long way ahead of whatever is in second place. Amy, perhaps your leather handbag and your preference for a milky, flat white show where your real preferences lie. John McOviney Manawatu

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Primary Industries gone to excess? Have we gone too far?

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VEN though it has to pay $183 million to former ally now rival Danone, Fonterra will be breathing a sigh of relief at the decision from the international arbitration Tribunal in Singapore. Fonterra says it can afford the hit but it’s still a blow that affects farmers’ incomes and the nation’s economy. But that sum and other costs incurred so far in the saga that started in 2013 are not the only costs. There are costs to the reputation of New Zealand’s entire food industry as well as to Fonterra and the dairy industry. The decision itself puts the whole affair back in the international limelight and shows how important the integrity of our production and processing systems is to the nation’s financial health. The damage can be massive and longlasting and shows why we must have our house in order in terms of food safety and biosecurity. We are judged not just by what comes out at the end and goes off to export markets but by everything that goes on from the grassroots to the dinner plate. Good reputation takes a long time to build but can be ruined by one bad experience. Once people get the impression something is dodgy it’s hard to shift them. That’s why we have not only to transform what we are doing we also have to prove to the world we are doing and convince our customers we are genuine. That’s why the Government’s coordinated approach with a Primary Industry Council and a chief agricultural adviser should be welcomed and supported. We need one story to take to the world for the benefit of our farmers, exporters and tourism industry. We don’t need a fragmented narrative with different sectors telling different stories. Sure, they can tell their own story but it must fit into the bigger picture we portray. And it must start at the grassroots. Yes, farmers are individualists who respect each other’s right to do their own thing. But they must be the watchdogs and guardians who insist on compliance because anyone stepping out of line is a threat to everyone’s income.

Opinion

THE NZ FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – December 11, 2017

Waimakariri water being addressed David Ashby

RECENTLY met a friend who is a small block owner. He’s concerned about the impact of irrigation and dairy farming on the environment and wants to see the Ashley River flowing year-round along with improved recreational values for kayaking and fishing. He asked me what the zone committee and farmers are doing to improve Waimakariri’s water quality. The Ashley River doesn’t have any large irrigation schemes and there are only a few farmers with relatively small irrigation takes linked to surface water flows. We’ll be working with farmers in the lower Ashley River with hydraulically linked wells as part of the solutions package. Recent dry years and a build-up of shingle and woody weeds have decreased the flow of the Ashley River. There’s no easy fix. Storage is possible but that involves environmental considerations and increased cost. The Eyre management area, which feeds into Silverstream, has serious issues and will likely require significant reductions in nitrate levels. Nine test wells have been drilled alongside the Waimakariri River and we’ve taken samples from 180 wells to investigate water quality and groundwater flows. We’ll have this data in early 2018. While we’re waiting for the information, we’re concentrating on Farm Environment Plans for farmers who belong to Waimakariri Irrigation and those

The

Pulpit

GREEN FARMER: David Ashby is a dairy farmer, farm environmental consultant and chairman of the Waimakariri Zone Committee.

outside the scheme who require resource consent to farm. The farm environment plan and the subsequent audit of that plan is the vehicle for change. A low audit grade will affect property values and could attract an abatement notice and an infringement fine. A positive attitude and a willingness to change will drive environmental improvements, not costly regulation. All farmers in Waimakariri Irrigation have completed farm environment plans and audits. Their resource consents require shareholders to maintain at least an audit grade B. We’re also supporting farmers who don’t belong to an irrigation scheme and those who don’t have an industry body to complete their plans. That is being done via a farm environment plan pilot project

where the zone delivery team works with individual farmers to help them complete their plans. Farm environment plans identify waterways and biodiversity, riparian set-back, critical point source areas and cultural values. The audit process helps farmers make required changes to improve water quality. On farms with heavy soils nitrates aren’t the problem but sediment, phosphorous, E coli and pathogens are causing issues. Plan Change 4 has tools to fix these problems, including stock exclusion, which is a statutory requirement for everyone. Good management practice will fix 90% of Waimakariri’s issues on all properties regardless of their size. That includes irrigation management, such as the justified irrigation project initiated by the Cust Main Drain water user group. That project focuses on soil moisture monitoring, pasture growth, fertiliser, effluent use and profitability.

We’re also investigating other solutions including: targeted stream augmentation, managed aquifer recharge and an ESR-led denitrification wall trial. Our First 500 project will protect the first 500 metres around springheads. We are moving forward with this project now rather than waiting for the sub-regional plan to come into effect because we need to take immediate action to protect these springheads. Waimakariri’s significant urban and peri-urban growth is also affecting our water. We recently held a pilot programme for small block owners to discuss land-use, lifestyle block management plans and Environment Canterbury’s farm portal. That programme will be rolled out to a wider group of lifestyle block owners next year. Water quality is everybody’s problem and we’re all part of the solution. Instead of playing the blame game we need to live above the

line and work together to achieve positive change. We have seen real progress in the zone committee as more people join our monthly meetings. By getting to know each other and discussing difficult issues face-to-face we can clearly see that we all want to achieve the same outcome. I hope that we can address this problem together and put aside our ideas about the rural and urban divide and instead concentrate on taking action to improve water quality in Waimakariri for our children and grandchildren. We owe it to them to put aside our differences and join forces to improve the environment and waterways.

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Opinion

28 THE NZ FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – December 11, 2017

Dairy leaders let farmers down Alan Emerson

WHO’D be a dairy farmer? You earn massive amounts of money for good old New Zealand, you put your best foot forward for the environment and your business runs outdoors, in all types of weather, 24/7. You compete on the international stage to sell product for the benefit of all Kiwis. You deserve medals, all 10,500 of you. Unfortunately you’re also the whipping person for every environmental nutter in Christendom. I believe the environmental work done by dairy farmers is excellent.

Did they honestly believe that no-one would do the sums? Did they really think no-one would see through the double-speak?

The return on dairying is okay now but when it wasn’t you persevered, planted trees, fenced waterways and employed sophisticated management practices to protect the environment. So, to the farmers, well done. To Fonterra and DairyNZ, you are doing dairy farmers a disservice. The Sustainable Dairying Water Accord is a case in point. I have no problems with the accord as an initiative but better

compilation and release could have been achieved if they made the exercise a high school project. For a start it’s not that well written and is glossy. It didn’t need to be glossy but it did need to be well written. The launch was a dog’s breakfast and unnecessarily exposed dairy farmers to ridicule. They arrogantly briefed Feds the day before. It should have been a month before. Journalists should have been briefed at drafting stage and asked for input. That way you wouldn’t have had the headline: Fonterra fudges climate change with a 10% solution. The problem was the following quote: We are committed to helping NZ achieve its Paris Climate Agreement commitments. That’s why we’ve set new targets to reduce both our onsite and onfarm emissions. We’ve set a target of net zero emissions for our global operations by 2050, with a 30% reduction by 2030 from a 2015 baseline. So spoke Robert Spurway, Fonterra’s global operations chief operating officer. The issue is that the targets applied only to Fonterra’s own operations, which account for a mere 10% of the emissions from Fonterra’s total supply chain. What were they thinking of? Did they honestly believe that no-one would do the sums? Did they really think no-one would see through the doublespeak? That is cloistered arrogance in the extreme. The problem I have is that when a journalist takes issue with Fonterra’s duplicity, it then encourages the lunatic fringe. Never wanting to be the shrinking violet, Greenpeace came out with a release under the heading: DairyNZ’s latest water plan a gutless betrayal. Obviously believing that hyperbole is there to be embraced

DOUBLE SPEAK: Fonterra leaders John Wilson, left, and Robert Spurway talked about Fonterra’s emissions targets without saying they applied to only 10% of the supply chain and expressed disappointment in a disputes process they had agreed to.

they followed up by claiming the plan was full of crap – just like our rivers. Not to be outdone Fish and Game proposed the more reasoned headline: Too little, too late. Another column was headed: Dairy industry spin makes me sick. The article was extremely hardhitting and contained some valid points. My issue is to ask Fonterra and DairyNZ; why do it – people aren’t stupid. By indulging in the sham you have made the perception of the dairy industry worse, not better. You have made life harder for your shareholders and levy payers. If I was a dairy farmer I’d be really irritated that I’d paid more than $90,000 as an individual or a billion dollars as an industry putting the environment right. That gets totally ignored

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Your View Alan Emerson is a semi-retired Wairarapa farmer and businessman: dath-emerson@wizbiz.net.nz

29, 2017

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3 Bull ed , were November finish apart from a doozy 506kg s-Jersey, 401-445kg, return 297 Cow 62 Angu sale, 169 upted the kg. -$2.77/kg. at the Taranaki 19 m that interr Total and two $2.74 of a thunderstor a mixed bunch cattle were Heifers were reached A total of 340 auctioning. cons isted beef-Friesian gh main ly small lines of other lines well below tallies over Total cattle penn ed, thou Prime Cow with just three ised $2.75/kg with all Bull bulls, 688-715kg, Heifer 40 of smal l lines local Steer 20 Ex-service Red ite the odd /kg. 1 getting that. 10 head. Desp 19 ged $2.94-$3.00 and some areas hit and itions on mana had to be quite light to thunderstorm Lines yesterday, cond steer pens, up to 25mls drying out in the 1-year n tallies rties are still old effect pass $3.00/kg Hereford-Friesia Store cattle most prope ever-popular ng a two-f ions. the causi but is occas to 1500 fast, which coming that on a few 10kg, quality cattle did manage h were 308-3 them. of more mixed offered thoug buyers to greet at $2.92- 1200 sale and fewer sold over a very tight Mostsold on a steady market 900 sian, and er Angus-Frie Prime steers what was a /kg, with heavi s. -$2.88/kg on 600 is tight. $2.97 g similar value range of $2.83 as processor space/kg. 335-381kg, makin1-year heifers could 300 softer market the -$1.82 best $1.75 for 20-Dec The 6-Dec -$2.5 6/kg 0 Boner cows made pens included some 22-Nov This year age was $2.52 again this was 8-Nov Last year but The 2-year steer albeit in very small man 5-yr ave y, ord-Friesian, nice lines of qualit best of the bunch Heref tion of the quality. the reflec 546kg, at a numbers, and ord-Friesian, heifers ($/kg) and Heref steers three was Beef/Dairy

2-YEAR STEER Dev x

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that have characterised the debate so far. I totally agree with both points. Fonterra could take a nonglossy, grammatically correct and inclusive approach to that. Fonterra’s public image is a dog’s breakfast. As witnessed by the latest gold-plated debacle, factual accuracy isn’t an issue, glossy is. Fonterra could learn from Federated Farmers who directly, credibly and professionally communicate to the media with a budget probably less than 5% that of Fonterra’s. Sadly but inevitably, all farmers will be tarnished by the excesses and cloistered arrogance of the co-operative.

courtesy of the stupidity of the industry. Fonterra’s image is appalling and, with it, the industry’s. The most recent debacle was the $183 million damages payment to Danone, to which chairman John Wilson expressed anger and disappointment at the amount. Why; they agreed to the process and the media handling of the botulism issue was a shambles. Chief executive Theo Spierings was quoted saying Fonterra would be able to meet the recall costs. Sorry matey, Fonterra will meet nothing, the dairy farmers will. Feds vice president and dairy farmer Andrew Hoggard said he was pretty pissed off. I’m on his side. The Government’s chief science adviser, Sir Peter Gluckman, has said he wants a more mature debate on water quality issues and an end to the polarised positions

25 80

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Alternative View

Opinion

THE NZ FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – December 11, 2017

A cruel shepherd sings to his dogs From the Ridge

Steve Wyn-Harris

BOY, oh boy, so much is happening I don’t know where to start. The boss is so busy with lamb drenching, dagging, ram selling and that sort of stuff he’s asked me to do a Ditch’s Diary entry again. I’ve been here a year now since he found me dumped in the water table as a tiny pup and what a year. I’m just loving it. Remember how everyone reckoned I was a rottweiler the Mongrel Mob probably abandoned? That turned out to be utter nonsense. I’m a proper huntaway with a bit of beardy as my hair is so long. Funny thing about my hair, I’m going grey already. Everyone laughs about it and reckon I’m taking after the boss. The boss says I’ve settled down quite nicely but it’s not actually from choice. I used to love going crazy but this thing bit me on the neck a few times and now I hear them say I’m a model citizen when we go out mustering but I’d still

like to go a little crazy but I hold myself back just in case that nasty thing returns. But I tell you I still have a little problem. I sit in my run in the early mornings and evenings and the rabbits come out and taunt me. Man, I watch those things intently but there is nothing I can do. Until the boss lets me out and zoom, I’m off after them. The boss yells and whistles and hollers and runs around like a demented being and sometimes I reckon he should watch out that the nasty bitey thing doesn’t get him. Then he catches me and clips me up to the fence in the shade.

If all your dogs are average and weird, it’s probably not the dogs.

I never can catch those rabbits because they run into the shelter belt behind the electric fence but I will get one one day I’m sure. I’ve got another bit of a problem but it’s a bit personal so don’t share it. No matter where the boss puts my food bowl I seem to always end up piddling in it. He has to crawl in to get it, empty it out

and give it a rinse. It looks like he enjoys doing it but I’m not really sure because that is when I take off after the rabbits. Last time I wrote to you I told you the story about how my friend Gin was heavily in pup and everyone thought I was involved. No one could work out how it happened because she was always locked up when us boys had a run. Well I knew better. It was that sneaky little eye dog Mate. He belongs to the boss’s lad, Jason, and was staying here when Jason was away. Mate did it through the netting and was lucky not to get caught or hurt. They finally knew it was Mate because of the white on the pups. Gin reared these three cute little puppies. The boss made Jason take one and Hamish, his friend, took another and Meg stayed here. She’s called Meg because she has a white stripe down her forehead and Meg is the drummer in the White Stripes. The boss likes that band. He sings Doorbell sometimes out on the farm when no one is listening, except me. Gin is not actually my friend anymore because I’m too rough and pull on her ears so she avoids me but Meg plays with me. Meg has her own issues as she is always chasing those little plantain moths. Moths, she should try rabbits.

FUN: Ditch, right, plays with Meg, while Gin attends to the other two pups.

The boss now has a new saying. “If all your dogs are average and weird, it’s probably not the dogs.” He was amused the other day when Napier ran out of water and they were suddenly all clamouring for more water storage and the mayor’s head. He told me many folk in Napier were dead against the Ruataniwha Dam which was designed to be a huge water storage project for Hawke’s Bay. The Hastings apple barons also were against it as they reckoned it should have been on their river. But now the greenies who were their allies against the Ruataniwha Dam have turned against them and want to put something called a water conservation order on the Ngaruroro River, which is effectively what is now on the Tukituki. He told me another interesting thing that I didn’t really understand. He said it was a footnote in history. A woman called Christine Keeler just died in England. Back

in 1961 she was sleeping with Lord Profumo and possibly a Russian spy at the same time. The scandal brought down a government. The boss visited an American mate in 1982 at Cliveden House, which Stanford University leased, outside of London and spent a night (alone) on the very same couch where the affair had been conducted some 20 years earlier. Why he told me this and would think anyone would be interested is a mystery to me. I suppose he will be back again next year with his odd stories. Make sure you make a fuss of your dogs on Christmas day. We love ham and turkey as well you know. Be sure to get some rest and have fun but don’t do stupid stuff, eh?

Your View Steve Wyn-Harris is a Central Hawke’s Bay sheep and beef farmer. swyn@xtra.co.nz

The good, the bad, the ugly and the wrap of 2017 From the Lip

Jamie Mackay

THE good: Lamb, mutton and venison prices. Brexit? That was so 2016. Sheep farmers, so long the poor relations of their dairy farming counterparts finish the year with some much-needed Christmas cheer. Strong wool is still a dog but, as we all know, the planets never fully align in farming. Now, if we could just get some rain. The bad: Mycoplasma bovis without a doubt, with a dishonorable mention to myrtle rust. M bovis has proved devastating, financially and emotionally, for the farming families involved. It has created quite a rift in the South Canterbury community with talk of some contractors being forced to choose between working on infected or clean farms. Depending on who you talk to, the Primary Industries Ministry has done either a good or an awful job of containment. Regardless

of your persuasion, I just hope MPI has made the most of this very serious practice drill for the biggie, FMD, and that some of the knowledge garnered will not be dissipated and disbanded alongside the ministry. The ugly: He wanted to be Time magazine’s person of the year. He wasn’t. He’d claim to be the politician of the year. I’d like to think that accolade goes to the admirable Angela Merkel or Justin Trudeau, Emmanuel Macron or heaven help me, even Jeremy Corbyn or Bernie Sanders. But the gong can go to only one man. In a country where the assassin’s bullet has put paid to presidencies, he seems bullet-proof, despite a personal CV festooned with foibles and fallibilities. Love him or loathe him, and there’s no middle ground, no one person has had more influence on the world in 2017 than Donald J Trump. New Zealand’s politician of the year: Her run from the back of the field makes Kiwi’s effort in the 1983 Melbourne Cup look pedestrian. It’s Jacinda Ardern by the length of the straight. Biggest threat to farming in 2017: Take your pick. Drought, climate change, water harvesting (the lack of), environmental sustainability, the hard-line animal welfare lobby or the fickle commodity markets. Or maybe

GLORY: Winston Peters is the agricultural person of the year.

it’s millennials? Younger folk under the age of 30 who aren’t prepared to eat dinner at the expense of an animal that’s made the ultimate sacrifice. There’s an increasingly powerful elite lobby group featuring the likes of Bill Gates, Richard Branson and James Cameron pushing plant-based protein to save the planet. Agricultural person of the year: Worthy mentions have to go to Katie Milne, Federated Farmers’ first female president and Dean Hamilton, the retiring chief executive of Silver Fern Farms, who helped turn around the floundering co-operative, albeit by making 50% of the company effectively unco-operative. John Penno has done wonders at Synlait and Lain Jager has left

Zespri in much better shape than he found it. Then there’s Theo Spierings and John Wilson who can also give themselves a pat on the back and a self-satisfied slap on the wallet for being the highest paid chief executive and director, respectively, in the land. Damien O’Connor has finally got the top job in agriculture, one he long coveted but never thought he’d get until the climate change fairy Jacinda cast her magic spell. And Jacinda herself deserves every accolade for the fastest political ascension since David Lange. Just as he was the poster boy for the anti-nuclear movement, she has become Al Gore’s poster girl for climate change. But ultimately my ag person of the year is the man who put

Jacinda into power. Yes, he’s a cantankerous old bugger. Yes, he probably was guilty of being somewhat duplicitous in the coalition negotiations, considering he filed legal papers against several leading Nats the day before the election. But one thing you can’t accuse him of is lacking charm, charisma and downright native cunning. Despite all his bluster and protestations about involving the NZ First board and his MPs in the process, he’s the man who single-handedly decided the Government. And make no mistake, this Government will have a profound effect on farming for the next three years. In fairness, he’s also the man who will stick to his word and go in to bat for the provinces, having negotiated a billion dollar annual slush fund for the far flung. We’ve already seen his up-sized minime Shane Jones rock the coalition boat with his talk of supporting irrigation schemes and working for the dole. So take a bow Winston Peters, 2017 was your year.

Your View Jamie Mackay is the host of The Country that airs on Newstalk ZB and Radio Sport, 12-1pm, weekdays. jamie@thecountry.co.nz

World

30 THE NZ FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – December 11, 2017

Meat industry fears hard Brexit A HARD Brexit could have a more catastrophic impact than the Russian import ban for the European Union and United Kingdom meat industries, a report published by Europe’s meat industry body the European Livestock and Meat Trading Union has warned. The Crisis – The EU Meat Industry in a Hard Brexit Scenario report by Red Flag Consulting warned the EU and UK would find it harder to find alternative markets for their products than after the Russian ban. The industry would face higher World Trade Organisation tariffs than any other sector as well as additional costs of veterinary and customs checks and major disruption to the entire supply chain. The report called on negotiators to avoid a cliff edge, preserve the existing trading conditions as close as possible and reach a bespoke equivalence agreement on veterinary standards. Exports from the UK to the EU could fall by up to 90% for beef, 56% for pig meat and 53% for sheep meat, with the UK struggling to find alternative domestic markets for cuts with low demand. Similar reductions of imports

IMAGE: Red meat must remain relevant as a natural and convenient source of protein for a healthy lifestyle for young consumers, Hybu Cig Cymru chairman Kevin Roberts says.

from the EU would lead to a shortfall in higher-value cuts leading to massive price increases for consumers. International Meat Trade Association chief executive Liz Murphy said “The UK and EU-27 meat industry are agreed that a deal needs to be reached in order to avoid the damaging implications of a hard Brexit to

industry but also consumers.” It added immediate market support measures would need to be in place to address the shock of surplus meat supply on the continent and address the challenges of customs checks. The Scottish Association of Meat Wholesalers said it highlighted the need to deliver

a fair and balanced deal. “While the UK clearly needs the EU as a long-term trading partner, the same definitely applies to the EU’s need for a lasting trading partnership with the UK,” a spokesman said. Meanwhile, red meat had to move with the times to maintain sales in the UK, with premium sectors key for Welsh lamb, Hybu

Cig Cymru chairman Kevin Roberts said. Speaking at the Royal Welsh Winter Fair, Roberts said traditional roasts were still important but the industry had to move with the times. To keep red meat relevant, HCC was aiming to promote it as a natural and convenient source of protein for healthy lifestyle and targeting younger consumers with a new online recipe selector for their smartphones. He emphasised his belief Welsh meat could outperform the market. “Figures published last year showed UK-wide spending on lamb in supermarkets fell by almost 2% in a 12-month period while spending on branded Welsh Lamb was up by 5.6%,” he said. Canadians would now also be able to buy Welsh lamb after supermarket chain Lococo said it would stock a range and do instore promotions. The retailer specialised in high quality fresh produce. HCC export executive Deanna Leven said the Canadian market had significant potential for Welsh red meat exports with interest across the country from retailers and restaurant suppliers. UK Farmers Weekly

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THE NZ FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – December 11, 2017

UK deals could see sales rise NEW Zealand, Australia and America should sign trade deals with the United Kingdom that would allow them to sell more meat and grains to Britain, the country’s Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary Michael Gove says. In a discussion about tariff rate quotas at a European Union energy and environment sub-committee hearing British and European negotiators agreed a deal to split the EU’s quotas that allowed certain amounts of agricultural produce to enter the EU from countries outside the bloc with low tariffs, based on historical import volumes. But the United Staates, NZ, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Uruguay and Thailand challenged the deal at the World Trade Organisation, claiming they would be left worse off’ because a separate UK quota would mean exporters could not compensate for low British demand by selling to another EU country. “I can understand why they are not happy because they thought ‘we can sell just as much tariff-free to the EU as we always did, and also sell the same amount to the UK tariff-free’ so this was a bonanza or at least a good thing, for their farmers. “The argument I make to Australia, NZ and America is if you want to secure a free trade deal with us, then one thing we can discuss is what a new TRQ may be.” British farmers could be seriously affected by any change to the UK’s TRQs if they allowed too much to be imported, especially if they could not export as much to the EU. National Sheep Association chief executive Phil Stocker said he supported the EU-UK agreement to split the TRQs but was concerned about Gove’s suggestion other countries could end up with better market access in future. “We cannot allow our industry to be the sacrificial lamb for the benefit of another sector, particularly when it is so well-suited to the UK and delivers multiple benefits,” he said. UK Farmers Weekly

Intensive fertiliser use creating a time bomb FERTILISER use in intensive agriculture is storing up a nitrate timebomb that could negatively affect watercourses, a British report says. The British Geological Survey report was the latest to target modern agricultural practices and blamed its application of nitrogen fertilisers for more than doubling pre-industrial levels of reactive nitrogen in the environment. Farm unions said the report must not increase pressure for more Nitrate Vulnerable Zones to be created after one in eight Welsh farmers said they would quit the industry if the plans went ahead. Farmers’ Union of Wales senior policy officer Dr Hazel Wright said “Farmers are just as concerned as everyone else about the effect fertilisers can have on the environment and water quality and that is why we are working with other stakeholders to ensure best practices are followed. “However, there is a concern this report will prompt draconian measures, which could result in the whole of Wales being designated as a nitrate vulnerable zone. “Moreover, farmers in an NVZ area may have to increase their slurry storage capacity at a tremendous cost and many farms simply do not have the financial capacity to make such a huge investment.” It came just weeks after the National Farmers Union Cymru sent a letter to Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Rural Affairs Lesley Griffiths to ask for a workable alternative. But the BGS paper said when looking at nitrogen management, agricultural productivity could be increased in a cost-effective manner with limited environmental impact through increased nitrogen use efficiency and reduced soil nitrogen surplus. In the paper Nature Communications the scientists

THUMBS UP: Britain’s Environment Secretary Michael Gove has plans for a Green Brexit.

The Secretary of State’s ambitions for the environment are increasingly clear. His intentions for supporting farmers are not. Tim Breitmeyer CLA from BGS and Lancaster University estimated up to 180 million tonnes of nitrate was stored in rocks worldwide – perhaps twice the amount stored in soils. They said that was the first global estimate of the amount of nitrate trapped between the soil layer and the water-bearing aquifers below. They warned that over time the nitrate would inevitably

slowly seep into the aquifers. Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary Michael Gove’s plan to set up an environmental watchdog after Brexit was given a lukewarm reception by farming groups. The move was announced just days after he revealed the UK government would support a full ban on neonicotinoids as part of his Green Brexit pledge. A new environmental regulator would replace the European Commission, which had in the past taken legal action against the UK for failing to meet EU environmental targets – most notably on air quality. It would be independent of the government and its powers would be set out in law to give its rulings clear authority. Gove promised the body would have real bite though a consultation on its functions and remit was to be held. “We can develop new

institutions which do a better job and hold us to higher standards.” While welcoming the potential flexibility Brexit brought, Country Landowners Association president Tim Breitmeyer said a new regulator would be effective only if there was a clear policy and longterm budget in place to support farmers. “It is the farmers, after all, who are the ones on the ground actually doing the work,” he said. “The Secretary of State’s ambitions for the environment are increasingly clear. “His intentions for supporting farmers are not.” A separate consultation on a new policy statement that would set out the government’s environmental principles was also being launched early next year. The statement would draw on the EU’s principles and underpin future policy-making. Key to European environmental policy were the precaution and polluter-pays principles. The National Farmers Union had criticised the EU’s application of the precautionary principle, which it claimed had led law-makers to focus on theoretical harm, as opposed to actual risk. Government ministers were heavily criticised by environmental groups for failing to include the precautionary and polluter-pays principles in the EU Withdrawal Bill, which copied and pasted European law into British law. NFU vice-president Guy Smith said “Our interests in this new body and the policy principles will be in how these are framed to support productive agriculture and how they ensure our regulatory regimes have appropriate levels of equivalence with trading partners.” UK Farmers Guardian

TB vaccine brought a step closer A VACCINE for tuberculosis in cattle could be one step closer thanks to a new test that detects bacteria in blood or milk after just six hours. Actiphage TB, created by Suffolk start-up PBD Biotech, was a highly sensitive test that could pick up whether an animal was infected or had been vaccinated. It was illegal to vaccinate cattle under European Union rules because older tests could not distinguish between vaccinated and infected cows. It was hoped the faster results from Actiphage TB would also allow farmers to identify affected

cattle more quickly, helping to prevent the spread of the disease. Dr Cath Rees, one of the cofounders of PBD Biotech, did research on TB testing at the University of Nottingham. “The existing skin test is based on the animal’s immune response and takes three days to produce a result but, more worryingly, is known to miss about 20% of infected animals. “Our new test is unique as it is the only one which directly detects live bacteria in blood or milk and is fast, specific and highly sensitive.” Though the test kits were not

yet licensed for commercial use, they were available for research and validation studies. One such trial was done in southwest England where Devon vet Dick Sibley was given permission to use the kits on a dairy farm. He tested for TB in blood, milk and faeces and found the test could detect infection months before the skin test gave a positive result. Using the skin test alone would have meant cows carrying the bacteria were labelled as healthy,

potentially spreading the disease to the rest of the herd or their calves at birth. Coupling the new test with a strict biosecurity regime meant levels of TB on the farm plummeted, with the first clear skin test results for five years.

UK Farmers Guardian

World

32 THE NZ FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – December 11, 2017

Fonterra promises more changes

NO COMPULSION: Australia’s assistant Agriculture Minister Anne Ruston doesn’t believe in regulating industries.

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agrievents DWN Coaching Conversations module Registrations are now open for 20 free nationwide events, aimed at helping those in the dairy industry coach and empower the people they interact with on a daily basis. Events will run regionally from November 1, 2017 through to March 2018. To register: www.dwn.co.nz/events Contact: events@dwn.co.nz or 0800 396 748 Sunday 14/12/2017 Tauranga A&P Lifestyle Show Venue: Tauranga Racecourse, 1383 Cameron Road, Greertor, Tauranga Time: 9.30am-4.00pm Door sales only Friday 19/01/2018 & Saturday 20/01/2018 Wairoa A&P Show Venue: Ruataniwha Road, Wairoa Time: Friday 8.00am-8.00pm, Saturday 8.00am-4.00pm Door Sales only

Saturday 03/02/2018 Paparoa A&P Show Venue: Paparoa showgrounds Time: All day Trace sites and entries please look online: www.paparoashow.org.nz Should your important event be listed here? Phone 0800 85 25 80 or email adcopy@nzx.com

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Wednesday 31/01/2018, Thursday 01/02/2018, Friday 02/02/2018 New Zealand Dairy Event Venue: Manfield, South Street, Feilding Time: 8.00am-7.00pm each day Free admission

ONTERRA has promised to change the way it operates in the wake of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s report on the dairy industry that called for compulsory code of conduct for milk processors. The company agreed change was required and said it had taken positive steps in its business, which were in line with the various recommendations outlined in the report. “We’ve simplified our contracts, signed the voluntary Dairy Industry Code of Conduct, we’re providing greater transparency on the impacts of market movements into milk price and our farm price risk management offer has been in place for the past four seasons,” the company said. “We’re working on substantial changes to our business including ownership options, such as a cooperative model, and digital innovations to support onfarm profitability.” The commission also wanted to change industry practices to make it easier for farmers to switch to a processor offering better terms and conditions and improve production signals and competition at the farmgate, its 226-page report that looked into the competitiveness, trading practices and transparency of the Australian dairy industry, said. While the commission said the decision by Murray Goulburn and Fonterra in April last year to drop farmgate milk prices caused detriment to dairy farmers,

there had been questions posed for a number of years about whether suppliers received fair prices for the milk they produced. “These intensified after the supermarkets reduced the retail price of private label milk to $1 per litre in 2011,” it said. “The dominant picture that has emerged is one of clear imbalances in bargaining power at each level of the dairy supply chain.” But when retail prices were high farmers got no additional benefit. The introduction of $1 a litre private label milk six years ago initially reduced supermarket margins with no effect on processor margins or farmgate milk prices. That later changed as supermarkets used their bargaining power to encourage competition between processors for the supply of private label milk during the past three years. The commission found processors’ gross margins on private label milk had generally fallen with wholesale prices approaching average production costs. “To date, we have not seen evidence of wholesale prices falling below levels that would force efficient processors to exit the industry,” the report said. “Although processors’ gross margins are very small for private label milk, they are positive and processors are generally profitable overall.” Farmgate price complexity and transparency was also included in the report. The commission’s analysis of payments to farmers found that across Australia last season about 60% of farmers received a price within 5% of the processor’s final weighted average price in a particular region. “About 85-90% of farms received a price within 10% of the processors weighted average,” the commission said. “However, the majority of farms, approximately two thirds, received less than the processor’s weighted average price.” The commission also rounded on loyalty payments, used by processors to entice dairy farmers to stay with with them. It said loyalty payments acted as a barrier to switching processors. An analysis of one processor’s payments for the 2010-11 to 2015-16 seasons indicated loyalty payments could be the difference between a profitable and unprofitable farm business. The analysis suggested if a farmer switched processor and abandoned loyalty payments as a consequence, the farmer “would have

earned zero or negative net profit in years that would otherwise be profitable and made a greater loss in years where net farm income was already negative”. For example, in 2013-14 loyalty payments made up about 18-19% of total payments and retrospective loyalty payments were equivalent to almost 60% of net farm income. However, farmers said a mandatory rather than voluntary code of conduct was not what they wanted but they would consider it.

We’re working on substantial changes to our business including ownership options, such as a cooperative model, and digital innovations to support onfarm profitability. Fonterra Australian Dairy Farmers president Terry Richardson said the group had long said there was a significant imbalance in market power with farmers having a weak bargaining position. ADF had said, as part of the code review separate to the commission’s inquiry, the code should be strengthened. “There was a commitment at the outset that the code be reviewed after 12 months. The voluntary code was an important first step in this process of improving the balance of power through the supply chain.” The ADF also expressed concern about selling milk at $1 a litre, although the report showed farmer earnings remained the same regardless

of whether milk was sold as private label $1 per litre milk or branded milk. “Our concern has always been that selling milk as a loss leader at the rear of the supermarket at price points cheaper than water is a strategy that is not in the longterm interest of this industry,” Richardson said. “Once money departs the supply chain, it is never returned. We have always strongly argued that $1 per litre milk is not sustainable long term.” Federal Assistant Agriculture Minister Anne Ruston did not rule out a mandatory code, but was wary about overregulation. Ruston said the industry’s voluntary code had been in place only a few months and had an in-built review after 12 months so she would be really keen to let that process take its course. “I’m a firm believer that voluntary industry selfregulation in any way, shape or form is always the best form of regulation and you should only introduce mandatory instruments if they’ve proven to be necessary,” she said. “I don’t believe we should be regulating our markets any more than necessary. You should regulate for market failure so I’d be keen to see how the voluntary code is working. “If we can get some better stability and better balance between the farmers and the processors and the retailers, and get a level of transparency, a level of fairness and equity in the relationship between those three parts of the marketplace then there’s every reason we should be confident about our dairy industry,” she said. The commission was seeking industry feedback on the interim report before a final report was released next April. www.weeklytimesnow.com.au

WEIGHTED: Australian Dairy Farmers had long said there was a significant imbalance in market power with farmers having a weak bargaining position, president Terry Richardson says.

bayleys.co.nz Contributor to realestate.co.nz

Real Estate

HUKAVIEW

farmersweekly.co.nz/realestate 0800 85 25 80

GENUINELY GOOD DAIRY FARM

• Situated on Kakariki Road in the Hukanui District is this very well laid out and run 174ha dairy farm. • Currently running a 300 cow milking herd of Holstein Friesians. • The farm has produced up to 139,000kg of milk solids on a consistent basis off the 114ha effective milking platform with the remainder of the property used for running young stock and winter grazing. • Bore at dairy supplies high pressure water to all stock troughs and dairy. • Top quality 32 aside herringbone dairy shed with room for ten more sets of cups if required. Fully equipped with modern electronic Waikato plant with cup removers in-bail feeding and a 480 cow circular yard. • Great opportunity to secure one of the best farms in the Hukanui District. • Call Les to inspect.

OPPORTUNITY TO GROW

• This property consists of 116 hectares in five main titles and is situated on Hansens and Rangitikei Line, Newbury, Manawatu. • Very well farmed with soils that would grow anything. • Centrally located 30 aside herringbone dairy, with adjacent feed pad and silage bunkers. • Featuring four family homes, with the main set in established gardens. • Very good well water supplied via a 50mm main line to stock troughs. • The farm is currently running a dairy herd and is currently consented for 400 cows and supplying Open Country Dairy. • With outstanding soils, great location and potential to subdivide this is a great opportunity to grow your farm business or land bank your future. • Asking $6,250,000. Call Les to inspect and discuss your options.

SCALE PLUS SOME

• Situated south of Whanganui is this 175ha farming opportunity. • This farm sits in the coastal strip between Whanganui and Turakina and has the luxury of Whanganui’s great climate. • Features a 20 aside herringbone dairy and 300 cow yard with adjacent feed pad. • The herd is split calving and milked all year round supplying Open Country. • Exceptional bore water supplies water to stock troughs, dairy and houses. • Large machinery shed, large silage bunker. • There are two three bedroom family homes set in their own treed surrounds. • Your chance to buy this farm with a flexible takeover date and take advantage of the coming season. • Price reduced to $2,995,000. • Call Les to inspect.

Sallan Realty

Google ‘Sallan Realty’ Your Farm Sales Specialist

• Your opportunity to own this quality large scale dairy farm in full production. • Situated in the northern Horowhenua is this 1100 cow property that is well laid out. • Has produced up to 600,00kgs/ms from the 425ha effective milking platform. • Sitting in a low priority horizons catchment area, and being consented for 1200 cows. • Facilities include a centrally located 60 bail rotary dairy with in bale feeding and a protrak system • Five houses including a substantial main home set in its own private location. • Our vendors are looking to retire and have priced this property to sell at $16,250,000 Land and Buildings. • They would consider selling their quality herd so call Les or Tim on 027 449 5547 to inspect.

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THE NEW ZEALAND FARMERS WEEKLY – December 11, 2017

LES CAIN 0274 420 582

Licensed Agent REAA 2008

farmersweekly.co.nz/realestate 0800 85 25 80

TENDER

Real Estate

THE NEW ZEALAND FARMERS WEEKLY – December 11, 2017

TAMAKI FARMS

IMPRESSIVE WAVERLEY DAIRY FARM

318HA (785AC)

OPEN DAYS WEDNESDAY & FRIDAY

350-368 Lennox Road, Waverley, South Taranaki Located south of Waverley on the Lennox Road is this impressive, large, well set-up and presented dairy farm. Currently milking 650 cows, this farm has previously milked over 800 cows, with production being around 280,000kg milksolids and featuring an excellent 50 bail rotary cowshed with in-shed feed system and Protrac drafting system, 3 good homes, ample farm support buildings and reliable water supply. Rarely do farms of this size and quality come onto the market in Waverley and this one will impress! This dairy farm is a credit to the current owners and is extremely well set up with excellent races, well subdivided and fenced.

Tender Closes 4pm, Wednesday 20 December 2017 at McDonald Real Estate, 274 High Street, Hawera (Unless Sold Prior) Open Days Wednesday 13 December 11:00am-11:30am Friday 15 December 11:00am-11:30am

If you are after size and scale with all the bells and whistles this is the one for you!

Rodney Perrett M 027 241 3979

Peter McDonald M 027 443 4506

Dannevirke

Triple S Dairy Farm — Scope, soils & self-containment are the key to this 318ha (freehold) 40ha (leasehold) unit. • 306ha milking platform • 52ha runoff attached • 40 bail rotary cowshed • Host of support buildings • Modern 331m2 homestead • 2x 3 bedroom homes • 2x 1 bedroom employees accommodation • Very strong silt loam fertile soils • Very reliable rainfall

FOR SALE BY TENDER Tender closes 4pm Thursday 25 January 2018 (If not sold prior) For Farms (NZ) Ltd, 138 High Street, Dannevirke

Craig Boyden M: 027 443 2738 O: 06 374 4105 E: craigb@forfarms.co.nz

Jerome Pitt M: 027 242 2199 O: 06 374 4107 E: jeromep@forfarms.co.nz

All 10 minutes from Dannevirke.

ID FF2530

www.forfarms.co.nz

LK0068450©

www.forfarms.co.nz

LK0090600©

We welcome your inspection by appointment.

Property ID FF1299

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Manakau, 385 Waikawa Beach Road Prime time to invest in this low input, totally selfcontained dairy unit located in popular Manakau area 1 hour from Wellington. Total area of 216ha. Having milking platform of just over 120ha with 199.5ha used for replacement and supplements milking 300 cows in 24bail herringbone built in 2011. Sandy loam soils on his flat to rolling property. Well raced and fenced. Good bore water supply. 6 bedroom refurbished home and usual farm buildings. Option to buy just land and buildings or as a package with shares and stock and assortment of machinery. Ideal as support block or first dairy farm. Subdivision potential as in 3 titles.

TEAM GROUP REALTY LTD Licensed Agent REAA 2008

3 |

2 |

Peaceful picturesque Peaceful Picturesqueprivacy! Privacy!

View: By appointment www.harcourts.co.nz/LE13737

Set within 5.5ha of tranquil, expansive lawns and mature easy care grounds, the backdrop is set for the perfect retreat from the bustle of the city or for downsizing from the family farm. At the centre of this offering is the magnificent 4 bedroom, 3 bathroom home – perfect for those seeking a rural lifestyle only 20 minutes drive from city. This opportunity comprises the architecturally designed home built to exacting standards, quality sheds, fencing, soils and irrigation, water rights to 2035, superb shelter and is divided into 6 paddocks with a good set of stock yards with cattle crush and heavy vehicle access. It is currently fattening 20 beef cattle. ___________________________________

Suzanne Cottle P 06 366 0805 M 021 223 7863 E sue.cottle@harcourts.co.nz

LK0090662

Self Contained Dairy Unit

4 |

LK0090830

6 / 487 Weedons Weedons Road, Rolleston 6/487 Road, Rolleston

You will be amazed at what has been thoughtfully developed in its current tenure. Viewing is by Internet www.oneagencyres.co.nz private appointment and it is being sold plus GST (if any) on the land. These unique settings are Contact Mike Goatley 0272495561 highly sought after and rarely become available. So do not delay, contact Mike Goatley today to mikegoatley@oneagencyres.co.nz set your time to view.

___________________________________

Price by Negotiation Internet www.oneagencyres.co.nz Contact Mike Goatley 027 249 5561 mikegoatley@oneagencyres.co.nz

RURAL rural@pb.co.nz 0800 FOR LAND

Property Brokers Limited Licensed under the Real Estate Agents Act 2008

Ngapuhi - 377 hectares

Well located dairy

OPEN DAY

WEB ID MR58767 GLADSTONE Clifton Grove Road Ngapuhi is an attractive breeding and finishing property located in the desirable Admiral valley, 38 kilometres south east of Masterton. The property is in two separate units, each side of the Wainuioru river. The east facing block is 227 hectares of strong papa hill country with a three stand woolshed. The home block contains 50 hectares of productive flat and cultivated easy hill. The homestead is an outstanding four/five bedroom home with two living areas, rumpus room and office set in attractive grounds and views to the north.

WEB ID MOR01751 MORRINSVILLE 184C Kuranui Road View By Appointment VIEW Wednesday 13 Dec 11.30 - 1.00pm DEADLINE SALE closes Tuesday 19th December, 2017 at AUCTION 11.00am, Tue 19th Dec, 2017, (unless sold prior), This property has been faithfully farmed by the same 4.00pm, (unless sold prior), Property Brokers Ltd, 84 Chapel family for over 80 years and it comes to the market for Property Brokers, 78 Studholme Street, Morrinsville Street, Masterton the first time in excellent heart. The property has always looked a picture with its long road frontage on prestigious Kuranui Road. Several farm options present themselves for this property. A total of 117 hectares Peter Lissington over two titles, contour being approx. 78 hectares flat 4 Mobile 027 430 8770 with balance rolling to medium hill. Milking 340 cows peterl@pb.co.nz through a 30 ASHB shed, producing 107,000 kg/MS 2 Paul Joblin average over the last three seasons on a low-cost Mobile 027 443 3756 system, leaves excellent scope for incoming owners. Aidan Cowley Office 06 378 7604

DEADLINE SALE

Home paulj@pb.co.nz

06 372 7789

AUCTION

Mobile 027 486 2547 aidan@pb.co.nz

168 Range Road Woodville

WEB ID PR59114

WOODVILLE 168 Range Road This 161 ha dairy farm along with a 40 ha support block with renowned superior soils is situated in the heart of Woodville dairy country. Supplements are harvested within the dairy business with a very limited amount of PKE imported. • 133 ha dairy platform milking 355 cows • Multiple titles providing options • 36 aside HB shed with auto cup removers • 5 year average production 117,956kg/MS • 49 paddocks on platform, 20 paddocks on runoff • 9 bay calf rearing and implement shed

• Support sheds and ample water • Consents in place • Large five bedroom character home with a covered swimming pool, spa and entertainment area • 2nd tidy three bedroom plus office character home on the runoff Options abound for the astute operator to take this well located dairy business to another level. A 56 ha lease block located nearby may be available to the successful purchaser.

www.propertybrokers.co.nz

BY NEGOTIATION + GST (IF ANY)

VIEW By Appointment Phil Wilson

Mobile 021 518 660 Office 06 376 5478 Home 06 376 7238 philw@pb.co.nz

Jared Brock

Mobile 027 449 5496 Office 06 376 4823 Home 06 376 6341 jared@pb.co.nz

5 1

farmersweekly.co.nz/realestate 0800 85 25 80

Real Estate

THE NEW ZEALAND FARMERS WEEKLY – December 11, 2017

For Sale NEW LISTING

Turakina Valley | 83 & 102 Taurimu Road

Tender Closing 4pm, Wednesday 7 February 2018

414.6 Hectares

OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS 148a Kirton Road, Taumarunui An opportunity to secure this superbly contoured 172Ha farm only 8.6km´s south of Taumarunui. The farm is mainly effective grazing land from flat to easy hill country with well-formed laneways providing access to most areas of the farm. Reticulated spring water is fed to stock troughs throughout. The property is currently used as a beef block but would also make a great fattening or Dairy support block. Purchasing options available: Option 1 - 172ha, Option 2 153ha (bareland), Option 3 - 19ha (house and yards)

414 Hectare Breeding Unit. This good scale breeding property has been farmed by the same family for nearly a century and is now available to purchase as a single entity or as two smaller parcels of 196 hectares (Caralea) and 218 hectares (Riverlea), with homes on both properties. With land contour from medium rolling to steep hill this property is ready for development and could suit a variety of stock policies. The property is well located just 22km from the rural town of Marton and 40km from the coastal town of Whanganui in the well regarded farming district of the Turakina Valley. A genuine opportunity to secure a scale breeding operation with reward to be gained from future enhancement. | Property ID PN1081

172 hectares Tender www.nzr.nz REF:RX1329651 Tender (unless sold prior) 4pm, Mon 18 Dec 2017, 1 Goldfinch Street, Ohakune Jamie Proude or Juliane Brand 027 448 5162 | 027 515 5581 jamie@nzr.nz | juliane@nzr.nz NZR Central Limited | Licensed REAA 2008

Wednesday 13 December 9.00am to 3.00pm

Contact Yvonne Forlong 021 456 565 Bill Milham 027 443 3324

0800 200 600 | farmlandsrealestate.co.nz

Licensed under REAA 2008

pggwre.co.nz

Open Day

New Zealand’s leading rural real estate company

NEW LISTING

Altavady - Iconic Historic Property • 623.6903ha FH, grazing and cropping land, 95 paddocks • Quality four bedroom homestead set in attractive sheltered landscaped garden setting • Good range of farm buildings, facilities, cattle-yards, crush and loadout - good water supply, well tracked and fenced • 176ha spray irrigation fertile soils producing good yields of pasture and feed crops pggwre.co.nz/OAM27146

North Otago DEADLINE PRIVATE TREATY (Unless Sold Prior) Closes 2.00pm, Wednesday, 28 February

Dave Finlay M 027 433 5210

dfinlay@pggwrightson.co.nz

PGG Wrightson Real Estate Limited, licensed under REAA 2008

Thames LONG AWAITED – NOW AVAILABLE

TENDER

8922 State Highway 26, Puriri

King of the Hill A French colonial style castle, 500m² (approx) on 12.6ha. A 450m² shed and large truck turning and loading area gives lots of business options. Entertainers dream with an all weather flood lit tennis court, cricket net, volleyball court, large petanque area with seating, covered fish smoker, bar area and heaps of concrete for basketball and skating. Six bedrooms, three bathrooms, office, huge kitchen and plumbed pantry. Graze a horse or pony, there is good riding around here. A few beefies for the freezer. Fertile pasture with easy contour.

Tenders Close 5pm 19th December 2017 •Corner State Highway 26 & Neavesville Road Puriri •Buy one lot or both •Lot 3 - 5.1958 ha (old house block) •Lot 4 – 6.1053 ha (old cowshed & loading race)

OPEN: By appointment

www.richardsons.co.nz/RT5211 Licensed Salesperson 07 868 6978 / 021 987 867 petert@thames.richardsons.co.nz

pggwre.co.nz/TAR27178 LK0090614©

/ Peter Tong

Te Puna

PGG Wrightson Real Estate Limited, licensed under REAA 2008

PRICE BY NEGOTIATION Plus GST (if any)

Andrew Fowler B 07 571 5797 M 027 275 2244

afowler@pggwrightson.co.nz

pggwre.co.nz

New Zealand’s leading rural real estate company RURAL

LIFESTYLE

RESIDENTIAL

AUCTION

Quality Farm with Location Located on SH3, in the Rangitikei District close to the settlement of Turakina. Comprising 121.8443ha of land made up of approximately 49ha flat with the balance gentle rolling land divided into 15 paddocks. Farm buildings include a good three stand woolshed, large five bay implement shed, two haysheds, secure chemical shed with wc/wash basin and good sheep and cattle yards. The well-presented home has three double bedrooms, sewing room, office, self-contained granny flat, three car garaging and workshop, all set in a mature garden with sealed drive and tennis court. pggwre.co.nz/WAN25572

Turakina PRICE BY NEGOTIATION Plus GST (if any)

Doug Glasgow B 06 349 2005 M 027 204 8640

dougglasgow@pggwrightson.co.nz

NEW LISTING

Opportunity Knocks • 299.3437ha • Four homes • 50 bail rotary cow shed with ACR's Protrac, Westfalia Plant and 750 cow yard • Concrete feed pad • New 12 bay and six bay calf sheds • Four bay stable complex, arena and cross country course • 2016/17 production 341,500kg MS from 760 cows • Consented for 850 cows until 2022 pggwre.co.nz/INV27097

Ohau Farmland 418 Muhunoa West Road 128 hectares (317 acres) currently winter dairy grazing. Good location amongst other farms and away from lifestylers! No house but several great sites if required. Fenced into 50 paddocks, excellent tracks, fencing and gateways. Large, strong cattle yards with good truck and trailer access. Four bay farm-shed, two are lock-up. Good fertiliser history. Blocks of this size without homes are becoming more difficult to locate and buy in the Horowhenua. Shared inland lake with neighbour on western boundary - duck shooting! pggwre.co.nz/LEV27247

Ohau AUCTION Plus GST (if any) Unless sold prior 11.00am, Friday, 26 January at Levin Cosmopolitan Club

Joe Havill B 06 367 0835 M 027 437 0169 joe.havill@pggwrightson.co.nz

NEW LISTING

Southland $11.4M Plus GST (if any)

Andrew Patterson B 03 211 3144 M 027 434 7636

apatterson@pggwrightson.co.nz

PGG Wrightson Real Estate Limited, licensed under REAA 2008

Classic Sheep And Beef • 489.8963ha • Three tidy, well presented homes • Two four stand woolsheds and one large set of covered yards with two additional sets of outside sheep yards • Large timber cattle yards • Well subdivided into 100 paddocks • Planted Pines provide excellent shelter • High performing stock available to purchase at valuation • Land in five separate titles pggwre.co.nz/INV27210

Southland $6.55M Plus GST (if any)

Andrew Patterson B 03 211 3144 M 027 434 7636 apatterson@pggwrightson.co.nz Jim Fortune B 03 211 3169 M 027 594 8346

pggwre.co.nz

The person we are looking for must have a positive attitude, be capable of using their initiative and demonstrating a high degree of integrity.

The Farmers Weekly Account Manager will focus on print and online digital sales into our leading rural publication Farmers Weekly and web site – farmersweekly.co.nz.

As the Dairy Production Manager you’ll drive performance, productivity and profit through leadership of the on-the-ground team. Critical will be your operational and people leadership experience to date along with your ability to adapt to a new environment and your ability to apply your skills, and modify your thinking, to suit this new environment.

A good team of 3-4 working dogs is required. Deer experience is not essential but an advantage.

You will take full ownership of a portfolio of clients in understanding their business objectives and be responsible to maintain and accelerate customer revenue and bring in new client business. You will be comfortable selling directly to clients and also into advertising agencies.

It’s a role with a difference and read on if you: • Are a dynamic and dairy farming professional focused on building your career • Can show us that you are up to the challenge of leading, coaching and developing others • Know that adding international dairy farm experience to your CV is a leap in the right direction

This role would suit someone with 4-5 years of shepherding experience, the ability to work independently to achieve farm targets and a passion for achieving results.

You will be the face of Farmers Weekly in the Waikato region and you will also be servicing some clients in Auckland, working remotely from your home office and reporting into NZX Agri HQ in Feilding. You will be part of a wider sales team and will be working to reach business KPI’s and successfully manage your revenue pipeline to achieve sales performance targets.

To apply please email your CV to jobs@perrinag.net.nz or send to PO Box 596, Rotorua by 18th December 2017 quoting ref #3950

As you will be working independently you’ll need to have loads of energy, a can-do attitude and strong communication and computer skills. Your resilient sales skills and your ability to build client relationships at all levels will be essential in this role. You will need to demonstrate sound sales skills and have an absolute passion for NZ’s rural sector is essential, past media experience is preferred but not essential.

Focal Dairies, situated near Harwood, Missouri is a pasture-based operation, currently running c3300 cows and there are plans for further growth. Running across three separate platforms, the key dimensions are: • A 1250-acre (c 500ha), system-5 Autumn calving farm, milking 1400-1700 cows through a 50-bail rotary shed; • Another similar sized farm, Spring calving and milking 1600-1700 cows; and • An 895 acre (c360ha) support block

www.perrinag.net.nz

You will be well rewarded for your performance with a competitive salary, potential to earn sales incentives and a company car, phone, laptop etc are all part of the total remuneration package. To apply for this role go to SEEK and search Waikato Account Manager – Sales. Job #34971169

Make no mistake, this is a challenging role in a business that likes to challenge itself. But any serious professional knows that challenge equals opportunity and the easy opportunities to see in this role are: the chance to be involved with a business that thinks strategically and plans for success; the chance to put your leadership skills to the test and build your career and reputation; and, of course, the opportunity for adventure in the US of A. Critical for success in this role will be your skills in pasture-based farm systems, your ability to motivate and lead others and your exposure to large-scale dairy farming operations in New Zealand or the New Zealand style. We’re not fixed on what your career path to date has been and your dairy experience may well be supplemented by other farming, off-farm consulting or support industry experience, but your passion must lie in turning grass into milk profitably. To work in the USA you’ll need to be tertiary qualified.

www.no8hr.co.nz | ph: 07-870-4901

A head shepherd position has become available on an 890ha sheep, beef and deer property 10km south of Rotorua. 3-bedroom accommodation available.

Farmers Weekly is recognised as the leading farming publication in providing a balance of Agri News, opinion and market information to the rural sector in New Zealand. It has developed a global reach with its publications and primary sector data analysis delivered in both print and digital.

Our clients run a successful ‘pasture-first’ farm in Missouri and are looking for an energetic dairy farming professional to join their team, making the most of kiwi dairy thinking where it fits into the practicalities of a USA farm system.

• A passion for modern farming practices • One Huntaway dog to start with, building up to two Huntaways and one Heading by September.

SOUTHERN DEMONSTRATION AND RESEARCH FARM ‘SOUTHERN DAIRY HUB’ Do you want to hold a key role in Southern New Zealand’s new innovative and exciting dairy and research facility? Due to the expiry of a fixed term Secondment from the North Island, we are recruiting for a Farm Manager for the 2018/2019 season.

T&G Pipfruit farms over 800ha in the Hawke’s Bay region and is New Zealand’s largest exporter of Pipfruit. We are currently looking for people who are fit, healthy and reliable with a great attitude to join our Fencing Team. This role will cover a variety of Orchard locations in the Hawke’s Bay region and can offer an immediate start for suitable candidates. While this is a seasonal role, the hours will be full time with some Saturday work. The work is expected to be available until the end of 2018. Attractive hourly rates are available for those with relevant fencing experience. Successful applicants must be able to pass a pre-employment drug test and demonstrate the following: •

Excellent level of health and fitness

•

Good attention to detail

•

A clean driver’s licence and own reliable transport.

You will be supported by a professional and committed management team, with training provided for the right candidates. If you believe you meet the above criteria and would like to contribute to the success of this company, then we would like to hear from you. Please either apply now online at www.tandg.global/careers or in person at our Employment Office at T&G West Site 22 Whakatu Road, Whakatu – Hastings, Monday to Friday.

You will commit to good farming practice and ensure H&S is at the forefront of every activity undertaken on farm.

Phone Debbie Brown 0800 85 25 80 or email classifieds@nzx.com

A fully insulated, sunny 4 bedroom house is available. Thriving local school and Playcentre just 2km down the road. Great, friendly community. Renumeration based on experience. Please apply with C.V and applicable referees via email or post.

The farm is 349ha and runs four herds of 200 crossbred mixed-age cows. The contour of the land is flat and slightly undulating. We winter all cows on-farm and carry the young stock on an adjoining support block giving learning opportunities for a full dairy farm system.

Must be currently living in New Zealand and hold a current working Visa and/or NZ citizen or Resident. Applicant Must hold a current full drivers licence and be drug and alcohol free. Applications close 15th December, 2017 Interviews held on Tuesday 19th December, 2017

Amblethorn is an 8000su, 770ha sheep and beef breeding and finishing unit in the Omakere District, Central Hawkes Bay, 25 minutes east of Waipukurau and 10 minutes from the local beaches.

* Positive attitude * Strong work ethic with attention to detail and the ability to work independently * Minimum of two broken in dogs * Experience in general farm maintenance and the use of a handpiece * Experience with fencing and fence maintenance * Good temperament with stock * Honest and reliable

A full position description will be available at time of application.

Please email through CV and a cover letter through to: guy.michaels@southerndairyhub.co.nz

AMBLETHORN

We are looking for an experienced shepherd general who possesses the following:

We are looking for an experienced farm manager, ideally with a postsecondary school qualification who has some experience in all of the above. You must have experience in the following: • Strong understanding of dairy farm systems including young stock management • Dairy plant and operations • Operation of general farm machinery • Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite i.e. Excel, Word, including use of modern farming tools • Sound knowledge of animal husbandry • Commitment to animal health and wellbeing • Strong people leadership skills and strong focus on H&S. • Some understanding of Del Pro software is an advantage but not essential

The current roster is 8 on 2 off, 8 on 3 off.

Advertise your vacancy in Farmers Weekly

EXPERIENCED SHEPHERD/GENERAL

You will report directly to The Hub Business Manager who will support you in the role. You will be responsible for but not limited to; normal farm duties, staff management, liaison with suppliers and contractors, reporting to the SDRF board members, manage and monitor financial and feed budgets and help set targets throughout the business.

Warm new 3 Bedroom home plus office available.

RUN OFF YOUR FEET?

or mail to: Waipapa Station 2712 Poihipi Road, RD, Mangakino 3492

This is not just any farm. The Southern Dairy Hub is a commercial and a research farm with a team of five permanent employees. We assist with research and a number of trials for research from a number of partner institutes. Therefore, this role requires someone who is actively hands on in the operations of the farm on a daily basis. There will be lots of opportunities to support our new operation and further utilise your skills and experience.

This position offers a range of extra benefits with a high exposure to new opportunities and with the excitement of working alongside research teams in a commercial environment.

A three bedroom house is available for the successful applicant.

E Mail CV to: waipapa.stn@ruralinzone.net

AMBLETHORNMANAGER@GMAIL.COM C.SUTHERLAND, 289 LONG RANGE RD RD 1, WAIPAWA 4271 OR PHONE EVENINGS 06 857 3825 LK0090907©

T&G Pipfruit has significant growth aspirations for the future; we are looking for experienced Fencers to join our team.

You would need at least: • One year dry stock experience OR • To have completed an approved ITO course for Dry Stock

All enquiries to the farm manager Denys Gayton 027 430 9514

The Role:

HAWKE’S BAY

Waipapa Station, Taupo

You should have:

New 2016/2017 converted farm located in the picturesque and quiet area of Wallacetown, 10 minutes out of Invercargill City. Looking for a new Farm Manager to manage the day-to-day running of a complex but rewarding farm.

FENCING OPPORTUNITIES

Junior Shepherd General We are looking for someone who is interested in farming as a career and wants to work in our team. Waipapa Station is 2500 hectares running 11,500 breeding ewes, 600 breeding cows, 600 fattening cattle and dairy grazers.

FARM MANAGER VACANCY LK0090854©

So, if you’re mobile, agile and keen to develop your career, if you’re up for a new adventure and looking for an exciting adventure - head to our website www.no8hr.co.nz to register your interest today!

HEAD SHEPHERD

Waikato Account Manager

LK0090676©

FORGET ‘LONDON CALLING’ – HOW ABOUT THE USA?

THE NEW ZEALAND FARMERS WEEKLY – December 11, 2017

LK0090825©

Employment

SEE PAGE 41 LOWER ORDER SHAREMILKER ROLE

LK0090833©

classifieds@nzx.com – 0800 85 25 80

LK0090689©

Employment

DIGGER WORK WANTED

LK0090850©

If this sounds like you please forward your CV to email debbstaggart@gmail.com for consideration by 21 December 2017. All applicants will be notified their CV’s have been received and then again with the next stage for the application.

ANIMAL HANDLING

ZON BIRDSCARER

DE HORNER

Phone: +64 6 357 2454 HOOF TRIMMER

EARMARKERS

CLASSIFIEDS

REACH EVERY FARMER IN NZ FROM MONDAY Advertise in the NZ Farmers Weekly $2.00 + GST per word - Please print clearly Name: Phone: Address: Email: Heading: Advert to read:

LK0090721©

electro-tek@xtra.co.nz

13.5 TONNE, tilt bucket, rake, rock bucket. Ponds, tracks, sites, scrub, drains, etc. Fair rates, hardworking owner/operator. Waikato, BOP, King Country preferably. Can travel dependent on job scope. Phone 021 118 1307.

DOGS FOR SALE 2-YEAR-OLD HEADING dog. Firm, fast and sides $2500. 16-MONTH Huntaway dog. Running on mob and working in yards. Backs, start, stop and learning sides $2000 ono. Phone 06 874 8071 or 027 445 7755. HEAD HUNT DOG, 14 months. Left, right, run and stop. $1000. Phone 06 374 2784.

Classifieds STOP BIRDS NOW!

YOUR FARM MAPPED showing paddock sizes. Priced from $600 for 100ha. Phone 0800 433 855. farmmapping.co.nz

Put our robots to work for you

It is important to us that we function as a team and everyone is valued for the skills they contribute.

P.O. Box 30, Palmerston North 4440, NZ

FARM MAPPING

Call Grant Vickers on 021 704 691 to find out why!

The business is located 5km from Mayfield on 309ha with a 60 bail rotary and rectangle yard. Our target is 650,000kgms and irrigation is delivered via pivots.

The person needs to be open minded and willing to work with the current systems and practices. We welcome suggestions and ideas for changes that would improve the system and outcome for all those involved. This person needs to be able to navigate through a 365-day milk operation while managing a skilled team who ensure good dairy and animal health practices are achieved.

NEED CASH? Buying over holidays! No one buys or pays more! 07 315 5553.

With our robots working for you, you’ll have more time to spend with your family.

Our business milks 365 days a year with three calvings – autumn, spring, summer. We target to calve 1000 in a 12-month period with peak number of 1150 in November/December.

The girls are of Holstein Friesian descent and accuracy with calving records is paramount. There is five houses which are modern and warm with easy care sections.

12 MONTHS TO 5½-yearold Heading dogs and Huntaways wanted. Phone 022 698 8195.

FLY OR LICE problem? Electrodip - The magic eye sheepjetter since 1989 with unique self adjusting sides. Incredible chemical and time savings with proven effectiveness. Phone 07 573 8512 w w w. e l e c t r o d i p . c o m CRAIGCO SHEEP JETTERS. Sensor Jet. Deal to fly and Lice now. Guaranteed performance. Unbeatable pricing. Phone 06 835 6863. www.craigcojetters.com

ANIMAL HEALTH www.drench.co.nz farmer owned, very competitive prices. Phone 0800 4 DRENCH (437 362).

ANIMAL SUPPLEMENTS APPLE CIDER VINEGAR, GARLIC & HONEY. 200L - $450 or 1000L - $2000 excl. with FREE DELIVERY from Black Type Minerals Ltd www.blacktypeminerals. co.nz

ATTENTION FARMERS

BRIAN BURKE, NZ Champ 1984 and 5 times NZ Champ finalist, available to train your working dog. In three weeks he will transform your heading dog into a productive asset for the farm. Contact Brian 06 343 9561 for further details and pricing (heading dogs only). 8-WEEK-OLD HUNTAWAY pups, well bred, good working breed. 10-MONTHold Heading dog, ready to train, well bred. ELDERLY Heading dog suitable for lifestyle block, ex-qualified NZ dog trials. Phone 06 762 2870. FOR ONLY $2.00 + gst per word you can book a word only ad in Farmers Weekly Classifieds. Phone Debbie on 0800 85 25 80 to book. HUGE SELECTION working dogs! Guaranteed. Trial. Deliverable. 07 315 5553. Mike Hughes. SOUTH ISLANDERS! Delivering working dogs to you. 15th December. 07 315 5553. Mike Hughes. STRONG EYED HEADING dogs, three males. 2 x 10 months $500 each AND 1 x 20 months $800. Phone 022 026 9606.

CHILLERS &

FREEZERS

DEMOLITION. Country Villas, houses, buildings, commercial, industrial. Any area. NZ. Please phone 027 405 2391. www.gibb-gro.co.nz GROWTH PROMOTANT $5.85 per hectare + GST delivered Brian Mace 0274 389 822 07 571 0336 brianmace@xtra.co.nz

udly NZ Madew Pro Since 1975

021 441 180 (JC) frigidair@xtra.co.nz

FERTILISER DOLOMITE, NZ’s finest Magnesium fertiliser. Bio-Gro certified, bulk or bagged. 0800 436 566.

FOR SALE DOG/PET FOOD. Lamb/ Beef and chicken products. All natural - raw - no preservatives or additives. NOSLOC PRODUCTS. Ex-freezer Te Kuiti. For information and prices www.nosloc.com or phone 07 878 6868.

MORE TIME FOR HUNTING

FOR FARMERS & HUNTERS When only the best will do!

FERAL GOATS WANTED. All head counted, payment on pick-up, pick-up within 24hours. Prices based on works schedule. Experienced musterers available. Phone Bill and Vicky Le Feuvre 07 893 8916. GOATS WANTED. All weights. All breeds. Prompt service. Payment on pick up. My on farm prices will not be beaten. Phone David Hutchings 07 895 8845 or 0274 519 249. Feral goats mustered on a 50/50 share basis.

LIVESTOCK FOR SALE

With our robots working for you, you’ll have more time for hunting.

WILTSHIRE DORPER x rams for sale. No shearing required. Excellent for hogget mating. Ewe lambs also available. Phone 06 388 7555.

Put our robots to work for you

Call Grant Vickers on 021 704 691 to find out why!

LOOKING TO FIND a consistent supplier of millet seed. Must be untreated, uncoated and be able to be germinated. Contact Alex 0274 639 565.

PROPERTY WANTED HOUSE FOR REMOVAL wanted. North Island. Phone 021 0274 5654.

RAMS FOR SALE WILTSHIRE & SHIRE® rams and ewes for sale. Hardy, low input, easy care meat sheep. No dagging. No shearing. No dip, drench or vaccine since 1989. Deliver all over NZ. www.organicrams.co.nz Email: tim@ organic-rams.co.nz Phone 03 225 5283.

T HI NK P R E B U I L T

FORESTRY WANTED

NO STAFF WANTED We need no one to help us milk 600 cows in Southland.

Put our robots to work for you

Call Grant Vickers on 021 704 691 to find out why!

NATIVE FOREST FOR MILLING also Macrocarpa and Red Gum, New Zealand wide. We can arrange permits and plans. Also after milled timber to purchase. NEW ZEALAND NATIVE TIMBER SUPPLIERS (WGTN) LIMITED 04 293 2097 Richard.

GOATS WANTED WILD CATTLE and goats wanted. 50/50 mustering. Portable yards available. Phone Kerry Coulter 0274 944 194.

Fuelcon Tank Manufacturing

NEW HOMES

SOLID – PRACTICAL WELL INSULATED – AFFORDABLE Our homes are built using the same materials & quality as an onsite build. Easily transported to almost anywhere in the North Island. Plans range from one bedroom to four bedroom First Home – Farm House Investment – Beach Bach

Call or email us for your free copy of our plans Email: info@ezylinehomes.co.nz Phone: 07 572 0230 Web: www.ezylinehomes.co.nz

• Lease • Buy • Service • Compliance

Fuel Storage Solutions Call 0800 FUELCON 0800 383 5266

TAUPO RODEO When: 29th December – Starts 8am Where: Broadlands Rd opposite Centennial Drd A great family day providing entertainment to all ages. Come and join us!

MORE TIME FOR ROMANCE With our robots working for you, you’ll have more time for romance.

• Lots of spot prizes • Bouncy castle • Go karts • Face painting • Hot and cold food • Plenty of vendors. BYO (no glass allowed) EVENTS: • Bull riding, calf riding and steer riding • Steer wrestling • Barrel racing • Bronco riding • Bareback riding • Rope and Tie • Team roping Watch from the large hill alongside the rodeo arena. You won’t miss a thing. The main performance (open events) are after lunch. GATE PRICES: • Families – $30 • Adults – $15 • Children – $5 • Under 5 free • Eftpos available at event Presale adult tickets at Finn MacCuhals Irish Pub at $10 each

LK0090923©

Return this form either by fax to 06 323 7101 Attention Debbie Brown Post to NZX Agri Classifieds, PO Box 529, Feilding 4740 - by 12pm Wednesday or Freephone 0800 85 25 80

MILLET SEED WANTED

GOATS WANTED

12 TON KOBELCO digger. $29,000 ono. Tidy machine. PRATTLEY sheep yards. Excellent condition. $11,000. Ohakune. Phone 06 385 8057 or 027 230 3531. WINDMILLS for water pumping. Ferguson Windmills Company. www.windmills.co.nz sales@windmills.co.nz Phone 09 412 8655 or 027 282 7689.

CONTRACTORS GORSE SPRAYING SCRUB CUTTING. 30 years experience. Blowers, gun and hose. No job too big. Camp out teams. Travel anywhere if job big enough. Phone Dave 06 375 8032.

LK0090915©

MORE FAMILY TIME

Our 365-day dairy operation seeks a lower order sharemilker who is exceptional in the following areas: • Feeding cows with a nutritionally balanced diet • Managing a skilled team • Care and attention to stock health and wellbeing • Management of feed allocation and feed contracts • Maximisation of milk production by minimising dried off periods • Clear communication with owners, contractors, your own team members and other professional associated with the business • Kind and respectful to all those involved in the business • Attention to detail with record keeping • Operating within compliance requirements

FOR SALE

DOGS WANTED

LK0088516©

Unique opportunity for Lower Order sharemilker

w w w. e l e c t r o t e k . c o . n z

Classifieds

CHECK OUT our Facebook for more details – Taupo Rodeo Club Put our robots to work for you

Call Grant Vickers on 021 704 691 to find out why!

livestock@nzx.com – 0800 85 25 80

FOR SALE

• 70 genuine autumn calving straight Friesian cows 620kg m/s (will sell smaller lines • 34 genuine Friesian autumn i/c heifers • 30 Friesian, Friesian x autumn cows W 90 PW 110 • 55 i/c autumn Friesian heifers BW 107 PW 112

LK0090918©

Autumn calving cows & heifers

Brad Devlin 027 498 1203

Livestock

MAUNGATIRO East Friesians

ENQUIRIES WELCOME Jeanette & Andy Galpin 1286 Wellington Road, RD 1, Marton Phone 06 327 6308 Email: maungatiro@farmside.co.nz

THE NEW ZEALAND FARMERS WEEKLY – December 11, 2017

STOCK FOR SALE 1 YR ANG BULLS X 90 430avg/kgs 50 x STATION BRED 1YR ANG HEIFERS 360kgs Ideal for Breeding, Draft Numbers Suitable 1YR FRSN BULLS 350-450kgs

Fertile, friendly fast-growing milkers

STOCK REQUIRED

1YR ANG & EXOTIC X HEIFERS COWS WITH CALVES AT FOOT BREEDING EWES

Dairy

Beef

Sheep

Other

25TH ANNUAL ON FARM WEANED CALF AUCTION A/C INVERNIA HOLDINGS GEORGETOWN, NORTH OTAGO Wednesday 7th February 2018 at 1:30PM Comprising approx: 800 Friesian Bull Calves 60 Friesian 18 month Bulls

www.dyerlivestock.co.nz

LK0090577©

Ross Dyer 0274 333 381 A Financing Solution For Your Farm E info@rdlfinance.co.nz

All calves dehorned, drenched and weaned off nurse cows in December. TB Status C10 1% Rebate to outside companies Enquiries: Simon Vernon 027 405 8248 Mark Yeates 0275 904 217, a/h 03 434 7980 PGG Wrightson Oamaru

AUTUMN CALVING COWS Wednesday 20th Dec 12 noon Morrinsville Dairy Complex On A/c D J Van Bysterveldt F/T 130 Friesian, Xbd & Jersey Autumn calving young cows

FOR SALE

BW 98/44 (up to 160) PW 128/56 (Up to 270) 94% Approx 40 Frs, 70 Xbd & 20 Jsy cows – DTC 10/3/18 to 6 weeks LIC Xbd and MG Bull, removed 15/8/17. All cows scanned to date.

59 In Milk 2-8yr old Jsy Cows BW 102 PW 108 $1500

Our vendor purchased these cows as elite young MT’s at the High BW Empty cow sales. They have been diligently milked right through the winter and progressively dried off over the incredibly tough wet spring. All cows have been blanket dry cow treated.

700 2-8yr old Frsn Frsn X Cows BW 74 PW 93 Only 21 cows that do not have the owners PTPT code, not bad for a 50/50 S/M Herd

With prior arrangement short term grazing can be arranged. Visit Mylivestock.co.nz for further details Or call Ollie Carruthers 0274 515 312

LK0090916©

DEFERRED PAYMENT UNTIL 1 March 2018

PROMOTE YOUR STAG SALE IN FARMERS WEEKLY

For further inquiries please contact Steven Josephs on 0274 205 167

Contact Nigel 0800 85 25 80 | livestock@nzx.com

BUYING OR SELLING A DAIRY HERD?

FERNVALE

GENETICS

Contact Farm Source Livestock for specialist advice and expertise that will help you achieve optimal results, including: • • •

Tailored marketing program Access to Fonterra’s extensive farmer network Fonterra farmer exclusive: Earn valuable Farm Source Reward Dollars on all sales and purchases

THIS WEEKS FEATURE: Q 884 - 350 Fsn/FsnX cows, 18/3 calv, BW 89, PW 116. $1800 (offers), call Hamish 027 432 0298 Q 873 – 66 Fsn cows, 10/3 calv, G3 profiled, 3yr old, BW 68, PW 78. $1800, call Stewart 027 270 5288 Q 869 – 245 FsnX herd, BW 121, PW 151, R/A 100%, 400ms, 19/7 calv, top 1% NZ INDEX. Call Ben 027 702 4196

0800 548 339 NZFARMSOURCE.CO.NZ/LIVESTOCK

ROMNEY ROMDALE • • • • • • • • •

SUFFOLK SUFTEX

Only multiple born and reared animals sold or retained in stud VIA SCAN and eye muscle scanning used to trace meat yields Quality outside bloodlines used every third generation Commercial pressure through 41,000su Two-year ram performance guarantee Ewe hogget mating standard practice All rams are scour scored 50K DNA data available SIL recorded

Lloyd Brenssell Moa Flat West Otago

Ph: 03 204 0883 Cell: 027 201 8181 Email: fernvale@farmside.co.nz

www.fernvale.co.nz

LK0090957©

THE NEW ZEALAND FARMERS WEEKLY – December 11, 2017

Livestock

livestock@nzx.com – 0800 85 25 80

SALE TALK

In the morning Tom calls his boss: “Good morning boss, unfortunately I’m not coming to work today. Really sick. Headache, stomach ache, both my hands and legs hurt, so I’m not coming into work.” The boss replies: “You know Tom, I really need you today. When I feel like this I go to my wife, and tell her to give me sex. That makes me feel better, and I can go to work. You should try that.” Two hours later Tom calls: “Boss, I followed your advise and I feel great! I’ll be at work soon. By the way, you’ve got a nice house.”

1st February Delivery 190 Frsn to Frsn X VIC to Spring calving Note – these cows were mostly July calvers. Very good uddered and sound cows.

Herds 1st June 2018 delivery North Waikato 430 Friesians BW64 PW62 RA91% DTC 10/7 41 years breeding. Over 200 x 2 & 3yr olds. $2000 Central & Southern NI 500 2-6yr old X Breds milked from a herd of 1600 herd BW52 PW71 RA63% DTC 25/7. $1950 500 Frsn Frsn X BW76 PW90 RA92%

GLEN ORKNEY MERINOS

DTC 25/7/18. $1950 200 Friesians DTC 20/7 good type Friesian cows with pedigree background. $1650 100 R3 Frsn BW85 PW90 DTC 25/7/18 240 Frsn Frsn X BW75 PW95 RA86% DTC 10/7/18. $1950

RWB (Jrsy) DTC 24/7. $1300 Dec del

LK0090069©

R2yrs 180 Fr hfrs BW92 PW85 RA100%

Contact: Philip Webb: 027 801 8057 Central & Southern NI Dairy Coordinator Paul Kane 027 286 9279 (North Waikato/ Northland) National Dairy & Live Export Coordinator

BRED FOR CARCASS, WOOL AND FERTILITY RIGOROUSLY SELECTED IN A FRINGE MERINO ENVIRONMENT 19 -21 ADULT MICRON Simon & Thomas Harvey 03 575 7361 merinos@glenorkney.co.nz www.glenorkney.co.nz

McNeil Farming Limited

PUKETORO STATION 2nd Annual On Farm Sale Tuesday 9th Jan 2018

2754 Ihungia Road, Tokomaru Bay at 12 Noon Preliminary Notice

6700 Sheep / 700 Steers 750 Perendale 2th Ewes, 500 Coopdale 2th Ewes 200 Romney 2th Ewes, 250 Romdale 2th Ewes 2500 Perendale 5yr Ewes 2500 Terminal Bred M/S Lambs (30kg) 200 2 Year Angus Steers (500kg) 500 Top 1 Year Angus Steers (380 to 400kg) The Ewes docked 150% to the Ram and will be presented in very good condition The Cattle will be sold at the conclusion of the Sheep 1.5% Rebate by arrangment. (Sign Posted) from Tokomaru Bay Lunch & Light refreshments provided Contact: Shane Scott 0274 956031 for further enquiries Full Details on our Website or Facebook Central Livestock Limited

w w w. c e n t r a l l i v e s t o c k . c o . n z

4th Waterton Ram Sale

www.carrfieldslivestock.co.nz

Charollais, % Charollais, Suffolk and South Suffolk Rams (as seen on rural delivery)

Tuesday 19th December 2017

www.carrfieldslivestock.co.nz

WOODCALL SHORTHORN STUD DISPERSAL SALE

Hill bred Commercially farmed SIL recorded Eye Muscle Scanned Brucellosis Accredited Over 50 years breeding 7 Pure Charollais – 26 Suffolk – 16 South Suffolk – 14 Charollais Suffolk – 19 % Charollais

ONCE IN A 40-YEAR OPPORTUNITY 230 FRIESIAN AND FRIESIAN CROSS COWS FOR 1ST JUNE DELIVERY

18th December 2017 3400 State Highway 14, Tangiteroria Comprising of: 53 x cows with calves at foot 3 x CTP heifers 14 x RWB R2yr heifers Stud bulls Assortment of Semen Straws

ASKING PRICE: $2,150+gst Neg

BW100, PW111

LK0090863©

EFTPOS AVAILABLE CATOLOGUE OUT NOW LUNCH AVAILABLE

For any more information or to book to view please contact Aaron Clapperton M (027) 496 7410

THE LARGEST OFFERING OF CHAROLLAIS AND CHAROLLAIS X IN CANTERBURY

Charollais sires include Waterton 35/15 No. 1 SIL Sire on Charollais National Across Flock. Charollais Lot 50 is 3rd ranked Charollais on the Across Flock.

BYLLIVESTOCK.CO.NZ

For more information or a catalogue, contact: Chris Hampton PWA PWA 03 614 3330 Wayne Andrews Snow Buckley 027 202 5679 027 484 8232 027 561 4652 cahampton@xtra.co.nz Stuart Blake 027 433 9088 Also on www.peterwalsh.co.nz

PGGW Greg Uren 027 431 4051

LK0090506©

• 99% recorded ancestry • This Herd has been in the same ownership for 40 years and have had excellent success on what is a mainly all grass system, average 391kg/ms/cow. The breeding regime has been an all LIC influence to suit an all grass traditional kiwi farm type. Cows are of medium size that are compact but are very deep and capacious. Made up of mostly Friesian content with a good number of black first cross cows. • It’s not often a herd comes on the market with such a great background and breeding, so don’t miss your chance to view and secure this herd and take confidence that the hard work has already been done for you.

LK0090760©

Machinery consists of: 1972 Ford 5000, 75hp 4WD, dual wheels, aux hyd. 1960 County 654, totally re-built in 2013, 7600 engine, 100hp, front dozer blade, dual wheels. 1995 Landrover Discovery, 3.9, V8, current farm rego, WOF, tow bar, mud tyres. 2011 Suzuki Kingquad, 18,000km. 2013 Aitchinson 3019 disc grass drill. 2012 3mt flat roller. 2010 Maxum 330 mower, twin wilters. 2009 Sitrex hay tedder/swather. 2002 NH 740, round baler, 18,000 bales, net/twine. NH 370 conventional baler, twine. JF 5.6mt twin rotor grass rake. Class Volto 540 grass tedder. 3mt single rotor grass swather. Conventional bale sledge. Soft hands 3PTL. Spring tine cultivator, 3mt with cage roller. 3mt cage roller with tyre harrows. Bulk lime/ fert spreader, single axle, hyd shut off. Flat trailer, twin axle, steel deck, 6mt, hyd brakes, swivel hitch. Tipping trailer, twin axle, 10t, hyd brakes. Tipping trailer, single axle, 3t. James mole plough. Diesel tank 2500lt on skids. Bike trailer, LGP tyres, stock crate. Big square/round bale carrier. Single round bale forks. Front end loader for Fordson Major. Truck Bogie, 14t. 16.9x28 tyres, 580x70x38 rear tyre. Truck wheels and tyres. Electric fencers, reels, standards. Fencing posts, battens, wire. Steel, timber and gates. Surplus workshop tools.

Contact Carrfields Agent, Rhys Dackers: 027 241 5564 or 09 433 2461

Viewing from 2.30pm Helmsman Sale 4.30pm Belmont Station 50 Kerr Road, Cave South Canterbury

MARKET SNAPSHOT

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH

Grain & Feed

MILK PRICE FORECAST ($/KGMS) 2017-18

Last week

Prior week

Last year

Canterbury (NZ$/t)

6.40

6.19

AS OF 07/12/2017

MILK PRICE COMPARISON

353

327

NI mutton (20kg)

4.75

4.90

2.90

378

279

SI lamb (17kg)

7.10

7.25

5.35

Feed Barley

383

265

SI mutton (20kg)

4.80

4.95

2.85

230

Export markets (NZ$/kg) 9.50

9.67

7.74

6.5

Maize Grain

443

360

6.0

PKE

265

224

271

UK CKT lamb leg

* Domestic grain prices are grower bids delivered to the nearest store or mill. PKE and fertiliser prices are ex-store. Australian prices are landed in Auckland.

7.0

INTERNATIONAL Prior week

Last year

2500 2000 Feb 17 May 17 Aug 17 C2 Fonterra WMP

Nov 17 Feb 18 NZX WMP Futures

6.0 5.0

CBOT futures (NZ$/t)

4.5

Wheat - Nearest

220

228

192

Corn - Nearest

197

196

184

South Island 1 7kg lamb

7.5 7.0

399

406

ASW Wheat

398

392

269

Feed Wheat

321

324

204

Feed Barley

359

351

234

PKE (US$/t) Ex-Malaysia

117

NZ venison 60kg stag

6.5

289

6006.0

$/kg

3000

6.5 5.5

Last week

APW Wheat

3500

North Island 17kg lamb

7.5

Australia (NZ$/t)

4000 US$/t

5.40

378

7.0

WMP GDT PRICES AND NZX FUTURES

7.20

353

Waikato (NZ$/t)

What are the AgriHQ Milk Prices? The AgriHQ Seasonal milk price is calculated using GDT results and NZX Dairy Futures to give a full season price. The AgriHQ Spot milk price is an indicative price based solely on the prices from the most recent GDT event. To try this using your own figures go to www.agrihq.co.nz/toolbox

500

5.5

400

5.0

300

4.5

Oct Oct

112

Dec Dec

FebFeb

5‐yr ave NZX DAIRY FUTURES (US$/T) Nearby contract

Prior week

vs 4 weeks ago

WMP

2845

2830

2840

SMP

1720

1700

AMF

6725

Butter

4620

Last week

Prior week

Last year

Last week

Prior week

Last year

1735

Urea

520

460

Coarse xbred ind.

2.97

3.14

4.09

6600

6575

Super

297

310

Nth Isl 37m

2.95

3.15

4.00

5020

5400

DAP

784

Sth Isl 35m

3.25

3.30

4.50

704

$/kg

c/k kg (net)

250

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Sharemarket Briefing DECEMBER is traditionally a positive time of year for markets with analysts classifying it as the Santa Claus Rally. Since 1950 the S&P 500 has returned a positive performance in December 75% of the time and has averaged a 1.62% gain. It is the top performing month on average for the United States with November the second best with an average return of 1.55% and April third with 1.45%. With numerous economic indicators pointing to a continuation of growth and corporate earnings continuing to show growth there is every chance 2017 could continue this Christmas tradition. However, markets had a rocky start. Global markets have been under pressure from a tech sector sell-off to start the month. The tech sector has been the top performer for the year to date, driven by strong earnings and increasing technologies so, unsurprisingly, we are seeing investors take profits. New Zealand is no exception to either phenomenon. Traditionally December is a strong month for the NZX50, logging a monthly decline only four times since 2001. However, the start of December has been lacklustre with investors looking to take profits after 11 months of gains. Market commentary provided by Craigs Investment Partners

14369

S&P/FW AG EQUITY

18380

S&P/NZX 50 INDEX

8173

Dec 14

Dec 15

Dec 16

Feed barley

4 weeks ago

S&P/NZX 10 INDEX

7664

NZ venison 60kg stag

4.5

600

NZ$/t

US$/t

CANTERBURY FEED PRICES

150 Dec 13

Coarse xbred wool indicator

5.5

350

S&P/FW PRIMARY SECTOR

This yr

(NZ$/kg)

450

Latest price

Last yr

AugAug

NZ average (NZ$/t)

WMP FUTURES - VS FOUR WEEKS AGO

Jan

JunJun

WOOL

* price as at close of business on Thursday

Dec

AprApr

FERTILISER

Last price*

3200 3100 3000 2900 2800 2700 2600

Last year

7.10

Feed Wheat PKE

Jul 17 Aug 17 Sep 17 Oct 17 Nov 17 AgriHQ Spot AgriHQ Seasonal Fonterra forecast

Last week Prior week

NI lamb (17kg)

Milling Wheat

7.5

5.5 Jun 17

Slaughter price (NZ$/kg)

c/kkg (net)

$/kgMS

SHEEP MEAT

DOMESTIC

AGRIHQ 2017-18

FONTERRA 2017-18

Sheep

$/kg

Dairy

PKE spot

Auckland International Airport Limited

300

2.5 Oct Oct

Dec

Feb

Apr

Last yr

Jun

Aug

This yr

Dollar Watch

YTD High

YTD Low

6.52

7.43

6.02

Meridian Energy Limited

2.95

3.02

2.57

Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Corporation Ltd Spark New Zealand Limited The a2 Milk Company Limited Ryman Healthcare Limited Fletcher Building Limited Mercury NZ Limited (NS) Xero Limited Contact Energy Limited

13.24 3.64 7.93 10.30 7.01 3.33 30.00 5.45

13.88 3.97 9.00 10.69 10.86 3.60 35.50 5.85

8.50 3.32 2.06 8.12 6.73 2.94 17.47 4.65

Listed Agri Shares

3.5

400

5‐yr ave

Top 10 by Market Cap Company

500

5pm, close of market, Thursday

Company

YTD High

YTD Low

The a2 Milk Company Limited

7.930

9.000

2.060

Cavalier Corporation Limited

0.400

0.810

0.270

Comvita Limited

7.500

8.850

5.150

Delegat Group Limited

7.650

7.860

5.650

Foley Family Wines Limited

1.500

1.560

1.200

Fonterra Shareholders' Fund (NS)

6.400

6.430

5.880

Livestock Improvement Corporation Ltd (NS)

2.300

2.610

2.100

New Zealand King Salmon Investments Ltd

2.200

2.450

1.220

PGG Wrightson Limited

0.580

0.620

0.490

Sanford Limited (NS)

8.300

8.350

6.700

Scales Corporation Limited

4.250

4.300

3.210

Seeka Limited

5.300

5.930

4.300

Tegel Group Holdings Limited

1.180

1.460

1.050

S&P/FW Primary Sector

14369

15031

9307

S&P/FW Agriculture Equity

18380

19583

10899

S&P/NZX 50 Index

8173

8189

6971

S&P/NZX 10 Index

7664

6927

ANZ Bank has tweaked This Prior Last NZD vs its currency forecasts, week week year allowing for recovery in USD 0.6841 0.6833 0.7069 the kiwi dollar but not EUR 0.5799 0.5737 0.6642 reaching the short-term AUD 0.9095 0.9031 0.9543 levels suggested earlier. The bank had been GBP 0.5076 0.5053 0.5623 expecting the kiwi to Correct as of 9am last Friday reach US$0.73 by the end of this month but has cut that back to current levels around 0.682. It now expects 0.71 in March and 0.72 by June, from the previous forecasts of 0.73. “They haven’t turned out like we thought so we’ve toned them down to lesser gains,” senior economist Phil Borkin said. ANZ still expects the kiwi to reach a low of US$0.65 in mid2019. “There’s a lot of water to go under the bridge before then.” ANZ is relatively bullish for the next three to six months based on the global economy’s strength compared to the last five to six years. This is marked by consistent global growth, heightened risk sentiment and lower market volatility. The NZ dollar usually does well in this environment, Borkin said. Eventually, overseas central banks will tighten interest rates, the differential with NZ interest rates will narrow and that will push the kiwi lower. A Fed rate rise in the United States is a given this week and Borkin said the bank believes the Fed will lift rates three times next year. The market has priced in a rise this week but only two for next year, so far.

Alan Williams

Markets

THE NZ FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – December 11, 2017

NI 37 MICRON WOOL

NI SLAUGHTER STEER

SI SLAUGHTER MUTTON

($/KG)

PRIME TRADITIONAL STEERS, 555-635KG, AT CANTERBURY PARK

($/KG)

($/KG LW)

5.65

2.95

4.80

Cattle & Deer

$91-$121

$59

Medium to good prime ewes at Feilding

Average store lamb price at Feilding

Weather prompts sellers

BEEF Slaughter price (NZ$/kg)

high lights

Last week

Prior week

Last year

NI Steer (300kg)

5.65

5.70

5.45

NI Bull (300kg)

5.55

5.65

5.30

NI Cow (200kg)

4.35

4.45

4.00

SI Steer (300kg)

5.55

5.20

SI Bull (300kg)

5.30

4.70

SI Cow (200kg)

4.30

3.80

US imported 95CL bull

7.08

7.25

6.29

US domestic 90CL cow

6.75

6.78

5.91

ARKETS around the country showed farmers are quitting stock before pasture feed runs out thus swelling the numbers of both sheep and cattle on offer while prices generally eased.

Export markets (NZ$/kg)

North Island steer (300kg)

6.5

$/kg

6.0 5.5 5.0 4.5 4.0 South Island steer (300kg)

6.5 6.0

NZ venison 60kg stag

c/k kg (net)

$/kg

600 5.5 500 5.0 400 4.5 300

4.0

Oct Oct

Dec Dec

Feb Feb

5‐yr ave

Apr Apr

Jun Jun

Last yr

Aug Aug This yr

VENISON Slaughter price (NZ$/kg)

Last week Prior week

Last year

NI Stag (60kg)

10.15

8.10

NI Hind (50kg)

10.05

8.00

SI Stag (60kg)

10.60

10.55

8.10

SI Hind (50kg)

10.50

10.45

8.00

New Zealand venison (60kg Stag)

11 10

NZ venison 60kg stag

500 8 400 7

300 6 Oct

Oct

Dec Feb Dec Feb 5‐yr ave

Apr Apr Last yr

Jun Jun

Aug Aug This yr

AUCKLAND AUCKLAND Prices at PUKEKOHE on Saturday December 2 came back, Livestock Mart Auctions agent Pat Farrell reported. Weight was on the prime cattle’s side though and steers tipped the scales at 564-705kg and sold for $2.78$2.85/kg, while heifers, 474-580kg, returned $2.70-$2.79/kg. Heavy bulls, 762kg, managed $3.07/kg while 382kg sold to $2.67/kg. Good boner cows traded up to $2.21/kg, with lesser

Does arranging livestock finance feel like the tail wagging the dog? HBA 1017C

c/k kg (net)

$/kg

9 600

NORTHLAND NORTHLAND One area to still have reasonable grass levels is Northland, which is keeping good competition in the market for older cattle at KAIKOHE, PGG Wrightson agent Vaughan Vujcich reported. The best of the 2-year steers sold to $2.85-$2.88/kg, with bulls not far off that pace at $2.80-$2.85/kg. Heifers tended to be harder to shift, and nice beef and beef-cross lines were good shopping at $2.65-$2.70/kg. A standout line of 15-month Hereford-cross steers tipped the scales at 480kg and made $3.16/ kg, with 1-year beef-cross trading at $3.25-$3.35/kg. Kiwi-cross bulls sold to just $2.30$2.40/kg but good Friesian and beef managed $2.80-$2.90/kg. Heifers also sold over a reasonably wide spread as beef and exotic fetched $2.75-$2.90/ kg. Weaner bull prices were solid and there was good demand despite numbers coming in from outside the area. Shorthorn-cross returned $530$545, and autumn-born Friesiancross, $550-$580. Cow prices eased, with heavy lines trading at $1.88-$1.96/kg, medium $1.80-$1.85/kg, and light, $1.65/kg.

Heartland Bank Limited’s lending criteria, fees and charges apply. For full terms and conditions, visit www.openforlivestock.co.nz

HOT STUFF: Another hot day greeted those at the Feilding sale on Friday. Photo: Aaron Davies More photos: farmersweekly.co.nz

types down to $1.49/kg. Besides the sheer volume on offer, the other notable feature was the very large number of poorly bred cattle which had a very limited audience, though quality cattle still sold at respectable levels. Two-year steers, 434-469kg, returned $2.67-$2.79/kg, and heifers, 419-449kg, $2.62-$2.76/ kg. Prices for 15-month cattle varied from $3.33/kg for good quality 327kg steers, to $2.75/kg for lesser bred types. The top heifers, 317kg, sold to $2.98/kg, but lesser lines made $2.60/ kg. Off-bred steers and heifers ranged from $570-$1090 as some had weight on their side. COUNTIES COUNTIES Over 1200 cattle were presented at the TUAKAU store sale last Thursday, but dry weather and lower buyer numbers meant the market was tough in places, Keith West of Carrfields Livestock reported. The yarding included some heavier steers at 502-603kg, which traded at $2.75-$2.80/kg. The next cut at 418-495kg made $2.70-$2.84/kg, with

18-month steers, 420-482kg, earning $2.80-$2.90/kg. Good 15-month steers, 364-416kg, sold at $1000$1190, and 302-356kg, $850-$985. A small offering of lighter 15-month steers fetched $790-$840. Some older heifers at 430-445kg traded at $2.70/kg. The 15-month section featured a big line-up of exotic heifers, with the heavier lines at 320-370kg making $935-$1015. The next cut of mostly Hereford-Friesian heifers, 260-310kg, earned $820-$920 and 250-287kg, $700-$785. A handful of weaner heifers sold at $475-$525. Prices also eased at last Wednesday’s prime sale, with most steers, heifers and cows back by 5-10c/kg. Heavy beef steers traded at $2.80-$2.85/kg, medium $2.74-$2.79/ kg, and lighter $2.64-$2.73/kg. Heavy beef heifers earned $2.75-$2.81/ kg and light-medium beef $2.68$2.74/kg. Dairy-type heifers sold from $1.90/kg to $2.30/kg, and beef cows $2.18-$2.42/kg. Heavy, wellconditioned Friesian cows sold at

Continued page 46

It needn’t be. Don’t let your current bank hold you back. Get livestock finance from $10,000. Apply online now in a few easy steps and you could be making your next livestock purchase with confidence. With Heartland Bank you can get up to 100% finance secured against the stock you buy. Then repay the loan when you sell. Find out more:

Text ‘Cash’ to 226 or call 0800 87 50 50.

Markets

46 THE NZ FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – December 11, 2017 $1.94-$2.16/kg, medium $1.78$1.91/kg and lighter boners $1.52$1.75/kg. Beef bulls returned $2.79-$2.94/kg. WAIKATO The start of December has brought with it high temperatures and both sales as FRANKTON last week were held in hot conditions. Summer made itself felt at the first dairy beef weaner sale in December. The local buying bench was buoyed by input from Hawke’s Bay, Northland and South Auckland. Beef and beef-cross heifers returned $400-$510 though a small line of quality Hereford made $650 and Hereford-Friesian earned $402-$570. Beef and beef-cross bulls eased with Angus, 107kg, $380, and Angus-cross, 110kg, $490. Hereford-cross, 96kg, earned $335. Hereford-Friesian returns were strong, with those 104kg lifting to $635-$650, and 97kg, $595-$620. Friesian bulls made healthy returns as 155kg lifted to $642, as did 100kg $475-$480. A limited local buying bench braved the heat last Wednesday to greet a smaller yarding. Two-year Hereford-Friesian steers, 435-491kg, were consistent on recent levels, making $2.79$2.82/kg and Angus-Friesian of similar weight had almost identical returns at $2.77-$2.83/ kg. Hereford-Friesian heifers, 456kg, were also consistent at $2.78/kg. Hereford-Friesian 1-year steers were steady with 310320kg returning $3.14-$3.21/ kg, and 343-351kg, $3.06-$3.13/ kg. Angus-Friesian, 356-419kg, eased to $2.78-$2.84/kg, while the heifers, 304-310kg, were steady at $2.78-$2.82/kg. Hereford-Friesian heifers, 305-327kg, eased to $2.71$2.82/kg. The 1-year bulls were harder going with buyers thin on the ground at the tail end of the sale, and Hereford, 497kg, eased to $3.04/kg, whilst Friesian bulls, 278kg, were also back at $2.45/kg. Prime purebred Hereford bulls and cows were well received, making $2000, $2.83/kg and $1430, $2.30/kg respectively. BAY OF PLENTY BAY OF PLENTY The yards at RANGIURU are filling up with small lines of all sorts. Numbers were expected to be high, and a good gallery of local buyers did gather, though they could afford to be more selective. In general $2.80-$2.92/kg was where most lay, including well finished Friesian steers, 678698kg. A small entry of boner cows, 557-568kg, sold on a firm market at $2.00-$2.08/kg while a line of six Hereford cows with Hereford calves at foot sold very well at $1560 a unit. The 2-year quality was found in the heifer pens where HerefordFriesian, 473-476kg, sold for $2.77/kg, while lighter steers, 335386kg, managed $3.03-$3.13/kg. The 1-year cattle market had a softer tone, but extra weight in the pens meant per head prices were similar to recent levels, though $/ kg were lower. Hereford-Friesian steers, 354-362kg, made $2.93$3.01/kg, and 287-321kg, $3.12/ kg. Heifers of similar breeding and 300-311kg returned $2.89-$2.90/

kg. A line of Speckle Park-cross were very popular, fetching $905, $3.83/kg. With no more weaner only sales a big number came to sale and the smaller outlay was attractive to buyers, with good demand across all classes. The bull pens had a menagerie of colour and Hereford-cross, 89-96kg sold for $435-$470, while Friesian, 110118kg, eased to $490-$535. Lighter Friesian & Friesian-cross, 95106kg, fetched $430-$460. Anguscross and Hereford-Friesian heifers, 100-120kg, returned $440-$540. KING COUNTRY KING COUNTRY An influx of cull ewes at TE KUITI on Wednesday November 29 pushed numbers to almost capacity and while prices eased vendors were still well rewarded. Heavy ewes sold for $130-$175, medium $95-$120, and lighter types, $55-$80. The balance of the yarding was store lambs, and again prices softened marginally. The top lambs returned $85-$95, medium $60-$85, and small, $30-$65. The cattle sale on Friday December 1 featured 1-year Speckle Park steers, which attracted plenty of bids, New Zealand Farmers Livestock agent Brett Wallbank reported. Overall sale returns were steady, with the exception of lesser bred 1-year heifers which eased. Two-year beef-Friesian steers, 410-470kg, traded at $2.77-$2.85/ kg, while a feature line of South Devon heifers, 380-450kg, sold in that mix also at $2.75-$2.88/kg. The Speckle Park steers, 320363kg, made $3.35-$3.68/kg. Simmental-cross and HerefordFriesian steers sold to $2.95$3.54/kg. Angus and Angus-cross heifers were a talking point as 300-340kg sold well at $3.09$3.16/kg, while beef-Friesian, 280320kg, returned $2.78-$2.82/kg. TARANAKI TARANAKI At TARANAKI last Wednesday the market held up better than expected given that concern is mounting as paddocks dry out fast. The yarding was mainly very small lines with just four pens housing over 10 head. Older cattle only eased and a line of prime Angus-Friesian steers, 584kg, made respectable value at $2.83/ kg, while good beef bulls, 556611kg, fetched $2.79-$2.85/kg. Two-year Hereford-Friesian steers, 481-499kg, traded at $2.87$2.93/kg, though 467kg dropped to $2.78/kg. The biggest section of the day was the 1-year steers, and the dry pinch was really felt. Some lines did firm slightly, like 245-277kg Hereford-Friesian to $2.89-$2.96/ kg, though selective bidding on lesser quality off-bred lines meant a wide range of prices recorded. Hereford-Friesian heifers, 222-242kg, firmed to $2.67-$2.77/ kg, and made up most of their section. For the first time this season weaner prices came back as the dry conditions force more farmers to offload sooner rather than later, and also limits buyer interest. Most areas of the North Island are drying out but there was still solid support from Hawke’s Bay, Northland, King Country and to a lesser extent local.

The top Friesian bulls, 125140kg, came back to $540-$590, but the real drop was felt on lines 100-110kg as they lost $50-$70 to finish at $450-$490. A larger portion of the Hereford-Friesian bulls weighed under 100kg, though they made steady returns with 95-97kg earning $590-$610, but few up to 120kg sold above the price ceiling of $610. Angus-Friesian proved to be very hard to sell, and 95-115kg sold for $440-$505. Heifer represented good shopping compared to recent levels. Hereford-Friesian, 100107kg, sold for $430-$500, and 125-135kg, $505-$550 to be the best selling in the section. Lesser types barely hit $400. POVERTY BAY POVERTY BAY A little over 3200 store lambs came forward at MATAWHERO and fell back on previous weeks. Most were light lines, usually selling in the $50-$65 range, though the tail-enders were more like $30-$54. Lambs with good weight had the best sale, usually $84.50-$98.50. A few ewes were available too. The better lines made $117-$147, with the rest generally above $100. HAWKE’S BAY HAWKE’S BAY Summer has made itself known in Hawkes Bay since December rolled over, and both sale days were scorchers at STORTFORD LODGE last week. The Monday sale offered up high numbers of both ewes and cattle, while store volumes last Wednesday took a timely fall. Ewe numbers came back slightly though were still high, and the heavy and medium ewes eased. Heavy ewe prices dropped $10 to $118-$127, while $5 was taken off medium types at $106$114. Farmers looking for grazing ewes kept the lighter end steady at $80-$102. Stable lamb schedules meant the prime lamb market had a steady to firm tone. Heavy lines, 40kg plus, sold for $145-$168, and forward stores $118-$131. An increased number of cattle met a bigger buying bench which included finishers, and results were positive. Beef steers were chased by a range of buyers and Angus, Angus-Hereford and the higher yielding Hereford-Friesian pushed to $3.03-$3.10/kg. The heifer market was not as buoyant but still healthy all the same, and a big line-up of Angus, 438-530kg, sold over a tight band of $2.77-$2.79/kg, which was slightly softer than recent levels. Most lines of heifers traded within a $2.71-$2.81/kg range. Good cryptorchid and mixed sex lambs traded at $90-$92.50, while a similar weighted line of rams returned $97. Light-medium lambs made similar levels across all classes, trading at $79-$85, while lighter types made up the biggest portion of the yarding and sold for $47-$78. Ewes proved harder to shift, especially if they had lambs on them. A line of very woolly 2-4 tooth ewes looked buyable at $117, with the older ewes making $104. Most ewes with lambs sold for $72-$85 all counted. Cattle numbers reduced significantly. A feature line of

well-bred 1-year Angus heifers were a highlight, with these wellpresented animals selling locally for breeding at $1250, $2.98/ kg. Regular buyers picked up the only big line of 2-year Angus steers, 552kg, for $3.02/kg, though these were bettered by a good line of Limousin-cross, 535kg, at $3.09/kg. Also of note was a line of 18-month Angus & AngusHereford steers, which were good shopping at $2.71/kg for 433kg. The 1-year Friesian bull section was the biggest but proved to be the hardest to sell, with most lines sold subject though all bar one sold by sale end. A heavy line at 420kg sold for $2.62/kg, while 377kg matched Feilding prices at $2.77/kg. An unusual sight in these yards was dairy-beef weaner’s, and prices matched the quality as the bulls, 78-95kg, sold for $435-$470, and heifers, 82kg, $420. Friesian cows carried on the dairy theme, with empty cows making $1.99/kg, and two younger pens that were run-withbull, $2.03-$2.06/kg. MANAWATU MANAWATU The continuing dry conditions brought more good cattle onto the market at RONGOTEA last Wednesday, with many heading over the hill to the other side of the island, New Zealand Farmers Livestock agent Darryl Harwood reported. A line of 3-year Jersey bulls, 592kg, returned $2.94/kg, while good boner cows made $1.89$2.15/kg, and lesser sorts, $1.43$1.62/kg. In-calf Hereford cows sold for $1050. Store cattle proved harder going, but support from outside the region kept the market alive. Very heavy cattle came forward, with Hereford Friesian steers, 640kg, making $2.70/kg and crossbred, 475-640kg, $2.26$2.64/kg. Heifer weights pushed up to 522kg and made $2.71/kg, with other lines trading at $2.22$2.38/kg. A nice line of Hereford bulls, 477kg, sold for breeding at $3.69/kg, and Jersey bulls, 402430kg, returned $2.47-$2.73/kg. Eighteen-month Friesian bulls, 460kg, sold well at $2.96/kg. In the 1-year pens, the better lines of Hereford-Friesian sold up to $3.17/kg, though in general good lines, including Murray Grey, traded at just $2.48-$2.63/ kg. Again lesser lines dropped right off the pace. Friesian bulls, 272-480kg, earned $2.44-$2.46/ kg, and Hereford, 355kg, $3.10/kg, with the heifers 387kg and earning $2.58/kg. All other heifers traded at $2.08-$2.41/kg for mainly beef and beef-cross. The weaner section was a highlight as prices held up well. Autumn-born Hereford-Friesian bulls, 180-210kg, returned $530$590, and Friesian, 172kg, $600. Hereford-Friesian heifers, 180kg, made $520, while their younger sisters, 88-195kg, fetched $410$510. Murray Grey-cross and Angus-cross returned $400-$470. In the bull pens Friesian, 93150kg, made $440-$520, HerefordFriesian, 75-125kg, $325-$500, and crossbred, 95-117kg, $290-$320. Mixed age ewes sold for $51$101, hoggets $73, and mixed sex lambs, $45-$101. Another hot, dry day drew a big

yarding of stock to FEILDING last Monday. Heavy lamb prices were immune to the dry impact, as these short term lambs reflected stable schedules. Very heavy lambs sold up to $149-$154, with heavy types earning $125$146. Just over 30% of the lambs were medium types which did ease to $109-$123 due to the dry conditions, with smaller lines making $86-$91. About $3-$5 came off prices with a good number earning $125-$143, while medium and medium-good types returned $91-$121. Light ewes generally traded at $70-$85 with few below that level. One very heavy Friesian steer made $2245, $2.61/kg. The exotic lines were the pick with 600-690kg earning $2.71-$2.76/kg, while four Angus-cross, 492kg, managed $2.89/kg. Best heifers sold to $2.71-$2.77/ kg but local trade dropped to $2.46-$2.50/kg. Friesian bulls, 377-400kg were well off the pace at $2.30-$2.37/kg, while two ex-service Angus, 845kg, cracked $2000 to sell for $2.54/kg. Beef-Friesian cows eased to $1.84-$1.90/kg for 500-565kg, and boner prices also back as 530707kg made $1.86-$1.95/kg, and 450-540kg, $1.80-$1.85/kg. On Friday a very large entry of lambs put enormous pressure on the buyers and prices slumped across the board. Over 18,000 lambs was too many. 284 top mixed sex blackface lambs sold for $115 and two other lines sold for $101 and $100.50 but many pens were passed in and significant numbers did not get a bid. A recent regular vendor sold 26 top two-year steers for $1775, $3.03/kg, a 10c/kg fall and that was typical of both the older and the yearling steers. Eleven very forward Angus yearlings sold for $1420, $2.93/kg and most of the heavier yearling steers could not broach $3/kg. Bulls were similarly afflicted with a reasonable number of good, well marked Friesian bulls offered. Two pens of yearlings sold for $1140, $2.61/kg and $2.6/kg. Steers; 2-year, 320-585kg, $800$1775, $2.50-$3.04/kg; 1-year, 287-484kg, $700-$1420, $2.40$3.37/kg; Bulls; 2-year, 466-559kg, $1070-$1690, $2.30-$3.02/kg; 1-year, 283-437kg, $730-$1140, $2.39-$3.04/kg; Heifers; 2-year, 381-473kg, $1040-$1240, $2.57$2.74/kg. WAIRARAPA WAIRARAPA A week of hot dry conditions both locally and across much of the North Island altered the lamb market significantly at MASTERTON last Thursday, PGG Wrightson agent Steve Wilkinson reported. A further 6500 were offered with most whiteface cryptorchid, and limited buying power from Hawkes Bay and local buyers resulted in the top and medium lambs coming back $10-$15 to $75-$85 and $60-$70 respectively. The previous week’s strong demand for light, long term lambs had all but disappeared, with the buying gallery much smaller than was needed for the larger number offered, and most traded at $30$40.

Markets

CANTERBURY CANTERBURY While ewe numbers came down marginally at COALGATE last Thursday, a lift in store and prime lamb volume meant some shuffling of pens was needed to sell all lines. Good mixed sex store lambs managed $96-$109 though most lines traded at $70-$89 with lighter types earning $51-$69. Most prime lambs traded at $90-$139, and a smaller top end, $140-$168. Another big yarding of 3330 ewes was too many. Very heavy types smanaged $193-$226, but $130-$168 was more common ground for better ewes, with lighter types trading at $70-$127. Prime cattle prices continue to ease as numbers flow at a steady rate into the processors. Steers ranged from very heavy lines through to local trade types, and the easing was felt across all. One 705kg steer managed $3.10/ kg, but it was the only line to sell that high, with most 600kg plus earning $2.81-$2.90/kg. The better yielding lines in the 460-508kg range made $2.86-$2.89/kg, with the next cut of similar weight earning $2.70-$2.85/kg. High yielding heifers eased to $2.69-$2.78/kg and made up a good chunk of the section. Other lines traded at $2.50-$2.66/kg, and dairy, 360-400kg, $2.40-$2.56/kg. The store pens featured a mainly Hereford-Friesian line-up though prices varied dependent on quality and what limited interest there was. A line of 1-year HerefordFriesian steers, 397kg, were off the pace at $2.72/kg, while the better quality lines of beef-cross heifers, 331-359kg, managed $2.96-$2.97/ kg. The heaviest Hereford-Friesian 1-year steers, 306kg, made $2.94/ kg. Most other lines made $2.79$2.88/kg. The weaner bull pens mainly featured Friesian and the limited buyers in the market would have been happy with what they paid as 92-108kg fetched $380-$400. Sheep sale attendees appreciated the covered yards at CANTERBURY PARK last Tuesday as temperatures soared outside. Store lambs came from as far afield as Ward, and numbers lifted to nearly 4000 head. Mixed sex still made up the majority, and the only weight range to hold value

THE NZ FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – December 11, 2017 was the light lines at $55-$75. Better lines came back as medium lines made $66-$87, and tops, $79-$100. Prime lambs eased as a small top end sold to $160-$178, but the bulk traded at $100-$158. The prime ewe market pulled back $20 a head. Some lines still pushed to $200, though at a much smaller percentage. Most ewes sold for $71-$145, with just 20% good and heavy ewes at $148$179. Finishers offloaded steers and heifers in droves as hot dry conditions really start to affect feed levels. Nearly 400 prime cattle were offered, with most in the steer and heifer pens. Straight traditional cattle topped the section as Angus and Hereford, 500-713kg, sold up to $3.03-$3.11/kg, though high yielding exotic and beef-cross lines managed $2.91-$3.02/kg. Extra buyers for forward stores meant these also traded at $2.95$3.05/kg, while Hereford-Friesian, 565-585kg, sold for $2.90-$2.97/kg on a firm market. The only lines of significance to drop below $2.80/kg were dairy and dairy-cross. The heifer market was harder work and apart from some small pockets of strength for top quality cattle, prices overall eased. Very little differentiated the top straight beef lines with exotic and beefFriesian as nearly all trading at reduced levels of $2.70-$2.80/kg, though a few small lines managed $2.82-$2.94/kg. Friesian heifers, 446kg, sold for $2.30/kg. Beef cows made up the bulk of their section and most sold for $1.95-$2.09/kg. Wednesday’s dairy-beef calf selling season saw a yarding of 430 calves and proceeds from some donated lines went to the IHC. A few top quality lines of Friesian bulls, 114-141kg, managed $480-540, but most stopped at $435, with 85-129kg trading at $360-$435. Jersey and crossbred lines mainly traded under $300. A limited supply of Hereford-Friesian bulls were very much on the money of recent sales as 117-120kg traded hands at $515-$540. Heifer prices were solid for what the calves were, and 89-95kg returned $350-$370, while 98-115kg made $370-$420. Two slightly heavier lines did manage to crack $500.

SOUTH CANTERBURY SOUTH CANTERBURY At TEMUKA last Monday all sections eased but the fall was not dramatic while the store sale last Thursday offered a mix of quality and prices mostly eased. Store lamb numbers were not high at 1390 and the majority were longer term types, 30kgs and under. Interest was limited in these and prices came back with mixed sex trading at $57-$95 to make up the majority, Single sex ewe lambs sold very well at $81$100, with males respectable at $80-$93.50. Prime lamb prices eased to $100-$158, with hoggets making $110-$139. Ewe numbers again nearly hit 4000 head, and prices came back $5-$10, though that was lower than expected. Very heavy ewes still made $191-$127, and heavy types $150-$189. A larger number sold in the $90-$139 range or at $50-$88. The ewes and hoggets with lambs-at-foot held up and varied from $55 all counted to $108. In the rostrum export steers and heifers eased with the steers trading at $2.90-$2.95/kg for straight Angus and Hereford, Hereford-Friesian, 591-755kg, $2.83-$2.91/kg. The next cut made $2.80-$2.89/kg, which was also where most of the higher yielding and local trade heifers sat. Good Angus cows, 570-673kg, made solid returns at $2.15-$2.20/kg. The bull market was a highlight as prices improved and Friesian, 584-700kg, sold for $2.82-$2.87/ kg, with Jersey, 505-544kg, surprisingly strong at $2.61-$2.70/ kg. Dairy heifer and cow numbers were high and given the volume available at auction and to the processors some of the demand has fallen off, with prices steady to easing. Good Friesian heifers, 490-570kg, traded at $2.52-$2.69/ kg, with prices dropping to $2.30$2.39/kg for the next tier. In the boner cow pens $2.00/ kg proved more elusive, with just a handful of small pens managing to reach that level. Better Friesian traded at $1.88-$1.98/kg, covering weights down to 480kg if they had good cover. A steady flow of store cattle warrants weekly sales at present, and last Thursday throughput pushed to 690 head. The sale included a consignment of 114

1-year Hereford-Devon bulls from the Chatham Island’s which, at 241-371kg, sold over a very tight range of $2.66-$2.77/kg. An easing over the 1-year pens was not entirely unexpected and while there were quality cattle through a yarding dominated by small lines of lesser types, all bar good quality traditional heifers softened. Hereford-Friesian steers with good weight at 356-441kg eased to $2.72/kg, though a slightly lighter range of 335-345kg had a bit more quality and made similar per head prices of $980-$990, bringing their $/kg up. Hereford-cross, 257306kg, sold for $2.88/kg. Good traditional heifers were the class closest to recent values as Angus and Hereford, 330-350kg, made steady returns at $2.99/kg, while 206-244kg Hereford managed $3.16/kg. The pick of the Hereford-Friesian lines were those 298-303kg, $2.94$2.95/kg, and a big line of 325kg also sold to increased interest at $2.91/kg. Most other lines traded at $2.66-$2.88/kg dependent on weight and quality. Friesian bulls featured in the weaner pens though prices were back on recent sales. Those 119142kg made just $410-$430, while a line of autumn-born, 235kg, earned $510. OTAGO OTAGO New season lamb’s numbers are flowing steadily at BALCLUTHA, with good volume in the store pens last Wednesday. Ewe prices eased as space at the processors tightens up. A good yarding of store lambs was well followed, though the dry conditions did limit bids. Top lambs sold for $88.50, medium $72-$80, and small, $45-$50. The prime pens were busy and lambs continued to sell well but at a slightly lesser rate than the previous week. Heavy lambs eased $5 to $140$145, while medium types held value at $130-$135. A bigger third cut returned $110-$120, and hoggets sold for $1w25-$145. Ewe prices suffered the consequences of limited space and while values were still respectable the market notably eased. Heavy ewes traded at $135-$140, medium $120-$125, and light $70-$105. Rams returned $70-$115.

SOUTHLAND SOUTHLAND LORNEVILLE ticked off the first sale for December with solid results across most classes. A big yarding of store lambs was the main feature in the sheep section, and while prices eased slightly on the last sale results were still satisfactory. The top lambs sold to $88-$100, medium $78-$85, and light $60-$70, with most weight ranges $10 behind the previous week. A similar trend in the prime lamb pens had top lines making $125-$130 compared to $130$150 the previous week, while medium types sold for $115-$125, and lighter, $100-$103. Heavy ewes sold on a steady market at $139-$172, and medium $110$135, though lighter types eased to $80-$90. Steers were noted for their absence in a medium prime yarding, but were replaced with bulls, 500-550kg which sold well at $2.44-$2.72/kg. Heifer values were also solid as 470-570kg returned $2.70-$2.77/kg, and the best of the cows made $1.80-$2.00/kg. Medium cows sold for $1.64/kg. The store pens featured 1-year Hereford-cross steers, 320-350kg, $2.65-$2.85/kg and heifers, 270350kg, $2.77-$2.85/kg. Demand for calves was strong and good dairy-beef bulls, 100-120kg, fetched $400-$520, and heifers of similar weight, $350-$450. Limited space and dry conditions had a detrimental effect on prime prices at CHARLTON last Wednesday, though new season lambs held value, PGG Wrightson agent Nicol Gray reported. Both the prime lambs and ewes dropped to the lowest levels seen in a long time, and heavy lambs traded at $120-$127, medium $105-$112, and lighter, $94-$100. Ewe prices quickly followed, with each weight range losing around $20-$35 per head. Heavy ewes still made reasonable values at $135-$145 though were limited in number, while medium types returned $100-$115, and light, $70-$85. Very light ewes sold for $70-$80, 2-tooths $80-$105, and rams, $70-$100. Store lamb prices were more resilient with the top lines just marginally softer at $90-$95, while medium and light types held value at $80-$88 and $65-$75 respectively.

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Markets

48 THE NZ FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – December 11, 2017 SI SLAUGHTER STAG

NI SLAUGHTER LAMB

NI SLAUGHTER BULL

($/KG)

YEARLING ANGUS STEERS, 340-425KG, AT FEILDING

($/KG)

($/KG LW)

10.60

7.10

5.55

3.02

high $60-$70 lights Medium lambs at Masterton

Rams reflect confidence Alan Williams alan.williams@nzx.com

IGH confidence in the sheep sector was the key message from the record Meadowslea ram sale in South Canterbury. “We sold 60 more rams than last year, at higher prices and had more registered buyers,” vendor David Giddings said. “It was the biggest sale we’ve had in the 20 years we’ve been going but the best thing is the confidence. “There’s no more ewes around and the shortage of breeding stock and the strong lamb and mutton prices mean farmers are prepared to invest in the top genetics.” Giddings’ Meadowslea Stud near Fairlie sold 260 rams out of the 300 or so on offer, spread across about 85 buyers. Average prices were about $100 higher than last year. The top price of $4200 was paid for a Romney ram by Taihape farming group Carey Alibaster Trust. “It was one of our best performers but also a big, strong, powerful ram,” Giddings said. The average for the Romneys was $1070 in a strong market. The top-price ram was one of two sold to the North Island, with most rams headed to Southland. The Meadowslea auction, featuring seven different sheep breeds, was one of the

KEEN BUYER: Kent Tisdall of Macraes, Palmerston, inspects Romdale rams. He paid the top price of $1800 for one of the rams in front of him. The overall top price of $4200 went to lot 2, a Romney, in the bottom left pen.

biggest single-vendor sales in New Zealand. Giddings said the best clearance was in the Kelso Terminal sire group, in which 81 of the 84 rams on offer were sold, with a top price of $1800 and an average of $980. Demand was strong for the blackface Kelso breed with its reputation for high lambing survival rates and early lamb maturity allowing for early processing to take advantage of the high early lamb schedules. High lambing percentages and survival rates were giving farmers more ewe lambs and more farming choice, he said. The big mutton prices were tempting farmers to sell older

ewes earlier than they might have otherwise and with lower numbers of trading stock available they were keeping more ewe hoggets and lambs to rebuild the flocks. Sheep farmers were starting to believe dairying would not expand any further and they were back in the game, Giddings said. “They’ve gone from yearto-year wondering if they’ve being doing the right thing staying in but the confidence has returned.” For the time-being, though, sheep were increasingly being run on hill-country and that meant most of the hill-bred Meadowslea rams would

be going to similar country. Banks Peninsula farmers were also among the buyers. As well and Romney and the Kelso terminals, Giddings sold TexRom, Romdales, Perendale/Tex/Romney, Kelso/Romney and Kelso maternal rams. The Romdale rams were a very good line, fetching a top price of $1800. The best sale average was for the Perendale three-way cross at $1200 and a top price of $2200. Giddings said he was keen to reduce the number of breeds he ran at Meadowslea but the market said they were still required as farmers changed and mixed their breeds.

$3.54-$3.66/kg One-year Angus steers, 285-345kg, at Matawhero

Dairy-beef calf market holds up ONE of the main focuses at dairydominant sale yards in recent months has been on the dairybeef weaner fairs and calf sales, which are keenly followed. The main cattle traded at those Suz Bremner sales are Friesian bulls, HerefordAgriHQ Analyst Friesian heifers and HerefordFriesian bulls to a smaller degree, hence the dairy-beef title. We are well through these now in both islands though in many areas volumes are higher than usual this far through due to slower growth rates as calves struggled through the wet conditions. However, as areas have dried off and feed has hardened the calves have really lifted in weight with more coming on stream at the later sales. To start with contract prices for 100kg calves were $450-$470 in the South Island and $550$580 in the North. It is always of great interest to see how they stack up against auction prices. In a typical year the first sales start with a hiss and a roar and as buyers fill their orders demand and prices taper off. We all know this year has been anything but typical and, again, we saw an anomaly in another market as prices up to this week held reasonably solid. It appears there are more people looking for calves with bigger budgets to do so as strong schedule prices have meant better budgets for replacements. This year LivestockEye reports have covered a large number of those sales and AgriHQ has obtained a lot of data to make comprehensive analysis. In the North Island prices until this week’s sales held and 100-110kg Friesian bulls traded at $520-$570 with a bit of variance between areas. In the South Island the money has been more like $450-$480 and so, not surprisingly, many calves have crossed Cook Strait to become North Islanders because they can be landed at a lower price than the North Island calves. Hereford-Friesian bulls (North Island) have traded at $640-$690 for 110-120kg though some sales have pushed past $700. suz.bremner@nzx.com

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