Farmers Weekly NZ May 29 2017 by AgriHQ

North Island crops bogged down Vol 16 No 21, May 29, 2017

farmersweekly.co.nz

$3.95

Incl GST

Consents to cost $50K? This is a sign of how political it is.

Neal Wallace neal.wallace@nzx.com

EEKING a resource consent from the Manawatu-Wanganui Regional Council has become a lot more complex and costlier following an Environment Court ruling that will have repercussions around the country. Some believed complex consent applications from Horizons could now cost more than $50,000 but there was general agreement the ruling, sought by the Aucklandbased Environmental Defence Society (EDS) and Wellington Fish and Game, would require councils to take a stricter definition of environmental plans. Ramifications from the ruling could affect the granting of restricted discretionary consents and the way councils considered the practicality and affordability of consent conditions. Processing of about 40 consents with the council was suspended following the court decision earlier this year, which ruled the council was not following its One Plan when considering nutrient leaching. As a result of the case, the council warned consents would take longer, be more involved and cost more. Its strategy and regulation group manager Nic Peet said it was still to determine a new cost structure and the type of information required for complex consents. “Will farmers need to commission an ecological and environmental effects report? “A key question is around

James Stewart Federated Farmers

STOPPED: Tararua farmer Neil Filer is committed to the environment and wants to change his farming practice to reflect that but might have to start his resource consent application with the Manawatu-Wanganui Regional Council over again. Photo: Graeme Brown

farmers needing to analyse and give effect to all the policies and plans and if that will require planning support. “An open question at the moment is will they be required to assess the potential impacts on drinking water intakes?’ Peet said how those questions were answered depended on the complexity of the consent and environmental aspects of each application. Horizons’ use of Overseer as a regulatory nutrient management tool was one reason the case went against it. Peet said a new version of

Overseer was released after the council’s One Plan was notified, which meant most farms that met leaching criteria under the earlier version were suddenly in breach despite not changing their farm management. The court also determined the One Plan did not allow the council to take account of the practicalities and affordability of mitigating options for applicants when considering consents because that option was not written into the plan. “If the community wants it (practicalities and affordability of mitigation) to be a factor then

they needed to have it written into the plan,” Peet said. As a result of the ruling Peet advised councils to take care in granting discretion in consents and assessing cumulative effects from diffuse pollution sources. Local Government New Zealand regional group chairman Doug Leeder advised farmers to look closely at the implications of councils using Overseer nutrient budgeting as a regulatory tool. Manawatu Federated Farmers past president James Stewart warned the court ruling could see councils apply a more rigid definition of environmental law.

“This is a sign of how political it is, that it goes right down to points of law and it could happen in other parts of the country.” In the South Island the EDS had successfully sought an Environment Court declaration on land use changes to the Mackenzie District Council’s district plan. Federated Farmers had sought clarity on that ruling through an appeal to the High Court, fearing farmers would now require resource consent for activities such as applying fertiliser or fencing. EDS and Fish and Game had also offered to co-operate with the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council to seek a ruling on the “ambiguities” of nitrogen limits in the consent conditions for the Ruataniwha Dam. Horizons chairman Bruce Gordon said the original scheme would have removed 200 tonnes of nitrogen from the region’s waterways once all 400 dairy farms were consented. Progress was being made on water quality in the region with results from 10 years monitoring at 36 sites showing improved readings for E coli, oxidised nitrogen, dissolved reactive phosphorus and turbidity.

MORE: NO APOLOGY FARMER STYMIED

P3 P3

NEWS

NEW THINKING

Soil Moisture Anomaly (mm) at 9am May 26, 2017

25 Invisible allies to help

5 Fonterra gives dairy

farmer

60 Wetter than

Anyone taking a passing interest in CSI style forensics knows the central part DNA plays in identifying assorted bad guys, culprits and victims.

OPINION

normal (mm)

28 Alternative View

-10

Alan Emerson says put the TPP to pasture. -20

confidence

Editorial �� 26

Confidence flooded back into dairy farming with Fonterra’s announcement of 15c/kg more on this season’s milk payout bringing it to $6.15 and an opening forecast for next season of $6.50.

Cartoon �� 26

-30

Letters �� 26

-50

8 More milkers moving this

Pulpit �� 27 Alternative View �� 28 From the Ridge �� 29

year

Meaty Matters �� 28

More share and contract milkers are on the move this year than last year for Gypsy Day, the nationwide betweenseasons transfer of machinery, cows, belongings and families.

WORLD

11 New collagen plant will

Farm sector leaders in France are looking for the country’s new government to play a strong role in the European Union while protecting French producers against the continued loss of market share to foreign competitors.

harvest hides

A group of businessmen and farmers have joined with American biotechnologists to harvest products used in human medicine from closed bovine herds in Northland.

30 French will be tough in talks

Fonterra gives dairy confidence �� 5 TPP officially back on the table �� 7

MARKETS

Northern harvest is bogged down �� 4

More milkers moving this year �� 8 Dairy Exporter takes top award �� 10 New collagen plant will harvest hides �� 11 A new way for inclusive answers �� 13 Milk price payment change mooted �� 15

NEWSMAKER

24 Bull proves a good

investment

Beef Expo chairman Simon Collin, a Charolais breeder, was delighted when one of his two show and sale bulls, rising two-year-old Timoho Legacy, was judged Champion of Champions.

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 Real Estate �� 31-37 Employment �� 38-39 Classifieds �� 38 Livestock �� 39-43

Rules stymie eco-friendly farmer �� 3

Drier than normal (mm)

48 Lewis

of the

Week

Herd manager – Premium Farm, Hamilton. This is a rare opportunity to obtain a herd manager role on a well performing farm in an excellent location, working in a great team environment. Drumlea is a well-resourced 320ha dairy farm milking 900 cows through a 50-bail rotary with Protrack and auto drafting. For more information and a full job description visit the Farmers Weekly jobs site: farmersweeklyjobs.co.nz and click on Manager category. To find all other agjobs click on All Categories. #agjobs at your fingertips.

shows her class Vivienne Lewis is responsible for the results of one of the biggest shearing jobs in New Zealand and the work has won her the NZ Wool Classers Association crossbred wool merit award.

Market Snapshot �� 44

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

COMPETITIVE PRICES

I TOP SERVICE I PREMIUM MARKETS

www.affco.co.nz

I 0800 AFFCONZ (2332669)

L ocal Peo ple k Local L ivestoc

WAVE22479

For all your Livestock Processing Needs contact your AFFCO OR SPM Buyer

News

THE NZ FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – May 29, 2017

No apologies for seeking strict ruling Neal Wallace neal.wallace@nzx.com ENVIRONMENTAL Defence Society head Gary Taylor makes no apologies for successfully taking legal action over the way the ManawatuWanganui Regional Council was implementing its One Plan. The council, also known as Horizons, was not acting lawfully, he said. Farmer anger at the Environment Court ruling which found the council was implementing the plan incorrectly should be directed at the council. “We were seeking a lawful interpretation of the plan,” he said. EDS and Wellington Fish and Game successfully took the council to the Environment Court over its interpretation of nutrient leaching in its One Plan but Taylor said no one was above the law. The council and farmers said the ruling meant resource consents would take longer to process, require more information and be more costly. Taylor acknowledged in some cases farmers might face a

There has been a sea-change in farmer attitude in most parts of the country though not all of it and a recognition from Federated Farmers and others that we need to work within environmental limits and water quality limits.

NEWE THINKING: Environmental Defence Society head Gary Taylor says farmers are changing their attitude to the environment.

difficult transition to manage their environmental effects as required by the plan but that was true throughout New Zealand as part of fresh water management reforms. Water quality data showing an improvement was presented to the court by the council but Taylor said the court still ruled it was

Gary Taylor Environmental Defence Society

not administering the One Plan correctly. The EDS has also been involved in legal action over the Mackenzie District Council’s district plan change 13, with Federated Farmers now seeking a High Court hearing on the document following the society’s successful court action.

Taylor said farmers would not get from the High Court the clarity about the impact of the plans changes that they sought. He also called for the Mackenzie Country Forum, a working group of farmers, locals and environmentalists, to discuss how conservation and farming could co-exist.

While his non-government organisation was determined to ensure councils administered plans correctly he had noticed a change in attitude towards the environment among most farmers. “There has been a sea-change in farmer attitude in most parts of the country though not all of it and a recognition from Federated Farmers and others that we need to work within environmental limits and water quality limits.”

Rules stymie eco-friendly farmer Neal Wallace neal.wallace@nzx.com ALL Neil Filer needed was a signature from the ManawatuWanganui Regional Council confirming the granting of resource consent for his two Tararua dairy farms. He could then start introducing farm management changes that reduced his impact on the environment after an investment so far of about $10,000 and countless hours of work preparing his consent application. But all that was now in limbo after

Fish and Game Wellington and the Environmental Defence Society (EDS) successfully took a case to the Environment Court arguing the council’s One Plan was not being implemented lawfully. Filer warned farmers throughout the country they could face the same challenge from environmental groups resulting in regional councils adopting a more rigid interpretation of their environment plans. “Look out for these guys, they don’t have your interests at heart,” he said of EDS and Fish and Game. Filer said as a result of that court case the council, which also calls

itself Horizons, would have to revert to an interpretation he described as “unworkable”. Despite the upheaval, Filer was committed to shifting from growing crops to winter his cows to a more environmentally friendly regime of feeding them silage and hay. “We are committed to doing these changes. It is up to the council to catch up with us.”

STUMPED: Dairy farmer Neil Filer’s consent was ready to go but a court ruling means environmental improvements he planned were now unworkable.

A full report on the implications of the court ruling will appear in Farmers Weekly next week.

New policy opens the door for NZ residency

Mark Williams Immigration Partner t +64 3 353 1063 m +64 21 222 2363 e mark.williams@laneneave.co.nz

• Under 55? • Working in the South Island more than five years? • Can’t qualify for residency under the Skilled Migrant Category? There is a new policy that may provide you and thousands of South Island workers with a pathway to NZ residency. This is a temporary policy and will attract a lot of applications so don’t delay.

Contact New Zealand’s leading immigration practice now to find out more: T 0800 802 800 E liveinnewzealand@laneneave.co.nz laneneave.co.nz

News

THE NZ FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – May 29, 2017

Northern harvest is bogged down Annette Scott annette.scott@nzx.com NORTH Island cropping farmers have struggled through an extremely challenging autumn taking every window of opportunity to finish harvest and plant new season crops. “It’s certainly been a season to remember for all the wrong reasons,” Federated Farmers North Island arable industry vicechairman Hew Dalrymple said. “Right across the island it’s been a very late finish to harvest and the results have been disappointing. “Maize silage yields were poor and while maize grain harvesting is just getting under way, again yields are coming in poor, 15-20% across the board – not good,” Dalrymple said. Significant areas of maize silage were not harvested because of the boggy ground conditions and had been carried over for grain harvest. The two cyclones caused considerable flooding damage and crop loss to many parts of the country. Paddocks in Bay of Plenty and Waikato had been under water and in most other areas ground conditions got just too wet. High winds caused lodging, especially in the eastern North Island. While maize silage harvesting was now complete, maize grain harvesting continued slowly because of wet ground and because grain moisture levels had been slow to fall. Maize yields were generally below average to average, which reflected the difficult climatic season. For many regions it was generally dry from mid-December to mid-February then, come autumn, ground conditions in

most North Island areas were very wet and not conducive to harvesting grain. Maize yields in Waikato were below average, less than 10t/ ha while in Bay of Plenty about 3000 tonnes of maize grain was adversely affected by flooding. In Gisborne yields were down 15% to 20% on average and despite irrigation most Hawke’s Bay grain yields were less than 12t/ha. The wet ground in Manawatu was making grain harvesting very problematic with some combines requiring tracks while in Wairarapa silage yields were below average at 15t to 17t DM and ground conditions just drying now to start grain harvesting. “Spring pricing was poor and now poor yields, farmers will lose money on maize,” Dalrymple said. The worry to come would be meeting end-user demand. “The grower doesn’t have to make the phone call, trading is buyer-driven.”

Next season I don’t think there will be any lack of crops to grow. Demand will be there from end-users. Hew Dalrymple Federated Farmers While maize had lifted an average $70 a tonne since spring to be at “the north side of $400” now, the downfall of poor yields wasn’t seeing farmers any better off. International prices and import parity were also a relative check on any benefit for local growers.

NO PROFIT: North Island farmers will lose money on maize this year, Federated Farmers North Island arable sector vicechairman Hew Dalrymple says.

Barley yields and quality were down with a lot of rejected grain meaning malting companies had not been delivered the volumes they wanted. “A lot of barley dropped down to feed market price and bang, not made any money.” Autumn planting had been frustrating. A lot of maize missed getting planted with land now left to fallow over winter. “There may be some winter wheat if it dries up but there’s not a lot of winter cereal here anyway. Spring barley could be an alternative as could peas but it all depended on market demand and what happened weather-wise heading into spring. “Next season I don’t think there will be any lack of crops to grow, with stocks low in both maize and grain and malting companies not getting what they wanted this season. Demand will be there from end-users. “It could be a year for North Island growers to step up and plant a bit more – to see money lost in paddocks and some of us

have lost a lot of money in seed peas and for others, in maize. We have some making up to do,” Dalrymple said. Looking forward, the good news was on the pea front. Early indications were for a successful first year of the Wairarapa pea moratorium. “We have some very positive results from the first year. It’s been good news for the industry nationwide, no pea weevils have been found outside of Wairarapa,” grains vice chairman Brian Leadley said. “So, long term, looking forward we have got to be grateful to those Wairarapa farmers who have taken the hit for the whole industry.” Leadley said the industry was in a position to look for wider opportunities for those growers in their second year of the moratorium. “We are hopeful we will have better options available to them for this next season but again that will depend a lot on what spring deals up.” Meanwhile, global wheat stocks would end the season at a record

volume as consumption eased, mostly as a result of reduced feed requirements, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) said. An abundance of wheat on the global market would keep prices low and generally meant a cap on prices in New Zealand to limit imports of cheaper product. Ending stocks of wheat were expected to grow even higher than the 2016-17 level as global wheat consumption dropped from last year’s record. The USDA forecast an increase in food use would only partially offset lower demand on wheat for feed and residual usage. Imports were forecast to increase on the previous year’s volumes, making it the fifth consecutive year of record capacities. Weather was also pressuring international markets with offshore grain markets continuing to experience volatility as they also remained somewhat “weather markets” with the trade continuing to keep one eye on the weather charts.

Fresh, attractive and tasty, but deadly effective! • Freshly made in New Zealand • Highly palatable to rats and mice • Single feed lethal dose • Use in conjunction with a Dead Rat Café for deadly results

Available from all good rural retailers

For full details on how to eradicate rodents go to www.youtube.com/watch?v=-RwY7goPzWM or scan the QR Code to view a short video that shows how easy it is to bait a station with either PestOff rodent blocks or pellets.

Registered pursuant to the ACVM Act 1997, No. V005099. See: http://www.nzfsa.govt.nz/acvm for registration details.

News

THE NZ FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – May 29, 2017

Fonterra gives dairy confidence Hugh Stringleman hugh.stringleman@nzx.com CONFIDENCE flooded back into dairy farming with Fonterra’s announcement of 15c/kg more on this season’s milk payout bringing it to $6.15 and an opening forecast for next season of $6.50. The strong numbers were built on steady milk supplies around the world and continued strong and balanced demand, especially in Latin America, China and the rest of Asia, chairman John Wilson said. Being conservative with the opening forecast so it could lift during the 2017-18 season and maybe avoid downside risk in world prices was not an option open to Fonterra. “It is our best estimate now from a weighted average model based on what we expect the year ahead to provide.” That was now enshrined in the Milk Price Model and scrutinised by the Commerce Commission. Consecutive seasons of $6-plus payouts would restore confidence and allow dairy farmers to return to profit but volatility was an everpresent fact in world markets, he said. Wilson was commenting on the spread in recent seasons between his opening forecasts and the closing prices – the past three seasons contained both the biggest fall ($2.60 in 2014-15) and the biggest rise ($1.90, 2016-17 provisional).

It is our best estimate now . . . on what we expect the year ahead to provide. John Wilson Fonterra Therefore, all dairy farmers should be cautious with their budgets at this early stage of the season. A new forecast earnings range for the 2018 financial year would be announced in August, after Fonterra’s own budgeting was complete. The market guidance for FY2017 remained at 45c to 55c/ share with a target dividend of 40c, he said.

Volume to higher Value at Velocity

Late season milk will lead to increased sales in final quarter 1

Optimise NZ milk

DIRA

Build and grow beyond our current consumer positions

Consumer

GDT Foodservice

Deliver

on Foodservice potential

YTD 16.7b LME

Grow

our Anlene™ business

Develop

leading positions in paed & maternal nutrition

Selectively invest in milk pools

Align

Ingredients

• Ingredients – Lower opening inventory and collections in first half resulted in 8% lower sales year-to-date – Strong milk production in March and April will support higher sales in the last quarter

• Consumer & Foodservice – 350M additional LME year-to-date

our business and organisation Note: Wheel shows percentage of total FY16 external sales (LME) for illustration Page 6

The combination of milk price and dividend would be $6.55/kg for a fully shared up farmer, being good news for farmers and their communities. But the rise in butter prices of 100% this season and 50% in whole milk powder prices, while welcome, put pressure on Fonterra’s stream returns in ingredients. “When we have different product streams changing by different percentages we have a lot of work left to do in the fourth quarter. “That is necessary to ensure we stay comfortably within our earnings range and deliver our commitment to shareholding farmers and unit investors.” Fonterra had taken 4% out of operating expenses in the nine months to the end of April and had reported reduced working capital days, 78 days this year compared with 80 last year and 89 the year before. The extraordinary world prices for anhydrous milk fat and butter, now at record levels, reflected the demand of consumers for high-quality nutrition, he said. Fonterra had very good milk fat processing options and was not necessarily tied to the low-priced skim milk powder co-product,

with milk protein concentrate a better-priced alternative. Wilson expected New Zealand milk production would take about 18 months to recover the 6% lost over the past two seasons (90m kg or 1b litres). “Good weather, for the most part, over the past four months and the $6 milk price resulted in autumn milk production increases, quite significant compared with the previous autumn. “Given a normal spring and a continuation of $6-plus milk prices I would expect NZ output to return to 1.6b kg next season or the one after.” Much of that anticipated improved production would go into consumer and food service products, where sales in China had increased 40% and in Latin America were up 22%. Fonterra’s revenue for the nine months was $13.9b, up 8% on the previous corresponding period. DairyNZ chief executive Dr Tim Mackle said farmers had to take advantage of the milk price increases to pay down debt and do deferred maintenance. Farmers also needed to work to make their businesses competitive and robust to ride out future price volatility.

Loan repayments start in October FONTERRA’S 15c increase in forecast payout for 2016-17 will go to repaying the support loan of 2014-15 for more than 70% of its supply farmers. Based on the forecast, farmers who took the loan would have 15c deducted from their October payment, the final for this season. That would recover about half of the $363 million still owed to Fonterra and interest of 2.47% would be charged on the balance. If the $6.50 forecast for next season was maintained or bettered and the current

payment schedule still applied, the final loan repayment would come out in September 2018, chairman John Wilson said. “We are doing what we always said we would do – start taking back that loan money automatically when the payout rose above $6.” For those farmers with a support loan, October’s retro payment would be a net 14c and for the others 29c. The co-operative had returned to an historical guideline of 65% advance rate to start next season, being $4.21/kg of the $6.50.

Protect now to prevent a Salmonella outbreak outbreak. Salvexin®+B is a proven vaccine against enteric and Brandenburg salmonellosis that helps prevent infection, reduces the impact of a disease outbreak and minimises production losses.

AVAILABLE ONLY UNDER VETERINARY AUTHORISATION. ACVM No: A9927 ®Registered trademark. Schering-Plough Animal Health Ltd. Phone: 0800 800 543. www.msd-animal-health.co.nz. NZ/SALB/0616/0001

Don’t wait until it’s too late. Protect against unnecessary ewe deaths by vaccinating with Salvexin+B.

NEW

FROM JUST $49,990

+ORC*

Now 7 of you can enjoy more of New Zealand and the huge list of features Pajero Sport has to offer. Whichever model you choose, youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll get 7 seats, a powerful but economical 2.4L diesel engine with 8-speed auto, 3.1T towing, advanced 4WD, 5 Star safety, Smart Audio with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. VRX gives you advanced safety features, including Blindspot Warning, Forward Collision Mitigation, Multi-Around Monitor and more. Visit mmnz.co.nz or call 0800 54 53 52 for a test drive. *Price listed is for XLS. VRX model pictured and available from $59,990+ORC. Price excludes On Road Costs of $550 which includes WoF, Registration, 1,000km road user charges and a full tank of fuel. Offer available while stocks last. Visit mmnz.co.nz for full Diamond Advantage conditions. MMN NZ38 Z3 27

News

THE NZ FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – May 29, 2017

TPP is officially back on the trade agenda Nigel Stirling nigel.g.stirling@gmail.com NEW Zealand is determined to hang on to gains won for its farmers through the Trans Pacific Partnership despite the withdrawal of the United States from the mega trade deal. The fate of the Pacific Rim trade deal was looking shaky even six weeks ago as most the remaining 11 countries questioned whether it was worthwhile bringing it into force next year as scheduled without the US. But the pendulum appeared to have swung back again after a meeting last week in Vietnam of TPP trade ministers where it was agreed officials should work on a revised deal to be ready for their leaders to sign in November. Trade Minister Todd McClay told Farmers Weekly countries had quickly rallied around after Japan recommitted to the deal.

We are in a much better space than we were a couple of months ago. Todd McClay Trade Minister Countries like Vietnam had been counting on significant gains for textiles and footwear industries from increased access to the US market and President Donald Trump’s withdrawal had caused them to waver in their support. That was offset to a degree by the decision of Japan – still the world’s third largest economy – to stay inside the deal and to actively champion its continuation. “We are in a much better space than we were a couple of months ago.”

Under the TPP’s original terms failure by its two largest members – the US and Japan – to ratify the agreement would have seen it lapse. McClay said ministers in Hanoi had committed to making minimal changes to the agreement and it was NZ’s view that officials should confine themselves to technical changes to allow the TPP to come into force without the US. “Nobody said a renegotiation because if you do a renegotiation it is unpicked and it could well fall to bits and it will take a very long time.” Asked if that meant cuts in tariffs on beef and kiwifruit exports to Japan were safe McClay said it was NZ’s belief that they should remain part of the agreement. “It is our position that it is a well-balanced agreement and the market access provisions remain in place.” Sources spoken to by Farmers

Weekly said extensive leg-work by McClay in recent weeks in getting around TPP members thought to be wavering in their commitment had also helped to shore up support. One dairy industry source speculated that could have included reassuring Vietnam it would not be pushed as hard on improving rights for its workers as it would have been had the US remained part of the TPP. Similar reassurances could

STILL GOOD: Market access provisions remain in place in the revived Trans Pacific Partnership, Trade Minister Todd McClay says.

have been sought and given to Malaysia, which had swallowed with difficulty US demands during the negotiation to instil greater commercial disciplines among its state-owned enterprises. The source said so-called side letters could be used without changing the actual text of the agreement. McClay said TPP members were open to finding solutions for countries with remaining concerns about the agreement.

Parsons, King re-elected to chair farmer body boards JAMES Parsons has been reelected chairman of Beef + Lamb New Zealand. The Northland farmer has held the position since 2014 and has represented the Northern North Island as its farmer director since 2009. The board also elected Gore farmer and Southern South Island farmer director Andrew Morrison as the deputy chairman when it met for its May meeting. It confirmed former NZX Agri Young Country editor Andrew Stewart, a farmer from Marton, to the position of inaugural

B+LNZ associate director for an unpaid one-year term to March 31, 2018. Parsons said activating the associate director position was primarily focused on growing leadership and governance skills among farmers and providing the added benefit of building greater diversity around the board table. “Andrew farms a sheep and beef property near Marton with his wife Kylie and has relevant skills, particularly around technology and social media.” At NZX Agri he gathered experience

in sales and marketing, IT, social media and human resources management. In response to farmer feedback the board would by year-end appoint an independent director who complemented the existing skills. Dairy farmer co-operative LIC has two directors. South Island shareholders re-elected chairman and Nelson dairy farmer Murray King and elected North Otago farmer Matt Ross for a four years. Ross replaced retiring longstanding director Alvin Reid and

would take up the role on June 1. Ross and his wife Julie farm a 580ha property milking 1800 cows in the Waitaki Valley inland from Oamaru. They won the NZ Sharemilker of the Year title in 2007. He stared work as an LIC artificial breeding technician in 1995. He was an Irrigation NZ director chaired the Maerewenua District Water Resource Co. He was also a member of the Dairy Environ-mental Leaders Forum and is a graduate of the Fonterra Governance

Development Programme. King said “Over a year ago we made a commitment to creating a more sustainable future for LIC. We are now in the middle of implementing significant changes to deliver to this commitment. “I know there are challenging times ahead but I’m committed to leading our co-operative through this period of change so that we can all enjoy a stronger co-operative and benefit from the industry-leading services and value it will deliver to us as farmers.

Nilvax . The specialist pre-lamb 5-in-1. ®

Nilvax combines a powerful 5-in-1 with a powerful immune booster. The immune booster increases the 5-in-1 immune response, increasing the antibodies available to the lambs for longer. The vaccine gives higher levels of clostridial protection for your lambs for up to 16 weeks. That’s why it’s the specialist pre-lamb 5-in-1.

ELE-01874-RN

Order Nilvax from your vet clinic or farming retailer.

ACVM No: A3977 ®Registered trademark. Schering-Plough Animal Health Ltd. Phone: 0800 800 543. www.coopersonline.co.nz NZ/NLX/0316/0001

News

THE NZ FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – May 29, 2017

More milkers moving this year Hugh Stringleman hugh.stringleman@nzx.com MORE share and contract milkers are on the move this year than last year for Gypsy Day, the nationwide between-seasons transfer of machinery, cows, belongings and families. Federated Farmers Sharemilkers’ Section chairman Richard McIntyre said he had no figures to verify an expectation that more farm movements this year would follow last year’s “stay put” financial conditions. This season’s better milk price would have been used by most sharemilkers to pay off overdrafts and a repeat next season would reinvigorate career paths. McIntyre himself was challenged by a student recently to name his long-term goals, only to realise and admit he had “forgotten them” in the struggle to survive. “Now the mood among sharemilkers and contract milkers is much better and we can plan ahead again,” he said. “Quite a few are moving this Gypsy Day but I can’t tell you whether it is more or less than usual.” The sharemilkers section had asked dairy companies to participate in an annual reporting of movements between farms and the order of milk price split or contract milking. The companies seemed supportive so he was hopeful regular figures in future would show up trends. McIntyre agreed with one sharemilking family on the move from Northland to Taranaki that advertising for 50:50 jobs on Fonterra Farm Source website went on longer. “Late in the season there were still jobs being advertised,” Glen Rankin observed after signing a new contract for a 145ha farm near Manaia in South Taranaki. However, both men could not decide whether farm owners had left their run too late, more of them were looking, there was

an excess of jobs because more sharemilkers were staying put or sharemilkers were being picky and prolonging the negotiations. Glen and Trish Rankin, the 2016 Northland Share Farmers of the Year, and their four boys had already sent the young stock out to grazing and some of the 300 cows ahead to Taranaki. Transport was costing $90/cow and the Rankins would spend more than $50,000 on the move. They moved to Hokianga from Wairarapa in May 2015 with only 80 cows so the extra transport costs this time were a huge commitment. Unfortunately, milk production was 10% down this season for weather reasons so that had offset the improved payout. “But we have more confidence in the payout and we want to keep growing our equity,” Rankin said. The cows were in good condition after a long period on once-a-day and the July 20 planned start of calving was traditional for South Taranaki, he had been told. The Rankins would go back to twice-a-day milking in a 50-a-side herringbone. McIntyre said he had heard lower order sharemilkers and contract milkers preferred to stay in contract positions, a continuation of the caution that developed in the low-payout seasons when so many variable order sharemilkers were hit badly financially. They were also taking longer over due diligence, something the federation had advocated. “When you get to where you are going, survey the whole farm and agree on the feed-on-hand and the pasture covers and write them down and get it signed off. “During the house inspection take photos of anything that is not right. “Three years of a contract is a long time and memories can be faulty when it comes time to go,” he said.

MOVING: Glen and Trish Rankin with Paddy and, front from left, Charlie, Harry and Tom are on the road again going from Northland to Taranaki after their previous move from Wairarapa.

Zespri doubles its profit ZESPRI has lifted its sales volume this season by 18% on the back of increased yields and its largest-ever crop. Chairman Peter McBride said Zespri sold more fruit faster than ever before during the 2016-17 season, with global fruit sales revenue rising by 19% to $2.26 billion. “Volume growth and continued strong investment by Zespri into marketing and market development helped to lift returns overall with the average return per hectare for New Zealand growers reaching $68,868.” The 2016-17 season also saw the announcement of 1800

hectares of SunGold licences allocated for Europe over the next three years, doubling Zespri’s offshore production of the variety to meet growing demand for 12 month supply. Zespri’s net profit after tax more than doubled from $35.8 million to $73.7m, mainly because of revenue from the tender for licences for Zespri’s proprietary variety SunGold last year. “There was strong industry participation in the release of 400 hectares of SunGold licences in NZ last year, reflecting the continued grower confidence in global demand for gold kiwifruit,” McBride said.

The Zespri board approved the intention to declare a 2017 final fully-imputed dividend of 17 cents a share, payable in August. That took the total dividend to 25 cents a share. Zespri’s distributable profit range for the 2017-18 financial year was expected to be $101m to $106m, based on the forecast net profit after tax range announced in April. It expected to distribute dividends in the range of 8090%. An interim dividend was normally paid in December and the board would consider making an extra interim dividend in August.

Immigration changes are good for South Island Neal Wallace neal.wallace@nzx.com IMMIGRATION changes have proved to be a mixed bag for migrant dairy farm workers. On the one hand a new South Island Contribution work visa allowed dairy workers caught up in a false document scandal to stay, provided they met certain criteria. But other changes making residence more difficult were prompting some Filipino farm workers to look for work overseas. North Island Filipino Farmer’s Association president Julius Gaoing said given the residence changes the special South

Island visa gave those workers an advantage over dairy farm workers in the North Island. “Some people are thinking of moving to other countries because of the residence changes.” In April Immigration Minister Michael Woodhouse announced changes to migrant settings, introducing remuneration bands to determine the skill level of an essential skills visa holder. He also introduced a maximum duration of three years for lower-skilled and lower-paid essential skills visa holders, after which they must leave the country for a minimum period. While acknowledging the new visa would benefit those in the

South Island, Gaoing said those working on North Island dairy farms missed out. Lane Neave Immigration partner Mark Williams said changes to the skilled migrant category were positive for South Island migrants working in a range of occupations and provided a path to residence for low or mid level skilled farm workers. “They have made a massive contribution to the South Island, especially the rural sector, and are deservedly being recognised for that contribution.” “However, like a lot of immigration policies it is not simple to interpret and there are a lot of fish hooks to

navigate,” Williams said. The change would benefit migrant workers and their families who had lived in the South Island for more than five years and worked on an essential skills work visa but who had not been able to qualify for residence under the skilled migrant category. To qualify under the new policy candidates must meet the eligibility criteria, including being 55 years or younger and meeting health and character requirements. Williams said there was some flexibility around the length of time requirement but he described the policy as a “massive win for employers and

migrant employees in the South Island”. The policy allowed a visa holder’s partner and dependent children aged under 20 to be included in the application. Federated Farmers board member Andrew Hoggard also questioned why it applied only to South Island workers, saying it made shifting jobs difficult. But given the tight labour market, farmers welcomed the security it provided for their staff. Hoggard spoke to a Southland dairy farmer seeking staff who said it was very difficult to find anyone. “The only people applying are migrants, which shows this is definitely needed.”

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s time to get your nitrogen working as hard as you do. SustaiN works harder to increase nitrogen uptake, resulting in maximum pasture growth and better returns.

WAV23611 FWFP AHV2

work. breakfast. Work. Lunch. Work. Dinner. Work. Sleep.

Make the upgrade to SustaiN. Call Ballance on 0800 222 090 or visit sustaingain.co.nz to learn more.

BAL23611 390X265 .indd 1

19/05/17 9:40 AM

News

10 THE NZ FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – May 29, 2017

Dairy Exporter takes top award Steve’s columns are often funny but that humour is wrapped around a strong social conscience and an understanding of rural life that connects deeply with our readers.

THAT TOLD EM: Dairy Exporter editor Jackie Harrigan told the audience at the Canon Media Awards farmers brow-beaten by mainstream media are doing a lot for the environment.

Bryan Gibson Farmers Weekly

to the Sustainable Dairy Water Accord show they are investing a lot of time and money in their farm environments,” she said. NZ Dairy Exporter is the country’s only dairy sector magazine available on subscription. It is published monthly by NZ Farm Life Media along with its sister title, Country-

Wide, which delivers similar indepth content for the drystock and arable sectors. Publisher Tony Leggett said the win was a huge thrill for the business, which bought both titles from NZX Agri in November. “I’m delighted for Jackie and her team but this is also a big thank you to the subscribers who

have stayed with us and for the advertisers who have seen the value we can deliver them from their investment,” Leggett said. “Farmers tell us they love the magazine. We’re great believers in print but we’ve also got some great plans to roll out on our website over the second half of this year,” he said.

Farmers Weekly columnist Steve Wyn-Harris was also nominated for an award. His column, From the Ridge, which has been a weekly feature of the paper for almost two decades, was a finalist in the Opinion: humour and satire section. FW editor Bryan Gibson said Wyn-Harris was a worthy finalist. “Steve’s columns are often funny but that humour is wrapped around a strong social conscience and an understanding of rural life that connects deeply with our readers. “The quality and consistency of his writing over a long period while running a successful farming business is inspirational.”

02059GMJPFW

EXPERT commentary and indepth analysis in the New Zealand Dairy Exporter led the judges to award the magazine Best Trade Publication/Website at this year’s Canon Media Awards. The annual Canon Awards are the country’s pinnacle for all publications, websites, journalists and photographers. The NZ Dairy Exporter entry of three issues from 2016 drew significant praise from the judging panel. They commented on the publication’s authoritative content. “It provides thought-leadership to its readers in a complex market,” the judges said. Editor Jackie Harrigan and deputy editor Sheryl Brown were at the awards to accept the trophy. Harrigan praised the efforts of her hard-working, dedicated, small team of writers, photographers and designer Jo Hannam. “Publications are a team effort. The win is one for the team.” While accepting the award, Harrigan also spoke on behalf of all farm owners and staff working hard to create a strong, viable dairy sector for the country. “Farmers are feeling a bit browbeaten from mainstream media but the results of the latest report

How do you know your best calves are your best calves? Mis-identification in the paddock can result in top genetics mistakenly leaving the farm, slowing the rate of genetic gain and reducing the financial return of the herd. GeneMark parentage testing gives you certainty when matching calves to the correct dam and sire.

So you can ensure only the most efficient and profitable replacements will be adding to your bottom line. Order GeneMark Whole Herd for the month of June and receive free punches to complete the sampling of your herd. And have the chance to win DNA Parent Verification on your 2017 born calves.

Visit www.lic.co.nz/GeneMarkWin to enter Terms and conditions apply. 24 month interest-free option available.

News

THE NZ FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – May 29, 2017

New collagen plant will harvest hides Hugh Stringleman hugh.stringleman@nzx.com A GROUP of businessmen and farmers have joined with American biotechnologists to harvest products used in human medicine from closed bovine herds in Northland. Initially, the joint venture plant at Hikurangi, a little north of Whangarei, would get collagen fibres from cattle hides, leaving the beef and co-products to be sold through the normal wholesale channels. Future growth could include heart valves and blood products, partner Randall McCoy, of Reginicin Inc, New Jersey, said. Along with willing New Zealand partners, McCoy said the high animal health status, “heavy duty” biosecurity and animal tracing system NAIT were the attractions of this country. His company specialised in regenerative skin technology on bovine collagen, which must be absolutely free of pathogens and contaminants. It had recently provided the corium and collagen fibres needed to grow enough skin grafts to quickly and successfully treat a young boy with 90% of his body burned. McCoy had devised and got approval for the closed herd protocols for animal products used in human health, through the United States Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration. It was bringing those protocols to NZ for the first time, beginning in Northland and with other plants to follow in regions with high cattle numbers. The joint venture, NZ Life Sciences, bought and was expanding a facility and its 16ha of land, called the Oxville Farms Abattoir, from the Anderson family at Marua, near Hikurangi. On the Kiwi side were Northland transport operator Scott Massey, manager Chazz Edwards and genetics adviser Ian Walsh, of the Falkirk Foundation at Pio Pio, King Country. Huruiki Angus breeder Brandon Edwards, of Helena Bay, said he had been involved with the project for six months and his Maori core values were closely aligned with what the partners had planned. He was convinced the firm would pay a substantial premium for cattle that qualified and that pharmaceutical companies would be the source of that premium. NZ cattle farmers were already doing most of the closed herd requirements, having not introduced foreign genetics or viruses and electronically tracked animals from birth. Products from a closed herd had to be traced back to a specific certified animal, its parents, its health and its food supply. McCloy said a veterinarian would need to certify each cattle beast as free of diseases before it was slaughtered, in addition to the Ministry for Primary Industries meat inspection afterwards. Only the hide would cross a sealed partition into the sterile biochemical processing to extract collagen, where the standards were more akin to a hospital operating theatre. Harvesting collagen would not begin until the dead animal had been inspected and passed. Farmers would need to declare and verify where and when that cattle beast had been during its life, its animal health treatments, plus go back several generations and be subject to independent auditing of that trail. Only five to 10 animals meeting those strict standards would be killed and processed each day. Operations would begin in July, Edwards said. Another US partner, Dr Roy Nelson, chief scientific officer at Bovine Collagen Products, said all the protocols were designed to prevent animal diseases crossing into humans. As the world found out, bovine spongiform encephalopathy could lead to brain disease in humans and NZ was one of only three countries that never had BSE. Now bovine leukaemia virus was suspected of a role in human breast cancer but NZ did not have that virus either.

Massey said the partnership would pour about $10 million into the venture, starting with the purchase of Oxville plus new buildings and improvements. His ambition was to build a laboratory in or near Whangarei where collagen could be made into bandages and sutures. The end game was the supply of spare parts for humans on bases from animal products, he said. Major meat and by-products companies in NZ, such as Silver Fern Farms and Lowe Corporation, already supplied bovine collagen.

INVESTMENT: New Zealand Life Sciences partners, from left, Scott Massey, Roy Nelson, Randall McCoy and Chazz Edwards,at their new bovine collagen plant in Northland.

Power pack

130 HP TRACTOR & LOADER

$102,900

+GST

FINANCE FROM

*Standard CLAAS Financial Services terms, conditions and fees apply. 1% pa available with 40% deposit and 12 monthly repayments in arrears. Loader exlcudes attachments.Offer valid until 30/06/2017 or while stocks last.

ARION 430 CIS with CLAAS FL100 loader 4 cylinder 4.5 L turbo charged engine Flexible QUADRISHIFT 16F/16R transmission ELECTROPILOT - electronic loader joystick 98 L/min hydraulic flow Factory fitted CLAAS loader

Gearing you up for success.

claasharvestcentre.com Ashburton Christchurch Dunedin Feilding Gore Hamilton Hastings Hawera Hokitika Invercargill Rotorua Timaru Waipara Wanaka Whangarei

(03) 307 9400 (03) 341 6900 (03) 489 8886 (06) 323 0101 (03) 263 1000 (07) 843 9100 (06) 879 9090 (06) 278 0020 (03) 755 8450 (03) 215 6114 (07) 345 5599 (03) 688 6900 (03) 314 6899 (03) 443 6781 (09) 430 3066

02067PITODFW

It’S nOt wHaT YoU gRoW. It’s wHo yOu gRoW.

No ma er what you grow, you grow the country. And since you’re running a business, you’ll need to grow your team’s knowledge and expertise. at’s where we come in. e Diploma in Agribusiness Management will grow your team that will grow your business.

Whether it’s learning to talk budgets like a bank manager, how to set goals today and reach them tomorrow or how to grow a team that will grow the business – they can develop one of these skills or work towards a full Diploma on the job, at their own pace.

It’s an industry-recognised qualification, so, if you’re looking for them to go places, it’s a good place to start.

Get growing now. Go to www.primaryitodiploma.co.nz or call us on 0800 20 80 20

BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

•

HUMAN RESOURCES

•

FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT

•

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

News

THE NZ FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – May 29, 2017

A new way for inclusive answers Richard Rennie richard.rennie@nzx.com A DEGREE in geography meant professionally Sam Lang spent much time observing the land and how people interacted with it, not always in the most harmonious manner. But he has now found himself one of those people, enjoying being at the sharp end of land use as a shepherd on Mangarara Station in Central Hawke’s Bay after spending his Nuffield scholarship considering how to engineer a new approach for New Zealand agriculture to adapt to the wave of change breaking on it. Lang’s scholarship studied a new way for farming, known as regenerative farming, a phrase he stumbled across later in his study work to describe a new approach to dealing with agriculture’s issues.

Creativity is the greatest resource in such a case of change. Sam Lang Nuffield Scholar It was a philosophy that combined practices of soil health, ecosystem function, climatic resilience and crop yields, all wrapped around a “communitycentric” approach to acquiring the knowledge of those practices. Lang said the difference from a conventional systems approach used today was to expect a higher level of creativity to problem-solving rather than relying on inputs for control and management over a sciencedriven, linear technology transfer approach to innovation. Lang acknowledged the practice was holistic in its approach, putting the farming community in the middle of the issue rather than as the recipient of a top -down answer to the problem the community might be facing. “It is an approach that enables

more diverse participation, one that places equal value on local and external experience.” He was well placed to understand how rural communities could feel shoved to one side in debates over land use and development on their back doors. He oversaw the consent process for the Ruataniwha Dam project. He described it as an intense process that was adversarial in nature and one relying heavily on lawyers and external consultants while the local community felt increasingly disenfranchised by the exercise. “I just did not feel like the whole process was a particularly healthy one and we still do not know really where things are at now.” He saw farmers having to face a line of challenges including nutrient loss, climate change and animal welfare and deal with claims NZ could become the Detroit of agriculture for failing to participate in technology-driven food production. But the sector had little support to manage the coming changes and responding to historic practices’ present-day implications, including erosion and nutrient losses. “It is as if they are being told ‘you are farming this way, change your system and we will talk in another three years about the next issue you have to deal with’.” Lang’s travels took him to a wide variety of farmers who would be loath to be categorised under any particular label, including being regenerative. Ranging from an organic sheep farmer in Scotland to an arable farmer in Denmark and a no-till Irish cropping farmer, all were characterised by their ability to draw in a group of like-minded farmers. They would often combine with them to create a direct-toconsumer business and exhibited a high level of marketing nous and understanding of what their mainly urban customers wanted while continuing to farm in a way that fitted their lifestyles. “For a lot of them it was having

UNHEALTHY: Adversarial process like the consent for the Ruataniwha Dam leave communities feeling disenfranchised, Nuffield Scholar Sam Lang says.

a very strong understanding that farming successfully was more about what you do not do than what you do do.” Having spent only a relatively small portion of his working life on the land itself, Lang was reluctant to say the traditionally stoic, sole owner-operator approach to NZ farming had stifled farmers’ ability to draw in a wider level of expertise and creativity. “I guess what I am trying to describe is how these farmers

have a really good group of peers almost like a discussion group within a community, best defined by its collective skills and innovation rather than its geography.” NZ’s silo approach to research and innovation meant information flowing from the science to the farm was inevitably limited to the field the researcher specialised in. And often the external technical experience offered to farmers ran the risk of being heavy on science

but less so on creativity. “And creativity is the greatest resource in such a case of change.” He was, however, encouraged that the approach was showing signs of change in NZ, having seen farmer involvement in such initiatives as the Beef + Lamb NZ environment forum and in pastoral greenhouse gas research. “More and more people are realising in the past we have tinkered around the edges and really have to go forward with some major changes.”

Move easy with Meridian

Ubco 2x2 electric bikes 5 to be won

Sign up your new dairy farm with Meridian Energy and be in to WIN 1 of 5 Ubco 2x2 electric bikes. Moving farms is always stressful, but we do what we can to save you hassle. Our dedicated agri experts can take care of your move, offer electricity rates tailored to your farm and give you great deals through your rural supplier. What’s more, Meridian is committed to a cleaner environment, so we’re giving away five Ubco 2x2 electric bikes for you to blat around your new farm on.

JOIN NOW AND ALSO GET

$100 Welcome Credit for your first site*

$50

Credit for each additional site

*Terms and conditions apply – visit meridian.co.nz/tandc

0292AFW

Signing up your new dairy farm is easy, call 0800 496 444 or visit meridian.co.nz/movefarm

News

THE NZ FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – May 29, 2017

Milk price payment change mooted Hugh Stringleman hugh.stringleman@nzx.com A SUGGESTION Fonterra should adopt quarterly milk payments to reduce price volatility has not found approval with the company. ASB senior rural economist Nathan Penny said one of the biggest lessons from the recent dairy downturn was the vulnerability of dairy farmers to massive price swings. “In contrast to the widely held belief, New Zealand can do something about farmgate milk price volatility,” he said in a paper called Lessons from the Dairy Downturn, part 2. The season-long milk pricing and payment system sometimes gave farmers signals that were out of whack with market prices. Therefore, NZ milk supply could and did under- and overshoot relative to market demand, amplifying price volatility. Penny suggested quarterly payments would help align NZ supply with global market prices more quickly. It should make forecasting easier for Fonterra and reduce the risk of overpayment, enabling higher monthly advances and shorter retrospective periods. Penny thought Fonterra could advance 80% of the forecast, rather than starting at about 65% as it did now. A Fonterra spokesman said the existing method of forecast and payment was in the best interest of farmers and reflected the way they operated and planned onfarm. Stability and certainty in budgets came from forecasting through to the end of a season. The annual structure was crucial to Fonterra’s ability to operate at scale and as a global co-operative. Furthermore, it wasn’t optional but a requirement under the Dairy Industry Restructuring Act (DIRA), including quarterly updates. “The current system also enables us to make adjustments to advance rate schedules to help farmers when cashflow is needed most. “It ensures farmers’ payments

SMOOTHER: Settling milk payments quarterly will reduced volatility, ASB senior rural analyst Nathan Penny says.

It seems a contradiction that Fonterra fixes the currency value but doesn’t offer fixed milk prices on behalf of farmers. Geoff Taylor Analyst are higher when they most need the capital, typically in the leadup to the peak of the season and more predictable over the season as a whole. “All farmers have access to independent price risk management tools such as those hosted on the NZX website, which they can choose to use to help manage volatility of milk prices,” Fonterra said. MyFarm chief executive and dairy farmer Andrew Watters agreed with Penny’s proposition

to enable the right signals in autumn, when farmers had leeway to manipulate production and costs. “Many times farmers have milked on to take advantage of a high milk price when in fact spot prices have been crashing. “The extra milk produced then exacerbated the size of next season’s milk price fall.” Federated Farmers dairy section chairman Andrew Hoggard said there were both pluses and minuses in more frequent milk payment settlements. The ability of farmers to respond in different ways during the season to changing price signals was limited but he agreed perverse behaviour did show up in autumn. Fonterra farmers already had ways of locking in milk prices to avoid volatility, former Treasury economist and dairy industry commentator Peter Fraser said. The complexity of Fonterra’s price-setting, the hypothetical competitor and the system now enshrined in the DIRA was

“farmers doing it to themselves”. Changing the payment periods would not change the price outcome, Fraser argued. “All that would do is change the risk profile – who is holding the risk and for how long.” Problems in Australia recently showed Fonterra’s vulnerability as number two processor, obligated to match Murray Goulburn’s milk price. In NZ, Fonterra was the market leader and if it set the milk price too high all other companies were exposed to what Fraser called vertical foreclosure, a type of anticompetitive market behaviour. Australian critics of both MG and Fonterra hoped publicity, law suits and regulatory investigations would result in an improved milk payment system, giving farmers more certainty. But the fundamental differences between the Australian and NZ payment systems came down to supply commitment and share structure, Hoggard said. “If Australian farmers want the benefits they perceive we get in

NZ then they have to pay the price associated with that – buying shares.” To run the market share value system Fonterra had to have farmgate milk price transparency that reflected global dairy prices. Those price signals did not get through to Australian dairy farmers until late in the 2016 season, resulting in a clawback that was still generating controversy. Penny said the Australian problems arose from a deliberately bold price set by MG, whereas his thesis was prompted by Fonterra NZ’s deliberately conservative forecasting and advance system. “A change to more-frequently settled payments may not do much for larger dairy farmers but it could help small to medium farmers that were close to going out of business in the last downturn.” Shorter futures contract periods should also enable more farmers to participate because reduced milk price volatility would cut down exposure to margin calls, Penny said. Dairy industry analyst Geoff Taylor, who devised share and milk price schemes in the past, said Fonterra farmers were offered fixed-price contracts but didn’t take them up enthusiastically. Yet the Open Country Dairy four-month payment system seemed well received by its farmers. Using the futures market to fix milk prices was complicated for farmers. In the United States banks offered farmer-friendly options based on the futures markets but here the reputational damage done by the interest rate swaps appeared to deter banks. “It seems a contradiction that Fonterra fixes the currency value but doesn’t offer fixed milk prices on behalf of farmers. “When milk powder prices fall the NZ dollar should fall but Fonterra has hedged, which doesn’t help the milk price for farmers.” In principle Penny’s proposition was worth supporting, Taylor said.

ZOE0004_2_NZW

GROWING FARMERS SINCE 1919

ENROL

N OW FO R SEMES TER 2!

Taratahi is New Zealand’s largest national provider of agricultural training AIR

Taratahi offer NZQA approved qualifications that provide hands-on introductory skills through to management level programmes, as well as short courses across New Zealand. Industry Recognition: Primary ITO Industry Trainer of the Year (Beef + Lamb NZ Sheep Industry Awards)

Awarded Central North Island Dairy Academy contract

Education Institute for Excellence in Beef Industry Training (Hoof & Hook Competition)

Farmer feedback indicates that graduates are valued for their skills and safe work practices.

ENROL NOW!

CALL 0800 TARATAHI

E: info@taratahi.ac.nz | W: taratahi.ac.nz

News

THE NZ FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – May 29, 2017

New farm Finisher tool calculates margins

KILLER: Most farm fatalities are of men.

Men at greater risk than women MEN are twice as likely as women to be injured on farms, a WorkSafe analysis has found. Almost 80% of workers injured and requiring more than a week off work in agriculture were male with hand wounds and sprains of the back, ankle, shoulder, arm and rotator cuff the most common injuries. Meanwhile, 90% or 53 of the 59 fatalities in the industry between 2013 and 2015 were male. Working with livestock such as sheep and cattle, sharp objects and vehicles accounted for many of the incidents. Men were also more likely to have a hand wound linked to

Almost all agricultural accidents are entirely avoidable. Al McCone WorkSafe tool use and maintenance work whereas females were more prone to sprains linked to lower average upper body strength. WorkSafe agriculture programme manager Al McCone said even taking into account

there are far more men than women working in the sector, men were still more than twice as likely as women to suffer injuries. “The most common external factor involved in injury for both genders is live cattle, followed by ground/path, almost certainly related to slips, trips and falls.” Women, however, were more likely than men to be injured by livestock in comparison to other factors. Men were more likely to be injured by vehicles in comparison to other factors. “What makes these figures all the more poignant is that almost all agricultural accidents are entirely avoidable.

“By thinking through or talking through beforehand how you will manage the risks involved in a task, even one you have done many times before, you will be better prepared for it. “It might be you decide the quad bike isn’t the best vehicle for towing spraying equipment, it might be taking time to share good practice for dealing with stock or assessing whether it’s best to drag or carry when a hillside is slippery from rain or snow. “It’s just a few minutes of planning but it could make all the difference between you or one of your team making a good decision or a poor one.”

HEARTLAND Bank and NZX subsidiary AgriHQ have launched a free, online livestock finisher tool to help sheep and beef farmers calculate the potential trading margin after finishing stock they are considering buying. Heartland Bank’s rural head Ben Russell said “With store livestock prices at historically high levels the arrival of AgriHQ Finisher couldn’t be better timed. “Information is crucial for farmers to make the best buying decisions. “AgriHQ Finisher complements Heartland Bank’s online lending platform www.openforlivestock.co.nz, which can give farmers a decision on their loan application in seconds,” he said. To calculate a forecast trading margin, the tool factored in a number of variables including implied slaughter prices, the number of growing days, target weight, live weight gain, killing-out percentage, transport and other associated costs. “The tool was designed with ease of use in mind and allows users to quickly make calculations while they’re at the saleyards or out on the farm,” Russell said. “And after making their calculations users can export the result via email for future reference.” NZX Agri head Jeremy Anderson said the AgriHQ Finisher tool was the latest in a number of tools AgriHQ had taken to market. “This sits alongside our Milk Production Predictor and Farmgate Milk Calculator, both designed to support Kiwi farmers to make the best decisions.”

No worms. No lice. No wait.

Moximax® Pour On with moxidectin active

Moximax Pour On is your premium pour on treatment for parasite control in cattle. • No milk and meat withholding period • Rain-fast formula for year round use

Keep your herd in good health. Order your Moximax Pour On today.

• Controls a range of parasites with long-lasting persistence

Farm with greater certainty

0800 100 123 | ravensdown.co.nz

News

THE NZ FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – May 29, 2017

Money will attract rural volunteers Neal Wallace neal.wallace@nzx.com RURAL health leader Martin London hopes a $59 million Government investment to double crew ambulances will also attract more rural volunteers to the service. London, the chairman of the Rural Health Alliance, said the boost from the funding needed to be supported by adequate training of ambulance crews. If that happened, he was optimistic the spirit and confidence it created would encourage new volunteers to join rural ambulance services. “My experience is that you do get volunteers who want to be part of it because the spirit is there.” Health Minister Jonathan Coleman has allocated an extra $59.2m to create 375 new emergency ambulance roles by 2021 to relieve single officer crews.

London said it was crucial the investment was backed up by appropriate training to ensure the two-person crews had skills to support each other. “This means that both have appropriate clinical skills to work in an emergency without supervision such as critical lifesaving interventions or where there are two or more patients, such as high-speed road accidents or maternity emergencies. “In rural New Zealand we do not have the luxury of being able to call for back-up at short notice if the situation starts to deteriorate quickly.” “Double crewing of our ambulance services is an important step in the right direction and will help ensure patients in rural NZ have the same level of care most urban people currently have. “It is also an important factor for the safety and wellbeing of our

Both have appropriate clinical skills to work in an emergency without supervision. Martin London Rural Health Alliance rural ambulance workforce. “We would also like to see our rural ambulance services funded at a level which ensures their long-term financial sustainability and reduces their need to be constantly fundraising. “They are a critical component of our rural health workforce, without whom we cannot achieve our goal of equitable health services for rural communities in NZ.”

DOUBLE: Rural ambulance crews must have two trained staff because they cannot call for back-up at short notice, Rural Health Alliance chairman Martin London says.

Conferences for arable farmers to discuss future Annette Scott annette.scott@nzx.com FUTURE farming is a feature of this year’s Foundation for Arable Research conference on growing sustainable futures next month. Cropping technologies, the role of genetics in disease management, biosecurity, the habits of good future farmers and opportunities for the arable industry would be discussed. Day one would also take in a field trip and the Process Vegetables NZ annual meeting. Two international speakers

had been confirmed for the second day that would cover farms systems, agronomy, and weeds, pests and diseases. Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board Knowledge Exchange director Susannah Bolton, from Britain, would cover arable research and managing uncertainty in a changing world while Argentine No-Till Association member Edmundo Nolan would talk about his experience of no-till farming. The conference was at Lincoln University on June 29 and 30. For more information and to register

go to www.far.org.nz. The Federated Farmers arable conference, including the industry’s annual meeting, would precede the FAR conference at the Lincoln Events Centre on June 28. The federation conference included sessions on rural fire, biosecurity and grain and seed markets. The United Wheatgrowers annual awards and Federated Farmers awards dinner would be held in the evening. For more information email arable industry adviser

prawlinson@fedfarm.org.nz or phone 021 512 971. Meantime, the industry was looking for graduates interested in a career in the arable sector. Applications for the foundation’s 2018 graduate programme were now open. FAR chief executive Nick Pyke said the graduate programme was designed specifically to introduce young people to all aspects of the industry from agronomy to marketing. “We are looking for graduates with a degree in science, agriculture or agricultural

commerce who want a career working with some of the world’s best cropping farmers,” Pyke said. The FAR graduate programme runs for one year and offers the opportunity to learn all aspects of the NZ cropping industry through time spent with experienced agronomists and internationally recognised researchers. Applications closed on July 28.

For more information go to www.far. org.nz/about/careers/studentships

One shot could save a hiding Scours can knock you sideways – hurting your calves, your family and your income. And it can strike on any farm. With Rotavec® Corona, a single shot before calving helps protect your calves against three of the most common causes of infectious scours – rotavirus, coronavirus and E. coli. Talk to your vet today about Rotavec Corona – the easy, one shot way to help your calves stand up to scours.

ELE-01678-RN

AVAILABLE ONLY UNDER VETERINARY AUTHORISATION. ACVM No: A8132. ®Registered trademark. Schering-Plough Animal Health Ltd. Phone: 0800 800 543. www.msd-animal-health.co.nz NZ/ROT/0315/002(1)

N UT TIO BC EC SU INJ M

I or

Are you prepared to take a hit?

News

20 THE NZ FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – May 29, 2017

NZ high on list of biotech approvals Stephen Bell stephen.bell@nzx.com NEW Zealand ranks eighth in the world for approvals of genetic modification even though it doesn’t allow the planting of biotech crops. It ranked eighth in the world because of 96 approvals for genetically modified food and one for feed, the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-biotech Applications said in its annual report. The area of biotech crops the world grew last year was 185.1 million hectares – a 100-fold increase in 21 years. The area in such crops in 1996 was just 1.7m hectares. That continued to demonstrate the long-standing benefits of biotech or genetically modified crops for farmers in developing and industrialized countries, as well as consumer benefits of recently approved and

commercialised varieties. The global area had rebounded in 2016 from 179. 7m hectares in 2015 when it was down from 181.5m hectares in 2014. Last year 26 countries, including 19 developing and seven industrial countries, grew biotech crops. Developing countries grew 54% of biotech crops, compared to 46% for industrial nations. Eight countries in Asia and the Pacific, including China and India, grew 18.6m hectares of biotech crops in 2016. In 2016 the leading countries growing biotech crops were the United States, Brazil, Argentina, Canada and India. Combined, those five countries planted 91% of the global biotech crop area. “Biotech crops have become a vital agricultural resource for farmers around the world because of the immense benefits for improved productivity

and profitability as well as conservation efforts,” ISAAA chairman Paul Teng said. “With the commercial approvals and plantings of new varieties of biotech potatoes and apples consumers will begin to enjoy direct benefits of biotechnology with produce that is not likely to spoil or be damaged, which in turn has the potential to substantially reduce food waste and consumer grocery costs.” The report, Global Status of Commercialised Biotech/GM Crops: 2016, said adoption of biotech crops had reduced CO2 emissions equal to removing about 12m cars from the road annually in recent years, conserved biodiversity by saving 19.4m hectares of land from agriculture in 2015 and decreased the environmental impact with a 19% reduction in herbicide and insecticide use. In developing countries

Is selling your stock like predicting the weather?

AgriHQ in partnership with Heartland Bank have launched a new Finisher tool to help you time your stock purchasing decisions. The easy to use tool helps you optimise your purchase and sell dates for finishing stock so you can forecast your trading margins with confidence.

Try it for yourself today at

agrihq.co.nz/finisher

planting biotech crops had helped alleviate hunger by increasing the incomes for 18m small farmers and their families, bringing improved financial stability to more than 65m people. “Biotechnology is one of the tools necessary in helping farmers grow more food on less land,” ISAAA global co-ordinator Randy Hautea said. “However, the promises of biotech crops can only be unlocked if farmers are able to buy and plant these crops, following a scientific approach to regulatory reviews and approvals.” As more varieties of biotech crops were approved and commercialised for use by farmers, ISAAA expected to see adoption rates continue to climb and to benefit farmers in developing countries. For example, among African nations where regulatory processes had traditionally created barriers to biotech crop adoption rates, advances were being realised. In 2016, South Africa and Sudan increased the planting of biotech maize, soybean and cotton to 2.66m hectares from 2.29m hectares in 2015. Elsewhere on the continent, a new wave of acceptance was emerging as Kenya, Malawi, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria, Swaziland and Uganda made advances in regulatory reviews and commercial approvals for a variety of biotech crops. “Even with a long history of regulatory barriers African farmers continue to adopt biotech crops because of the value they are realising from the stability and productivity of biotech varieties,” Hautea said. “As more countries move forward with regulatory reviews for crops such as bananas, cowpeas and sorghum we believe biotech crop plantings will continue to grow in Africa and elsewhere.” Last year Brazil increased the

Biotech crops have become a vital agricultural resource for farmers around the world because of the immense benefits for improved productivity and profitability as well as conservation efforts. Paul Teng ISAAA biotech area of maize, soybean, and cotton by 11% – maintaining its ranking as the second largest producer of biotech crops after the US. In Brazil, biotech soybeans accounted for 32.7m hectares of the 91.4m hectares grown worldwide. For 2016, ISAAA also reports that there were improvements in the commercialisation and plantings of biotech fruits and vegetables with direct consumer benefits. They included commercial approvals of the Innate russet burbank Gen 2 potatoes by the US Food and Drug Administration for sale in the US and the Simplot Gen 1 white russet brand potatoes that were approved by Health Canada for fresh market sale in Canada. Those biotech potato varieties had lower levels of asparagine, which reduced the creation of acrylamide during high-heat cooking. The first commercially saleable quantities of Arctic apples were harvested in 2016, stored over the winter and were projected to be sold in US grocery stores this year.

Read the report’s executive summary at www.isaaa.org

News

THE NZ FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – May 29, 2017

CoOL labels split primary opinion Neal Wallace neal.wallace@nzx.com THE primary sector appears split over the merits of mandatory country of origin labelling of food. Horticulture New Zealand and NZ Pork support mandatory CoOL but the Dairy Companies Association, Beef + Lamb NZ and Federated Farmers want it to remain voluntary. The association said a mandatory scheme could constitute a non-tariff barrier, which was contrary to the Government’s trade position while B+LNZ said the voluntary scheme worked well. But NZ Pork chairman Ian Carter said a constant theme from consumer polling was that they wanted clarity about where their food came from and the current scheme was confusing. Hort NZ supported the intent of the Bill but only for fresh fruit and vegetables. A Green Party Consumers Right to Know (Country of Origin of Food) Bill, supported by National to get it to the hearing stage, was before the Primary Production Select Committee, which was considering submissions. It would apply to fresh and single commodity seafood, meat, fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds,

ALL SMOKE AND . . . Manuka smoke is often the only New Zealand ingredient in bacon and ham, New Zealand Pork chairman Ian Carter says.

grains and oils. NZ Pork submitted in favour of the Bill even though Carter said he would like it to go further to include labelling of the origin of the main component such as the origin of meat in bacon and ham. “Often manuka smoke is the only NZ ingredient.” Carter said labelling was often misleading, such as supermarkets advertising NZ pork only to have pork of various origins in the cabinet. About 60% of pork sold in NZ was imported and priced to undermine domestic sales of NZ beef and lamb

Claims it could act as trade barrier were dismissed by Carter who said nine of NZ’s 10 largest trading partners had a CoOL scheme and adding a country of origin to labels required a few key strokes to a design before printing. Association chief executive Kimberley Crewther said CoOL could create confusion among consumers and give the perception it signalled safe food, something that needed to be determined scientifically. Federated Farmers president Dr William Rolleston was concerned that being a private members bill, the costs and benefits from implementation had not been thoroughly scrutinised. The lobby group was also concerned it could be seen as a trade barrier. Mexico and Canada had successfully taken the United States to the World Trade Organisation after it introduced CoOL. Rolleston said a consumer’s right to know the origin of food was extinguished only if a government banned CoOL while being voluntary manufacturers could use it to differentiate their locally grown products from those imported. A statement from B+LNZ said less than 10% of sheep meat and beef sold in NZ was imported

and 40% of that was eaten in restaurants, which would not be covered by the Bill. “In our view knowing the country of origin is a consumer preference, like wanting to know if something has been raised in a cage.” Of more significance was food safety and the grower body feared mandatory CoOL could become a protectionist measure. “Introducing a mandatory labelling system in NZ will make it more difficult for us to oppose the kind of legislation globally.” Horticulture NZ chief executive Mike Chapman supported the intent of the Bill but only for fresh fruit and vegetables. “A survey conducted by Consumer NZ in February this year showed that more than 70% of New Zealanders want mandatory CoOL for fresh fruit and vegetables. “In that survey 71% of New Zealanders said they want to know where their fresh fruit and vegetables come from and 70% said they also want to buy NZgrown.” The sector believed consumers wanted to make buying decisions based on their own beliefs and values and to support local businesses. “Voluntary CoOL has been

NIWA is doing a nationwide study to discover what makes the best riparian projects. We want to know about as many riparian projects as possible – where they are located and a few other details. Help us give you the knowledge to make the best riparian management decisions possible by taking our 5 minute survey Go to riparian.niwa.co.nz or visit site PC39/41 in the main pavilion at the National Agricultural Fieldays June 14–17

Voluntary CoOL has been adopted by major supermarkets but there is no consistency. Mike Chapman Hort NZ adopted by major supermarkets but there is no consistency across the board, which is why it needs to be mandatory, Chapman said. “For example, people make assumptions about what they are buying at those local Saturday markets that spring up in neighbourhoods around NZ but not all the produce meets those expectations of being fresh and locally grown.” He also dismissed trade concerns saying most trading partners had CoOL and NZ exporters labelled their products as coming from NZ to command premium prices. Chapman said labelling fresh fruit and vegetables could be a simple process. “The sensible approach is to label the bin the fresh fruit or vegetables are in.”

Dairy farming’s best kept secret? NOT ANY MORE...

cel Learn, grow, ex

WINNER

Team Building

Best trade/specialist publication and/or website

MAY 2017

Finalist

Wrapping up the season

$12

$12 incl GST Dairy Exporter

115

Incl GST for 12 months (Saving 20%)

7 .nz | May 201

e.co | www.nzfarmlif

207

276

Incl GST for 36 months (saving 36%)

Testimonial from a subscriber I really like the fact that the Dairy Exporter interviews and profiles such a wide range of farmers and really digs into the farm systems and looks at their profitability and relates that back to why they do what they do.

“

Corrigan Sowman, Golden Bay

WEBSITE: WEBSITE:

nzfarmlife.co.nz nzfarmlife.co.nz

MORE GREAT

REASONS

to subscribe to Dairy Exporter and save at least 20% on the cover price.

I also appreciate that it covers a couple of interesting features each month - looking at them from every side. I really look forward to the Dairy Exporter arriving each month.

It’s easy to subscribe:

NZ Dairy Exporter is an authoritative publication with expert commentary and in-depth analysis, providing thought-leadership to its readers in a complex market. Canon Media Awards judges

Incl GST for 24 months (saving 28%)

“

ing new staff Welcom

MORE DEPTH. MORE VALUE. MORE WINNERS. If you’re a subscriber to Dairy Exporter on June 15, you’re in the draw to WIN ONE OF TWO TRU-TEST XRS2 Stick Readers.

www.nzfarmlife.co.nz EMAIL: EMAIL:

subs@nzfarmlife.co.nz subs@nzfarmlife.co.nz

PHONE:

0800 0800 22 22 47 47 82 82 or or 06 06 280 280 3161 3161 between 7.30am 5.30pm between 7.30am - 5.30pm

MAIL:

Post Post this this coupon coupon to: to: NZ NZ Farm Farm Life Life subscriptions subscriptions PO PO Box Box 218, 218, Feilding Feilding 4740 4740

News

THE NZ FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – May 29, 2017

Day out sets farming mums on fire Annette Scott annette.scott@nzx.com FARMING mums were challenged in a one-day programme to find their value in their rural communities. Girl on Fire, run in Ashburton by the Agri Women’s Development Trust for Farming Mums New Zealand, took 60 women on a day-long journey focused on highlighting their purpose and realising their potential. Trust executive director Lindy Nelson said it had worked with more than 1800 women in NZ primary industries in six years, developing their skills and confidence from grassroots to governance of large companies. Girl on Fire was based on the three Cs – confidence, connected and contributing as wives, partners and mums in the community, in their industry and to food production. “Once they are connected and understand their value women start connecting with people to contribute to their farms, communities and industry in a way that is meaningful to them,” Nelson said. As she addressed the seminar she likened confidence to baking a cake.

“It’s step by step.” Connected was about getting along and finding meaning. “We are social animals, like a herd of cows or a flock sheep we follow.” Finding purpose in life was not about the vague, fluffy stuff in the cloud. “It’s about getting really connected with your ultimate goal. “Women have huge capability in agriculture in NZ and agriculture needs you – you need to realise full potential,” Nelson said. Fitting into a farming family was not always easy. It often meant recognising their own identities. “Knowing where you fit and where you can add value is key to contributing.” Contributing was about finding that leadership voice and that started by getting involved, learning new skills, banking those skills and realising you are growing from every new skill. “Braveness comes from a cause that you are connected to and finding that leadership voice is often understanding that something is greater than your own nervousness. “When you get connected and contribute you will find the strength will come from

SMOKING: Confidence, being connected and contributing was the focus for presenters Julia Jones, Lindy Nelson and Chanelle O’Sullivan at the Girl on Fire seminar. Photo: Annette Scott

challenge and diversity. “In a rural woman’s life you don’t need positional power to have influence or be successful – success comes from personal power and passion,” Nelson said. “So think big and live that philosophy. Live your values and be generous with your time, skills and expertise and integrate that with time for family, who are also living their lives.”

Farming Mums NZ founder and administrator Chanelle O’Sullivan said the online community for rural women was about supporting, inspiring and connecting. “If you love laughs, humour and creating new friendships and connections then come join us at Farming Mums NZ,” O’Sullivan said. “Pretty much we are

mumtrepreneurs working with, talking with and sharing with one another to build confidence and integrity in our lives.” O’Sullivan urged women to map a life strategy. “Your goals, desires, ideals and make a plan – do what you love, do what you are good at, have courage to be confident and find other women to help you on your journey. “It’s a journey worth living if you find the worth and we are stronger together,” she said. Farming Mums was set up as an online support group for farming women because of a need for friendship and understanding that could survive the barriers of rural isolation. Since its inception in 2013 it had grown to near 9000 members and continued to grow by 50-80 members a week with a very active membership. “It’s not unusual to have 150 individual posts and 600+ likes on one post in a 24-hour period,” O’Sullivan said. The group covered rural women from all age groups, from the top of the North Island to the bottom of the South.

www.farmingmumsnz.com

WE’VE GOT OUR EYES ON THE HORIZON SO YOU CAN BROADEN YOURS. Change is the only constant in farming, so we have our eyes on the horizon to help you make the most of every change and to be prepared. Make sure you are at Fieldays 2017 for the latest innovations, game changing technology and products. Improve your growth, productivity, wellness and education.

Get your tickets fieldays.co.nz

Newsmaker

24 THE NZ FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – May 29, 2017

Bull buy proves a good investment Beef cattle breeders are being rewarded for their efforts judging by sales at the Beef Expo in Feilding with prices up and all classes selling well on the back of good meat prices. Hugh Stringleman spoke to those involved.

EEF Expo chairman Simon Collin, a Charolais breeder, was delighted when one of his two show and sale bulls, rising two-year-old Timoho Legacy, was judged Champion of Champions. Legacy went on to sell for $10,000 to Richard Christiansen, Maungatau Farm, Pohangina Valley, Manawatu. It was only the second time a Charolais had gained the top honours in the 28 years the event has been held in Manawatu. The first win was in 2011. Collin bought Legacy at the Timoho Stud dispersal in May last year as a nine-month bull calf. He described the investment as an educated guess because it was only as the bull grew up that his best qualities would be evident. He said Legacy was a good allrounder with impressive growth figures and five of the judges had put him first in their top three picks. Legacy also came third in the all-breeds yearling class at the Royal Show in Hawke’s Bay last year. He was sired by Silverstream Heritage, which was bought by Timoho in 2014 for $23,000 from breeders Brent and Angela Fisher, Silverstream Stud, Canterbury. Heritage was bought back by Silverstream at the Timoho dispersal then sold to Collin and wife Wendy of Rauriki Stud, Waipukurau.

Although the Collins sold Legacy, sire Heritage was still being used and should remain hale and hearty for a few years yet. His first Rauriki calves would be born this spring. In his third year as Beef Expo chairman, Collin thought the event was successful and worthwhile for all farmers who participated. Bull entries were on a par with previous years, average prices were up and the Allflex champion heifer class was well contested with 16 entries (see panel). Breeders and farmers who attended were full of confidence about beef cattle, stemming from good prices for beef worldwide. “Weaners are selling well and breeders are getting rewarded for their efforts, judging by the results of the Beef Expo.” The so-called exotics like Charolais, Simmental, Limousin, and Glebvieh, now present in New Zealand for up to 50 years, were being sought as terminal sires because they added to growth and finished weights and yield percentages. The two biggest maternal breeds, Angus and Hereford, were in very good heart and had big and successful bull sales at the Expo, he said. In March the Collins and their family moved to a new farm at Flemington in the hills south of Waipukurau. That was a relatively short move compared with their previous

You’ve got better things to do than worry about your pasture.

upheaval in 2009, from Sherenden in Hawke’s Bay about 60km south to Whetukura, near Dannevirke. Rauriki Charolais was established in 2002 after the Collins pioneered the exotic Romagnola breed in NZ and Collin served for eight years as the breed society president. When he switched track to Charolais he said the breed had more widespread appeal among commercial farmers, being the number one European terminal sire for producing quality weaners. At Flemington they run 105 registered Charolais cows, building to 120, some commercial cows and 3400 Romney ewes. From June Collin will sell about 16 Charolais bulls by private treaty from the new farm. Back two seasons, the calf drop was two-thirds heifers and only one-third bulls.

FRISKY: Timoho Legacy led by Lucy Collin came out on top in the bull stakes at the Beef Expo.

While the random imbalance was great for building the herd it had left him a little short on bull power, hence the purchases of Legacy and Heritage. Leading Charolais breeders like society chairman Brent Fisher were looking overseas for new bloodlines and Collin, the society vice-chairman, was confident sufficient new blood was entering the NZ population. Legacy was led to victory at the

YOU BEAUTY: Simmental heifer Gold Creek Uny, led by Tom Sanson made top price in the heifer sale at the Beef Expo.

Simmentals take heifer trifecta Hugh Stringleman hugh.stringleman@nzx.com

FREE

fishing lure with every 500gm pack!*

When it comes to the post-emergent management of broadleaf weeds, Preside™ offers performance you can trust. Talk to your agricultural merchant or call 0800 803 939. www.dowagrosciences.co.nz

HC_DOW0340

Confidence in a drum

® ™ Trademark of The Dow Chemical Company (“Dow”) or an affiliated company of Dow. *Terms & Conditions apply. Offer runs for a limited time only & strictly while stocks last. At participating outlets only.

Expo by Simon’s and Wendy’s daughter Lucy, a Massey University biosecurity student. Lucy recently won champion junior judge at the 2017 Royal Canberra Show out of almost 100 entrants. That followed her champion cattle handler title at the Hawke’s Bay Royal, for which she gained a trip to the Melbourne Royal in September.

SIMMENTAL heifers filled the top three overall placings in the Allflex New Zealand allbreeds competition at the Beef Expo in Feilding. Top place was Gold Creek Uny, bred by Thomas Sanson, Te Karaka, Gisborne. Uny was keenly sought after when she went up for auction, with the successful buyers being Andrew and Tracey Neal from Potawa Simmental Stud in PioPio, who paid $4200. Two categories were used to find the champion heifer. Firstly, their confirmation and visual qualities were assessed. Then they were judged on their potential breeding worth based on their estimated breeding values (EBVs). Results were combined to

find the Allflex NZ Champion Heifer. Ten of the 16 heifer entries were Simmentals and the top price was achieved by Tony Thompson’s Glen Anthony Enchanting, bought by the Entwhistle family, Hampton Downs, north Waikato. Fifteen of the 16 sold by auction for an average price of $3226. The Hereford breed had the best Expo, based on the top price for a bull and the average sale price. Top price was $40,000 paid by Chris and Jennifer Chesterman, Koanui Polled Herefords, in Hawke’s Bay for Grassmere Gallant, sold by Chris and Amanda Jeffries, Cheviot, North Canterbury. The Hereford breed sold 24 bulls for an average of $14,083, with two passed in. Other high prices included

Otapawa Admiral, Robbie family, for $32,000, Okahu X Factor, Okahu Trust, for $30,000, and Monymusk Knight, Monymusk Farms, for $26,000. Angus breeders sold 30 bulls at an average of $10,416 with a top price of $34,000 for Waiterenui Outlier by Will and Viv Macfarlane, Hawke’s Bay, sold to Tangihau Station, Gisborne. Te Mania 15389 sold for $24,000 and Shian 15-641 and Kauri Renned each made $18,000. Angus bulls made a total sale price of more than $300,000. Three Charolais bulls sold averaged $7733, including the Champion of Champions at $10,000, one Gelbvieh sold for $5000, six Shorthorns averaged $7560 and seven Simmentals $5400.

New thinking

THE NZ FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – May 29, 2017

Invisible allies to help farmers New DNA analysis techniques known as meta-barcoding will let scientists identify the goodies and baddies in the primary sector. They will help farmers boost productivity and reduce animal emissions and leaching while also detecting undesirable incursions in material crossing our border. Landcare Research ecologist Dr Robert Holdaway explained to Richard Rennie how invisible organisms will tell us a lot.

NYONE taking a passing interest in CSI style forensics knows the central part DNA plays in identifying assorted bad guys, culprits and victims. Now scientists at Landcare Research have gone a step further. They are using a cuttingedge technique called DNA meta-barcoding to measure New Zealand’s biodiversity by getting a snapshot of an ecosystem’s genetics. Landcare Research ecologist Dr Robert Holdaway said scientists would typically record those species that could be easily seen and were well known. They were typically plants and vertebrate species including birds, fish, reptiles and mammals. “But the reality is most of the diversity in ecosystems lies in those communities you cannot see.” The use of DNA metabarcoding to get a “community fingerprint” gave an insight on the diversity of tiny and unseen fungi, bacteria and other invisible organisms. The process involved taking a small sample from the environment of interest, such as a soil or water. Trace molecules of DNA were extracted and distinctive bits of DNA (the barcodes) that characterised a species were sequenced. The sequences were then matched to a growing global reference database to determine what species they came from. “The real power of this approach is that we can characterise entire biological communities using the DNA present in an easily collected sample. “As you may expect, the process generates a tremendous amount of data and it is often quite likely there will be a hole in the reference databases. For invertebrates, probably only about 5% of the total diversity in NZ has ever been sequenced.” Despite appearing to be a limiting factor in the new sampling technology, Holdaway said the beauty of meta-barcoding a community was that the name of every species did not need to be known to better understand that community. “We get a DNA-profile for the community as a whole and can use that to test for differences among communities and how those differences relate to things like farm management,

land use and rates of nutrient cycling.” And despite the daunting amount of data generated, tools to interpret it were improving all the time as more and more DNA sequencing was done. “There is a really active community of researchers from across the Crown research institutes and the universities coming together under the Our Biological Heritage National Science Challenge to try to improve its application for both agriculture and conservation.” That approach was particularly relevant for the agricultural sector because farmers were required to better understand and manage processes like nutrient losses into waterways.

We get a DNA-profile for the community as a whole and can use that to test for differences among communities and how those differences relate to things like farm management, land use, and rates of nutrient cycling. Dr Robert Holdaway Landcare Research “A farmer can measure nitrogen and phosphate loss. Even though you cannot see it you get a value for it but you may not know how those losses operate in your specific situations. “Meta-barcoding enables us to measure the biodiversity in those situations. The biology of the soil is driving a lot of processes like the bioavailability of N and P rather than the soil just being a static medium through which the nutrients pass.” Understanding the community in a soil and its relationship to nutrient absorption or loss would help researchers better understand why one farm might be better at absorbing and retaining nutrients in the soil than the farm next door. “Nitrous oxide losses to the air may vary with some soils and some soil communities are better are reducing emissions than others.” The barcoding technology

was also proving valuable in getting a profile of the thousands of bacteria types that inhabited the gut of cows, with AgResearch studying links between gut bacteria and cow methane emissions. The “dream application” Holdaway hoped to see in years to come was a farmer collecting a soil sample and ticking a box requesting a profile of the soil’s biology, including fungi, bacteria and invertebrates present. “We have the technology to do this now but what is currently lacking is our ability to interpret these results within specific farming contexts. “The science done so far is showing that soil biodiversity does matter and if it is enhanced it can result in a more productive soil system.” Market promotions could include references to products promised to reinvigorate soil health by enhancing the soil biology. “Many agri-chem companies claim that if you spray their product onto your paddock it improves the soil biology and results in a healthier crop. It is a challenge at present to say how some of these products work. “What we are seeing with DNA meta-barcoding is the science catching up with the practice. We can now measure the effects of such products on the actual soil community.” A better understanding of the microbial communities present in a farm or crop system could allow smarter and reduced use of fungicides during the season, rather than religious, set-routine spraying being used. Meta-barcoding could also be an important tool in the biosecurity toolbox for early detections of future incursions such as the recent myrtle rust outbreak. It could allow a sample from imported material, for example, to be quickly assessed for the presence of many potential biosecurity threats. “This is one area that MPI is particularly keen to explore as a broad snapshot sample method at the border backed up by more specific tests to take it to the next level of certainty.” Holdaway said the technology was now well proven and one of the next big challenges for researchers was dealing with the enormous amount of data it generated and putting the processes into a farmer-friendly, app-type format.

REVEALING: Soil fingerprinting can give farmers information that will help them boost productivity while reducing leaching and emissions, Landcare Research ecologist Dr Robert Holdaway says. Photo: Johnny Houston

Opinion

26 THE NZ FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – May 29, 2017

EDITORIAL

Wave of change is coming soon

LETTERS

Dairy workers have tough time THE Federated Farmers/ Rabobank survey obviously includes part-time staff because to say full-time workers average 42 hours is, in polite terms, a lie. I work about 40 hours a week and am known as a workshy part-timer. As for the so-called increase in wages, that comes about by so many workers changing jobs because that is the only way to get a cost of living increase. That is one of the reasons the industry loses so many workers in their 30s to 40s, at their most value to the industry – the family gets sick of the shifting. As for the problem of recruiting staff, perhaps, if the industry would employ the under 25s and employ the over

50 age group it would have more staff to choose from. Mike Davies Darfield

Hunger for PM AFTER reading David Hunger’s assessment of farm safety and commentary on the direction of our country one can only plead Hunger for PM. Howard Tiddy Morrinsville

Good and bad AN ARTICLE in your weekly about the gear found in wool bales tested my memory. In the mid 1950s when classing at an Auckland store I had a staff of more than 20 Maori women working for me. Using a series of tables I would be able to handle four

FW - The New Zealand Farmers Weekly is published by NZX Agri Global HQ. PO Box 529, Feilding 4740. New Zealand Phone: 06 323 7104 Fax: 06 323 7101 Toll free: 0800 85 25 80 Website: www.farmersweekly.co.nz 06 323 1519

EDITORIAL Stephen Bell 06 323 0769 editorial@nzx.com Neal Wallace 03 474 9240 neal.wallace@nzx.com Annette Scott 03 308 4001 annette.scott@nzx.com Hugh Stringleman 09 432 8594 hugh.stringleman@nzx.com Alan Williams 03 359 3511 alan.williams@nzx.com Richard Rennie 07 552 6176 richard.rennie@nzx.com Nigel Stirling nigel.stirling@nzx.com EDITORIAL ADVISER Tony Leggett tony.leggett@nzx.com

06 323 0730

ADVERTISING Warren McDonald 06 323 0143 National Sales Manager warren.mcdonald@nzx.com John McMaster 09 375 6007 Auckland/Northland advertising john.mcmaster@nzx.com Janine Gray 027 474 6094 Waikato/Bay of Plenty advertising janine.gray@nzx.com Donna Hirst 06 323 0739 Lower North Island/international advertising donna.hirst@nzx.com David Paterson 03 382 6143 South Island advertising david.paterson@nzx.com Shirley Howard 06 323 0760 Real Estate advertising shirley.howard@nzx.com

Nigel Ramsden Livestock advertising livestock@nzx.com

06 323 0761 or 027 602 4925

Debbie Brown 06 323 0765 Classifieds/Employment advertising classifieds@nzx.com PRODUCTION Lana Kieselbach Production Manager lana.kieselbach@nzx.com Advertising material adcopy@nzx.com SUBSCRIPTIONS

long-necked beers. They weighed three pounds each and of course, were graded into a nice grade of fleece. At the price of wool in those days he got a nice return for his kindly consideration and the staff augmented their Xmas party supplies. Hand pieces were one of our most common finds but these, unlike the former, were always returned. Barry Buckley Kawhia

Letters to the Editor Letters must be no more than 450 words and submitted on the condition The New Zealand Farmers Weekly has the right to, and license third parties to, reproduce in electronic form and communicate these letters. Letters may also be edited for space and legal reasons. Names, addresses and phone numbers must be included. Letters with pen names will generally not be considered for publication.

Letterof theWeek

EDITOR Bryan Gibson bryan.gibson@nzx.com

clips at a time – only full wool in those days. Someone would open the bale and throw the fleece. Two skirters would trim and roll it. With a retinue of women following I would grade it. It was thrown into a trolley which, when full, was weighed and binned. On one occasion, part way down the bale, an item of baby’s clothes was discovered. Further down some more. And again, near the bottom a vile smell emanated. Work stopped on the whole floor and the women apprehensively huddled together. I did the honours only to discover a heap of rotting food. It was not all bad news. A clip would arrive every year just before Xmas. In the centre of every bale was a parcel containing three

06 323 0735

06 323 6393

ISSN 2463-6002 (Print) ISSN 2463-6010 (Online) Circulation: Delivered free to 79,301 farmers from Monday (Current audited circulation figure)

Best letter each week wins a quality Victorinox Hiker knife

So go on! Stick the knife in WRITE TO The Editor, FW - The New Zealand Farmers Weekly P.O. Box 529, Feilding EMAIL nzfarmersweekly@nzx.com • FAX 06 323 7101

LK0085514©

T IS often said in business circles that if you are the smartest person in the room, you should find a new room. Now, the Farmers Weekly office is chocka with smart cookies but I found myself surrounded by big brains at the recent Kellogg Alumni summit in Wellington. The summit brought together those who had passed through the prestigious programme over the past 40-odd years to reconnect and be challenged by an inspiring line-up of speakers. Kaila Colbin, the New Zealand ambassador for the Silicon Valleybased Singularity University, stunned a fair chunk of the audience with her talk about the exponential rate of technological change we are about experience. You see, it turns out humans are hardwired to predict linear change, to look back at the gradual evolution we’ve gone through and expect that to continue into the future. She said that judging by technological advancements to date, we are about to drop in on a wave of change of almost unthinkable proportions. So what does that mean for agriculture? It means our businesses need to be prepared for this change. They need to have staff with the right skills, they need to be nimble and they need to be creative. We also need to have an eye fixed on the horizon, no matter how close it might be. Automation, robotics, artificial intelligence and the emergence of alternative protein sources are all things that will affect the primary industries. To prosper in these exciting times we need to be as prepared as we can be for these disruptors. We need to have our own paths planned but also be ready to read and react as things change. It doesn’t necessarily mean changing the core of what we do as farmers, which is growing great food in a sustainable way. But if we’re to thrive as an industry we’re going to have to move with the world. Bryan Gibson

Opinion

THE NZ FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – May 29, 2017

Bare minimum is not good enough Al McCone

AVE Hunger made some interesting observations about health and safety on the farm and revealed some honest truths in Crossing the finish line in one piece, FW May 22. Experienced farmers doing routine jobs can get caught out and the data shows they account for a high proportion of fatalities involving vehicles. Experienced male drivers figured prominently in vehicle accidents in 2015 with about 70% of them over the age of 55 and driving the vehicles on sloping or uneven ground. These were mature and experienced people doing jobs they would have done many times before. Often the rider had set out to do a fairly routine task – spraying featured in about a quarter of the cases. They are also at greater risk of suffering an injury from a slip, trip and fall on the same level. However, Hunger also perpetrated many of the myths regarding what New Zealand’s Health and Safety at Work Act means for farmers. There are many misconceptions in the farming community about health and safety and one of the tasks for WorkSafe is to cut through that confusion so farmers can get to the facts and concentrate on what they need to keep themselves, their families and workers healthy and safe. We’ve been talking to farmers and listening to their feedback about what they’re hearing about health and safety, such as wearing the outcomes from others’ stupid actions, banning quad bikes, banishing kids from the farm and mountains of new paperwork. The good news is none of that is true. Farmers are learning to separate the reality from the many myths that sprang up around the legislation. Many now accept an

The

Pulpit

inspector’s job isn’t telling them how to farm but to help them be sure they are recognising and managing risks that might cause an injury to them, a family member, worker or visitor. The law is very clear that there are some basics they must do. That starts with identifying both health risks and safety risks to people on the farm and how to manage them. Farmers also need to include workers and family in planning to make the farm healthy and safe and make sure they know how to manage risks.

Simply complying will not change health and safety outcomes on a farm.

Farmers need to train and supervise people who work on the farm – for instance, ensure they know how to lift properly to minimise the risk of strains and sprains and are trained to use vehicles correctly. Many farms have introduced working alone policies to ensure people check in

or are checked on. Monitoring the health of workers and workplace conditions to prevent illness and injury – that includes things like making sure people take breaks when they should and don’t lift over-heavy weights alone – are important. That also includes taking into account physical fitness, age, experience and ability. Personal protective equipment is vital. It can range from helmets to gloves, boots and respiratory equipment for spraying. Farmers must talk to staff about why all need to use them and ensure everyone does. They need to have safe and healthy facilities for workers. They might range from taking action to address slippery areas or trip hazards in sheds to providing hot and cold running water, liquid soap and paper towels for cleaning up after handling stock. It’s necessary to make sure machinery and systems are safe for workers to use – ensuring vehicles and machinery are serviced and well maintained and have the appropriate guards. Finally, farmers need to have procedures for dealing with workplace emergencies and make sure everyone knows what to do. They must keep a record of notifiable events and be able to show they are managing their work risks. All the guidelines and templates farmers need to set up mustdo processes are included in WorkSafe’s free Keep Safe, Keep Farming toolkit – including training register, farm hazard map, emergency plan, contractor orientation checklist and incident and near miss reporting. In the year since the Act came into force we have seen the issue of effective health and safety management really come to the fore in farming communities. Momentum has steadily built in the agricultural sector. Leading agricultural businesses and organisations, such as

2096FW

The online hub for what’s happening now in agriculture. It’s where farmers go for live news, information, jobs, real estate and much more.

CHANGE: Recognising the importance of health and safety and making it part of everything done onfarm will reduce harm, WorkSafe agricultural programme manager Al McCone says.

Beef + Lamb NZ, DairyNZ, Landcorp, OSPRI and FMG have thrown their weight behind this. Horticulture NZ, NZ Wine and Federated Farmers are assisting farmers with great information and tools. The Agricultural Leaders Health and Safety Action Group is embarking on an exciting programme of work. If the weight of involvement continues, and there is real commitment and passion out there for the benefits this brings to farming, then accident rates in the sector will drop. However, there are also still many farmers who see prevention of harm as a compliance issue and are doing the bare minimum they can to meet the requirements of the law. Simply complying will not change health and safety outcomes on a farm. Recognising the importance of managing risk and making that part and parcel of everything done onfarm will. First, it’s recognising that it’s not about compliance, it’s about being safe.

Second, that it’s not just about health and safety. It’s about the business as a whole. Third, there’s a lot more to your business than you. There’s your family, any workers you might employ and the contractors and businesses that interact with your business. Talking about workplace risks and how to avoid or deal with them is the key to everyone being safe and healthy. International experience shows any change will take time and WorkSafe’s Safer Farms programme has always been and continues to be a long-term behaviour change campaign. We are committed to supporting the rural sector to reduce the number of accidents and fatalities.

Your View Got a view on some aspect of farming you would like to get across? The Pulpit offers readers the chance to have their say. nzfarmersweekly@nzx.com Phone 06 323 1519

Opinion

28 THE NZ FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – May 29, 2017

TPP is dead, long live the RCEP Alternative View

Alan Emerson

WHILE I’m in favour of any freetrade agreement I remain cynical of the Trans Pacific Partnership that seems to have had more lives than the proverbial cat. Why you’d want to bring it back from the dead is beyond me. Also, despite all the hype and hoopla I want to know exactly what any revived TPP will do for us. Only two countries, Japan and New Zealand, have ratified the agreement. Others have said they will but I’m unaware of anyone actually signing. My reading of the TPP as regards Japan is that it is one-sided in its favour. I’d also suggest the Japanese breathing life into the dead TPP is more about politics and power than trade and NZ getting involved in that scenario is extremely short-sighted. And is Japan really suggesting it’s going to dismantle all its subsidies and protections? I don’t think so. It would be great if we had the same trade deal with Japan as Australia does but I don’t see that happening. It is also important to remember a major reason for the last TPP was to establish the United States in Asia as a counter to China. The quote was “The TPP will provide a strategic hedge against the vast and growing weight of Chinese regional influence”. Is Japan stepping into the TPP

for the same reason? I suspect it is, which is another reason we shouldn’t be involved. Why should we be part of an agreement aimed at curbing the influence of our biggest market, China? It doesn’t make sense. Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has said he wants to keep the TPP as it stands, which is absurd as it means the American companies will benefit from the past negotiations even though the US has rejected the agreement. That means the Americans would reap the benefits of the concessions NZ has already made on pharmaceuticals. Why would you? That the large and exploitive American pharmaceutical companies can get benefits from NZ because of the TPP negotiations even though America hasn’t agreed to the deal tells me heaps about our negotiation skills, tactics and abilities. My further frustration is that while we get a considerable amount of information and banner-waving on the TPP we read little on the Chinesedriven Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership, the RCEP. I believe our future is better served by that agreement than the TPP. It is also important to remember the original TPP was Americandriven and to the considerable advantage of the American economy. I don’t like the thought of corporations being able to take our government to court over a perceived move by us to disadvantage the corporate. That it will be done in an untested court in a foreign land makes the issue all the more absurd. To now hear our Prime Minister Bill English telling me that any reformed TPP must be attractive

UGLY: To hear Bill English saying any revived Trans Pacific Partnership must remain attractive to the United States is ridiculous.

to the US because it could join in future is ridiculous. In the recent American presidential elections both the Republicans and the Democrats totally rejected the TPP. That is unlikely to change no matter what happens in American politics. The Trump administration is also saying it wants to revisit the North American Free Trade Agreement, (NAFTA), which tells me free trade is definitely not on the American agenda either now or in the mid to long-term. Why we’re even considering America when we have other options is beyond me. I can’t see America ever being part of the agreement. The prestigious Harvard Business

Review published an article under the heading Don’t Cry for the TPP. It said the TPP was a mistake and there was never anything there. My strong opinion is that we let America pursue its political imbroglio while we concentrate on things for the good of NZ and New Zealanders. Wistfully hoping that sometime in the future we can encourage America back into the TPP is pointless. It isn’t going to happen. My additional worry concerns timing. Some of the so-called concessions in the TPP don’t come into effect for 20 years and that is ridiculous. The way America and the North Koreans are behaving we’ll have a nuclear war before we see

any benefits of a one-sided and outdated trade pact. So I am not keen on breathing life into the TPP. I am strongly of the view we have better options, including the RCEP Our Trade Minister Todd McLay opened the RCEP negotiations in Auckland last year saying the agreement could dwarf the TPP. I agree and believe that the RCEP is where our future lies and not with the TPP which should remain dead and buried.

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

Meat exports sold to more than 100 countries Meaty Matters

Allan Barber

NEW Zealand’s meat exporters come in for a lot of criticism for selling too cheaply, for not adding value and certainly because they can’t or don’t pay farmers enough for their livestock. That final criticism is presumably a direct result of the first two – the prosecution’s case argues if they sold product at a higher price or added more value they would automatically be able to pay more for livestock. Logic says the critics are correct but they fail to take into account such annoying complications as market demand, tariffs, market access, exchange rates, seasonality, grass growth

and the fact lamb, in particular, is too expensive to be easily converted into affordable ready meals. Exporters have successfully built relationships with overseas supermarket groups, highquality food distributors and top restaurants as well as food manufacturers and fast food chains. Lastly, and most importantly, they generally manage to sell everything they process though in some years they might be left with too much inventory, which has to be converted into cash, probably at a discount. Over the last few years there has been a lot of debate about ownership of the meat companies with some farmers arguing passionately in favour of 100% farmer ownership as a panacea for perceived industry ills. That was always a dubious proposition and ultimately not enough farmers shared their passion, which means the major part of the industry now comprises most forms of

shareholding except for share market listing. Alliance is the only true farmerowned co-operative. Silver Fern Farms is half owned by its farmer suppliers and a large Chinese food business, Anzco is majority Japanese-owned and forms part of a major food company while Affco is wholly owned by a NZ food processor. Universal Beef has Taiwanese owners, Greenlea and Auckland Meat Processors are privately held NZ companies and Blue Sky Meats is still locally owned after the Chinese offer was withdrawn. Even the dairy industry, although ideally suited to the co-operative model because of the need for guaranteed daily milk collection, has other forms of ownership a growing minority of dairy farmers appear willing to support. There are no-frills options such as Open Country Dairy, which does not require suppliers to hold shares in proportion to seasonal supply, boutique, value-added processors like Tatua and the

Synlait model, which has the Chinese infant formula market as its main focus. The important feature of meat industry ownership is the freedom of choice and flexibility open to suppliers, often a cause of

It is worth noting New Zealand sheep meat is exported to 99 countries and beef to 80 countries.

frustration to the exporters. Against this industry background it is worth noting NZ sheep meat is exported to 99 countries and beef to 80 countries. In the last six months more than half our lamb exports went to China (32%) and the United Kingdom (19%), half the mutton went to China and 66% of beef was exported to the United States and China. In fact China took 29%

of total red meat exports and the United States 25%. But a large range of other markets still made up a sizeable volume of sales, without which the industry would have drastically underachieved and these figures don’t cover the export of wool and co-products which have their own specific destinations. A quick scan of export for lamb shows the European Union, including the UK, takes most product with Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands featuring in the five highest-paying markets along with Switzerland and the US. One thing nobody can fault our meat exporters on is the breadth of their sales programme that ensures NZ red meat is available in most countries around the world.

Your View Allan Barber is a meat industry commentator: allan@barberstrategic. co.nz, http://allanbarber.wordpress. com

Opinion

THE NZ FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – May 29, 2017

Tipping is a move to lower wages From the Ridge

Steve Wyn-Harris

SO, DEPUTY Prime Minister Paula Bennett thinks we should be tipping. I doubt she raised this nonissue as a red herring before the Budget but it got up my nose all the same. She said “Overall, I think the service in New Zealand is good. I always tip for excellent service and encourage others to too if we want standards to continue to improve. Great wait staff can make a good meal an excellent experience – say thank you with your wallet.” Paula, why not say thank you with your mouth instead? Just like we all do now. I’m always courteous and grateful to hospitality folk having done it myself in the distant past and given the chance will often open the door to the kitchen and thank the chef. Restaurant Association chief executive Marisa Bidois agrees with Bennett but she would, wouldn’t she? It will allow the hospitality industry to keep paying its people the barest minimum wage and hope they get topped up by the patrons to allow them a living wage.

Bennett and others point to the United States and how good their service culture is and they are probably right that it is better than here and down to what the waiting staff get in tips. That is because federal law requires staff to be paid at least $2.13 an hour and if tips don’t get that up to $7.25 then the employer must make up the difference. It would seem that the average gross wage ends up about $12 an hour with their $2.13 an hour plus tips. Our minimum wage is NZ$15.75 by comparison so you are better off here for a start.

Pay the deputy PM a decent $200,000 and encourage her to carry a tip jar around with her when she attends functions.

A problem with tipping out the front is that the waiter cleans up and the poor old chef and bottle washer see bugger all. Studies have shown that attractive waiters and waitresses get a lot more tips than the homelier ones so it’s not your service but sexiness that gets rewarded. No amount of potential tips is going be able to get me to lift my game and be sexier. When we were in Wanaka a few weeks ago we wandered into

a local restaurant for a meal. Of course, Wanaka is a tourist town nowadays so things are a bit different than, say, Waipukurau. Up pops a young man. “Hello, I’m Nigel and I’m your host for the evening. Are you having a good day?” “Yes thanks mate, could we get a feed please?” Every mouthful and every sip of wine seemed to have Nigel leaping out of nowhere wanting to know if it was good and did we want anything else. After a bit the only thing I wanted was Nigel to disappear off the face of the earth. When paying the bill there, for the first time in my experience, was another screen on the Eftpos machine asking if I would like to add a 10% or 20% tip to the bill for the waiting staff. I looked at the hovering, grinning, ingratiating Nigel and emphatically pushed the No button. It then asked me if I was sure. Okay, it didn’t do that but that will come next. Nigel and his ilk are paid at least $15.75 to provide good service with good manners and hopefully a bit of crack and humour. If they can’t do this properly then it’s up to their employer to train them to do what they are paid for or get themselves another Nigel who can. However, with some thought I can see a place for tipping in our society and if it works I’m prepared to try it elsewhere. A deputy prime minister gets $327,000 with the recent $8000 pay rise. Of course, there are a bunch of other allowances but we

TIPPING POINT: Will Deputy Prime Minister Paula Bennett accept a pay cut and attend functions with a begging bowl?

won’t quibble over those. Here’s my proposal. We pay the deputy PM a decent $200,000 and encourage her to carry a tip jar around with her when she attends functions. If we think she is giving her employers (us) a good service and doing well in her job we will stuff notes into the jar. If we think she is being an

ingratiating Nigel or not working hard enough perhaps we will give it a pass. Maybe Paula is right, tipping just might see standards continue to improve.

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

Visiting Te Kuiti for the first time From the Lip

Jamie Mackay

I’VE been lucky enough to travel around most of our beautiful country over the past 20 or so years in my capacity as a rural and rugby radio broadcaster. Though I’ve ticked most of the boxes when it comes to the provincial centres, Westport, the major town of the Buller region (population 4111) is one place I’ve never been to. Nor have I had the good fortune to visit the capital of the King Country, Te Kuiti (population 4630). But that’s about to change. I’m looking likely to break my Te Kuiti duck on Monday, June 19, when, like thousands of others I’ll hopefully be in town for the unveiling of the Sir Colin Meads statue to honour our most iconic

living New Zealander. Sandwiched between the Maori and Chiefs Lions games and just after Fieldays, I suspect the main street of Te Kuiti won’t have seen such a population invasion since the running of the sheep at the NZ Shearing Championships. You can support Pinetree’s statue by making a donation to the Te Kuiti Development bank account 02-0448-0029987-03. Imagine owning a brass piece of Pinetree for all time. It was a sad occasion for our family last weekend when we gathered to farewell the home and farm we grew up on, a property that has been in our family name for over 100 years. It belonged to my late brother and over the years as he wound down his farming career to pursue an academic one, the farm gradually dwindled in size as he sold off a chunk at a time to fund his doctorate. We knew the day would come but it’s incredibly difficult to farewell history. Fortunately though, there’s one remaining vestige of the old farm. It’s my four hectare wetland and accompanying duck pond

that has been vested in the QEII National Trust. That protects it for perpetuity so I’m hoping many generations of Mackays get to go there and plant a native tree.

It would not surprise me to see Milne become the first female national president of the Feds. The fun part of our sad farewell was the moving of the large ceremonial stone and plaque we had placed over the site of the original homestead several years earlier. With the property changing hands it was always going to make the 2km trip up the road to the top of the original farm, where it will now guard the entry to the aforementioned wetland. It would be fair to say WorkSafe’s Richard Loe might have looked sideways at some of our health

and safety procedures but we knocked the bastard off in the end, albeit in a display that would not have shamed the Keystone Cops. We all agreed the large boulder, which originated from the top of the Hokonui Hills overlooking the farm, will spend the rest of eternity where it is. It’s just too damn dangerous to move it again. Which brings me to the NZ Century Farm and Station Awards held over the weekend in the historic south Otago gold-mining town of Lawrence. It’s always a privilege to be asked to MC this prestigious event. Our family farm was honoured at the 2011 awards and it was wonderful my late mother and brother could enjoy the accolade at the time. If your family farm is approaching or has surpassed the 100-year landmark then please take the opportunity to recognise the occasion. Life is fleeting so seize the day. I am so proud our family did. It’s an honour bestowed upon few. So, who will seize the day in the battle to replace Dr William Rolleston in the top job at Federated Farmers?

Anders Crofoot, the current vice-president, and Katie Milne, adverse events spokeswoman and a former Dairy Woman of the Year, will contest the presidency at next month’s annual meeting in Wellington. They make for an interesting contrast. Crofoot is a quietly spoken, intellectual, former high-flying American businessman who bought Castlepoint Station on the Wairarapa coast and turned its farming fortunes around. He is the sort of overseas investor even Winston would welcome. Milne is a down-to-earth, outgoing West Coast cow cocky with a sharp wit and a good turn of phrase. After the intellectual tenure of Rolleston, it would not surprise me to see Milne become the first female national president of the Feds.

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 – May 29, 2017

Kiwi lamb caught in EU border row Colin Ley

Agriculture leader Christophe Hillairet.

FEAR that New Zealand lamb might find its way into the European Union marketplace by way of a post-Brexit soft border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland has sparked a major row. The original concern was raised by Christophe Hillairet, president of the Ile de France section of the French Chamber of Agriculture and a representative member of Copa, the EU farmers’ lobby organisation, who said French farmers would need to have a hard border between the Northern Ireland and the Republic to avoid the risk of a lot of products crossing the frontier from north to south. That produced a sharp response from Irish

Creamery Milk Suppliers Association (ICMSA) president John Comer that such comments were disappointingly self-centred, drawing attention to the “very recent history of suffering and conflict” in the regions. Avoiding more suffering and conflict would continue to take clear precedence over the anxieties of French farm groups as far as both Ireland and the United Kingdom were concerned. Comer also referred to Hillairet’s fear lamb from NZ could arrive in Northern Ireland and cross a soft border into the Republic before entering the mainland EU markets, saying there was already a whole third-country of origin labelling procedure worked out and operating satisfactorily throughout the EU and that the UK’s continued

adherence to that procedure could be negotiated as part of the Brexit process. What was more important was that EU farm leaders showed some degree of solidarity and commitment to the Irish farming communities who were, by a considerable margin, the sector most affected by Brexit in the EU, in both economic and practical terms. Hillairet said he believed farmers in Britain, France and the whole of Europe would all be losers over the next few years because of Brexit. “We’re also afraid that the UK will sign new agreements to bring more food in from the Commonwealth and that, given France’s closeness geographically to the UK, this will prove dangerous for our farmers,” he said. The debate on how to manage Brexit in relation to Northern Ireland and the Republic was particularly troubling. “Ireland is a big problem but for the French farmer we will need to have a hard border between the north and the Republic as otherwise we will have a lot of products that will cross the frontier from north to south. “That would be very dangerous for our producers. “What happens, for example, when lamb from NZ arrives in Northern Ireland and there is only a soft border into the Republic? We are very afraid of that.” This latest row followed a recent visit to Dublin by the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier when he pledged to fight to ensure there was no return to a hard border with Northern Ireland. However, officials had yet to explain how that objective might be achieved.

French will be tough in talks Colin Ley

REPUTATION IS EARNED THROUGH HARD WORK AND RELIABILITY. Over the last decade BIONIC® has helped Kiwi farmers by doing just that. Backed by 20 years development and testing in Kiwi conditions - BIONIC has earned a reputation for getting results. Put your trust in BIONIC again this season and you’ll earn yourself this Navigator jacket from Degree Techwear - another reliable hard worker designed to perform in Kiwi conditions.*

BIONIC HI-MINERAL SHEEP CAPSULES. NOTHING ELSE MEASURES UP. QUALIFYING PURCHASES: 2500 CAPSULES OF: BIONIC® HI-MINERAL, EXTENDER® SECO OR IVOMEC® MAXIMIZER ADULT. 20X EXODUS® LAI INJECTION 500ML

PROUDLY AVAILABLE FROM YOUR LOCAL VETERINARY CLINIC.

*WHILE STOCKS LAST. PROMOTION ENDS 28/09/17

MERIAL IS NOW PART OF BOEHRINGER INGELHEIM. MERIAL NZ LTD. LEVEL 3, MERIAL BUILDING, OSTERLEY WAY, MANUKAU, AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND | WWW.MERIAL.CO.NZ | BIONIC®, EXODUS®, EXTENDER® & IVOMEC® ARE REGISTERED TRADEMARKS OF MERIAL. REGISTERED PURSUANT TO THE ACVM ACT 1997 | NO. A9646, A10399, A7905, A7192 | ©COPYRIGHT 2017 MERIAL NZ LTD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. NZ-17-MAL-011.

FARM sector leaders in France are looking for the country’s new government to play a strong role in the European Union while protecting French producers against the continued loss of market share to foreign competitors. “We have a new, young president who is pro-European, which is very good for French farmers,” France’s main farm industry group Federation Nationale des Syndicats d’Exploitants Agricoles head Christiane Lambert said after 39-year-old Emmanuel Macron was elected president. Warning her members were no longer content to watch their production opportunities being exported to farms elsewhere in Europe, she pledged to fight for a renegotiation of the EU’s rules of trade, giving French farmers better returns and a greater share of their own market. When asked how that might affect the negotiation of future EU free-trade deals, such as the one with New Zealand, she took time to highlight the enormous differences between farming in France and NZ, specifically in terms of farm size, political backing for the industry and the status of farmers in society. “We want our industry to become more globally focused,” she said. It was often viewed as being somewhat “second zone”. “Our main trading contact with NZ concerns lamb, of course. On that point all I can say is that when NZ lamb is cheap it becomes very difficult for us.” Lambert also voiced concerns over the next two years of Brexit negotiations between the EU and United Kingdom. It was very important to French farmers to keep their business links with Britain, including on lamb. Nevertheless, only a hard Brexit would work for the long-term good of the EU, certainly in relation to mainstream areas such as finance, services, industry and research.

JOURNEYS END STN - WHERE THE ADVENTURES BEGIN...

927 Koranga Valley Road, Matawai

Equidistant between Gisborne and Opotiki in the thriving rural community of Matawai, Journeys End offers an unparalleled combination of farming, hunting and fishing. 1438ha in size the station is very well tracked and has large portions of easy tractor country that gradually climbs into forest fringes bounded by the pristine Waioeka Conservation Forest. Assessed at 9200 quality stock units and subdivided into 66 paddocks including approx.100ha of deer fencing, Journeys End has been producing quality livestock for many years and has the contour, fertility, development and scale for breeding and finishing. Buildings include; five bedroom homestead, three bedroom home, three bedroom apartment neatly incorporated into the 5 stand woolshed covered yard complex, plus two very practical yet contemporary facilities, the hugely popular Sunny Face Lodge and the Toutouwai Cabin, hunting and fishing lodges respectively which cement this property as a profitable outdoor recreational facility where each day can lead to your adventure of choice.

Tenders Close 4pm,

Journeys End Station provides quality farm land, great hunting, renowned fishing, and genuine tourism!

Fri 16 Jun 2017 (unless sold prior) 10 Reads Quay, Gisborne

View by appointment

www.bayleys.co.nz/2750445

James Macpherson

Simon Bousfield

M 021 488 018 M 027 665 8778 B 06 868 5188 B 06 868 5188 james.macpherson@bayleys.co.nz simon.bousfield@bayleys.co.nz MACPHERSON MORICE LTD, BAYLEYS LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008.

MACPHERSON MORICE LTD, BAYLEYS, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008.

OTOKA STATION

Matawai Road, Otoko, Gisborne

Situated in the naturally fertile and historically summer safe, thriving rural district of Otoko is this profitable sheep and beef breeding block carrying circa 3800 Stock Units. Being only 53km from the Gisborne City limits on the Matawai Road this 468.54ha property provides affordable scale within commuting distance of the city. The vendor has undertaken an array of recent improvements presenting a very clean, healthy property. There has been extensive fertiliser application. High quality maintenance of fences including new fencing. New and refurbished yards and laneway development. The woolshed has been renovated with an extension to night pen capacity. A large implement shed and workshop providing good cover for farm equipment. The farm has great access and the shape provides for ease of management. A lovely warm four bedroom character villa set on expansive grounds has been extensively remodelled and awaits its new owners finishing touches.

Auction 1pm,

This opportunity offers proven profitable farming and affordable scale within commuting distance of Gisborne city.

Fri 23 Jun 2017 (unless sold prior) 10 Reads Quay, Gisborne

View by appointment

www.bayleys.co.nz/2750474

Simon Bousfield

James Bolton-Riley

M 027 665 8778 B 06 868 5188

M 027 739 1011 B 06 868 5188

simon.bousfield@bayleys.co.nz

james.bolton-riley@bayleys.co.nz

MACPHERSON MORICE LTD, BAYLEYS, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008.

www.bayleys.co.nz

STRONG, HEALTHY FARMLAND WITH FORESTRY

Jobson Road, Waingake, Gisborne

Located just 20 km from Gisborne, amongst some of the regions healthiest farmland, is the opportunity to purchase 294 hectares including 11.2ha of mature 24 YO pine and 12ha of fertile flat land ideal for fodder crops for fattening stock. Wintering circa 2100 stock units, the farm benefits from an abundance of clean stock water accessible throughout via springs, streams and dams, and enjoys a mild winter climate with generally steady summer rainfall. The strong hill country provides a mixed aspect offering excellent shelter for lambing and calving. Improvements include a 4 stand woolshed, sheep and cattle yards at the entrance of the property and additional satellite yards. A good standard of fencing and subdivision and the addition of smaller paddocks and lane’s cement the ease of workability. Diverse income streams through forestry, farming and the option to capitalise on the benefits of portions of Kanuka/Manuka and native, which also provide for good hunting.

Auction 1pm, 10 Reads Quay, Gisborne

View by appointment

www.bayleys.co.nz/2750470

Simon Bousfield

James Bolton-Riley

M 027 665 8778 B 06 868 5188

M 027 739 1011 B 06 868 5188

simon.bousfield@bayleys.co.nz

james.bolton-riley@bayleys.co.nz

MACPHERSON MORICE LTD, BAYLEYS, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008.

NE W

LI ST IN G

Herein lies the opportunity to add to one’s current land holdings, or to purchase a farm with excellent proximity to Gisborne and an abundance of farming and recreational appeal.

Fri 23 Jun 2017 (unless sold prior)

HIGH PERFORMANCE GRASS FACTORY Situated in the renowned Wallingford farming district is this complete property comprising of 328.94ha held in two titles. The farm has a mix of sheep and cattle but predominantly run as an intensive bull

278 Wilder Road, Central Hawke’s Bay

Price by Negotiation View by appointment

53.8HA OF FERTILE RIVER TERRACE FLATS This tidy little farm offers three titles and is located only 11 kilometres off State Highway 1, South of Taihape.

www.bayleys.co.nz/2870105

The free draining and flat soils are a great balance of Kawhatau silt

fattening operation. The contour is predominantly flat to easy rolling

Sam Twigg

and stony sandy loams, suitable for intensive livestock farming,

hills with a small portion of steeper sidlings. Excellent water

M 027 655 4702 B 06 858 5500 sam.twigg@bayleys.co.nz

horticulture plus cereal and fodder cropping. Reticulated water is

reticulation to most paddocks. Infrastructure includes two dwellings; the main house, built in 2000, consists of four bedrooms with a sleep out, second dwelling is a 1970 Lockwood home with three bedrooms. Farm buildings include a large four bay implement shed, four stand woolshed, two sets of cattle yards and sheep yards and numerous sundry buildings. There are two choices of primary schools

Andy Hunter M 027 449 5827 B 06 858 5500 andy.hunter@bayleys.co.nz COAST TO COAST LTD, BAYLEYS, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008.

supplied via the Omatane water scheme, plus a permanent stream. Attractive pockets of native bush provide shade and shelter as well as enhancing the aesthetic appeal. Featuring a superb building site overlooking the Rangitikei River basin, a private track also offers easy access down to a large reserve on the river, where trout are guaranteed!

in the area and secondary schooling in Waipukurau. Within close

Attractive fertile and free draining river terrace flats with

proximity is the Porangahau Country Club and Beach resort. This

exceptional views over the Rangitikei River.

property offers a discerning buyer a wonderful opportunity.

www.bayleys.co.nz

245 Omatane North Road, Taihape

Don’t miss this! Auction 2pm, Fri 23 Jun 2017 (unless sold prior) The Workingmans Club 34 Kuku Street, Taihape

View by appointment

www.bayleys.co.nz/3100065

Pete Stratton M 027 484 7078 B 06 388 0098 A/h 06 3888 0568 peter.stratton@bayleys.co.nz COAST TO COAST LTD, BAYLEYS, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008.

LI ST IN G NE W

LARGE LIFESTYLE FARM HANDY TO TOWN

Feilding

DEER/ARABLE OR MIXED LAND USE

891 Makino Road

For Sale Offers invited by 4pm,

180 Ward Road

Deadline Sale 1pm,

The sale of 891 Makino Road Feilding represents an opportunity to

Thurs 22 Jun 2017 (unless sold prior) 49 Manchester Street, Feilding

This 82.7582 hectare fully deer fenced/arable property of

Thurs 29 Jun 2017

purchase a 22 hectare smaller farm with many additional features. The property is 9km north of Feilding in an area renowned for strong pastoral farming. The property has a cosy three bedroom home,

View by appointment

www.bayleys.co.nz/3100067

Southburn

predominantely flat contour, situated 20km from Timaru offers the ability to run multiple stock types. A three bay deer and handling facility including crush, cattle yards, external sheep yards with a large

View by appointment www.bayleys.co.nz/554731

Noel May

various sheds including a two bay lock up workshop, a two bay large

Andrew Bonnor

two stand woolshed. A workshop, three bay implement shed and a

implement shed, a 1 stand woolshed, three stables and a 75m x

M 027 941 7630 B 06 350 6490 andrew.bonnor@bayleys.co.nz

three bay hay barn complement the property.

M 021 457 643 B 03 687 1227 noel.may@bayleys.co.nz

Enter the extensively planted driveway with a stunning array of

Kurt Snook

ornamental trees to the three bedroom home (plus sleepouts) that

M 027 256 0449 B 03 687 1227 kurt.snook@bayleys.co.nz

35m arena opening up a number of options for the new owner. The property is on Halcombe rural water scheme giving assurance of reliable supply which is gravity fed around the farm and to the home.

COAST TO COAST LTD, BAYLEYS, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008.

over a period of time has been completely renovated, including a new

There is a backup rainwater tank and pump if required. The home

bathroom, full insulation and external recladding. Set in a large

has recently had underfloor and ceiling insulation installed and is

garden of magnificent plantings complemented with an adjacent

heated by a freestanding Metro log fire with a wetback to heat the

orchard with many varieties of fruit and nut trees.

WHALAN AND PARTNERS LTD, BAYLEYS LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008.

NE W

LI ST IN G

water.

FOR LEASE - IRRIGATION AND OPTIONS

Lowcliffe, Mid Canterbury

SOUTH CANTERBURY

30 Waipuna Road

Tender 12pm,

668 Chamberlain Road

This is an excellent opportunity to lease a large scale property of

Fri 16 Jun 2017

307 hectares of mixed contour

Very well sheltered farm with pine plantations, natural shelter and

approximately 255 hectares at Lowcliffe, Mid Canterbury. Approximately 155 hectares is under irrigation via two centre pivots with a good groundwater consent from two bores. Currently the property is utilized for dairy and dairy support with some traditional cattle grazing. A good combination of quality soils would also allow arable production options. Sheep and cattle yards available by arrangement with the lessor. The new lease would commence on 14

View by appointment www.bayleys.co.nz/554694

planted hedgerows

Jon McAuliffe M 027 432 7769 B 03 307 7377 jon.mcauliffe@bayleys.co.nz WHALAN AND PARTNERS LTD, BAYLEYS, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008.

Approximately 70 hectares deer fenced

Excellent woolshed and yards plus modern cattle yards

Presently running sheep and beef, approximately 2,600 SU

Four bedroom concrete block home set in mature sheltered grounds

December 2017. D

Located only 19km to Fairlie

Vendor has new plans and seeks genuine offers

Albury

Deadline Sale 1pm, Thurs 6 Jul 2017

View by appointment www.bayleys.co.nz/554765

Kurt Snook M 027 256 0449 B 03 687 1227 kurt.snook@bayleys.co.nz

Noel May M 021 457 643 B 03 687 1227 noel.may@bayleys.co.nz WHALAN AND PARTNERS LTD, BAYLEYS LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008.

www.bayleys.co.nz

farmersweekly.co.nz/realestate 0800 85 25 80

Real Estate

THE NEW ZEALAND FARMERS WEEKLY – May 29, 2017

FOR SALE 2290 STATE HIGHWAY 1 KAIWAKA

RECEIVERSHIP SALE

*Approximate boundary only

WATER BOTTLING PROPERTY

DEVELOPMENT EQUALS GROWTH

Ashburton

198 Mill Road, Westerfield

Deadline Sale

Following the boundaries of the Ashburton River is 94.5ha of quality

Thurs 8 Jun 2017 (unless prior)

+ Pasture and native bush adjoining picturesque Mount Pukekaroro

www.bayleys.co.nz/554153

+ Resource Consent for 120m3 daily water take

+ 39.934ha contained in 4 titles

silt loams in two titles and only minutes from Ashburton. With years of proven arable, small seed production and lamb finishing this is well supported by quality infrastructure. A groundwater consent of 30 litres per second further enhances options. Completing the package is a three bedroom home with plenty of charm and character, this is a property all about potential, all you need to do is move in and enjoy!

+ Approx. 1,637sqm modern shed

4pm,

View by appointment Mike Preston M 027 430 7041 B 03 307 2400 mike.preston@bayleys.co.nz

+ Currently tenanted + Tender for one or all titles

Jon McAuliffe

+ Extensive SH1 frontage

M 027 432 7769 B 03 307 7377 jon.mcauliffe@bayleys.co.nz

DEADLINE TENDER Closing 15 June 2017 at 4.00pm* JEREMY KEATING 021 461 210

WHALAN AND PARTNERS LTD, BAYLEYS, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008.

JAMES LEE 021 344 517

*Unless sold prior www.propertyconnector.co.nz

www.bayleys.co.nz

CBRE (Agency) Limited, Licensed Real Estate Agent (REAA 2008)

New Zealand’s leading rural real estate company

Licenced under REAA 2008

OPEN DAY

4.5ha waterfront paradise (6-7000 trays, crop included). Orchard has done 13,000 trays. 314 Avocado trees. This is a top 10 orchard in a premium waterfront location. Fairytale three bedroom home with new designer kitchen and bathrooms, pizza oven and lots of space for the kids. Large historic dance hall/school house plus implement shed/workshop all in excellent condition. Boat ramp water access. Venue potential B&B or lodge. Amazing property, incredible location. Contact agent for full information pack. www.pggwre.co.nz ID: TAR26081

Pahoia TENDER (Unless Sold By Private Treaty) Closes 4.00pm, Wednesday, 14 June

Stay up-to-date with the real estate market with

farmersweekly.co.nz/realestate

OPEN DAY 1.00-1.45pm, Sunday, 4 June

Ultimate Avocado Orchard

THE ADDRESS FOR RURAL REAL ESTATE

Andrew Fowler B 07 571 5797 M 027 275 2244

pggwre.co.nz

For Sale G

TIN

IS WL

TIN

IS WL

South Canterbury | Fairlie

Deadline Sale

North Otago | Duntroon

1,162.5 Hectares

Closing 1pm, Thursday 6 July 2017

62 Hectares

West Hills Station â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Deer Farm & Trophy Hunting Park. 64.6 hectares freehold and 1,097.9 hectares pastoral lease â&#x20AC;&#x201C; this property is superbly located only 5km from the Fairlie township. A large part of the property is deer fenced and incorporates very well subdivided and improved paddock country with the lower hill having been over sown and top dressed, with larger clean tussock blocks that rise up to the skyline. An excellent laneway provides great access and leads to large covered deer yards. There are good cattle handling facilities, sufficient farm implement sheds and a four bedroom villa homestead. A significant opportunity to have a multifaceted business with deer, cattle, sheep and trophy hunting. Enquiry is highly recommended. | Property ID TU10967

By appointment

Contact Simon Richards 027 457 0990

Duntroon Irrigated Flats. Beef finishing or dairy run-off. Titled area of 93 hectares with 62 hectares effective plus 12 hectares of Council lease. 74 shares from the Maerewhenua Scheme applied via K-line, 97 to 98% reliable with the annual cost of $240 per hectare plus pumping. Productive soils with good fertiliser history and strong modern 2-4 year old permanent pastures. All water ways fenced with some riparian plantings. Two bedroom cottage only 43km from Oamaru and 23km from Kurow on the Ocean to Alps cycleway. Various purchase options available. | Property ID TU10969

TIN

IS WL

Inspection

Canterbury | Hororata 167 Hectares Glenoakley Cottage Farm. This very desirable property is farmed in conjunction with the home block and has three well defined land use contours; a small amount of forestry combined with steep hill grazing facing to the North West, with the majority of the property being rolling downs to well sheltered flats. The dwelling on the farm is referred to as the cottage and has recently been renovated with three bedrooms, a good sized kitchen/dining area, an electric oven and hobs plus a wood fired oven on a wet back. The well-appointed lounge has an open fire and leading off the lounge is a sun room. The property will not be sold prior to the deadline date. | Property ID DA1732

Licensed under REAA 2008

Deadline Sale Closing 2pm, Thursday 29 June 2017

Inspection By appointment

Contact Grant McIlroy 027 345 9262

Expressions of interest over $1,850,000 plus GST

Inspection By appointment

Contact Merv Dalziel 027 439 5823

TIN

IS WL

Price

Canterbury | Sefton

Price

40.4 Hectares

$1,500,000 Including GST

Attractive Small Farm. Situated in a great location with a four bedroom home, set in a sheltered garden with vege beds and plantings. One unit of council water supplying 1,800 litres/day into a 25,000 litre tank. Numerous older sheds used for storage and hen house. Substantial, enclosed grain shed and workshop with electricity. Fenced into eight paddocks with excellent trimmed shelter, flat to gently sloping contour with excellent soils. The property has been used for finishing sheep, cattle, hay, baleage and previously growing very good grain crops. The house is currently tenanted and the land leased to a neighbour on a monthly basis. A versatile property, being close to Sefton and an easy commute to Rangiora and Christchurch. | Property ID RA1756

Inspection By appointment

Contact Malcolm Garvan 027 231 4425

WE’VE CHANGED THE GAME. FOR GOOD.

When you list your rural property with any Property Brokers’ agent, you are guaranteed a true team of agents from across the country working alongside that agent to get you the best result. That’s because every Property Brokers’ rural agent has signed a binding agreement to work together to sell your property. It’s a New Zealand first for the rural real estate industry and ensures that we put your best interests first. Which is exactly where they should be. Find out more at pb.co.nz/trueteam

WAIKATO

LOWER NORTH ISLAND

SOUTH ISLAND Property Brokers Limited MREINZ Licensed REAA 2008 0800 FOR LAND

TRUE TEAM

This is Property Brokers’ Country!

GUARANTEE

THE NEW ZEALAND FARMERS WEEKLY – May 29, 2017

Real Estate

farmersweekly.co.nz/realestate 0800 85 25 80

RURAL rural@propertybrokers.co.nz Office 0800 FOR LAND

Property Brokers Limited Licensed under the Real Estate Agents Act 2008

FAMILY FARM WITH OPTIONS

OPEN DAY WEB ID TMR55678

TAIKO 573 Sutherlands Road • 417 hectares (4 titles) • 2 x Excellent dwellings • Good infrastructure • Recent re-pasturing • Location (approx 20km Timaru)

There are a few steeper gullies on some of the hills. This is a great opportunity to purchase the property now, and with continued development, such as more subdivision and central lane-way systems, to take this farm to the next level. The farm would suit a variety of stock, from the traditional sheep and beef to a nice deer The majority of the farm is easy rolling with flat tops and block (once fenced). a larger area of flat land on the eastern side of the farm.

AUCTION

VIEW Tuesday 30 May 1.00 - 3.00pm AUCTION 2.00pm, Thu 29th Jun, 2017, (unless sold prior), Venue: Benvenue Hotel 16-22 Evans Street Timaru

Michael Richardson

Mobile 027 228 7027 Office 03 687 7145 michael@propertybrokers.co.nz

www.propertybrokers.co.nz

RURAL | LIFESTYLE | RESIDENTIAL

Licenced under REAA 2008

NEW LISTING

Stunning Irrigated Farm

Cust

Waikaura Downs

North Otago

The sale of Ryelands Farm, 222.4387ha, provides an outstanding opportunity to purchase an almost fully irrigated property with excellent water consents and soils. Its intensive farm history includes cropping, finishing and dairy grazing. It has an impressive four-bedroom home, many quality farm buildings and pivot irrigation. Available total property or: • 164.1178ha (1500 Poyntzs Road) and • 58.3209ha (1922 Oxford Road) Don’t miss this chance to purchase one of Canterbury’s best farms.

DEADLINE PRIVATE TREATY

• Quality dairy grazing and fattening property in two blocks • Home Block 82.6 ha (70ha irrigated) • Priest Road Block 178.2ha • Productive soils, good fertiliser history • Strong pastures, excellent fencing and water reticulation • Potential for additional 150ha irrigation from Kurow-Duntroon Irrigation Company • Full range of buildings on Home Block, two bedroom cottage on Priest Road Block • Information brochure available

PRICE ON APPLICATION

www.pggwre.co.nz ID: CHR26028

Plus GST (if any) (Unless Sold Prior) Closes 2.00pm, Friday, 16 June

Peter Crean B 03 341 4315 M 027 434 4002

www.pggwre.co.nz ID: OAM26110

Dave Finlay M 027 4335210 Dave Heffernan M 027 2158666 Laurie Farmer M 027 4357535

pggwre.co.nz

Employment

THE NEW ZEALAND FARMERS WEEKLY – May 29, 2017

HERD MANAGER Premium Farm - Hamilton Location

TRACTOR DRIVER / STOCKPERSON 10,400 ha, Mixed Cropping & Sheep

This is a rare opportunity to obtain a Herd Manager role on a well performing farm in an excellent location, working in a great team environment.

The Curwen family are progressive and innovative farmers with their operation based at Albany, Western Australia. And no, this is not the typical isolated West Australian Station. The town of Albany has a population of 34,000, is coastal with beautiful sandy beaches, and is a tourist destination, … and is just 35 minutes from the farm.

Drumlea is a well-resourced 320 ha dairy farm milking 900 cows through a 50bail rotary with Protrack and Auto Drafting. It is located just 15 km to the West of Hamilton city centre with good schools and facilities nearby. Key responsibilities would include: • Maintaining a clean and tidy dairy • Feed management and production • Animal husbandry • Monitoring animal health • Farm and equipment maintenance • General farm duties It is important that the successful applicant works well in a team environment alongside the Farm Manager, 2IC and another Herd Manager. A three bedroom house is available and the opportunity to be supported through appropriate training courses. This is a great opportunity for someone who is serious about developing their farming career. To view photos visit www.fegan.co.nz To apply phone 07 823 0117 or email jobs@fegan.co.nz

The successful applicant will have a can-do attitude and will be prepared to put in the hours at key times. The employers pay their staff well and they pay them for every hour worked so, a highly motivated person will be able to earn in excess of $80K plus super, plus house. View the photos on our website and then apply by emailing your CV to jobs@fegan.co.nz or, call us on 07 823 0117. Applications close 4pm Friday, 9 June.

Apply in writing to the Manager: Jono Maxwell 433 Kaimatawi Road, RD1, Taihape 4791 j.maxwell@hotmail.co.nz Must have at least two references with CV. For more information phone after 7pm, 06 388 1625 Applications close Friday 2nd June 2017

For further information or to apply please call or email: Reon & Wendy Verry 07 878 8678 (evenings) verryfarming@gmail.com

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

ANIMAL SUPPLEMENTS

TH IN K P R EB UILT

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

NEW HOMES

BOOK AN AD. For only $2.00 + gst per word you can book a word only ad in The NZ Farmers Weekly Classifieds section. Phone Debbie Brown on 0800 85 25 80 to book in or email classifieds@nzx.com

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

Applications close 7 June 2017

RUN OFF

YOUR FEET?

This position would suit a young person wanting to further his/her career. We are offering a competitive remuneration including a three bedroom house. Contact Kim Robinson Lochiel Farmlands Ltd Private Bag, Tuakau 2342 – Ph 0274 995 077 Email kim@lochielfarmlands.co.nz

ATTENTION FARMERS

DOGS FOR SALE

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

BEARDIE HUNTAWAY pups, 3 months. Big noise, good breeding. Phone 09 4348 226.

FIFTY DOGS FOR SALE! $500-$2500. Cattle and sheep demo online or on farm. Dogs exchangeable*. Trade-ins welcome. Deliver Northland to Southland. Ask your neighbours! 07 315 5553. Mike Hughes. 5-MONTH-OLD Huntaway pup. Big noise. Phone 06 388 0212. HEADING DOG pups, 11 weeks. Vaccinated. Phone Grant 06 328 5978.

CONTRACTORS GORSE SPRAYING. Experienced team, up to eight, using mist blowers and 400 litre motorised sprayer. We cut scrub and plant Manuka seedlings. Phone Dave 06 375 8032.

• Beef breeding properties/partnerships LK0087701©

• Profit share, per kg $ rate or JV

AGRICULTURAL ASSET MANAGEMENT

HEADING DOG, 9 months, run, stop and call back. Dannevirke. Phone 06 928 6748.

DOGS WANTED

FIVE BEARDIE PUPS from working parents. Two dogs, three bitches. $600 each. Phone 027 512 8567.

BUYING DOGS NOW! Quick easy $ale! No one buys or pays more! 07 315 5553.

Keep your dogs worm free DOG WORMING PROGRAMMES

We currently seek large scale farmers, graziers and investment partners.

Phone Nick, 027 476 3658 Email: nick.aam@xtra.co.nz

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).

To the Dog Owner

LOOKING FOR BETTER RETURNS?

LK0086497©

For a quick chat please phone 06 685 7913 – preferably evenings

The successful application will have: • an excellent team of dogs • ability and will to work in a team environment • absolute attention to detail keeping stock records • awareness of farm health and safety practices

• Large scale beef finishers 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

Please send your CV, cover letter and references to Brenden Reidy, Farm Manager by email to: bjreidy@inspire.net.nz or post to: RD 4, Waipukurau 4284

Turn to The NZ Farmers Weekly first for your employment advertising needs Phone Debbie Brown 0800 85 25 80 or email classifieds@nzx.com

Classifieds

SOLID – PRACTICAL WELL INSULATED – AFFORDABLE

Diving, fishing and local sports clubs are all within 20 minutes.

We require an experienced shepherd for a 3500 hectare intensive hill-country sheep and beef station situated at Glen Murray, northern Waikato. This position is one of responsibility doing the day-to-day movements on 560 hectares, as well supporting the team on the rest of the station.

LK0087512©

LK0087802©

A three bedroom cottage is available.

CRAIGCO SHEEP JETTERS. Sensor Jet. Deal to fly and Lice now. Guaranteed performance. Unbeatable pricing. Phone 06 835 6863. www. craigcojetters.com

This property offers good infrastructure with a modern 3-bedroom home in a good community.

Experienced Shepherd

Experience shepherd general required for a 975ha intensive sheep and beef property situated in the Mataroa and Rangiwaea districts, 25 minutes from Taihape. Must have at least two years experience with good stockmanship, fencing and hand piece skills. 3-4 working dogs required. We are looking for an energetic person with a good work ethic who is willing to work both unsupervised and as part of a team. Comfortable 4-bedroom house.

The successful applicant would require 3-5 working dogs and have 2-3 years shepherding experience.

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

The successful applicant will be: • Passionate about farming • Self motivated • Able to work alone or in a team environment • A capable stockperson • Have 2-3 working dogs • A willingness to learn • Responsible attitude towards Health and Safety • Happy to take on some responsibility

LK0087660©

Experienced shepherd required for 1200ha sheep and beef property, 15 minutes from Te Kuiti. The farm runs a total of 11,500su over two blocks.

ANIMAL HANDLING

We are looking for a Shepherd General to assist in all facets of farming. This includes stock work, repairs and maintenance, fencing and operation of light machinery. The opportunity for professional development will be offered.

All staff on farm work as one at key times, with the sheep guys helping at peak times during the arable season and vice versa.

SHEPHERD GENERAL

ANIMAL HANDLING

Estate of A.W. Parsons is a 917ha Sheep and Beef property situated in Wallingford, Central Hawke’s Bay, 25-30 minutes from Waipukurau.

www.fegan.co.nz

Shepherd General

classifieds@nzx.com – 0800 85 25 80

A.W. Parsons Estate

This role is the ultimate job for someone that loves working with (big) good gear and also enjoys working with sheep from time to time. The split is probably 80/20 (80% machinery). The business grows canola, barley and wheat and is self-contained (they own 7 harvesters).

Human Resources • Recruitment

We are looking for someone who is reliable with a good attitude and who can work independently and as part of a team.

Shepherd General

LK0087819©

classifieds@nzx.com – 0800 85 25 80

OVIS CONTROL NZ LTD

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

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. WINDMILLS for water pumping. Ferguson Windmills Company. www.windmills.co.nz sales@windmills.co.nz Phone 09 412 8655 or 027 282 7689.

WANTED

For more information contact John Phone 03 439 5783 or 027 432 2641 Email mckeownjj@xtra.co.nz

DOGS WANTED

FORESTRY

For the control of all tapeworms eg. Taenia Ovis (sheep measles) Roundworms and hookworms • 3-monthly starting $34.00 per dog per year (Drontal plus) • Monthly starting $54.00 per dog per year (Droncit monthly & Drontal plus 3-monthly LK0087677©

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.

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

GOATS WANTED

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.

GORSE SPRAYING CERTIFIED CREW. Gun and hose work units available and mistblower work. All gear supplied. Covering Lower North Island. Phone 06 375 8660 or 021 396 447.

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

Employment

Livestock

FARM MANAGER

STOCK REQUIRED

RAUPUHA SHORTHORNS

MATAMATA LOCATION • A senior role in our family company • Directly report to the owners • Diverse work, good remuneration • Great location close to all amenities

STORE MALE LAMBS 30-37 kgs BREEDING EWES SIL 18 MTH BULLS 380-450 kgs 330-370 kgs 18 MTH STEERS 18 MTH HEIFERS 300– 400 kgs 470-550 kgs R3 YR STEERS MA COWS VIC due Aug - Oct

Red, White & Roans of our world

J Swap is a large family-based company that has operated from Matamata for over 70 years. Traditionally known for civil construction, quarrying, bulk transport, and bulk storage, we also own and operate a number of sheep and beef breeding and finishing farms in the Waikato and Bay of Plenty regions. In total, we winter approximately 14000su on 1100ha. Since 2010 we have held annual bull sales and cow sales at our Walton farm and we take pride in producing well grown stock using infrastructure that is second to none. This newly created role is unique in the Waikato area. The primary responsibility is to manage two sheep farms situated on the Kaimai Ranges and one located near Karapiro. In addition, the role requires planning, oversight, and support for the remaining seven low land farms.

www.dyerlivestock.co.nz

Ross Dyer 0274 333 381 E info@rdlfinance.co.nz

Animal husbandry and care is of paramount importance to us, as is maintaining good infrastructure and facilities. Planning, budgeting, and lifting overall farm performance while maintaining the highest standard of care will be your goal. We are seeking an experienced person to join our team. You will report to the owners and have responsibility for planning, budgeting, and reporting for all farm operations. You will be required to work in a hands-on role on the sheep farms with the support of two existing farm staff. You will also assist with the planning and operations of the other farms.

WANTED

• has management level experience or is ready to step up to this level in the near future • demonstrates the knowledge and skills required to successfully operate a North Island hill country sheep farm • is a committed individual with open, clear communication, who works well in groups and demonstrates leadership by example

LK0087823©

• is a competent user of technology.

Contact Russell Proffit email: rnmwproffit@xtra.co.nz 2033 State Highway 3, RD Mahoenui, 3978 Phone 07 877 8977 or 027 355 2927 www.raupuhastud.co.nz

www.jswap.co.nz

• Extensive performance recording • Balanced performance figures • Stringent visual assessments • Bulls health, service and semen tested • The Koanui back-up and Guarantee

SALE DATE: Thursday June 15th, 2017 @ 1.00pm 60 Rising Two Year Bulls On farm auction

To advertise

LK0087799©

Fred, Chris, Jennifer Chesterman & Family @ 811 Maraetotara Road, RD12, Havelock North 4294 Ph: 06 874 7844 or 06 874 7728 Mobile: 0274 888 635 or 0274 777 637 Email: kphp@xtra.co.nz

Phone Nigel 0800 85 25 80 or email livestock@nzx.com

RANUI Bull Sale

FROM THE NOTED COUNTRY CALENDAR DIRECTOR RICHARD LANGSTON AND HIS CREW

ANGUS

A hill country classic.

45 ANGUS 2-YEAR-OLD BULLS FRIDAY 16TH JUNE AT 1PM 839 VALLEY ROAD, HASTINGS Contact: Will MacFarlane 06 874 8762 will@waiterenui.co.nz

TOTARANUI ANGUS 2-YR BULL SALE

3.00pm Thursday, 8th June Karamu, 662 Rangitatau East Rd,Wanganui • • • •

All bulls are semen and service tested Scanned for carcase Independently inspected Cow herds run under commercial conditions

• • • •

Bulls displayed on concrete Hard surface in sale ring. Feet visible BVD Tested Antigen Clear & Vaccinated 3-year Guarantee for soundness & fertility

40 BULLS Totaranui Angus sale bulls avg

JUNE 6TH w w w. h a i n . c o . n z

SAM, GEMMA, LILLA & TOM HAIN SID & MERRAN HAIN

Lin Johnstone Phone: 027 445 3213 DAY Lindsay Johnstone Phone: 027 445 3211 OPEN ranui.w@farmside.co.nz 9 MAY PGG Wrightson Agents Callum Stewart Ph: 027 280 2688 Ken Roberts Ph: 027 591 8042

Sale Catalogue online: www.ranuiangus.co.nz

LK0087822©

“Internationally proven from sea level to snow line” Enquiries to: 6TH ANNUAL ON PROPERTY BULL SALE @ 3PM GISBORNE.

Friday 9th June 1.30pm on farm, Pahiatua

2017 Breed avg

Angus Pure index

+$152

+$121

Self replacing index

+$130

+$104

600-day weight EBV

+108

+100

EMA EBV

+6.1

+4.6

• BVD tested and vaccinated • C10 status • Carcase scanned • Independently assessed

www.totaranuistud.co.nz Email for a catalogue: bulls@totaranuistud.co.nz Daimien & Tally 06 376 8400

Pierre Syben 027 625 9977

LK0087590©

Have you got a bull sale coming up? Advertise in The NZ Farmers Weekly

POLLED HEREFORD

Contact: Des van der Wal 021 933 018 or Andy Carlson 0274 529 697

BULL SALE

LIVESTOCK ADVERTISING

HEREFORD

Price Negotiable on larger lines.

POLLED HEREFORDS

Livestock

ROMNEY

Category 2 Multi Sire and True to Type.

LK0087346©

We are looking for someone who:

Submit your resume to opportunities@jswap.co.nz For information call Rebecca at 07 888 7025 Applications close 16 June 2017.

ANGUS R1 HEIFERS & MT R2 HEIFERS

Come Enquiries and join us at our on-farm and inspection always welcome sale: Friday 2 June 2017 at 10:00am

LK0087848©

Although this is a newly created role, there will be plenty of input and support from our experienced farm staff and from the owners.

Enjoy the lifestyle options available from our region as well as good remuneration and housing.

Mark Crooks, PGG Wrightson 027 590 1452

livestock@nzx.com – 0800 85 25 80

Livestock

THE NEW ZEALAND FARMERS WEEKLY – May 29, 2017

OREGON angus

KAIRURU POLLED HEREFORDS

30 BULLS

SINCE 1979

CLEARING SALE

ON FARM SALE

On A/c PR & SM Corboy Trust 44 Fletts Road, Table Hill, Milton

26th March at 1:00pm

Cattle 130 Mixed Age Stabilizer Cows 55 Rising 3 Year Old Stabilizer 2nd Calvers 18 Annual Draft Stabilizer Cows PTIC Stabilizer Bulls, 18th Dec 2016 60 Rising 2 Year Old Heifers PTIC Stabilizer Bull 18th Dec 2016 (These 60 Heifers will be a purchaser pick out of a line of 160) TB Status C10

26TH ANNUAL SALE

Tuesday 6th June 2017 – 3pm

To be held on Friday 9th June 2017 Commencing 11am

LK0087612©

JUNE 7 AT 1PM (midway Rotorua – Taupo) at Kairuru, Reporoa 28 R2YR BULLS GET THE WHITEFACE ADVANTAGE

LOT 9

AT MORLAND 1464 MASTERTON STRONVAR ROAD

19th June 2017, 12pm Winter Sale

KEITH & GAE HIGGINS 06 372 2782

BULL WALK 18TH MAY 1.50PM

25 TOP R2YR REGISTERED HILL COUNTRY BULLS ON OFFER

• BVD CLEAR & VACCINATED • TB C10 •

11th September 2017 ANNUAL COMBINED HEREFORD & MURRAY GREY SALE

HERD SIRES INCLUDE: 13 in-calf R2yr heifers CONTACT: 13 heifer calves • Matatoki King Pin 1101 • Limehills Hogan 100455 •

Tom, Philip & Mary Atkins

P: 07 871 0524 M: 027 711 1291 E: okupata@farmside.co.nz

Selling Agents : PGG Wrightson, NZ Farmers Registered Polled Herefords

Okupata Herefords

KEVIN & JANE McDONALD

MOANAROA 07 333 8068 DANDALEITH TAHUNA - HIWIROA

Bull Sale – 6th June 12 noon, On Farm Tiraumea

Fully Guaranteed Service & Semen Tested TB Clear C10 EBL & BVD Tested & Vaccinated Free Delivery (NI)

7 heifer calves 7 bull calves

Registered Speckle Parks otapawa@xtra.co.nz Stuart Robbie 027 8484 408 Donald & Marlene Robbie 06 376 7250

LINDSAY JONES

0274 528 603

HEMINGFORD CHAROLAIS • ROMTEX • SUFTEX • TEXEL

Top 40 2yr olds selected from participating studs

22nd Central Southern Hawke’s Bay ANGUS and SHORTHORN Combined Sale to be held at the Dannevirke Sale Yards

Tuesday 13th JUNE 2017, 11.00am View catalogue of sale bulls at www.angusnz.com and www.shorthorn.co.nz

8TH ANNUAL BULL SALE

THURSDAY 15TH June 2017 - 1pm On Farm Auction, St Leonards Rd, Culverden

42 Quiet Grunty Charolais Bulls ENQUIRIES: Sam Holland Alistair Holland

03 315 8689 03 315 8686

Sheep 300 Two Tooth Headwater Ewes 600 Two Shear Headwater Ewes 650 Three Shear Headwater Ewes 600 Four Year Old Headwater Ewes 450 Five Year Old Headwater Ewes RW Headwater Rams 25th April 2017 400 Headwater Ewe Lambs RW Primera Rams 18th May 2017 400 Headwater Ewe Lambs The Mixed Age Ewes have a 196% scanning average, the Two Tooths 161% and the Ewe Lambs 104% over the last three years. All ewes were scratched for Scabby Mouth as lambs; vaccinated with Toxovax as Hoggets, CampyVax4 as Hoggets and Two Tooths, and are all boosted for clostridials pre-lamb. All the Ewes were shorn late March and the Ewe Lambs are Woolly. Sale Terms Conditions of Sale as applicable to the NZSSAA. Sale will be conducted purchase price plus GST. All purchasers must register prior to the sale. For further details please contact: Paul Corboy Ph 027 224 7234 Ed Marfell HRL Ph 027 462 0120 David Hazlett Ph 027 235 5300 Hazlett Rural Limited Auctioneers

LK0087366©

Hill country bulls for hill country breeding

LK0087465©

KEVIN & JANE MCDONALD (REPOROA) 07 333 8068 • 027 451 0640 JEFF & NICOLA McDONALD 021 510 351 • kairuruNZ@gmail.com

LK0087820©

Dispersal of Top Quality High Index & Production Friesian & Friesian X Holdover and Genuine Herd Cows On A/C:Ben Alpin Farms Patoka (To be held at Feilding Saleyards for Convenience) Thursday 8th June 2017 11.30am Start Comprising 110 x Top Friesian & Friesian X High BW Hold Over Cows 90 x Quality Friesian & Friesian Herd Cows Due to farm sale, PGG Wrightson are proud offer this Quality Offering of Holdover and Herd Cows, bred for Strength, Capacity and Milk Volume Herd facts: • Holdovers Due 25th July to 9th Oct (VIC to Friesian & Hereford Bulls) • Herd Cows Due 25th July to 5th Oct (6 weeks AB then tailed with Friesian Bulls) VIC & Date scanned • 1 x contract mate cow, tag 25 BW 148, PW 531, has mating contract for 2017 • Big strong capacious cows out of herd doing 500 kg M/S • Original Herd in top 1 % BWPW in New Zealand • Blanket Cepravin and Teatseal at Dryoff, • All holdovers Dry Cowed and Teat sealed at dry off last year Looking for Production Cows? Look no further!! Electronic Screens operating on sale day Full LIC catalogues available from our website www.agonline.co.nz For further details please contact: PGG Wrightson: Jeff See 0275 680 813 or Peter Forrest 0275 986 153 Or Any PGG Wrightson Agent

Livestock

THE NEW ZEALAND FARMERS WEEKLY – May 29, 2017

livestock@nzx.com – 0800 85 25 80

Ipurua SOUTH DEVONS

Strathmoor Polled

Peter & Caroline Foss

Herefords and Iona Angus

R.D. Aria, King Country, Ph/fax (07) 877 7881, pcfossy@xtra.co.nz

Commercial Hill Country Sound well fleshed sires Excellent temperament

Bull sale June 8th, 2017 2.00pm at Te Kuiti Saleyards 9 Hereford rising 2-year bulls 5 Angus rising 2-year bulls for sale Te Kuiti Combined Bull Sale

or agents: John Grainger PGG Wrightson 07 878 8969

Brent Bougen NZ Farmers Livestock 027 210 4698

Cam Heggie PGG Wrightson 027 501 8182

Richard Bevege NZ Farmers Livestock 027 453 9824

Bill Harrison PGG Wrightson 07 877 7778

20 Bulls Catalogued

BULL SALE Lot 3

Lot 47

LIVESTOCK ADVERTISING

HAVE A SALE COMING UP? Call Nigel

livestock@nzx.com

Annual Sale Thursday 8th June 1pm, Te Kuiti Sale yards

110 years breeding

Brent Wallbank NZ Farmers Livestock 027 488 1299

0800 85 25 80

Thursday 8 June at 1pm TH

Lot 67

Bull Open Day Wednesday 31st May 1 - 5pm

ALL ENQUIRIES WELCOME

91 lots consisting of: ■ 41 Polled Herefords ■ 16 Charolais ■ 15 Speckle Park Bulls F1 Angus/Speckle Park Heifers, Semen and Embryo Packages.

LK0087572©

Audrey and Bruce Bevege 07 877 7541

200+ Breedplan Recorded Cows

72ND

LK0087420©

Enquiries: Bruce Masters 07 878 8502

Contact Mark Mckenzie 027 415 8696 Sale catalogue on line www.maungahina .co.nz SALE TALK

Simon & Wendy Collin

As the old stockman lay dying she sat beside him wiping his fevered brow. Raising himself up on one elbow he turned to her and spoke: “Ethel, you’ve been with me through it all. Remember the time when I got trampled in the yards by those wild steers? You helped me.” “And when I lost that money on the lambs after the drought.”

SUDELEY

RICHON/BEECHWOOD

“Pukerua”, 839 Tourere Road, RD2, Waipukuarau. Contact Simon Collin: P 06 858 8045 M 072 636 3243 Wendy Collin: M 027 280 3471

“Now I’ve been shot by a rustler, and here you are again.

www.raurikicharolais.co.nz

“You know, Ethel, I am beginning to think you are bad luck!”

SELLING BY PRIVATE TREATY

Premium Genetics that perform at the top end of the market. KayJay clients have topped the Wairarapa Angus weaner steer sales with $1200 being reached for three lines and a high of $1230

ANNUAL BULL SALE

Tuesday 13th June, 2pm At ‘Meadowbank’ 546 Selwyn Lake Road, Irwell, Leeston BULL WALK – WEDNESDAY 24TH MAY Andrew and Anna Laing Rob and Julie and Roz Stokes Rob & Mary Ann Burrows 03 313 2857, 027 263 3582 03 329 1709, 027 253 5625 03 312 4362

LK0087529©

Friday 2nd June 2017 at 12 noon BULL WALK Thursday 18th May You are welcome to inspect the Bulls on the Bull Walk or any time prior to the Sale ALL BULLS ... • Semen Tested • BVD Tested Antigen Clear and Vaccinated • Free cartage North Island and to Picton

KAYJAY QUATRO H491

KAYJAY FREEDOM L136

Enquiries welcome contact Neil & Joan Kjestrup phone: 06 372 2838 Email: kayjayangus@xtra.co.nz or Rod Kjestrup phone: 06 372 2495 Westmere-Hakakino Rd, RD 10, Masterton.

Glenbrae Poll Herefords, Okaharau South Devons Combined Bull Sale at Glenbrae, 1019 Mangaorapa Rd, Porangahau. 2pm 1st June 2017 Martin & Mary Taylor Ph: 06 8555322

Ross & Corrine Kearney Ph: 06 8584914

livestock@nzx.com – 0800 85 25 80

Livestock

Hillcroft Angus Hill Country Specialists

www.borthwick.co.nz

LOT 11

LK0087515©

June 6th – Midday 735 Matahuru Rd, Ohinewai

• All bulls fertility tested & fully guaranteed

• BVD tested clear & twice vaccinated FREE DELIVERY NTH ISLAND

LOT 18

LOT 15

TE WHANGA ANGUS power plus performance

Est 1960

ANNUAL SALE – 27 bulls

LOT 7

THE NEW ZEALAND FARMERS WEEKLY – May 29, 2017

25, 2 year old Angus Bulls

SCOTT GUDSELL 691 Te Kopi Rd, RD4, Masterton P. 06 372 77 20 M. 0274 570 526 ROBIN BORTHWICK P. 06 370 3368 M. 0274 412 728 te_whanga@borthwick.co.nz

LIVESTOCK ADVERTISING

Enquiries or inspection welcome Malcolm & Fraser Crawford: Malcolm Ph 07 828 5709; Fraser Ph 07 828 5755

2017 SALE DATE

FRIDAY 9 JUNE 10.00

Photos in catalogues at www.angusnz.com

Advertise your stock sales in The NZ Farmers Weekly

farmersweekly.co.nz

LOOK AT ME – I’m typical of the bulls

Angus Cattle bred and tested under

COMMERCIAL CONDITIONS

to be sold at Merchiston – big muscled bulls!

for you

GLANWORTH

PINEBANK

Joe Fouhy (06) 376 7324 Shaun Fouhy (06) 376 8869

Willie Falloon (06) 372 7041

MERCHISTON ANGUS Annual Bull Sale – 7th June at 2.30pm on farm at Rata See the catalogue – merchistonangus.com Enquiries: Richard Rowe 027 279 8841

HEREFORDS, THE KINGS OF GRASS

View the 2017 Registered Hereford Bull Sale Dates at

www.herefords.co.nz

offering you the opportunity to advance your herd

LK0087817©

W Wai aira rara rapa pa Bu ll W k th Bull Walkal19 18MthayMay 2017 , 2016. Alll vi visi Al sito tors rs w el co m welcome. e.

Need some power and performance

SELLING 52 HIGH PERFORMANCE BULLS

Livestock

THE NEW ZEALAND FARMERS WEEKLY – May 29, 2017

livestock@nzx.com – 0800 85 25 80

Real farmers breeding real hill country cattle for real farmers!

MANGATARA

BVD Tested Clear 45 Top Quality hill BVD Vaccinated Country bred bulls Breedplan Recorded TB Status C10 Herd completely free of known genetic defect Only proven NZ bred bulls used in last 10 years Renowned for great temperament

Limousin Angus • Lim-Flex 1 June 2017 - 10.30am Viewing from 9am

111 Rakaiatai Road, Dannevirke

Enquiries and inspection welcome.Contact

Kevin or Megan FRIEL ph: (06) 376 4543

32nd Annual on-farm sale

30 Polled Bulls

Monday 1 2

BVD clear & vaccinated, C10 16 Females – Run commercially on 500ha Calving 300 recorded cows annually

625 Jackson Road, Kumeroa

June 2017

kev.meg.co@xtra.co.nz

www.mtmableangus.co.nz

CHAROLAIS BREEDERS NZ

LK0087718©

Performance recorded & carcase scanned

ERIK & LYN VAN DER VELDEN PHONE 06 374 1575

SPRINGDALE ANGUS

LK0087295©

Performance Recorded BVD Antigen Tested Clear & Vaccinated Leptospirosis Vaccinated Fully Guaranteed Free delivery in North Island

Sale catalogue available online at: www.pggwrightson.co.nz and www.mylivestock.co.nz

Enquiries welcome: Ian & Karenne Borck – 1094 Taringamotu Rd, RD 4, Taumarunui Ph/Fax 07 895 3452 – springdaleangus@outlook.co.nz

L & B Burgess Peal Ridge Charolais 1815 Pukehuia Road RD 4, Dargaville 09 439 6046

AD Reed Stonehenge Charolais 188 Waipapa Road, RD 5, Te Kuiti 07 878 8716 S & K McDonald Clearview Charolais 82 Clearview Road, RD 3, New Plymouth 027 244 2404 P Chambers Kuwau Charolais 7674 Valley Road, RD 6, Raetihi 06 385 4310

Lake L151

BULL SALE

Monday 12th June, 10.30am Lake L106

LAKE STATION HEREFORDS FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT: Rotoiti L109

MALCOLM MCCONOCHIE P: 03 521 1843 M: 021 251 0078

Lake L140

LAKE STATION LTD 873 St ArnaudKawatiri Highway RD 2 Nelson 7072

M & S Riddington Kaahu Charolais 875 Ohakuri Road, RD 1, Atiamuri 07 333 2903

M & O Duffy Pukemoe Charolais 75 Makino Valley Road, RD 14, Hawera 06 278 4021

MJ Totman Potaka Stud RD 4, Taihape 06 388 0034 S & L McManaway Goldcreek Charolais 94 Moffats Road, RD 1, Carterton 06 379 5459 G & V Woolf & Adnams Moonlight Charolais 1085 Motueka River West Bank Road RD 1, Motueka 027 667 6009 K & P Jordan Willowaugh Charolais 692 Middle Renwick Road RD 1, Blenheim 027 305 9577 T & G Hargreaves Kakahu Charolais Stud RD 1, Geraldine 03 697 4858

J & G Kemp Pouriwai Charolais Private Bag 7618 Gisborne 06 867 0867 J Bull Bull’s Charolais RD 4, Napier - 07 378 3220 N & E Gwillim Kaitoke Charolais 25 Jervois Road, Jervoistown, Napier - 06 844 4417

WJ Vallender Taikorea Charolais 296 Couper Road RD 3, Palmerston North 06 329 7865

RWP Sandford Topaki Livestock 4567 State Highway 50, RD 1, Hastings 027 462 0136 SFH & WF Collin Rauriki Stud JB McKenzie 839 Tourere Road Maungahina Charolais RD 2, Waipukurau 196 Masterton Castle Point Road 06 858 8045 RD 6, Masterton 06 377 4836 A & T McIntyre Haupuke Charolais A S & A E Holland 83 Towai Road, RD 1, Dannevirke Hemingford Charolais 06 374 3687 St Leonards Road M & N Keen RD 1, Culverden Tui Springs Charolais 03 315 8689 2/119 Days Road, RD 4, Christchurch 03 329 5147 BC & BT Fisher Silverstream Charolais 2105 Christchurch Akaroa Road RD 2, Christchurch N Sanderson 03 329 0994 Roseville Charolais

100 Paradise Gully Road, D & C Dundass RD 5C, Oamaru Taiaroa Charolais 03 432 4093 917 Upper Taieri-Paerau Runs Road RD 4, Ranfurly AJ Roulston 03 444 9770 Poller View Charolais 31 Whitiker Road, Te Houka, RD 3, Balclutha F & K Templeton 03 415 7581 Twin River Charolais Quarry Hills, RD 1, Tokanui 03 246 8516

When kilos matter

LK0087643©

Annual On Farm Sale

Thursday 1st June 2017 at Ngakonui – 12noon Offering 48 Quality Rising 2-Year Bulls

Sires of sale bulls: • Kaharau 12-40 • Kaharau 12-218 • Kaharau 11-831 • Kaharau 10-625 • Springdale Clarion 244

B & J Clements Clements Farms (Matapouri) Ltd 1050 Marua Road, RD 1, Hikurangi 09 433 7033 M & S Fitzpatrick Tawa Ridge Ltd 31 Pugh Road, RD 6, Te Puke 07 533 1866 P & C Mikkelsen Nouvelle Charolais 1363C Manawahe Road, RD 4, Whakatane - 027 496 9529

C & G Harman Whananaki Coastal Charolais Ltd 193 Rockell Road, RD 1, Hikurangi 09 433 8253

MARKET SNAPSHOT

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH

Grain & Feed

MILK PRICE FORECAST ($/KGMS) 2016-17

6.00

6.23

AS OF 23/02/2017

AS OF 18/05/2017

Prior week

Last year

6 Dec 16 Feb 17 AgriHQ Spot Fonterra forecast

Apr 17 AgriHQ Seasonal

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

5.25

333

340

NI mutton (20kg)

3.90

3.70

2.50

323

286

SI lamb (17kg)

6.10

6.00

5.00

Feed Barley

333

330

267

SI mutton (20kg)

3.90

3.80

2.40

PKE

225

218

209

Export markets (NZ$/kg) 9.38

9.40

8.12

UK CKT lamb leg

Maize Grain

409

406

347

PKE

218

217

218

* 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.

North Island 17kg lamb 7.0 6.5

Last year

Wheat - Nearest

226

227

262

Corn - Nearest

208

209

238

3500

APW Wheat

319

321

339

3000

ASW Wheat

318

311

324

2500

Feed Wheat

295

291

285

2000

Feed Barley

279

276

295

5.0

CBOT futures (NZ$/t)

4.5

1500 Jul 16 Oct 16 Jan 17 C2 Fonter r a WMP

6.0

PKE (US$/t)

Apr 17 Jul 17 NZX WMP Futur es

South Island 1 7kg lamb

6.5

Australia (NZ$/t)

4000

6.0 5.5

INTERNATIONAL Prior week

Ex-Malaysia

NZ venison 60kg stag

6005.5 5005.0 4004.5 300

4.0

Oct

Dec

Prior week

vs 4 weeks ago

WMP

3235

3250

3175

SMP

2150

2060

AMF

6750

Butter

5600

Last week

Prior week

Last year

2100

Urea

507

496

6.65

8.25

6605

5700

Super

317

330

35 micron

3.85

5.95

5600

4790

DAP

840

39 micron

3.75

5.85

739

CANTERBURY FEED PRICES

5.5

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

$/kg

c/k kg (net)

150 May 13

Sharemarket Briefing WITH a surplus to play with and an election coming up the anticipation for this year’s budget was high and it didn’t disappoint. It was the most generous we have seen in years and National looks to have struck the right balance between spending more where it is necessary, yet remaining fiscally responsible. The reaction from financial markets was limited, reflecting comfort with the path of the economy and the responsible approach the Government is taking to an improving economic and fiscal position. The economic and fiscal forecasts painted a picture of a strong economy growing at a robust pace. It points to a healthy surplus of $2.9 billion in 2017-18, rising to $7.2b in 2020-21. GDP growth is forecast to increase to a peak of 3.8% in 2019 before tapering off to a still impressive 2.4% in 2021. Migration is likely to remain strong, supporting this strong growth profile. As a result, GDP per capita is forecast to be more modest at 1.8% in 2019, slipping to 1.1% in 2021. Debt continues to fall so the target of Crown debt at 20% of GDP by 2019-20 is met while allowing Superannuation Fund contributions to resume. Market commentary provided by Craigs Investment Partners

S&P/NZX 50 INDEX

7434

S&P/NZX 10 INDEX

7329

May 14

May 15

May 16

Feed barley

4 w eeks ago

NZ venison 60kg stag

600

250

2750

39 micron wool price

6.5

NZ$/t

US$/t

This yr

Prior week

350

12430

Aug

6.65

3000

10143

Last yr

Aug

Last week

3250

S&P/FW AG EQUITY

Jun

29 micron

450

S&P/FW PRIMARY SECTOR

Jun

(NZ$/kg)

3500

Latest price

Apr

NZ average (NZ$/t)

WMP FUTURES - VS FOUR WEEKS AGO

Jul

Apr

WOOL

* price as at close of business on Thursday

Jun

Feb

FERTILISER

Last price*

2500

Feb

5‐yr ave

NZX DAIRY FUTURES (US$/T) Nearby contract

6.20

Feed Wheat

Last week

WMP GDT PRICES AND NZX FUTURES

Last year

6.25

$/kg

5 Oct 16

Last week Prior week

NI lamb (17kg)

Milling Wheat

Waikato (NZ$/t)

Slaughter price (NZ$/kg)

c/kkg (net)

$/kgMS

Last week Canterbury (NZ$/t)

MILK PRICE COMPARISON

US$/t

SHEEP MEAT

DOMESTIC

AGRIHQ 2016-17

FONTERRA 2016-17

Sheep

$/kg

Dairy

May 17

PKE spot

300

2.5Oct Oct

Dec

Feb

Apr

Last yr

Jun

Aug

This yr

Dollar Watch

Company

YTD High

YTD Low

Auckland International Airport Limited

6.975

7.43

6.31

Meridian Energy Limited

2.92

2.96

2.57

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

3.74 10.38 7.89 3.22 8.55 5.16 24.35 3.26

3.76 10.54 10.86 3.27 9.05 5.26 24.55 3.3

3.32 8.5 7.77 2.94 8.12 4.65 17.47 3.14

Company

400 3.5

5‐yr ave

Top 10 by Market Cap

Listed Agri Shares

4.5

500

5pm, close of market, Thursday

YTD High

YTD Low

The a2 Milk Company Limited

3.43

3.85

2.06

Cavalier Corporation Limited

0.51

0.81

0.51

Comvita Limited

5.45

8.65

5.2

Delegat Group Limited

6.46

6.72

5.65

Foley Family Wines Limited

1.36

1.5

1.2

Fonterra Shareholders' Fund (NS)

6.05

6.4

5.88

Livestock Improvement Corporation Ltd (NS)

2.55

2.61

2.54

New Zealand King Salmon Investments Ltd

1.35

1.42

1.22

PGG Wrightson Limited

0.6

0.49

Sanford Limited (NS)

7.1

7.75

6.7

Scales Corporation Limited

3.35

3.65

3.21

Seeka Limited

5.2

5.5

4.3

Tegel Group Holdings Limited

1.05

1.46

1.05

S&P/FW Primary Sector

10143

10507

9307

S&P/FW Agriculture Equity

12430

12874

10899

S&P/NZX 50 Index

7434

7490

6971

S&P/NZX 10 Index

7329

7389

6927

INTERNATIONAL economic This Prior Last NZD vs pressures had a greater week week year influence on the exchange USD 0.7030 0.6898 0.6752 rate this week than the EUR 0.6273 0.6210 0.6035 Budget. ANZ senior economist AUD 0.9429 0.9298 0.9352 Phil Borkin said there was GBP 0.5430 0.5331 0.4605 very little reaction from Correct as of 9am last Friday the exchange rate to last Thursday’s Budget, with international events such as political issues in the United States, having a much greater influence. The NZ dollar strengthened slightly this week against the US and Australian dollars, the Euro and the pound sterling, a move Borkin described as entering a holding pattern. Factors behind that holding pattern were questions about what the US Federal Reserve would do with interest rates but also uncertainty over whether US President Donald Trump can implement his policies. Borkin said that uncertainty was tempering what should be a positive backdrop for the US economy. The NZ dollar was also performing well against the Australian dollar, due to the NZ economy being at a different part of the fiscal cycle and our commodity exports performing better than Australia’s. The European economy has also been performing well, but Borkin said political leaders have tried to talk down that improvement and resisted the temptation of removing economic stimulus. Looking ahead Borkin believed the NZ dollar could push through the current band in which it has traded in recent months, driven by the strength of the NZ economy, with the Kiwi possibly nudging the mid US70s range. Neal Wallace

Markets

THE NZ FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – May 29, 2017

NI SLAUGHTER COW

NI SLAUGHTER STEER

SI SLAUGHTER LAMB

($/KG)

GOOD EWE LAMBS AT STORTFORD LODGE

($/KG)

($/HD)

5.65

4.20

6.10

$2020-$2840 $1.60-$1.70/kg high heifers, vetted-inFriesian cows, 430-530kg, lights Hereford calf to Angus bull, at Feilding In-Calf Heifer & Cow Sale

Cattle & Deer BEEF Slaughter price (NZ$/kg)

Last week

Prior week

Last year

NI Steer (300kg)

5.65

5.40

NI Bull (300kg)

5.55

5.40

NI Cow (200kg)

4.20

4.40

SI Steer (300kg)

5.50

5.20

SI Bull (300kg)

5.15

4.90

SI Cow (200kg)

3.95

3.80

US imported 95CL bull

7.62

6.92

US domestic 90CL cow

7.32

7.17

7.12

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) 6.0 5.5

NZ venison 60kg stag

c/k kg (net)

$/kg

5.0 600

500 4.5 400 4.0 300 3.5

Oct Oct

Dec Dec

Feb Feb

5‐yr ave

Apr Apr

JunJun

Last yr

AugAug This yr

VENISON Slaughter price (NZ$/kg)

Last week Prior week

Last year

NI Stag (60kg)

8.45

8.40

7.50

NI Hind (50kg)

8.35

8.30

7.40

SI Stag (60kg)

8.80

8.70

7.50

SI Hind (50kg)

8.70

8.60

7.40

New Zealand venison (60kg Stag)

9.5 8.5 $/kg

NZ venison 60kg stag

c/k kg (net)

600 7.5 500

6.5 400

300

5.5Oct

Oct

Dec Dec

Feb Feb

5‐yr ave

Apr Apr Last yr

Jun Jun

Aug Aug This yr

at Temuka

More records falling

ECORDS continue to be broken, even as the farming industry winds down for winter. The week started with a record yarding of 1100 cull cows at Temuka, 750 of which were Friesian. Prices held up, despite the huge number, with good competition from paddock buyers and processors. This was followed by record prices for in-calf Hereford heifers to Angus bull at Feilding last Thursday, with the top line making $2840, and subsequent lines, $2020-$2420. NORTHLAND NORTHLAND The pre-winter unloading continued into WELLSFORD sale yards last Monday, with another decent sized offering gathered up. Most of the cattle were found in the R2 and weaner pens, and included quality lines of beef and beef-Friesian, to off-type dairy cross cattle. While most lines found homes in local areas, the cattle were much more affordable than a few months ago, when grass was driving the market. Small lines of R2 steers managed to sell over $2.90/ kg, but most heavier types, 430530kg, were trading at $2.60-$2.75/ kg, while the lighter weights offered up a bit more in the c/kg stakes, with Hereford-cross, 320-353kg, making $2.88-$2.89/kg. Heifer prices were not too dissimilar, and 380-475kg lines traded at $2.66-$2.75/kg, with HerefordFriesian, 350-369kg, making $2.79/ kg. Weaner cattle came forward in small lines, and steers sold to $720$840, with a line of four Charolais, 255kg, taking out top honours. A small line of Angus bulls, 307kg, made $970, with Angus heifers, 285kg, also making top dollar at $810. Most other heifers sold for $540-$650. A special feature was a consignment of Hereford-Friesian cows, in-calf to Angus bull, which all stayed in the Northland region for $1050-$1300. A better quality yarding of 550 cattle saw prices improve at KAIKOHE last Wednesday, with buyers chasing the

AgriHQ Finisher Your new tool to calculate trading margins. AgriHQ in partnership with Heartland Bank have developed a new Finisher tool. Using historical data and seasonality trends the Finisher tool helps you determine the implied price of your finishing stock allowing you to make smarter business decisions.

Calculate your potential trading margin today at

agrihq.co.nz/finisher

2313_10x7

More photos: farmersweekly.co.nz

STRONG SHOWING: Brian Robinson and Selwyn Donald in action at last week’s Velvaleen Holstein Friesian dispersal sale near Feilding. Robinson said the sale was well-attended with 90 registered buyers spanning Waiuku in the north and Invercargill in the south. “An outstanding herd of cows that sold exceptionally well above expectation,” he said.

better types, PGG Wrightson agent Vaughan Vujcich reported.R2 steers were mainly beef-Friesian and beefcross, and demand was solid for the good types, which sold to $2.85-$2.90/ kg. Heifers stood out for all the right reasons too, and buyers were treated to classy line up of Limousin-cross and Santa Gertrudis-cross, which matched the steer money at $2.85$2.97/kg. The quality did not drop in the bull pens either, where a decent yarding of Friesian bulls returned $2.75-$2.80/kg. The weaner market held up well also, and a mainly beef line up of steers sold for $3.40-$3.50/kg for the heavier end, and up to $3.70-$3.80/kg for lighter types. Heifer numbers were low, but included some nice Hereford and Charolais lines, and heavy lines made $3.10-$3.20/kg, and lighter, $3.60-$3.80/kg. The cow market was subdued, and in-calf lines returned $1.70-$1.80/kg, while empty cow numbers have slowed dramatically, with prices also off the pace at $1.60$1.70/kg.

AUCKLAND

Dry paddocks are at a premium in the Auckland area, and the PUKEKOHE sale on Saturday 20th May had a notable increase in store cattle numbers of mixed quality. The store market also softened due to the wet, cold conditions, though prime cattle still sold reasonably well. Steers, 538-615kg, made respectable money at $2.60-$2.68/kg, and heifers, 430-533kg, $2.58-$2.72/kg. The store vendors felt the pinch of an easing market, and R2 steers, 453kg, made $2.58/kg, while the best of the heifers were 381kg, $2.70/kg, though lesser lines dropped to $2.35/kg. Younger stock proved hard to shift, and small cross-bred weaner steers, 146-251kg, returned $370-$510, while 254-279kg heifers made $650-$810, and 145173kg, $450-$670.The cull cow market was the highlight, with good yielding beef lines up to $2.20/kg, and 573kg, $1.83/kg. Bulls, 693-697kg, traded at $2.81-$2.84/kg.

Continued page 46

Markets

46 THE NZ FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – May 29, 2017 COUNTIES

Buyers were particular at TUAKAU last Thursday, and the store cattle market “mellowed”, Kane Needham of PGG Wrightson reported. Good lines of cattle continue to sell well, but prices for most classes eased, and lesser quality lots were hard to shift. About 850 steers, heifers and bulls were on offer, including a line of 520kg Hereford-Friesian steers, which made $2.69/kg. Good R2 Hereford-Friesian steers, 420kg, earned $2.76/kg, while in the weaner pens, Angus steers, 249kg, made $860, and 177kg, $745. Black-bodied HerefordFriesian, 186kg, made $775, and 165kg, $655. The R2 bull offering included a line of 400kg Friesian, which traded at $2.82/kg and 285-315kg, $3.00-3.06/kg. In the heifer section, 400kg Angus sold at $2.73/kg, with 345kg Hereford-Friesian returning $2.72/ kg. Weaner Angus heifers, 218kg, earned $780, and 200kg, $735, while Hereford-Friesian, 165kg, fetched $620. About 700 cattle were yarded at the prime sale last Wednesday, and the market for steers and heifers firmed 10c/kg. The best of the prime steers sold up to $2.99/kg, with good-medium lots making $2.89-$2.94/kg, and lighter $2.80-$2.84/kg. The top heifer lot earned $2.80/kg, and good-medium, $2.73-$2.77/kg. Lighter beef heifers fetched $2.65$2.71/kg, and beef cows, $2.00$2.16/kg. Boner prices also lifted, with most lots selling at 10-15c/ kg more than the previous week. Heavy Friesian cows sold up to $2.16/kg, medium $1.85-$1.92/kg and lighter, $1.60-$1.65/kg. Top prime lambs fetched $147.50 at last Monday’s sheep sale of 1500 total yarding. Medium lambs returned $117-$125, and lighter primes $105-$110. The best store lambs made $105, good-medium $80-$90, and light, $55-$65. Heavy cull ewes sold up to $134, good-medium $90-$100, and lighter $55-$65. About 1500 ewes and lambs were yarded. BAY OF PLENTY BAY OF PLENTY Frosts hit some parts of the Bay of Plenty, though the sale pens at RANGIURU last Tuesday were quieter with the smallest yarding of cattle since late January. Smaller yardings is common at this time of year as the market winds down for winter, but agents are cautious that numbers could pick up again, given the unpredictability of throughput levels so far this season. A talking point was a consignment of R4 HerefordFriesian steers, with the three lines weighing in at 827-935kg, and selling exceptionally well to one buyer for $2460-$2710, $2.90$3.00/kg.Boner cows made up a good portion of the yarding, and prices were steady to firm, with better Friesian & Friesian-cross, 475-511kg, making $1.76-$1.84/kg, while Friesian, 428-490kg, fetched $1.60-$1.68/kg. Small lines were common in other sections, and the general feel for the market was softer, mainly due to mixed quality and slowing grass growth. The best of the R2 steers made $2.60$2.67/kg, with heifers very mixed, and prices mainly low. Quality

beef lines stood out in the weaner pens, and steers sold to $710-$830, while Hereford-Friesian heifers, 172-222kg, made $595-$650. WAIKATO The downwards trend in store cattle numbers continued at FRANKTON last Wednesday, though compared to 2016, numbers are still well up. Prices are also trending down, as the slow up in growth removes the grass market, with buyers now turning their attention to what they can comfortably winter. The $3/kg plus prices for good quality older cattle are a distant memory, with the top R3 and R2 steers making $2.68-$2.78/kg, and Friesian, 420-439kg, $2.28-$2.31/ kg. Hereford bulls, 348-372kg, made $2.54-$2.59/kg, and even a top notch consignment of South Devon heifers, 481-548kg, could not tempt buyers higher than $2.74/kg, though these prices were very competitive with the steers. The R2 heifer pens was mainly small lines, and in general prices eased, with Angus-Friesian, 315415kg, making $2.54-$2.56/kg, and Hereford-cross, 337-423kg, $2.42$2.52/kg. Better quality HerefordFriesian, 460-512kg, did manage $2.68-$2.73/kg, though were only small lines. Friesian heifers really struggled, with most at $2.07/kg and less.

300 cattle offered, and the bids had to be coaxed out of buyers. Most of the yarding sold at a 10c/ kg discount to recent levels, and started with a small offering of R3 steers at $2.70-$2.80/kg. R2 steer prices eased to $2.60-$2.75/ kg, though some light weight lines managed $2.80-$2.90/kg, and Angus, 320kg, sold to $2.98/ kg. Heifers were good shopping at $2.40-$2.60/kg, with 20 empty Friesian heifers making $2.00$2.20/kg.The weaner section was small, and prices also came back by around $100 per head on recent levels. Good quality steers over 200kg sold for $750-$800, with the best of the heifers being 160-200kg Hereford-Friesian at $600-$700. Friesian bulls, 150-170kg, sold well enough at $600-$650. POVERTY BAY POVERTY BAY There were wasn’t much too choose from in the store lamb pens at MATAWHERO. This didn’t do much to support the market though, with average returns down slightly on the previous sale. The core of the male lambs had good weight to them, making $91-$99, though the heaviest line topped the sale at $110. Two good lines of ewe lambs made $84$90, but other lighter types only managed $65.50-$73.50.A decent sized line of scanned-in-lamb Romney ewes were the standouts

YOUR EYES ON THE SALES. Get saleyard results as they happen with LivestockEye.

TAKE A FREE 30 DAY TRIAL NOW AT AGRIHQ.CO.NZ/FARMER

$2.74/kg, and heifers, $2.79-$2.83/ kg. Store lamb tallies dropped to 2940, the lowest since mid December 2016. Ewe lambs outnumbered the males, and though total numbers were limited, quality was mainly good, with plenty of buyer interest. Prices however are notably trending down now, and the average price eased $4 per head. Lighter ewe lambs showed the biggest softening, easing to $82$92, though the rest of the section remained steady at $92-$105. Male lamb numbers dwindled to just over 500 head, and in general prices were steady to firm, though good types lifted to $103-$108, to be the best sellers. Breeding ewe numbers were very low, and run-with-ram lines returned $95-$122.Though cattle numbers reduced to 470 head, there was still plenty to talk about in the pens. The top R2 steers were Angus, and at 488kg, made $1530, $3.14/kg, while lighter Angus, and Angus-Hereford, 417-455kg, fetched $3.15-$3.29/kg. Friesian bulls again featured, and prices reflected the continued strong local demand, with 410-475kg making $2.82-$2.95/kg, and 395kg, $3.11/kg. Chatham Island’s cattle came from the same camp as the previous week, and Hereford-cross bulls, 282-315kg, were buyable at

+ +

incorporating iFarm

Weaner steers still have a good following, and a number of lines of beef and beef-Friesian managed $700-$840, though Friesian bulls, 199-204kg, came back in price to $600-$615, $3/kg. Very little differentiated the Angus-Hereford and Hereford-Friesian lines of heifers, with both breeds of similar weight very buyable at $420-$540. A highlight was two lines of incalf Angus, and 4 Hereford cows, which fetched $1090-$1215, $2.00$2.08/kg. TARANAKI TARANAKI Numbers reduced to 500 over the two sales at STRATFORD last week, though that was still respectable on the back of big sales through May. The markets were passable considering the time of year, though store cattle eased, New Zealand Farmers Livestock agent Stephen Sutton reported.Last Tuesday 200 cattle were offered, with a split between 130 dairy’s sold in the dairy shed, and 70 cull cows. The in-calf dairy heifers sold to good interest, with top lines making $1600-$1800, and medium $1200-$1500. Cull cows also made good returns, with the market slightly firmer. Beef cows, 700kg, made $1.83/ kg, with other good lines making $1.72-$1.80/kg, medium $1.60$1.70/kg, and light, $1.43-$1.52/ kg.Wednesday’s sale saw a further

in the ewes, making $160, while two small run-with-ram pens made $103-$104.The bulk of the prime lambs made $120-$129.50, though the heaviest made $141. HAWKE’S BAY HAWKE’S BAY Throughput levels for store stock look to be settling down for winter at STORTFORD LODGE, with reduced yardings in both the cattle and lamb pens, while last Monday saw an outstanding offering of prime lambs put forward, and with a lift in quality came a lift in competition. The top male lambs sold to $140-$166, while the bulk of the ewe lambs traded at $104-$139. Evidence of ewe scanning was in the pens, in the form of heavy dry ewes, and with prices steady, buyers were hard pressed to purchase many under $90. Heavy types sold for $110-$117, and medium-good, $91-$108.Annual draft Angus steers from Wairoa continue to come out, and the interest for these came from both the processor and farmer corners, ensuring bidding was spirited. With just a few lines to pick from buyers needed to be competitive, and for the vendor, returns are slightly better this year, with 2-5c/ kg added to 2016 levels. The two main lines, 499-530kg (empty weight), returned $3.12-$3.19/ kg, with four Angus bulls making

$2.52-$2.54/kg. R3 and R2 heifers sold over a tight range at $2.62$2.77/kg, while the feature in the weaner pens was small lines of beef steers, 188-290kg, at $900$1000, and Hereford-Simmental heifers, 277kg, $915. Numbers dropped at DANNEVIRKE last Thursday, with a total yarding of just 840 on offer. Most were store lambs, and there was more of a range of types within the pens than seen of late. Very light lambs sold down to $50$54, with top male lines making $104-$111, and ewe lambs selling to $94. Just shy of 120 prime lambs sold on a steady market at $107-$121, while 50 ewes returned $70-$110. MANAWATU MANAWATU There was a good selection of all classes of cattle at RONGOTEA last Wednesday, with good interest in the weaner pens, though a softening in the heavier cattle market, New Zealand Farmers Livestock agent Darryl Harwood reported.Cull cow prices eased, though not significantly, and good beef cows, 612kg, made $1.84/kg, while heavy Friesian, 465-546kg, returned $1.63-$1.70/ kg. Crossbred, and lesser lines achieved $1.55-$1.65/kg, with incalf heifers making $1030-$1060. Dairy and dairy-cross cows with calves at foot made $900-$990.

R2 steer prices softened, with the top lines of Hereford-Friesian and Angus-cross selling to $2.65$2.74/kg, though most other types traded at $2.20-$2.45/kg, with a big dairy component. Charolais stood out in the heifer pens, with 482kg making $2.79/kg, though other lines were off the pace, with the best of the Hereford-Friesian only managing $2.50/kg. A small offering of R2 bulls featured Hereford-Friesian, 515-615kg, at $2.53-$2.76/kg.Bids came more freely for younger cattle, with good demand keeping prices at least steady. The top lines of Hereford-Friesian steers sold to $630-$785, though most other lines were lighter types and sold in a $400-$500 range. Dairy and beef-Friesian made up the bulk of the heifer section, and HerefordFriesian, 144-215kg, returned $600-$650, while Friesian, 180190kg, sold for $350-$440, with most other lines trading at this level. The bull section was the largest, and Friesian, 235-240kg, made $605-$615, and 125-142kg, $380-$395. Hereford-Friesian, 121180kg, fetched $505-$560, though crossbred, 127-220kg, dropped away to $265-$470. A very small offering of sheep saw run-withthe-ram ewes sell for $61, ewe lambs $86, and ram lambs, $79. The in-calf heifer and cow sales finished on a high note at FEILDING last Thursday, with Hereford heifers making records, and cows maintaining the strong levels paid at earlier fairs. Wet weather, followed by frosty mornings saw more farmers push the offload button on lambs, with another sizeable yarding of prime lambs last Monday.Plenty of interest from the rails kept the market firm for heavier types at $136-$153, though second cuts lifted to $115-$135, with store types earning $70-$125. The ewe market could not be faulted, as two extra buyers joined the fray and added yet more pressure to an already competitive environment. The best of the bunch made $115$136, with medium types earning $89-$113, and lighter, $63-$85. A reduction in cull cow numbers saw throughput levels drop to a month low of 284, though a larger presence of in-calf dairy cows was noted. The better in-calf Friesian and Friesian & Friesian-cross lines met good demand, selling for $1.94-$2.04/kg, while prices were firm for empty lines, 417-673kg at $1.85-$1.92/kg. Numbers were low in the rest of the yarding, with beef steers, 570-720kg, making $2.77-$2.80/kg, and the best of the bulls, $2.70-$2.80/kg. Heifers were all dairy and sold with varied c/kg.The outstanding feature of round two of the in-calf heifer and cow sale last Thursday was a consignment of 164 ex-South Island Hereford heifers to an Angus bull, that were well-bred and well-presented cattle. Buyers fought hammer and tongs for them, and the top line returned to the South Island for a record breaking $2840, $5.26/kg, while all other lines went home with an annual buyer for $2020-$2420. The market didn’t let up through the cows, apart from some of the lighter lines at the end of the day, though all lines were bought to farm on, meaning they all sold above processor value. Angus cows, 500kg plus, mainly traded

Markets

THE NZ FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – May 29, 2017

EYEBALLED: Lot 1 in the pen at last week’s Velvaleen dispersal sale near Feilding. More photos: farmersweekly.co.nz

at $1530-$1620, though the odd lesser quality line did drop to $1080-$1170. The better Angus & Angus-Hereford sold for $1280-$1520, with the remainder earning $980-$1200. Exotic cross lines mainly traded at $1010-$1400. Friday saw another large offering in both sections with locals bidding again as the weather improves. Over 1,000 scanned in lamb ewes were sold with top price again $150. Over 20,000 lambs sold onto what was quite a fluctuating market. There were some good prices paid early in the sale for male lambs. Shorn, store cryptorchids sold for up to $128 but the highest per kilo rate was paid in the $112-$118 range which included most of the early male lamb pens. The lesser cut males plus the ewe lambs were more on a par with last week. Ewes; SIL, $100-$150; Lambs; very heavy, $109-$128; heavy, $92.50-$117, medium 31-35kg, $93.50-$112. Tthe cattle market was described as a “little sticky”. Sixteen R3 HerefordFriesian steers made $2000, $2.87/kg, and $1730, $3.03/kg, was paid for 23 R2 Angus steers so life is not at an end yet. Bull numbers dropped right away and prices raded in a tight but easing range with $1540, $2.74/kg, for 16 Friesians being the day’s top money at more dollars but fewer cents/kg than last week. Lots of heifers were offered and apart from $1400, $3.14/kg, being paid for 30 R2 Angus heifers, heifer prices eased. Steers; R3, 491-695kg, $1400-$2000, $2.65-$3.05/kg; R2, 259-570kg, $620$1730, $2.61-$3.44/kg; Bulls; R2, 274561kg, $610-$1540, $2.71-$2.80/kg; Heifers; R3, 357-471kg, $970-$1120, $2.29-$2.88/kg; R2, 294-478kg, $710$1400, $2.35-$3.15/kg. CANTERBURY CANTERBURY Dairy cows and lambs were in the spotlight at COALGATE last Thursday, making up a big portion of the sale. Lamb numbers doubled on the previous week, as more vendors offload both store and prime lambs. Store lambs sold to expectations, and the bulk were medium to good types at $85-$108, though one exceptional line of 198 made $130. The prime lamb market held up well for a big yarding of 2000 head, and most traded at $110-$148, with a lighter end earning $92-$108. Ewe numbers also lifted, though to a lesser degree, with the

majority sitting in the $121-$149 price range, while just a handful of small lines sold for $62-$119. Dairy cows came out in force, as colder days and looming Gypsy Day make now a good time to sell. The bigger number struggled to maintain recent levels with the vast majority making $1.65-$1.75/kg, and heavier dairy and beef, 568-613kg, $1.75-$1.82/kg. The heifer pens offered up an even mix of dairy and beef lines, with Angus selling to $2.80-$2.88/kg, while most dairy types traded at $2.30$2.40/kg. Steer numbers were low and prices steady, with 525-575kg averaging $2.88/kg.Angus also featured in a small store offering, with a consignment of 402-428kg heifers making $1180-$1260, $2.94/kg, and Angus-Hereford, 399kg, from the same camp making $2.96/kg. Weaner Friesian bulls, 216-224kg, met good demand, and sold for $700-$720. SOUTH CANTERBURYSOUTH CANTERBURY Records fell again at TEMUKA last Monday, though this time it was for the largest number of cull cows offered in one sale, with 1100 in the pens. Prices didn’t budge though, with a compeitive bench easily absorbing the big number. With winter knocking on the door more lambs were drawn to auction, and another solid yarding of store lambs was put forward, and a decent yarding of prime lambs also. Store lambs numbered 3500, and prices firmed as good demand continued. Mixed sex dominated, and the top end sold on a lifting market at $90-$105 and medium, $80-$96. Good ewe lambs returned $97$107, bettering a lesser quality male line up at $93-$108. The prime lamb market ticked off another week of strong prices, with $100-$149 common ground, while a moderate yarding of ewes offered up a good mix of types. Light ewes traded at $76-$89, with better types earning $100-$138. Scanned-in-lamb ewes made $145-$159.Solid auction prices and the need to offload drew huge numbers of cows to market, with Friesian numbering 740 head, and beef cows, 80. Demand from both processors and paddock buyers kept the Friesian market rock solid, with 95% making $1.60-$1.72/kg. Jersey, 320-425kg, traded at $1.20-$1.40/ kg. A big offering of Angus and Hereford was put forward also, and 478-614kg sold for $1.90-$1.97/kg. While the cows dominated the day, some mention must be given to the other sections, with a

good yarding of Angus heifers offered, though prices softened to $2.80-$2.86/ kg for the tops, and second cuts, $2.68$2.78/kg. High yielding Charolais steers, 570-668kg, sold for $2.92-$2.97/kg, and Angus, 507-680kg, $2.84-$2.97/kg.Just over 1000 Store cattle went through the rostrum last Thursday, with much of the focus on R2 heifers, and weaner heifers and bulls. Cattle came forward in small lines, and quality was mixed, which is typical for this time of year. No section sustained recent levels, with a notable drop in prices right across the board by around 10c/kg. A few small lines of R2 steers cracked $3/kg, and included Angus, 417-455kg, at $3.08-$3.20/kg, but most of the better types traded at $2.80$2.90/kg. Hereford-Friesian, 367-395kg, returned $2.75-$2.80/kg. A big yarding of heifers sold surprisingly well, considering that 360 head was a big ask to sell, but prices in fact bettered the steers. Angus, 378-409kg, made $2.91-$2.98/kg, and Hereford-Friesian, 368-421kg, $2.80$2.92/kg. Traditional bulls returned $2.77-$2.86/kg, and light Friesian, $2.53$2.54/kg. Weaner prices reflected a very mixed yarding, with little in the way of top lines. Bulls were buyable, and AngusFriesian, 231-285kg, made $645-$800, though Angus and Hereford managed $770-$1190. Most of the better heifers traded at $660-$750, with lighter types earning $335-$550. OTAGO OTAGO The prime sheep market was steady as she goes at BALCLUTHA last Wednesday, while store lamb prices firmed, PGG Wrightson agent Emmett Sparrow reported.A medium yarding of store lambs sold to a slight lift in demand, and top lines firmed to $94-$99, with medium earning $85-$90, and light, $75$80.Prime lambs held their value, and heavy types fetched $130-$150, medium $115-$123, and lighter, $105-$110.Heavy ewes showed some softening, selling for $115-$130, though medium and lighter lines returned steady results, at $85-$105 and $70-$80 respectively. SOUTHLAND SOUTHLAND A busy day at LORNEVILLE last Tuesday saw most shopping lists ticked off, with a big store lamb yarding and all other classes of stock present in varying numbers. Store lambs numbered nearly 1800, and the bigger number did make buying easier for those on the rails, with prices easing $5-$10. Top lines sold for $93-$100, medium $82-$90, and light, $70-$75, with tail end lines making $55$60. Prime lamb numbers were moderate, but prices softened, and heavy lines achieved $115-$132, medium $100$113, and lighter, $85-$95. The biggest drop however was on the ewes, though numbers were low at 115 head. The very heavy types were missing from the line up, and the better end sold to $101-$120, with medium types back at $82-$100, and lighter, $55-$78. The main feature in the 140 prime cattle was the cows, and prices reflected the continuing solid demand as processors and paddock buyers compete. The good beef cows sold for $1.80/kg, while prices firmed for medium types to $1.65-$1.75/kg. Lighter types were steady at $1.30-$1.55/kg, with dairy heifers, 370-410kg, making $2.10$2.20/kg. Prime steers firmed to $2.70$2.90/kg for all types, while high yielding heifers also managed $2.70-$2.80/ kg, and medium, $2.60-$2.70/kg.Store cattle numbers were very low, but the market competitive, and R2 Herefordcross heifers, 366-450kg featured, selling for $2.73-$2.80/kg. Weaners made up the rest of the offering, and Herefordcross bulls, 163kg, returned $580, while Friesian, 166-200kg, made $600-$680. Heifers sold for $530-$590.

Abundance of grass puts North Island sheep and beef market in sweet spot Sheep and beef sales in the North Island are on a dream run. PGG Wrightson North Island Livestock Manager Tom Mowat says farmers are in a sweet spot, with plenty of autumn grass coinciding with heavy projected demand from export markets. “Some sheep and beef farmers have more grass than they know what to do with. There may be insufficient livestock across New Zealand to consume all the dry matter that the favourable autumn weather has produced. “As a consequence, demand is strong. Weaner cattle are selling at record values, fetching $150 to $200 per head more than prices during the corresponding period last year. “With increasing demand out of Europe, and China back in the market, prices for sheep are rising. Values of $6 per kilogram for both beef and lamb are encouraging,” he said. Increasing demand out of Asia and improved market access in the United States, are boosting exports, he says. “Brexit is also working in our favour, as British supermarkets are finding it difficult to put lamb in their freezers. However, this might only provide a temporary benefit.” Tom Mowat says demand for animals to capitalise on the positive combination of abundant autumn grass and eager markets outstrips supply. “Although it is rare for so many districts to have so much grass at the same time, it is a positive ‘problem’ to have, and no doubt farmers will work out how to take advantage,” he said. However, the ongoing impact of last year’s Kaikoura earthquake is providing a less agreeable challenge. “With the upper South Island’s damaged transport network, farmers are finding it difficult to shift livestock between the two islands. As the road is still under reconstruction, stock that might previously have been shipped from south to north is now more likely to stay in the South Island, with logistics more problematic following the quake. “With such excellent cover in so many regions, this is not causing major problems in the way it might have done if shifting stock for welfare reasons was necessary. However, it may preclude some farmers from maximising benefit from the current upbeat feed situation,” said Tom Mowat. With the abundance of autumn grass, stock is likely to largely maintain current values through the winter, with some upside possible in sheep, though cattle prices may ease a fraction, he said.

Get in touch: 0800 10 22 76 www.pggwrightson.co.nz

Helping grow the country

Markets

48 THE NZ FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – May 29, 2017 NI SLAUGHTER MUTTON

SI SLAUGHTER STAG

CANTERBURY PALM KERNEL

($/KG)

PRIME STEERS, 525-575KG, AT CANTERBURY PARK

($/T)

($/KG LW)

3.90

8.80

225

2.97

high lights

Lewis shows her class It was not my first choice and actually it wasn’t even a last choice.

Alan Williams alan.williams@nzx.com

IVIENNE Lewis is responsible for the results of one of the biggest shearing jobs in New Zealand and the work has won her the NZ Wool Classers Association crossbred wool merit award. Her team handled the shearing of the 30,000 ewes, 10,000 two-tooths, 12,000 lambs and 700 rams on the sprawling Ngamatea Station near Taihape in the central North Island. It was a very big clip and the Canterbury Wool Scoursponsored award was won for the manner of its preparation and classing and presented at the association’s annual meeting in Christchurch in mid-May. Lewis paid tribute to Ngamatea co-owner and managing director Renata Apatu for giving her team the responsibility and freedom “to run the shed in a way that allows us to be the best we can be, to present the crossbred clip to its fullest potential”. The team, operating in Rangitikei District, consisted of two classers, one quality controller, 18 shearers, 18 wool-handlers, four pressers, four sheepos, two cooks and one cleaner. That added up to a knowledge and skill base that “maximises the net return to our wool grower and that’s what it is all about”. Viv and husband Rudy

Vivienne Lewis Wool classer

WINNER: Vivienne Lewis with her award.

were directors of the family company and Rudy was the shed overseer, making sure the shearers and everyone else were where they should be and ensuring equipment maintenance was kept up. He also worked closely with the Ngamatea station manager and stock manager to ensure a continuous flow of sheep into and out of the shed . . . the undercover yards could handle 4000 ewes or 7000 lambs at any one time.

Viv Lewis entered wool classing and the shearing industry with a good family background, covering three generations. “Believe me, it was not my first choice and actually it wasn’t even a last choice,” she said. “My dad really wanted me to stay home so he devised a plan in the pub with someone who knew of a good shearer doing an easy 300 a day at the time, who was moving to Taihape to live.

“You should grab him now before someone else does, my dad said.” She did and that was about 33 years ago. Rudy started working with a local contractor, Lance Kelly, who eventually helped set Rudy and Viv up on their own. They started with 40,000 sheep, a Bedford van, and the cooking gear. “Our first shed was in 1992 with 700 ewes. We sent out our first invoice and thought we were millionaires.” A shearing day at Ngamatea has a 5am start. The team sheared 1000-plus sheep a run with a bale being pressed every five minutes. There were 100 bales on the floor by the end of the day. “It’s a busy shed and running smoothly it is fun to work in and impressive to watch. We strongly believe in the team and working together to achieve the same goals.” Viv and Rudy have three children who can all turn a hand in the shearing shed if they’re needed. However, they’ve all chosen careers outside the industry and Viv’s quite happy about that.

$3.19-$3.20/kg

$100-$148

Angus steers, 481503kg, at Canterbury Park

Prime lambs at Coalgate

Lamb vendors are season’s winners NOW lamb numbers to yards are peaking and we are on the downward slide to winter it is a good time to reflect on the season that has been. It’s safe to say vendors have Suz Bremner come out the winners though AgriHQ Analyst there must still be margins for buyers, otherwise, logically, they would not be spending the bigger money. Cast your mind back to the beginning of the year when some regions were staring down the barrel of a drought and many farmers offloaded, only to have to restock a month or so later when phenomenal grass growth gave us the best autumn in years. Lambs, having the smallest outlay of any of the stock groups, became very popular and light lines, in particular, were selling at levels last year were reserved for the best, with the regular buyers finding they had some stiff competition on the rails. I have harped on plenty about high weaner prices this year but in reality the premiums paid for lambs, relative to per head price, are very competitive with the weaners. To put some proof behind my statement, in the North Island, at the sale yards AgriHQ weigh, a 30kg lamb was setting buyers back $90-$100, $3.05$3.30/kg, which is $15-$24 up on 2016 and $19-$22 on the five-year average. The same weight lambs in the South Island have traded at $87-$94, giving them a $17-$20 advantage on both 2016 and the five-year average. Results have been similar for 36kg with North Island prices at, $101-$108, $2.85-$3.02/kg, adding $16-$21 to last year’s prices and up $14-$18 on the five-year average. Margins were bigger for South Island lambs, which made $97-$108, but lifted $20-$27 on 2016 and $17-$22 on five-year average. In a nutshell, buyers have forked out, on average, an extra $15-$22 for lambs this season, which has sat very nicely in vendors’ pockets. suz.bremner@nzx.com

MORE FROM AGRIHQ: MARKET SNAPSHOT MARKET WRAP

Clothing for Real Farming Families

The Kit

MAKE SURE YOU’RE KITTED OUT THIS WINTER CATALOGUE

OUT NOW!

4 NORSEWEAR RUAPEHU JERSEY $114.90 PRICES SHOWN ARE RURALCO CARDHOLDERS PRICES INCLUDING GST

SWANNDRI BEDROCK CANVAS WORK PANT $88.70

100% OWNED BY ATS

SWANNDRI SEATTLE HOODY $229.50

0800 RURALNZ (787 256)

SKELLERUP QUATRO LIGHT GUMBOOTS $146.50

RURALCO.CO.NZ

WAYS TO ORDER

ONE CARD

P44 P45