Farmers Weekly NZ September 17 2018

29 Calf selection made easy Vol 17 No 35, September 17, 2018

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Fonterra farmers overpaid?

Stephen Bell stephen.bell@globalhq.co.nz

M

ISGUIDED analysis has greeted Fonterra’s $196 million loss caused solely by the co-op ignoring market signals to continue high paying high farmgate milk prices to farmers, Massey University academics Professor Hamish Gow and Dr James Lockhart say.

And it is indulging in the sort of behaviour that led to the downfall and eventual sale of Australian co-op Murray Goulburn they said.

The first loss in Fonterra’s 17year history was confirmed after months of rumours and anguish and the reaction was predictably one of concern, the said.

However, the analysis is mostly misguided.

“Why did the loss emerge?

“One simple reason, Fonterra paid its suppliers, importantly our dairy farmers, too much for their milk solids. Period.

“For too long Fonterra has chosen to ignore the structural changes associated with supply in global dairy markets begun in

2014-15 with the removal of quotas in Europe,” Gow, Massey’s director of business innovation and strategy, and Lockhart, a business and management lecturer with expertise in strategic performance, corporate failures and governance, said.

That coincided with increasingly cheaper feedstuffs and policy changes in the United States while a number of markets, and particularly China, opened themselves to greater competition.

“European and US farmers behaved entirely predictably and increased production.”

The world is now awash with milk and much of it can be sold only on export markets Fonterra traditionally dominated as the sole provider.

However, that no longer holds.

“Fonterra has become primarily a provider of advanced commodities while others have increasingly captured the topend, speciality ingredients and branded product markets.

“The result is a stubborn market, reflected in near static or declining Global Dairy Trade auction results with a global market price that now translates

In the red Volume

22.2b LME

Revenue

$20,4b

Normalised EBIT

$902m

Return on Capital1

8.3%

Net profit after tax

-$196m

Earnings per share

24¢

Annual dividend Yield

10¢/share 1.7%

1

Return on Capital (ROC) excludes goodwill, brands and equity accounted investments.

Excluding goodwill, brands and equity accounted investments ROC was 8.2%in ingredients and 35.1% in consumer and food service.

into a $5.50 to $6 payout, not $6.70.”

So having frozen in the face of market adversity from January Fonterra stripped dividends from its shareholders and did its best to protect retro payments, especially for the benefit of sharemilkers this season.

The directors focused on protecting domestic suppliers, both farmers and sharemilkers, while penalising the dividends to shareholders and adversely affected the company’s balance sheet and external investability.

“This same behaviour emerged

two years ago in Australia when Murray Goulburn and Fonterra played a game of chicken, in which MG yielded first, only then resulting in a decrease of the Australian milksolids price to a sustainable level.

“Had Fonterra adjusted last season’s milksolids’ price in January or earlier when market indicators again began signalling excess supply their balance sheet would be stronger now.

“As for this season’s price, quite where $6.75 comes from requires an explanation – something more sophisticated than the exchange

rate being less than US60c or butter prices being too high.

“The rest of the problems, such as Danone, Beingmate, a grossly overpaid chief executive (departing chief executive Theo Spierings earned $8m this year) and continued investment in first stage processing capacity onshore, while important, are essentially red hearings, diverting attention from the underlying root cause – building a robust, conservative, and resilient milk pricing model that farmers and bankers can trust and against which can make long term investments.

“Hopefully, last week’s results were a reflection of the past.

“Over the past month Fonterra has gained a new board and, while acting, a new chief executive.

“They now need to rebuild and ensure Fonterra is a robust and prudently managed and governed NZ co-operative capable of acting as the industry-competitive yardstick in setting fair onfarm milk prices and corporate performance against which all other dairy companies must compete and be compared,” they said.

The pair are thus expecting a significant reduction in this season’s farmgate milk price.

Fonterra promises to nail its forecasting Hugh Stringleman hugh.stringleman@globalhq.co.nz FONTERRA’S new leadership has issued a more detailed earnings guidance for this financial year, underpinned by divisional forecasts.

It has raised the stakes

by also promising the giant dairy processor will meet the expectations of farmershareholders, unit investors, employees and New Zealand.

Interim chief executive Miles Hurrell said the co-operative must issue more accurate forecasts, including the potential

opportunities as well as the risks.

“We will also be clear on our assumptions so farmers and unit holders know exactly where they stand and can make decisions that are right for them and their businesses.”

The forecast earnings guidance

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is 25-35c a share and unit and the milk price prediction has been left unchanged at $6.75/ kg, following the 25c reduction announced two weeks ago.

The big ingredients division is forecast to make earnings before interest and tax of $850-$950 million. The value-add consumer

and food service division forecast is $540-$590m.

Neither forecast is ambitious but more a restatement of the earnings results of the previous two financial years.

That underscores how difficult Continued page 4

“The unit has performed well above our expectations and we’re really happy with the excellent service” ProCool Water customer Mike Smith, Brentworth Dairy Farms

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NEWS

WEATHER OVERVIEW The further south you are then the colder your week begins as a local southerly moves up the South Island today with some rain and showers. Daytime highs and overnight lows will be down by several degrees, some today might even be a bit colder than average. But the North Island sees more mild northerlies.

By tomorrow a low will be crossing the upper North Island with some isolated heavy falls. For the rest of the week we go back to westerly winds for many but possibly another cooler southerly this Friday. High pressure grows this weekend and again northwesters develop in the South Island with heavy rain on the West Coast by Sunday. More of the same next week.

7 Effort needed to keep workers A perfect storm has accentuated difficulties attracting young people to agricultural careers but also driven changes to the way they are trained.

Weather dry in south, wet in north ������������������������������� 8 Pea imports amaze grower ������������������������������������������� 10 Breeding worth values change ������������������������������������ 21

Pasture Growth Index Above normal Near normal Below normal

7-DAY TRENDS

Wind

Rain A bit more wet weather in the coming week puts a dent, finally, in the drier than average set-up we’ve been seeing. Rain and showers will be mostly western-focused but some in the north and east as well.

Newsmaker ������������������������������������������������������28 New Thinking ��������������������������������������������������29 Opinion ������������������������������������������������������������30

Varying winds this week to begin with thanks to a developing low in the North Island and a weak southerly in the South Island.

Westerly winds by mid week might turn briefly southerly by Friday.

Nothing major.

For further information on the NZX PGI visit www.agrihq.co.nz/pgi

Highlights/ Extremes

Temperature Still warmer than average for some in the North Island this week but it will be cooler and even colder than average for some in the South Island to begin with. Fairly average temperatures generally speaking over the next week.

ON FARM STORY

NZX PASTURE GROWTH INDEX – Next 15 days

Main highlights will be the wintry change for Monday and Tuesday in the lower South Island, mild by Wednesday. A chance of some heavy rain in the upper North Island on Tuesday morning. Drier than average still for Canterbury.

14-DAY OUTLOOK

There is a drier than average trend that is starting to appear in a number of regions and while definitely not a major problem it does highlight a shift away from the wetter-thanaverage pattern many areas have had this year.

While cold today in the south this week sees a good variety of temperatures, sunshine and moisture and might well be quite positive for a number of pasture regions. No major frosts but some possible in the South Island interior.

SOIL MOISTURE INDEX – 14/09/2018

34 Old values and new practices Richard Cookson and his wife Louise Cullen studied at Lincoln University but then went overseas for work at scientists rather than heading for the farm.

REGULARS Real Estate �������������������������������������������������36-44 Employment ����������������������������������������������������45 Classifieds ��������������������������������������������������������46 Livestock ����������������������������������������������������47-51 Markets �������������������������������������������������������52-56 GlobalHQ is a farming family owned business that donates 1% of advertising revenue to the Rural Support Trust. Thanks to our Farmers Weekly and Dairy Farmer advertisers this week: $1088. Need help now? You can talk to someone who understands the pressures of farming by phoning your local Rural Support Trust on 0800 787 254.

Source: WeatherWatch.co.nz

This product is powered by NIWA Data

For more weather information go to farmersweekly.co.nz/weather

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News

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – September 17, 2018

3

Lambs prices pushing the limit Annette Scott annettescott@globalhq.co.nz LAMB prices are not aligned with global market fundamentals, prompting a warning of a looming correction.

Procurement prices as high as $8.70 a kilogram are out of whack from a global perspective but reflect the limited number of lambs in the market, Alliance livestock and shareholder services general manager Heather Stacy said.

While the weaker New Zealand dollar is playing a key role in keeping lamb prices up, a pushback is imminent.

“It remains to be seen whether we will see a gentle price reduction or something more substantial.

“There is some uncertainty with drought in Australia, Europe and the United Kingdom and trade tensions between the United States and China.

“We are keeping a close eye on our markets,” Stacy said.

The important Christmas chilled lamb processing programme begins on Monday (September 17) and runs to the first week of November.

“From that point we expect prices to soften to reflect the change in balance from chilled to frozen,” she said.

Alliance has released its spring-summer minimum price lamb contract that will run from November 12 to December 22.

It starts at $7.30/kg and winds back as supply increases.

Anzco agriculture and livestock manager Grant Bunting said the reality of a push-back should come as no surprise.

While lamb is not Anzco’s core business the company is somewhat compelled to follow the leaders.

“And we have been saying for some time now the benchmark being set by the lead lamb processors is unsustainable.

HANG ON: There might still be some price rises for lambs despite consumer push-back, AgriHQ analyst Rachel Agnew says.

It remains to be seen whether we will see a gentle price reduction or something more substantial.

Heather Stacy Alliance “Our producers have been saying that too.

“They are telling us they would rather have sustainable consistency at, say, the $7 mark rather than take the money and run.

“It’s all very well to acknowledge now that the kitchen is too hot. It’s a correction that should

come with no real surprises.”

The inconsistency with the markets is a procurement issue, Bunting said.

“It’s competition for lambs that’s driven the price, not the market and until that’s addressed we’ll be the first to say it’s not sustainable.

“We are the accidental tourist taken along for the ride that’s being dictated by the country’s leading lamb processors.

“It would be fair to say everybody, including producers, are somewhat nervous,” Bunting said.

The latest AgriHQ Livestock Insight reports the big weekly price lifts are easing with processors signalling the brakes have to come on operating prices as the losses being incurred are too great.

While the general trend last week remained upward, the range in the South Island is more or less the same as the previous week at $8.20-$8.40/kg.

Lambs have grown quite well this winter and it looks like the odd finisher is pushing lambs out the door sooner than usual, AgriHQ analyst Rachel Agnew said.

But if the North Island market is any indication there’s still potential for quite a bit more cash to be put in the spot market.

“There’s already one processor which offered an $8.60-$8.70/kg contract to suppliers.

“Whether there’s the same appetite for competition in the South Island remains to be seen.”

Agnew said lamb prices in the last five years have tended to

Waireres can take the pressure Lyndon Chittock farms 158 hectares near Gore. “We run a grass factory. Our 1900 ewes and 500 hoggets are behind wires for nine months of the year. The winter stocking rate is over 18 per hectare.

“The 2017 lambing was 157 percent. The percentage has been lifting steadily over the three years that I’ve used the Wairere Multiplier over a Wairere Romney base.

Carcass weights have lifted to an average of 22kg this year, including a thousand trade lambs that we buy in for the summer.”

“The Wairere Multiplier has turbocharged my flock.”

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peak from mid-October to midNovember.

“While it’s possible there’s more lifts ahead one processor has taken money out of schedules for next week, citing market pushback.”

Very few ewes are being killed and that is mainly keeping prices on them steady.

“However, one company, which was leading the upper-end of the market, has taken a few cents off while they have the opportunity.

“With that said the sale yards are often the preferred avenue for these given the premiums that are being achieved,” Agnew said.

Many sheep farmers have begun asking questions about the sustainability of the high lamb prices.

Agnew said it might be interesting for farmers to read that sheep farmers in Australia, Britain and the United States are also experiencing record high lamb prices and asking similar questions around sustainability.

A recent report by Meat and Livestock Australia questioned whether the record lamb prices are in line with the global sheep market.

Its conclusions aligned with what NZ exporters are reporting.

Firstly, global supply is tight.

NZ production is at a seasonal low, Australia’s new season production is well delayed because of drought and Chinese sheep production is also low.

While scarce supply is underpinning high global prices it is noted the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation sheep meat index is surging above other proteins, increasing the risk of consumer resistance.

NZ exporters have already reported some signs of push-back in certain markets.

“It seems the NZ sheep meat market is very much in sync with other sheep producing nations,” Agnew said.

4

News

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – September 17, 2018

Co-op bosses promise a big improvement Hugh Stringleman hugh.stringleman@globalhq.co.nz FONTERRA has reported its worst result in its 17-year history and its new leaders have vowed to clean the stables and get back to delivering on farmers’ and investors’ expectations.

It made a net loss after tax of $196 million for the 2017-18 year, nearly $1 billion worse than the $781m profit in 2017.

Some 40% of that yawning gap came from lower operating earnings. The rest was the cost of the settlement with Danone and a substantial write-down of its Beingmate investment in China.

At the root of the earnings meltdown was the relatively high farmgate milk price of $6.69/ kg milksolids, which made raw materials for Fonterra’s addedvalue products more expensive.

While it increased the volume of milk that went into higher value products, gross margins fell when Fonterra was not able to

Continued from page 1 it is for Fonterra to boost its earnings, profits and dividends while at the same time paying farmgate milk prices above $6/ kg.

Hurrell, chairman John Monaghan and chief financial officer Marc Rivers promised a new realism in forecasting and more comprehensive reporting of results.

Rivers said giving more detail

hike wholesale prices in strongly competitive world markets.

The proportion that went into higher value went up from 42% to 45%, an increase of 465m litres in total processing of 22.2b litres.

Farmers will receive a milk price 10% higher than the year before as a result of high world prices for milk fat commodities and buoyant prices for whole milk powder.

New Zealand farmers now get farmgate prices as good or better than those overseas, chairman John Monaghan said.

Fonterra took the Danone and Beingmate hits in the first half of the financial year but was confident of mitigating the losses in the second half.

That did not eventuate, which chief executive Miles Hurrell put down to over-optimistic forecasting based on very good second-quarter results.

“Secondly, butter prices didn’t come down as we anticipated, which impacted our sales volumes and margin.

is part of regaining credibility.

Fonterra will do a number of things differently to recover from its very disappointing and unacceptable $196 million loss.

It will re-evaluate all investments, major assets and partnerships to ensure they still meet its needs.

First is a strategic review of the Beingmate investment and nothing will be ruled out, including a possible sale of its stake, Monaghan said.

FACING THE MUSIC: Answering questions at Fonterra’s annual results announcement, from left, chief financial officer Marc Rivers, chairman John Monaghan and chief executive Miles Hurrell.

“Thirdly, the increase in the milk price late in the season, while good for farmers, put pressure on our margins.

“And fourth, operating expenses were up in some parts of the business and while this was planned it was also based on delivering higher earnings than we achieved.”

Only 10c a share dividend was paid, the interim payment in April, and it was effectively funded by trimming 10c off the milk price calculated by Fonterra’s own Milk Price Model.

Normalised earnings, before the extraordinary impacts, were $382m or 24c a share, slightly below the guidance range revised in May. Operating expenditure increased by 7% to $2.5b after two

reductions of similar magnitude when costs were driven down to reflect low milk payouts.

The increases were across the ingredients businesses, from expansion in Australia, in modernising information technology and putting more into research and development.

These items are what Hurrell refers to as planned expenditure.

Chief financial officer Marc Rivers said the return on capital is not satisfactory at 6.3%, down from 8.3%, and that is a measure now including goodwill, brands and equity accounted investments.

Capital expenditure was largely steady on $861m but net debt rose by 11% to $6.2b.

The gearing ratio therefore rose by 4% to 48.4% and Rivers said

Anmum distribution in China is no longer exclusive to Beingmate but its new chief executive Bao Xiufei is having positive effects and is collaborative.

Fonterra has to get the basics right and fix its businesses that are not performing, Hurrell said.

“The level of financial discipline will be lifted throughout the co-operative so that debt can be reduced and return on capital improved.”

Fonterra has forecast a 1.3% increase in its milk collection this season, being 1525m kilos compared with 1505m last financial year, which was the lowest volume in five years.

It does not expect any increase in the peak daily collection, at 81m litres in late October, well below its full processing capacity of 95m.

Last season’s milk price of $6.69 contained the following

3% of that can be attributed to the Danone and Beingmate one-offs.

To bring the gearing ratio down to the acceptable range of 40% to 45%, $800m of debt would have to be repaid.

Retained earnings were 14c a share and added up to $225m and the gearing ratio would have been close to 50% without them.

Among the positive highlights, revenue was up 6% to $20.4b and farmers received half of that, $10.2b.

Monaghan said that is good for farmers, rural suppliers and the regional economies because farmers spend half of their milk income in the local community on essential inputs.

The contribution to the NZ economy every year is around $8b, Fonterra’s annual report said.

weighting components: whole milk powder 64%, up 8%, skim milk powder 20%, down 11%, butter 9%, up 32%, anhydrous milk fat 5%, up 28% and butter milk powder 2%, down 7%.

Fonterra said China’s imports rose 17% in the past year and the Middle East and Africa were up 5%.

European Union milk supply had risen 3%, the United States 1%, Australia 3% and Fonterra was down 1%.

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News

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – September 17, 2018

5

Farmers say ‘convince us’

Chris Ford – Ashburton

more surprises. This can’t happen again.

We are supposed to be a cooperative and as frustrating as it is for farmers we mustn’t dwell on it.

Yes, $196 million is a lot of money, on top of the bad investment in Beingmate and the Danone saga, and a chief executive salary of $8.3m in a year of huge fail – what the heck can you say to all that other than no way in hell can it happen a second time.

Fonterra is supposed to be leading the way but in terms of value-add and brand, Fonterra has been left behind, a little bit caught out you might say.

I believe in the co-operative, it has to work. Fonterra has a job to perform for the confidence of its farmers.

FONTERRA got it wrong – very wrong and its poor decisionmaking and governance has lost farmer confidence.

That’s what I see as the biggest disappointment.

While disappointed it’s not been unexpected, perhaps worse than most of us thought it would be.

For certain, we don’t need any

Lyndon Strang – North Otago A saving grace in Fonterra’s poor financial result is the fact next season’s forecast milk price has held steady at $6.75kg MS. While the poor annual result was not unexpected it must not be repeated.

I was prepared for that and also

management to address the key causes of the poor performance and the continued growth of added-value products.

I am optimistic about the co-op but there are definitely areas that need a lot of improvement.

understand the logic and reasons why the result is what it is.

There needs to be an improvement and I’m pleased the board had announced a review of its investments and ensuring it is doing the business fundamentals well.

I’m optimistic about the future given the forecast milk price, resolve of the board and

Stuart King – Hauraki Plains I’m well aware farmers have again been asked to dip into their pockets through a lowered payout to support Fonterra through a big loss year but I’m uncertain how long shareholder patience will last.

If farmers support that, then the co-op can go on forever. I agree with Chris Lewis who said farmers will not give this business up.

But this outcome reflects poor performance and as a farmer I feel quite a bit of anger, almost like we have been taken advantage of by management.

Despite the much touted V3 strategy and years of talking about adding value the co-op still struggles to deliver.

It has become a gold-plated, lazy business. It does not look like a business that is trying to cut costs.

It must get back to the basics of business. Is the value-add, branded business where the co-op needs to be?

Fonterra seems to be doing well with its ingredients and food service business but value-add seems a distraction and a loss maker.

And the changes at the top are not entirely reassuring.

Sharebroker predicts another low dividend Alan Williams alan.williams@globalhq.co.nz FONTERRA might pay another dividend of just 10c a share to unit holders in the NZX-listed Fonterra Shareholders Fund on this year’s earnings, sharebroking firm Forsyth Barr predicts.

The group’s historic earnings volatility mean it remains difficult to have confidence in the near-term earnings outlook.

Fonterra did not give any 2019 dividend guidance in its

2018 earnings report, saying priority will be given to reducing debt. At its July 31 balance date Fonterra had total assets of $18 billion with total liabilities of $11.66b, including nearly $7b of borrowings.

Reducing borrowings on the forecast earnings range suggest uncertainty on dividend levels, Forsyth Barr said in a research note.

It also noted the ongoing clear conflicts between dairy farm shareholders and the unit

holders, which are unlikely to be repaired in the medium term.

Farmers want maximisation of the farmgate milk price while unit holders want a lower milk payout and higher dividends.

Fonterra scrapped the final dividend on last year’s figures, leaving unit holders with just the 10c a unit interim payout.

It expects earnings a share in the 25c to 35c range this year.

Forsyth Barr has a forecast of just under 29c a share.

It said global consumer and

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Its $416m in interest costs were covered only a bit over two times by the Ebit figure. Interest costs of $355m a year earlier were covered just over three times by Ebit.

Forsyth Barr noted the combination of higher debt and lower earnings.

The Fonterra units did eke out a 5c rise to $5.01 on the NZX after the result was reported but were still down 20% from the $6.27 at which they started this year.

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food service markets remain attractive but competition is intense in Fonterra’s key markets and earnings uncertainty is commonplace because of volatile commodity prices and input costs.

Fonterra reported a bottomline loss of $196 million in the latest year because of big, one-off charges.

However, its normalised earnings before interest and tax dropped to $902m from $1.15b a year earlier, a 22% fall.

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News

7

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – September 17, 2018

Effort needed to keep workers Neal Wallace neal.wallace@globalhq.co.nz A PERFECT storm has accentuated difficulties attracting young people to agricultural careers but also driven changes to the way they are trained.

Taratahi Agriculture Institute chief executive Arthur Graves said many students attracted to the sector come from backgrounds outside the traditional workforce pool.

That prompted training providers to rethink how they recruit and train young people and support employers.

Taratahi has changed its curriculum to include more personal development and is working closely with schools while Primary ITO has launched dairy, horticulture and meat processing apprenticeships.

Graves said employers needed to think and treat staff as an investment not a cost, recognising younger generations have a different view of the world and were raised differently to them.

“Employers need to recognise they have an investment in this person that is not just dollars.

“It is a simple thing like ensuring they can build a lifestyle, make them feel connected and that their future is part of your business.”

A low birth rate around 2000 created a shortage of school leavers who are being courted by

ATTITUDE: Employers need to treat staff as an investment, not a cost, Taratahi chief executive Arthur Graves says.

other employee-hungry sectors, especially construction.

Many young people are now going directly into work rather than training.

Primary ITO chief executive Linda Sissons said just 4% of NZ students go into apprenticeships compared to 50% in Germany and 70% in Switzerland.

“Our settings are wrong.

“We send the wrong signals to kids and without knowing it devalue vocational training.”

Schools tend to prepare students for universities and polytechnics rather than vocational careers.

“We need to get signals to young people and their families that going into a vocational area provides a job, learning on the job and is not a sign of failure.”

Primary ITO has 7700 dairy trainees, 6185 in horticulture, 5800 in meat processing and 1100 in sheep and beef.

About 100 are in the newly launched dairy apprenticeship run with Federated Farmers while nine horticulture sectors have endorsed introducing apprenticeships.

Sissons said she wants the sheep and beef sector to adopt an apprenticeship scheme too.

Graves said Taratahi traditionally relied on a supply of young people who chose to leave school before year 13 and were eager to start work.

In the last few years schools have successfully kept many of those students through to the final year of education.

Those who still leave school early do so for other reasons, generally need support and don’t pursue an agricultural career.

The demographics of students studying at Taratahi differs greatly from a generation ago when it was dominated by males with a rural upbringing.

Now 42% are Maori, 40% have an urban upbringing and close to 40% are female.

“You have got to think about them, that you can’t drop them like a stone in a pond and hope osmosis will kick in and everyone will live happily ever after.”

Taratahi has maintained its roll for the last few years at about 1500 effective full-time students but it has been a challenge.

It is now working with about 500 secondary school pupils to increase interest in preemployment training.

A year ago Taratahi joined groups such as Young Farmers to work with 150 schools and introduced a programme called Grow, Feed, Protect.

It involves providing 60 schools with material for their year 13 agricultural curriculum and

providing working farms for vocational education.

The idea is to introduce students to the industry in the hope that interest leads to further education and a career in the sector.

“It’s a destination story and a lifestyle story we’re talking about.”

Results will take some time with the first students expected next year but more significant gains are expected from 2020.

Graves said it appears farm staff are staying in the industry for only two to three years, indicating effort, such as further training, is needed to encourage people to stay.

Sissons said a Government review of vocational training and education could lead to greater interest.

Education Minister Chris Hipkins has endorsed the importance of vocational training, which Sissons said sent a message about the Government’s expectations.

“If he says that to enough school principals then we’ve got it made.”

With farm careers attracting large numbers from urban areas, other employees and the wider community have to make them feel welcome.

Primary industries need to sell the variety of careers possible and the constant flow of new technology and the interest and variety they provide.

Endeavour Fund unlocks $249 million for research A FOCUS on science investment into biosecurity and freshwater management are included in the latest funding round from the country’s largest contestable research source, the Endeavour Fund.

The quarter of a billion in grants is supporting 69 multiyear projects.

They include 19 related

directly to agriculture and food production, including an $11.4 million NIWA project to help better understand New Zealand’s carbon emissions and uptake.

The NIWA research picks up from a pilot project that used atmospheric data to determine how much carbon is absorbed

by NZ’s indigenous forests.

The multi-year trial aims to fill the knowledge gap about how planted forests, pastures and

urban ecosystems perform.

A GNS groundwater project has received $9.5m over five years to develop and show the source-flow patterns in NZ’s 200 known aquifers and large river catchments.

Researchers maintain the inability to relate aquifer sources and use will continue to limit the country’s ability to manage the resource sustainably.

More than $7m has been given to a Lincoln Agritech team

aiming to better understand nitrogen pathways to waterways.

NIWA also receives another $8 million to explore new technologies aiming to double the effectiveness of on-farm pollution mitigation.

A milk project valued at $11.2m at Massey University aims to increase the understanding of the potential for ruminant milk.

Federated Farmers science and innovation spokesman

Andrew Hoggard said the nitrogen pathways project is a particular priority for farmers.

“NZ farmers pride themselves on being world leaders in production and sustainability.

“We need the best science and research data available to step up our game even more.”

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News

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – September 17, 2018

CAUTIOUS: Lake Opuha is 80% full but behind where it should ideally be so with fear of a summer water shortage restrictions have kicked in early.

Dry in south but wet up north Annette Scott annettescott@globalhq.co.nz A MILD, dry winter and a good start to spring has set Canterbury farmers up well but there’s concern of a big dry setting in.

Opuha Water chief executive Andrew Mockford said farmers have revelled in the great winter farming conditions but they have not put snow on the hills or water in the lakes and rivers.

While there was rain and just the third snowfall of the season early this month, there has not been enough to maintain the level of South Canterbury’s Lake Opuha.

“There’s been no silver bullet to change the fundamental situation, the snow receded very quickly and there’s just not been the snow to keep flows up this year.”

Mockford said proactive measures with early season restrictions are being taken to hopefully avoid serious impact when the irrigation season comes around.

“We are reliant on Mother Nature to bring snow and rain events to replenish the lake but we just haven’t had them this winter.

“The lake level is presently about

80% full, which is reasonable in isolation but when combined with the low snow pack at present and lower than normal lake inflows, the combined water picture is behind where we would ideally like it to be.”

A Water Shortage Direction for the Opihi River and its tributaries, which include the Opuha River and Lake Opuha, has been in effect since September 1.

It requires Opuha Water to maintain a minimum flow of 5.2 cubic metres a second in the Opihi River when the lake is above 375 metres. It is now at 390 metres.

There are no irrigation restrictions in the Direction but the Opuha Environmental Flow Release Advisory Group, comprising representatives from district councils, farmers, Opuha Water, river users and tangata whenua, asked Opuha Water to ensure water permit holders reduce their water takes to 75% of their consented volumes.

Lake capacity, lake inflows and snow pack are all important to the amount of water available for river flows and irrigation over a season.

All three are causing concern, Mockford said.

“Looking ahead to short and mid-term forecasts we are not seeing any significant rain on the horizon that will change the conditions significantly.

We are reliant on Mother Nature to bring snow and rain events to replenish the lake but we just haven’t had them this winter.

Andrew Mockford Opuha Water “Longer term seasonal forecasts are still debating whether an El Nino pattern is coming although looking more likely than not but point towards lower than normal rainfall in the next two to three months.”

Group chairwoman Judy Blakemore said the early months of the irrigation season are when river restrictions are more amenable with higher minimum flows.”

“The peak summer months have lower minimum flows and therefore there is much less ability to make any meaningful impact as the 2014-15 season demonstrated.

“The drought that year clearly illustrated the need for early intervention,” she said.

“We acted too late in 2014, not putting restrictions on until December 1.

“We want to do everything in our power to ensure that the 2018-19 season is not a repeat of 2014-15, which saw an empty lake, very low river flows and a stop to all irrigation.”

From Mid and North Canterbury to Nelson and Marlborough should be primed for good growth in the next few weeks with 20mm to 50mm of rain falling early this month.

Mid Canterbury cropping farmer David Clark said “How the season will pan out will depend entirely on what the spring will bring us.”

Stock have done extremely well over winter with good prices filling the void left after a very disappointing harvest last season.

“The crops are looking

magnificent at this point.

Certainly, we are looking at a better harvest than last year but it’s a long way to go, a big wait and see.”

Southland and Otago mostly missed out on the rain but still got the cold.

The first week of spring has been pretty ugly for much of the North Island that’s suffered heavy rain and cold weather creating significant on-farm damage, slips and flooding.

Lamb losses are also reported as being significant in Hawke’s Bay, Gisborne and in central districts some places got 200mm of rain.

Farmers in those regions report that as a tough blow that’s created large financial losses for the worstaffected farmers.

It’s also expected to make a dent in early lamb supply to processors.

Feed has become a concern for many around the North Island because it’s hard to grow good grass when paddocks are so wet.

Sunshine is the number one wish for North Island farmers hopeful the rain has now met MetService’s outlook of a wetter September.

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News

10 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – September 17, 2018

Pea imports astound local grower Annette Scott annettescott@globalhq.co.nz A DISCONNECT with end users is hampering cropping farmers’ ability to push the virtues of the quality products they produce, Mid Canterbury Federated Farmers arable chairwoman Joanne Burke says.

She was astounded to learn a New Zealand plant-based chicken company is importing peas from Canada because it can’t get them here.

“To hear the company can’t get peas in NZ just shows the continued disconnect we have with our end users.

To hear the company can’t get peas in New Zealand just shows the continued disconnect we have with our end users.

Joanne Burke Farmer “It just seems so silly to be importing peas from Canada when we can grow the very product in NZ,” Burke said.

“More needs to be done in a marketing space.”

Burke appealed to merchants and levy organisations to further promote and seek new markets for NZ-grown product.

She said the peas in question were Canadian yellow peas.

“We should be proactive and actively seeking to be the local

supplier but the contracts need to be available.

“Essentially, we need a whole bunch of NZ yellow marrowfat peas. As growers we can grow them. We just need to be linked to it.”

Burke noted the increasing hype on plant-based meat substitutes.

“I wonder where NZ arable farmers fit the picture – well it appears we don’t and we won’t if we don’t make it happen.

“By its very nature we are in a fragmented industry.

“We need to get some cohesion going for the arable sector so we can all have a bigger piece of a much bigger pie.”

Burke said to grow quality products is one thing but NZ also needs to grow what the domestic market wants and push the virtue of the quality of NZ-grown products.

While it’s heartening to have Countdown supermarkets committed to using only NZgrown grain in its in-store baking products at supermarkets across the country it is just the beginning of what should be a lot more.

“This is fantastic news for consumers and grain growers and we need to push that much further.”

The other aspect of concern is just how much end-users and household consumers truly understand about the arable products they use.

“Is it actually grown in NZ or imported and how does the industry go about addressing this.

“We are right behind the pork industry and certainly relate to their drive and government acknowledgment for country of origin labelling.

TALK: Growers need better connections to manufacturers and customers to find out what people want, Mid Canterbury Federated Farmers arable chairwoman Joanne Burke says.

“I would like to see the same for the arable industry.

“The simple thing about a bag of flour is it’s a single-ingredient product but look on the label and it’s made from imported and local ingredients or packaged in NZ and not given any country of origin for where the ingredients come from.”

The industry needs to tell its story because consumers want to know the source of their food.

From growers to merchants and marketers we all need to link better to promote all the positives related to NZ-grown seeds, grains and pulses.

“What we have is overseas-

owned mills and by nature we are influenced by what’s happening globally as far as international pricing and marketing but what we have here is a unique story about safe, quality product and sadly consumers are not hearing that story from a collaborated industry.”

While individual growers might find niche markets the answer for the industry lies in getting the merchants together with growers to promote locally grown product to all end users – livestock, bakeries, mills.

“We don’t want to be in a race to the bottom. We want to push to build our industry to be a quality

product of choice and move away from our traditional status as price takers.”

Federated Farmers’ arable industry group is researching how the wider industry can collectively promote the benefits of quality, home-grown product.

It’s also as much about capability of producing product to meet market demand.

“We are meeting with the merchants association, mills and the livestock feed industry and we are really confident about the buy-in and opportunities we are getting to meet with these parties but there’s a hell of a long way to go yet,” Burke said.

News

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – September 17, 2018

11

Lamb, beef export prices holding up Alan Williams alan.williams@globalhq.co.nz BEEF and lamb exports are each expected to exceed $3 billion in receipts for the second year in a row.

Lamb exports are expected to remain at about $3.1b and beef to fall slightly to $3.4b, Beef + Lamb New Zealand says in its new season outlook.

After exceptionally strong farmgate prices for lamb, mutton and beef in the September export year, the farmer organisation says lamb prices should remain relatively steady to slightly lower in NZ’s main export markets and be topped up by the easing of the kiwi dollar. Beef returns per tonne could be slightly lower overall.

Currency has a large bearing on the sector’s outlook with 70% of red meat exports traded in US dollars, B+LNZ chief economist Andrew Burtt said.

His forecasts are based on a US$0.67 exchange rate over the course of the season. The dollar is below that figure now and major bank currency strategists are forecasting further easing over the year ahead.

Lamb prices should remain relatively steady to slightly lower in NZ’s main export markets.

B+LNZ

expected to be about 3.9% for 2018 and 2019 though the rate of expansion might have peaked in some major economies.

B+LNZ estimated total sheep numbers on June 30 to be 27.3m head, nearly 1% lower than a year earlier.

Total dairy cow numbers were estimated at 6.6m head on June 30. The South Island had 40% of the dairy herd, up from 35% 10 years ago, Burtt said.

FAVOURABLE: Currency has a big bearing on export returns and the exchange rate will help farmers this year, Beef + Lamb New Zealand chief economist Andrew Burtt says.

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• Full synchromesh 12x12 transmission for simple and efficient operation Beef exports are forecast to fall about 3% in volume to 45,000 tonnes next export year. That is about 2.51 million head of cattle and follows a near 10% lift this season because of an increase in cow and bull processing.

Farmers will be rebuilding their herds, especially in the South Island, Burtt said.

Despite this season’s kill the national herd is estimated to have increased nearly 2% to 3.68m head on June 30, from a year earlier.

Slightly lower lamb exports are a follow-on from a reduced lamb crop though that will be partly offset by a slight rise in carcase weights. The lower lambing rate followed the big cull of older ewes last summer as farmers sold into the high mutton procurement and export prices.

That has left a smaller and younger ewe flock and B+LNZ said there could be a 17% fall in mutton export volumes. The greater number of ewe hoggets kept for breeding this year reflects farmer confidence in ongoing sheep production, he said.

A 1.2% increase in the FOB lamb value per tonne is forecast, with the dollar’s help.

At the US$0.67 mid-rate figure B+LNZ expects an average lamb price of $7.12/kg over the 201819 season, marginally higher than the estimated (inflation-adjusted) value of $7.08/kg this season.

Mutton exports are forecast to be down 15%

by FOB value to $466m. Allowing for the lower volumes, the FOB value per tonne is expected to be 2.2% higher.

At the US$0.67 mid-rate for the kiwi dollar, the forecast average mutton price is $4.30/kg, up from an estimated inflation-adjusted price this export season of $4.17/kg – a 45% jump over the previous year.

For beef, the currency forecast of US$0.67 is expected to provide an average 2018-19 farmgate price of $5.25/kg for a 270kg-295kg steer or heifer.

For 170kg-195kg cows, including many cull dairy cows, the price is tipped at $3.98/kg and a 270kg295kg bull at $5.03/kg.

Burtt said the uncertainty and breakdown of trade relationships are hanging over the recent global economic upswing but that growth is still

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News

12 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – September 17, 2018

No farm complaints warrant prosecution Neal Wallace neal.wallace@globalhq.co.nz

RELIEF: Stock must spend only part of a day in muddy conditions.

MINISTRY for Primary Industry inspectors have responded to 67 complaints about farm animals in muddy conditions in the last year.

An MPI spokeswoman said inspections showed none of the complaints met the threshold warranting prosecution.

Farmers are required to provide animals with access to somewhere comfortable to rest and they must spend only part of the day in light mud conditions.”

Provided that condition is met a complaint will not progress further because that is not considered unacceptable farming practice.

Five regions accounted for 77% of the

THE NAIT ACT HAS CHANGED WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW You may have heard some changes have been made to the NAIT Act. The changes fix some shortcomings in the old law – some of which became apparent during the Mycoplasma bovis response. Remembering, the NAIT online system is used for tracing the movement of animals in the event of a food safety or disease incident.

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complaints. They were Waikato, Southland, Canterbury, Manawatu-Wanganui and Otago.

Three quarters of complaints were lodged between June and August.

A new data base means MPI can not provide comparable data from previous years and it does not differentiate between stock on winter crop or in a muddy paddock.

In contrast an SPCA spokesman said the society handled a national record 15,584 complaints of animal cruelty in 2017, covering both urban and rural sectors.

The data could not be refined further to differentiate between companion and farmed animals.

The MPI spokeswoman said people lodging complaints are asked about the severity of ground conditions, how long and how often stock are in those conditions, the size of paddock, stock concentration, mud condition and depth.

They are also asked whether animals are standing, sitting or lying, whether feed is available, if there is mud on the animals and their condition, access to water, resting places and shelter.

The Dairy Cattle Code of Welfare states cattle on stand-off areas and feed pads must be able to lie down and rest comfortably for sufficient periods to meet their behavioural needs.

MPI understands the inevitability that during winter animals will spend time in mud, especially when being fed on crops.

MPI has no immediate plans to change the rules governing the management of livestock on muddy paddocks and crops.

MPI staff will crack down on stink bugs BIOSECURITY officials are promising to take tough action against cargo vessels believed to be infested with brown marmorated stink bugs during the coming risk season.

“Each arriving vessel will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis,” Biosecurity New Zealand border clearance services director Steve Gilbert said.

“However, if our officers ultimately determine a ship is infested with stink bug it will be prevented from discharging its cargo and directed to leave NZ. “We have also introduced a very low threshold for determining contamination.

“If we find a single bug we will thoroughly investigate whether the entire vessel is contaminated.

“As with previous stink bug seasons there will also be increased surveillance and inspection of arriving vessels and cargo from countries with established stink bug populations.

“This is about ensuring the dangerous pest does not get a chance to establish in NZ,” Gilbert said.

Biosecurity rules have changed for this season, making it compulsory for certain types of cargo to be treated before arrival to remove the risk of hitchhiking stink bugs.

“As a result, Biosecurity NZ requires cargo such as uncontainerised vehicles and machinery to be assessed as compliant before we allow discharge from the vessel.

“We will also no longer direct contaminated vessels to undergo fogging with insecticide in NZ.” Fogging was introduced as an emergency treatment option in February following a spike in stink bug detections in vehicle carriers from Japan.

The risk season runs from September to April, when stink bugs from the northern hemisphere are most likely to crawl into cargo heading to NZ. Last season, biosecurity officers intercepted more than 2500 individual stink bugs at the border, mainly on vessels and cargo.

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News

14 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – September 17, 2018

Fonterra changes vindicated Hugh Stringleman hugh.stringleman@globalhq.co.nz THE calibre of new directors and nominees for the Fonterra board vindicates the governance changes and the downsizing of the board and outweighs the initial loss of experience, departing director Nicola Shadbolt says.

Her decision not to seek a fourth three-year term is in accordance with the guideline of nine years as the optimum and 12 years as the maximum.

The three candidates for vacancies around the board table announced last Monday are oneterm sitting director Ashley Waugh along with Jamie Tuuta and Peter McBride.

Shadbolt acknowledged that after this year’s election four of the seven farmer-directors will be newcomers.

“It goes further, in that only two of the 11 (chairman John Monaghan and independent Simon Israel) have more than three years’ experience,” she said.

“These are the effects of the 2015 governance review, application of the skills matrix and the independent selection panel.

“I am confident we are getting the right people and diversity

I am confident we are getting the right people and diversity and I am delighted with the new nominees.

EVENS OUT: The lack of experience on Fonterra’s board is balanced by getting the right people as directors, retiring director Nicola Shadbolt says.

and I am delighted with the new nominees.”

For example, last year’s elected director Andy Macfarlane came with a breadth of governance roles and chairmanship experience.

McBride and Tuuta have similar, strong backgrounds, Shadbolt said.

The changes to the director election process were made to encourage very able and experienced governors in the Fonterra shareholder base to step up.

Shadbolt, therefore, has

Nicola Shadbolt Fonterra

confidence the co-operative will be in good hands.

She has other governance roles, including chairing the Hopkins Farming Group, with 10 dairy farms in Manawatu, where she lives.

Waugh, Tuuta and McBride were selected by the independent panel chaired by Dame Alison Paterson, from shareholders who put their names forward in confidence.

They were then confirmed as nominees by the board.

A second self-nomination route is now open until September 20 for intending candidates

McBride has been chairman of Zespri for five years and is chief executive of the large dairy farming and kiwifruit growing charitable trust called Trinity Lands, in Waikato and Bay of Plenty.

Tuuta is the Maori Trustee and chief executive of Te Tumu Paeroa and a former chairman of the Parininihi ki Waitotara Incorporation, a large Taranaki dairy farming group.

He also chairs Maori Television and is a board member of Moana New Zealand, Maori fisheries.

Waugh is a dairy farmer near Te Awamutu, chairman of Moa Brewing Company and has two decades of dairy marketing experience with the NZ Dairy Board and National Foods of Australia.

with the support of 35 different shareholders.

All candidates must then get 50% approval from shareholders who vote in the run-up to the annual meeting to be held at the Lichfield processing site, South Waikato, on Thursday, November 8.

That will also contain farewell tributes to retiring former chairman John Wilson and to Shadbolt.

Voting packs including candidate profiles will be mailed to shareholders on October 15 and voting closes on November 6.

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16 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – September 17, 2018

Farmers fight emissions in dark Stephen Bell stephen.bell@globalhq.co.nz USING genetic modification to combat climate change emissions must be considered because existing mitigation measures have only limited impact, former Prime Minister’s chief science adviser Sir Peter Gluckman says.

And there are questions about farmers’ ability to implement the measures available he says in a report on meeting New Zealand’s climate targets that also questions the use of Overseer for policing farm emissions.

Long-term climate stabilisation to avoid the most severe consequences of climate change requires very intensive and more urgent effort to reduce CO2 emissions to net zero or below while constraining emissions of other greenhouse gases, he said.

“NZ’s most important contribution to this effort will be in effectively reducing biological emissions from agriculture – an area where we are positioned to be world-leading.

“Driving emissions mitigations from the agricultural sector is thus critical to the Government’s commitment to act domestically against climate change.

“But the equation is not simple – it will involve trade-offs between multiple imperatives affecting different stakeholders differently.

Unfortunately, there is no reliable way to directly and accurately measure emissions from an individual farm.

Sir Peter Gluckman Scientist “There are actions that farmers can take now and they should be encouraged to do so.

“Many current approaches can be implemented to make small gains but there is much to be done to determine the optimal combinations for specific farm situations.”

Novel and effective ways to cut agricultural emissions show considerable, theoretical promise but many of the technologies will rely on gene editing or transgenic and genetic modification methods.

That means there are important regulatory and social licence issues that will need to be considered as well as progress towards establishing contextspecific proof of concept for reducing emissions.

The areas of greatest theoretical potential include transgenic forages such as AgResearch’s high energy ryegrass now being tested in United States field trials, transgenic endophytes and GM or GE forestry.

However, though the ryegrass has potential for considerable

emissions reductions of more than 20% the inability to test such technologies in NZ conditions might be to the country’s longterm disadvantage.

“Each of these approaches would need broad social licence before any context-specific research was possible so these remain speculative approaches.

“It is noteworthy that many ruminants in Europe now routinely consume GM feeds.

“Clearly social licence for these technologies does not exist in NZ. However, given the progression of science on one hand and a broader understanding of the crisis of climate change on the other, not having a further discussion of these technologies at some point may limit our options.”

Various efforts are producing promising but limited answers and many questions remain, Gluckman said.

“Although some mitigation strategies based on existing technologies can be implemented immediately, their potential to significantly impact NZ’s emissions profile is not certain and will depend on complex biophysical, environmental and social interactions that need to be better understood in the context of individual farms.

“NZ farms are highly variable in terms of landscape, land use, soil characteristics, tree cover, forages, livestock mix and farm management systems. Livestock farms are particularly complex systems with multiple, interacting components and determining the best approaches to reduce GHG emissions will depend on the specific local conditions and objectives of each individual farm.”

Modelling commissioned by the Biological Emissions Reference Group suggests available farm management practices might be able to reduce absolute biological emissions from individual farms in the range of 2% to 10%, possibly without reducing profitability although questions remain about the skills of farmers to achieve such outcomes.

“However, it is important to note that many of the mitigation approaches are interconnected and are not necessarily additive – some combinations cannot be used together, others may improve reductions only incrementally when combined and in some cases reductions of one gas may result in increased emissions of other gases – referred to as pollution swapping.”

Farmers need to make strategic and responsive decisions about the many potential mitigation options so require decisionsupport tools that reflect actual reductions and that are linked to fiscal drivers.

That is central to NZ’s climate change mitigation efforts in being able to measure progress from farm to national scale toward emissions reduction and demonstrably fulfilling international obligations.

“Unfortunately, there is no

THINK ABOUT IT: New Zealand will have to consider novel ways of combating greenhouse gas emissions including genetic technologies, former Prime Minister’s chief scientific adviser Sir Peter Gluckman says.

reliable way to directly and accurately measure emissions from an individual farm.

Overseer is the dominant tool used for accounting for GHG emissions, especially in the dairy sector, but is less suitable for complex farming systems involving mixed production.

It was designed as a fertiliser use tool but is used by some regional councils as a regulatory tool in an effort to estimate and limit nutrient losses from farms.

It is also used as a decision support tool to show the effect of changes in fertiliser use, effluent management and other farm management practices on nutrient losses affecting freshwater quality but even here its differential use between councils has proved controversial.

It was adapted to estimate onfarm emissions but there can be significant variability between the calculated and actual outputs.

Though it can be used to identify practices that reduce emissions it can be difficult for farmers to use and does not account for all available mitigation options. Nor does it consider costs or economic outputs and cannot provide a full picture to support farmers’ decision-making.

The problem is compounded

by the absence of a systemwide, accredited, advisory mechanism to help farmers make the best decisions both for the environment and the profitability of their farms) in a way that links their decisions to gas emissions abatement.

“Many farm advisers at present will not have and cannot be expected to have the knowledge base to be effective in this regard,” Gluckman said.

And farmers need clear information to understand costs and benefits. That might best be served by a cadre of specialist advisers developing whole-farm environment plans that can accommodate the variable and economic needs of individual farms while considering the need to minimise GHG production in the context of all other initiatives.

“Failure to take action in the agricultural sector will not only be costly to those farmers who find themselves unprepared for change, it will also ultimately be costly to NZ,” Gluckman said.

MORE:

Read the report: http://www. pmcsa.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/ Mitigating-agricultural-GHGemissions-Strategies-for-meetingNZs-goals.pdf

What’s next?

The Biological Emissions Reference Group is releasing the findings from research it has commissioned later this year.

Its report will include findings on various topics including: • What mitigations can be implemented on-farm now and in the future; • What the potential is for landuse change as a mitigation measure for climate change and its potential implications; • What drives farmer decisionmaking in relation to climate change and; • The costs and barriers of possible policy options to reduce biological emissions from agriculture including options for pricing biological emissions from agriculture via the Emissions Trading Scheme.

The Interim Climate Change Committee is doing a separate process to determine how agriculture can be included in the ETS.

Big cuts can’t be done yet Richard Rennie richard.rennie@globalhq.co.nz IT IS insightful Sir Peter Gluckman’s climate change report indicates greenhouse gases can be cut only 2-10% using available mitigation measures, Federated Farmers spokesman Andrew Hoggard says.

“For some reason there have been estimates we could cut 30% off gas emissions from farms but realistically that is not the case

with the technology we have.

“The potential may be for 30% if something like a methane vaccination were developed or AgResearch’s low methane grasses were available.

“There is also a Dutch company that has developed an inhibitor but in a New Zealand context it could only be used by some dairy farmers with in-shed feeding systems.

“With a bit more research you would hope we could get those cuts but it is not here, not now.”

NOT ON: Big farm emissions cuts are not realistic with the available technology, Federated Farmers climate spokesman Andrew Hoggard says.

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18 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – September 17, 2018

Where will trees go?

TOO MANY: Not enough land is available or suitable for the number of trees the Productivity Commission suggests planting, Forest Owners Association president Peter Weir says.

THE Productivity Commission modelled three scenarios for afforestation, based on the scale and nature of technology development and the rate of decarbonisation.

Commission staff said changes in land use are likely to vary considerably across regions, with the greatest change in absolute terms occurring in Canterbury where forest area could increase by 400,000ha to 600,000ha, accounting for about 20% of total afforestation. That is followed by Otago with 350,000ha to 500,000ha.

Manawatu-Wanganui could increase forested area by 300,000ha to 400,000ha, with all shifts coming from sheep-beef conversions.

However, as a share of total land area, the greatest afforestation would occur in Gisborne, Wellington and Nelson.

The results suggest new planting in Gisborne could cover about 22% of the region and 17% of Nelson/ Wellington.

The greatest percentage reduction in sheep and beef land would occur in Marlborough.

Nowhere for extra trees to go Richard Rennie richard.rennie@globalhq.co.nz THE masses of extra land needed for the Productivity Commission’s recommendations on increased afforestation has some in the industry scratching their heads on where it will come from.

The commissioner recommends 1.3 million to 2.8m hectares of marginal sheep and beef country be put into forestry to help New Zealand move towards a zerocarbon economy by 2050.

But Forest Owners Association president Peter Weir has challenged that figure on grounds the sheer scale of plantings cannot be satisfied by land that might not exist, is already planted or is unsuitable for commercial forest plantations.

The Government is committed to planting an extra 50,000ha a year of new forestry for the next 10 years.

But the commission’s plans mean that rate would have to continue for another 23 years beyond 2027 to achieve the mid-point of 2m hectares in new forestry area.

“But if we start with the South Island it’s not looking likely that the east coast region will be

seeing any of that,” Weir said.

“Catchments through Marlborough, Canterbury and Otago have been labelled water short and unsuitable for forestry and so resource management regulations will not enable regional councils to allow plantings in those areas.”

Weir acknowledges the potential for parts of Southland to be planted but said higher land prices in the water-rich region will probably prevent foresters investing there.

“And the West Coast already has significant forest areas in place.”

Looking up the east coast, legacy irrigation projects mean the catchments of most major rivers are protected and disallow forestry planting.

One exception is the Clarence River catchment in North Canterbury, which has no irrigation schemes on it.

That could open up the potential for a large swathe of land on 1800 square kilometres of Molesworth Station to be planted but would require Conservation Department approval, unlikely to be given.

The requirements for forestry to be classified as new include land has been in grass since 1990

or land that has been repeatedly cleared of bush before its height exceeds 5m.

“So, now we have issues around Maori land and land that has reverted so that will raise social equity issues around how well iwi will be able to participate in any afforestation schemes.”

Farmers have already put the land aside for very good reasons and are unlikely to rip that up for plantation forestry.

Jeremy Baker B+LNZ That could have a significant impact on country around East Coast under iwi ownership.

It is the same area affected by falling under the red zone classification for erosion.

There are four colour codes for erosion, with red the worst and unable under resource consent conditions to have clear-fell pines

planted on it, the most profitable form of forestry.

The red zone for erosion extends to parts of King Country, Wanganui, Hawke’s Bay, East Cape region and Bay of Plenty.

“So this raises the question, what will the planting model be for erodible country in the North Island?”

The erosion descriptor applied mainly to the steepest land use capability classes 7 and 8.

Weir said drilling down into what areas could be suitable does not reveal any vast swathes of land.

“I think Shane Jones’ extra 50,000ha a year for the next 10 years is achievable but beyond that? That is where I would argue the commission’s big ambitions will struggle to play out.”

Some winners from the restricted planting on extra steep country could be manuka growers seeking more land.

“By legally removing the ability to plant clear felling forests from that steep country they will welcome the opportunity not to have to compete with other forestry for that country.”

The call on sheep and beef farmers to surrender 2m hectares also has Beef + Lamb NZ smarting.

B+LNZ insight officer Jeremy Baker said the organisation’s recent Norton Report highlights how much land is already held in forestry by the sector.

Across the sector’s 8m hectares about 1.4m is in tussock/open bush and a further 1.4m is in regenerating native bush.

With such areas already committed, the 2m hectares sought by the commission will have to come out of about 6.2m hectares of pastoral land.

“Farmers have already put the land aside for very good reasons and are unlikely to rip that up for plantation forestry, which also only has shorter-term carbon benefits compared to long plantation native plantings.”

It was ironic sheep and beef farmers are expected to come up with such a significant area when they have reduced carbon emissions by 30% since 1990.

“I do think however the commission has had a tough job.

I do not think they are confident they will see a reduction in CO².

“Maybe they were thinking they could soften the move to lower carbon emissions by having a fat carbon sink there but this will not give them the quick sugar fix they seek,” Baker said.

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News

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – September 17, 2018

19

Rural power isn’t subsidised URBAN power consumers are not subsidising people in rural areas, the Electricity Price Review Group says in its report to the Government.

Providing services to rural consumers generally costs more than into urban streets though many network distributor companies do not differentiate between the two sectors.

There had been claims to the review that amounted to an urban-to-rural subsidy but the report said it does not stand up to scrutiny when overall revenues and costs are assessed, except in the case of extremely remote rural consumers.

The report also quoted other views, including that forcing the use of separate urban and rural categories would add needless complexity and cost to network pricing.

That could spur some rural people to disconnect from the grid and instead rely on solar panels and/or diesel generators, leaving others to pay the network costs, leading to inefficient outcomes.

Fairness in overall electricity pricing, especially for lowincome people and families, is a major focus for the review group and it said that from a fairness perspective, forcing the use of urban-rural pricing will make it even harder for low-income rural consumers to pay their bills.

In some remote locations distributors already encourage on-site generation and batteries because that is more cost-effective than maintaining overhead wires.

However, legislation protects customers from being disconnected from the grid without their consent.

Lower North Island lines company Powerco is seeking consent from some consumers to

DOESN’T STACK UP: Claims that urban electricity users subsidise the cost of getting power to rural people to not stand up to scrutiny, the Electricity Price Review Group says.

use alternative means of supply where economically viable and indicated the biggest hurdle is in getting consent from all affected customers.

Powerco suggested fine-tuning of the legislation to make that step easier but the review group believes the problem might be resolved when alternative technologies become more reliable and cheaper.

Though residential power prices have risen 79% since 1990, with commercial prices falling and industrial charges up by only 18%, the review found there is a high level of trust in power companies and the sector ranks highly by world standards.

The initial report, with a final report and recommendations due early next year, said there is no evidence of excessive profits being made by Transpower,

electricity generators, retailers and distributors.

The review had some concern about generators’ spot-pricing market power at times when supply is tight at peak demand periods. Outdated pricing structures might be holding back distribution efficiencies.

There are concerns around the effectiveness of parts of the wholesale contract market and though the retail sector has become more competitive, low-income people are being effectively disadvantaged by earlypayment discount programmes because they were generally unable to be part of them.

Many more savings could be achieved by consumers switching retailers but low-income people are generally not taking advantage of that.

The report concluded overall

switching numbers are dominated by a smaller number changing retailers often while many people do not change at all.

Retailers can also offer savings to consumers who notify them of their intention to switch but again that is not an area where low-income people are generally involved.

The report mentioned the merits of a retailer of last-resort for consumers struggling to pay their power bills.

It said there are significant price differences between retailers and those consumers who don’t or can’t easily shop around are paying more, and more than they need to.

The five big generators, Contact, Genesis, Mercury, Meridian and TrustPower, control 90% of the generation capacity though there another 30 or so generators

around the country.

There are 36 electricity retailers, with the top five again dominant.

Electricity generation investment efficiency is at a good level, the report said.

New power stations have been based on a lower-cost-perunit focus. That contrasts with the period before generation competition in the mid-1990s when comparatively high-cost investments were made ahead of cheaper alternatives, meaning generation competition had brought cost discipline.

With 80% of ordinary year electricity generation being renewable, mainly hydrogeneration, carbon emissions are very low by world standards.

However, coal and gas are the main fuels for industrial heating, making up a third of the country’s overall energy use.

As NZ moves to an economywide low-emissions regime the use of electric cars is increasing with a move away from coal and gas-fired industrial heating systems there will be significant growth in electricity consumption, which is expected to be met by greater renewable production, including more wind assets and solar power, including individual property solar panels.

A durable, robust transmission investment and pricing system will be needed to support the investment and send clear price signals. Wind and solar power are by nature intermittent and likely to become more so and reliable transmission lines will be required.

One issue is that hydro-lake inflows are lowest in June and July, also the lowest solar-output months. Generation companies have also told the review many existing wind farm consents might need reassessment or new consents because of technology changes, for example, bigger wind turbines.

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News

20 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – September 17, 2018

Women want more time to get off farm farmstrong.co.nz

a large sample of New Zealand farming women is a really solid basis to inform planning and solutions,” Vaughan said.

Leadership coach and Dairy Woman of the Year Loshni Manikam, who help with the research, said the findings highlight how women in the primary sector can struggle to prioritise their wellbeing.

“It’s often a case of their workloads being unrealistic and unsustainable.

“If we acknowledge, understand and support women in farming to give themselves permission to value themselves and help them to make changes that assist their wellbeing then the benefits to the farm, their families and their community will be immense.”

King Country sheep and beef farmer Wendy Coup, who interviewed some of the women, said “The results reaffirm how women often struggle to find time to look after themselves.

“It’s so important from an early age to discover and invest the time in doing the things in your life that you really want to do, the things that make your heart sing and that you value.

“It’s also important to consciously choose what you get involved in.

“Often, when we’re tired and stressed, the first thing that goes is making time to connect with people.

“But the happiest people I know are those who’ve woven family and community into their lives, which then enables them to cope when times get tough,” she said.

Farmstrong will use the survey findings to inform the content of its resources, from women farmer-to-farmer stories, short topic-based tips to more in-depth educational resources it will develop with input from experts.

The findings will also be shared with other rural organisations to inform discussions with them and help identify topics groups can work together on.

“The large response to the

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survey has been very pleasing. It shows the high level of interest by women in their personal wellbeing and that of their family, friends and community,” Vaughan said.

Survey participants were from a wide cross-section of women involved with farming, from those working full-time on the farm, to others who live on a farm but work off-farm. is the official media partner of Farmstrong

MORE:

Read Farming Women on their Wellbeing at farmstrong.co.nz/ research-insights/

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RURAL women want more time off-farm, better sleep and more exercise to improve their wellbeing, a Farmstrong survey has found.

More than 800 farming women did the survey online or at indepth, face-to-face interviews.

“There was also a high interest in other topics that Farmstrong focuses on including nutrition and thinking strategies to deal with the ups and downs of farming,” Farmstrong project manager Gerard Vaughan said.

“Some of the other topic areas that the survey revealed are that women are interested in mindfulness, relaxation techniques, self-confidence and self-compassion.

“Our write-up of the findings will likely confirm a lot of what women on-farm already know.

“But having tangible data, facts and quotes directly from such

EXPERT: Leadership coach Loshni Manikam and Don Kidd with their mostly Friesian herd at Deep South Dairies near Winton.

News

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – September 17, 2018

21

Breeding worth follows the money Hugh Stringleman hugh.stringleman@globalhq.co.nz DAIRY farmers might need to re-evaluate their semen orders for the artificial insemination programme ahead because the breeding worth of bulls has been substantially altered for 2019.

With much higher butter fat prices in world dairy markets Jersey bulls have gone up in BW by $23 on average while Holstein Friesian bulls have gone down by $28.

Crossbred and Ayrshire bulls are relatively unchanged.

The New Zealand Animal Evaluation unit of DairyNZ said Jersey bulls will fill 70% of the top 200 BW bulls in 2019 and Holstein Friesian just 5%, with crossbreds making up the remainder.

It released revised economic values used to calculate BWs ahead of the normal February time because of the big, unprecedented changes and to help farmers in their breeding selections before mating and AI season.

LIC NZ markets general manager Malcolm Ellis said the roster of Premier Sires this spring will reflect the 2019 BWs and the higher importance of fat.

The big trend to using fresh semen, which accounted for 80% of domestic sales last breeding season, will help LIC cater for the anticipated shift in demand when rostering bull collections.

As breed choice is usually firm, he expects farmers will look more favourably on the higher fatproducing bulls within breeds.

In that regard NZ is very well placed for variety compared with other countries where highvolume Holsteins are dominant.

Ellis thinks farmers’ choices will be expressed more in the Kiwicross types, away from the majority Holstein Friesian dominance to genetics balance, F8J8.

LIC will not pay any more for Jersey genetics. As a farmerowned co-operative its policy is to pay evenly across all breed types.

POPULAR: Jersey genetics are being preferred because of their higher milk fat content.

Farmers can be confident that BW is identifying the most profitable genetics for our grazing systems.

Bruce Thorrold DairyNZ “DairyNZ has been very responsible in releasing the information early as in the past there hasn’t been a lot of change and the valued component ratio (VCR) is worked out on a threeyear rolling average, which acts to moderate the changes.

“For that reason, we already know that the next VCR

announcement will increase above the current 1.30, even further in favour of fat.”

The VCR of 1.30 means Fonterra’s payment for fat will be 130% of the payment for milk protein.

Over several decades until the comparatively recent boost in demand for milk fat, milk protein was always more valuable to dairy processors.

As all dairy breeds and crossbreeds produce more fat than protein in their milk, the trend towards fat is helping keep the farmgate milk price above $6/ kg milksolids.

Fat (20%) and protein (19%) are the biggest components of the BW calculations for 2019.

This year they were 16% and 23% respectively.

DairyNZ strategy and investment leader Bruce Thorrold

said the calves born in spring 2019 will have the 2019 BW values.

NZ is well-placed to cater for the increased demand for milk fat products because of the strong influence of Jersey genes in the national herd.

The high genetic variation in that trait in the herd enables farmers to respond quickly to market signals.

“Breeding high BW cows is vital for farm profit so, given these shifts in BW, all farmers need to be thinking about their breed choice as well as individual bulls.

“Farmers can be confident that BW is identifying the most profitable genetics for our grazing systems, whether they are looking for the best bull team or best bull within a breed.”

CRV Ambreed said the higher demand for milk fat was expected

and is already built into the company’s own indexes.

“Genetics with higher fat BVs is already in the pipeline,” product manager Peter van Elzakker said.

Dairy statistics for 2016-17 did not show a trend towards Holstein Friesian, crossbred or Jersey genetics but less dairy and more beef semen was used.

That was in line with a stable dairy herd and more demand for dairy-beef suitable animals.

“For this year’s orders and sales we have still seen no move towards more Jersey animals.

“Our surveying shows that herd health, animal welfare and the environment are high in the minds of farmers when making breeding decisions.

“BW is not the main driver but the added value of the bobby calf through beef does affect breed choices.”

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News

22 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – September 17, 2018

Richard Loe MYTH 3: WorkSafe doesn’t want kids on farm vehicles.

My youngest is 25 now but it seems no time since I was stopping the truck so my kids could get out and pick the lambs up.

It’s natural to want your kids and grandkids to be involved on the farm and WorkSafe doesn’t want to change that. However, farmers are responsible for ensuring other people, including children, are not put at risk.

Vehicles are the major factor in fatal accidents on farms and children are particularly vulnerable to that critical risk.

They lack the judgment, body weight and strength to handle full-sized farm vehicles like quad bikes. If they are riding a smaller model farm bike they still need adult supervision and to wear an approved helmet and closed-in shoes.

Children shouldn’t ride on tractors, quad bikes or on the back of utes as passengers.

However, as long as they are strapped safely into their seats, properly supervised and in an appropriate vehicle they can enjoy travelling around the farm with you.

My kids got very good at asking “did it click” when we did their seat belts up.

That’s how kids learn – through supervised experience.

We’ve all been young and we know young people don’t always make good decisions – and the younger the child, the less they are able to properly understand the risks they face.

It makes sense to take precautions like removing keys from vehicles and keeping vehicle storage sheds locked.

Never leave vehicles unattended with the motor running.

If you have children with you, it’s a good idea to ensure they’re always in a spot where you can see them before you move the vehicle.

When it comes to kids operating vehicles, remember, these are expensive pieces of kit you can’t do without.

Do you really want someone who doesn’t really understand risk operating it when you or others are working nearby?

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SAFETY FIRST: Make sure children are supervised and know how to behave around vehicles, Richard Loe says.

Take care with kids, vehicles

News

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – September 17, 2018

23

Revamp for Young Farmer contest A MAJOR overhaul of the Young Farmer of Year contest is designed to attract more female entrants and showcase the country’s food story.

And the TeenAg competition will become the Junior Young Farmer of the Year.

“We’ve just celebrated our 50th anniversary, which is an amazing achievement,” Hinds dairy farmer and contest board member Cole Groves said.

“However, if we don’t make some major changes now this contest won’t be relevant in another 50 years,” he said.

If we don’t make some major changes now this contest won’t be relevant in another 50 years.

Cole Groves Young Farmers Contest board chairwoman and Dannevirke banker Rebecca Brown said “There will still be a strong practical side to the contest but our modules and challenges need to use technology more.

“In future, contestants might have to use GPS technology to mark out and erect a fence around riparian planting.”

Contest organisers are keen to tap into innovation and technology being used and developed by sponsors.

“We’d like to inject a bit of excitement and unpredictability into the contest through the use of innovation,” Groves said.

Awards for the highest-scoring

competitor in each of the five challenges from agri-business to agri-skills are being scrapped.

They’ll be replaced with new awards assessing contestants’ skills and knowledge across innovation, food, people, environment and technology.

“We’re hoping the changes encourage more women to give the contest a go,” Groves said.

“We want to expand contestants’ knowledge beyond just fencing and identifying different types of fertiliser.”

And the board hopes the strategy will instill some passion in the hard-working volunteers who organise the contest.

“This gives us a clear direction, which I think has been lacking until now,” Brown said.

“The changes won’t happen overnight at regional level but we’ve set the ball rolling.”

The contest will also be used to better tell New Zealand’s paddock-to-plate food story.

“I think that can often get forgotten.

“There is a huge amount of public pressure on the primary industries at the moment.

“We’re all food producers and showcasing what we do is vital,” Groves said.

The two competitions designed to get school students excited about opportunities in the agrifood sector are also changing.

“The AgriKidsNZ and TeenAg competitors idolise the FMG Young Farmer of the Year contestants.

“Having AgriKidsNZ, the FMG Junior Young Farmer of the Year and FMG Young Farmer of the Year all part of the same event will help lift the prestige of the students’ contests,” Groves said.

Napier Boys’ High School student Matthew Halford was

named the TeenAg Competitor of the Year in July. He’s stoked with the changes.

“This is awesome news.

“Learning the skills required to operate and use technology to its full potential is vital for the future of our industry.

“But the practical modules are a highlight for many TeenAg members so it’s important there’s a good mix between them and the theoretical challenges.”

TeenAg competitors will still compete in teams of two.

The changes will start rolling out at regional finals early next year.

The 2019 FMG Young Farmer of the Year grand final is in Hawke’s Bay in July.

NEW HEADING: The new strategy for the Young Farmer of the Year contest gives it a clear direction, which has been lacking, contest board chairwoman Rebecca Brown says.

REBOOT: The winner of the TeenAg competition will now be the Junior Young Farmer of the Year.

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News

24 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – September 17, 2018

Yearling bull sales take off Commercial beef and dairy farmers are increasingly keen to buy yearling bulls to mate with heifer cows though some will be SPRING yearling bull sales are bought at the cheaper yearling carrying on from where the prices and held for stud duties as upbeat winter two-year sales lefttwo-year-olds. off.

The rising two-year prices have An early Northland sale had a been very high and out of the full clearance of 102 young bulls range of some farmers. at average prices about $3000 a There’s no sign of the market head, well above last year’s levels easing back yet though South and a Wanganui sale of Angus Canterbury-based PGW agent bulls achieved average prices Jonty Hyslop said it will be hard about $2600, a $700 gain over last to guarantee prices keeping going year. higher.

They follow near-record high “It will be terrific if we get prices during the winter sales of those increases down here but we rising two-year bulls throughout shouldn’t just be expecting it.” the country.

Prime beef product prices Underpinned by very strong remain very healthy and the international demand for quality outlook is positive. prime beef cuts and the ongoing Excellent pasture growth genetic gains in the beef herd, everyone is expecting yearling bull through the South Island will also prices to remain very firm through encourage buyers for the sale season just starting, he said. the remaining North Island sales Stewart said the market is and into the South Island season dictated by the international over the next month or so. meat market and the global More yearlings are expected environment and they are to be offered this year, reflecting expected to be favourable for a more heifers being mated and breeders taking the opportunity to while yet.

The serious drought affecting make extra cash from the buoyant Australian beef production is market, PGG Wrightson national helping New Zealand beef prices. livestock genetics manager The strong market coincided Callum Stewart said. with a lot of quality genetics work on the national beef herd in recent years reaching a pay-off period.

Angus breeders Alan and Michelle Dalziell are RMPP Action Network – Facilitator training courses planning to sell For rural professionals or farmers looking to run an Action about 20 yearlings Group under RMPP Action Network. No course fees. Register at from their Atahua www.actionnetwork.co.nz/training Angus Stud near Lead Facilitator workshops Feilding over the • Hawkes Bay 20 & 21 September next few weeks, • East Coast/Gisborne 16 & 17 October leaving another • Wellington 4 & 5 December 40 or so to carry Action Network Fundamentals & Extension Design through to their workshops main rising two• Hamilton 19 & 20 September year sale next • Hawkes Bay 17 & 18 October • Invercargill 24 & 25 October winter.

• Whangarei 7 & 8 November Michelle Dalziell • East Coast/Gisborne 13 & 14 November has noted the • Christchurch 12 & 13 December good early season For more info contact info@actionnetwork.co.nz prices.

“There’s Thursday 27/09/18 a strong, Rural Business Network encouraging feel Effective Industry Collaboration for Environmental Gains to the market.”

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They have a good base of repeat-buyers, mainly commercial farmers, who they keep in regular contact with through weaner fairs and farm visits to keep up to date with market demand and be able to adjust their breeding programme if required.

“It’s important that we support them and it’s all quite positive.

The weaners have been selling well for the commercial guys and they’re happy with the type we’re breeding.”

Alan Dalziell follows a consistent, no-fads breeding strategy with strict guidelines to achieve a balance between the genetic qualities and the structural traits buyers can see in front of them such as long, deep body and good legs and feet.

There is no single trait to identify the ideal bull, he said.

About half the Atahua yearling bulls this year are being sold to a local dairy farmer. There’s been a move in the dairy sector towards more breeding for meat, to add another income stream, either to sell on calves for finishing or the farmer finishing them himself as an alternative to bobby calf processing.

Hyslop said dairy farmers around the country might also be stepping up their prime beef buying, seeing it as a way of reducing the risk of Mycoplasma bovis getting into their herds.

The dairy buying will strengthen the lower end of the market.

According to the PGW team, features of the beef sector include: • Good sentiment from the strong two-year-old sales in May and June; • Good sales at the early yearling bull sales; • A strong global market for highquality protein with a robust outlook; • Prime NZ beef cuts are quickly in the market so inventory isn’t building up; • Increased understanding of the need for high quality beef genetics among both commercial and dairy farmers; • Commercial farmers quickly seeing the benefit of fresh genetics and replacing bulls much earlier than previously and; • Increased demand for yearlings because of the high two-year

SUNNY TIMES: Atahua Stacked enjoys the sun on his back on-farm in Manawatu.

prices, especially for farmers looking to buy more than one bull.

Modern genetics allow for shorter gestation periods and lower birth weights for easy calving, especially for heifers, and calves then achieve a buyer’s target growth levels around the 200-day, 400-day and 600-day periods.

After what he described as the fantastic prices for two-year bulls during the winter, Stewart expects another reasonable year ahead.

Demand for prime beef will continue to rise as people around the world become wealthier and are willing to pay for higherquality protein products.

A price correction has to be expected at some point but strong sentiment now is consistent across the regions.

“What we’re seeing is that if a farmer misses out at one sale they will go to another sale the next day.”

Atahua Angus is famous for selling the record-price Australasian bull in 1992, when Atahua Legacy fetched a huge $155,000 at auction.

It was a period when people were looking for bigger animals and Legacy came along at the right time, Michelle Dalziell said.

It was also the time when investor syndicates were starting up and the auction just took off.

Atahua Legacy was used as a sire as a yearling and his sons were also used at the stud but the Atahua cows are a much more moderate size now.

“That’s what is wanted on the hill country,” she said.

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LOOKING GOOD: PGG Wrightson National livestock genetics manager Callum Stewart inspects the Atahua Angus breeding cows and calves with Alan Dalziell.

BREEDING: Atahua Angus cows with calves at foot.

News

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – September 17, 2018

25

Local contract a big arable win A BIG multi-year supply contract to Countdown supermarkets for local wheat and grain is regarded by the arable industry as a breakthrough.

Until this year the in-house bakeries of the more than 180 Countdown supermarkets used premixed ingredients produced here and imported from Australia.

But in a deal Christchurchbased Champion Flour Milling business innovation manager Garth Gillam said is the culmination of years of effort, the supermarkets’ bakeries have switched entirely to premixes made using locally-grown products for all in-store baking of loaves, rolls, buns and scones.

We’re really keen for growers to understand the longterm opportunities.

Garth Gillam Champion Flour Milling And having won that slice of business from Australian mills with their strategic partner Goodman Fielder, Gillam said Champion is now exploring with Goodman Fielder the very real potential to sell the Kiwi-made premixes to bakeries across the ditch.

“I’ve been working on this project for nigh on five years and there’s been excellent support from the likes of (Federated Farmers grains and United Wheat Growers chairman) Brian Leadley and a few of his team before that to build up to this first stage.”

Champion is a big player (its parent company is the sixth biggest miller in the world) and the contract with Countdown

has boosted its total local milling grains volume substantially, increasing the 140,000 tonnes already grown in New Zealand to a possible 150,000 tonnes, with growth potential in the coming years.

“With supermarket chains, being price competitive is just a given.

“It was the grain quality and the innovation that we brought to the table that sealed it,” Gillam said.

“The innovation is what we can put into those premixes that makes it simple for the bakers and delivers what the consumers like.

“We’ve just developed in the last month, on top of this NZ grains concept, a low GI break mix and it’s going gangbusters as well.”

Gillam said he can’t overemphasise the importance of collaboration between the firm, agronomists and the growing fraternity breeding the cultivars for the future.

“Those years of work we’ve done, such as the coloured grains project, the rye corns, it’s all part of the offering we put in those premixes.”

Leadley said “This is a breakthrough, a real positive, winning back market share that had been filled by imported grain and flour.”

Before deregulation in 1987 NZ was self-sufficient in flour and grain but now as much as 70% is imported.

“If it’s grown here, transported here, milled here, goes to domestic bakers to wind up as a staple food – well, that’s a good story for employment and for NZ,” Leadley said.

“While we’re a wee way off standardising views on Country of Origin Labelling here I think it is true that not a lot of the population know so much of the grain and flour used in goods here is imported.”

The 2018 NZ Arable Farmer of the Year Syd Worsfold said “We grow good stuff here. We have a robust quality assurance programme.

“I’ve always been a great fan of origin labelling.

“We probably couldn’t produce enough wheat and grain for the entire country but the more we can do and the more consumer recognition of that, the better.”

Gillam said with Countdown embracing NZ grain and moving so quickly to change the firm has challenges sourcing enough grain.

“It’s not about getting the cheapest grain. I know we’ve got to be competitive but we need quality and continuous supply or there’s a risk all the good work we’ve done could be ruined.”

Gillam wants growers to take a long-term view when making their planting and contract supply decisions.

It grates a bit with him the

BIG WIN: Champion’s contract with Countdown is good for farmers and the economy, Federated Farmers grains chairman Brian Leadley says.

hectares being devoted to feed wheat dominate.

“Growers here are very astute and they’re autonomous as well.

“Brian, myself and others have been signalling these opportunities for a while now.

“We’re really keen for growers

to understand the long-term opportunities.

“I know growers will think ‘oh, I’ve heard this story before’ but now we have the evidence.

“It’s in the supermarkets. You couldn’t get it more visual if you tried.”

WHERE ARE YOU? Having won a contract to supply Countdown supermarkets Champion Flour Milling now needs more farmers to supply grain.

Commodity Levies (Meat) Order 2015 Sheepmeat and Beef Pursuant to clause 14 of the Commodity Levies (Meat) Order 2015, notice is hereby given that for the levy year commencing 1 October 2018, the rates of sheepmeat and beef levies (exclusive of GST) have increased by 10 cents for sheepmeat and 80 cents for beef and will be: (a) Sheepmeat levy – all sheep slaughtered $0.70 per head; (b) Beef levy – all cattle slaughtered (including beef cattle and dairy cattle but excluding bobby calves) $5.20 per head.

Dated this 17th day of September 2018.

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News

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – September 17, 2018

27

Kiwis are circling Brexit corpse NEW Zealand farmers along with those from Australia and America are poised to wipe out Irish and European dairy exports to Britain in the event of a no-deal Brexit, Dairy Industry Ireland director Conor Mulvihill says.

And they are being screened by a wall of silence in Britain that also masks British politicians’ and bureaucrats’ poor handling of Brexit negotiations.

Things are so bad British trade associations being bullied by the government are now approaching the Irish and asking them to speak up.

The three countries are already queuing to take up European Union slack in a situation that will be apocalyptic for the European dairy industry, Mulvihill said.

Cheddar and butter tariffs under World Trade Organisation rules would wipe out the competitiveness of Irish and EU dairy exports into the United Kingdom.

“Best of luck fobbing a 50% price rise on the British consumer.”

And the higher tariffs would lead to a 90% reduction in French and Irish cheese exports to the UK. “The British government will be looking to their friends the Kiwis and will have to do a damned bad (free trade) deal (for the UK) to make sure there are no price increases.

“I assure you, from being in Whitehall myself, people from NZ, Australia and the States are already buzzing around waiting to take on that slack.”

Mulvihill singled out the UK government and its departments for particular criticism over their handling of the negotiations.

He felt compelled to speak out because he had become frustrated by what he sees as a wall of silence from within the UK over critical issues.

Trade associations representing British agriculture, food and drink have approached DII to ask it to

bring to light particular issues because they are being prevented from criticising Brexit.

“UK trade associations know it (Brexit) is a mess from a business perspective,” he said.

“They have been told from the highest levels of British government if you come and

The British government will be looking to their friends the Kiwis.

Conor Mulvihill Dairy Industry Ireland undermine Brexit, you are going to be cut out.”

Trade associations are being threatened with a loss of influence or access if they publicly express negative Brexit opinions.

But senior British trade officials don’t understand Brexit basics.

Senior figures at the Department for International Trade thought the UK would be able to adopt existing EU freetrade agreements.

“I’ve been into the Department of Trade and had a conversation with someone very, very senior and it dawned on me half way through the conversation that they did not know that they were going to lose the 53 existing freetrade agreements that the EU have.”

Mulvihill said the senior figure thought the UK would just transpose the existing EU deals with the likes of India, the United States, Japan and South Korea.

“I said, ‘You’re out, guys. You are back to zero’.

“I found that really scary when I saw officials who were supposed to be specialists that didn’t know that.”

But nothing is happening in Whitehall.

There is virtually no Brexit planning going on in Whitehall when he goes to visit in his capacity as director of DII, he said.

“There is a Tory party internal war that is taking up all political head-space.

“I don’t see any planning. I see a couple of papers on a no-deal Brexit. We’ve seen a white paper, which is welcome but goes nowhere near giving businesses clarity as to what to do.”

Now the EU faces a situation where the UK, the world’s largest importer of cheese, could be off the coast of mainland Europe with no deal in place in just six months.

“From a business or a political perspective, we are in a new era,” he said.

“There is no plan. There is a lot of saying ‘We will do our own labelling, we will do our own nutrition’ but since Brexit has been announced there has been 700 new EU laws affecting agrifood that need to be transposed in UK law.

And there is no entity to monitor or resolve UK/EU trade disputes either.

The best result for the UK would be a free-trade agreement with the EU but sellers who had tried to export cheese to Canada under the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (a free-trade agreement between Canada and the European Union) or products to South Korea would know that sort of deal is not the same as access to the single market.

Powerful elements in UK politics suggested a no-deal outcome for the UK dairy industry would be a good thing but it would lead to untold damage to the UK, Ireland and the EU. “From a trading and derivatives perspective a no deal is not a good outcome – the damage this potentially has to all of our industry is astronomical.”

Mulvihill said he was in disbelief after listening to Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary Michael Gove’s speech to

APOCALYPSE SOON: A no-deal Brexit will be catastrophic for the European dairy sector, Dairy Industry Ireland director Conor Mulvihill says.

2000 British dairy farmers at the National Farmers Union convention.

“Michael Gove delivered an absolutely fantastic speech to these farmers and he got a huge ovation.

“In March it was just 350 days until Brexit. What was Michael Gove’s main topic within that? Fly tipping in the English countryside.

“He mentioned Brexit just once or twice in passing to 2000 dairy farmers who don’t know where their product is going to go or what trading arrangements they’re going to get.”

Mulvihill said he found the whole situation crazy and ended up dropping his speech on Irish dairy’s work to combat climate

change, instead trying to pick apart what Brexit might mean, which he said went down like a lead balloon.

And it is important to remember the export ban to Russia in August 2014.

“No one figured on displacement of trade. The Finns, the Poles and the Irish couldn’t export to Russia and all the trade bounced back to the single market.”

The ban resulted in a drop in Irish exports of 30% despite just 1.5% of dairy shipments actually going direct to Russia.

“If that scenario comes out again, I assure you a hard Brexit will make Russia look like a picnic,” he said.

Britain to scrap farm subsidies over seven years SUBSIDIES for farmers in England will be phased out over seven years from 2021 under plans outlined in the government’s long-awaited Agriculture Bill.

Direct payments will be replaced with a new system of public money for public goods, largely based on rewarding farmers for environmental measures.

But there are no guarantees money available under the new system will match the total amount given to farmers as direct payments.

Legislation to deliver the new system after the United Kingdom leaves the European Union is being introduced into Parliament on Wednesday.

It follows the government’s Health and Harmony

consultation earlier this year.

The Agriculture Bill suggests direct payments in 2019 and 2020 will be made on much the same basis as now – subject to simplifications where the government deems them possible.

From 2021, however, direct payments to farmers in England will start to be phased out, disappearing completely by 2027.

Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary Michael Gove said the seven-year agricultural transition period will give farmers time to adjust as they plan for the future.

“The introduction of the Agriculture Bill is an historic moment as we leave the EU and move towards a brighter future for farming.”

The government said direct

payments will be delinked from the requirement to farm the land for the duration of the transition period.

Farmers will be able to use the money to invest in their business, diversify their activities or retire from farming and give way for new entrants into the sector.

Most farmers will see some reduction to their payments during the transition though those who receive the highest payments will see bigger reductions initially.

The government said that will free up funds to invest in public goods. Rather than direct payments, the new system will see farmers paid for public goods, such as better air and water quality, soil health and higher animal welfare standards.

Other public goods include

public access to the countryside and measures to reduce flooding.

A new Environmental Land Management (ELM) scheme will begin next year, with the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs working with farmers to design, develop and trial the new approach.

“After nearly 50 years of being tied to burdensome and outdated EU rules we have an opportunity to deliver a Green Brexit,” Gove said.

“This Bill will allow us to reward farmers who protect our environment, leaving the countryside in a cleaner, greener and healthier state for future generations.

“Critically, we will also provide the smooth and gradual transition that farmers and land managers need to plan ahead.”

The new system will be underpinned by measures to increase productivity and encourage farmers to invest in new technologies.

They will include funding for farmers who collaborate on research and development projects into topics such as soil health and sustainable livestock farming.

The government argues the subsidy system is ineffective and pays farmers based on the total amount of land farmed.

It also argues the payments are not linked to any specific public benefit.

It says direct payments are skewed towards the largest landowners, with the top 10% of recipients receiving almost 50% of total payments and the bottom 20% receiving just 2%.

28 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – September 17, 2018

Newsmaker

LIVELY: Scientist Jock Allison has had a colourful and sometimes controversial career because he has strong beliefs and is not afraid to back them with words and action.

Industry-good aim drives Allison Jock Allison has never been backward in coming forward during his agricultural science career that spans areas from sheep breeding to questioning climate change. Neal Wallace reports.

J

OCK Allison has always projected an air of confidence but it is deeply rooted in science.

The 74-year-old has spent his life in agricultural science, fuelled by a love of the primary sector and a desire to help it perform better.

“My view is that I want to develop technology that is useful and economically beneficial to the industry.”

That has seen a career as varied as researching, science management, working in the private sector and importing Awassi, East Friesian and Beltex sheep.

His scientific grounding has also thrust him into the debate on climate change. He describes himself as a climate realist.

For the last 20 years or so he has extensively researched the science behind climate change and concluded the case humans are causing climate change is unproven.

He believes natural climate variation is being overlooked while computer modelling excludes water vapor and clouds, scientifically recognised as responsible for up to 90% of greenhouse gas and overplays the contribution of nitrous oxide and methane.

Allison was born and raised on a farm at Hawea, Central Otago, and while farming was an option

he chose to study agricultural science at Lincoln University, eventually earning a master’s degree under renowned scholar Professor Ian Coop.

He continued his studies at Sydney University when he received a Commonwealth Scholarship, studying reproductive physiology.

On returning to NZ in 1970 Allison worked for the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry at the Invermay campus on topics such as the correct ram-to-ewe ratio.

“That really changed the industry. We went from a ratio of one (ram) to 40 (ewes) to one to 100.

“I was pretty unpopular with ram breeders.”

Allison also did some of the early research in to using the Booroola sheep breed over Merino and was involved in discovering the Inverdale fertility gene.

In 1978, aged 34, he was appointed director of Invermay, then a dilapidated North Taieri campus near Mosgiel.

It became his mission to rebuild it but as the New Zealand economy slowly sunk in to recession through the early 1980s that became increasingly unlikely.

Never one to be easily deterred, Allison recruited Otago, North Otago and Southland Federated Farmers to support him.

He would draft letters for the organisations to forward to

politicians but discovered the letters were being sent unedited, complete with his name and MAF letterhead.

“I got into some trouble over that.”

But he had another plan.

Noted deer scientist Colin Mackintosh had culled a large stag with behavioural problems and had mounted its head.

My view is that I want to develop technology that is useful and economically beneficial to the industry.

Jock Allison Scientist Allison decided to give it to Agriculture Minister Duncan McIntyre, who put it on his office wall.

“He loved it and every time he looked at the deer head he thought of us and those supporting the rebuild of Invermay.”

The campus was rebuilt despite the country’s dire economic conditions.

David Lange’s Labour Government swept to power in 1984 cutting agricultural subsidies

and support and earning the wrath of many rural communities.

Lange’s invitation to open the complex in 1987 became a flashpoint with thousands turning up to protest Infuriated by a speech slating his Government by Otago Federated Farmers president Colin Richardson, Lange abandoned his prepared address, declared the building open and adjourned to lunch.

Allison recalled Lange met a delegation of farmers but his security staff were becoming concerned at the mounting unrest from the crowd outside the complex.

Despite the offer of a back-door exit the official party decided to leave through the main entrance, prompting the crowd to swarm the limousine, smashing protest signs on its bonnet and someone to rip off the ensign.

Allison resigned in 1978 and worked for Animal Enterprises for several years before pursuing his own projects.

They included establishing AbacusBio with Peter Fennessy and importing the Awassi sheep breed so NZ farmers could cash in on the high price paid for its meat.

Later he imported East Friesians for their fertility boost and milking ability and more recently has help establish the Beltex breed here.

His scientific background gave him the knowledge and expertise

to traverse the tortuous process to get regulatory approval.

The potential rewards were high with East Friesians producing 230% lambing and with the milk production to rear them.

The East Friesian sheep arrived at Auckland International Airport on Christmas Day 1992 and spent the next three years on an Otago quarantine farm.

The 1996 inaugural auction of East Friesian sheep proved memorable with 10 two-tooth rams, 10 ram lambs and 40 halfbred rams selling for an average of $22,000.

Before the sale he sold 3000 embryos to Australia, 20 sheep for $25,000 each and later 10 ewes and eight rams to Scottish company PPL Therapeutics for $400,000.

A kidney disease necessitated a transplant 13 years ago which hasn’t slowed him down but his focus has shifted to climate change.

While questioning the science behind climate change based on extensive research and reading, Allison’s scepticism also stems from what he says has become a trillion-dollar global industry funding research and politics.

That extends to doubts the Pastoral Greenhouse Gas Research Consortium will find mitigation measures for agricultural emissions, saying its hasn’t after 15 years and millions of dollars of investment.

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New thinking

THE NZ FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – September 17, 2018

29

Calves speak with their tongues It might not be quite as simple as saying “open up and say aah” but farmers are likely to be getting their calves to poke their tongues out to help determine if they are destined to be kept as replacements or head off to the works or be reared as beef animals.

Richard Rennie spoke to a researcher who has come up with a deceivingly simple solution to calf selection over the busy spring period, helping both commercial rearers and dairy farmers make the right choice.

A

TEST developed by Massey University research student Lucy Coleman gives farmers a simple way of deciding the fate of their calves.

It involves looking at a calf’s tongue and checking its head for horn buds.

The results determine if it is an Angus-dairy cross suitable for beef rearing or a Friesian-Jersey crossbred that’s heading to the bobby calf truck or to become a heifer replacement.

Coleman’s test is part of her work on the Beef + Lamb New Zealand Genetics dairy-beef progeny test looking at the postcalving performance of dairy cows and the effects of different bull genetics on calving outcomes.

Her research was prompted by an Angus breeder who noticed his Angus calves always had black tongues and wondered if it could be a good marker when the breed was crossed with others.

Coleman had spent plenty of time at spring calving on Limestone Downs near Port Waikato where her research is based so was familiar with trying to match up mothers to calves and often being frustrated.

EASY AS: A farmer’s observation sparked researcher Lucy Coleman into action and she has come up with a simple rule of thumb to help dairy farmers with calf selection.

“I had struggled at times, as most farmers do, on busy days when we were having to tag calves and match them to their mums.

“Even though we had the mating records there are also times when the cows don’t pick the right calf as theirs.”

The use of DNA, while accurate, brings end-of-season delays, slowing record-keeping when farmers might want to keep calving records updated daily under a deluge of newborns.

It seemed the Angus breeder was onto something.

“Angus cattle have a gene which causes the black coat and a black tongue, Holstein-Friesian cattle

possess a gene causing the white patches in the coat and a pink coloured tongue.

“So we wanted to see if the tongue colour could be an indicator of breed.”

The research put Coleman up close and personal with more than 1000 calves.

Her initial study of the tongue colour of 476 dairy and Anguscross-dairy calves shortly after birth showed identifying breed solely on having a black tongue was correct for 73% of the Anguscross calves and 90% for the dairy breed.

The less than 100% accuracy was also compromised by some

WHAT AM I? This calf has a black upper tongue indicating Angus heritage, something that can be confirmed if no hornbuds form by four days old.

having spotted tongues, raising the question about whether to sell the calf or to keep it.

Another genetic trait Coleman incorporated into her study to improve the accuracy was the presence of horns or whether the animal was hornless (polled).

“The poll gene is a dominant gene in cattle and Angus cattle are homozygous polled so their offspring will also be polled even if the other parent is horned.”

Adding that trait to her decision tree significantly improved the odds of making the right choice with each calf.

“We conducted a second study the following year and recorded the presence of horns and tongue colour of 418 dairy and Anguscross-dairy calves after birth.

Ninety five percent of dairy calves had horn buds present at birth while none of the Angus-cross calves had horn buds, confirming that the buds are exclusive to dairy breed calves.”

The work has resulted in a useful take-home rule for both dairy farmers and calf rearers wanting to be sure they are buying calves with Angus beef genetics.

The recommendation for calf rearers is to buy only calves that are polled (no buds) and with a black tongue, which greatly reduces any risk they are buying a dairy calf.

For dairy farmers the simple test is to keep only calves with horn buds present by four days old as replacements.

Coleman cautions about 5% of dairy calves will not have developed horn buds by four days of age, which is the time calves are required to be reared before being transported off the farm.

The beauty of this is that it’s something farmers can pick up and run with straight away.

There is no investment or tech needed with it.

Lucy Coleman Massey University

“The beauty of this is that it’s something farmers can pick up and run with straight away.

“There is no investment or tech needed with it.

“Calving time is really busy and farmers want something that is quick and easy for making what is a really important decision – if it takes too long or involves having to have another person they would be less likely to do it.”

The dairy/beef test is just a small part of Coleman’s research and the B+LNZ genetics programme provides rich pickings for future work.

Coleman is also heartened by efforts across both sectors to rear better calves and believes farmers are starting to appreciate the major developmental changes that happen with young calves that can significantly affect their future productivity.

“Everyone has a different way of rearing calves and different systems work better on different farms but it’s a case of having someone who is really invested in looking after them and paying attention to them.”

Opinion

30 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – September 17, 2018

EDITORIAL

Fonterra has to restore belief

F

ONTERRA’S first loss in its 17year history was well signalled but will still be a shock to farmers.

New Zealand’s biggest company is living with the reality of bad investments and a series of wrong turns.

But even without those issues – Beingmate and the Danone payment – the picture is still not a pretty one.

In its own reporting on the year-end result the co-operative has used the red pen liberally and is frank about its own failings.

Forecasting was off, the strong milk price squeezed margins and return on capital dropped.

Farmers might be in two minds about the result.

On the one hand the milk price is good and has been for a couple of years so things are ticking along on-farm.

But there’s an expectation the milk that leaves the vat will be turned into products that lift returns further.

Farmers and unit holders have funded investment in value-add and are yet to see a return.

That needs to change.

The new leadership recognises that.

Miles Hurrell and John Monaghan say they’re going to run the ruler over the co-op’s strategy and investments and make sure investors’ money is being put to best use.

As Hurrell said “There are people depending on us – farmers, unit holders and employees who want to be part of a successful co-operative.”

There has been talk for some time about DIRA and the limitations it puts on Fonterra’s ability to choose its own destiny.

While regulatory change is hoped for it can’t be banked on and Hurrell, Monaghan and the rest of the leadership team will need to show in the coming months they have a clear plan to grow profits and boost returns.

Forecasts given for this coming season are a positive sign but farmers will be looking between the numbers for a strategy they can believe in.

Bryan Gibson

LETTERS

Facts on those terrible pines AS A forester I don’t find pines particularly beautiful either but let’s get one thing straight, if we hadn’t planted large areas of them there wouldn’t be a stick of available native timber remaining, except in the most tightly controlled reserves.

We would be spending a lot of the returns from agriculture to import expensive timber.

May I deal with some other of Bob Butcher’s points (Farmers Weekly, September 10)?

Toxic debris. This applies only to young, neglected, unthinned stands. Older stands will thin themselves later as the weaker ones die and rot down.

Young pines beat gorse? I thought so once and that cost me many little trees and a lot of hard work on my tree farm.

Trees block the view? Any

tree will but I admit it might take several hundred years with natives.

Native podocarps have no advantages whatever for commercial operations because of their slow growth.

Possibly, that is a successful adaptation to climate cycles in insular conditions where there is no room for forests to slowly migrate over long climate cycles. That is backed by the fact that most podocarps in the South Island now set little or no viable seed. They appear to be waiting for the climate to rewarm a little more.

Fire hazard. Healthy native bush or mature pine stands with strong undergrowth will not normally burn. I hope Butcher’s term “bush farming” doesn’t really imply destruction of the bottom two tiers of the bush.

Killing off fauna. Birdlife, including kiwi, thrives in

healthy pine plantations.

I suggest Butcher joins the Farm Forestry Association.

Many members have skills in their particular field that compare well with those of any professional forester.

John G Rawson Whangarei

User pays?

I FEEL I must put the record straight as to why the Waimea dam project was shelved before being reinstated.

According to Steve WynHarris it was because Tasman District councillors were afraid of losing their jobs. Several of the councillors will be losing their jobs anyway.

It is not a matter of just borrowing some money to fund the dam, as Wyn-Harris suggests.

The council is up to the eyes in debt already and we can’t

afford any more.

Waimea Irrigators’ chairman Murray King said it is a short-sighted response by a vocal minority of illinformed residents acting purely on self interest. It was actually a very large majority realising that we cannot afford more debt to subsidise a few farmers.

I am all in favour of the dam, providing the people who will benefit directly from the dam pay for it.

They are a handful of growers on the Waimea plain, not the Motueka valley, Golden Bay residents or those living two hours away in Murchison.

Why should they?

It is time politicians and public servants represent the electorate and not their pet projects.

Robert Brooks Motueka

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Opinion

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – September 17, 2018

31

UK farmers have edge on kiwis Jack Keeys

O

VER the past 12 months I’ve visited numerous farms and agricultural companies throughout Britain.

That insight provided an opportunity to observe New Zealand agriculture from an outside perspective and get a clear comparison with those on the other side of the world.

Driving through Scotland, Ireland, Wales and now England I see the farms here exhibit a large variation in size, topography, climatic conditions and pasture management.

However, some broad commonalities become very apparent.

The farms have insufficient infrastructure, they are understocked and have very inefficient pasture management.

Most farms require subsidies to be profitable.

The subsidy system ensures that regardless of farm management a cheque will be available to cover costs and deliver an income.

Indirectly, the subsidy simply acts as a disincentive to efficient management.

Farms can afford to run very low-risk systems, allowing pasture covers to get completely out of control and to provide a feed buffer as required.

The subsidy payments coupled with an extremely low change of ownership have resulted in most farms having little or no debt, pocketing profit provided by the government and with no incentive or requirement to innovate, improve or optimise systems.

That puts United Kingdom agriculture in a brilliant position.

Why? Because there are a significant number of farms that have a massive latent potential to deliver more efficient production and profit in a very low-debt environment.

Though development might require some capital spending many farms can make revolutionary efficiency changes simply by putting up some extra fencing and closer management

The

Pulpit

of stock policies to match feed supply.

In stark contrast NZ has the world’s most efficient farmers.

Our farms produce more product and profit per kilogram of drymatter of inputs than any other country on the globe.

An important reason for that is NZ’s pasture management. Our farmers are hailed around the world as farm system experts and they deserve that title.

NZ farmers have reached this success through a transitional pathway, where history shows us the industry’s’ broad phases of development.

Phase one, primary production is subsidised and farmers are relatively inefficient because of the stifling of innovation and performance incentives.

Phase two, subsidies are removed and a large portion of the sector suffers, causing lower performers to drop out.

Phase three, the top farmers excel in a non-subsidy environment and expand their businesses, picking up the place of those who have fallen out.

Efficient, successful farming is achieved.

Phase four, opportunities for improvement decrease and farms are targeted in every direction by an industry seeking to clip the ticket. With farms close to optimum, profitability leans on a balance of capital investment,

lending rates, land prices and tight margins.

NZ is in phase four.

Every extension segment of agriculture including processors, marketers, fertiliser, seed, engineering, technology, industry bodies, accountants, insurers and government all reside in an industry which is dependent on the primary production platform.

That is, farmers completely support NZ’s biggest industry and exporters on their backs.

Now, it’s important to note each part of the industry can add value to the farm business or to the end product.

However, if we count the number of offices, corporate car fleets and domestic and international travel NZ’s farmers deliver their ‘luxury’ provided per kg DM grown would be even further exponentially disproportionate to the rest of the world.

The success of NZ farmers becomes an issue when these farms that are the most efficient in the world are also some of the most indebted in the world because next comes Phase five.

When farm systems are optimised, margins are still tight and more external pressures are applied so there comes a breaking point.

Farmers now face stricter health and safety regulation, increasingly volatile markets and greater environmental regulation.

At the same time they operate in a political landscape with disproportionate power at district, regional and national levels controlled by disconnected urban people.

There are two directions phase five can go for NZ. Firstly, if prices remain reasonable, interest rates remain low and regulations are introduced at a manageable rate, NZ farms can continue to succeed.

In this scenario, an urgency to reduce agricultural debt must still be encouraged. Spending must be prioritised to ensure financial resilience can withstand shortterm, external impacts whether they be climatic, financial or regulatory.

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PAY IT BACK: New Zealand farmers must cut debt to reduce vulnerability to market and climate shocks, recent Waikato University graduate Jack Keeys says.

The second potential direction is that income drops for an extended period, interest rates rise or regulations are thrust on farms too fast. In this scenario, a second wave of loss occurs in a situation very similar to phase two when subsidies were removed.

Here we can expect to see NZ’s farmers go through another bout of suffering but this time a number of the efficient and effective farmers won’t even be spared. It certainly won’t mean the end of our industry, as undoubtedly we would see the farmer platform become more commercialised and corporate investment and scale will eventually restore a balance.

UK farms are at phase one.

These farms are generally able to grow as much grass as their NZ counterparts, are less geographically isolated, have a larger domestic market and

are more supported by their government.

Their farm businesses have low debt and their farm systems have massive potential.

So what must happen now?

The NZ farm businesses remaining viable are those that are financially sustainable.

It seems obvious but the level of debt on farms must be dropped through prioritised spending.

We must remember the entire basis of our industry is the farmers and after those farmers have given so much to our country, it’s paramount we focus on giving back.

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

32 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – September 17, 2018

Fonterra’s farmers must act now Alternative View

Alan Emerson

FONTERRA’S annual result announcement has sent a strong message to both dairy farmers and the economy in general.

Our biggest company has shown a net loss after tax of $196 million, the first in its 17-year history.

The good news is it was able to recover something from its half year $348m loss.

I have several issues with the accounts and not just the bottom line.

The first is the way things are reported has changed over time.

Comparing apples with apples is difficult.

For the record, I do not accept enterprise value as a means of describing shareholder value.

Show me a simple non-spun set of accounts that tells me simply the good and the bad.

Yes, the size of the business has grown but so has debt.

I’m pleased Fonterra has

teamed with Alibaba in China and that it is the top dairy exporter into that market.

That it has increased its penetration into the Chinese market by a credible 17% is good news.

For the record, I support a wellrun Fonterra. After all, it makes up 25% of our GDP. If Fonterra does well so does the economy. If it doesn’t it is not only the dairy farmer shareholders who suffer.

I also support the co-operative principle.

A well run co-operative can show major benefits for shareholders where value can be returned to producers.

The co-operative model is sound, especially in agriculture, as shown by our successful farmer co-ops.

The problem Fonterra has is that since its inception it has steadily eroded in value over 17 years.

With all the capital farmers have contributed has there been genuine growth in shareholder value?

I don’t believe there has.

I’m pleased Fonterra will be taking stock of its business, getting its forecasting element right and getting the basics right but it will have a big job

convincing the market it can do that.

I’m also pleased it is having a total review of its assets, establishing what is performing and what isn’t.

Beingmate had a credit mention. Fonterra will be reviewing that investment.

That is good news but a large number of people who, until recently, passionately supported Beingmate are still in senior management and on the board.

I notice in the annual accounts China Farms didn’t perform well.

I consider that in a similar vein to Beingmate.

As issue Fonterra has is the publicly listed dairy companies are doing well and the total industry is in good heart.

On the day of the Fonterra announcement its shares opened at just $4.97. Conversely, A2 Milk was $12.09 and Synlait $13.

Both have had massive increases of late, whereas Fonterra has languished.

Going forward doesn’t appear to be a whole lot better with First New Zealand Capital assessing the Fonterra shares as underperforming.

There are several problems.

Shareholders leaving and taking their milk with them, which promotes plant inefficiencies.

management and make both accountable to shareholders.

I’d argue they’re currently not.

One Fonterra response to the current issues and problems is to claim ‘Fonterra needs continuity’.

It doesn’t, continuity means more of the same.

The board has created the problems and I believe it must be changed.

The board even controls the director selection process and ranks candidates against a list of criteria.

That’s rubbish.

There is only one criteria that is remotely relevant and that is governance experience and achievement.

I could name quite a few dairy farmers who have that in spades.

Better, in my view, than some of the incumbents on Fonterra’s board.

Dairy farmers have a stark choice, either take back their co-operative or let it sail into commercial oblivion.

It’s no use bitching to me as many have. Do something.

Paying too much for milk and cutting dividends is another.

Publishing unrealistic forecasts for whatever reason is an indictment, which, thankfully, Fonterra will try to put right.

There has been much discussion on what Fonterra must do to reverse the slide.

It could divest its non-core assets, which it is considering and has merit.

It could split the co-operative, which has been suggested at some length.

It has been tried overseas with producers becoming wealthy in the short term and peasants in the long.

The other option, radical as it might seem, is that producers could take back control of their co-operative.

Currently the board and senior management are extremely hands on and in control of any messages going out from Fonterra. You hear what they want you to hear.

They have the biggest spin budget in town and use it to great effect.

What producers often get is obfuscation, not fact. Dairy farmers want to be told how it is in simple terms.

In my opinion what Fonterra farmers need to do is to change the board and some senior

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

Lambs are learning to cope with storms the rest and tuck away in a corner behind a big tree for the night.

Sure enough, next morning she had lambed and kept her two lambs alive through an unpleasant night.

But what was interesting was that I kept an eye on those lambs and every time there was a squall they had learnt to quickly seek shelter themselves whereas their stablemates stayed near their mothers and just hung their heads and put up with it.

Those two lambs had learned that behaviour within six hours of being born from their canny mother and being ewe lambs will continue to be smart and I imagine teach it to their own progeny.

Time to start cloning.

We are also getting a lot better at touching base with mates and neighbours after events like this to make sure everyone is okay and dealing well with the situation.

I was fortunate to be well through my own lambing so was able to protect the last lambing ewes but unaware that, meanwhile, I was losing lambs several days old before the storm hit.

Let’s finish with two observations.

My two-tooths were last shorn in February so carrying quite a bit of wool. At the end of the storm I noticed quite a few but not all were absolutely filthy. I realised their lambs had been clambering up onto their backs at night and snuggling down into their woollen mattress.

The last of the lambing stud ewes were shedded into the paddock in front of the house with plenty of feed and shelter.

I saw one old ewe separate from

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

you can trust www.fegold.co.nz

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A DEBRIEF on the nasty storm that swept along the East Coast of the North Island during the first week in September is in order.

To give credit to MetService and other forecasters, they called it two or three days ahead. I went to their site and had a look at the maps and was a little perplexed because it wasn’t an obvious low tracking towards us like that hurricane on the east coast of the United States but a stream of cloud that was to then form a low off our coast. Which is exactly what it did.

I’ve been a little guarded on my

condition score on the ewes, feeding well in the last few weeks ensuring good birth weights and udder development and making sure the ewes have good feed levels to lamb onto.

We have been selecting for improved mothering ability and now have the genetic tests to select for survival genes. Sheep Improvement Limited selection lists have a survival sub-trait that is only as good as the information inputted by the stud breeder but another tool in the toolbox when selecting sheep.

And many of us have made a concerted effort to establish shelter belts and forestry blocks to give better protection for stock in weather events.

These things combined make a difference but no panacea for four or five days of relentless rain.

I recorded just under 200mm and have heard figures of up to 350mm elsewhere.

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Steve Wyn-Harris

own radio show and in interviews on others as to the stock losses because we need to be more careful in what we say to a wider audience. We are under enough scrutiny now without inviting it upon ourselves.

Having said that, many individuals and areas did lose a lot of lambs and how significant it might be, only time will tell.

We have had storms at this time in the past and they will occur again in future. There is nothing more soul-destroying having spent the year planning and working towards a good result than to have an event like this occur.

You tidy up, the sun comes out as it did, focus on the stock you do have and move on.

Most of us have done a lot to mitigate against these sort of events over recent decades.

Our ewe management is much improved than in the past with an emphasis on keeping a good

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From the Ridge

Opinion

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – September 17, 2018

33

Drastic cuts not needed The Braided Trail

Keith Woodford

THE narrative is changing in regard to the need for methane emissions cuts, with less need for drastic reductions.

The recent note on methane emissions put out by Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment Simon Upton in late August and underpinned by a contracted research report written

by Dr Andy Reisinger from the Government-funded Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research Centre will change the methane narrative.

History will look back at Upton’s note as a fundamental contribution that moved the methane debate towards a logicbased, science-informed position.

The key message is short-lived gases such as methane do need to be considered differently than long-lived gases.

That does not mean they are unimportant.

But lumping them together with long-lived carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide has led down false pathways.

Some of us have known for a long time that short and long-lived gases needed to be considered separately and the socalled CO2 equivalence notion is not helpful.

As I have said previously methane and CO2 belong in different regulatory baskets.

But it needed someone from an authoritative position to take a stand.

Upton has made earlier public forays into the topic of short-lived versus long-lived gases but was somewhat tentative in putting his views forward.

The recent change is that he is now being authoritative, drawing on the Reisinger Report, in saying these issues need to inform the political debate.

The Productivity Commission’s report of early September has also now picked up that a single cap

for combined greenhouse gases is not appropriate.

Reisinger says methane emissions from New Zealand’s pastoral agriculture have already peaked.

However, it seems the quantities in the atmosphere might not have peaked – though that cannot be too far away.

Surprisingly, Reisinger does not estimate when pastoralsourced methane stocks will start to decline but he does put forward a notion that will be new to many people, that even after the methane has gone it will still have a warming effect because of changes it has created in ozone levels and stratospheric water vapour.

These indirect effects are more than a little contentious and quantification is still at an early stage.

The understanding of the science among agricultural industry leaders leaves a lot to be desired.

However, by bringing in these indirect effects Reisinger thinks we will have to reduce methane emissions further to prevent further warming.

By including the indirect effects Reisinger’s calculations suggest that if we are to have no further warming from pastoralsourced methane then we need to reduce our pastoral methane emissions by between 10% and 22% on a sliding scale through to 2050.

On average that is about 0.5% a year but with a slightly faster rate in early years.

So, how easy would it be for NZ to reduce its pastoral methane by between 10% and 22%?

Whereas the dominant narrative has been that there is no magic bullet to reduce the required methane emissions from livestock, except by reducing livestock numbers, that narrative has been promoted within a political framework where huge

reductions in methane emissions were going to be required.

In contrast, reducing methane emissions by Reisinger’s upper limit of 22% does not seem particularly daunting over the more than 30-year time period.

Independent of the methane debate, the Government has determined NZ is going to plant large areas of forestry to soak up atmospheric carbon dioxide.

That could mean anything from one to three million hectares of new forest.

The pastoral land lost to forestry will be on the hills, with lower productivity than on the softer country.

But it is easy to see, with pastoral agriculture being in the order of 12m hectares, that this will be enough to significantly reduce methane emissions, probably in excess of 10% and maybe considerably more.

It is also reasonable to expect methane emissions to further reduce with increasing animal productivity. That is the way we have reduced emission intensity from agriculture in recent years.

Put simply, the more productive that animals are, the less energy has to go into the methaneproducing furnace (the rumen) per unit of output.

It’s not easy to achieve increasing productivity from each animal but consider the increased productivity per animal that we have achieved over the last 20 years with both dairy (more milk per cow) and sheep meat production (higher lambing percentage and heavier lambs).

Another 0.5% a year improvement over the next 30 years and we will be well ahead of any zero-warming targets.

It is also insightful to look at the effect of NZ’s pastoral-sourced methane on global climate.

By Reisinger’s calculations NZ’s pastoral-sourced methane has so far led to global temperatures rising by 0.0013C above background levels. If methane emissions stabilise where they are now that will supposedly raise global temperatures by another 0.0002C by 2050.

Those minute numbers help put things in perspective.

However, the mantra is that

everyone in the world is supposed to do their bit for the greater good and that includes us.

The contrasting situation of carbon dioxide is that atmospheric levels will inevitably continue building up because it is so long-lived.

We would have to reduce carbon dioxide emissions to almost zero to stop those levels building up.

So, yes, to the extent that climate change is considered a problem, the real enemy is CO2 not pastoral-sourced methane.

As Upton points out, determining targets for methane emissions is a policy decision for the Government.

Given the huge difficulty in getting to zero carbon dioxide emissions the Government could in theory ask agriculture to do even more and reduce methane emissions to a level where future pastoral-sourced methane levels in the atmosphere contribute to global cooling.

That, perhaps unlikely, scenario would truly put agriculture on the moral high ground.

Those of us in agriculture also need to acknowledge there are issues with nitrous oxide (N2O) that need to be considered. Unlike methane, this gas is long-lived.

However, whereas the supposed methane problem has largely been considered intractable, for nitrous oxide we do have a number of technologies that can reduce these emissions from manure and soils.

In summary, the societal negativity towards agricultural emissions of greenhouse gases has been influenced by false information by people who have shaped the narrative in line with simplistic understandings of the science.

The axis of the debate is now slowly changing.

That is not to say the debate is over.

Indeed, there is a long way to go.

To paraphrase a statement from earlier this year by Federated Farmers spokesman Andrew Hoggard, agricultural leaders will still need to step up to the table because agriculture will still be on the menu.

The understanding of the science among agricultural

LINGERING: Scientist Andy Reisinger contends the global warming effect of methane lasts longer in the atmosphere than the gas because it changes the ozone and stratospheric water vapour.

industry leaders leaves a lot to be desired.

The same can be said of key policy makers in the Government, none of whom appears to have a strong science background.

It is unfortunate that the overall climate change debate is very much influenced by noble-cause corruption.

On both sides, it is easier to shape the so-called facts to fit prior beliefs than to engage in genuine, informed debate independent of personal and strawman attacks.

That is unlikely to change.

Already, some have had a crack at Upton from both sides.

Your View Keith Woodford was Professor of farm management and agribusiness at Lincoln University for 15 years to 2015. He is now principal consultant at AgriFood Systems. He can be contacted at kbwoodford@gmail.com

Facial Eczema testing for over 30 years, so all you need to focus on are the traits that make you money.

• 2018 Sires average in top 10% for DPCR (reproduction) • Mating all ewe hoggets • 2018 Sires average in top 20% for DPS (survival) • High Meat and Growth sires with good constitution selected • Minimal drenching of lambs to challenge tolerance.

No Waimai Romney ewes drenched

Enquiries always welcome. Sale by private Treaty and at Mid Northern Romney Sale, 1st November, Claudlands.

Alastair Reeves

M +64 (0) 27 457 3615 P +64 (0) 7 825 4925

waimairomney.co.nz waimairomney@gmail.com

On Farm Story

34 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – September 17, 2018

Old values and new practices Richard Cookson and his wife Louise Cullen studied at Lincoln University but then went overseas for work at scientists rather than heading for the farm. However, 12 years ago they answered a call to return home and now run a cow and goat dairy unit. They not only enjoy it but are proud of what they are doing and want all New Zealanders to be proud of farmers as the keepers of Kiwi values. They are leading by example, not just on the farm but also by giving back to the sector and community and setting environmental standards. Glenys Christian reports.

T

HE Cookson family farms between Morrinsville and Te Aroha are all about people, co-ops and embracing change, Richard Cookson says.

His family moved to the small community of Springdale in the 1920s buying 30 hectares on the corner of No 1 and No 4 Roads.

Richard’s grandfather was attracted to the area because a soldier he fought with in World War I lived nearby on No 5 Road.

Pop Cookson had three children, twins Fred and Phyllis and brother Jack, who were all involved in the faming business while Jack was also a Dairy Board and New Zealand Dairy Company director.

“Although our business seems quite diversified now my dad Fred was a farmer, stock agent, agricultural contractor, owned three butchers shops and a fish and chip shop at one stage while my mum, Jeanette, also operated a catering company while raising four kids,” he said.

“They worked very hard to build a better future for their children.

Dad always said he wanted us to stand on his shoulders, not start where he started.”

The next generation of the Cookson family is also involved in the dairy farming business with older brother Robert and sisters Joanne and Margaret managing family properties.

Richard and his wife Louise Cullen share a role overseeing the home farm, supplying milk to Fonterra, Tatua and the Dairy Goat Co-operative.

“It’s a real privilege to have the opportunity to supply three different dairy co-ops,” he said.

“All three have incredibly talented people working to maximise the value they can extract from our milk and what we

WIDE: Richard Cookson’s farm supplies milk to two cow dairy companies and a goat co-op.

do on farm and return that value to the farmer.”

Richard wasn’t always interested in farming and after college headed to Lincoln University for an agricultural science degree then a doctorate in soil science supervised by Jacqueline Rowarth and Keith Cameron.

“NZ has outstanding scientists and I was extremely fortunate to have Jacqueline and Keith as mentors,” he said.

At Lincoln Richard met Louise, who was doing her doctorate in forest ecology. NZ and Australian

WIDE: Richard Cookson’s farm supplies milk to two cow dairy companies and a goat co-op.

government post-doctoral fellowships provided a chance to work at the University of Western Australia and Rothamsted Research in the United Kingdom examining the relationships between soil microbial diversity and the resilience of nitrogen cycling.

“It was a wonderful experience and again I was fortunate to surround myself with amazing people who made the job a pleasure” he said.

But 12 years ago his brother Robert asked if he would come home because their father’s health was declining.

“Both Louise and I thought why not?” he said.

Coming to grips with helping run four dairy farms supplying milk to both Fonterra and Tatua, Richard and Louise looked at options to further diversify.

That opportunity came in the form of the Dairy Goat Co-op looking for new members.

“We are a family with a long history of commitment to cooperative values and we felt the Dairy Goat Co-op would be a good fit and that running goats on part of the farm would also spread our risk,” he said.

Their mostly Saanen or Saanen-cross goats came from Ngahinapouri goat farmers, Jans and Linda Wolvers, who they say have been great mentors.

“Jans and Linda are fantastic farmers with amazing goats and we have been extremely lucky to have their support throughout,” he said.

Louise and Richard took the opportunity to run the goat farm together, splitting the day-to-day roles to learn goat farming from the ground up.

“We found our strengths complemented each other and we are a successful team,” he said.

And there are several synergies between the cow and goat businesses with waste feed from the goats going on to the feed pad for their cows to polish off.

Shavings from their housing go onto dairy farm paddocks before growing maize.

More recently, the goat milk operation has been expanded and Richard and Louise passed the day-to-day running of it to equity partners and experienced goat farmers Duncan and Pip Mclane who contract milk the herd.

“Duncan and Pip love the goats and take a huge amount of pride in the successes of the farm,” Richard said.

He puts a lot of store on strong connections with people so there’s a shared philosophy and a good understanding of it by both parties.

And there’s a similar relationship with lower-order sharemilkers Scott and Annemarie Donovan, who milk cows on the other end of the farm.

“Scott and Annemarie have worked with us for the last decade in a variety of roles, are a very experienced, hard-working couple who are excellent stockmen. We place a huge amount of stock in good communication and making important decisions together.”

Photos : Geoff Dale

Cow numbers peaked at 1050 at a stocking rate of 4.2 cows/ha a decade ago. But with a change to greater feed self-reliance, lower costs and the goat farm development cow numbers are down to 780 Kiwicross cows and a stocking rate of 3.2 cows/ha this season.

The cows are milked in three separate herds. One is made up of elite cows with the highest Breeding Worth, one of young cows, which go on once-a-day milking at Christmas and the third has the rest.

All are milked through the 50bail rotary dairy.

Calves are reared on-farm until weaning when they head away at about 100kg to a grazier.

Their empty rate is around 8% with only one shocker in the last 10 years. They use LIC genetics for five weeks across two herds but mate the other one to Hereford bulls, tailing off all herds with Jersey bulls or crossbreed LIC straws.

On their DairyNZ system 3 operation they grow 20ha to 30ha of maize a year, depending on the season, as part of their plan to strategically improve pastures.

Stuart Colson, Richard’s cousin, manages the small agricultural

On Farm Story

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – September 17, 2018

35

HAPPY TOGETHER: Richard Cookson and Duncan Mclane with their goats.

contracting operation, doing the cultivation and grass harvesting.

“The purpose of the contracting business is to maximise productivity by completing groundwork and making grass silage on time,” Richard said.

Only a small amount of contracting work is done for a few neighbours.

They used a variety of crops in the past but more recently have switched to lucerne, growing 24ha a year, which is all baled. Part of their motivation was to reduce and eventually eliminate palm kernel,

which they still use early in the season to put through their indairy feeding system with a mix of canola and dried distillers grain.

“The country’s not perfect for lucerne but we’ve learned a lot and have hopefully made all the mistakes we can with it now,” Richard said.

They’re aiming for lucerne crops producing at 16-18 tonnes drymatter/ha.

More recently, they’ve been trialling Ecotain, using it to make up 20% to 30% of their new

GOOD EXPERIENCE: Tatua is a truly amazing company to serve as a director, Louise Cullen says.

pasture mix to see if it will reduce nitrate leaching.

As part of a 10-year plan to improve infrastructure they’ve improved employee homes and the milking technology, reshaped and resized paddocks, reraced and refenced and put in new water lines, troughs and effluent lines.

“We wanted to have infrastructure that maximised grass growth and harvesting and it was easy for staff,” he said.

“We were milking 1000 cows with farm with infrastructure designed for 150 cows.”

With this infrastructure improvement nearing an end Richard and Louise have turned their attention to their farm environment planning.

They have just enlisted the help of freshwater ecologist and wetland specialist Rebecca Evers to establish a baseline for farm water quality and Scott Fraser from Landcare to establish a baseline for soil quality.

They have a large effluent storage pond but can use their travelling irrigator most days.

While their effluent area covers a third of the farm that will double shortly to 160ha.

They don’t apply fertiliser unless soil tests indicate it’s necessary.

“That gives us real clarity as to what we need to do rather than what we think the grass needs,” Richard, who looks forward to the day when satellite technology, already being used on the farm to measure grass growth, might improve their understanding of grass nutrient levels as well, said.

“We’re trying to future-proof the farm.

“We’re strongly committed to setting it up for the next generation so they can inherit it with pride.

“We have always been grass farmers – that’s our strategic advantage and while change has always happened, farmers have embraced that change with good leadership.

We’ve got to get our industry into a more positive space.

Richard Cookson Farmer “We’ve got to get our industry into a more positive space.”

As joint managing directors Richard and Louise are across everything happening on the farm.

“Our skills complement each other’s and we’ve had the opportunity to find out what our strengths are,” he said.

In Louise’s case that saw her join Tatua’s board almost two years ago. Her family has a strong history of serving the community and they decided she would give back ahead of Richard.

“Tatua is a truly amazing company to serve as a director,” she said.

“It has a great culture that makes you want to give 110%. The company works very hard for their

farmers and as a co-operative we are proud of our independence and strong connection to why we exist.”

She’s also still involved in the local kindergarten board despite their sons Finn and Liam being 11 and eight. Richard is on their primary school’s board of trustees as well as enthusiastically coaching cricket and hockey teams and serving on the regional council catchment committee.

Louise believes farmers are reconnecting with the idea they produce food and she’d like to see more emphasis on science as the basis for making good farming decisions.

“We’ve got to get back to trusting scientists who can give us a range of tools and knowledge to tackle many of the farming challenges ahead of us,” she said.

Richard believes in some ways farmers are the keepers of Kiwi values.

“As an industry I want all of New Zealanders to be proud of us,” he said. “Farmers will earn that by continuing to do a better job and it’s absolutely happening.”

>> Video link: bit.ly/OFScookson2

NEW LISTING

Hawke's Bay Mutiny Road, Hastings

Grow almost anything on 80ha with water Rarely does one get the opportunity to purchase a large 80 hectare (two titles) area of flat land so close to Hastings and Havelock North. The property is currently finishing lambs as part of a mixed cropping regime, with annual crops grown, such as carrots, onions, squash, maize, sweetcorn and peas.

The land has strategic tile drainage and a consent to irrigate, meaning the options to grow almost anything are fantastic. The 3-stand woolshed, sheep yards/cattle yards provide the facilities for efficient livestock handling.

Peat soil types and a good fertiliser history provide the fertility, combined with good water one can grow almost anything. Don't miss the opportunity to secure this large parcel of quality land.

Tender (will not be sold prior) Closing 4pm, Thu 18 Oct 2018 17 Napier Road, Havelock North View by appointment Tony Rasmussen 027 429 2253 tony.rasmussen@bayleys.co.nz EASTERN REALTY LTD, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008

bayleys.co.nz/2851323

NEW LISTING

Aranga 66 Proud Road Entry level dairy farm Set up just north of Dargaville, the opportunity has come up to purchase a tidy entry level dairy farm. Containing 92 hectares with approximately 88 hectares effective, this dairy farm is located 40km north of Dargaville and 100km to the south west of Whangarei. The farm is made up of mixed contour, with strong volcanic soil, great re-grassing programme and is subdivided in to 54 paddocks. Farm infrastructure includes a tidy 16 ASHB cowshed with good concrete yarding, three bay implement shed, round hay barn and square hay barn situated at the back of the farm. A tidy first farm that lends to options whether it be dairy, beef or calf rearing with the beach and fishing opportunities only minutes away.

bayleys.co.nz/1020214

bayleys.co.nz

Pipiroa 179 Buchanan Road 3

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Tender (unless sold prior) Closing 4pm, Thu 11 Oct 2018 84 Walton St, Whangarei View by appointment Catherine Stewart 027 356 5031 catherine.stewart@bayleys.co.nz MACKYS REAL ESTATE LTD, BAYLEYS, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008

Large scale Waikato dairy farm, great improvements This dairy operation of 175ha (more or less) is comprised of 4 titles which will leave the new owner with options around potential subdivision. The farm runs on a low System 2 model with 620-630 cows having been milked through the 44 ASHB over the past three years, producing an average of 164,000kgMS supplying Fonterra. In addition is an extensive range of farm improvements and four homes. Situated in a great rural community, under 90km drive north will find you at Auckland Airport.

bayleys.co.nz/814828

For Sale

by Deadline Private Treaty (unless sold prior)

4pm, Thu 11 Oct 2018 96 Ulster Street, Hamilton View 11am-12pm Wed 19 Sep & Wed 26 Sep or by appointment Karl Davis 0508 83 83 83 karl.davis@bayleys.co.nz Lee Carter 027 696 5781 lee.carter@bayleys.co.nz SUCCESS REALTY LTD, BAYLEYS, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008

Marlborough 4675 State Highway 63

Waimate 3840 Waimate Highway

Farming, forestry and carbon

A great dairy opportunity

Located within a comfortable 45 minute commute to Blenheim with a five year historical 1,010mm rainfall.

Three purchasing options: • Total property 2,662ha • 2,387ha (STS) hill country including 785ha PFSI • 275ha (STS) flats, two dwellings, outbuildings Hill country ranging from 290 MASL offering a combination of livestock and carbon farming including forestry and recreational activities. The adjacent flats offer an opportunity for development including viticulture.

Deadline Sale 4pm, Thu 25 Oct 2018 33 Seymour Street, Blenheim View by appointment Andy Poswillo 027 420 4202 andy.poswillo@bayleys.co.nz BE MARLBOROUGH LTD, BAYLEYS, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008

Hill Dairy is a 323ha dairy unit situated on the downs. It has had a history of carrying up to 1,000 cows and annual milk solids of up to 341,551kgMS from its irrigated downland pastures. There is a budgeted return for the 2018/19 season of 288,000kgMS from approximately 850 cows, which sets the basis from which to grow this attractive, low-cost dairy farm, providing plenty of upside for a potential purchaser. Infrastructure includes a 40-bail rotary dairy, calf-rearing facilities, an array of ancillary buildings and two homes. An easy-contour dairy farm with plentiful low-cost water and over 150ha of recently renovated pastures, well-located and in a well-regarded dairy farming area.

bayleys.co.nz/4132698

bayleys.co.nz/558133

Waimate 166 Ryans Road

McLeans Island 262 Chattertons Road

Prime dairy with low-cost water

A substantial leasehold block

Ryans Road Dairy is a 287ha freehold dairy farm close to Waimate with a border-dyke irrigation system. Currently leasing an adjoining 40ha milking platform, it milks approximately 1,100 cows, producing around 500,000kgMS including winter milk, supplying Oceania Glenavy Milk Company. Supporting infrastructure includes a 70-bail rotary dairy, calf rearing sheds, four-bay implement shed, manager’s home and staff accommodation. Good subdivision and an excellent lane system provide access to the centrally located dairy shed. Stock water supply reticulation, shelterbelts and a consented effluent system with 30 days storage, all contribute to the production success of this property.

For Sale

by Deadline Private Treaty 4pm, Thu 27 Sep 2018 All offers to Ken McKenzie, RSM Law, 17 Strathallan Street, Timaru 7910 Ben Turner 027 530 1400 ben.turner@bayleys.co.nz Peter Foley 021 754 737 Mike Adamson 027 221 1909

For Sale

by Deadline Private Treaty 4pm, Thu 27 Sep 2018 All offers to Ken McKenzie, RSM Law, 17 Strathallan St, Timaru 7910 View by appointment Ben Turner 027 530 1400 ben.turner@bayleys.co.nz Mike Adamson 027 221 1909 Peter Foley 021 754 737 WHALAN AND PARTNERS LTD, BAYLEYS, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008

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This is an exciting opportunity to purchase a 471.5ha lease-hold grazing property close to Christchurch City. The purchaser will own the interest in the lease and all improvements. The property has 49ha irrigated from a 40 l/second consent and includes a three-bedroom home, two-room sleepout, three-stand RB woolshed and covered yards, implement shed and cattle yards with loading ramp and head bail. It is suited to dairy support, sheep breeding and lamb fattening and would be a great entry-level property, support block or stand-a-lone unit.

For Sale

by Deadline Private Treaty

bayleys.co.nz/558258

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

(unless sold prior)

4pm, Thu 4 Oct 2018 3 Deans Ave, Chch Ben Turner 027 530 1400 ben.turner@bayleys.co.nz Mike Adamson 027 221 1909 Peter Foley 021 754 737

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

bayleys.co.nz/558094

bayleys.co.nz

38

farmersweekly.co.nz/realestate 0800 85 25 80

Real Estate

Manahune – Breeding and Finishing 8 7 0 G l e n m a r k D r i ve , N o r t h C a n t e r b u r y

A rare opportunity to purchase an outstanding property in an excellent location.

Situated just 65km north of Christchurch, Manahune is a superior and versatile 379.3472 hectare breeding and finishing unit. This year’s flock of 4,100 crossbred ewes scanned 180%. Quality improvements include a four-stand RB woolshed complex and a full range of farm buildings. Two well-maintained and modernised homes set in large established grounds complete the picture.

Ben Turner 027 530 1400 ben.turner@bayleys.co.nz

Peter Crean 027 434 4002 PCrean@pggwrightson.co.nz

Mick Sidey 027 229 8888

Mark Clyne 027 531 2964

Whalan and Partners Ltd, Bayleys, Licensed under the REA Act 2008

PGG Wrightson Real Estate Limited, Licensed under the REA Act 2008

FARMERS WEEKLY – September 17, 2018

Thank you CANTERBURY

RURAL SALESPERSON OF THE YEAR FIFTH YEAR IN A ROW. Thank you to all of our wonderful clients who have supported us and contributed to our success in winning this award.

TRUST in Ben and his team to get you a winning result.

REINZ AWARDS 2018 #1 RURAL SALESPERSON OF THE YEAR Ben Turner, Bayleys Canterbury 027 530 1400 | ben.turner@bayleys.co.nz

For Sale by Auction 2pm, Thurs 4 Oct 2018 at 3 Deans Ave, Christchurch bayleys.co.nz/558070

|

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

pggwre.co.nz/CHR28642

#1

RURAL REAL ESTATE BRAND

NEW VIEWING LISTING FINAL

NEW VIEWING LISTING FINAL

SOLD

NEW VIEWING LISTING FINAL

SOLD

SOLD

FENCE?

THE DESTINATION FOR RURAL REAL ESTATE

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Connect with the right audience at

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Real Estate

FARMERS WEEKLY – September 17, 2018

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39

Check out this weekend’s open homes on eves.co.nz

The Ultimate Avocado holding COOKS BEACH 67B & 121C PURANGI ROAD Set on over 45 hectares in the heart of Coromandel, in two titles but being sold as one. 15 ca/ha of Hass avocados, seven ha of grazing land, three blocks of pine trees ready to be milled, huge irrigation pond and two large orchard sheds. The avo trees have a huge crop hanging and an extensive list of orchard machinery will be included in sale. Not forgetting the

6th Oct from 1pm 67B Purangi Road, Cooks Beach

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stunning home; this modern 280sqm home designed and built with exceptional attention to detail and quality workmanship sits proudly on an elevated site boasting views across the countryside below with snippets of the Pacific Ocean. A heated inground salt water pool, hot tub & solid stone log fire make this great as an entertainer’s home. Will be sold plus GST (if any).

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P 07 549 0864 M 027 949 3725 E durrelle.green@eves.co.nz

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Durrelle Green

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A STUNNING LIFESTYLE

MAGNIFICENT, PERFECTION IN EVERY SENSE

304 Tablelands Road, Opotiki • Spacious, tastefully appointed, renovated meticulously • Set on 3533m2 amongst mature tropical style gardens • There is nothing to do here but relax • Flowing interiors to private decked outdoor areas • Spectacular views to the west over the Opotiki plains • View: www.ohopebeachrealty.com – open2view.com ID 429727

LK0094356©

• Auction 7 October 2018 unless sold prior. View 16, 23, 30 September, 7 October 1-2pm

Architecturally designed for luxury living and a relaxed futuristic lifestyle, this perfectly positioned north facing property has supreme ocean views overlooking Ohope.

As you enter you will be wowed by sensational views, well-appointed kitchen and dining plus separate lounge/media room making this executive home an entertainers dream.

Upstairs: Supersize master bedroom, two double bedrooms, open office and lift.

Self-contained guest wing with two double bedrooms and ensuites plus kitchenette/living area for extended family or B&B. Each room has captivating sea views.

From downstairs living, the flow out to spacious decks and heated pool is effortless.

A luxurious residence fitted with Control4 digital audio services where technology and comfort work harmoniously. A home of “Perfection in every Sense.” www.open2view.com ID#432320 Tender Closing: 3pm Wednesday, 3rd October 2018

Ray Johnson

Rema Hinds

VIEWING BY APPOINTMENT ONLY Jennie Power

027 626 1487 • ray.johnson@obr.net.nz

0274 535 033 • rema@obr.net.nz

Mobile: 027 491 8725 or Email: jennie.power@obr.net.nz

www.ohopebeachrealty.com

P a r a m o u n tRealty R e a l t yOhope L t d M Ltd R E I NMREINZ Z | L i c el nLicensed s e d R e a lReal E s t aEstate t e A g eAgent n t ( R E(REAA A A 2 0 02008) 8 ) | 1 9l 19 P oPohutukawa h u t u k a w a A vAve, e , OOhope h o p e BBeach each Paramount

www.ohopebeachrealty.com

P a r a m o u n tRealty R e a l t yOhope L t d M Ltd R E I NMREINZ Z | L i c el nLicensed s e d R e a lReal E s t aEstate t e A g eAgent n t ( R E(REAA A A 2 0 02008) 8 ) | 1 9l 19 P oPohutukawa h u t u k a w a A vAve, e , OOhope h o p e BBeach each Paramount

LK0092484©

s er

Saturdays & Wednesdays 12:00-2:00pm www.eves.co.nz/ektc1976

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farmersweekly.co.nz/realestate 0800 85 25 80

Real Estate

FARMERS WEEKLY – September 17, 2018

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

Property Brokers Limited Licensed under the Real Estate Agents Act 2008

One of King Countrys' finest

Finishing with location

OPEN DAY

OPEN DAY

WEB ID TER61000 PIOPIO 220 Tikitiki Road VIEW 19 & 26 Sep 11.00 - 1.00pm • 278 ha of which the effective area is 275 ha situated in TENDER closes Friday 5th October, 2018 at 4.00pm, Bailey Ingham Accountants, 18 Maniapoto Street, Otorohanga a renowned farming district being just 7km north of Piopio and 20km south of Te Kuiti • An excellent balance of contour with 50% being Doug Wakelin cropable or mowable Mobile 027 321 1343 • Versatile Maeroa Ash soil type with a sound fertiliser dougw@pb.co.nz history • Subdivided into 40 main paddocks with a very high 3 Hugh Williams standard of conventional fencing Mobile 021 878782 • A summer-safe, spring fed water supply is gravity fed Office 07 8788266 1 with excellent pressure to all troughs hugh@pb.co.nz

TENDER

pb.co.nz

WEB ID TER62512 TE KUITI 154 State Highway 3 VIEW 19 & 26 Sep 1.00 - 3.00pm • 274 ha of which 250 ha is effective with balance being TENDER closes Friday 5th October, 2018 at 4.00pm, Bailey Ingham Accountants, 18 Maniapoto Street, Otorohanga in native bush • An excellent location being just 1.5km south of Te Kuiti on SH 3 Hugh Williams • Good mix of contour. Subdivided with a high standard Mobile 021 878782 Office 07 8788266 of conventional fencing hugh@pb.co.nz • Reliable spring fed water pumped to a manicon then gravity fed around the farm 4 • High standard of structural improvements including 4 Doug Wakelin bedroom homestead, 3 bedroom dwelling, 4 stand Mobile 027 321 1343 1 woolshed with covered yards and more dougw@pb.co.nz

TENDER

FARMERS WEEKLY – September 17, 2018

Real Estate

farmersweekly.co.nz/realestate 0800 85 25 80

41

Accelerating success.

Reach more people - better results faster.

colliers.co.nz

Accelerating success.

Reach more people - better results faster.

colliers.co.nz

42

farmersweekly.co.nz/realestate 0800 85 25 80

Real Estate

FARMERS WEEKLY – September 17, 2018

Accelerating success.

Reach more people - better results faster.

FARM WITHIN CITY BOUNDARY

QUALITY DAIRY FARM

DAIRY FARM WITH LIFESTYLE

• This quality property is located on the outskirts of Palmerston North and is 76 hectares in 4 titles including lovely scattered bush.

• Currently milking cows and would be suited to any agricultural activity with resource consent for intensive agriculture along with a recent upgrade to the cowshed effluent system.

• Facilities include a 16 aside dairy, machinery shed, good hay shed.

• With silt loam soils this could be a great chance to add a forage and heifer block to your current dairy business.

• Call Les on 0274 420 582 to inspect.

• Your opportunity to own this quality dairy farm in full production.

• Situated in Northern Horowhenua and very well laid out with central laneways, rotary dairy and 600 cow feed pad.

• 170 hectares in three titles with a great mix of Kairanga silt loam and Pukepuke sandy loam soils.

• There are three good family homes in their own sections.

• Our vendors are looking to retire and have priced this property to sell at $7.5 mil land and buildings.

• Call Les on 0274 420 582 to inspect.

• Have you ever wanted to go fishing in between milking? Well this is your chance to do just that.

• This 525 acre property located in the central Horowhenua has all the features that you and your family would love.

• A good mix of flat to rolling contour that has the ability to winter cows.

• Modern herringbone dairy along and nice five bedroom family home.

• With growth in this area who knows how great this farm could be as an investment in the future.

• Call Les on 0274 420 582 to inspect.

Sallan Realty

Google ‘Sallan Realty’ Your Farm Sales Specialist

CALL 0800FARMTEAM

THE DESTINATION FOR RURAL REAL ESTATE

Land is the biggest asset to any farming business - so it pays to stay up-to-date with the market.

Connect with the right audience at farmersweekly.co.nz/realestate

Licensed Agent REAA 2008

LK0094357©

colliers.co.nz

LIS TI N G N EW

ALL FLAT AND FREE DRAINING IN AN ATTRACTIVE SETTING - 32.52 HECTARES Cnr Sandon Block Road and SH 54, Vinegar Hill, Hunterville

N EW

LIS TI N G

Situated just north of Hunterville at Vinegar Hill, this stunning 80 acre property is only 2.5km off State Highway 1 and on the way to Feilding.

All flat, with gentle terrace undulations, the soils are Kawhatau series; very free draining silt loams over gravels. Ideal for wintering cattle, the current owners have operated a mixed livestock finishing system as well as wintering dairy cows, while similar soils grow asparagus in the region. Enjoying an excellent fertiliser history, all pastures are high performing perennials of less than 5 years old, with summer and winter livestock crops grown in past.

Divided into eleven main paddocks by good quality post and batten fencing, the combination of a central lane and the encircling country roads, allows easy access to all parts of the property. Good quality livestock and domestic water is gravity fed from a spring.

The four bedroom home with attached 2.5 car garaging, has had recent renovations to kitchen and bathroom and provides a warm and sunny environment, with two living areas. Hunterville school bus passes property. Other improvements include a large enclosed shed with concrete floor, implement shed and cattle yards.

This very tidy unit presents a rare opportunity for this type of country in this locality. See a video of this property on website.

KIWITEA SOILS, HUGE RANGE OF SHEDS 328 Jeffersons Line, Marton, Rangitikei Situated 9km north of Marton this 65 acres represents some of the regions most productive soil types. Land-use in the immediate area is a mix of livestock finishing, dairy farming and cash cropping. Centrally raced, this former small dairy farm, features a massive array of farm buildings making this place perfect for the collector, contractor or calf rearer. The gem is the former 6 aside herringbone dairy, complete with original milking plant. The tidy home has been altered in the past and is approx. 170m² with two bedrooms and large living spaces. The bus to the popular Hunterville primary is only 3.5km away.

26.47 hectares Tender nzr.nz/RX1660430 Tender Closes 11am, Fri 19 Oct 2018, NZR, 20 Kimbolton Road, Feilding Peter Barnett AREINZ 027 482 6835 | peter@nzr.nz NZR Limited | Licensed REAA 2008

See video on website Auction nzr.nz/RX1605701 Auction 2pm, Thu 18 Oct 2018, Feilding Club, 25 Kimbolton Road, Feilding.

Peter Barnett AREINZ 027 482 6835 | peter@nzr.nz NZR Limited | Licensed REAA 2008

44

farmersweekly.co.nz/realestate 0800 85 25 80

Real Estate

FARMERS WEEKLY – September 17, 2018

INVEST IN A SUCCESS STORY – CHICKENS Equity Group Opportunity

Located at South Head Road, near Helensville, Auckland, on 17.9 hectares of flat land (two titles) is this large scale Broiler Meat Chicken farm. Comprising of 10 large sheds, 8 being built since 2000 and another two in 2013. A total of 21,704 square metres of shedding, with two four-bedroom homes and one two-bedroom home.

This operation has a top management team in place and who have always achieved high standards in the industry. The farm is contracted to Tegel Foods Ltd, supplying close to 400,000 Meat Chicken to the market and is set up with all the latest technology which efficiently operates the sheds. Chicken farming has proven reliable over the last 40-50 years, with an expansion of 7% year-on-year. The last recession period 2008-2013 also proved chicken farming robust and reliable with incomes increasing.

Positive points for Investors, are: Strong tenant, 15 year grower’s Agreement, monthly payments, robust income structure with CPI adjustments yearly, positive reports for consuming chicken meat, (Google ‘The coming global domination of chicken’).

Newstead 385 Marshmeadow Road

Licensed REAA 2008

LK0094192©

For Further Information on this Property and Investment: Contact: Kevin Newsome 0274 425178

www.realty365.co.nz

2

3

Deadline Private Treaty

Wow! Pick of the Crop

This operation will ideally suit a family or an equity group who want a solid investment, returning strong yearly net returns. The management team have indicated a desire to stay after the sale.

4

This 7.47ha property has been fastidiously pioneered, developed over 38 years. The retiring Vendors seek a sale of this extremely profitable business. Sold as a going concern which includes an excellent 2 double bedroom home, triple garaging - approx 5400 blueberry plants, which grow under cover. An extensive list of machinery and purpose-built sheds. Located within 6km of Hamilton City boundary, zoned for excellent schools.

Viewing by appointment only. Sale by Private Treaty - closes 11 October 2018 unless sold prior

Thursday 11 October 1:00pm Harcourts Morrinsville (Unless sold prior) View By Appointment Only www.harcourts.co.nz/ML4109

Noel Smith

AREINZ

RURAL SALES CONSULTANT

M 027 448 0331 | P 07 889 8200 E noel.smith@harcourts.co.nz www.harcourts.co.nz Kevin Deane Real Estate (Morrinsville) Ltd Licensed Agent REAA 2008

SPRING 2018 PROPERTY PULL-OUT

We’ve got you covered

The Spring Property Pull-Out feature will be running through all issues of Farmers Weekly in October. Book a campaign of three or more advertisements in October and get a complimentary editorial on your property in one of our pull-out specials.

We’re very proud that Farmers Weekly remains committed to the Real Estate industry, and that we have been the most read rural publication for more than a decade.

Give your advertising campaign the edge with an advert on farmersweekly.co.nz/realestate

For more information on real estate advertising contact Shirley Howard on 06 323 0760 or email: shirley.howard@globalhq.co.nz. *Terms and conditions apply.

©2107RE-SPHP

Talk to your agent now and make sure you are in the paper that more farmers read.

Employment TECHNICAL SUPPORT OFFICER – CANTERBURY

“Broomfield Estate” Shepherd at Broomfield Estate located 6km of Christchurch. The property has an area of intensive sheep and cattle grazing.

Under a long term ownership structure, the property is considered to be fully developed with an excellent range of improvements including a three bedroom house. Primary and secondary school bus is available.

Applicant must be suitably experienced in

We seek an Assistant Manager to support the Farm Manager in both the operational and technical aspects of the business.

Key components of this role will include assisting with stock management, movements and animal health, record keeping and general farming duties. You must have excellent animal husbandry and seek proactive approaches to problems and have previous experience with pasture management. You will also require three to four working dogs for stock movements.

Fundamental to your success in this role will be your attention to detail, positive attitude and willingness to learn and determination to achieve production gains. As you may be required to manage the property in the Farm Manager’s absence and liaise with clients at times, excellent people management and good communication skills are critical.

This is an exciting and challenging role, and the ideal candidate will have: • Strong organisational and time management skills • Experience with the Microsoft Office Suite (namely Excel, Word, Outlook, Powerpoint) • Database management experience, with high attention to detail and completeness of work • Confidence in report writing, communicating effectively whether written or graphical, with excellent English grammar skills • A professional composure with strong communication and interpersonal skills • Self-driven and forward thinking • Previous experience in Health & Safety planning and monitoring is desirable

budgeting and stock weight/condition assessment. The applicant will be computer literate and capable of achieving financial and production targets set by Manager and advisors. Competitive salary will be paid commensurate with experience.

Applications including CV and the name of two referees should be forwarded by 21 September 2018 to: LK0094443©

John J Ryan,

In addition to this, exposure to and an understanding of dairy farm systems is preferred. If you’re a self-starter and think this role sounds like you log onto www.no8hr.co.nz to find out more and to apply.

Applications close 21 September 2018.

On offer is a very attractive, quality four bedroom home, with two living areas, a tennis court and quality surrounds. Primary and secondary schooling is available nearby in either Te Kuiti or PioPio with the bus just 1km down the road.

To view a Job Information Pack or to apply, please visit www.ruraldirections.co.nz or phone the Rural Directions team in confidence on 06 871 0450 (Reference #6069).

Applications close 5pm Monday, 1st October 2018 LK0094378©

intensive pastoral farming including feed

Email: ryanjj@xtra.co.nz

With stunning hill country views, our client’s 820ha grazing business is located on the outskirts of Te Kuiti. The property operates as a dairy support block running mainly dairy heifers and some sheep and beef. Its owners place great value on producing high quality stock for their clients.

This role is likely to suit someone with a production, technical or professional back ground in dairying who likes ‘working the figures’ and enjoys following processes from on-farm performance to monitoring and getting results. Role responsibilities include but are not limited to: • Administration • Farm performance monitoring • On-farm support • Health & Safety • Asset monitoring and maintenance programme • Research Projects

1090 hectares supporting 9000 stock units

No 2 RD, Christchurch 7672

Quality Home & Surrounds – King Country

We are seeking a motivated and passionate individual to join our small team, just out of Rakaia, as the Technical Support Officer.

northwest of Amberley and 40km northwest

Registered Valuer/Farm Consultant,

Assistant Manager

Southern Pastures operate nine well resourced, high producing dairy farms in the Ashburton region producing circa 4 million milk solids. Our mission is to produce the finest quality milk using sustainable farming methods by adopting innovation, integrity, social responsibility and highest ethical standards.

Applications are invited for the position of

RECRUITMENT & HR Register to receive job alerts on www.ruraldirections.co.nz

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

Onetai Station

EMPLOYMENT

Farm Manager

REACH EVERY FARMER IN NZ FROM MONDAY Please print clearly Name: Phone: Address: Email: Heading: Advert to read:

Onetai Station is a 1450ha (950ha effective) property approximately 15km North of Awakino.

BOARD OBSERVER

This iconic station has 4km of coastline and a range of natural features that the owners are in the process of protecting.

Personal Development Opportunity

An ambitious development plan is looking to increase stock units carried and to lift animal performance. In the last four years stock numbers have been lifted from 5,800su to 8,500su, with a target of 10,000su.

THE COMPANY Dairy Holdings Limited is a New Zealand owned, progressive corporate dairy farmer that operates throughout the South Island. The Company owns 59 dairy farms and owns or leases 16 grazing blocks and dry stock blocks.

A range of soil types and contour supports capital beef and sheep breeding, with most lambs finished. Trading stock are utilised when appropriate.

THE ROLE Dairy Holdings Limited is inviting applications for the position of Board Observer.

The Dairy Holdings Limited Board consists of five directors; three shareholders, and two nonshareholders one of whom is the independent Chair.

Dairy Holdings Limited recognises capable rural governors are crucial to the success of rural New Zealand, and the first step into a role is the most difficult.

In 2017 we commenced this programme with good success and wish to continue to provide the opportunity.

All direct costs associated with the role will be paid by Dairy Holdings Limited, but no remuneration will be paid. The term of the appointment is 18 months.

→ Have a strong connection with rural New Zealand → Have already initiated a career path of governance, through personal development or a smaller role eg, a Board of Trustees → Demonstrated the ability to adhere to strict confidentiality → Early in their governance career → Ideally be South Island based EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST TO: Please email your application letter and CV to: Board Observer jan@dairyholdings.co.nz All applications will be treated confidentially Applications close 4pm on 21st September 2018

The property has been a Beef + Lamb Environmental Focus Farm for the last three years and has one further year to run. Farmax is used for modelling feed growth and its utilisation as well as livestock and financial performance. AgResearch Ltd has conducted fertiliser trials and modelled the green house gas profile of current and future livestock plans. All performance data is made available publically at an annual field day.

LK0094241©

SKILLS REQUIRED

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

45

LK0094375©

Shepherd

classifieds@globalhq.co.nz – 0800 85 25 80

We are looking for applicants with: • Livestock and pasture management skills • Farm planning and development skills • People development skills – including their own growth • Budgeting and financial planning skills • The ability to lead a team environment • Strong focus on Health and Safety standards Alongside the manager’s position, there will also be an opportunity for the Station Manager’s partner to be employed.

A competitive remuneration package with performance bonuses will be offered.

Accommodation is a comfortable 4-bedroom house with a local primary school only 15 minutes drive away.

Further study and development will be encouraged and supported.

Please apply via email to: sally.dunne@strettons.co.nz Stretton & Co Ltd

Applications close 5pm Sunday, 30th September 2018

LK0094309©

FARMERS WEEKLY – September 17, 2018

Classifieds

FARMERS WEEKLY – September 17, 2018

VETMARKER

ANIMAL HANDLING

ATTENTION FARMERS

DOGS WANTED

With automatic release and spray system. www.vetmarker.co.nz 0800 DOCKER (362 537)

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

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

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

BUYING NORTH ISLAND 22/9/18.

South Island 26/9/18. No one pays or buys more! www. youtube.com/user/ mikehughesworkingdog/ videos 07 315 5553.

(from private blocks)

McNicholas Aviation Limited is a helicopter deer recovery operator based in Opotiki. The aerial operation can selectively cull your feral deer population and pay a royalty. If required we can also seek and destroy any resident feral goat population.

LK0094430©

The feral deer population has increased to levels seen in the 1950’s resulting in reduced winter feed for farmer’s stock, and damage to juvenile trees for forest owners.

Contact Lance McNicholas 027 294 7504

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

FARMERS

ANIMAL SUPPLEMENTS APPLE CIDER VINEGAR, GARLIC & HONEY. 200L - $450 or 1000L - $2000 excl. with FREE DELIVERY from Black Type Minerals Ltd www.blacktypeminerals. co.nz LK0093741©

• Do you need new farm tracks or upgrade existing ones?

• Or have you metal that could be used for crushing?

We do: • On site metal crushing • Metal supply and cartage • Upgrade existing tracks and drainage • Retaining wall construction • River protection and stream maintenance • All types of earthworks and metal contracting

CRAIGCO SHEEP JETTERS. Sensor Jet. Deal to fly and Lice now. Guaranteed performance.

Unbeatable pricing.

Phone 06 835 6863. www.craigcojetters.com

Tim McColl Contracting Ltd

CLASSIFIEDS ADVERTISING

Do you have something to sell?

Tim McColl, Owner / Operator

Ltd

Kiwitea, Feilding

Mobile: 027 446 3383 | A/hrs: 06 328 9851 Email: timmccollcontractingld@xtra.co.nz

Call Debbie

0800 85 25 80 classifieds@globalhq.co.nz

All types of earthwoks and metal contacting

BIRDS/POULTRY PULLETS HY-LINE brown, great layers.

07 824 1762. Website: eurekapoultryfarm.weebly. com – Have fresh eggs each day!!!

CODLING MOTH ORGANIC CONTROL pheromone ties. More information contact 06 329 6988.

CONTRACTORS GORSE AND THISTLE SPRAYING. Experience teams with mist blowers, hand pumps and gun and hose. No job too big.

Camp out teams. Phone Dave 06 375 8032.

BOOK AN AD. For only $2.10 + gst per word you can book a word only ad in Farmers Weekly Classifieds section.

Phone Debbie Brown on 0800 85 25 80 to book in or email classifieds@ globalhq.co.nz

DOGS FOR SALE HUNTAWAYS, HEADERS from 50 cents a day!

Deliver Northland to Invercargill!

Trial OK www.youtube.com/user/ mikehughesworkingdog/ videos 07 315 5553.

KELPIES, 6 WEEKS, b&t and r&t. Four males, three females. Great workers. $300. Phone 09 439 6720.

WAIKATO CENTRE. Tux yarding/Handy dog challenge/Trans-Tasman course. 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th November. Aratiatia Station, Taupo. Entries close 1st November.

Enquiries: Phone 07 543 2157 / 027 495 5368.

Combi Clamp Sheep Handler

The most versatile Sheep Handler on the market • No power • No air • No breakdowns • Hands free operation • Good flow • Complete control • Portable • Weigh, dag, draft, feet, vaccinate – all in one pass!

FARM MAPPING YOUR FARM MAPPED showing paddock sizes.

Priced from $600 for 100ha. Phone 0800 433 855. farmmapping.co.nz

FERTILISER DOLOMITE, NZ’s finest Magnesium fertiliser.

Bio-Gro certified, bulk or bagged. 0800 436 566.

GOATS WANTED 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.

GOATS. 40 YEARS experience mustering feral cattle and feral goats anywhere in NZ. 50% owner (no costs).

50% musterer (all costs).

Phone Kerry Coulter 027 494 4194.

Advertise in the NZ Farmers Weekly $2.10 + GST per word - Please print clearly

GRASS SEED

Name:

TAMA GRASS SEEDS for sale. Excellent test. Buy direct from grower at $1.50 per kg plus GST. Phone 027 721 0838.

Phone: Address:

HORTICULTURE NZ KELP. FRESH, wild ocean harvested giant kelp.

The world’s richest source of natural iodine. Dried and milled for use in agriculture and horticulture. Growth promotant / stock health food. As seen on Country Calendar. Orders to: 03 322 6115 or info@nzkelp.co.nz

Email: Heading: Advert to read:

LIVESTOCK FOR SALE

FOR SALE CUSTOM MADE steel and timber kennels. Fully insulated.

Dog boxes, chicken coops and much more. Please visit our website www.jelkennels. com Shipping NI wide.

Or call 07 895 9272.

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.

REACH EVERY FARMER IN NZ FROM MONDAY

B R O O K L A N D SIMMENTAL, LBW, short gestation, bulls, suitable for beef or dairy, EBV’s available. Phone 06 374 1802.

RED DEVON BULLS, R1.

Pure bred. Closed herds/ closed breeding groups.

BVD tested negative and vaccinated. Quiet and easy to handle. Phone John 027 644 1143.

WILTSHIRES-ARVIDSON. Self shearing sheep. No1 for Facial Eczema. David 027 2771 556.

PROPERTY WANTED HOUSE FOR REMOVAL wanted.

North Island.

Phone 021 0274 5654.

WEED SPRAYING BOOM SPRAY. Broad acre, brush weed control, total vegetation. Hilux gun and hose units x 2 and mist blowers for gorse, broome, blackberry control.

Covering Lower North Island. Phone 06 375 8660 or 021 396 447, email kingbilly718@gmail.com

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

Introducing our new large flatdeck dog box Standard price $1690 (GST incl) Including tie down rail (as shown) $1990 (GST incl)

The Combi Clamp …

Known for good sheep flow, has been tested and proven to be the fastest and most popular Sheep Handler sold in Australia, replacing many Automated Sheep Handler units on properties throughout Australia and New Zealand.

Custom builds are available • Shipping costs additional if required

Dimensions 1600w x 900d x 600h

wfmcanopies.co.nz • 07 307 2333 • office@wfmltd.co.nz

T H IN K PRE BU IL T

STOP BIRDS NOW!

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

Standard Crush, Vet Crush, Auto Head Yoke, Sliding Gates • Heavy Duty • Hot dipped galvanized • Efficient • One-man operation • Sure catch – never miss • Self-catching with auto reset • No weight limit • Easily adjustable width • Built to last • Full range of options available

NEW HOMES

DE HORNER

www.combiclamp.co.nz

Videos on website – On-farm demonstrations available South Island – Stuart 027 435 3062

Working alongside Crusader Meats

HOOF TRIMMER

EARMARKERS

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

FOR SALE CLASSIFIEDS ADVERTISING

POWER CABLE

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

We could save you hundreds of $$

Do you have something to sell?

HOMES FARM SHEDS SUBDIVISIONS PUMPS LK0093236©

LK0094432©

0800 227 228

Ph: 027 959 4166 johnnyanderin2017@gmail.com maiexperiencejohnnygray

Phone: +64 6 357 2454

SOLID – PRACTICAL WELL INSULATED – AFFORDABLE

Reliable Strong, ffi ient and E c

www.aotearoastockman.com

ZON BIRDSCARER

electro-tek@xtra.co.nz

Specialists in mustering Wild Goats, Cattle, Horses and Sheep across New Zealand Check out our website and let results speak for themselves

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

Cattle Handling Equipment

JOHNNY GRAY

LK0092991©

PURCHASING FERAL DEER

CLASSIFIEDS

LK0094398©

LK0093733©

LAMB DOCKING / TAILING CHUTE

GOATS WANTED

FERAL GOATS WANTED. All head counted, payment on pick-up, pick-up within 24 hours. Prices based on works schedule.

Experienced musterers available.

Phone Bill and Vicky Le Feuvre 07 893 8916.

LK0094199©

classifieds@globalhq.co.nz – 0800 85 25 80

Prices include delivery to your door!

For friendly & professional advice CALL 0800 843 0987 Fax: 07 843 0992 Email: power@thecableshop.co.nz THE CABLE SHOP WAIKATO www.thecableshop.co.nz

LK0093222©

46

Call Debbie

0800 85 25 80 classifieds@globalhq.co.nz

Livestock

FARMERS WEEKLY – September 17, 2018

livestock@globalhq.co.nz – 0800 85 25 80

47

Stokman / Heather Dell Sale Selling - 85 Yearling Angus Bulls 35 18mth Commercial Angus Heifers Wednesday 19 September 2018 - 1pm NEW!!!!!! - Sale at Farm 1708 Te Kopia Road Waikite Valley Rotorua

Are you looking in the right direction?

Your Angus Bull Source Average EBV’s on our Sale Bulls Calv Ease Gestation Lgth Birth Weight 400 Day 600 Day Self Replacing Angus Pure

+1.3 -5.5 +2.2 +85 +108 +146 +165

NZ Breed Average +.0 -3.9 +4.3 +77 +106 +108 +127

Call for a catalogue or view on www.angusnz.com Call Nigel

0800 85 25 80 livestock@globalhq.co.nz

BREEDING ANGUS BULLS FOR HEIFER MATING YOU CAN TRUST Pinebank

Glanworth

60 Yearling Bulls

by Private Treaty from October

35 Yearling Bulls

by Auction 12 Noon Viewing from 10.30am

CONTACT WILLIE Ph 06 372 7041 Email: falloon.waigroup@xtra.co.nz

CONTACT SHAUN Ph 06 376 8869 Email: Glanworthfarm@gmail.com glanworthangus

* Well grown - suitable for heifers or cows * Excellent temperments * BVD Tested and vaccinated * C10 status - EBV recorded * Stokman Bulls - Fertility and semen tested - i 50K tested for enhanced EBVs

PGG Wrightson Cam Heggie 027 501 8182 Mark & Sherrie Stokman Neil Heather Sam Wright 027 443 0905 161 Hossack Rd Ext Paradise Valley Road Pete Henderson 027 475 4895 Rotorua Rotorua Steve Wattum 027 493 4484 07 3332446 • 0276404028 027 421 4050 • 07 357 2142 Central Livestock: mtkiwi@farmside.co.nz neil-heather@xtra.co.nz Shane Scott 027 495 6031

anguswaigroup.co.nz

LK0094403©

LIVESTOCK ADVERTISING

PROTECT YOUR FUTURE FLOCKS

ECZEMA TOLERANT

ANGUS STUD – TE AKAU NZ

WAITEIKA HILL COUNTRY ROMNEYS RAMGUARD TESTING SINCE 1985 ***** RATING

Keith Abbott Raglan 027 463 9859 www.waiteikaromneys.co.nz

LK0094372©

* Robust functional sheep that survive * Dag and Condition Scoring * No ewes worm drenched, dipped or vaccinated WormFEC™ * Monitoring Parasites

Genetically linked to Waimai & Kikitangeo Romney

WEANER GRAZING AVAILABLE Central North Island

YEARLING BULL SALE 50 BULLS 27 SEPT 2018 @1PM TH

Waipapa Station, 163 Clemett Road, Te Akau W: www.twinoaksangus.co.nz E: twinoaksangus@gmail.com

Contact Roger and Susan Hayward – 07 8282 131

DECEMBER – MAY Grazing available for Weaners from 1 Dec 2018.

Large areas available • Summer safe • Facial Eczema safe Drench provided Managed by ex-dairy farmers, weighed and drenched regularly with weight reports provided.

May to May grazing also available

LK0094141©

PERFORMANCE •MATERNAL •PRODUCTION For more information call:

Andy Carlson 0274 529 697

48

livestock@globalhq.co.nz – 0800 85 25 80

Livestock

FARMERS WEEKLY – September 17, 2018

YEARLING BULL SALE RESULTS

Farmers Weekly will be launching the Yearling Bull Sale results from the 14th September.

farmersweekly.co.nz

2353FW

Contact Nigel today on 06 323 0761, 027 602 4925 or livestock@globalhq.co.nz to sign up or feature your sale results and receive weekly updates.

111 YEARSNA MAUNGAgHHerIefords

MEADOWSLEA ANGUS Spring Bull Sale

HANGAWERA STATION

111 Years Breedin

FRIDAY 5th OCTOBER 2018 1pm, on-farm Fairlie

ALE S L L U B G IN L R A E Y TH PM 28 SEPT 2018 AT 12

BUL L SAL E 398 Manuel Road, Tauhei

12.00pm Monday, October 1st, 2018 80x R2 HEREFORD SERVICE BULLS VIRGIN BULLS

Meadowslea F540 - ranked 3rd for Short Gestation

ALL BULLS BVD TESTED AND VACCINATED

(BLNZ Dairy Beef Progeny Test July 2018)

60 1yr Angus Bulls

Top picks included from leading bloodlines Featuring Low birth weights with calving ease, suitable for both Beef and Dairy Strong NZ Bloodlines with powerful maternal & fertility traits and exceptional rib & rump fats All bulls tested clear for EBL and BVD and vaccinated

Vendor: D S Giddings 03 685 8027 www.meadowslea.co.nz Auctioneers: PGW John McCone 027 229 9375 6% purchasing commission to all other companies

LK0094186©

Selected for mating Cows and Heifers

LK0094196©

Offering:

50 2yr Angus Bulls

LK00/4394©

Top 10% breed – Calving Ease, Short Gest, Low Birth Wt, Days to Calve, Scrotal, Milk, Rib and Rump Fat

71 LOTS OF OFFER n 39 Purebred registered Herefords yearling bulls n 16 Purebred Speckle Park yearling bulls n 12 Speckle Park / Hereford yearling bulls n 4 x 4 Elite Speckle Park Embryo packages

Selling Agents: PGG Wrightson Sam Wright 027 443 0905 Station Manager: Todd Linkhorn 027 258 1671

MAUNGAHINA HEREFORDS

PICK UP FRIDAY 2ND NOVEMBER 2018

45 Maungahina Road, RD 6, Masterton 5886 Mark McKenzie P 06 378 6896 M 027 415 8696

Clean vehicles and boots please Disinfection station on-site

AUCTIONS 54TH ANNUAL BUSHY DOWNS HEREFORD SERVICE BULL AUCTION

OUTSTANDING HEREFORD AND SPECKLE PARK BULL AUCTION A/C MAUNGAHINA HEREFORDS

3RD ANNUAL IN-MILK DAIRY HERD AUCTION A/C TROY STEVENSON

DATE: Monday 24 September 2018 ADDRESS: 850 Whatawhata Road, near Hamilton START TIME: 11.30 noon – under cover – D/C no 73081

DATE: Wednesday 26 September 2018 LOCATION: 660 Ngaroma Road, Wharepuhunga (38km South-East of Te Awamutu) TIME: 12:00pm – under cover

DATE: Friday 28 September 2018 LOCATION: 45 Maungahina Road, off Castle Point Road, Masterton TIME: 12:00pm - under cover

DATE: Friday 5 October 2018 ADDRESS: 437 Patiki Road, Pihama, Taranaki START TIME: 11.30am – under cover

COMPRISING OF: Capacity dairy cattle

COMPRISING OF:

COMPRISING OF:

COMPRISING OF:

• 350 Friesian and Friesian X in-milk herd BW 42/27, PW 66/14, R/A 81%

• 70 x Hereford 2 year virgin bulls

• 39 x purebred registered Hereford yearling bulls

• 150 Friesian and FriesianX in-milk cows

• 25 x Hereford yearling bulls

• 16 x purebred Speckle Park yearling bulls

• TB C10, Lepto vac annually

DETAILS:

• Herd been established since 2008 - LIC bred PSS

• TB C8 - TB tested negative - BVD clear and twice vaccinated

• 12 x Speckle Park / Hereford yearling bulls

• Top condition and payment deferred to 20 November 2018

• 350ms/cow avge, 97,000 som cell avge

• Closed herd - all cattle are bred on farm - buy with confidence

DETAILS:

• Bulls all progeny tested - data in catalogue

• Maungahina Stud has been operating for 110 years and guarantees their bulls.

• Farmed on rolling country, in large mobs, electric fence trained

• All bulls TB C10, BVD vaccinated, BVD and EBL blood tested

• Select your bulls for low birth weights and low gestation calving

• Maungahina Stud is a closed cattle operation with no outside cattle purchased

DETAILS:

• Approx 100 hfrs introduced yearly • Calved from 15 July, all in-milk, herd tested • High stocking levels, system 3 feeding in shed • New season Myco Bovis bulk test clear PAYMENT TERMS: 20 October 2018.

Delivery within week of auction FARM SOURCE LIVESTOCK AGENT: Matthew Hancock 027 601 3787

PAYMENT TERMS: Within 12 days of the auction. Complimentary BBQ lunch provided.

FARM SOURCE LIVESTOCK AGENTS: Mike Mckenzie 027 674 1149 Kelly Higgins 027 600 2374

• 4 x Speckle Park embryo packages

PAYMENT TERMS: 12 days from auction date.

FARM SOURCE LIVESTOCK AGENTS: Bunter Anderson 027 444 1169 Monty Monteith 027 807 0522 Hamish Manthel 027 432 0298

0800 548 339 | nzfarmsource.co.nz/livestock

EARN FARM SOURCE REWARD DOLLARS ON ALL FARM SOURCE LIVESTOCK PURCHASES & SALES* *

T&Cs apply. See nzfarmsource.co.nz/rewards

• BW 110, PW 140 – fully recorded

DETAILS: • Predominately young cows and herd tested prior 20/09 • Calved from 25 July and in good mating condition • TB CM, Lepto vacc, BVD bulk milk tested, milked in Rotary shed twice a day • All dairy cows are aged between 2-6 years PAYMENT TERMS: 20 November 2018, delivery within 5 days of auction. Deferred payment options available by prior arrangement.

FARM SOURCE LIVESTOCK AGENT: Brent Espin 027 551 3660

LK0093834©

FARM SOLD – ESTABLISHED HERD FOR AUCTION A/C HGC FARMING LTD

Livestock

FARMERS WEEKLY – September 17, 2018

Safe, Closed-Herd Bred Bulls

livestock@globalhq.co.nz – 0800 85 25 80

STOCK REQUIRED

PROGRESSIVE LIVESTOCK LTD

Safe Traceable Bulls

EWES and LAMBS

R1 YR STEERS 230-270kg

WANTED

200-270kg

17-Born Friesian Yearling Heifers

Bulls For Heifer Mating

THE CHOICE IS

End September Delivery

27TH ANNUAL SALE

Contact Rob Blincoe 027 677 8969 Greg Collins 027 481 9772 www.progressivelivestock.co.nz

FORDELL, WANGANUI

YR HEIFERS R2 YR XBRED HEIFERS www.dyerlivestock.co.nz

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

12 noon, Tuesday September 25th

30 TWO-YEAR BULLS 130 YEARLING BULLS

WILLIAM MORRISON 027 640 1166 RICHARD MORRISON 021 626 513 ardofarm@xtra.co.nz

MIKE CRANSTONE 06 342 7721• 027 218 0123 crannyandcath@outlook.com

www.ezicalve.co.nz

KAURI DOWNS ANGUS 2ND ANNUAL 1YR BULL SALE Wednesday 26th September 2018 12:30pm On farm: 468 Waihi-Whangamata Rd, Waihi • 24 Top 1-year Angus Bulls • 1 x 4-year Angus sire (Storthoaks bred) Key traits, calving ease/below breed average birth weight/short gestation, with good growth & ideal for Heifer mating.

For Catalogues and enquiries: Phone Vendor Dave Fogarty 027 2066 931 or 07 884 5774

LK0093861©

Angus Pure Endorsed.

Selling Agents Brent Bougen 027 210 4698 Cam Heggie 027 501 8182 NZFL Stud Stock PGGW Genetics

LIVESTOCK ADVERTISING

LK0093945©

On-farm auction, Marton

LK0093922©

THURSDAY 20 SEPT – 12 NOON

100 YEARLING BULLS 30 TWO-YEAR-OLD BULLS

www.ezicalve.co.nz

220-270kg R1

$1200.00

RIVERTON HEREFORDS

BREEDING HIGHLY MARKETABLE CALVES

R1 YR BULLS

R2 YR STEERS 450-550kg

Domestic Order

LK0094435©

Bulls For Heifer Mating

49

Advertise in Farmers Weekly

Call Nigel

BullsEye Sale - 20th September 2018

0800 85 25 80 livestock@globalhq.co.nz

13th Annual Service Bull Sale - Undercover

10yr

11am Start - Concludes 2pm approx 300 McDonald Mine Road Signposted from Huntly Bridge 520 BULLS COMPRISING: 11.00am Beef Bulls 35 x R3 PB Virgin Hereford 66 x R2 PB Virgin Angus 27 x R2 WF & Beefx

10 Yr CLOSED 135 x R2 PB Virgin Hereford 28 x R2 PB Red Devon 7 x R2 Belted Galloway

1pm (approx.) Dairy Bulls 75 x R3 Jersey 70 x R2 Jersey 36 x R2 Virgin Friesian 20 x R2 Virgin Ayrshire 22 x R2 Rec Virgin Friesian/Xbred Vendors: David & Fiona MacKenzie - 027 431 2279 Agent in Charge: Bill Sweeney - 027 451 5310 David and Fiona have nasal sample tested a percentage of bulls from every mob being offered for sale to the recommendations of their Veterinary practice. All results being M-Bovis not detected.

Our Vendors stand behind their bulls, if there is an issue with a bull on arrival you can swap the bull or be fully refunded. Delivery every Monday until 29th October 2018 View photos of the bulls on MyLiveStock.co.nz Pick what you want, delivery when you want and pay when you want via Bull Plan!

HEREFORD

+ No

Trad i

ng

HERD & FARM

7th Annual Bull Sale - Monday 24th September 2018

1358 Buckland Road - Cambridge - Undercover - 12 Noon

45 Grass fed Hereford Yearling Bulls - Approx 460kg l/w ave. Suitable for cows.

BW & LW provided, TB C10, EBL Free, BVD Negative & Lepto 7in1 Double vaccinated Bred for medium birth weight, calving ease and temperament.

All bull purchasers enter a draw for 2 x lots of 30 native trees from Cambrilea Riparian Services. Light luncheon & drinks provided. Signposted from Mobil Karapiro. SH1 FOR FURTHER DETAILS CONTACT: VENDORS: HELEN & CHARLIE LEA - 07 827 6868 OR 021 833 221. info@ratanuifarm.co.nz BRENT BOUGEN - 027 210 4698 GARETH PRICE - 0274 777 310 ANDREW FINDLAY - 027 273 4808

50

livestock@globalhq.co.nz – 0800 85 25 80

Livestock

FARMERS WEEKLY – September 17, 2018

Auahi Charolais

Est. 1981

Pio Pio

SALE TALK So there’s a man and a woman in a bar and the man turns to the woman and says “Hey, I’ve got this magic water that can make me fly.” Then the woman says “I don’t believe you. Show me.”

Henderson Partners

Farmers – Check your old bulls

LIVESTOCK ADVERTISING

GOING GOING GONE!

SPRING BULL SALE LK0094400©

C10.

6 stylish 2-year Bulls

B.V.D. inocultated Good EBV’s

Call Nigel

0800 85 25 80 livestock@globalhq.co.nz

Phone John: 07 873 8477 or 0276 33 1776

38 Yearling Bulls

TUESDAY, 25 SEPTEMBER 2018 Starts 1pm at 43 Finlay Road, Cambridge

KAYJAY ANGUS

ON ACCOUNT OF: TAKAPOTO ANGUS Bulls available for viewing from 11am on sale day or by prior arrangement by contacting Sam Le Cren Ph: 027 474 9989 | Email: sam@takapoto.co.nz

SELLING AGENTS: PGG WRIGHTSON Andy Transom 0275 965 142 Cam Heggie 0275 018 182

31 BULLS SUITED TO HEIFERS & COWS 28 HEIFERS READY FOR MATING

So the man downs a magic water and gets on the top of the roof, jumps off, and flies back on. The woman says “Wow! Do that again!”

And so the man goes back downstairs to drink another magic water, gets back on the roof, jumps off, flies back on. The woman says “Whoa! I gotta try that for myself!”

The woman goes downstairs, asks the bar tender for some magic water, drinks it, gets on the roof, jumps off, and dies.

When the man comes back downstairs the bar tender says to him, “You know Super Man, you’re a real jerk when you’re drunk.”

ANNUAL YEARLING BULL & HEIFER SALE

FRIDAY 21 September at 12.30pm ENQUIRIES & VIEWING WELCOME • For CATALOGUES or to join our MAILING LIST Contact: Neil & Joan Kjestrup 06 372 2838 or Rod & Sam Kjestrup 06 372 7533 kayjaycattleco@outlook.com

54th Annual Hereford Bull Sale Wednesday 26th September, 12noon

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

25 TOP YEARLING BULLS & 70 2-YEAR OLD BULLS

Sound bulls with exceptional temperament - Full EBV details in catalogue.

Bulls for Beef & Dairy - Selection of Short Gestation & Low Birth weights available.

Free delivery 80kms.

Celebrating 75 years of breeding quality Herefords

KELVIN & CYNTHIA PORT • P: 07 872 2628 • M: 022 648 2417 • E: kcport@gmail.com ROBERT & MARIAN PORT • P: 07 872 2715

te

es sT

i ov B a

ar

le dC

sm

la op c My

On Farm Bull Sale – 26th September 2018 at Midday 175 2 yr old Performance Recorded Hereford Bulls Catalogues are available late August from: John and Liz McKerchar, Shrimpton's Hill Herefords Cave, South Canterbury | Ph 03 6143759 | Email shrimptons@farmside.co.nz Web www.shrimptonshillherefords.co.nz

For enquiries please contact:

Matt Gibbs, PGG Wrightson 027 555 2307 Jim Hazlett, Hazlett Rural Limited 027 462 0128 Callum Dunnett, Carrfields 027 587 0131 Snow Buckley, Peter Walsh and Associates 027 561 4652 Mick Withers, Rural Livestock Ltd 027 473 0817 Peter Jackson, NZ Farmers Livestock Ltd

Livestock

FARMERS WEEKLY – September 17, 2018

livestock@globalhq.co.nz – 0800 85 25 80

51

A r v i d s o n W I L T S H I R E S - Pure Meat, No Shearing

2-year Jersey and Hereford Bulls also.

A large number of these Bulls are homebred, low birthweight.

Tested and vaccinated.

Are you looking in the right direction?

Call Nigel

CONTACT Brad Bell 027 696 1937 06 388 0339

LK0094395©

0800 85 25 80 livestock@globalhq.co.nz

LIVESTOCK FOR SALE

PINE PARK RAMS FE Coopworth FE Romney x Coop Texel x Coopworth Suffolk Suftex Texel x Poll Dorset

Belted Galloways 30 Purebred 2-year heifers, empty 20 Purebred Yearling heifers

SIL Carcass Scanned FE Testing Edward Sherriff 06 327 6591 021 704 778

Sought after for breeding bulls for the dairy market

LK0094396©

LIVESTOCK ADVERTISING

LK0093719©

A selection of Yearling Hereford Bulls From $1700

LK0094345©

NZ’s No1 F.E. Meat Breed Flock * SIL * Parasite Testing Well Muscled - Fast Growth. Ph: David 027 2771 556

FOR SALE

Phone: 027 505 1010

FINAL DISPERSAL SALE

HIGH In-Milk INDEXING JERSEY & JERSEY Friesian Cows and Yearling Heifers CROSS HERD Monday 1st October 2018 at 11.30am

Vendors: IJ & MA RA Lockwood BW 143/50 PWM/s 161/67 100% 102 Cowan Road, Hunua, RD 2, Papkura 2583 (in top 10 All Breeds for NZ )

LK0094433©

LK0094016©

Sale to be held on the vendors property will comprise: • 12 Friesian in-milk MA cows Many cows contracted to LIC for 2011 matings 2-year-old heifers 6.5 weeks Due• 30 to Friesian calvein-milk from 16-7-12, • 34 Friesian Yearling heifers (CRL) AB Jersey and Kiwi cross This outstanding Semex bred herd was sold in milk last • Estimated to on beoffer420 cows cows after non All home Bred Bulls spring. The cows were carryover and the pregnant, culls, older cows 5% rejection 2-year-olds are the complete line&retained last year.

28th September 2018 - 12 Noon They have alllast been calved down and milked through a • Production season 347kgs ms/cow, herringbone shed with on milk fed to calves.to Reports from A/C Colin & Carol King 1000kgs ms/ha, rolling steeper the herd sale have been most complimentary with cows contoured no ofmeal, maize Awakino Gorge SHW 3 producingfarm, in excess 700kgpalm ms. Thekernel in-milk or females fed.have outstanding udders and the yearlings are considered 48 Hereford Bulls 476kg av, 426 to 587kg the best ever bred by our vendors.

• Young replacement stock also available 14 Angus Yearling Bulls This is a sale those farmers in need of high producing, genuine cattle can attend with confidence. Milked to beareone of BVD Tested & Vaccinated, TB Tested, C10 Outstanding on a verygenetics wet farm in& a wetpotential area these cattle the countries leading suppliers of Genetics to recommended to shift well.

Viewing from 10am the dairy industry foris years come.

Full details A sales catalogue availableto from the auctioneers or is Contact available online at www.brianrobinsonlivestock.com available.

Grant Ross 021 174 8403 Carrfields All enquiries to the auctioneers: Enquiries the sole marketing agents: Brianto Robinson Livestock Ltd Hamilton Brent Bougen 027 210 4698 NZ Farmers Brian Robinson 0272 410 051 Kevin Hart 0272 915 575 Steve Sutton 027 442 3207 NZ FarmersBrian Robinson BRLL Selwyn Donald 0274 378 375 or Colin & Carol King 06 752 9863 PH: 0272 07188 8583132 Neil410051 McDonaldor 0272 904

1st Annual Yearling Bull Sale 24th September 2018 – 11am 625 Jackson Road, KUMEROA 28 Yearling Angus Bulls – Suitable for cow and heifer mating 3 2-year Bulls – Suitable for cows • • • • •

BVD tested & vaccinated Pedigree free of all known genetic defects Quiet and well handled Well grown quality bulls Comprehensive guarantee

View online catalogue www.angusnz.com For more information or to view before sale contact: Vendor: Kevin & Megan Friel Phone 06 376 4543 or 027 625 8526 PGG Wrightson: Simon Smith Phone 027 444 0733 PGG Wrightson: Dean Lindsay Phone 06 374 2759 or 0274 421 753

LK0094361©

BEXLEY HEREFORD 9TH ANNUAL YEARLING• • BULL SALE

MT MABLE ANGUS

Gary Falkner Jersey Marketing Service PH: 027 482 8771 or 07 846 4491

Your source for PGG Wrightson livestock and farming listings 25TH ANNUAL POLLED HEREFORD BULL SALE

COMPLETE INMILK HERD DISPERSAL SALE

Tuesday 25th September 2018, 12.30pm Start

Wednesday 19th September, 11.30am Start Morrinsville Saleyards A/C M G Muir 150 Inmilk Ayrshire/ Ayrshire X Cows.

Fully recorded, BVD tested, EBL free, TB C10.

Change of farming practice, milked on steep coastal country on Manuaku Peninsula. Shift very well.

Catalogues available after herd test.

Enquiries to: Colin Saunderson – 0274 936 524

Frankton Saleyards A/C W G Thomson & G M Cornes - Te Mata, Ragan 40 2 year Hereford Bulls Top bulls from long established stud. Farmed on Raglan coastal hill country.

Good colours, good temperament Top stud Hereford sires used (Mokairau & Otapawa) ELB neg, TB status C10, BVD tested & innoculated twice.

Bulls fully guaranteed.

Bred for ease of calving.

Vendor only sale.

Enquiries to: Chris Leuthart - 07 825 8410 or 0274 936 594

HANGAWERA HEREFORD BULL SALE Monday 1st October, 12pm Start Manuel Road, Tauhei 70 2 year Hereford Bulls BVD tested/ vaccinated EBL tested negative All virgin bulls Great selection of well marked, owner bred bulls Delivery to suit purchaser until Nov 2018 Enquiries: Dean Evans – 0272 431 092

OUTSTANDING HIGH BW INMILK FRIESIAN FRIESIAN X CLEARING SALE A/C Monowai Farms (Neja Trust) Tuesday 25th September 2018, 11am Start 430 Pickering Road, RD 3, Hamilton Comprising: 182 Inmilk Frsn/ Frsn X Cows BW 115, PW 142, RA 99% Currently producing 2.3 M/S on system 3 last season, avg 563 M/S at factory includes 6 cows with contracts.

Cows show excellent confirmation production up to 854 M/S, BW’s up to 220 and PW’s up to 453, 50% of herd descending from Dawn. Farm has no livestock bordering its boundaries. Mbovis milk tested negative.

Herd test figures available. EBL Free, BVD negative, H/B Shed.

Catalogues available.

Enquiries to: Agent: Chris Ryan – 0272 431 078 Agent: Andrew Reyland – 0272 237 092 Vendor: Alan & Linda Powell – 021 406 693

Freephone 0800 10 22 76 | www.pggwrightson.co.nz

Key: Dairy

Cattle

Sheep

Other

Secure your bull team with no upfront cost Talk to us about a Defer-A-Bull purchase agreement.

We’ll help you secure your bull team early with a deferred payment date that works best for you.

• • • •

No upfront cost No repayments until bulls are sold Secure as many bulls as you need Get expert support and advice from your local dairy specialist.

To find or head

Helping grow the country

MARKET SNAPSHOT

52

Market Snapshot brought to you by the AgriHQ analysts.

Suz Bremner

Rachel Agnew

Mel Croad

Cattle

Reece Brick

Sheep

BEEF

Deer

SHEEP MEAT

VENISON

Last week

Prior week

Last year

NI Steer (300kg)

5.95

5.95

5.60

NI lamb (17kg)

8.55

8.55

7.10

NI Stag (60kg)

11.30

11.30

9.70

NI Bull (300kg)

5.50

5.50

5.50

NI mutton (20kg)

5.20

5.30

4.20

SI Stag (60kg)

11.35

11.40

9.70

NI Cow (200kg)

4.50

4.50

4.30

SI lamb (17kg)

8.30

8.30

6.95

SI Steer (300kg)

5.90

5.80

5.30

SI mutton (20kg)

5.20

5.25

4.20

SI Bull (300kg)

5.30

5.30

5.00

Export markets (NZ$/kg)

SI Cow (200kg)

4.40

4.50

4.20

UK CKT leg

8.81

8.71

8.66

US imported 95CL bull

6.63

6.66

6.63

US domestic 90CL cow

6.93

6.93

6.99

Slaughter price (NZ$/kg)

Last week Prior week

Last year

Export markets (NZ$/kg)

6.0

$/kg CW

7.5

Oct

Dec

Feb

Apr

Jun

2016-17

Jun

Aug 2017-18

Prior week

Last year

Coarse xbred ind.

3.42

3.34

3.16

37 micron ewe

3.55

3.50

$/tonne

6.0

Oct-17

Dec-17

Feb-18 Sept. 18

Apr-18

Jun-18 Sept. 19

DAIRY FUTURES (US$/T) Nearby contract

-

523

477

3.40

Super

304

304

303

-

DAP

753

753

702

Last price*

Nov-17

Prior week

vs 4 weeks ago

Jan-18

Mar-18

May-18

Jul-18

Sep-18

440

2790

2940

420

SMP

2035

2035

1995

400

AMF

5330

5330

5675

Butter

4290

4305

4750

Milk Price

6.69

6.70

6.70

$/tonne

2745

380 360 340 320

* price as at close of business on Thursday

Sep-17

WMP FUTURES - VS FOUR WEEKS AGO

Nov-17

Jan-18

Mar-18

May-18

Jul-18

Sep-18

WAIKATO PALM KERNEL 350

3050 2950

$/tonne

300

2850

NZ average (NZ$/t)

Top 10 by Market Cap

CANTERBURY FEED BARLEY

WMP

2750

-

523

370

Sep-17

Aug 2017-18

Urea

420

320

Aug-18

Jun

Last year

470

6.5

Apr 2016-17

Prior week

CANTERBURY FEED WHEAT

7.0

Feb

Last week

Grain

Data provided by

MILK PRICE FUTURES

5.5

Dec

Fertiliser

Aug 2017-18

Last week

30 micron lamb

Dairy

Oct

FERTILISER

(NZ$/kg)

5-yr ave

$/kg MS

Apr 2016-17

WOOL

Feb

8

5-yr ave

5.0

Dec

9

6

5-yr ave

Oct

10

7

6.5

4.5

4.5

US$/t

$/kg CW

$/kg CW $/kg CW

South Island lamb slaughter price

5.5

5.5

4.0

South Island stag slaughter price

11

8.5

South Island steer slaughter price

8

12

5.0

6.0

9

6

4.5

4.0

10

7

5.5

4.5

Last year

11

6.5

5.5

Last week Prior week

North Island stag slaughter price

12

7.5

$/kg CW

North Island steer slaughter price

North Island lamb slaughter price

8.5

Slaughter price (NZ$/kg)

$/kg CW

Slaughter price (NZ$/kg)

Ingrid Usherwood

Company

Close

YTD High

The a2 Milk Company Limited

12.06

14.62

YTD Low 7.66

Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Corporation Ltd

15.25

16.44

11.92

Meridian Energy Limited

3.28

3.30

2.75

Auckland International Airport Limited

6.99

7.20

6.11

Spark New Zealand Limited

4.04

4.09

3.28

Ryman Healthcare Limited

13.53

14.09

10.27

Fletcher Building Limited

6.32

7.96

5.74

Mercury NZ Limited (NS)

3.29

3.45

3.08

Contact Energy Limited

5.73

5.96

5.15

Air New Zealand Limited (NS)

3.17

3.43

2.86

Listed Agri Shares

5pm, close of market, Thursday

Company

Close

YTD High

YTD Low

The a2 Milk Company Limited

12.060

14.620

7.660

Comvita Limited

5.990

9.210

5.590

Delegat Group Limited

10.600

11.000

7.510

Foley Family Wines Limited

1.450

1.610

1.400

Fonterra Shareholders' Fund (NS)

5.010

6.660

4.800

Livestock Improvement Corporation Ltd (NS)

0.730

3.000

0.700

New Zealand King Salmon Investments Ltd

2.620

2.990

1.840

PGG Wrightson Limited

0.610

0.720

0.560

Sanford Limited (NS)

7.710

8.500

7.350

Scales Corporation Limited

4.900

5.000

4.350

SeaDragon Limited

0.003

0.006

0.002

Seeka Limited

6.100

7.010

5.800

Synlait Milk Limited (NS)

13.200

13.530

6.260

T&G Global Limited

3.100

3.300

3.080

Tegel Group Holdings Limited

1.130

1.240

0.810

S&P/NZX Primary Sector Equity

17453

17682

14417

S&P/NZX 50 Index

9249

9363

8059

S&P/NZX 10 Index

8976

9212

7640

250

Sep

Oct Nov Latest price

Dec Jan 4 weeks ago

Feb

200

Sep-17

S&P/FW PRIMARY SECTOR EQUITY

Nov-17

Jan-18

Mar-18

May-18

Jul-18

Sep-18

17453

S&P/NZX 50 INDEX

9249

S&P/NZX 10 INDEX

8976

53

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – September 17, 2018 NI SLAUGHTER BULL

SI SLAUGHTER COW

SI SLAUGHTER MUTTON

($/KG CW)

($/KG CW)

GOOD STORE EWE LAMBS AT FEILDING

($/KG CW)

($/HD)

4.40

5.50

5.25

135

Store cattle on menu

E

XTRA yards got into spring fair action with more than 1000 cattle each at Temuka, Feilding, Wellsford and Stortford Lodge. While paddocks are still drying out in the North Island there was plenty of widespread interest for quality beef cattle, with equally as strong demand for traditional and exotic lines sold at Temuka. Buyers tended to be more selective for beefFriesian cattle however.

NORTHLAND NORTHLAND The September yearling cattle fair at WELLSFORD is usually not as well supported as the August event, and that rang true last Monday.

Just over 1200 mainly yearlings were victims of poor weather, and while steers sold on a steady to easing market bulls and heifers came back.

Traditional steers eased 10c/kg as 220280kg averaged $3.33/kg, but there was more weight in the pens and a few lines still cracked $1000 due to that. HerefordFriesian, 270-300kg, made $3.36-$3.45/ kg, and 218-219kg at $3.93-$3.97/kg bet Angus-Friesian by just over 40c/kg.

Anything over $4.00/kg was a rarity.

Friesian bulls lost on average 40c/kg as 266kg made $2.76-$2.82/kg and 210219kg, $2.95-$3.00/kg.

In the heifer pens some good cattle could be purchased at reasonable rates.

Most traditional heifers 240kg and better earned $2.81-$2.93/kg, while HerefordFriesian, 264-333kg, fared better at $2.94-$3.00/kg. A stand-out line of 24 Hereford-Friesian, 231kg, sold for $3.40/ kg. Angus-Friesian, 208-278kg, also bettered the traditional cattle at $3.04$3.20/kg.

The KAIKOHE sale last Wednesday followed the trend seen over the past few weeks as limited grass continues to restrict buyer interest, PGG Wrightson agent Vaughan Vujcich reported.

Around 550 head were offered and while the better bred lines captured interest, lesser sorts and off-types hardly

Dollar Watch

Continued page 54

NZD vs

If you love the information you get from these pages, you will love AgriHQ’s livestock reports.

LivestockEye

We create transparency for the industry with these independent, objective reports providing full sale results and informed commentary covering 10 saleyards across NZ that are emailed directly after the sale.

Livestock Insight

Every week, we explain the context of the current market situation, drivers which are impacting the livestock markets and what to expect in the coming week.

CUTE: A scene from the Wellsford sale yards in 2012.

This week

Prior week

Last year

NEW Zealand’s terms of USD 0.6654 0.6636 0.7209 trade remain at a high level, EUR 0.5693 0.5745 0.6039 suggesting markets should not be too bearish on the outlook AUD 0.9163 0.9153 0.9086 for the kiwi dollar in the face of GBP 0.5103 0.5182 0.5556 obvious headwinds, the BNZ Correct as of 9am last Friday says.

Coupled with reasonable global risk appetite levels and despite NZ interest rates falling below comparable United States rates, that should merit the dollar being valued about 5% higher against the US$ than it is now, currency strategist Nick Smyth said.

The kiwi has fallen further because of trade tariff wrangles between the US and China and what hits the Chinese currency also impacts on the NZ and Aussie dollars.

President Donald Trump might or might not impose the full tariffs he has threatened but if there is some sort of reasonable outcome it’s easy to see how the kiwi could rise from here, Smyth said.

On that basis, the dollar could lift to US$0.68 by late this year and to 0.69 into mid-2019.

BNZ believes the kiwi could also gain against sterling and the euro over the next few months (€0.58 and £0.54 at year-end) before easing steadily next year and 2020 as the European Central Bank moves towards raising interest rates and Britain and Europe possibly resolve the Brexit issue in a way positive for both. The kiwi could end next year at €0.53 and £0.49, with those currencies also stronger against the US$.

Alan Williams

Sharemarket briefing TRADE tensions between the United States and its major trading partners again dominated headlines while in Europe investors were tracking the latest Brexit developments.

The NZX 50 logged it biggest daily gain in 22 months on Tuesday, jumping 1.96%.

It remains up a healthy 9.5% year to date on the back of an exceptionally strong performance during August. Emerging market shares are down almost 20% from the 2018 peak and the Shanghai Composite in China is 19.7% lower than where it was at the start of the year.

President Donald Trump said he is ready to go on an additional US$267 billion worth of tariffs on Chinese goods. The United States and China have hit US$50b worth of each other’s goods with tariffs in a dispute over US demands China make sweeping economic policy changes.

There are reports the Trump Administration has invited Chinese officials to restart trade talks but details are yet unknown and some investors remain sceptical.

China told the World Trade Organisation it wants to impose US$7b a year in sanctions on the US in retaliation for Washington’s non-compliance with a ruling in a dispute over US dumping duties.

Market commentary provided by Craigs Investment Partners

Livestock Outlook

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54 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – September 17, 2018 raised an eyebrow. Good two-year Hereford-Friesian steers sold up to $2.90-$3.00/kg, with second cuts making $2.80-$2.85/kg.

Any Hereford and Angus heifers achieved $2.90-$2.94/kg, but good beef-dairy heifers were well off that pace at $2.50-$2.65/kg.

The yearling market followed the same pattern. Good Simmental steers, 350kg, reached $3.05/kg, while Hereford-Friesian, 250-280kg, made $3.20-$3.30/ kg. Angus & Angus-Hereford heifers made it to $3.00-$3.15/kg, but crossbred lines dropped to $2.50-$2.65/kg. Bull prices were variable as exotic lines managed $3.15-$3.28/kg and the better beef-cross, $2.80-$2.90/kg, but crossbred lines were very hard to sell.

Breeding cows made a brief appearance in the form of runwith-bull Simmental at $3.25/ kg and with calves-at-foot, $1320 per unit. In-calf dairy cows sold for $2.38/kg, while empty lines firmed to $2.10-$2.25/kg for heavy types and $1.85-$1.95/kg for medium.

AUCKLAND AUCKLAND A large quantity of cattle was on offer at PUKEKOHE on Saturday 8th September but met good demand from a sizeable bench.

Demand for prime cattle was as strong as ever and top steers made $1530-$1850, $2.99-$3.18/ kg, while second cuts sold for $1230-$1450, $2.81-$3.18/kg.

Heifers returned $1450-$1700, $2.95-$3.05/kg. Boner cows sold for $890-$1250, $1.93-$2.08/kg, and a cow with a calf made $1530.

A keen bench of buyers participated on the store pens and medium yearling steers reached $950-$1020, $3.07-$3.21/kg, while lighter types traded at $750-$830, $3.65-$4.66/kg. Medium heifers earned $680-$830, with the lighter end up to $3.80/kg.

Small crossbred weaner steers sold for $450-$500 and even smaller types, $200-$390. Heifers traded at $405-$525.

COUNTIES COUNTIES A big yarding of well over 1000 store cattle was presented at TUAKAU last Thursday, Karl Chitham of Carrfields Livestock reported.

The first major spring sale of the year drew a large bench of buyers, including some from outside the region, and the market for most classes was similar to the previous week.

Older steers and heifers made up a big chunk of the yarding.

The steer section was dominated

by Hereford-Friesian, with most 450-520kg selling at $2.89-$3.14/ kg. The next cut at 350-450kg earned $3.05-$3.16/kg, and the bulk of the R1 steers, 220-320kg, made $810-$1080. Weaner steers also sold well. Hereford-Friesian, 125kg, made $690, Shorthorncross, 122kg, $570, and redbodied Hereford-Friesian, 119kg, $595. Friesian weaner bulls, 125kg, fetched $575.

The heifer section featured a line of very good Charolais, 400-480kg, which traded over $3.00/kg. Most beef and dairybeef heifers in the 300-380kg range earned $2.85-$3.00/kg and 220-250kg, $710-$760. HerefordFriesian weaners, 125kg, made $560.

Last Wednesday’s prime sale drew a small yarding but the market was firm. Heavy prime steers traded at $3.08-$3.24/ kg, with medium types making $2.90-$3.06/kg, and lighter beef steers $2.85-$2.90/kg. Heifer numbers were light. HerefordFriesian, 478kg, earned $2.98/kg and Shorthorn, 475kg, $2.99/kg.

Heavy well-conditioned Friesian and light-medium beef cows sold for $2.02-$2.12/kg, with medium Friesian fetching $1.73-$1.89/ kg. Lighter boners sold down to $1.58/kg About 800 ewes and lambs were on offer at last Monday’s sheep sale and most classes sold at similar levels to the previous week. Heavy prime lambs traded at $185-$222 and medium $151$172. One pen of store lambs returned $111 and the best of the heavy prime ewes fetched $120149. Medium ewes made $105$120, with lighter types selling down to $54.

WAIKATO Good spring weather increased interest at FRANKTON last Wednesday and the market was solid.

Two-year steers were strong as Angus & Angus-Hereford, 363438kg, earned $3.05-$3.17/kg, and Hereford-cross, 367-415kg, lifted to $2.92-$3.05/kg. HerefordFriesian heifers were steady at $3.11/kg.

Autumn-born one-year steers firmed with Angus-Hereford, 325kg, at $3.08/kg and HerefordFriesian, 320kg, returning $3.41/ kg.

Yearling cattle were solid across the board and specially advertised Hereford-Friesian steers, 222322kg, lifted to $3.40-$3.56/kg.

Others of note were Herefordcross, 293-302kg, $3.38-$3.48/kg, and beef-cross, 252-287kg, $3.48$3.53/kg. Hereford-cross and Hereford-Friesian heifers, 223281kg, exceeded the boys $/kg by earning $3.37-$3.59/kg, while Angus-Friesian, 159-182kg, were strong at $3.21-$3.46/kg. Friesian bulls sold in two bands with 240-251kg fetching $3.23-$3.27/ kg, and the remainder, 208-358kg, managed $2.80-$2.93/kg.

Quality autumn-born weaners were solid, and Hereford-Friesian bulls, 150-155kg, maintained levels of $700, while Friesian, 114-167kg, lifted to $500-$660.

Hereford-cross heifers, 103-145kg, were steady to lifting at $400$430, while Hereford-Friesian, 109-155kg, traded at $450-$540.

The prime market was steady, with beef steers, 462-546kg, trading at $3.01-$3.09/kg, and dairy lines, 465-637kg, $2.82$2.96/kg. Prime beef heifers, 413-417kg, traded at similar levels to the boys of $3.00-$3.05/kg and Hereford-Friesian, 370-548kg, varied from $2.93/kg to $3.16/kg.

Friesian boner cows, 498-512kg, softened to $2.05-$2.06/kg.

The feeder calf market was strong for medium calves and small calves strengthened for some, while all good types softened.

Good Friesian bulls eased to $150, while medium lifted to $115 and small $60. Good HerefordFriesian bulls were back to $350, with medium lifting to $260, but small types softened to $100.

Hereford-Friesian heifers lifted

across the board, with heavy calves at $150, medium $85, and small $40.

BAY OF PLENTY BAY OF PLENTY A run of fine weather was just what Bay of Plenty residents ordered, and it helped bring some spark back into the market at RANGIURU last Tuesday.

An entry of 43 2-year AngusFriesian made the journey due to very wet conditions at home, and they met keen interest from local buyers. The top cuts, 412-430kg, realised $3.05-$3.08/kg, and 387388kg, $3.13-$3.17/kg.

Aside from that consignment the yarding was typically small lines and beef-dairy dominated.

Yearling steer prices were more consistent and 222-280kg Hereford-Friesian sold for $880-$1020, with the lighter end nudging $4.00/kg. Buyers were more selective on heifers and six Charolais-cross, 285kg, returned $1045, $3.67/kg, while the only line to crack $4.00/kg was 170kg Hereford-Friesian.

The prime market sold to expectations and steers, 545605kg, mostly made $3.01-$3.11/ kg, while Hereford-Friesian heifers, 455-490kg, were steady at $2.93-$3.00/kg. Friesian cows also made steady returns as 482562kg fetched $1.97-$2.01/kg.

A small sheep section posted some of the best prices seen as prime lambs hit $207-$221.

TARANAKI TARANAKI Another good yarding of just over 400 cattle greeted sale goers at TARANAKI last Wednesday, with volume continuing to buck the trend of typical movements between the cattle fairs, New Zealand Farmers Livestock agent Stephen Sutton reported.

The attraction for vendors is the strong market prices and twoyear steers did not disappoint.

Charolais-cross, 320-397kg, reached $3.43-$3.53/kg and 437-446kg Angus-Friesian sold on a firm market at $3.27-$3.34/ kg. Hereford-Jersey, 435-496kg, returned $3.23-$3.31/kg. Friesian was the main feature in a small two-year heifer section and sold well relative to market value with 339-360kg returning $2.50-$2.55/ kg.

Just one pen of yearling cattle hit 10-head with the remainder under. Beef-Dairy steers averaged 215kg and sold just shy of $4.00/ kg, while Hereford-Friesian, 247-252kg, firmed to $3.60-$3.61/ kg. Late-born Friesian steers, 254-255kg, returned $2.75-$2.80/ kg. Four Hereford bulls sold for breeding with one making $1300, and the remainder at $1250.

Boner cows finished off the day and Friesian prices firmed as 497620kg went under the hammer for $2.34-$2.42/kg.

POVERTY BAY POVERTY BAY This time of year is typically very quiet in the MATAWHERO sheep pens and last Friday was no different with just 230 head in.

Just one line of store lambs was offered though it was a decent size at 105 head, and being good mixed sex they sold for $138.

An entry of four blackface ewes with four lambs-at-foot met keen interest and sold for $105 all counted, while a lesser line earned $80.

A wide range of types in the prime lamb pens made the heavy lines stand out and freshly shorn ram lambs made market value at $248.50, and five mixed sex, $199. All other mixed sex sold for $156.50-$158, with ewe lambs trading at $136-$181. Mixed age ewes sold for $141-$142, and twofour tooth, $146.

HAWKE’S BAY HAWKE’S BAY A small offering of 27 cattle were penned at STORTFORD LODGE last Monday, and solid demand meant they could have been sold several times over.

Fourteen Angus steers, 558-670kg, lifted to $3.21-$3.28/kg. All heifers 431-490kg traded at $2.90-$3.00/ kg.

Wednesday’s sale was held in much better conditions to the week prior. There was plenty of interest in the 1200 head of cattle penned and the big entry of ewes with lambs-at-foot.

Throughput reduced in the sheep pens and combined with strong interest from the rails they were easily absorbed. The market was a two-way game, particularly in the lamb section with heavy lines steady to lifting whilst good to lighter softened.

Six very heavy ram lambs topped the sale at $235, with other very heavy cryptorchid and male lines at $197-$226.50. Heavy types returned $174.50-$205, though good males softened to $160$176.

Top ewe lambs were steady at $200.50-$210, whilst heavy types eased to $182-$188.50, as did good lines at $150-$171.

Though demand continues to be strong for ewes, last week prices didn’t reach the levels that have become familiar. Very heavy mixed age ewes eased to $172-$207, with heavy types back at $164-$169. Good ewes were steady at $130-$146.50, while medium lifted to $125.50-$127.

Two to four-tooth ewes for $115$137.

It is the season for ewes with lambs-at-foot and the pens featured annual draft lines from Wairoa. The ewes were good hill country types and lambs a mix of blackface and whiteface around 3-weeks of age.

One consignment were docked and sold for a slight premium over undocked lines, with the two top pens making $119-$120.50 all counted and lighter lines, $115.

Prices for the majority of multiple lines were consistent at $115$118.50.

The lateness of the season had an easing effect on the store lamb market, especially long term lambs. Short term lambs sold well at $164-$190 for males and ewe lambs. Good males held value at $154-$156, though medium lines eased to $125-$149. Prices eased for most ewe lambs and good types made $146-$157, and medium $131-$152.

A big attraction to the store cattle pens last Wednesday was nearly 500 2-year bulls, and buyers gathered from all around the North Island.

The two-year bulls was the most well-contested section of the sale. Some lines were offered up empty and that fact coupled with strong demand meant the majority traded at $3.12-$3.23/kg for 406-530kg. A line of 50 head,

473kg, did push to $1545, $3.27/ kg. Beef bulls sold well with 48 making $3.27/kg, though Anguscross, 368-420kg, were good shopping in comparison at $2.92$2.94/kg.

Two-year Angus steers, 374435kg, firmed to $3.22-$3.32/ kg, though extra weight meant more $/kg and two heavier lines reached $3.38-$3.44/kg. A consignment of Charolais-Angus steers and heifers also headed in two different directions with the steers southbound at $1600, $3.42/kg, and heifers heading north for $1130, $2.91/kg.

Annual draft steers were the stand-out feature in the yearling pens. The Angus market was softer and those 282-328kg sold over a tight band of $3.69-$3.75/ kg, while a line of 32, 360kg, managed $3.56/kg.

A special entry of South Devon heifers glowed in the spring sunshine and looked just as impressive in the rostrum. They sold for $1060, $3.48/kg.

MANAWATU MANAWATU Sale attendees enjoyed a spring day at RONGOTEA last Wednesday, with no slow up in the calf pens on both volume and prices, New Zealand Farmers Livestock agent Darryl Harwood reported. There was also more spark to the two-year and oneyear markets.

A nice line of three-year Hereford-Friesian heifers, 461kg, fetched $2.93/kg, while all twoyear steers traded at $2.79-$2.89/ kg regardless of breed. Good Hereford-Friesian bulls, 435kg, reached $2.83/kg, and even crossbred, 410kg, showed more promise at $2.63/kg.

Prices were however more mixed through the heifer pens relative to breed, and the best of the beef-Friesian made $2.99/ kg, though lesser lines and also Friesian and crossbred traded at $2.15-$2.44/kg.

Prices for yearling cattle are creeping up, and under the spotlight was Hereford-Friesian steers, 234-240kg, which sold up to $740 for a consistent $3.12$3.14/kg. Heavier Devon-cross made $700, $2.80/kg, while crossbred, 145-165kg, varied from $2.05/kg up to $2.62/kg. Light Hereford-Friesian and Anguscross heifers sold for $3.41/kg and $3.79/kg respectively, with the Angus-cross realising $745.

Beef-cross, 280-300kg, made solid returns at $2.64-$2.98/kg.

Good bulls attracted more money this week with prices firm and Friesian, 295kg, made $2.78/kg, and Hereford-Friesian, 250kg, $2.84/kg.

Weaner numbers were on the low side with 107kg HerefordFriesian steers making $375 and bulls, 125kg, $320. Crossbred bulls, 106-134kg, returned $330$420.

Boner cows varied from $1.67/ kg for the lesser lines up to $1.86$1.94/kg for the better types.

Ewes with lambs-at-foot made $85 all counted, mixed age ewes $121-$147, and mixed sex lambs $80-$151.

In the calf pens big Friesian bulls made $120-$210 and smaller calves, $80-$110. Big HerefordFriesian bulls earned $200-$275 and the next cut, $80-$180. Other breeds sold for $100-$190. The

Markets

best of the Hereford-Friesian and Angus-cross heifers sold for $100$190, with lesser sorts at $60-$90.

A lift in cattle numbers at FEILDING last Monday came about from the increased supply of boner cows. Some were in-calf and at 492-553kg they sold for $2.31-$2.38/kg, while similar weights of empty Friesian earned $2.22-$2.31/kg. A handful of small lines bucked that trend and made $2.35-$2.40/kg. A consignment of Angus cows, 360kg, sold for $2.22/ kg.

Prices for heavy lambs eased $5-$8, though a small medium yarding held value. A big line of 445 mixed sex made $205 and most mixed sex and male lambs returned $180-$225.

One buyer dominated a consistent ewe market and good and very good ewes made $145$156, covering most of those penned.

Good interest on all calves meant solid returns for the nearly 300 head. Friesian bulls made $100-$180 and Angus-cross, $130-$175, but the pick was Hereford-Friesian at $200-$250.

Two Speckle Park heifers sold to $290, while Hereford-Friesian made $100-$200 and Angus-cross, $90-$175.

After a bit of a break due to wet weather last week local buyers were back in the market for calves at MANFIELD PARK last Thursday, and that helped firm prices.

A number of lines of very good Hereford-Friesian bulls sold to $300-$335, with medium and other good types trading at $170-$260. Angus-cross sold for $230-$260, while time is creeping on for Friesian bulls and better types were solid at $165-$195 but medium lines dropped to $100$135.

The pick of the heifers was a line of Speckle Park at $280, while good Hereford-Friesian sold to $180-$210, and medium $140$165. Good Angus-cross matched the medium Hereford-Friesian, while medium lines made $100.

A busy day at FEILDING last Friday was a typical spring sale as it was focused around a big entry of ewes with lambs-at-foot and yearling cattle.

The ewe’s with lambs-at-foot market is gaining momentum as entries continue to increase.

The ewes were in better order than the previous week, with bright healthy lambs and most undocked. Of the 18 lines offered half sold for $118-$124.50 all counted, with the next cut making $109-$115, and lighter sorts, $100$107.

The lateness of the season had a big impact on store lamb prices.

Compared to the last sale for August when prices were trending down already last Friday’s market was well back. Male lambs that had been making $170-$180 are now making $140-$160. Mixed sex prices also came back with most trading at $116-$137. Ewe lambs made up the lion’s share and a good line suitable for breeding sold to $165. The remainder were variable and better types only made $131-$155, with most others trading at $94-$111.

It was back to business in the rostrum as 1230 were offered, and a special feature was 230 yearling bulls. Special entries of Angus and Angus & Angus Hereford,

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – September 17, 2018 234-275kg, sold for $870-$885, with the lighter line up to $3.78/ kg. Buyers were selective on the Friesian bulls, which was proved with the same price of $860 for two lines – one at 288kg, and the other $251. Lighter types, 189212kg, sold for $630-$690.

There was not much of substance in the two-year pens with a lot of beef-Friesian.

However a standout consignment of Shorthorn-cross steers, 400479kg, were popular, selling for $3.40-$3.48/kg, while Simmentalcross, 547kg, made $3.27/kg. Two lines of Friesian bulls, 530-567kg, sold on a steady market at $3.15$3.17/kg.

In the yearling steer pens Angus showed their popularity with 214-336kg trading at $985-$1280, with the lighter end up to $4.60/ kg. Hereford-Friesian were off that pace as 230-307kg made $900$1140. The same pattern was repeated in the heifer pens where Angus, 218-246kg, made $815$920, $3.74/kg, with 230-270kg Hereford-Friesian trailing at $810$900, $3.33-$3.46/kg.

A big entry of autumn-born weaner bulls made very solid returns as 130-184kg sold for $525-$775.

CANTERBURY CANTERBURY Pro-active vendors are taking advantage of the strong cattle market at auction, and prime numbers at CANTERBURY PARK are being pumped up by extra steer and heifer entries. Sheep throughput continued to trend down though, and buyers are showing more resistance on very heavy lambs.

Peak price levels for prime lambs have now been reached and though 70% of the prime lambs still sold for $190-$218, that was discounted on recent weeks.

Most other prime lambs traded at $150-$188.

Store numbers were bumped up by halfbred and Merino lines.

Good interest meant most sold to different buyers and good mixed sex earned $131-$148, with lighter half-bred at those levels also.

Other mixed sex traded at $144$155 though were only small lines.

The ewe section was status quo and a handful of very heavy girls sold for $200-$242, though the lion’s share of the yarding were light-medium to medium types at $122-$159.

The steer market was all class and prices continued to track slightly up on last year’s levels.

High yielding lines of exoticcross sold up to $3.23/kg, though beef-cross were not far behind as heavier types traded at $3.10$3.15/kg.

Angus, 479-625kg, managed $3.12-$3.19/kg and forward stores of other breeds slotted in around $3.05-$3.10/kg. Plainer lines of Friesian and Hereford-Friesian sold very well relative to their type.

Heifers easily followed that trend set and some types even showed a firmness to the market.

A feature line of Belgium Blue, 526-610kg, sold for $3.06-$3.10/ kg, and beef-cross, 425-440kg, firmed to $2.94/kg.

Throughput reduced all round at COALGATE last Thursday, though the sale still had plenty of highlights.

A line of 33 store ewe lambs

sold to $160 and other good types, $130-$147, with a decent line of smaller types at $104. A few small lines of ewes with lambs-at-foot featured and the highlight was five ewes with 15 lambs which made $112 all counted.

Bids of $200 plus were needed in the prime lamb pens due to a big entry of very heavy types.

Half the yarding made $190-$226, with most other lines trading at $170-$189.

A repeat performance in the ewe pens meant another small yarding at steady prices. The top ewes made $196-$225, with good types earning $173-$189. Medium to good ewes sold for $121-$156.

Cattle volume was down and the mixed quality yarding meant a wide variance in prices within the sections.

Two very similar weighted lines of Hereford-Friesian two-year steers and heifers could not be split, with the steers coming in at 419kg, $2.98/kg, and the heifers trailing by just 2kg and 1c/kg.

While most lines of yearling steers were Hereford-Friesian, they came in all shapes and sizes. Those 300-307kg made a premium of $2.90-$2.97/kg, while slightly heavier pens of lesser quality fetched $2.78-$2.80/ kg. The same scenario played out in a small yearling heifer section, where 276kg HerefordFriesian managed $2.99/kg, but 295kg were back at $2.88/kg.

Lighter lines, 237-240kg and of lesser quality made $2.63-$2.66/ kg. Friesian bull pricing was consistent as 248-291kg earned $2.75-$2.80/kg.

A consignment of autumn-born calves from one property had steers at $250-$300, and one line of heifers, $250.

In the prime pens two lines of high yielding heifers, 523-589kg, realised $3.02-$3.12/kg, which was also top money paid for steers. Cows, 555-653kg, eased to $1.98-$2.04/kg.

SOUTH CANTERBURY SOUTH CANTERBURY A small buying bench benefitted from low cattle space at TEMUKA last Monday, as cattle prices eased across the board.

Big entries of lambs bumped up throughput though demand for heavy lambs is easing.

Spring fair action hit the store cattle yards last Thursday as 1600 cattle went under the hammer.

Lambs from the Chatham Islands and Central Otago helped lift sheep numbers to 7800 head.

Of that 3800 were in the store pens, though due to the inclusion of the lambs from the island most were heavy mixed sex. This market had a softer tone though still managed $164-$189, with medium to good lambs making $120-$153. Light lines sold for $86-$115.

A consignment of Merino hoggets made good value at $121$158.

Very heavy prime lambs came back $5-$10, but the volume of these types meant that just under half of the section traded at $200$215, with a further 40% ranging from $180-$199.

More ewes with lambs-at-foot ventured forward and met keen interest. A line of 61 ewes and 56 lambs made $112 all counted, while other lines ranged from $80 to $120. A regular buyer’s return to

the ewe market firmed prices and a good portion sold for $202-$262, with $110-$168 common for the remainder.

A lack of buyers for cattle meant all classes at least eased, though cows dropped by a bigger degree.

Fewer steers hit $3.00/kg mark, with prices for heavier traditional lines easing 4-5c/kg to $2.90$3.00/kg. Three Angus, 520-540kg, did sneak up to $3.08/kg, but 470518kg eased to $2.80-$2.86/kg.

All bar very heavy heifers came back 10-15c/kg and Hereford, 448-556kg, sold in two ranges with better yielding types making $2.86-$2.91/kg, and second cuts, $2.75-$2.81/kg.

Boner cows lost 9-18c/kg and heavier lines really felt the impact, with lighter lines not punished quite so much. Friesian, 493705kg, sold for $1.75-$1.86/kg, and 400-493kg, $1.64-$1.73/kg.

The first real spring cattle fair for Temuka was a game of two halves, with sensational prices for traditional and exotic cattle, but hard work on beef-dairy.

One vendor was responsible for all the two-year traditional and exotic steers, and also a large portion in the one-year section.

The two-year steers sold at $3.27/ kg and better, with $3.40-$3.53/ kg very common, meaning all achieved $1470-$1650.

Hereford and Angus heifers sold for a premium as 359-442kg earned $3.11-$3.19/kg. Gelvbieh met keen interest with 436-444kg at $2.99-$3.00/kg, but HerefordFriesian heifers, 413-436kg, eased to $2.81-$2.89/kg. The older bulls were mainly Friesian-cross and from 359kg up to 460kg sold over a tight range of $2.57-$2.69/kg.

Bids flowed freely for two main consignments of traditional and exotic cattle, and most traditional steers from 200kg up to 350kg were close to or above $4.00/kg, while beef-dairy in this range levelled out at $3.10-$3.60/kg.

Charolais-cross and Belgium Blue-cross, 306-361kg, all sold well at $3.92-$4.05/kg.

A number of vendors had entries in both the beef-Friesian heifer and steer pens. Prices eased for the lighter types of both sexes as 150-250kg mostly traded in at $2.75-$3.50/kg, which was a common range for 250-350kg also. The $/kg were very similar across the steer and heifer pens due to a softening for steers.

The Friesian bull section was small but again selective bidding meant 165-168kg lines made just $2.79-$2.80/kg, but a line of 20 at 218kg reached $3.12/kg.

OTAGO OTAGO Cattle were offered at BALCUTHA last Wednesday, though a smaller bench of buyers resulted in a softer market, PGG Wrightson agent Alex Horn reported. Results were also more mixed through the sheep pens than seen of late.

Store lamb numbers were low and forward types sold up to $135-$150, though medium lines eased to $130-$135. Strong interest for a small yarding of ewes with lambs-at-foot meant good results were posted.

Prime lambs made steady returns and the feature of the yarding was heavy Charolais ram lambs at $191.

Other heavy lambs sold to $170,

55

with medium types steady at $160-$170, and lighter, $150-$160.

The ewe market eased and the selection was more medium –light types. The top lines made $160$168, while medium types eased to $125-$160, and light, $110$125. Tail end lines made $45-$80.

Demand was not as strong for store cattle as the last sale. Twoyear beef-cross heifers, 320-415kg, sold for $2.60-$2.80/kg to be the standout in the older pens. Oneyear Friesian bulls, 250-300kg, made very similar values as the older heifers at $2.70-$2.80/kg.

SOUTHLAND SOUTHLAND More of the focus at the weekly LORNEVILLE sale is on the cattle pens, as sheep numbers take their seasonal fall.

That means that buyers have to be more competitive on store lambs and they easily sold up to $140-$155, with medium types earning $130-$138, and light, $115-$125. Ewes with lambs-atfoot made very solid returns of $110-$121 all counted.

A small yarding of prime sheep sold to strong demand and heavy prime lambs reached $170-$190, though were outpriced by the top ewes at $170-$210.

Medium lambs achieved $155$170, and third cuts, $140-$155.

Medium ewes made similar values to the lambs at $140-$170, though light ewes were cheaper at $110-$140, with tail-end types earning $70-$100. Rams sold for $80-$100.

Dairy cows made up the lions’ share of the prime and boner section and most sold to good demand. Those 500kg plus earned $2.00-$2.10/kg and 450-500kg, $1.90-$2.00/kg. Lighter lines traded at $1.60-$1.70/kg, though those with big udders were discounted to $1.20-$1.30/kg.

Good dairy heifers traded at $2.20-$2.30/kg and lesser sorts, $1.70-$2.00/kg. Prime steers sold well at $2.90-$2.95/kg.

Two-year beef-cross heifers, 390-445kg, were good shopping at $2.31-$2.38/kg, with the balance of the yarding mainly yearlings.

Ranges of $3.00-$3.10/kg was common for Hereford-cross steers, as the top lines made $900-$930, and 240-270kg, $740$820. Heifers of same breeding were off that pace at $2.77-$2.88/ kg as 230-280kg earned $650$800. Friesian bulls, 230-270kg, returned $680-$780, $2.88-$2.95/ kg.

In the calf pens good beef-cross sold well though lesser lines were harder to shift. Hereford-cross bulls sold to $180, with medium types earning $120. Heifers traded at $140-$180 and Friesian bulls, $60.

The two sections of the sheep sale were almost identical at CHARLTON, with both smaller yardings which sold on a firm market, PGG Wrightson agent David Morrison reported.

Quality did drop off in the store lamb pens, though the top lines still managed $150, with medium types earning $130-$135 and light, $110-$120.

Prime lambs hit $200 and medium $170-$180, with at least $160-$165 needed to buy any at all. Heavy ewes sold for $165, medium $130-$140 and light, $110-$120, with rams trading at $80-$100.

Markets

56 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – September 17, 2018 NI SLAUGHTER MUTTON

SI SLAUGHTER STEER

NI SLAUGHTER LAMB

($/KG CW)

($/KG CW)

BONER FRIESIAN COWS, 460-495KG, AT TEMUKA

($/KG CW)

($/KG LW)

5.20

5.90

8.55

1.77

Venison faces challenges Annette Scott

T

annettescott@globalhq.co.nz

HE chilled venison season in Europe has closed with market volumes stable on last year.

But Deer Industry New Zealand (DINZ) venison marketing manager Nick Taylor warns there are challenges to be addressed.

The hot European summer proved a stumbling block with fewer people dining out in stuffy restaurants and looking ahead cultural changes in eating will increasingly influence the market.

Competing proteins are a growing challenge with Taylor citing South American beef as one of them.

While market diversification means reliance on the chilled European Union trade period has lessened, it remains a key period for exporters.

“We have sustained stable volumes on last year and the Cervena programme is showing promising signals with all processors committed to it again for next year.”

The biggest problem for NZ exporters is venison supply is very short at that time of year with peak production tending to come on stream when competition in the market is intensifying.

With negotiations between exporters and the market

POSITIVE: Chef Graham Brown is touring Europe promoting New Zealand venison and is getting good feedback.

now complete, as of August 31 the production window runs from September to mid-November.

With the EU chilled window closed, competing venison and game meats now become widely available, weakening NZ’s market position.

While contracts are used much more efficiently in the venison industry compared to the sheep industry there is still a degree of supply

uncertainty, Taylor said.

Increasing venison consumption in a market better aligned with NZ’s production season is challenging.

“That’s the promotional activity we turn the focus to now.”

DINZ chef Graham Brown is on a promotion campaign in Sweden, Belgium and Germany and feedback is going very well, Taylor said.

“It’s also promising that we have work for a further chef and we have Kiwi chef Shannon Campbell now in Germany continuing work with importers and marketing companies.”

DINZ continues to support activities in China through a Primary Growth Partnership with Canterbury-based Mount River Processing.

“We are getting some good results from this (PGP) working with Chinese chef Alan Yu who has two restaurants in key locations in Shanghai.

“We look forward to working with him in front of some new audiences.”

Following his stint in Europe Brown will go to Canada where he will work with the Lamb Company, a business dealing with both venison and lamb.

Canada is tagged as an emerging market for NZ venison.

“It’s an emerging market with a cultural identity associated with game hunting so venison is not new to them and our NZ story resonates with them, especially around animal welfare.”

Venison schedules at $11.30-$11.40/kg across the country are sitting at an alltime high.

But there are reports of market resistance to NZ’s high prices.

“There’s some indication the game season will present challenges and pricing will be dependent on how that shapes up.”

high $3.12-$3.23/kgLW $935-$1150/HD One-year HerefordFriesian lights Two-year Friesian steers, 270bulls, 400-530kg, at Stortford Lodge

360kg, at Wellsford

Solid season for most feeder calves WE ARE well through the feeder calf season in the North Island now with reduced volumes of Friesian bulls replaced by beef-dairy cattle. These sales wind up in mid October so with only another month to go we have a Suz Bremner clear picture of what’s been happening AgriHQ Analyst in the calf pens.

There was plenty of chatter around Mycoplasma bovis affecting these sales but it appears that has not been as significant as expected, especially in areas such as Reporoa, which have not had any positive tests for the disease. Simon Rouse from PGG Wrighston reported they have actually seen an increase in the volume of calves despite a record season of 10,000 head last year. The quality of the calves in this area is among the best seen and most hit the yards at two to five-weeks of age.

The Friesian bull market tracked a similar path to last year by starting off strong and remaining so until now when the later calves are coming out. Beefdairy calves have not been as strong as 2017’s record prices though this year’s are thought to be more sustainable. Heifer prices have been all over the show as buyers are very selective. Taranaki has followed a very similar path to Reporoa.

Through Waikato and at the Frankton sale yards calf numbers are down and a lot more have been sold in the paddocks, New Zealand Farmers Livestock agent Stuart Wells reported. However, given the size of the dairy herd in the area some sale days have still seen 1000 calves yarded. Most calves are coming in at 10 days old which is rewarding vendors and there has also been a noted increase in the use of Angus bulls as opposed to Hereford to produce solid-colour calves.

Early Friesian bull calves started strong with many buyers working towards 100kg contracts for October at $530-$550. Prices at auction did plateau, reflecting the decreasing 100kg, though about $500-$520 is still offered for November. Beef-dairy prices have been solid and look set to remain so. Like Reporoa, though, heifers have been much more variable. suz.bremner@globalhq.co.nz

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