Farmers Weekly NZ June 1 2020 by AgriHQ

7 Big spend demands value

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Vol 19 No 21, June 1, 2020

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Striking a balance Colin Williscroft colin.williscroft@globalhq.co.nz

YNTHETIC nitrogen fertiliser use on pastoral farms will be capped under new rules to improve freshwater quality though a proposed national bottom line for dissolved inorganic nitrogen has been put on the backburner for a year. Environment Minister David Parker, announcing the Government’s Action for Healthy Waterways programme, said there has been a sevenfold increase in the amount of synthetic nitrogen fertiliser used in New Zealand since 1990. To address that the Government is introducing a cap of 190kg N/ ha/year on the pastoral sector with dairy farmers required to report annually to regional councils from mid 2022 on the weight of nitrogen applied. Fertiliser companies will have to report annually on nitrogen fertiliser sales to ensure its overall use does not continue to rise. Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor said about 80% of dairy farmers won’t be affected by the cap though about 2000, mostly in Canterbury and Southland, might need to reduce their fertiliser use to stay under it. Parker said the delay on a national dissolved inorganic nitrogen level is because scientists in the Scientific and Technical Advisory Group (STAG), set up to advise on the freshwater cleanup, could not reach a consensus

on what the level should be. Last year’s Essential Freshwater proposals, which form the basis of the new programme, recommended the nitrogen limit be reduced from 6.9mg a litre to 1mg but not all the scientists in the group agreed so they have been given another year, which will allow for a thorough review of the environmental and economic implications. About 95% of NZ rivers already achieve the 1% goal. Parker said the delay does not mean the Government will not proceed with a national bottom line, it’s just not going to happen now. If no consensus can be reached there is the potential for a more catchment-by-catchment system, if that is deemed the best approach in the future. Keeping stock out of waterways is another key part of the new programme. Dairy and beef cattle, deer and pigs farmed in areas with a slope of less than 10 degrees will not be allowed in any wetland, lake, river or stream more than one metre wide bank to bank. Stock must be restricted from grazing within 3m from the banks of those waterways though future regional rules may require more. Sheep are not included. The Essential Freshwater proposal was for fences to be 5m from waterways and the new policy means permanent fences already in place will not have to be moved. Compliance will be required from July 1 2023 or July 1 2025, depending on stock type, activities and location.

TOO MUCH: There has been a sevenfold increase in the amount of synthetic nitrogen applied since 1990, Environment Minister David Parker says.

Resource consents will be needed for feedlots and stock holding areas, such as feed and winter pads, which do not meet minimum standards. They include ensuring a feedlot base is appropriately sealed and effluent is managed according to council regulations. Standards will apply only to feedlots or stock-holding areas that house cattle older than four months and weighing more than 120kg.

New consent thresholds for intensive winter grazing will require a consent under circumstances that include where it occurs over 50ha or 10% of a property, whichever is the greater and where it occurs on slopes of 10 degrees or steeper. There are also consenting requirements related to setbacks from waterways and soil pugging, when activities don’t meet

Growing tomorrow’s farmers today

Continued page 3

Clean water and sustainable farming is entwined with the economic success of the sector. It isn’t one or the other. Damien O’Connor Agriculture Minister

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NEWS

24 Lamb shank the Kiwi favourite

The humble lamb shank has been voted New Zealand’s favourite lamb cut in the Great Kiwi LambOff, run in celebration of National Lamb Day on Sunday May 24.

REGULARS Newsmaker �� 26 New Thinking �� 27

4 Farmers’ concerns have been heard

Editorial �� 28

Mt Somers farmer David Acland was pleasantly surprised by the freshwater package that is far more positive than he expected.

Pulpit �� 29 Opinion �� 30 Real Estate �� 32-36 Employment �� 37-38 Classifieds �� 38-39 Livestock �� 39-43 Weather �� 45

9 Market base is strong but ...

18 SFF joins e-commerce

Despite significant primary sector disruption from covid-19 and drought Beef + Lamb forecasts a positive outlook for sheep and beef exports this season.

Silver Fern Farms has partnered with Gourmet Direct to sell its full range of products to New Zealand customers.

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Markets �� 44-48 GlobalHQ is a farming family owned business that donates 1% of all advertising revenue in Farmers Weekly and Dairy Farmer to farmer health and well-being initiatives. Thank you for your prompt payment.

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

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News

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – June 1, 2020

Think ahead on winter grazing Colin Williscroft colin.williscroft@globalhq.co.nz THE Winter Grazing Action Group is urging farmers to adopt good winter grazing practices as cold weather sets in. The group, set up last year after winter grazing techniques were put under the spotlight following a nationwide campaign that highlighted Southland cows standing in mud, says farmers are taking steps to improve wintering systems despite the challenges of covid-19 restrictions and weather events. Action group chairman Dr Lindsay Burton says it is important everyone works together to ensure farmers have the right tools to get through winter. “Ensuring you follow a gradual transition plan when moving your animals from pasture to crop and back again will help prevent issues. “This is particularly important for cattle wintered on fodder beet. “For farmers, the focus heading into winter should be on providing the right feed at the right time as well as shelter and easy access to drinking water. Doing this should have the flow-on effect of limiting stock movement and help reduce damage to crops and soil.” When the Southland practices Continued from page 1 thresholds, which include pugging being no deeper than 20cm and covering less than half a paddock while bare ground in paddocks used for winter grazing must be resown within a month of the end of grazing. The regulations will take effect from winter 2021. Interim restrictions on significant agricultural intensification are being put in

were put under the spotlight last year Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor set up a taskforce, which has since been succeeded by the action group, to investigate. Taskforce chairman Dr John Hellstrom says improving winter grazing systems is not something that can be done overnight but the action group is on the right track. He is confident the recommendations the taskforce made are being progressed to ensure improvements for this winter and beyond. The group is focused on educating farmers on careful management when introducing stock to new feed types and ensuring contingency plans are in place to manage any severe or prolonged wet winter weather. In the short-term there are actions farmers can take now to ensure the immediate welfare of their animals, including making appropriate shelter available when needed as well as suitable areas for stock to lie down. “That could be as simple as planning to graze the best sheltered paddock last and keeping it up your sleeve for a weather event. “Changing practice will take a long time. This is not a onewinter solution but we will keep working with farmers and sector leaders to improve things now and in the future.”

place until regional councils have implemented their new longterm plans to comply with the new National Policy Statement on Freshwater Management or by the end of 2024, whichever is sooner. That means resource consents will be needed for a land-use change to dairy farming of more than 10ha, irrigation expansion on dairy farms of more than 10ha, land-use changes of more than 10ha from woody vegetation or plantation forestry to pastoral

TAKE IT SLOW: A gradual transition from pasture to crop and back will help prevent winter grazing problems, Winter Grazing Action Group chairman Dr Lindsay Burton says.

River care group gets backing A KING Country river catchment group has received more than $800,000 to help clean up waterways. King Country River Care, which involves more than 300 sheep, beef and dairy farmers, has been given $844,000 by the Government to improve freshwater quality and farming practices. The group, which covers just under 1500 square kilometres, includes the Awakino, Mokau, and upper Mangaokewa catchments, while the project brings together the Primary Industries Ministry, the Waikato Regional Council, industry bodies and farm consultancies.

farming and expansion of intensive winter grazing or dairy support activities above historical levels. Other land-use changes, such as from pastoral to arable or horticulture will not require consent. The Government intends to amend the Resource Management Act to establish a regime for developing freshwater modules of farm plans, which will make plans mandatory and enforceable for

It provides leadership, coordination and support to seven sub-catchment groups. Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor said supporting catchment groups like King Country River Care is an important part of the Government’s focus on cleaning up waterways. “They and other groups around the country are playing a central role in restoring wetlands, removing sediment and keeping stock from waterways. “Our long-term future and brand is linked to the health of our waterways. This is because overseas consumers increasingly want greater assurances that

pastoral and arable farms of 20ha or more and horticulture units of 5ha or more. The intention is to build on existing industry body or agribusiness farm plans and work will be prioritised in catchments most in need of improvement or protection. To help farmers meet new standards the Government has established a $700 million fund to create jobs in riparian and wetland planting, removing

the food and fibre they buy is produced in a sustainable way and they’ll pay a premium for it. “Farmers get that and many have done a huge amount of work to improve their practices over the last 20 years and some of them are leading the way.” O’Connor said it is important that knowledge is shared and the money will enable King Country River Care to support sub-catchment farmer groups to connect and learn from each other. The project has an initial focus on increasing the number of farm environment plans, sub-catchment action plans and on-farm field days.

sediments and other initiatives to prevent farm run-off entering waterways. O’Connor said the package will help increase the value of NZ’s primary exports. “Our high-value overseas consumers want greater assurances that the food and fibre they buy is produced in a sustainable way. Clean water and sustainable farming is entwined with the economic success of the sector. It isn’t one or the other.”

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News

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – June 1, 2020

Farmers’ concerns have been heard Annette Scott annette.scott@globalhq.co.nz THE Government’s freshwater package has responded to rural concerns but farmers still want a say in the final regulations, Federated Farmers environment spokesman Chris Allen says. “While we’re still working through the detail the high-level policy decisions indicate the Government has heeded some of the rural sector’s concerns. “But the proposals still have some sharp edges that will bite our farmers and rural communities at a time when we need it least. The package delivered a pleasant surprise for Mt Somers Station farmer David Acland. “It’s not as terrifying as I thought it was going to be. It’s far more positive than I expected.” And credit must go to farmers for getting involved. “The key for me is farmers engaged and submitted. This galvanised farmers to get more involved in the policy space and

the Government has listened. “There has been some good stuff come of this and they have managed to alter what farmers identified as impracticable.” Acland cites the major touch points as fencing setbacks and winter grazing. The 10% slope threshold for cropping and fencing of natural waterways and wetlands remains the big issue for high-country farmers. “What we have seen is a very broad summary and it’s pleasing to see the Government has taken on board the concerns from all parties. “How the definitions and interpretations are rolled out, especially around waterways and wetlands, is the critical question now. “It will be important for farmers to keep proving we can do it and to have good plans in place of what we are doing to mitigate environmental impact, especially of winter grazing livestock,” Acland said. The sheep and beef sector is

cautiously positive. “We need to see the detail of the actual regulations as some concerns still remain,” Beef + Lamb chief executive Sam McIvor said. While the proposals appear to be an improvement on earlier plans the Government has released only a high-level summary of its proposals and there remain areas of concern for the sheep and beef sector that need to be clarified, McIvor said. “We’re pleased the Government has removed its prescriptive farm environment module and the most concerning grandparenting provisions that would have locked in NZ’s lightest environmentaltouch farmers to existing farm systems without the flexibility to respond to changing climatic and market conditions.” Dairy industry feedback has resulted in significant change to the freshwater package but there is still a sting in the tail, DairyNZ chief executive Dr Tim Mackle said. Over the past eight months

POSITIVE: Mt Somers farmer David Acland was pleasantly surprised by the freshwater package that is far more positive than he expected.

DairyNZ has advocated for an evidence-based and pragmatic approach to freshwater regulation. “Looking at where the policy has landed it appears the Government has taken a better approach in terms of scientific rigour and practicality for farmers on the ground.” But Mackle said though farmers will have a generation to implement the changes, the regulatory settings they see now will influence their confidence to invest for the future. The parking of the dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) measure and the removal of the impractical and expensive requirement for farmers to move existing fences

to meet new stock exclusion guidelines are two issues that will provide farmers some reassurance. The evidence for DIN was never robust enough to justify the level of intervention and disruption needed to meet the standard, Mackle said. Horticulture NZ chief executive Mike Chapman said the package is good news. “With the proposed restrictions on horticulture now removed the industry will be allowed to expand and enable the primary sector to diversify, as long as environmental bottom lines are met through audited farm environment plans,” Chapman said.

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News

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – June 1, 2020

Ardern must lead market push Neal Wallace neal.wallace@globalhq.co.nz PRIME Minister Jacinda Ardern’s international profile should be used to promote primary sector exports and help the sector lead the post-covid economic recovery, Beef + Lamb chief executive Sam McIvor says, As the global recession bites there needs to be a concerted export push that could include using Ardern’s international profile to fly the New Zealand flag. “The Government has invested in trade and we need to continue with that but put it on steroids. “We need all hands on deck to open markets and promote our products. “We need more focus, whether it’s led by the Prime Minister, Minister of Trade or Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade to open those doors to exporters. It’s a no brainer.” Dairy Companies Association chief executive Kimberley Crewther said recruiting Ardern has merit because anything that links NZ’s internationally recognised response to covid-19 with the quality of our food production has to be positive. “NZ has received positive

international attention for the way we have responded to covid and it reinforces a number of our characteristics or qualities such as robust producers of safe, healthy and quality food.” Maintaining access to existing dairy markets is crucial but priority must be given to negotiating free-trade agreements with the United Kingdom, the world’s second largest dairy importer, and Europe. McIvor says the Meat Industry Association and B+LNZ are studying how consumer patterns have changed during the covid outbreak but he sees a greater role for his organisation’s Taste Pure Nature brand to promote the values of NZ red meat. Crewther says dairy exporters face a similar challenge with online purchases growing in popularity, which creates marketing and supply chain challenges. Replacing access to the thousands of migrant workers farmers and orchardists rely on is emerging as another significant obstacle. In the dairy industry alone 5000 of the 34,000 farm owners, managers and staff are migrants but travel restrictions have turned off the supply.

DairyNZ chief executive Dr Tim Mackle says even extending the visas of those already working here leaves a shortfall of 1000. Added to that is a shortage of several thousand seasonal and full-time workers in horticulture and up to 2500 vacancies in the meat industry. With job losses expected to grow as the economy contracts Mackle hopes some unemployed will get dairy jobs, hence the timing of its Go Dairy recruitment campaign. “It is an opportunity for the NZ dairy sector to get more Kiwis into the production end of the foodvalue chain.” The provision of $19 million in this year’s Budget to attract and train 10,000 people to work in the primary sector over the next four years is welcomed by Mackle and Meat Industry Association chief executive Sirma Karapeeva. Karapeeva warns extra investment in services and infrastructure might be needed to encourage those who lose

Trading our way out of covid-19 Top 11 exports by volume and value

Top 11 export destinations Value ($b)

% of total exports

Value ($b)

Milk powder, butter, cheese

$15.7

18.3%

China

$20

Business and personal travel

$11.5

13.4%

Australia

$14

Meat and edible offal

9.4%

USA

$9.6

Logs and wood

5.8%

Japan

$4.5

Education, travel services

$4.6

5.3%

United Kingdom

$3.1

Fruit

$3.4

South Korea

$2.2

Air transport

$2.7

3.1%

Hong Kong

$1.7

Business services

$2.4

2.8%

Germany

$1.7

Prepared milk, cereal, flour and starch

$2.3

2.7%

India

$1.6

10.

Machinery and equipment

$1.8

2.2%

10.

Singapore

$1.6

11.

Wine

$1.8

2.2%

11.

Wine

$1.4

Figures are for the year ended December 31, 2019.

Source: Stats NZ

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to grow high-value crops and horticulture and helps with animal welfare during drought. On climate change Mackle says the food sector is asking the Climate Change Commission to review methane targets based on the latest scientific evidence and the post-covid environment. “We need a more pragmatic way to get a workable outcome with methane regulations that means less economic drag for farmers than has been proposed.” McIvor says addressing water infrastructure, investing in a comprehensive nationwide soil map and removing gaps in the coverage and quality of broadband will help the primary sector grow its economic clout. Crewther also wants the national electricity grid upgraded to give dairy companies more options and reduce reliance on coal-fired boilers.

their jobs in urban centres to move to rural areas where there are vacancies and where they will expect schools and medical facilities. “We need to create attractive packages.” Mackle says rural and urban sectors need to address the issue of water security and despite fundamentally disagreeing with the Government’s Essential Freshwater proposals, food producers want to find a workable solution. “We are saying that we will work to come up with an alternative that gives the right outcome, that is supported scientifically and economically and gives dairy farmers certainty.” Mackle says the debate needs to dispel the myth water storage automatically results in increased dairying and focus on how it allows more flexible land use

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News

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – June 1, 2020

Big spend demands value, leaders Richard Rennie richard.rennie@globalhq.co.nz THE Government’s borrowing of billions to counter covid-19 disruption should be seen as a chance to rethink and reset business and society and not as a burden on the next generation. Waikato farmer Richard Cookson is rapidly tiring of the rhetoric framing the scale of borrowings, given the opportunity it provides for improvements and changes that might otherwise have taken years to occur, if at all. “This is a really exciting opportunity for generational investment in our grandchildren’s future, to create a society they can be proud to inherit, an opportunity our grandparents never had.” But that opportunity does come framed around some concern he has about the intense jobs focus in the Budget. “At this stage that is understandable but you also need to be cautious about the type of jobs focused on. Shooting wallabies, pulling pines and planting pines are fine but we need these jobs to piggy-back to higher-value jobs and outcomes.” It is a case of turning those base jobs into careers like silviculture, freshwater ecologists and plant breeders, for example. Internally, linking the environmental jobs spend of $1 billion through rural communities to include farmers who need plantings, nurseries that can supply trees and even iwi who could grow them provides that platform and will hopefully stimulate the next tier up of skilled jobs. He can see potential from there to develop more science around the inherent food and health characteristics in the likes of native manuka. The investment then makes the leap from restorative ecologic work to the high-value food sector. An example of value gain for farmers beyond simple riparian

planting could include developing simplified freshwater testing technology that lets them better monitor waterway health. “So we could achieve this great connectivity between the environment, iwi, farmers and science. “But if it is not underpinned by a strategy and a longer-term perspective then this $50b will be wasted, spent and gone and we will be back to what we had.”

But if it is not underpinned by a strategy and a longerterm perspective then this $50 billion will be wasted, spent and gone and we will be back to what we had. Richard Cookson Farmer What we have, Cookson says, is an agricultural food production system too focused on bottom line return, pushed along by high debt loading across the sector. It is throwing out farmers exhausted by the pressure to deliver returns in increasingly unreliable biological systems. “I think we all know we need to make some fundamental shifts in the direction we have been going. But unless there is genuine value added we risk only creating more division, not improvement.” He points to past research that highlights how past pandemics

have proved to be social levellers thanks to disease’s general indifference to income, race or creed. “Right now we have the chance to make investments that hold some of those egalitarian qualities together. If we do not we will be constantly caught up in this space focused on return on investment. That simply will not produce the creativity and motivation to be innovative.” Should Labour get a clear majority in the election it might have a clearer path for money to be invested without compromising that potential. Internationally, New Zealanders’ status as the covid conquerors is gaining the country more attention than it is accustomed to. With that comes the chance to leverage our covid status. “How we achieved this with a team of five million, you could be cynical and say it could be profitable. “But beyond that this has given NZ a sense of self-confidence, a sense of national price we need to act on. It may not be there forever. “We have this wonderful opportunity to be global role models – how we responded reflected who we are, the value we place on each other, values simply not shared by all countries.” He detects that sense of pride also permeating through the farming sector that so capably continued to grow, harvest and process food over the past eight weeks. “We are probably not completely sure what to do with it. But we should acknowledge that pride and take it forward. It will not be there forever and already drought is eroding that pride and selfconfidence.” He says it has never been more critical that a rural leader be seen to step up to unify farmers’ pride. “We desperately do need someone to stand up and say they are looking out for us, they have our backs.”

PROUD: There is a strong sense of quiet pride in rural communities but leadership is needed to maintain it, farmer Richard Cookson says.

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FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – June 1, 2020

Solid prices at latest bull sales Hugh Stringleman hugh.stringleman@globalhq.co.nz

BIG SALE: Lot 1 at the Shian Angus sale in Taumarunui last week sold for $34,000.

GOOD but not record prices are being paid for bulls from vendors with well-regarded breeding programmes and reputations for getting results. In the second full week of bull sales this season the highest price was made by Shian Angus and the Sherson family at Taumarunui.

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Lot 1 at their May 28 sale was bought by Tangihau Station, Gisborne, for $34,000 and lot 2 went to the Powdrell family’s Turiroa Station, Wairoa, for $22,000. Vendor Robin Sherson said the highest price was a little lower than the $36,000 achieved last year but the average across 41 lots sold out of 43 offered was $10,756, more than $1000 better than 2019. The crowd at the Taumarunui on-farm sale was slightly down because of covid-19 travel and contact constraints but the overall result, including a clearance rate up with previous years, was very pleasing. Storth Oaks Angus at Otorohanga on May 27 sold 69 bulls of 83 offered, five on Bidr and five to other Angus studs. More sales were made in the days following. Vendor Tim Brittain said attendance was on a par with previous years, most bulls sold in the pens and they will be widely distributed around the country. The highest price was $28,000 to Stockman Angus, Rotorua, and Kauri Downs, Te Aroha, as joint buyers and the average was $8659. On May 27 Monymusk Herefords, Te Anau, sold 38 of 39 bulls offered and averaged $8400 with a top price of $14,500 paid by Campbell’s Block. Limehills Herefords at Roxburgh sold 58 of 59 and made a top price of $20,000 paid by Beaumont Station, along with two at $19,000 and one at $15,000. The average was $8100. Umbrella Range Angus on Argyle Station, Waikaia, Southland, made an excellent average price of $10,186 for a full clearance of 24 bulls on May 25, the top price being $18,000 from a commercial farmer. Glacier Hereford, Fox Glacier, had a full clearance of 10 bulls, average $8020 and top price $12,000 to the Peddie family. Waimara Angus, Waikouaiti, sold all 27 bulls offered with a top price of $13,000 and an average $7653. Stoneburn Herefords, Palmerston, sold all 25 bulls for an average of $7096 and a high of $13,500. Glenside Simmentals, at Lawrence, Otago, sold all 17 offered and averaged $6376 with a top of $9200 and on the same day Lone Pine Simmentals at Rae’s Junction sold 16 of 19 offered to average $6376 with a top of $9500. The Jolly family’s Hingaia Angus stud at Te Awamutu on May 27 sold 27 of 35 offered to average $7056 with a top of $13,500. Te Taumata Herefords, Wairarapa, sold 15 of 26 offered, averaged $5433 and had a top of $8500. This season the Knauf family at Kerrah Simmentals, Wairoa, has sold 80 bulls by private treaty and averaged $7613 with a top price of $18,000 paid by Lowridge Simmentals. Rauriki Charolais, Waipukurau, sold 17 of 21 offered on May 26, averaged $6305 and achieved a personal-best top price of $12,000, bought by John Griffith. On the same day Peters Angus at Roxburgh sold 15 of 22 offered and averaged $6006 with a high of $12,500, Duncraigen Herefords, Wyndham, sold four, average $7275, top $11,700, Tarangower Angus, Mahoenui, sold 33 to average $6545 with a top of $12,000 and Rock-End Herefords, also Mahoenui, sold 19, average $5600, top $12,000. Top prices of $15,000 to $16,000 were achieved by Blackridge Angus, Taumarunui, that sold 23 of 32 offered and averaged $7369 and Puke-Nui Angus, also Taumarunui, that sold 27 of 33 and averaged $7074. Glenbrae Herefords, Porangahau, sold 26 of 30 bulls offered on May 28 and averaged $6400 with a top price of $15,000 paid by Moana Herefords.

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FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – June 1, 2020

Market base is strong but ... Annette Scott annette.scott@globalhq.co.nz DESPITE significant primary sector disruption from covid-19 and drought Beef + Lamb forecasts a positive outlook for sheep and beef exports this season. It’s mid-season update says beef, lamb and mutton farmgate prices will maintain their high levels. That is supported by a strong start to the first half of the season and an expected weakening of the New Zealand dollar. While the drought and covid-19 have both had impacts for farmers and meat processors the fundamentals look likely to remain strong for sheep meat and beef exports this year, Beef + Lamb chief economist Andrew Burtt said. “Red meat is expected to remain a key component of many diets as African swine fever in China continues to drive a shortage of pork there, which underpins solid demand for beef and sheep meat imports.” Export receipts for beef, veal, lamb and mutton including co-products like offal, meat-andbone meal and hides and skins are forecast to total just under $9 billion.

Beef export receipts are expected to pass $4b for the first time, lifting 18% to $4.6b. A lift in the average export value for lamb offsets a lower lamb crop in 2019, resulting in a 4% lift in total lamb export receipts to $3.54b. Throughout covid-19 the red meat sector has proved remarkably resilient, Burtt said. But AgriHQ analyst Mel Croad cautions the need to read past the headlines after a significantly weaker start to 2020. “As noted in the report we can expect significant short-term volatility in market demand and prices. “We need to remember there will be an economic toll in key markets for the balance of this season,” Croad said. For many this year’s income is almost all in the bank. “We were so fortunate to lock in those record prices at the farmgate through the opening months of the season, be it for store or slaughter. “We have suffered a significantly weaker start to 2020 and while we are seeing some marginal upside we still have a long road ahead of us and we are now starting from a much lower pricing point, especially for lamb.”

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SOLID BASE: The fundamentals are likely to remain strong for both sheep meat and beef exports this year, Beef + Lamb chief economist Andrew Burtt says.

Croad is sceptical of the report’s heavy reliance on China and ASF being the silver bullet to pull market demand and prices back up on the basis of greater need for proteins. “Yes, there will be some benefit but since covid-19 we have yet to see anything measurable in this space. “Demand from China is improving but still a long way from where it has been and where it was this time last year. “In fact, some in-market prices for lamb into China have actually

reduced in recent weeks,” Croad said. The mid-season report does acknowledge covid-19 disrupted an incredibly strong start to the 2019-20 season. Chinese demand for NZ’s red meat exports was severely curtailed during the second quarter of the season and the human and economic toll of the virus in both Europe and the United States will affect demand for red meat exports for the rest of the season with significant shortterm volatility in market demand

and prices expected. But, despite the disruption, demand fundamentals from China remain solid with Chinese 2020 pork production expected to be down 40% on pre-ASF levels. Last year Chinese consumers increasingly turned to sheep meat and beef as alternatives to pork. As economic activity recovers following covid-19 demand for meat is expected to similarly recover. Shifting market access dynamics could change the distribution of beef exports this season. The US is forecasting a significant lift in beef exports and has gained improved market access to China and Japan though US exports have been significantly affected by covid-19 becaue of the closure of meat processing plants. The report notes that might increase competitive pressure for NZ beef in some markets but could create opportunities in others. Brazilian beef has recently regained access to the US market, increasing competition there. However, a significant reduction in Australian sheep meat and beef production will provide some support for demand for NZ red meat in key markets, B+LNZ said.

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10 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – June 1, 2020

Hauraki farms are desperate for rain Gerald Piddock gerald.piddock@globalhq.co.nz WHEN your farm is in drought every day is one day closer to rain. That’s the message Ngatea dairy farmer Brent Aitchison keeps telling himself and his staff as his 350-hectare farming operation copes with the worst drought he has seen in 25 years of farming on the Hauraki Plains. He is one of the 280 farmers there seriously affected by the prolonged drought. Pasture covers are low across the district, reaching an average of 1700-1800kg drymatter a hectare with the worst affected at 1200kg DM/ha. He is feeding his 1000 cows spread across two neighbouring farms 100% supplements. In a typical year he would start feeding his herd supplements in mid February. This year the dry summer forced him to start that a month early. “We’re normally a system 2. This year we’ve been pretty much a system 5 with no result. “We’ve been feeding all the way through and are still feeding for a long time yet.” Typically, his pastures would have 2200-2300kg DM/ha at this time of year. Those covers are now at 1100kg DM/ha. His better paddocks have been shut up for calving and even those have big, brown, bare patches. “And that’s our better stuff,” he said. He dried the herd off in mid April and is operating on a 235day pasture round. He is feeding out palm kernel at 6kg a cow a day and 3.5kg/day of maize and a small amount of kiwifruit. “We’re feeding them anything we can get our hands on this year.” In terms of cost it was an open chequebook, Aitchison said. “In dollar terms we would be $250,000 above what we normally

would feed at this time and we are still looking at another $150,000 in supplement solely because we’re a grass-based system and rely heavily on grass.” That cost does not include undersowing his pastures to get them back to normal. He is six weeks out from calving and his number one priority is ensuring his cows are in proper condition for calving and reducing the impact the drought will have on the new season. It will also affect the new season’s production. Aitchison will have a massive feed deficit and will have to put his herd on once-a-day milking in spring till his pastures recover.

People aren’t asking for handouts, they’re asking for empathy. Julie Pirie Farmer “We won’t have grass covers by then and that’s the only way we can do it. It’s about trying to salvage next season.” Farmers have also destocked as much as possible. Any more stock reductions will mean cutting into their capital stock, affecting milk production and pasture use. Any rain between now and calving, while greatly needed, will merely soften that feed deficit and financial blow, he said. Fellow Plains farmers Brian and Julie Pirie said their and Aitchison’s combined supplementary feed spend is greater than the latest funding the Government has put aside to help drought-affected farmers. “Between him and I we’ve paid out more than what the Government grant is. Our two

farms would have blown more than half a million dollars of extra feed that we have had to bring in to keep our businesses going,” Brian said. Julie said the length of time without rain has surprised everyone, including those who set aside feed reserves over summer and autumn. The drought is very specific. Farms south of Ngatea on clay soils are the worst affected. A major concern now is that when there is heavy rain it will turn that area from a dustbowl to a bog. The traditionally wet nature of farming on the Plains means most farmers have lower stocking rates than normal as well as having feed-out infrastructure such as a feedpad to protect pastures. “That’s why it’s hard. We’re set up for the worst situation and when that worst situation becomes even worse the levers that you can pull are reduced,” Julie said. The couple organised a series of meetings to support affected farmers. So far, they are doing just that. Farmers from other districts had also pitched in with feed. Waikato Federated Farmers dairy chairman Ben Moore helped co-ordinate a feed drive that collected 12001300 maize stubble straw bales and 300-400 grass silage bales. This feed was not donated but bought and paid for at $40-$60 for square bales and $100 for the grass silage, including cartage. Morale is holding up now affected farmers realise they are not alone, she said. “People aren’t asking for handouts, they’re asking for empathy.” Federated Farmers HaurakiCoromandel president Kevin Robinson said what is particularly demoralising for those farmers is that regular forecasts for rain keep missing drought-affected areas. They build up then destroy farmers’ expectations, he said.

BARE: About 50% of the pastures on Ngatea dairy farmer Brent Aitchison’s drought-stricken farm have pasture covers of about 1200kg drymatter a hectare.

COSTLY: Ngatea dairy farmer Brent Aitchison’s 1000-cow herd is being fed 100% supplements.

“It’s so disappointing as that the expectation is that we’re finally going to get some rain and then it doesn’t happen and that’s going on for six weeks now. “My concern is that if we don’t get substantial rain this week some farmers are going to hit the wall. “This is not one of your average droughts when it gets dry for a month or two and then it rains and you’re right. To be this dry at

this time of year coming into June – I’ve never experienced it in my lifetime as a farmer – it’s unique.” The situation has prompted the region’s three councils, Thames-Coromandel, MatamataPiako and Hauraki to write to Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor asking for the cartage costs of supplementary feed to be reduced. They are yet to receive a reply.

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FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – June 1, 2020

Relief measures are under review Neal Wallace neal.wallace@globalhq.co.nz A REVIEW of the help offered by governments to farmers in adverse events has been ordered by Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor. The Ministry for Primary Industries is reviewing its adverse events policy but it won’t be rushed. Questions are being asked about the suitability of the policy that offers advice and support but no help with stock feed and water. Both have been critically short this year in drought-hit areas of the North Island, accentuated by delays getting livestock killed and the closure of sale yards because of the covid-19 response. Adding to that is a below-average growing season over much of the country, putting surplus feed at a premium. O’Connor says the response to an adverse event must be proportionate. “We will face these events more frequently and we have to balance support that is appropriate and justified without undermining issues such as trade.” MPI has a heavy workload so the review could take time. “The system is not broken but the frequency and range of events are changing so this

well-intentioned policy may need tweaking.” Hawke’s Bay Rural Support Trust co-ordinator Lon Anderson says a severe snowstorm a few years ago prompted a change in the way the Hawke’s Bay rural community manages adverse events with an emphasis on the response being community-driven. While not resolving every issue or challenge it ensures farmers are supported and taps into local knowledge. “If you have a team of people supporting farmers in every way, that should be encouraged. Farmers will look after themselves.” The Rural Advisory Group established after the snowstorm has members from community groups with individuals given responsibility for issues such as water, feed, livestock, finance, human welfare and logistics. As well as having local knowledge the members know each other, which hastens the circulation of information. “If it is driven within a region the intelligence linkage into local farmers is far better than something driven from central government.” In addition to the drought and delays quitting stock Hawke’s Bay farmers have also had to contend with Mycoplasma bovis, an

outbreak of bovine tuberculosis and a new regional council water plan. “We’ve seen a few droughts but have never had so many restrictions and pressure points at once,” he said. Some grain and sheep nuts have been shipped from the South Island and hay from the North Island but the high cost limits such shipments to high-quality rather than bulk feed. An initiative being tried is to link experienced farmers with a relatively new one to exchange ideas and wisdom. “We want to make these mentors available to go and talk to young farmers, to get those wise old heads to pass on a few tricks of the trade to help get them over this hurdle.” Federated Farmers sees a need for a broader suite of adverse event measures to help farmers but warns implementing them is not straightforward. Its adverse events spokesman Andrew Hoggard wants the policy to address the greatest need or priority and not simply respond through the same channels as have always been used. “It’s should be about addressing actions that need to happen.” Hoggard says there needs to be a way to formally link those who have surplus feed with those in

FIT FOR PURPOSE: The Primary Inudstries Ministry is reviewing its adverse events policy, Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor says.

need, supported by logistics to shift that feed. Co-ordinating that, however, is challenging and though some media platforms promote available surplus feed, more often than not it is arranged by word of mouth and through contacts. Hoggard says this is far from a normal year, which has accentuated a general feed shortage. In the past 12 months an extreme climatic event has struck virtually every province, which has left few regions with surplus feed.

How it works THE Ministry for Primary Industry has three classifications for adverse events – localised, mediumscale and large-scale. They determine what help is offered. An adverse event can be a storm, drought, flood, snow, volcanic eruption, earthquake or biosecurity incursion. When an adverse event occurs MPI decides its severity after consulting regional policy agents, rural support trusts, regional and district councils, local civil defence emergency management groups, industry organisations and other government agencies. The severity of each event is also assessed on the basis of options available for farmers to prepare, the magnitude and the capacity of the community to cope economically and socially. A nationwide network of Rural Support Trusts co-ordinates the initial response and long-term recovery by providing mentors, advocating for finance and providing stress management services.

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12 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – June 1, 2020

Deer sector ready for challenges Annette Scott annette.scott@globalhq.co.nz AFTER several seasons of strong export returns New Zealand’s venison farmers are well positioned to overcome the severe trade disruptions of covid-19, Rabobank animal proteins analyst Blake Holgate says. But the industry and venison marketers make no attempt to sugar-coat the difficult situation they are dealing with. Holgate said venison producers have enjoyed a good run benefitting from healthy export sales into both established and new markets. “In the last five years we’ve seen significant export growth in the United States, partly due to increased demand for venison in pet food while we’ve also seen strong sales in long-standing European markets such as Germany and Belgium.” The industry has also increased sales in emerging markets like China with exports growing rapidly. Venison prices reached an historical peak of $11.50 a kilo in 2018 and while prices drifted lower in 2019 the industry is in a healthy position. “Many in the industry started this year with strong, resilient businesses and this will be important as the industry navigates what is now likely to be a challenging next 12 months.” Holgate said the covid-19 impact on global food service hit venison demand hard. Exporters are running into additional challenges with the Chinese government in January declaring a ban on consumption of wild animals that originally included farmed deer products. Since then many deer species have been reclassified as special livestock, exempting them from the ban but there is still concern confusion about the status of deer products might cause some

disruption once the product arrives in China. Exporters want assurances the exemption for deer is well understood and consistently applied by Chinese regional authorities, Holgate said. He expects the real challenges from covid-19 will evolve as the year progresses. Despite the likelihood of considerably lower demand for venison, sales of manufacturing venison and the European game season will help ensure a base level of demand.

We expect we will have formal confirmation later this month that New Zealand farmed venison is an approved meat. Innes Moffat DINZ “Venison sales to manufacturing remain stable and in coming months we expect demand for these products is likely to fare better as more consumers are shopping and preparing meals in their own homes. “The well-entrenched game season in the northern hemisphere autumn remains an important sales window for NZ exporters and at this stage we anticipate the worst of the covid-19 related disruptions may be behind us by then.” The industry’s diversity across markets will benefit exporters, letting them switch exports to the markets that recover earliest, Holgate said. NZ farm-raised venison marketers are making a concerted push to build sales through online outlets and gourmet retailers. Deer Industry NZ chief

executive Innes Moffat said covidrelated restaurant shut-downs created a crisis for food service suppliers and the farmers who supply them. “Covid-19 has had a much greater impact on current and forward sales of venison than for other red meats.” So Dinz has reviewed and prioritised its market support and development programme including restoring access to China and supporting venison companies and their market partners to develop new sales channels and backing. “Fortunately, our venison export marketers and some overseas partners already had small retail and online marketing programmes and they are now putting a lot of energy into generating more sales through these channels while looking out for the green shoots of recovery in food service,” Moffat said. That is a shift in priorities from developing new markets offering year-round demand at premium prices for a wider range of venison cuts, a strategy where the industry is having considerable success. “In response processors have reduced the schedule prices they offer farmers for their deer with some now processing deer on the understanding that the market risk will be shared by the marketer and the producer.” But online and retail are not quick fixes because new consumer-ready products need to be developed, Moffat said. “Retail is very price-competitive and needs significant promotional support but when we put the pandemic behind us we will have stronger retail and online sales programmes in place, making the industry better equipped to handle whatever the future holds. “We expect the next 12-18 months will be difficult for everyone in the food service supply chain including the farmers who supply them.”

POLE POSITION: Venison farmers are well positioned to take advantage of any recovery in demand, Rabobank animal proteins analyst Blake Holgate says.

Dinz is working with the Ministry for Primary Industries and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade regarding NZ farmed venison versus wild animal status. “We expect we will have formal confirmation later this month that NZ farmed venison is an approved meat. “In preparation for this we are

There are three ways you can read us: 1. Own a farm. If farming is your main income, you register with NZ Post to have Farmers Weekly delivered free to your mailbox. This is how around 80,000 farmers receive theirs. 2. Read the virtual paper online at farmersweekly.co.nz/topic/virtual-publication. Our online eNewsletters have the paper before it hits mailboxes and you can sign up to recieve them at farmersweekly.co.nz/e-newsletter. 3. Subscribe - a great gift for retired farmers and town dwellers. This is for people in town who want a hard copy of the paper each week. Farmers Weekly is just under $4 per issue ($16/month, $192 incl GST per year) and Dairy Farmer is $8.95 per issue ($98.45 incl GST / year). Pay by credit card or Farmlands card. www.farmersweekly.co.nz/subscribe or freephone 0800 85 25 80

now preparing new material in Mandarin to highlight to the trade and consumers the safety of NZ farm-raised venison.” Marketers, including Alliance, Duncan, Silver Fern Farms and Firstlight, confirm demand is still there. “We just need to be able to access it,” Moffat said.

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14 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – June 1, 2020

Fish and Game to tone down attacks Neal Wallace neal.wallace@globalhq.co.nz

TAKE CARE: Fish and Game chief executive Martin Taylor has been urged by his organisation to show restraint when talking about farmers.

FISH and Game wants to end nearly 20 years of confrontation with Federated Farmers. It has invited the lobby group a meeting to try to cement a more harmonious relationship. The move has been welcomed by federation president Katie Milne who says she is looking forward to meeting the organisation’s leadership and ending what she calls the blame game. Fish and Game’s council decided at its May

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meeting to extend the olive branch, after a tumultuous six months. In November it instructed chief executive Martin Taylor and staff not to make negative media statements about farmers and last month Lindsay Lyons was unexpectantly toppled as chairman. He held the role for six years and was replaced by Paul Shortis in an extraordinary election. Earlier this month Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage announced a review of the organisation, which is largely unchanged since it was formed in 1990. At this month’s meeting, held online, councillors were overwhelmingly of the view targeted attacks on farming for causing water degradation were counterproductive and ignored other causes of pollution. Bill O’Leary from Nelson-Marlborough says such antagonism alienated a large section of potential licence holders but also angered landowners who responded by denying access to anglers and duck shooters. Sediment and slash from forestry are bigger polluters in his area than farming and drainage from new urban development and substandard sewage systems in Canterbury are also significant contributors. It is unfair to pick on the failings of some and not praise those farmers who are performing well, O’Leary said. “The issue is not whether we advocate but a question of how we advocate and the message that goes out publicly is one that Fish and Game takes an equitable approach in apportioning blame and is equitable also in highlighting good practice.” Dan Isbister, from the central South Island region, says most farmers comply with their consents yet their activities are degrading rivers, which is an issue for central Government and regional councils. “If people are complying but the effects are still polluting waterways then there is something wrong with the rules.” The Dirty Dairy campaign, a label councillors say was founded by media, has run its course but Fish and Game still has a role advocating for improved freshwater quality, Shortis said. “We need to change our emphasis slightly, tone down the general criticism of farming and soften that approach. “It is getting not only farmers’ backs up but other peoples’ backs up as well. “Any effective advantage the organisation may get is diminished if you have the general population saying ‘here is Fish and Game beating down again about farming’.” Greater scrutiny should be taken of regional councils as gatekeepers of the Resource Management Act. Taylor defended criticism of farming saying it was based on fact. Farmers who adopted best practice and were not lowering water quality were praised and the organisation was critical of poor-performing regional councils. Taylor says a recent survey of members shows overwhelming support for the organisation advocating for freshwater and criticising farmers where warranted. “There is a clear steer from the Colmar Brunton survey that anglers expect us to advocate hard for freshwater by being able to mention dairy farming as a cause of some pollution in our rural areas, particularly in Taranaki, Canterbury and Southland. “It is an important part of our role representing licence holders.” The council agreed to remove what Shortis called a gagging order on Taylor talking in the media but urged him to show restraint and to focus on all sources of pollution. Councillors also agreed to develop a national advocacy strategy and to approach Federated Farmers to see if they can work together.

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FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – June 1, 2020

Farmers a bit happier with banks Richard Rennie richard.rennie@globalhq.co.nz WHILE still feeling some pressure from their banks most farmers feel happier with their banking relationships than they did six months ago despite the impact of covid-19, drought and continuing debt issues. The Federated Farmers farm banking satisfaction survey reveals on average 69% of farmers are satisfied to very satisfied with their banks, the first uptick in satisfaction for almost five years. That is slightly up on the November survey report of 68% but still lagging significantly behind the rosier 80-plus percent enjoyed in the mid-2015 survey. Since then the level of satisfaction has eroded. The results come out alongside the Reserve Bank’s Financial Stability report that highlighted the primary sector’s strength in the covid-19 crisis, albeit with pockets of debt vulnerability in dairying and forestry. Federated Farmers vicepresident and commerce spokesman Andrew Hoggard said the small upward trend is encouraging. “It is only one survey but I think it is a good sign.”

It might also reflect a bit about how the covid crisis has highlighted to banks that issues around highly indebted dairy farmers are the least of their worries. “Dairy farms still have the milk being sent away and the money is at least still coming in.” The twice-yearly survey was based on responses from 1400 farmers and provides some insights to what farmer types are most and least grumpy about their bank’s performance. Almost 67% of dairy farmers, who account for the lion’s share of farm debt, are satisfied but the group happiest with their bankers is the 72% of dry-stock farmers. After several surveys where dairy farmers have felt under the pump to get principal repaid the sector appears to have made some peace with its bankers. It has 24% saying they feel under pressure from their banks compared to 29% in November. However, arable operators are significantly less impressed with only 58% very satisfied or satisfied and 28% feeling under pressure, down from 30% in November. As an entire group however farmers in general feel they are under less pressure than six

LESS GRUMPY: Overall, farmers are happier with their banking relationships than they were six months ago, Federated Farmers vice-president Andrew Hoggard says.

months ago with 23% reporting pressure then compared to 19% today. Hoggard said the results come after a particularly challenging six months for most farmers with widespread drought in large parts of the North Island and the pandemic.

While less badly affected than some sectors by covid-19 farming has possibly also benefitted from the business finance guarantee scheme and the Reserve Bank’s decision to delay rolling out the tougher bank capital reserve demands to encourage lending. “I think for some banks, though,

that was never going to be an issue but others it was an excuse.” He also said there has been a shift in how banks have been assessing farm lending compared to the heady days of easy credit. “It used to be they would simply want to know how many kilos of milksolids you would do on the farm you were looking at and lend right up to a number based on that. “Now the conversations are more detailed, around what your effluent system is like, how highly stocked you are and just how sustainable the entire business is. “I think this is a good thing. Some of the rabbit holes lending has gone down in the past have done us no good.” He believes the slide in interest rates might have also helped some farmers. But he is also cautious about how long those rates will last and how much faith can be put in them over the life of a long farm mortgage. The average mortgage rate is now 4.2% and overdraft average is 6.6%. “There are significant challenges ahead with the drought persisting, winter feed stores under significant pressure and uncertain global trading conditions to name a few.”

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16 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – June 1, 2020

Horizons rejigs shovel-ready jobs Colin Williscroft colin.williscroft@globalhq.co.nz HORIZONS has reworked its submission to the Government on shovel-ready projects to help drive the economic rebound from covid-19 with many of its jobs having a farm focus. Further work on the ManawatuWhanganui Regional Council’s environmental enhancement projects list has taken refined it from 20 projects worth $74 million and to 13 jobs costing $150m. Of that, Horizons has asked for $100m from the Government. Council natural resources and partnerships group manager Dr Jon Roygard says conversations with Government officials allowed for a rework of what projects could be delivered, local co-funding, the number of jobs that will be created and extending the projects to a five-year timeframe. “While many of the projects are already planned or under way, central Government funding will accelerate the work. This, in turn,

will stimulate our economy, create jobs and improve our region’s water quality and biodiversity at a faster rate.” Of the 13 projects submitted, 10 are council-led. They include riparian planting and stream fencing, pest plant and animal control, biodiversity enhancement and accelerating the Sustainable Land Use Initiative (SLUI). As part of its submission the council had to be clear it is not double-dipping, instead highlighting that demand for improvements is so great more money is needed to keep up. Many of the projects fit with the Government’s freshwater improvement initiatives. Last year, having secured $6.4m over four years from the Ministry for Primary Industries’ hill-country erosion fund the council broadened the SLUI funding criteria to make it easier for landowners to be part of the programme. That allows funding for one-off jobs on farms that do not have

While many of the projects are already planned or under way, central Government funding will accelerate the work. Dr Jon Roygard Horizons

FASTER: Horizons natural resources and partnerships group manager Jon Roygard says extra Government funding will help accelerate environmental improvement projects on farms.

a SLUI whole farm plan, with further funding available for properties with existing SLUI and Whanganui Catchment Strategy whole farm plans. Farmers have taken that up

and extra Government funding will enable the work to be done sooner. A significant focus of the council’s submission is job creation, with the projects likely to

create up to 750 jobs. Not all of them will involve physical work, Roygard says. There will be roles in project management, co-ordination and administration but a shortage of fencers will need to be addressed. Landowners do a significant amount of the work themselves and also contribute financially to environmental improvements made to their land. He says anyone who wants information about funding or advice should contact the council.

Rates hiatus hits koi carp cull Gerald Piddock gerald.piddock@globalhq.co.nz WAIKATO Regional Council wants the Government to pay for its koi carp eradication programme after cuts to its 2020-21 budget. The council has approved a $101.94 million budget for next financial year with no increases in rates. To achieve a zero rates increase it cut $143,000 from its freshwater biosecurity funding. That included pest fish projects it supports in partnership with the Department of Conservation, including its maintenance of a koi carp trap and digester on the shores of Lake Waikare, north of Huntly. That digester was built in 2012 as part of the council’s CarpN Neutral project. Over four years a trap removed 35 tonnes of carp from the lake. The digester turns the carp into fertiliser pellets. Council integrated catchment services manager Patrick Whaley said the trap and digestor are being decommissioned, saving $43,000. “The equipment is near its end of life,” he said.

It also cut $82,000 for staff recruitment, which was earmarked for a joint regional animal pest role with DOC and operational planning support for Taupo’s biosecurity programme. Whaley said the role is being put on hold with DOC looking at other and better ways to do the job. However, it will keep its joint commitment with DOC to fund $60,000 to recruit a pest fish coordinator. Koi carp are a major problem in stirring up bottom sediment in waterways when feeding. That reduces water clarity and light and kills native plants. Council chief executive Vaughan Payne said it has not so much cut its budgets as flatlined them. It will look to the Government, which has earmarked $1.1 billion for jobs on environmental projects including pest eradication. “We know that the Government has increased funding for pest management so it would be entirely appropriate that DOC allocate more money for pest management fish including koi carp. “If that funding did not go

GONE: The Waikato Regional Council’s koi carp trap and digester are being decommissioned as part of its effort to cut its budget to achieve a zero rates rise.

towards koi carp then the council would continue to do what it has done and that is whatever it can to with its limited resources but it’s quite important that we don’t take on, as far as practical, Government responsibilities.” Whaley said the council has put in a funding bid for $9m over five years for an environmental enhancement project on the management of pest fish. If successful it will increase the pest fish co-ordinator role to fulltime for 2021 to 2025. It will also provide funding for the co-ordinator to help community-led initiatives and to collaborate with community groups, do more science around spawning locations and install traps. DOC›s Waikato operations manager Ray Scrimgeour said it will take a wait-and-see approach with the impact it will have on its pest fish eradication programme. “Reduction in funding always presents challenges in continuing conservation work. Pest fish are particular issue for us in Waikato but we need a wider range of stakeholders involved – not just DOC and WRC. “Our efforts are focused on a small number of high-priority sites. Again, we would need to look more deeply at what a budget reduction means. Control of those type of pests does need a medium to long-term sustained approach and how that work is funded is crucial.” Scrimgeour said the finer details of the budget increase for conservation work are still being worked through. “It would be premature to say if any of that funding will go toward this sort of work. However, the Government’s Budget announcement did send a strong signal about pest control.”

EMISSIONS FALL: Agricultural emissions fell in Waikato between 2015 and 2018 largely from a reduction in cow numbers.

Waikato farm emissions down 4.2% Gerald Piddock gerald.piddock@globalhq.co.nz AGRICULTURAL greenhouse gas emissions in Waikato have dropped 4.2% over the past three years to 69% of the region’s total emsissions because reductions in dairy cow numbers. The new data from a Waikato Regional Council survey of emissions for 2018-19 showed agriculture is the only sector to reduce its emissions compared to the previous survey in 2015-16. However, agriculture remains the largest contributor of gross greenhouse gas emissions in the region. Emissions from the transport sector and emissions from stationary energy totalled 15% and 13% respectively. Both were up because increases in population. An estimated 83% of the 8.6m tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) generated from agriculture came from methane emitted from farm animals. Overall, 56% of the region’s 12.6m tonnes of CO2e came from that form of methane. The surveyor, consulting firm EnviroStrat, called it a significant challenge for the region.

The region’s net emissions per capita vary between districts. Large areas of forests in Taupo and Thames-Coromandel meant they are carbon positive with their per capita net emissions at -34.4t and -3.8t CO2e respectively. But Otorohanga’s per capita net emissions were 82.8t CO2e, Waitomo’s emissions were 44.1t CO2e and Matamata-Piako’s emissions were 44.6t CO2e. Regional council’s climate action committee chairwoman Jennifer Nickel said the inventory paints an interesting picture of what is going on and where and it means approaches to curb and adapt to climate change will be varied across the region. Nickel said the council will use the information to develop a climate action roadmap to support it and the region’s territorial authorities to become leaders in carbon and water management. “The decision to measure the carbon footprint of each of the territorial authorities was a unanimous one among the councils and it will enable us all to work together to focus attention on the areas where the best reductions can be made.”

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FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – June 1, 2020

Log rules might tighten exports Richard Rennie richard.rennie@globalhq.co.nz THE spectre of Government intervention has spooked forest owners worried about a proposal to regulate and certify log exporters. Three weeks ago Forestry Minister Shane Jones vowed to introduce greater regulation on log processing to ensure the domestic market has sufficient log supply rather than logs being sent to more lucrative markets. Jones said he wanted to target logmongers, introduce a higher level of professionalism and possibly a code of conduct. Forestry advisers will be required to demonstrate they have the skills and experience to advise growers while log traders will need to pass a fit-and-proper-person test and meet recordkeeping standards. The aim is to support a continuous, predictable and long-term supply of timber for domestic processing and exporting, Jones said. His ambition is to substantially increase the number of people employed in the local timber processing sector and the Provincial Growth Fund has had several initiatives aimed at achieving that. Jones said the covid-19 crisis showed how an over-reliance on log exports to a few markets make the industry heavily reliant on them for its success. Meantime, he is concerned the domestic processing sector is missing out on log supplies. While reassuring foresters he will not introduce a quota, Jones aims to have a register of log exporters, traders and advisers who will be required to work to standards to strengthen the supply chain to domestic processors. But Forest Owners Association president Phil Taylor said “At this stage the minister has only proposed enabling legislation but they still have to set the practice rules. At its worst, and there is no guarantee this will happen, it could lead to things like price controls and controls around competition and harvest. “The Government speakers in the first reading debate seem to think giving a certificate to someone who buys and sells logs is going to lead to more logs being processed in NZ and not exported.” He predicts an avalanche of clipboards as a result of the regulations, adding costs to the supply pipeline. The log sector took a hit in August when international prices slumped and the market was knocked back again when China bore the initial brunt of the covid-19 outbreak earlier this year. More recently, log prices have surged again, up more than $50 a cubic metre from $130 a cubic metre before the lockdown. Over 60% of timber export earnings are from logs with China accounting for 80% of the market or almost half of NZ’s total timber processing revenue. Taylor is uncertain if the lift in prices was China refilling supply chains or a more structural shift in prices that will last into coming months. But he is concerned any registration will only muddy the waters around increasing local processing capacity. He notes the Budget contained $5 billion for building new houses. “We hope the Government will make sure timber is used extensively for this. Labour promised a wood preference policy in the last election.” Estimates are that if regulations require NZ timber to be used in buildings to make them zero carbon about 5m tonnes of logs a year would be used domestically – about 15% of the total exported to China. Forest Industry Contractors Association chief executive Prue Younger welcomes the chance to introduce a greater level of professionalism into log exports through a registration process. A wood-first policy is needed to underpin those efforts.

SQUEEZED: Forest Owners Association president Phil Taylor believes log supplies will be hindered by regulation.

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18 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – June 1, 2020

Bioethics can help make tough choices As the world’s health experts grapple with covid-19 challenging ethical issues beset them daily as they make tough calls on how to best spread thin medical resources by making life or death decisions. The study of bioethics has come to prominence in wake of those decisions. Nuffield Scholar Ben Hancock found bioethics might provide the tools agriculture needs when trying to address its wicked problems. He spoke to Richard Rennie. WITH a background in analysis, ecology and farm systems Ben Hancock found himself increasingly disturbed by the surging wave of regulatory demands hitting farmers, including his own parents’ on the family property in Martinborough. “And the sheer volume of regulatory demands coming along were proving unrelenting, from zero carbon, water quality, biodiversity and health-safety, there has been a lot in a relatively short period of time.” That concern prompted the Beef + Lamb analyst to pursue a Nuffield Scholarship to find tools to help build greater societal trust between farmers and consumers. In the process he hoped to see farmers better understand the mindset and thought processes that result in parts of society objecting to some or all aspects of modern farming. With his own background in ecology at doctorate level he has had discussions with beekeepers and farmers well able to understand relatively high-level concepts and systems as part of their work. But that appreciation or understanding of why they do certain things in their system does not always translate to consumer understanding. The result is a lack of trust and regulation to fill the resulting gap between society and farmers. “The best approach for agriculture to deal with such

issues is to try to front foot them but I soon found the usual approaches we may take are not necessarily the best.” The popular go-to tool for explaining aspects of farming to consumers is the expert or farmerled discussion. “This comes up time and time again as a means to convey a certain approach by agri groups.”

The best approach for agriculture to deal with such issues is to try to front foot them but I soon found the usual approaches we may take are not necessarily the best. Ben Hancock Nuffield Scholar But, like most approaches he examined, the top-down, expertsknow-best one usually fails to understand the motivations and thought processes of lay consumers – why it matters to them. “It is difficult to engage the public on a technical level and it also becomes very arduous. Expertise is important but it is only a fraction of the decisionmaking process.” While attending a California

University Davis conference he stumbled across a presentation on bioethics given by renowned bioethicist Anne Barnhill of Johns Hopkins University. Her work focuses on the ethics of food and agriculture. Bioethics is the study of ethical challenges that arise from biology and medicine, dealing with the ethical questions that crop up in the crossover between sciences, politics, law and philosophy. But bioethics can extend well beyond typical medical dilemmas facing health providers. “We began a conversation on the benefits of bioethics, looking not at what are ethics, but as an outcome of the belief, values and morals held by a group. “A farmer will assess benefits of a technology on their system in terms of production, business or lifestyle. However, this is through their own perspective or values and they may not align with those held by the wider society and affected parties.” One of the potential bioethical tools is the ethical matrix. It comprises scientific and economic data on the challenge being dealt with. But it also includes assessments of risk and uncertainty, the intrinsic value of different life forms and knowledge levels including folk and tacit. Including the last two softer parameters gives the ability to get deeper into the minds of consumers while including the farmer’s experience.

TOUGH CHOICES: Bioethics can play a role beyond medical dilemmas in helping agriculture resolve its wicked problems, Nuffield Scholar Ben Hancock says.

“If you were to apply it in a New Zealand context that last point about knowledge could include tikanga Maori farmer knowledge, something not held necessarily in a quantified form.” He was given a relevant example by Professor Carl Kaiser of Norway’s Bergen University. Kaiser was examining the acceptability of transgenic salmon farming. “He had brought in the views of consumers, processors, farmers and interest groups when they were examining the acceptability of this fish. This contrasted with the far more fact and expertdriven, technical stance taken by the United States Food and Drug administration.” Hancock said the salmon approach has a lot of relevance for NZ as the industry starts to again debate the application of

genetic technology in farming. “It is about identifying values and issues and incorporating them before issues arise later on and have to be untangled.” Hancock knows some farmers can be dismissive of what consumers think about a practice because of their lack of knowledge and experience. “But now more than ever farming is prominent and part of society and that is why it features so high in society’s values and why wider society cares. Using these tools is not just solving issues for farming, it’s solving them for society.”

The report is at dropbox.com/s/ sewqlxvmyp8klfc/2019%20 Nuffield%20Report%20-%20 Ben%20Hancock.pdf?dl=0

SFF joins with e-commerce platform SILVER Fern Farms has partnered with Gourmet Direct to sell its full range of products to New Zealand customers. Gourmet Direct is a nationwide e-commerce business specialising in NZ meat. SFF group marketing manager Nicola Johnston said the partnership is a natural fit with online shopping becoming more popular than ever following the covid-19 lockdown. Gourmet Direct has developed a loyal customer base that values its selection of premium meats, product quality and superior customer service, she said. “Having our products on Gourmet Direct’s online platform also means we

can gain valuable insights direct from our customers about what they want to see from SFF as a quality, grassfed lamb, beef and venison brand.” Gourmet Direct owner Kate King said “Showcasing Kiwi farmers and their exceptional meat products with our customers who value quality and convenience is at the heart of our business”. SFF’s retail range is trimmed and portioned. It is also sustainably packaged in recyclable outer sleeves, which have halved its plastic waste. The range will be expanded to include more specialty and seasonal products. Silver Fern Farms continues to supply its existing retail partners and their online delivery platforms.

DIRECT: Silver Fern Farms meats can now be bought online by Kiwis, its group marketing manager Nicola Johnston says.

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20 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – June 1, 2020

More research for M bovis Annette Scott annette.scott@globalhq.co.nz THE fight to eradicate Mycoplasma bovis will be boosted by new research to detect the disease. Kiwi biotechnology company Pictor will do the research to make it easier to detect the disease through enhancement of the antibody Elisa detection method.

In 12-18 months as the prevalence of the disease gets lower and lower the ability to detect it will get harder and harder. John Roche MPI Strategic Science Advisory Group head and Primary Industries Ministry chief science adviser John Roche said while the testing regime is good now but improvements will be needed in future. “In 12-18 months as the prevalence of the disease in the cattle population gets lower and lower the ability to detect it will get harder and harder.” The development of a more sensitive test has the potential to optimise future testing, Roche said. “To provide confidence

New Zealand is free of M bovis background surveillance will continue for some years after the current delimiting stage of the eradication programme. Science and better diagnostics will be critical in accelerating the eradication and preventing another incursion, Roche said. The work is expected to take 14 months and is the first of several diagnostic projects planned. The Pictor platform enables testing for a chosen panel of diseases and-or multiple markers of a single disease from one small sample. Meanwhile, the programme has launched a survey to find out the attitudes and behaviours of lifestyle block owners. The survey, to be done by Landcare Research will assess lifestyle block owners’ on-farm biosecurity practices. There is little data on biosecurity on the nation’s 175,000 lifestyle blocks. “Like commercial farmers, lifestyle block owners have an important role to play in accelerating the eradication and supporting ongoing absence of the cattle disease from NZ,” Roche said. “These survey results will help us understand how we can best engage this group in the M bovis eradication effort.” The survey will include questions about animal ownership and awareness of and compliance with legal obligations under the Nait and Biosecurity Acts. Results are expected in September.

TEAMWORK: MPI’s science advisory group head John Roche says lifestyle block owners have a part to play in accelerating the eradication of Mycoplasma bovis.

New Nait rules take effect Annette Scott annette.scott@globalhq.co.nz NEW rules for transporting cattle and deer make it illegal to move untagged animals. The National Animal Identification Tracing Amendment Bill makes taking an untagged animal an offence. Animals that have an unsafeto-tag exemption will be the only exception to the rules effictive on June 14. The offence will not apply to a transport operator carrying a paper or electronic animal status declaration (eASD) from the farmer verifying the animals are tagged and registered in Nait.

Ospri advises all farmers moving animals off farms should provide transport operators with a paper or eASD declaration that animals are Nait compliant. So farmers need to check all animals are tagged and Nait registered, declare any unsafeto-tag animals and ensure they animals are clearly marked. The livestock transporter declaration will be included in new ASD and eASD forms. ASD forms can be emailed but must be received by the transporter before the animals leave the farm. Ospri said the law aims to reduce the number of untagged animals being moved without any accountability.

“It also aims to drive incentives for the tagging and registering of all animals.” Livestock transporters are united on the new legislation following extensive consultation throughout the country with members and farmers. Their advice is they won’t transport animals unless they have completed ASD or eASD declarations from farmers. Rural transport forum chief executive Nick Leggett said the law requires all animals to be tagged before transportation. It provides greater clarity and responsibility for transporting animals. It also supports Nait’s integrity, Leggett said.

M bovis effort turns two Annette Scott annette.scott@globalhq.co.nz THE Mycoplasma bovis eradication programme is now two years down the track and in good shape to achieve its goal, industry leaders say. In May 2018 the Government and industry partners DairyNZ and Beef + Lamb committed to a 10-year, $880 million programme to eradicate M bovis. Latest technical data shows the world-first plan is on track. One key measure of success, the estimated dissemination rate (EDR), shows strongly eradication is firmly in sight.

What’s inolved? 249 total confirmed properties – 17 active, 232 cleared Breakdown: • 58 dairy, 137 beef, 54 other • 68 North Island, 181 South Island • 154,788 animals culled • 1,431,333 tests completed • $149.3 million compensation paid

If the EDR is greater than one then the disease is growing, below one it is diminishing. It is now 0.4, down from more than two at the start of the outbreak. That means M bovis is not endemic in the national herd. Other key measures of success include genetic testing showing only one strain, thus linking all infected farms. Bulk milk testing is being done with research under way to improve it. A beef surveillance programme is running, compensation processes have improved and Nait use is improving. While it has been an industrywide effort and there is still a long way to go the beef sector can be proud of its contribution, B+LNZ chairman Andrew Morrison said. “Farmers deserve a lot of credit for their efforts in helping to free NZ of this disease. “We are encouraged by the increasing number of farmers meeting their Nait obligations but we are still short of where we need to be. “It is vital we continue to lift

this compliance otherwise we will remain vulnerable to diseases. “It’s also vital farmers maintain complete and accurate Nait records for the speedy tracing of animals and ultimately to protect the industry,” Morrison said. DairyNZ chairman Jim van der Poel said there is no question M bovis has had a huge impact on the dairy sector, particularly affected farmers and their families. “While there’s still work to do farmer feedback has been heard and processes improved. “We are seeing more farmerfocused processes and shorter turnaround times for farms under movement restrictions,” van der Poel said. “From here we want to continue speeding up the processes so farmers are moving through the programme as quickly as possible. “M bovis has been one of our biggest biosecurity incursions and it has highlighted how crucial biosecurity is for NZ,” van der Poel said. Agriculture and Biosecurity Minister Damien O’Connor said, as with the covid-19 response, the

PLEASED: Biosecurity Minister Damien O’Connor is proud of farmers for their response to Mycoplasma bovis.

Government showed leadership, made a tough decision and has managed the eradication effort with discipline and focus. “We’ve also shown again that we’re able to do what other countries have not in terms of disease eradication efforts. “That’s something our farming community should be really proud of. I’m certainly very proud of them,” O’Connor said. The priority over the next

12-18 months will continue to be finding and eliminating the disease. “This delimiting phase is expected to end in 2021 and after that background surveillance testing will continue for about seven years. “We will get another technical advisory group report in the coming months but two years into a 10-year effort I’m pleased by the progress made,” O’Connor said.

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FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – June 1, 2020

Molesworth Station has a bright future Annette Scott annette.scott@globalhq.co.nz THE environmental impact of farming on Molesworth Station has been reducing over time with the release of an operational plan demonstrating how farming can enhance the many values of New Zealand’s largest farm, Pamu environment head Alison Dewes says. The state-owned farm, beneath the Kaikoura Ranges, is administered by the Department of Conservation under the Reserves Act and leased to Pamu (Landcorp). Pamu strives to meet all the values associated with Molesworth including environmental, recreational use, conservation, farming and historic values, she said. In many cases farming provides an ecological benefit with the release of the farm environmentoperational plan aimed at bringing all the values associated with farming on Molesworth into the future. “It’s a plan for looking after NZ’s farm.”

The report provides an operational plan developed for Pamu and is separate to the Management Plan for the Molesworth Recreation Reserve. The Integrated Land Use and Farm Environment Plan for Molesworth, written by Erica van Reenen of AgFirst, demonstrates how farming not only supports the many values but can also enhance them. “Farming on Molesworth is a privilege and being able to farm this iconic station on behalf of Kiwis is a responsibility Pamu doesn’t take lightly, Dewes said. “We commissioned this plan because we need to recognise all of the values associated with the land and demonstrate how farming can support and enhance these values. “Farm plans in 2020 need to be dynamic and living and must be able to respond to legislation, social expectations and the health of our natural world. “The plan makes it clear that we have learned from past farming practice, which means the stock we run on Molesworth now are kinder to the lowlands and

ensures the high country is not over-grazed.” Pamu farms only about a third of the station at any time so it can better support the recreational and ecological values of the land while maintaining a profitable farm system. “Our investment in pest and weed control has helped support other core values of Molesworth, such as recreation and to ensure the fire risk is minimised,” The plan brings the relevant values associated with Molesworth together to provide an integrated land-use approach that recognises that history, culture, place, people and the natural world are all connected and interrelated. Key findings of the plan include a 40% decrease in stocking rates over the past 20 years, phosphorus applications have halved and are applied to only 80 hectares of cropped areas now. Total nitrogen loss has reduced by 9% and greenhouse gas emissions have dropped by almost 40%. “Pamu has developed an integrated farm policy that works

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IMPROVED: Investment in pest and weed control such as this heli-spraying of wilding pines has helped support other core values of Molesworth. Photo: Annette Scott

within the limits of the land and works with the rhythms of the seasons to minimise the impact of animals in sensitive areas while enabling a protective focus for the reserve – fire and pest-risk minimisation, infrastructure maintenance and integration of social, recreational and farming values,” van Reenen said. The plan identifies a range of actions to further improve environmental outcomes on Molesworth. They include encouraging cattle away from waterways, weed and pest management, minimising fertiliser inputs, cultivation and the use of cropping, managing high-risk areas, ensuring overgrazing does not occur and ongoing monitoring and data

collection is occurring. Dewes said the actions identified have been or are planned to be implemented. The plan also outlines further opportunities for recreation by enhancing Molesworth visitors’ experience with a deeper understanding of station life and its place in NZ’s history. “While there is often tension between the values associated with Molesworth it is the view of Pamu, supported by evidence, that farming has a place on the property which can support conservation values and positive environmental outcomes, a great recreational experience and protect the history and culture associated with this special place,” Dewes said.

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22 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – June 1, 2020

Cow values rebound after tumble Gerald Piddock gerald.piddock@globalhq.co.nz DAIRY cow vales are bouncing back close to pre-covid levels after slumping while the country was in lockdown. Drought and disruption caused by the lockdown pushed prices down at least $300/head. New Zealand Farmers Livestock Waikato agent Bill Sweeny said while values did fall buyers have returned to the market and are prepared to pay better money for quality cattle. In January he sold herds averaging $1600-$1800 and a couple of exceptional herds at $2000 a head. If the top herds had sold when prices fell they might have only made $1700, he said. “The very top herd might have dropped $200 and your poorer quality herds probably around $400 and your average one about $300.” Earlier in the season heifers were selling for $1550 on average, dropping to $1200. But buyers have recently returned to the market seeking good quality cattle and are prepared to pay better money, he said. “The market had hit a bottom but, if anything, it’s turned and come back up.” He recently ran a clearing sale on an extremely good herd of cattle near Whakatane, which averaged just under $2000. “The heifers averaged $1740

The market had hit a bottom but, if anything, it’s turned and come back up. Bill Sweeny NZ Farmers Livestock

REBOUND: Dairy cow values have come back after taking a hit from drought and the covid-19 lockdown.

and the yearlings $1100. It went very well but it was a very good herd of cows.” Sweeny said the fall was in large part caused by the drought but the recovery in parts of Waikato has refuelled demand. The lack of farm sales has also affected the herd market, he said. “If you get a lot of farm sales you tend to get a lot of activity. Farm sales were limited this year and it’s one of the poorer years for farm turnovers.” PGG Wrightson national dairy manager Jamie Cunningham said most cows are sold on forward contracts.

Those cows are contracted as early as December right through to the end of the milking season for on-farm delivery on June 1. While cow prices did drop and were challenging during lockdown that coincided with a general trend of cow prices sliding. “Every year the cows that are sold at the end typically are the cows that are of lesser quality or are last-minute sale decisions,” he said. The market for people to buy cows and farm them through the autumn was starved because of the North Island drought.

“Yes, there are some herds of late that have been sold for $1200$1300 but there were some earlier herds that sold for some very good prices.” “Our national cow price throughout the season that we budget year on year and trade on a monthly basis, we’ve not actually seen a vast difference there, probably only $50/head difference.” One area that did stimulate the market was the export of dairy cattle to China. “That has held our market up very well and has been extremely beneficial for famers to generate

some cashflow.” He said values ranged from $1100-$2000 with the average mixed-age cow selling for $1500. Demand from buyers is starting to drop off now. “We are not seeing a vast difference in the number of cows traded from this year to last year. It still seems to be pretty consistent.” “On the price front if you look at a 12-month average we have seen very little movement.” He expects clearing sales to struggle because of the lack of feed on hand. About 70% of cows from his clients were sold pre lockdown, which did present challenges in travelling to farms because of the restrictions. While farmers could inspect herds there was a lack of appetite to do this because of the pandemic, he said. “If you’re looking at selling your herd when you’re a sharemilker, it’s when you’re looking to cash out and for them it’s quite a bit of money (lost).”

Building a regenerative future Colin Williscroft colin.williscroft@globalhq.co.nz HE MIGHT be 57 years old but West Otago farmer Allan Richardson has never been more excited about farming than he is now. Richardson, alongside American Gary Hirshberg who founded Stonyfield Farm, the world’s leading organic yoghurt producer, and Auckland investment specialist Cerasela Stancu, kicked off a weekly six-part online speaker series that will examine the nuts and bolts of regenerative agriculture in New Zealand, from international trade opportunities in the wake of covid-19 to how often animals should be moved when grazing. Pure Advantage chief executive Simon Millar, who produced the series, says regenerative agriculture is moving from the why to the how. “This is an optimum time for NZ to be considering how to move to a value-based agriculture system. The science is rapidly catching up to the anecdotal evidence and these men and women are showing us how it’s done. “They are leading from the edge and going mainstream. “In the wake of covid-19, as people become more healthaware and focus on a product’s provenance, we have a golden

opportunity to build on the strengths of our primary sector and become a global model for regenerative agriculture.” Richardson is excited about the momentum building behind regenerative practices. Three years ago, after farming organically near Heriot for 22 years, he shifted focus to adopt more comprehensive regenerative practices. By doing so he’s improved plant diversity in his pastures, sowing 10-15 species in both winter and summer crops. Going into winter 5% of his land is in winter cover crops and he reports good yields with just compost or low levels of fertiliser use. The Brix levels of his pasture (a measure of sugar context) have tripled to about 10 and while many Otago farmers just look to help their livestock survive southern winters his stock actually put on weight thanks to intensive grazing of the crops. He has been testing the soil for carbon during the past two years, at depths of 300mm and 600mm. While too early to report definitive results, visual assessments of the soil are promising, the topsoil is extending further down the subsoil profile than before and water infiltration rates are improving. Richardson says regenerative ag offers opportunities to a wide range of farmers, everyone from

organic to high-input and has the advantage it is not as restrictive as purely organic. While organic farming tends to focus on practice – what farmers can and can’t do on – regenerative farming follows a much wider set of general principles about land management. Sheep and beef farmers are leading the regenerative way in NZ though there are also dairy farms embracing the principles. Richardson is unsure what’s happening with horticulture. The demand for organic foods during a health crisis like covid-19 far outstrips supply as consumers take matters into their own hands and avoid anything that could be viewed as toxic, Hirshberg says. There’s likely similar potential for products grown regeneratively but there are no guarantees of immediate returns. Whether they can generate the same safety message remains to be seen. Richardson says New Zealanders want to support local producers but there are gaps in food networks. From a marketing perspective what needs to happen is for dots to be joined to provide a proper path to markets but what needs to happen first is to get more farmers on board so there is the critical mass to serve the market as it develops.

OPPORTUNITY: Farmer Allan Richardson says regenerative practices have the potential to help a wide range of farmers.

That was where organic farming fell short. He does not buy the argument NZ farming is already mainly regenerative, saying a lot of conventional farms are not even close. “We need to highlight what regenerative agriculture is doing then hope others take that up.” Stancu says the regenerative movement is building but the challenge it faces is how to transform a movement, a passion for something into a commercially viable tactical strategic transition path. Part of that is how to respond to the commercial opportunities that type of food production could bring. “How we are going to scale up? How can we bring more people to measure up in the first place?”

That will require developing systems and measurements to match what the market wants. She says the lack of measurements to define regeneratively produced foods from those that are not will be a barrier to more farmers adopting regenerative practices. And without an accepted standard it will be difficult to get into export markets though covid has highlighted the potential to capture more in local markets. Richardson says there is a way to negate the need for certified standards but it requires someone to get inventive. “As soon as we can get a handheld device that can measure nutrient density that’s when regenerative agriculture will take off.”

News

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – June 1, 2020

Chips are down for NZ potato growers Annette Scott annette.scott@globalhq.co.nz POTATO growers want urgent Government action as local growers are threatened by extraordinarily cheap imported chips. Potatoes NZ wants emergency measures to ban imports from Europe to avoid a food security threat. The industry is asking the Government to urgently consider imposing short-term measures limiting the importation of heavily discounted frozen chips. Australian growers have also asked for protection. NZ growers supply about 85% of the domestic market, a large proportion for potato chips in hospitality businesses. There has been a significant flattening of sales for both NZ processed and fresh potatoes with hospitality venues closed for two months during covid-19. Up to 25% of smaller businesses will now likely close permanently. Covid-19 has seen the disruption of supply chains

globally, particularly sales to hospitality, leading to the complete collapse of potato prices in major production centres such as the European Union. Thaat will shortly lead to extraordinary price reductions in frozen potato chips from the EU, Potatoes NZ chief executive Chris Claridge said. It is expected a similar collapse will be seen in other parts of the northern hemisphere, in particular North America. The EU has about 2.6 million tonnes of surplus frozen fries. “If urgent steps are not put in place NZ is likely to be swamped by imports of frozen potato chips at extraordinarily low prices,” Claridge said Together with the existing impact of the pandemic the NZ potato-growing and potatoprocessing industries will suffer severe and prolonged damage. “This may lead to potato growers planting alternate crops and in turn lead to a shortage of NZ-grown potatoes, which given NZ’s reliance on potatoes as a

source of food, will represent a serious risk to food security.” Claridge cited Dutch government intervention in formulating a funding programme earmarking €50m to support potato growers confronted with a surplus of potatoes because of the decline in demand. Growers with a surplus will be able to offer the potatoes to a scheme that will then absorb them and pay the growers about €50-€60 a tonne. Without that intervention the open market price would likely have been no more than €10 a tonne as opposed to the usual price of €150 a tonne. “We have concerns about how this scheme can be effectively policed and accordingly fear that many of the potatoes captured by this scheme may be procured by European processors at almost no value, converted into finished product and dumped into the Australasian market,” Claridge said. NZ producers of frozen potato chips have built significant stock levels and are already having to

CHEAP AS CHIPS: Potatoes New Zealand chief executive Chris Claridge says extraordinarily cheap imports of frozen chips might lead to potato growers planting alternate crops, in turn leading to a shortage of locally grown potatoes posing a serious risk to food security.

deal with an oversupply of raw potatoes. As a result contracts with farmers for future potato production will be for reduced volumes and at lower prices. Local processors might also have to make decisions on temporary closures of production facilities to deal with the increasing stock levels and vastly reduced demand. Significant redundancies could result. “As we exit the nationwide NZ lockdown the local market for frozen potato chips will be extremely competitive, even without the added pressure of below-cost imports landing here.” Like other sectors of the economy every opportunity

should be provided for the potato industry to recover from the financial devastation caused by the covid-19 pandemic, Claridge said. Companies must be able to clear their inventories built up during the lockdown and increase production to reduce their daily overhead recovery losses. Neither of those will happen if there is a huge surge in imports of frozen potato chips. “That can happen only if local demand is first and foremost met through the supply of locally produced potato chips. “Achieving that outcome will require some level of Government intervention to dampen imports for a limited period,” Claridge said.

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News

24 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – June 1, 2020

Getting farmers fit for a day’s work KANE Brisco is into his seventh year 50:50 sharemilking at Ohangai near Hawera, in South Taranaki. His progress in the industry’s been rapid and life’s busy on all fronts. “We have 215 cows I pretty much milk myself. My wife helps as much as she can with the calves but she’s working part time as a nurse too. We’ve also got a sixyear-old girl and a four-year-old boy. The last two years have been hectic with my daughter starting school and the younger one becoming more mobile and racing around.” Juggling those responsibilities is a challenge for anyone so how does Brisco cope? The answer might surprise some people – as busy as he is he dedicates part of each day solely to meeting his own needs. “Keeping everything in balance is a constant challenge but what’s really helped me is the notion that I can’t help anyone else unless I’m in a good place myself. “As much as I love farming and spending time with my family I also need my own time, even if it’s just 30 minutes a day. It sounds selfish but, actually, prioritising my needs means I’m in the right space to help everyone else.” As a keen ex-rugby player Brisco still loves his workouts but he’s a long way from any gym. So he built his own. “Eighteen months ago we set up a community boot camp here. We bought some gear in but use a lot of farm equipment too. The 20-litre water container is a classic. You’d be surprised what you can do with those in terms of exercise. We also use things like ropes, fence posts, sledge hammers. It’s a gym for farmers. “You see so many farmers when they retire all bent over due to the

farmstrong.co.nz

strains of farming. We use exercise to make the physical demands of our job easier.” Brisco’s boot camp workouts are a great stress-buster too. “I firmly believe when you move your body you grow your mind too. It doesn’t have to be at the gym either. It could be stretching, yoga breathing, walking a dog. It’s just about getting out and doing something you like.

It sounds selfish but, actually, prioritising my needs means I’m in the right space to help everyone else. Kane Brisco Farmer “How I look at it is that you have your happiness bucket and your stress bucket. If your stress bucket is overflowing, little things become huge and you can’t make decisions. I see exercise as my daily scoop out of my stress bucket and into the happiness bucket.” With calving on the horizon now’s the perfect time to get in shape he says. “I really noticed the first season I retired from rugby. I put on 10kg and did bugger all. Come calving I was in a hell of a state. The job was suddenly more demanding. I felt fatigued and that affected my decision-making and mindset.” He’s taken to sharing his insights about life on-farm through social media and he’s struck a chord with

others in the industry. “When we started our boot camp we got some great feedback. So to help more people and encourage those conversations that are a bit harder to have we started Instagram and Facebook pages and put our workshops up on YouTube and I’ve been involved in webinars with Young Farmers.” Tips on nutrition are also high on the agenda. “We’ve got to treat ourselves like sportsmen because farming is bloody hard so fuel yourself like you would for a big sports game or event. I’ll have porridge or Weetbix for breakfast, work till 11.30am or noon and come home to have lunch. “Something that’s changed over the years is I drink a lot more water, especially in the summer and the spring. I’ll add electrolytes in. Then dinner is meat and three veg. “Your body needs those whole foods for proper fuel. I see a lot of young people in our industry living on takeaways and then bumping it up with lots of sugar and caffeine in energy drinks. But there’s a much better way to do it for your body, your mind and your back pocket.” Brisco’s developed his own strategies for coping with the mental pressures of farming too. “One thing I do to deal with stress is wake up and write down my purpose and priorities every day. I feel much more energised when I understand what I’m trying to achieve and it means I can reflect back and feel grateful for what happened at the end of each day. It makes a huge difference.” He is encouraging more farmers to share the ups and downs of farming. “I guess my mantra is let’s be proactive about our health and

TAILOR-MADE FITNESS: A home-built gym was the start of Kane Brisco’s journey from milking shed to social media influencer.

mental health. We do it on-farm when we grow winter crops because we know we’re going to need feed but we don’t often do it with our own health. I was having this conversation with a farmer a while ago. We both agreed you have a big open space on the farm but it can still feel like a prison if you don’t leave it. “The answer is to make time to do the things you enjoy, whether that’s going out for a fish, playing with the kids or hitting a golf ball. “I think as a farming community we need to be much more open about the pressures we face. People often withdraw into themselves. If you ask someone on a farm how they’re doing, the

most common answer you’ll get is ‘good’. “They don’t want to tell you the truth because they think you’re going to judge them. We need to change the culture so people feel comfortable to talk honestly. “We all have a part to play in that. Nowadays, people message me to say how they actually feel because I’ve put myself out there and shown some vulnerability. So let’s start having that conversation as an industry because our wellbeing should be an absolute priority for our farms.”

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Lamb shank the Kiwi favourite THE humble lamb shank has been voted New Zealand’s favourite lamb cut in the Great Kiwi LambOff, run in celebration of National Lamb Day on Sunday May 24. Following seven hotly contested rounds, which received a whopping 22,000 votes, the shank was awarded the coveted title. In the final shanks got roughly two-thirds of the vote against lamb legs to be crowned the winner of the Great Kiwi LambOff. Beef + Lamb chief executive Rod Slater, a butcher by trade, noted the shank hasn’t always been held in such high regard. “In my day the shank was given away as dog tucker but over the years its popularity has grown so much that it is now NZ’s favourite lamb cut. It’s quite the turnaround.”

The shank’s rise in popularity is attributed to chefs and restaurants putting it on their menus.

Nose-to-tail eating is very much at the heart of the NZ food service industry. Michael Coughlin B+LNZ Michael Coughlin, a B+LNZ platinum ambassador chef and brand ambassador for Provenance Lamb, said chefs have really put the cut on the map. “The elevation of the lamb shank has been driven by chefs

who have sought out new and creative ways to utilise the whole carcase. “Nose-to-tail eating is very much at the heart of the NZ food service industry, which has seen the shank become a mainstay on many menus up and down the country. “With the impact of covid-19 being fully felt by the hospitality sector we are seeing chefs move to showcase cuts that are suitable for takeaways. “The shank very much falls into this category so if there is ever a time to go and sample the amazing array of lamb shanks on offer it is now.” The Great Kiwi Lamb-Off had eight lamb cuts competing for the title. They included legs, cutlets, mince, chops, rump, ribs, fillet and the shank.

SCRUMPTIOUS: Lamb shanks, cooked here with red wine and mint, are Kiwis’ favourite lamb feast.

AginED Ag ED

FOR E FUTURIA G R R S! U E N E R P

Volume Nine I June 1, 2020 I email: agined@globalHQ.co.nz I www.farmersweekly.co.nz

In your paper

Photo of the week:

FENCING EXPERTS

1 Head outside and take a picture of your property or one near you. 2 Talk to your family about whether your outlook is the same as it would be “normally” at this time of the year. If it isn’t, why is that? 3 Share them on our Facebook page or email to agined@globalhq.co.nz

Have a go: 1 Go to www.farmersweekly.co.nz 2 Find and watch the OnFarmStory of Simon Osborne, “It’s our duty as farmers” and read the accompanying article “The answer is in the soil”. 3 Where is Simon’s family farm located? 4 What two main types of soil make up his property?

1 Why do we measure annual rainfall? 2 There are a number of regions in New Zealand that have had lower than normal rainfall. Can you find out which regions these are? Are there any that are still lacking rain now? 3 Why is a good annual rainfall so important for agriculture? Both long and short term? 4 Send us your response to agined@globalhq.co.nz We may choose your letter to feature in Ewe said!

STRETCH YOURSELF:

Ewe said:

Devon Jones from Pongakawa School is doing a term project on how Dairying is T hanks Devon! growing towards a better Your GlobalHQ tomorrow. This is his slide mug is on its way! show outlining his topic.

Simon is a regenerative arable farmer. What is regenerative agriculture?

2 Simon has created several pieces of machinery to use on the farm, what are these? Why did he need to create his own machinery? Jessica, Bella and Buck Price gain expertise helping Mum and Dad with their new fence line.

STRETCH YOURSELF:

3 What does Simon believe is the ultimate goal of arable farmers?

1 Go to the AgriHQ Market Snapshot page 2 What is this week’s South Island Bull price? 3 Is this better or worse than last week?

Taranaki Weaner Bulls Class Bull Bull Bull Bull Bull Bull Bull Bull Bull

Age Wnr/R1 Wnr/R1 Wnr/R1 Wnr/R1 Wnr/R1 Wnr/R1 Wnr/R1 Wnr/R1 Wnr/R1

Breed Here Speckle P. x Here/Beef x Here Fr Fr Fr Fr Fr & Fr x

Weight (kg) $/Per Head 266 785 261 660 245 610 192 595 213 430 226 420 167 350 259 300 170 250

4 How does it compare to last year?

STRETCH YOURSELF: Look at the ‘Weaner Bull’ data from a recent Taranaki sale. - Can you work out the per kilo values for this data? - Compare the highest and the lowest values, what do you think drives this price difference? Hint: Look at things such as breed and weight.

FILL YA BOOTS: 1 Have you had any rainfall where you live this week? Why is it important for the regions in drought to receive adequate moisture before winter? Hint: Think about the temperature and how this affects pasture growth. 2 Talk alk to someone you know who works in the primary sector. What steps did they take to get the job they are in now, did they need to go to university or complete an apprenticeship?

Share your AginEd photos on our Farmers Weekly facebook page Remember to use the hashtag #AginEd Letters to: agined@globalhq.co.nz

Newsmaker

26 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – June 1, 2020

Farmers need infrastructure investment help Farming needs an infrastructure investment leg-up if it is to succeed in getting the country out of the economic recession, new National Party agriculture spokesman and organic farmer David Bennett told Gerald Piddock.

GRICULTURE will play a key role in rebuilding the economy in the aftermath of

covid-19. Supporting the industry to reach its economic potential will require greater investment in infrastructure to allow it to grow, new National Party agriculture spokesman David Bennett says. “With farmers and growers across the country experiencing the worst drought in living memory water storage is an example of the sort of investment the Government should be looking at.” More broadly speaking, those investments include roads and broadband so farmers can make the right economic decisions. This will help them get the best value for their money and will be balanced with environmental concerns. “What I’m saying is we need to make sure the Government provides that infrastructure so that farmers can then make the commercial decisions of how best to grow that business and how best to take the opportunities in international markets and deliver to New Zealanders and to the economy.”

Public opinion is behind farmers because they want them to succeed.

The markets where farmers sell their products are demanding an increasingly sustainable product and farmers are best placed to understand that demand and react accordingly, he says. A member of Parliament since 2005, the Hamilton East MP was named the party’s agriculture spokesman following Todd Muller’s leadership spill. Waikato-born Bennett attended St John’s College, Hamilton, then went to Victoria University of Wellington, graduating in law and commerce. Following a stint at KPMG he went dairy farming near Te Awamutu where he remained until he was elected to Parliament in 2005. He owns a 97-hectare dairy farm on the outskirts of Te Awamutu, farming 320 Jersey cows and a 40ha, 140-cow organic dairy farm at Paterangi, west of Te Awamutu. That farm also has a nearby 38ha runoff block.

Both operations are run by contract milkers. He also has shares in a third dairy farm, also in the Te Awamutu district. In Parliament, he served in the Bill English government as Minister of Veterans’ Affairs, Racing and Food Safety. More recently he has chaired the Primary Production Select Committee. He says the National Party has had a rich history of leaders in the agricultural sector. Former minister John Luxton was one who influenced him greatly when he arrived in Parliament. More recently Muller was a great example of someone with a strong interest in agriculture. “He’s done a great job of getting out there amongst the people and finding out what they want and need. “The National Party is very much a party based on its rural base and has a lot of passionate people that want the rural sector to succeed.” Bennett says he tries to get back to his farms when he can. It keeps him grounded and in touch with the common, day-to-day realities farmers face. Being an active farmer also keeps him in touch with the coalface. “I pay the bills every month and you’re worried about how much cover you have on the farm, you’re worried about stock and you have to meet all the conditions that a farmer has to meet. “That’s the biggest preparation for this job that you’re going to get. You know the financial strain farmers go through and the last couple of months it’s been tough for a lot of farmers with the weather and the drought and we were no different. “It gives you a chance to get back to your roots. I love farming, it’s what I am passionate about. When I’m not in politics, when I get a chance, I’m always out there making sure I can help in any way I can. “It’s a good break from the political system but for me it’s about running my business and trying to do the best I can to make it work.” Bennett says he is lucky because he has very good staff managing the farms’ day-to-day operations. “They’re really dedicated to what they are doing and that makes it a lot easier.” Farmers have to know they are respected and valued and that respect has not always been there, he says. “In this time of crisis people are

NEW MAN: Hamilton East MP David Bennett is the National Party’s new agriculture spokesman.

coming back to the farming sector as the way to get the country through and I think there’s general support for that that hasn’t been displayed for the last couple of years.” While he does not believe there are leadership issues in the major farming industries he sees room for improvement at central government level. While he praised the work Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor has done around reforming the DIRA Act and eradicating Mycoplasma bovis he believes there is a vacuum of leadership in central government. “I don’t see any wider leadership from the Government in what is needed to enable farmers to pay the bills for NZ because the Government is going to rely on them to do that in the next couple of years and engage in that aspirational view of agriculture and horticulture.” The industry has the best, smartest and most committed people working for it and it needs the Government to support it. Farmers are worried about how challenges coming their way will affect their businesses and don’t need economic uncertainty, he says.

“They need to be able to react to markets and public opinion and they also need to know they have been listened to and their point of view has been considered so any reforms are science-based and achievable for them and at the same time enables the country to prosper.” He believes the economic crisis has caused a reflection on the role primary industries have in New Zealand and doubts the Government will use farming and freshwater issues as a political football heading into the election. “Public opinion is behind farmers because they want them to succeed. “There are so many natural uncertainties in farming that if you have an added Government uncertainty, that really does tip it over.” That sense of frustration was seen in some of the anger from farmers over the last few years. “Their day to day business is uncertain enough without having these things on top of it.” His initial reaction to the Government’s freshwater reform was that it took note of the submissions from farmers

and changed it accordingly. Despite the changes the proposed new rules still create uncertainty for the farming sector. The new 95% bottom-line rule for nitrate toxicity will be difficult to achieve and could have a major financial impact on farmers, he says. There will be more analysis on what that means financially on-farm as it is studied closer. He says it will be difficult for the policy to achieve its environmental outcomes without a massive financial cost. The right balance is needed between what the science says and what is practical on farms to achieve a good result. “Everyone wants that better result but it’s about how you get there.” Bennett says he will work with farmers and the industry in setting any regulations so they are involved in creating an achievable outcome. “We’ll base it on solid science and look at partnering with different organisations around what they think is obtainable.” National will release its agriculture policies closer to the election.

New thinking

THE NZ FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – June 1, 2020

Top marks for biotech test While one is a virus and the other a bacteria covid-19 and Mycoplasma bovis are both in the sights of Auckland biotech company Pictor. Chief executive Howard Moore spoke to Richard Rennie about his company’s leading-edge testing technology making a timely debut.

ORK to tackle two of New Zealand’s biggest biosecurity incursions is likely to pay big dividends on the world stage as biotechnology company Pictor moves to develop and commercialise testing technology for Mycoplasma bovis and covid-19. The company has just received $500,000 from the $25 million Covid-19 Innovation Acceleration Fund that supports the development of covid-19 detection, treatment and prevention technology. It has also received funding to develop a more sensitive M bovis test. The money comes as the Government has released technical data showing the fight against M bovis is being won. The disease’s transmission rate is now at 0.4, with a rate below one indicating it is falling. At the start of the outbreak it was at two. Pictor’s M bovis test represents next generation testing and was developed when the company was approached by Melbourne University clinicians who supply the current M bovis bulk milk test to NZ. “They realised that by applying our technology and multiplexing the number of biomarkers detected in a sample it was possible to deliver a test that was more sensitive than the current one,” Pictor chief executive Howard Moore said. A biomarker is a naturally occurring signature molecule, gene or characteristic that

enables a disease or process to be identified. The key parameters for a diagnostic test are its specificity and sensitivity and Pictor’s test takes sensitivity to a level ahead of existing techniques. The test can detect antibodies against multiple M bovis antigens rather than detecting antibodies against a single antigen.

They realised that by applying our technology and multiplexing the number of biomarkers detected in a sample it was possible to deliver a test that was more sensitive than the current one. Howard Moore Pictor It will be a year before the test is in commercial form. M bovis strategic advisory group chairman Dr John Roche said the development comes as the prevalence of the disease starts to reduce and detecting it gets harder. “To provide confidence NZ is free of M bovis, background surveillance will continue for some years after the delimiting stage of eradication, which is focused on eliminating M bovis.” Better diagnostics will play a

significant part in accelerating eradication. This week Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor said the delimiting phase, which aims to find and eliminate M bovis, will continue until 2021 then background surveillance testing will continue for about seven years. There are 17 active properties and 154,000 cattle have been culled to date. Moore said there is no question the pursuit of M bovis elimination was the right path to take and the attention of the world’s veterinary community is on how well NZ is doing it. The M bovis diagnostic technology shares some of its smarts with the company’s covid-19 testing kit, which it hopes to have out within six months. The ability to detect multiple biomarkers also sits behind this technology and enables clinicians to test for the virus at different stages of infection, enabling early diagnosis of infected patients. It is particularly critical for covid-19 testing because victims are often asymptomatic. The technology provides results in less than an hour. It can be done cheaply and does not rely on specialist support equipment, making it ideal for use in remote, less developed countries. The quick turnaround claim has been one that several companies overseas have made about their tests, often only to find they fall over with false positive/false negative results, making their accuracy questionable. The most prominent example is the Abbott test used by the

RESULTS: Pictor chief executive Howard Moore says the new Mycoplasma bovis test will deliver greater sensitivity than the current one.

White House and touted by Donald Trump. The Federal Drug Administration issued an alert in mid May about that test’s recurring false negative readings. Moore hopes Pictor’s test will be available commercially within six months in NZ with a fair wind and a little luck. Developing the technology has been the most exciting in a long career of bio-technology and agri-science. That includes starting Fonterra’s bio-tech subsidiary ViaLactia in the late 1990s.

With renowned scientist Dr Ross Clark he founded drug company Tercica, which developed a growth hormone drug for children. He has also spent time working in the dairy industry in China and heading the BioPacificVentures science fund. He sees combating covid-19 and M bovis as casting a biosecurity halo around NZ, one that will help preserve an increasingly valuable pharmaceutical industry that uses animal-sourced compounds in products like vaccines and serums.

Cash boost for aquifer recharge Annette Scott annette.scott@globalhq.co.nz MID Canterbury farmers leading the way with an $11 million water project to improve groundwater quality and quantity have welcomed funding from the Government. The Provincial Growth Fund is investing $950,000 to complete feasibility and pilot work on the managed aquifer recharge (MAR) project to help protect and improve groundwater quality and supply in Mid Canterbury. The MAR trial is New Zealand’s largest groundwater rehabilitation project. The community-led project operates alongside strict planning rules regarding nutrient leaching from land-use activities. The trial targets nutrients already in the slow-moving groundwater system from historical land-use activities while the planning rules target

improvements in on-farm practices. Together they provide a multi-pronged approach to drive improved environmental outcomes. The trial, now in its fourth year, has increased the number of active recharge sites from one to 12, increased the annual recharge volume from 1.85m cubic metres to 6.15m cubic metres and reduced nitrate concentrations. Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones said the money will enable the project to complete its feasibility investigations and finalise the business case. The pilot aims to develop an acceptable, fundable and durable system to implement and govern comprehensive surface and groundwater management to have a system that meets the needs of the local community. “The pilot is evaluating the use of MAR to enhance groundwater

BOOSTED: Hekeao-Hinds Water Enhancement Trust chairman Peter Lowe, left, absorbs the praise from Environment Minister David Parker for the community’s managed aquifer recharge project at an earlier on-site visit. Photo: Annette Scott

quality for ecosystem health and safe drinking water, improving flows to spring-fed streams and rivers and replenish declining groundwater levels,” Jones said. The use of MAR worldwide has proved to be an effective water

management tool that enhances the economic, environmental and cultural benefits of the communities in which they exist. “Ashburton is one of the most productive agricultural regions

in NZ with a wide variety of land uses and a large number of people employed in the agriculture and forestry sectors. “MAR will protect this existing economic activity and complement improvements on farms to significantly reduce nutrient losses to groundwater,” Jones said. The money will go to the Hekeao Hinds Water Enhancement Trust that governs the project. “The trust thanks the PGF for their recognition and support of the MAR trial,” chairman Peter Lowe said. “We also recognise the community support that has initiated the trial and enabled this partnership with PGF.” MAR will operate as a community scheme, projectmanaged and self-funded through the trust. Farmers are likely to foot the majority of the remaining $10m.

Opinion

28 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – June 1, 2020

EDITORIAL

Harmony shows rules are right

AST week’s freshwater reform announcement will probably come as a relief to many farmers who had been fearing the worst. The Government has listened to the concerns of the primary sector and scaled back some of the more onerous aspects, including putting off the imposition of a national bottom line for nitrate levels. Instead it’s gone for a cap on nitrogen use to be reviewed in a couple of years. Those farmers who have gone to great expense to fence waterways already will be pleased to know they don’t have to dig those fences out and reset them a couple of metres inland. Clearing up the murky issue of freshwater was always a priority for the Labour-led Government. But the Zero Carbon Bill negotiations showed it is willing to listen to the industry and come up with a way forward that mostly appeases everyone with a stake. That willingness to engage seems to have worked again here. When DairyNZ and Greenpeace agree the plan is, on the whole, pretty good that’s proof clear heads have prevailed. It is only a starting point, of course, and more work is being done to see if a more restrictive approach will be needed in future. Even now, some farmers in some catchments will have to change their farming businesses to meet the new rules. The $700 million to help with riparian improvements and other projects to support the reforms will also be welcome at a time when farming businesses face an uncertain future. The Government has been clear in its messaging that agriculture is vital to New Zealand’s post-covid recovery. That recovery requires a fine balance between protecting farming businesses, following through on promises made and improving the nation’s sustainable reputation globally even further. While there’s still a lot of water to go under the bridge the announcement seems to tick all those boxes and gives farmers a clear path forward.

Bryan Gibson

LETTERS

Time for Govt to act grown up I’M AMAZED in my interaction with politicians there is no plan to mitigate the damage done by drought and covid-19 to our people. It’s as if they don’t realise what has happened and think business as usual and helicopter borrowed money is going to stop a once-in-acentury depression. This isn’t a phony war. Newsflash: The world is at a crisis point, business as usual is not going to cut it. You need to put on your grown-up pants. Wake up. There are thousands of job layoffs being reported every day and this is while the wage subsidy is still being paid out. It is getting ugly, it’s going to get uglier. How are we going to get these people back into jobs?

The Government should be asking why employers aren’t hiring more people, For many of us the hassle of compliance, let alone economics and training and supervising extra staff far exceeds any perceived benefits. If you want to get people into jobs you need to turn this around. Due to 20 years of Tweedledum and Tweedledee trampling on freedoms and strangling business in all sectors, from Conservation Department workers to teachers to engineers and, of course, farming, our people are spending more time on red tape and paperwork than they are on actual productive work they trained for, have a passion for and should be being supported to do. More insidiously, the deliberate targeting of

farmers, particularly in dairy, to advance political agendas has resulted in children being bullied because their parents work in dairy. It has discouraged our hardestworking and best-intentioned farmers to the point where a whole lot of people just wish they could leave the industry but can’t find a buyer. Banks have been busily reducing their exposure to the industry as they realise there is no end game to the political and compliance pressure. Retired farmers are glad they are no longer in the industry as they see the state it is now in. The world we live in has changed, industries we relied on to pay the country’s bills have disappeared, the people we have left need support and an environment in which to

thrive and put New Zealand back together again better than ever. The Government must take a knife to unnecessary compliance, take a zero-based accounting approach to regulation and get our people back into productive work. Words matter. The strength of the economy is based on whether people have the confidence to spend, to invest their time, energy and assets into growing NZ. They used to say in the 1980s and 90s “Last one out of NZ turn out the lights”. I wonder if this Government can step up to restore our wounded nation or be remembered as one of the worst in our history. Matt Long Whangarei

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Opinion

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – June 1, 2020

Covid tracing lesson for farmers Kevin Forward

ONTACT tracing, a key part of the covid-19 response, mirrors the importance of a strong lifetime traceability programme for farm animals. Farmers can learn a lot from the covid-19 emergency and how diseases can be managed more effectively through a sound traceability system. Farmers are familiar with the words and concepts outlined daily by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and the health director-general Dr Ashley Bloomfield. They talk about the virus, the way it spreads and the data that helps us intercept, eliminate and eradicate it. They’re talking about a global coronavirus pandemic but they could as easily have been talking about disease management for farmed cattle and deer because it all comes back to traceability.

Good tracing will be our crucial defence when, not if, the next biosecurity incursion arrives on New Zealand farms.

Where movement data is captured it can inform and optimise an effective disease management response. It is working for New Zealand’s covid-19 response, it is working for TBfree’s tuberculosis eradication programme. The crucial requirement for beating covid-19 is data accuracy and integrity and that depends on people observing the lockdown, recording contacts and movements. That’s everyday stuff for farmers and the wider primary sector – dairy companies, meat processors, stock agents, transporters – who

The

Pulpit

ESSENTIAL: Traceabililty safeguards almost $40 billion worth of agricultural exports, Nait head Kevin Forward says. have successfully coped with the Mycoplasma bovis disease outbreak. Some farmers who’ve been in the game for longer are as familiar with bovine tuberculosis, which the farmer-supported TBfree programme is getting closer to eradicating, reducing infected herds from 1700 at peak infection in the late 1980s to fewer than 30 today. Where good records are held the tracing of animals infected with either disease has been much faster and more effective, enabling a quick response for affected farmers. Good tracing will be our crucial defence when, not if, the next biosecurity incursion arrives on NZ farms. The strength of NZ’s biosecurity readiness ultimately relies on our ability to swiftly trace livestock movements and properties where there might be a risk. For a country reliant on agricultural exports, effective traceability is essential to reducing the impact of animal diseases and the economic risk they carry. Our National Animal Identification Tracing system (Nait) gets stronger every time a farmer records a movement. It’s

never so important as now with dairy animals moving farms and moving to grazing. The Nait programme continues to evolve as a key instrument in NZ’s biosecurity defence network. Data captured in Nait can optimise decision-making around managing biosecurity responses, providing support for ongoing surveillance and imposing movement controls where required. Traceability safeguards our agricultural exports, now worth $39.5 billion, according to the Primary Industries Ministry, builds trust among our trading

partners and endorses the safety of our products in international markets. That creates tangible benefits for farmers, industry and all New Zealanders including the thousands employed in the agriculture sector. In the post covid-19 world customers and markets might be more discerning about the source and integrity of the food they’re buying. At the farmgate traceability helps animal health and monitoring and leads to better business decisions. And the value is delivered by the markets. Lifetime traceability of animals needs to become the bedrock of

Living the dream Resilient Resourceful Rewarded

James and Janeen Bruce: “We were managing a farm in the north Wairarapa when the chance came up in 2009 to buy a farm in equity partnership. Over the past eleven years we’ve bought out the equity partner, done extensive fencing, fertiliser and lucerne development on the 410 effective hectares, and lifted sheep performance to a high level. Extra income from handling horses, Janeen’s co-ownership of three child care centres, and lease blocks have enabled us to survive, then thrive. I can solo farm 6,300 to 7,500 stock units on the home block plus 330 effective hectares leased, but often leave big drafting jobs to weekends when my two older daughters can help.” “Wairere genetics have played an important part in our success. We run an FE resilient flock for Wairere, tested at .55 sporidesmin this year, and a straight Romney flock. The Waireres cope well with the seasonal variability in this 770mm average rainfall climate. They bounce back, and are easycare. We also appreciate Wairere sponsoring the annual Martinborough bull ride that I organise. Coaching the Martinborough rugby team to win the Wairarapa championship was a thrill in 2019. We farm in a great community here, pulling together, succeeding together.”

Making your sheepfarming easier and more profitable www.wairererams.co.nz | 0800 WAIRERE (0800 924 7373))

NZ farming because the response to the next global pandemic will depend on it.

Who am I? Kevin Forward is head of Nait at Ospri, the disease management and traceability agency that manages Nait and TBfree.

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. farmers.weekly@globalhq.co.nz Phone 06 323 1519

James Bruce, near Martinborough, feeding baleage to Wairere Romney ewes which tailed 162% in 2019. Mid March, 2020.

Opinion

30 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – June 1, 2020

One hand plants, the other kills Alternative View

Alan Emerson

GOING back over the Budget I was fascinated by the $100 million wilding pine allocation. You can get rid of many trees with that. I believed wilding pines were pinus contorta, imported in the 1880s for erosion control and planted until the late1970s. The Conservation Department website says it’s now any pine, pinus radiata and douglas fir are included as wilding pines. There are now 1.8m hectares of land covered by wilding pines. They are spreading at 90,000 hectares a year. DoC then tells us why they are a problem. When conifer cones mature on a tree they open to release masses of wind-blown seeds. The seeds travel kilometres downwind and need no special conditions to take root and grow. They modify the natural ecosystems so much that the unique New Zealand landscape is

lost and native plants and animals are evicted or die. They also suck valuable water out of catchments, add big costs to farming and affect tourism and recreation. Nasty little blighters then but so are pine trees in planted forests. What’s the difference? It wouldn’t surprise me if the wilding pines that self-seeded since 1990 could absorb far more carbon than Forestry Minister Shane Jones’ billion trees. We should map the spread and quantify it. If we then cut those trees down we’re releasing that carbon into the atmosphere, thousands and thousands of tonnes of it. After the Budget announcement the Environmental Defence Society welcomed the $100m wilding fund saying it gives us a chance to stop that insidious threat to our outstanding highcountry landscapes. Then we have Jones’ billion trees that will take over a million hectares. Just half the area now in wilding pines and if we leave wilding pines to self-spread over the next 10 years we’ll have a billion trees at no cost to anyone and on some pretty rough hieracium-covered country. So, on one hand you have wilding pines getting a $100m subsidy to have them removed.

On the other you have the Government, spending over $200m so far to encourage planting of pine trees on farmland, some of it highly productive. The cost of North Island farmland suitable for forestry has gone from $6656 a hectare last year to $13,128. That is far above the price you could afford to pay to produce food. Environment Minister David Parker has introduced legislation that stops predatory offshore enterprises buying New Zealand assets during the covid-19 crisis. Jones is encouraging overseas investors to buy good farmland and plant it in pine trees. They can’t buy the land to produce food but are encouraged to buy it to take it out of food production. Crazy really. It’s even crazier when you consider the iconic Matiawa Station in Marlborough. The 1319 hectares is a sheep and cattle breeding enterprise. It produces food. It’s about to be planted in trees by a company Drylandcarbon One. The company is owned by Air NZ, Contact Energy, Genesis Energy and Z Energy. It was set up to help meet their Emissions Trading Scheme obligations. To do that they take good land out of food production and plant it in

HOW DOES THAT WORK? Forestry Minister Shane Jones is allocating money to people planting trees while Environment Minister Parker is allocating money for people to kill the same species.

trees. The same trees as wilding pines. Air NZ will have an infinitely lower carbon footprint courtesy of covid-19. The question is will Z Energy sell less petrol and diesel to reduce carbon emissions and will Contact and Genesis stop burning coal and be environmentally responsible? They won’t. What’s worse is that the companies are 28% foreign-owned so the Overseas Investment Office had to approve the sale despite strong opposition from locals. Then you have Meridian planting more than a million trees across good farmland to reduce its carbon footprint. It would be better off charging Tiwai Point a fair price for electricity, thereby closing it and reducing the nation’s emissions. Further, it boasts 100% renewable energy so why is it reducing our capacity for food

production by planting trees? You also have foreigners buying NZ farmland to plant trees and claim carbon then using the money to offset their emissions at home. It’s ridiculous. The far better option is to change people’s behaviour to a low-carbon economy and not reduce our food-producing capacity by planting trees on good farmland. So, we’re paying $100m to take pine trees off outstanding highcountry landscapes that won’t be productive and paying twice that to put them on good, foodproducing land with outstanding hill-country landscapes. Am I missing something?

Your View Alan Emerson is a semi-retired Wairarapa farmer and businessman: dath.emerson@gmail.com

Muller’s call signals a return to the 1980s

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THOUGH all the news and happenings in the world that seemed so important before March appear to have completely disappeared, covid-19 and domestic politics have admirably filled the gap. If they weren’t happening would

Heavy duty long lasting Ph 021 047 9299

our screens just be empty or full of snuffbumble, as the sports news is now? We watched Labour through the Sir John Key years go through a succession of leaders as they struggled to find an answer to a popular prime minister. Clark, Goff, Shearer, Cunliffe, Parker (forgot about his interim role, didn’t you?), Little and finally Ardern over nine years. Seven of them. Mind you, even National had five leaders over the nine years from 1997 to 2006. Bolger, Shipley, English, Brash and Key. And now four leaders over the last four years in Key, English, Bridges and Todd Muller. If these lists of names tell you anything it’s that politics is a nasty and brutal business. Only Key and Little went of their own accords. Unless you were committed party faithful Simon Bridges was never convincing. His speech patterns, inability to project authenticity and bringing his prosecutorial, aggressive style up against the great deflector Ardern just didn’t work. But give him his due, he worked extremely hard and kept the blowtorch of opposition on this Government and until the pandemic response kept National’s polling figures at a good level despite the new approach to politics Ardern has brought.

I was part of a radio interview on Jamie Mackay’s The Country with Grant McCallum who Jamie fondly calls McNational at the time the Nats were choosing their leader last time. McCallum is some sort of big wig in the party and I said though I doubted he’d take my advice, my recommendation would be they choose Crusher Collins instead of Bridges, as I expected they would. I’m no fan of Collins myself. My theory was Crusher would have a better chance going up against a young, quickly improving and increasingly popular woman prime minister who, at the time, was pregnant. Going into the next election Collins would have been less hampered than anyone else by the prime minister walking around holding the hand of a cute toddler. Even then I doubted Collins would win given our last singleterm government was the Labour one from 1972 to 1975, which didn’t recover from Norman Kirk dying in office but did well enough to save the furniture. Then the party would choose their best bet to ensure they were just two terms in opposition not three. However, now they have Todd Muller in place to rescue the furniture. We know a bit of him as he was agricultural spokesman for the last nine months but relatively unknown to the rest of the public.

He has four months to change that and get National’s polling back up to the high 30s or low 40s to give them a half decent chance. He brings a new, less combative style that might work against Ardern. Or it might not. What will be of more impact will be how the economy and unemployment levels react to the pandemic shock over the coming months. And then, of course, the wild card of Winston Peters comes into play. But I am not speculating on his next moves other than from about now he will start distancing himself from the very Government he is part of. His well-used and mostly successful strategy of the past. I had a brief email exchange with Muller a couple of days before his leadership bid. I was unhappy with him dismissing the drought consultancy package as insulting to farmers when he reckoned what they need is feed and financial support from the Government instead. My view is that independent and objective farm consultancy advice unclouded by emotion and stress on how to get through the coming tough winter is vitally important for many. I was also surprised to hear the National Party calling for financial support for farmers, something I

From the Ridge

Steve Wyn-Harris

thought we had left behind in the 1980s. He briefly thanked me for my perspective and said it was helpful. I was hoping for a debate about his view on personal responsibility but realised a couple of days later he had bigger fish to fry. Now he has a challenge and an opportunity. If he does well and the chips fall his way he could have a chance of being prime minister on September 19. If he does well and most of his colleagues keep their seats but he can’t form a government he could have another crack in 2023. If things do not work out so great the party will be changing leader again within the next year or so.

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

Opinion

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – June 1, 2020

Anzco achieves huge turnaround Meaty Matters

Allan Barber

ANZCO Foods’ 2019 pre-tax profit was $30.6 million on record sales revenue of $1.7 billion, which, admittedly, represents a margin on sales of less than 2% and a return on assets of 3.74% but it is a huge improvement on the pre-tax loss of $39.1m in 2018. It is also the third highest profit the company has achieved and its best for 16 years, signalling the benefit of the restructuring done over the last 18 months, which has simplified the business and made it more efficient across the entire operation. Replying to a question about the relative importance of a favourable market and trading environment as against these internal improvements, chief executive Peter Conley accepts market conditions certainly helped but is adamant the main benefit came from the changes to the business. Comparable meat industry results on the same basis show Silver Fern Farms achieved a pre-tax profit of $89.6m on sales of $2.6b in 2019 while Alliance’s

profit was $20.6m on the same $1.7 billion turnover as Anzco. These three performances, highly profitable by meat industry standards, illustrate the importance of taking advantage of a year when livestock supply and favourable market prices are not overwhelmed by cutthroat procurement competition. It is unduly optimistic to expect a repeat during the challenging 2020 season but I imagine the companies will be reasonably happy if they do only half as well as last year. Conley says this year has been tougher from the start with Lunar New Year hitting sales in January closely followed by the covid-19 pandemic. He is confident the company has maintained momentum from the business improvements that will continue to be reflected in the annual performance but, inevitably, market conditions will not match 2019. Anzco’s efficiency gains came from a simplified and less expensive business structure including closing overseas offices and sale of non-core assets, plant automation, a new sales and operations planning system enabling better decision-making, reduced inventory levels, shipping and storage costs. The successful implementation of these changes is clearly illustrated by an increase of $120m in receipts from customers and

a reduction of $39m in operating expenses, including livestock procurement and employee costs, from the previous year. That enabled positive cashflow of $140.6m compared with negative $20m in 2018. In the annual result media release Conley said the company made record payments to farmers for the second year in a row, ensuring the benefits of higher market prices have been shared across the value chain and Anzco has consistently paid higher prices when benchmarked with the wider industry. The fact that was possible in 2019 while producing a massively better result in striking contrast to the previous year’s record loss demonstrates an impressive turnaround in efficiency as well as the company’s ability to control the livestock procurement function. Conley attributes much of the improvement to the adoption of the Sales and Operations Planning system, which matches customer orders and product specifications to inform livestock procurement and production planning, thus reducing inventory levels and wastage. Sales and marketing general manager Rick Walker says the system provides much better market signals, taking advantage of Anzco’s in-market resources and close customer relationships in key markets including Japan,

China, Germany, Britain and the United States. Last year also saw significant growth in Anzco’s addedvalue business, which already represented 10% of turnover in the previous trading period. The Primary Growth Partnership FoodPlus initiative, completed during the year, produced two successful developments, notably the Bovogen blood product business and healthcare products. Other profitable added-value units are the beef jerky plant and the beef patty production plant though they have been severely disrupted by food service restrictions during the covid-19 lockdown. In response to questions about Anzco’s equity ratio and the size of its balance sheet relative to its competitors, Conley said he is keen to see further improvements in debt collection and inventory levels though they are certainly better than 2018 and he will be looking for a continued increase in the positive cashflow trend. Chief financial officer Paul Loke made the point Anzco owns more land and biological assets than other meat companies with its investment in Five Star Feedlots and store cattle, which is a key aspect of the company’s strategy. It should also be noted the equity ratio rose from 23% to 25% in 2019 and interestbearing debt of $382m is current

OUR OWN WORK: The market helped but changes to the business were the main reason for Anzco’s success last year, chief executive Peter Conley says.

and guaranteed by the parent company, Itoham Yonekyu Holdings, the ninth largest global meat company, which remains very supportive of the business. The 2019 result confirmed it is moving in the right direction.

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

No elite, secret set planning farming’s future Mike Petersen IN THE Farmers Weekly on May 25 Alan Emerson’s Alternative View made a number of assertions about industry leadership that require correction and further clarity. It is important all participants from the agriculture, food and fibres sector understand the real leadership landscape operating on their behalf. Emerson is correct in stating that for the sector to make the most out of the Budget we need to know what we want and how to get there. However, he then went on to state the sector is divided while operating in a secret and subservient manner. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth. I cannot speak for individual organisations and their respective relationships with others but I would like to clarify how farmer organisations are working together in the real world of advocacy for the sector. Farmers who are members of Federated Farmers and also pay levies to industry organisations often bemoan the sense there is duplication by industry groups in Wellington. I can reassure farmers the level of collaboration in the sector has, in fact, increased significantly over the past few years and the working relationships with officials and ministers has delivered tangible results for farmers and the wider industry.

Emerson is clearly confused by my involvement in the sector. My only involvement with industry organisations now is as the independent facilitator of a forum where industry groups come together to align views and take a collective position to the Government, where possible, on critical issues. This forum, called the Food and Fibre Leaders Forum, is not an organisation as such, has no executive resource or support but meets about five times a year to make sure the key issues that will define our sector are addressed in a collaborative and coherent manner. He is wrong when he states groups are excluded. All industry organisations including Federated Farmers and the Meat Industry Association are constructively engaged. The Dairy Companies Association withdrew after it decided to focus on issues beyond the farm gate more relevant to its members and let on-farm issues be addressed by DairyNZ. However, DCANZ remains part of the group as a signatory to He Waka Eke Noa. The Food and Fibre Leaders Forum is a unifying group, not a divide and conquer group and this concept will remain relevant irrespective of the shape of future governments. Importantly, government agencies and officials have seen real merit in working together with the sector to co-design industry strategies and there are a number of good examples of this

partnership in action. The Primary Sector Council, chaired by Lain Jager, has been tasked with developing an industry vision and with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern launched the concept of Te Taiao and the vision, Fit for a Better World, earlier this year. I was not a member of the Primary Sector Council but fully support Te Taiao and the vision work to guide our future farming and food system priorities. He Waka Eke Noa, the partnership between the primary sector and the Government to reduce primary sector emissions and address climate change was developed and agreed by members of the Food and Fibre Leaders Forum. This project is under way and is a world-first for government and private sector partnership to address climate change. The Ministry for Primary Industries has also recently been very active in developing Budget documents and post covid-19 recovery plans to ensure the agriculture, food and fibres sector is match fit and able to lead New Zealand’s economic recovery and rebuild vibrant rural communities. All of this work has been done in partnership with sector leaders to ensure the plans are realistic and align with the strategic work already under way by many companies and organisations operating in the sector today. The inference there is a select

of the conversation, rather than set determining future rules for outside looking in. the sector is wrong. The level of Recent surveys have reinforced engagement by ministers and the connection and level of officials with people from right support from the public for NZ across the sector to help develop farmers. Sector leaders recognise strategies to secure our future the importance of capitalising on has been impressive in a covid-19 this support in a post covid-19 constrained world. Sector world and the best way of doing leaders have also recognised that this is by working together to lead irrespective of which party is in NZ’s recovery. government this approach of working together across the public and private sectors will deliver the best results for farmers, the wider industry and NZ. Sector organisations have a choice in how they engage with the Government in the modern world. Times have changed and the old adversarial approach of protesting on the steps of Parliament alienates the public and the very people Sam Whitelock you are trying Farmstrong to influence. In Ambassador the new world today’s leaders have recognised that to influence an outcome it is For tips and ideas, better to be in the visit farmstrong.co.nz room and part

Under the pump?

I perform at my best when I build rest and recovery into my daily schedule.

Real Estate

32 THE NZ FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – June 1, 2020

Van Leeuwens are stepping back Annette Scott annette.scott@globalhq.co.nz

HREE years on from being the first hit with Mycoplasma bovis Aad and Wilma van Leeuwen have decided it is time to take a step back. The van Leeuwen Dairy Group (VLDG) has put nine of its 16 farms on the market as its founders plan a shift in their dairy farming focus. “Along with a capital restructure we recently finalised a new vision for the business, which is primarily focused on optimising and growing our robotic barn farm operations,” Aad van Leeuwen said. That was a plan long before M bovis struck the large-scale dairy farming operation in South Canterbury. “We were looking at selling farms before bovis but then there was the dairy downturn then bovis. The timing wasn’t right,” van Leeuwen said. “Now we want to step back, now’s the time for us.” The VLDG’s vision is to optimise its existing hybrid barn and robotic barn farming operations as well as invest in growth. Van Leeuwen believes barns are the way of the future for dairy farming in New Zealand given the ever-increasing environmental regulations. “Our aim is to be a market leader in farming systems that are sustainable with new environmental regulations ensuring the business is well positioned to capitalise on future dairy profitability due to growing scarcity of supply. “It’s very good timing at the moment to see if people are keen to invest in the VLDG and help our

STEPPING BACK: Aad and Wilma van Leeuwen have decided it is time to take a step back and refocus their future in dairy farming. Photo: Annette Scott

I don’t believe they will ever eradicate it but they have given it a damn good hiding and done a lot of severe social damage along the way. Aad van Leeuwen Farmer next generation of farming.” The van Leeuwens farmed in Waikato before moving to South Canterbury in 1993 where they have concentrated their dairy farming operations over the past 37 years.

“We have grown our business substantially over the years and are now looking to pass this legacy on to the next generation.” The nine farms for sale include six dairy farms and three complementary drystock support farms used for grazing bulls, heifers and wintering cows. The portfolio comprises 3500 hectares of land, extensive infrastructure, irrigation shares and a supply contract to Oceania Dairy. There has been a mix of management across the farms including sharemilkers, contract milkers and direct farm management. Prospective buyers have the option to own and operate the farms outright or buy the farms as a passive investment with

external operation via a long-term leaseback. “This is an incredibly rare opportunity to secure a profitable dairy farming operation of scale,” Colliers International national rural and agribusiness director Ruth Hodges said. The net yield on investment has been independently forecast at up to 7.3% on an owner-operator basis and 4.24% on a passive leaseback basis. “The strength of these returns and the sheer scale of the portfolio add up to a truly unique offering for the NZ market. “The long-term outlook for dairy proteins is very strong. NZ’s production is not increasing, meaning supply in the future will remain tight and prices firm,” Hodges said.

The farms have been operated under a traditional pasturefocused seasonal supply with the top production of the six reaching 2,058,000kg of milksolids with potential to reach further, van Leeuwen said. The VLDG has invested heavily in eradicating M bovis from all its farms since the outbreak in July 2017 with all nine farms having been cleared of the disease for more than 18 months. But while the farms have been cleared the van Leeuwen’s compensation battle with the Ministry for Primary Industries goes on. “The bovis impact hit hard. The battle has been long and ongoing and extremely stressful and MPI still owes us in excess of $10 million. “A portion of that figure has been to the High Court now and we’re confident MPI will come back to the table in the next couple of months to sort it out,” van Leeuwen said. And eradication of the disease from NZ? “I always said and I maintain to eradicate this disease they will have to find the very last cow in this country. How are they going to do that? “This disease can lay dormant and undetected in animals which can be sold and traded around the country and then after a while rear its ugly head again. “This is the reason the rest of the world lives with it and allows the farmers to manage it. “I don’t believe they will ever eradicate it but they have given it a damn good hiding and done a lot of severe social damage along the way. “Is it worth it? I don’t think so,” van Leeuwen said.

Stress pockets in agricultural lending Some businesses will come under stress Firm balance sheet and debt servicing vulnerability 50 40

Equity to assets Interest coverage ratio (RHS)

12 10 8

worsened somewhat,” the Reserve Bank said. Dairy prices in New Zealand dollar terms have fallen by about 8% since January while milk price futures for the 2021 season have fallen to about $6/kg milksolids. That is still above the low prices of the 2015 dairy downturn when

All industries (ex. financial services)

Dairy

Accommodation

Retail trade

Construction

10 Food and beverage services

AGRICULTURE has fared relatively well during the covid-19 pandemic but vulnerabilities in the sector remain, the Reserve Bank says. In its Financial Stability Report for May it said lending to the agricultural sector is a key concentration of risk for the banking system, accounting for about 13% of loans, of which around two-thirds is to dairy farming. “The industry is vulnerable to income shocks given its dependence on global commodity prices and pockets of dairy lending have yet to recover from the 2015 downturn. “Low serviceability metrics indicate the agricultural sector has entered this crisis with a limited ability to take on more debt to absorb temporary falls in income.” Northland, Auckland, north Waikato and Hawke’s Bay have also faced persistent drought

since December, creating further stresses. “Some highly indebted dairy farms could face solvency and liquidity pressures were milk prices to fall materially.” In a published chart of balance sheet and debt-servicing vulnerabilities, the dairy farming industry has the lowest interest coverage ratio, about 2%, and a low equity-to-assets ratio, about 35%. The interest coverage ratio is calculated as the total income less total expenses divided by the interest, using industry aggregate values. Before the covid-19 outbreak became a pandemic commodity prices for the agricultural sector were stable, allowing it to avoid much of the initial economic impacts. Businesses in the primary sector were also generally able to operate under alert levels three and four, unlike many sectors of the economy. “However, the outlook has

Information media and telecommunications

Hugh Stringleman hugh.stringleman@globalhq.co.nz

the payout including dividend for farmers fell below $5/kg. “However, there remains a tail of highly indebted dairy farmers from that downturn who generally require payouts above $6 to break even and these could face significant stress if commodity prices continue to fall.”

Non-performing loans in the agriculture sector were 2% in March, a small increase on their numbers in March 2018 but below the 3% levels of 2010 and 2012. The dairy industry contains most of them, many of which became highly stressed during the downturn in 2015 and 2016 and whose long-term viability remains uncertain without substantial restructuring of their balance sheets. Forestry and some other pockets of the primary sector are also vulnerable given the trade disruptions that have happened and possible export price falls, ANZ senior economist Liz Kendall said. The financial system is sound and resilient to all but the most severe scenarios, Reserve Bank governor Adrian Orr said. “Banks have good capital and liquidity buffers and need to use these to support customers and contribute to the economic recovery.”

FARMERS WEEKLY â&#x20AC;&#x201C; June 1, 2020

Real Estate

farmersweekly.co.nz/realestate 0800 85 25 80

Accelerating success.

Reach more people - better results faster.

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Your destination For Rural real Estate Get in touch with your agent today

farmersweekly.co.nz/realestate

Cambridge 352 Grice Road Kingsclere agistment farm The quality of this 18.7ha property is evident as you drive in the gates and meander along through an umbrella of established specimen trees. With a backdrop of hills and with views out to Mt Kakepuku and Mt Pirongia, the award winning home is set in a beautifully manicured garden leading to a peaceful bush walk overlooking gently rolling farmland and a small lake. The home features four bedrooms, two with ensuites, three car garaging and is cleverly positioned to capture all day sun. Built with careful thought and planning this lovely 362sqm home is an elegant mix of block walls, stylish gas fireplaces, subtle timber features and beautifully appointed bathrooms.

bayleys.co.nz/2311266

For Sale by Deadline Private Treaty (unless sold prior)

4pm, Tue 23 Jun 2020 Lakewood Block C, Unit 1, 36 Lake Street, Cambridge View by appointment Alistair Scown 027 494 1848 alistair.scown@bayleys.co.nz SUCCESS REALTY LIMITED, BAYLEYS, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008

RURAL rural@pb.co.nz 0800 FOR LAND

Property Brokers Limited Licensed under the Real Estate Agents Act 2008

Bellmack Farm - 469 ha

TENDER WEB ID PR75495

DANNEVIRKE Fairbrother, Baker and Kumeti Roads Three separate properties which has been run in conjunction for more than 50 years in a renowned summersafe environment which is located minutes from Dannevirke township. All three properties which share common boundaries feature favourable contour with flat to rolling downs rising to some steeper faces against the Ruahine Ranges. Bellmack Farm features a good level of improvements with two woolsheds, sheep yards, cattle yards and a comfortable four bedroom home completing a well sought after package.

Available individually or a combination of any, these properties are sure to cater to sheep, beef, dairy grazing or a summersafe add on to an existing business. Fairbrother - 103.3966 ha Web ID PR75496 Baker - 156.7702 ha Web ID PR75497 Kumeti - 209.0736 ha Web ID PR75395

TENDER

VIEW By Appointment TENDER closes Thursday 11th June, 2020 at 2.00pm, to be submitted to Lloyd Dodson and Pringle, C/murray@ldp.co.nz or delivered to 9 Ward Street, Dannevirke

Jared Brock

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

John Arends

Mobile 027 444 7380 Office 06 376 4364 johna@pb.co.nz

Limestone Hills

AUCTION WEB ID TMR74374

PLEASANT POINT 320 Mt Gay Road Due to a great opportunity the vendors have decided to put this lovely 146 ha property on the market. Currently running 500 MA ewes with 80% lambs being drafted before Christmas, and between 150 - 200 dairy heifers on May to May contract. With a lovely 4 bedroom home, 3 stand woolshed plus implement shed, all weather farm lane and much more.

pb.co.nz

Don't miss this opportunity and inquire today.

VIEW By Appointment

Price plus GST (if any)

AUCTION 1.00pm, Sat 27th Jun, 2020, Property Brokers Limited, 83 Sophia Street, Timaru

AUCTION

Michael Richardson

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

4 1

Real Estate

FARMERS WEEKLY â&#x20AC;&#x201C; June 1, 2020

farmersweekly.co.nz/realestate 0800 85 25 80

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

Property Brokers Limited Licensed under the Real Estate Agents Act 2008

Endless opportunities - 19, 25

A real change in real estate.

NEW LISTING

WEB ID FR75854 RONGOTEA 357 Taipo Road Located conveniently to Rongotea and a short drive from Palmerston North and Feilding, this 92 ha (more or less) dairy farm has the potential to be sold as one block or a combination of 3 smaller parcels (STS) of 19 or 25 hectares of bare land and 47 hectares with all of the improvements. Currently milking +/- 220 cows on a system II - III through a 14 ASHB cowshed with a 150 cow feed pad, the farm includes extensive farm buildings. A well-maintained central race, bore water and a 4 bedroom home complete the property.

DEADLINE SALE View By Appointment DEADLINE SALE closes Thursday 25th June, 2020 at 11.00am, (unless sold prior), Property Brokers Ltd, 54 Kimbolton Road, Feilding

The Property Brokers and Farmlands partnership means great things for provincial real estate 4

Together our combined strengths complement each other to create bigger networks, more buyers and better results.

For more information call 0800 367 5263 or visit pb.co.nz/together

Blair Cottrill

Mobile 027 354 5419 blair@pb.co.nz

Proud to be together

pb.co.nz 20 3-20 201 Re al E ies state A g e n c

223 Seifert Road

289 Valintine Road

Tauhei 223 Seifert Road & 289 Valintine Road High Input Dairy and Support New to the market we have two outstanding properties. The planning and the work has all been done now you can reap the rewards. The First is a 78ha Dairy milking platform comprising an outstanding range of infrastructure. A new feed pad and a new weeping wall effluent system have been added to the 24ASHB complete with ACRs and in shed feed system. Milking 370 Xbreed cows the farm is on target to produce a massive 184,000KGs milk solids this season.

For Sale

Price By Negotiation View: By appointment harcourts.co.nz/ML4368 & ML4369 Kevin Parry

RURAL SALES CONSULTANT

The second property just minutes down the road is a 63ha support unit. This farm has been totally reformed with cropping, new pastures drainage and fencing. Both properties have very good housing and are on good school bus routes.

M 021 244 4668 | P 07 889 8793 E kevin.parry@harcourts.co.nz www.harcourts.co.nz Kevin Deane Real Estate (Morrinsville) Ltd Licensed Agent REAA 2008

farmersweekly.co.nz/realestate 0800 85 25 80

Real Estate

FARMERS WEEKLY – June 1, 2020

N EW

LIS TI N G

571 HECTARES JUST OVER 20 MINUTES FROM NAPIER 57 Tangoio Settlement Road, Tangoio, Hawke’s Bay

571 hectares (STS) Tender

nzr.nz/RX2343874

On offer are two adjacent sheep and beef farms comprising of 317ha (STS) and 254ha (STS), each to be sold separately. For the new owner options are multiple; farming, forestry or potential subdivisions given the coastal views. Rarely does this scale of land so close to town come to the market. Located just a little over 20 minutes from Napier in the Tangoio District just off SH2, these two properties have been run as one enterprise and well farmed by the same family for the past 64 years. The two properties are separated by the Tangoio Settlement Road which offers good access and leads to the popular Waipatiki beach. Best described as a mix of medium to steep coastal hill country supported by well maintained improvements. With coastal location, there are vantage points and potential house sites with spectacular views out over the Bay and Napier. Stock water comprises of reticulated systems and natural water supply. The 317ha (STS) property includes two well appointed dwellings, a large woolshed/ covered yards, large implement shed and other farm buildings. Land and operational assets are solely on offer with the 254ha bareland property. Refer also web page nzr.nz/RX2344039.

Tender Closes 12pm, Thu 9 July 2020, NZR, 5 Ossian Street, Napier. Duncan McKinnon 021 241 9073 | duncan@nzr.nz Hawkes Bay Real Estate Ltd | Licensed REAA 2008

RURAL | LIFESTYLE | RESIDENTIAL

TENDER

Limestone Country • • •

• • • •

43.6 hectares (107.73 acres) of strong sheep and beef country Located on the Argyll Ridge, approx. 38km from Hastings and 22km to Waipawa A well presented three-bedroom home. Large living areas and expansive decks. Well set back on an elevated site Subdivided into five main paddocks with good stock water from troughs and a running stream Good fertiliser history Larger starter block in an area seldom traded Opportunity to expand exists here

TENDER

Plus GST (if any) (Unless Sold By Private Treaty) Closes 4.00pm, Thursday 25 June

VIEW

By Appointment Only

We’ve got you covered with digital and print options.

Paul Harper M 027 494 4854 B 06 878 3156 E paul.harper@pggwrightson.co.nz

pggwre.co.nz/HAS32283 PGG Wrightson Real Estate Limited, licensed under REAA 2008

Looking for the complete package?

Helping grow the country

Contact Shirley Howard phone 06 323 0760, email shirley.howard@globalhq.co.nz 2480REHP

ARGYLL, CENTRAL HAWKE'S BAY

farmersweekly.co.nz/realestate

NZ’s #1 Agri Job Board

JOBS BOARD FW Jobs Board

2IC Block Manager Dairy Assistant

The Lansdowne Farming Manager will spend 5070% of time at Lansdowne, the rest working at a nearby station. Regardless, Lansdowne will be a full time employer, providing 2-bedroom house with separate farm office.

Dairy Equity Position Farm Manager General Manager Livestock Finishing Unit Manager

We require ambition and outside-the-square thinking to grow this value-added trade. Of course we also need practical pastoral farm skills, robust health and ability to work hard and be outdoors.

Livestock Representative

In addition, you need to show ability to plan ahead, to follow a plan, to communicate, take responsibility, share the credit. Compensation will be a salary based on experience, reviewed regularly, with the housing and utilities provided.

A major development programme has been underway for the last few years so we are looking for someone with strong stockmanship and pasture management skills to help to continue to increase production and performance.

We’ll come back to you promptly.

Lansdowne Farm www.lansdownefarm.co.nz

LK0102476©

To register your interest, please scan and attach to an email a cover letter and CV to: Jay@LansdowneFarm.co.nz

The position requires the successful applicant to be responsible for the day-today running of the block and an ability to plan and manage daily tasks efficiently. It is also very important to be able to work unsupervised. At busy times they would be expected to help the manager of the home block and vice versa. Good communication skills and an ability to work with other people are essential. As the block is a hill country one, a good team of dogs is required.

Senior Sub-editor Shepherd Shepherd General *FREE upload to Farmers Weekly jobs: farmersweeklyjobs.co.nz

*conditions apply

Contact Debbie Brown 06 323 0765 or email classifieds@globalhq.co.nz

General Manager – Farming

LK0102571©

Maui Milk has been founded on passion, innovation and hard work. It is a leader in the emerging sheep dairy industry in New Zealand, bringing pure wholesome sheep milk products to the world. Established in 2015, Maui Milk now includes the country’s leading genetic programme with a new, recognised breed of dairy sheep – Southern Cross™ and a rapidly expanding supply base with confirmed orders for all products three years in advance from global leader in childhood nutrition, Karicare™. There are now two farms supplying milk located on the western shores of Lake Taupo and four new conversions underway by independent owner-operators in the Waikato.

@farmersweeklyjobs It’s now more important than ever to connect rural employers with job seekers. We are also working with industry good organisations to make sure relevant information is at your fingertips That’s why the team at Farmers Weekly have launched a dedicated Farmers Weekly Jobs Facebook page

GlobalHQ, based in Feilding, is the country’s most innovative multimedia agri-information hub. We work hard to create valuable content that informs, inspires and entertains. We invest in great people, and products including Farmers Weekly, On Farm Story, the Dairy Farmer and the AgriHQ suite of data and analysis products. Our long serving sub-editor is retiring and we need to fill the role of Senior sub-editor for our company. We are looking for a smart-thinking candidate with agriculture industry knowledge, to work alongside our award-winning team of rural journalists and freelance writers. You will have qualifications and experience in journalism, an excellent standard of grammar and spelling, an understanding of media law, meticulous attention to detail and the ability to work under pressure and to tight deadlines. You will have sub-editing experience including headline writing, page layout and photo management along with experience with content management systems and news website management. This role has scope for reporting and you are expected to contribute to the editorial leadership group. Feilding based at our head office - GlobalHQ Ltd.

On offer is an attractive remuneration package, based in the Taupo region which offers an abundance of recreational activities to enjoy.

To request a job description and application form please email hr@globalhq.co.nz

This is your chance to be part of a pioneering industry surrounded by a talented team. Should you have the skills required to continue driving this rapidly expanding business forward then we would love to hear from you!

Applications close Friday 12 June, 2020

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 #3221).

RECRUITMENT & HR Register to receive job alerts on www.ruraldirections.co.nz

LK0102545©

2546FW JOBS

This position requires proven experience and success in an operational farm management position (dairy and/or drystock) and the ability to pick up technical concepts. Essential to the appointee’s success in this role will be a high level of detail and accuracy, excellent communication skills and demonstrated experience in leading a team and building internal and external relationships.

Applications close 5pm Monday, 15th June 2020

farmersweeklyjobs.co.nz

Senior Sub-editor - GlobalHQ Ltd

Maui Milk are now seeking a General Manager – Farming to take hold of this new and exciting opportunity responsible for meeting the overall farm goals on the two properties, Waikino Station and WKT farm. This is a collaborative position whereby the appointee will build a strong team culture across the business and will lead and support the two existing Farm Managers to ensure that breeding, milk production, stock, feed, H & S and environmental outcomes are met and exceeded. The General Manager – Farming will develop, monitor and report on farm budgets and operational information while working alongside the world class geneticists and the Data Manager to ensure that breeding plans are carried out with particular attention to accuracy.

Jobs

Like and follow us @FarmersWeeklyJobs for the latest agri jobs or view our listings online at

WE’RE HIRING

Maui Milk, Taupo

A comfortable 3-bedroom house is provided and we can offer a competitive salary, with support and opportunities to develop management and work skills.

If you have an agri job listing get in touch with Debbie at classifieds@globalhq.co.nz or ph 027 705 7181 to secure your place on Farmers Weekly Jobs Facebook today!

63.57x120

Lansdowne Farm on the Conway Flat is looking for enthusiasm in a new Farming Manager. We produce branded, craft beef along the Pacific coast for the dining trade - Lansdowne Beef®. Market launch last year was successful but has lately been interrupted by the pandemic.

We are looking for a block manager for the Hinemoa Valley block. It is 730ha and about 16km from Pahiatua.

Enquiries and a job description please contact Michael or Ann Beech 06 376 7759 or bullhills1@gmail.com

farmersweeklyjobs.co.nz

Craft beef on the Pacific

Bullock Hills Ltd is a 2000ha family run hillcountry sheep and beef breeding enterprise run on two blocks in conjunction with each other. They are both situated east of Pahiatua. The farming business runs 15,500 stock units, comprising 8500 Romney ewes and 400 Angus cows, plus finishing stock and replacements.

0101788

Farming Manager

BLOCK MANAGER

classifieds@globalhq.co.nz – 0800 85 25 80

LK0100828©

FARMERS WEEKLY – June 1, 2020

SEE PAGE 38

FOR MORE JOB OPPORTUNITIES

Agri Job Board

Noticeboard

Dairy Equity Position – Manawatu Do you have a passion for excellence and a history of high performance? Are you looking for that next step in the industry? Our clients are looking for someone they can trust who will perform well and become the driver and owner of their business. An outstanding 380ha property in the golden circle 15km north east of Feilding has been made available for someone to buy into as the current owners wish to take a step back from the day-to-day running of the property. It has been developed over the last 30 years into one of the most admired dairy farms in the area – but there’s plenty of “blue sky” for the new partnership moving forward.

Great infrastructure on farm including the 80-bail rotary located in the middle of the property flanked by high quality calf rearing facilities and sheds, a gravity driven effluent system, plenty of water for stock and a 500-cow feed pad.

2-YEAR-OLD Huntaway dog, keen to work. $1500 ONO. Phone 06 762 2870.

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

ATTENTION FARMERS

DAGS .20c PER KG. Replacement woolpacks. PV Weber Wools. Kawakawa Road, Feilding. Phone 06 323 9550.

Three well-presented recently renovated homes are available for use by the farming team.

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

Historically the 380ha milking platform has been milking 1200 cows, with the farm producing 1175kg MS/ha on average over the past six years. Options for education are abundant in the local rural community, with Feilding and Palmerston North close by. With a proposed start date of 1st June 2021 and flexibility in the investment options, we are seeking expressions of interest at this early stage.

BRIDLES LK0102579©

Expressions of interest close 20th June 2020.

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

FAST GRASS www.gibb-gro.co.nz GROWTH PROMOTANT Only $6.00 per hectare + GST delivered Brian Mace 0274 389 822 brianmace@xtra.co.nz

Advantages here start with high quality LUC 1 & 2 versatile soil types that allow for supplementary feed or cash crops to be grown on farm. A focus on soil fertility and pasture renewal has ensured this place grows a lot of pasture.

For an expression of interest form, please contact Melissa on melissa@bakerag.co.nz

DOGS FOR SALE

STATION TYPES. Heavy NZ leather. Hand sown. Breast plate. Leg straps. Hobbles. Crupper, etc. Phone Otairi Station. 06 322 8433.

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

Exciting opportunity for a Shepherd General on a Rangitikei sheep and cattle breeding and finishing property with a wide range of work.

3-YEAR-OLD Huntaway bitch, keen to work. $1500. Phone 06 762 2870. BREEDING. TRAINING. Selling. Buying. Delivering. www.youtube.com/user/ mikehughesworkingdog/ videos – email: mikehughesworkingdogs@ farmside.co.nz 07 315 5553.

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

FOR SALE CALF LOADING PEN. 2.4 x 3 . Hardly used . Franklin area. $2000. Phone 021 239 8661.

FORESTRY WANTED

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

GOATS WANTED

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.

NAKI GOATS. Trucking goats to the works every week throughout the NI. Phone Michael and Clarice. 027 643 0403.

HORTICULTURE

LIVESTOCK FOR SALE R2 HEREFORD BULLS x 3. BVD Negative and vaccinated. Lepto vaccinated. Phone 027 49 44 262.

PUMPS

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

HIGH PRESSURE WATER PUMPS, suitable on high headlifts. Low energy usage for single/3-phase motors, waterwheel and turbine drives. Low maintenance costs and easy to service. Enquiries phone 04 526 4415, email sales@hydra-cell.co.nz

LIVESTOCK FOR SALE WILTSHIRES-ARVIDSON. Self shearing sheep. No1 for Facial Eczema. David 027 2771 556. A GOOD home wanted for three aged cows, RWB. Phone 06 928 0905 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.

FO SALR E

PERSONAL FIT ACTIVE COUNTRY lady, blue eyed blonde, 50s. Wishes to meet a country man for companionship/ relationship. Central/ Lower NI. Phone/Text 027 716 8893.

Rural Ladies Looking For Love! At CCN we help lonely COUNTRY gentlemen in finding their Soul Mates and Romantic partners. We specialise in introducing couples the old fashioned way, the only way that assures a high rate in success.

SELLING

To find your special partner please call 0800 446 332 Seniors Welcome

06 323 0765

www.countrycompanionship.co.nz

SOMETHING?

2 YEAR WARRANTY. NZ ASSEMBLED. ELECTRIC START & QUALITY YOU CAN RELY ON 13.5HP. Briggs & Stratton Motor. Electric start. 1.2m cut

TOWABLE TOPPING MOWER

TOWABLE FLAIL MOWER

$4400

GST INCLUSIVE

12Hp Diesel. Electric Start

11.5HP Briggs & Stratton Motor. Industrial. Electric start.

$4200

GST INCLUSIVE

50 TON WOOD SPLITTER

GST $4200 INCLUSIVE

To find out more visit www.moamaster.co.nz

Phone 027 367 6247 • Email: info@moamaster.co.nz

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.

Morrison Farming is a dynamic, family farming business, consisting of an intensive finishing property and a hill-country breeding property, both located north of Marton in the Rangitikei. The successful applicant will largely be based on our finishing property, Fern Flats. But the right applicant will also be involved on our nearby hill country property, Mangara.

Feed Noticeboard

Performance recording is a key focus for Morrison Farming, as well as growing stock on a wide variety of forage.

AgriHQ has set up a temporary noticeboard to make it easier to find supplementary feed for your livestock.

We are looking for candidates who are a team-player, friendly, have a positive attitude, attention to detail and recording and enjoy learning. The position is tailored toward someone with some level of tertiary training through an ITO or Agricultural College, with on-farm experience.

Our goal is to maximise returns to our suppliers with every dollar we earn either delivered to our shareholders or re-invested back into the co-operative. LK0102490©

Head to agrihq.co.nz/feed-noticeboard for listings near you

The successful applicants will ideally display: • Confidence when working with cattle in the yards, moving cattle on-farm and calving • Experience with general sheep-work • Some experience and skill with fencing, chainsaw operation and general farm maintenance and repairs • Willingness to take instructions, as well as work independently • Punctuality, honesty, reliability and adherence to the Morrison Farming Health & Safety Policy • A good working dog is desirable, but not essential • A readiness to work additional hours when necessary.

We offer a six-day pickup for bobby calves during peak season in the South Island. Animal welfare is important to Alliance and our experienced field team provide a personalised service to our farmers. Your processing data is available on your phone or online within 24 hours and payments are made within 14 business days. You do not need to be a shareholder to supply Alliance Group, but if you are interested in joining the co-operative and receiving the range of benefits on offer, please get in touch. Minimum Price Contracts are also available.

The World’s number 1 sawmill Over 100,000 Machines Sold

We offer a structured Monday to Friday working week, with one weekend on a month.

Wood-Mizer® sawmills: ✓ Use the latest in thin kerf technology. ✓ Produce more timber from fewer trees. ✓ Are adaptable to all sawing situations. ✓ Are flexible in operation. ✓ Have low operating costs.

Morrison Farming supports ongoing training opportunities. A competitive salary package will be negotiated based on experience. A full New Zealand Driver’s Licence is required.

LK0102563©

Morrison Farming is a smoke free workplace.

Personal to Professional sawmills Recover your own timber or mill for others. Contact: Paul Marshall (B.For.Sc., M.Sc., M.N.Z.I.F.) Director Wood-Mizer NZ Ltd. Mobile: 021 331 838 EMail: P_Marshall@xtra.co.nz

www.woodmizer.com

For more information, please contact your local livestock representative or call 0800 100 144. www.alliance.co.nz

LK0102224©

The position includes accommodation on-farm.

A Job description can be provided on request.

As New Zealand’s only 100 per cent farmer-owned major red meat co-operative, we understand your farm business.

If you have surplus feed for sale, grazing options or merchant supplies that you would like to list, simply fill out the form online and we’ll post it on our site.

This role involves both stock work and general farm maintenance as required.

Please email your covering letter, CV and the contact details of two recent work referees to Erica.vanreenen@gmail.com or contact William on 027 640 1166 or Erica on 027 455 5616 if you have any questions.

Supply your cull cows and bobby calves to Alliance Group

Supplementary feed available

LK0102542©

EXPRESSIONS OF INTEREST

GOATS WANTED

ANIMAL HANDLING

LK0102193©

Noticeboard “After advertising a sale of The Sock Lady

LK0102550©

DOLOMITE

SportDOG PetSafe

We also clean out and remetal cattle yards – Call Us!

DOG TRAINING PRODUCTS

IN ING PA K R WO IRARA WA Nominate a school on booking and we’ll donate $100 on payment of your account.

SELLING

✁

Phone Scott Newman Freephone 0800 2SCOTTY (0800 27 26 88) Mobile 027 26 26 27 2

A SHED HASN’T BEATEN US YET!

On Farm 2yr Angus Bull Sale

Paeroa 18th June 2020- 1pm

NOTICEBOARD

Bulls Sired By: GDAR Regulator 364 (Imp USA) - MF Wallace 2014 Basin Paycheck 5249 (Imp USA) - Pinebank 106/16 Waitawheta H8 ET - Kowhai Trust 484

REACH EVERY FARMER IN NZ FROM MONDAY

L D Capitalist 316 (Imp USA) - Waitawheta J100 Waitawheta L2 - Waitawheta K33 - Waitawheta M12

Advertise in the Farmers Weekly $2.10 + GST per word - Please print clearly

Address: Email:

Phone 027 367 6247 Email: info@moamaster.co.nz

Wa i ta w h e ta A n g u s

New Zealand’s Number 1 service provider for under woolshed and covered yard cleaning since 2004

Name:

To find out more visit

www.moamaster.co.nz

Livestock Noticeboard

TO THAT

LK0102408©

Visit

PHONE DEBBIE 06 323 0765

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

FROM THIS

Remote Trainers Containment Systems No bark collars

SOMETHING?

GST Special Price $4200 INCLUSIVE Very limited stock

✁

SCOTTY’S CONTRACTORS

INNOTEK

SOLID – PRACTICAL

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

Under Woolshed/Covered Yards Cleaning Specialist www.underthewoolshed.kiwi

0800 436 566

www.innotek.co.nz or call 0800 872 546

NEW HOMES

Norma McLennan, The Sock Lady

HOOF TRIMMER

NZ’s finest BioGro certified Mg fertiliser For a delivered price call ....

12HP, Diesel, Electric Start

Heavy duty construction for serious wood splitting. Towable.

The Sock Lady will not hesitate to advertise at sale time again with this high quality, well known New Zealand farming publication.

LK0102278©

BIRDSCARER DE HORNER

socks and singlets in the Farmers Weekly, we had an excellent response to the ad.

“

EARMARKERS

50 TON WOOD SPLITTER

T H IN K PRE B U I L T

We got noticed!

classifieds@globalhq.co.nz – 0800 85 25 80

LK0102194©

FARMERS WEEKLY – June 1, 2020

26 x DEEP MEATY ANGUS SIRES

Contact: Alistair & Pat Sharpe 07 863 7954 or 021 054 7862 Kevin Fathers 0272 799 800

Phone:

NZ Farmers Livestock - Brent Bougen 07 848 2544 or 027 210 4698

NZ FARMERS LIVESTOCK STUD STOCK If you are looking for pure NZ genetics with substance and constitution we recommend you attend this sale. Waitawheta 2020 2yr Bull AS.indd 1

28/05/2020 9:50:17 AM

Heading:

t s ou eo k k id oo ec ll v eb e Ch Bu Fac ub e r ut th ou Yo r on o

Advert to read:

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 06 323 0765

4417_EA_Full_page_2020_PRINT.indd 1

11/02/20 11:07 AM

RANUI BULL SALE JOIN US FOR OUR

40TH SALE

ON THURSDAY 4TH JUNE* • •

Confirmed on-farm bull sale

Bull viewing available for the month of May - by appointment only. Contact Lindsay or Maria Johnstone today 027 445 3211 or 027 610 5348

Livestock Noticeboard

FARMERS WEEKLY – June 1, 2020

MORRINSVILLE SALE DAIRY PAVILION

TE KUITI CATTLE SALE

TUESDAY 16TH JUNE 2020 12 NOON START On A/c: SAM & VANESSA HARTLES Paparoa, Northland

Friday 5th June 2020 - 12 Noon start On A/c: TARATA TRUST 90 x 20mth PB Hereford Bulls 38 x 20mth Frsn Bulls

150 M/A Jersey/Jersey Cross Cows 50 In Calf Jersey/Jersey Cross Heifers

Contact Agent: Brent Bougen 0272 104 698

BW 87 PW 104 RA 66% OAD Herd for 7 years

LK0102533©

livestock@globalhq.co.nz – 0800 85 25 80

Due to calve from 10th July 2020 6 weeks mating to LIC Jersey & Kiwi Cross A2A2 bulls, then tailed with Red Devon. All Cows have been scanned to dates. Lepto vaccinated. Samm Plan dry cowed and teat sealed. System 1 farm. Milked on very wet rolling limestone and clay kikuya country. Outstanding temperament, lovely uddered herd with great capacity and in top condition. This herd will shift extremely well. View listing on www.mylivestock.co.nz NOR90228 Contact: Mike Peele 027 520 1771

LK0102535©

ranuiangus.co.nz

TE KUITI SALEYARDS Friday 12th June 2020 A/C Waitewhenua Farms Ltd 66 x R2yr VIC Hereford Heifers (In-calf to Craigmore Hereford Bulls 10/12/2019) 67 x R3yr VIC Hereford Heifers (In-calf to Hereford Bull 20/12/2019)

LIVESTOCK ADVERTISING

77 x R4yr - R7yr VIC Hereford/ Angus Cows (In-calf to Charolais Bull 20/12/2019)

PHONE HANNAH 0800 85 25 80

Contact Brent Bougen 027 210 4698

LK0102574©

40 x R3yr VIC Angus & Hereford/Angus Heifers (In-calf to Puke Nui Angus Bulls 20/12/2019)

BULL SALE MEADOWSLEA ANGUS June 19, 1pm

51 Rising 2yr bulls

LAKESTATION@FARMSIDE.CO.NZ 873 ST ARNAUD KAWATIRI HIGHWAY

LAKE ROTOITI, NELSON LAKES

LAKE STATION HEREFORDS 28 Bulls for Sale via Private Treaty Available from Open Day 10 am 8 June 2020 Note Bulls will not be availble to purchase before 10 am, 8 June

www.totaranuistud.co.nz Email for a catalogue: bulls@totaranuistud.co.nz Daimien & Tally 06 376 8400 or 021 430 710

Mark Crooks – PGG Wrightson 027 590 1452

Interactive helmsman-style auction with live commentary. On-farm SH8 5km west of Fairlie and online:

www.meadowslea.co.nz OFFERING: 76 hill bred bulls

ARE YOU GETTING TOO MANY BULL BREAKDOWNS?

Industry leading maternal and fertility traits

ON-FARM BULL WALK

Saturday June 6 – 11am - 3pm Online bidding opens June 8th at 7pm with release of videos of all lots posted online.

Waigroup bulls are backed with a rigorous guarantee. CALL US TODAY

David Giddings 027 229 9760 Auctioneers: Participating:

LIVESTOCK ADVERTISING

GO TO @ROTOITIHEREFORDS ON FACEBOOK FOR PHOTOS & UPDATES

LIVESTOCK ADVERTISING Advertise your stock sales in Farmers Weekly

farmersweekly.co.nz

Pinebank Sales: 2-Year bulls by private treaty through June Glanworth On-Farm Auctions: 2-year Bulls June 25th at 2:30pm

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

VISITORS & ENQUIRIES WELCOME

PINEBANK Established 1919 Willie Falloon Ph: (06) 372 7041 E: falloon@xtra.co.nz GLANWORTH Established 1952 Shaun Fouhy Ph: (06) 376 8869 E: glanworthfarm@gmail.com

www.anguswaigroup.co.nz

LK0102495©

To make an appointment to view this years bulls prior to or after our open day call malcolm

LK0102569©

021 251 0078 0R 03 521 1843

Friday 5th June @ 1.30pm on farm, Pahiatua LK0102245©

MALCOLM AND INGRID McCONOCHIE

To advertise Phone HANNAH GUDSELL 0800 85 25 80 or email livestock@globalhq.co.nz

livestock@globalhq.co.nz – 0800 85 25 80

WANTED

Westwood Shorthorn Bulls for sale by Private Treaty until 10th June

GET IN TOUCH TODAY.

- F12 and Above $1500 / head - F8 to F11 $1400 / head - F0-F7 $1200 / head

See www.shorthorn.co.nz to view bulls for sale

Farmers Weekly will be sending the autumn bull sale results e-newsletter now until mid July 2020. Contact Hannah on 06 323 0761, 027 602 4925 or livestock@ globalhq.co.nz to sign up or include your sale results and receive weekly updates.

2019 Spring born Friesian heifers

All prices are plus GST and less commission

Delivery Date – End of August 2020

Westwood Shorthorns and Coloured Sheep

• True to type Friesian Heifers • Standard Chinese Protocol, heifers must have been on the property for a minimum of 6 months at the time of delivery.

All bulls’ blood tested negative for BVD and vaccinated, TB C10 Anita Erskine, Westwood, Papatotara, Tuatapere RD 9691 Phone: 03 226 6713 Email: westwood.farm@xtra.co.nz (Or PGG Stud Stockman Callum McDonald 027 433 6443)

LK0102506©

BULL SALE RESULTS 2020

Please phone TJ on 027 314 8833 for more information tj@dairylivestock.co.nz

LK0102536©

Livestock Noticeboard

FARMERS WEEKLY – June 1, 2020

MAUNGAHINA STUD NEW SALE DATE: 2nd July 2020 – 1pm 35 Polled Hereford bulls 20 Polled Speckle Park Bulls

LOT 3

mark.maungahina@xtra.co.nz • +64 27 415 8696

www.maungahina.co.nz

LK0102387©

LOT 51

THIRD ANNUAL YEARLING SALE Thursday 10 September 2020 at 2pm | 216 Wiltons Road, Carterton

SIRES OF 2020 BULLS INCLUDE: MUSGRAVE STUNNER

(4 of these used as yearlings)

RANGATIRA TAURUS

(purchased in 2017 for $47,000)

AYRVALE BARTEL MATAURI OUTLIER

10th JUNE 9AM

Calf weaned at 70% of Cow's weight

Breakfast and viewing from 7am Calf weaned at 68% of Cow's weight

PROGRAMMED TO PERFORM

BULLS ALSO AVAILABLE BY PRIVATE TREATY

40 Years of Proven Performance • Top Quality Simmental Angus bulls

JUSTIN & MEG KING, 34 PAULSEN ROAD, TAKAPAU

For more information or a catalogue contact us: John McFadzean 06 372 7045 | Johnie McFadzean 06 379 7401 / 027 429 5777 Andrew Jennings PGG Wrightson 027 594 6820

P: (06) 855 8288 | M: 027 248 8400 | E: justin@brookwood.co.nz

www.brookwood.co.nz

www.mcfadzeancattlecompany.co.nz 7% rebate for non participating agents

LK0102547©

McFadzean Meatmaker bulls consistently wean over 60% of cow weight

livestock@globalhq.co.nz – 0800 85 25 80

Livestock Noticeboard

FARMERS WEEKLY – June 1, 2020

SALE TALK A young man goes to the doctor: Doctor, my Girlfriend is pregnant but we always use protection. How is it possible? Doctor: Let me tell you a story: “There was once a Man who always carried a gun wherever he went out walking. One day by mistake he took out his Umbrella instead of his Gun and went out. A Lion suddenly jumped in front of him. He raised the Umbrella to his shoulder, and bang the Lion was dead. The young said, Nonsense! Someone else must have shot the Lion. Doctor: Good! You understood the story. Next patient please.

Here at Farmers Weekly we get some pretty funny contributions to our Sale Talk joke from you avid readers, and we’re keen to hear more! If you’ve got a joke you want to share with the Farming community (it must be something you’d share with your grandmother...) then email us at: saletalk@globalhq.co.nz with Sale Talk in the subject line and we’ll print it and credit it to you. Conditions apply

STOCK FOR SALE

40 R4YR ANGUS COWS

35 R5YR ANGUS COWS VIC Sth Devon 13th Nov

STOCK REQUIRED SIL EWES to terminal RAM Feb/Mar R2YR FRSN BULLS 380kg+

STORE LAMBS – Males & Ewes Clients require Balage, Hay, Grazing etc.

te , no datenly e s f o ea o r Pl nge yea a s ch r thi o f

KIA TOA CHAROLAIS

www.dyerlivestock.co.nz

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

On-farm Sale Est 2003

F I R S T O N - FA R M PROGRESSIVE SALE LIVESTOCK LTD

973 Troopers Road, Te Kuiti

AUCTION

HOLSTEIN DAIRY COWS

O N - FA R M B U L L S A L E T U E S DAY 9 T H J U N E 2 0 2 0 * , 1 0 . 3 0 A M 1 0 2 L AW S R O A D , D A N N E V I R K E

LK0102153©

ALL BULLS BVD TESTED AND VACCINATED FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK – KIA TOA CHAROLAIS

A/C John Pouls 369 Ryburn Road Ohaupo

INSPECTIONS WELCOME

Contact: Paul and Claire Grainger 07 878 6458 – 027 209 1959 pcgraingers@xtra.co.nz

Willy Philip 102 Laws Road, Dannevirke Ph: 06 374 8857 Email: anui@xtra.co.nz @AnuiStudLivestock

WEDNESDAY 10th JUNE 2020 Commencing at 11:00am

NB* Due to Covid 19, the Bull Sale format is subject to change. Please check our facebook page for updates and any revisions.

70 Spring Calving Friesian Cows A2A2 Identified, 10 year average 600 ms p/cow DNA profiled and 40 years ownership Rare chance to buy quality Friesian Cows

For all enquiries please contact Owner : John Pouls 027 271 6363 Agent : Colin Old 027 870 4434

LK0102503©

31 GENUINE HILL COUNTRY BULLS ON OFFER Monday 8th June 2020 at 1.30pm

Complete Dispersal Of Spring Calving Cows

The sale will be conducted in accordance with the Level 2 Covid-19 restrictions and precautions now in place:

LIVESTOCK ADVERTISING

with Farmers Weekly PHONE HANNAH GUDSELL 0800 85 25 80

• If you have a fever, cough, sore throat or generally unwell, do not attend this auction. • A register of all attendees will be recorded, Name, addresses, contact numbers, time of entry and exit of the premises. • Hand sanitise before entering and exiting the auction.

Full Details on Our Website Listing No 552

www.progressivelivestock.co.nz

ATAHUA ANGUS Lot 2 378-18 Sired by Te Mania 380

CELEBRATING 60 YEARS WITH A SPECIAL 60TH BIRTHDAY GIFT ON SALE DAY!

32557-01

RANGATIRA ANGUS BULL SALE TO BE HELD ON-FARM AS WELL AS LIVE ONLINE. Carrfields Livestock are facilitating the online sale via AuctionsPlus. To find out how you can register for this auction visit www.carrfieldslivestock.co.nz/auctionsplus

11am on farm 291 McBeth Road, Kiwitea Manawatu 40 quiet. BVD tested clear and vaccinated. 7 in 1 vaccinated. TB C10 rising 2-year bulls. FREE DELIVERY IN THE NORTH ISLAND 2020 40 Bulls for sale: Te Mania 380, Rangatira Eclipse 252, Atahua 785-12, Kay Jay Freedom K44, Atahua 214-16 Contact us to view bulls prior to sale Contact Alan and Michele Dalziell 06 328 9784 Mobile 027 629 8954 Email: atahua.angus@farmside.co.nz or contact your agent for a catalogue View online: see ebook catalogue via Pivot Design or Internet Solutions AngusNZ Check out

atahuaangus for any info

LK0102543©

SALE DATE: 8th June 2020

Livestock Noticeboard

livestock@globalhq.co.nz – 0800 85 25 80

DAIRIES FOR SALE

HIGH PRODUCTION CAPACITY COWS & HEIFERS

Great Buying Opportunities

A/c Jeff Hoskin – Hosam Farms Ltd

280 Fsn/FsnX Cows BW101 PW131 DTC 25/7 to LIC 5wks, low som cell Computer split from 1100 cow herd Will split lower numbers, good condition $1450 Willie Purvis 027 630 7004

Date: Thursday 4th June 2020 Address: Cambridge Sale Yards Hickey Rd, Cambridge Start time: 11.30 am – undercover

60 Fsn/FsnX I/C Hfrs, BW140 PW148 DTC 15/7 to Jsy, very good, $1150 Jason Duncan 021 170 5354 Ref: DR954

Comprising: • 120 Fsn/FsnX dairy herd – NZMI 69 • 45 Fsn/FsnX I/C hfrs – NZMI 96 • 41 Predom Fsn R1 hfrs – NZMI 79

LK0102354©

90 Xbred Cows BW121 PW172 RA94% DTC 17/7 to LIC 4wks, 450ms/cow HB shed, H tested, LIC bred $1300 Neil Miller 027 497 3492 Ref: DH1792 50 Jsy/JsyX C/Overs BW174 PW191 DTC 10/7, owner bred, very good $1350 Kelly Higgins 027 600 2374 Ref: DR1439

Dairy Live Export Orders

BULL SALE

Call your local Carrfields Agent, they have options for all breeds and various delivery dates – Values strong. Visit our Website for the best selection available

www.carrfieldslivestock.co.nz

50 ANGUS 2-YEAR-OLD BULLS FRIDAY 12TH JUNE AT 1PM 839 VALLEY ROAD, HASTINGS Contact: Will MacFarlane 06 874 8762 will@waiterenui.co.nz

LIVESTOCK ADVERTISING Have you got a sale coming up? Advertise in Farmers Weekly

Details: • DTC 22/07, 3.5 wks CRV/WWS nom sires, Fsn bulls • T/off beef bulls, removed 22 December • 490 ms/cow, system 2 feeding, herd tested • I/C hfrs DTC 22/07 to Jsy, R1’s complete replacement line • TB C10, Lepto vacc, BVD free, M.Bovis clear Auctioneers note: Farm sold, big capacity cows and heifers, long established, all in very good condition, recommend. Please note: This auction date is scheduled subject to any changes due to Covid-19 regulations. Pre-sale inspections available by appointment only with Mike McKenzie. Payment date: Payment is due 14 days from auction date. Carrfields Livestock Agent: Mike McKenzie 027 674 1149 Contact your local Carrfields Agents for details and photos. Catalogues can be downloaded from our

Your source for PGG Wrightson livestock and farming listings website.

To advertise

www.carrfieldslivestock.co.nz/our-divisions/ livestock/upcoming-sales/

LK0102472©

Phone HANNAH GUDSELL 0800 85 25 80 or email livestock@globalhq.co.nz

Key: Dairy

NZ’s Virtual Saleyard

MURIWAI DOWNS MACHINERY SALE Friday 12th June 2020, 10.30am Start Sale on Property 610 Muriwai Road, RD 1, Waimauku

WEEKLY AUCTIONS Wednesday night – North Island Thursday night – South Island

Open for inspection 3rd, 4th & 5th June 10.30am - 2.30pm, or by appointment Sale comprising: • Hay and silage making equipment • Cultivation machinery

Cattle

Sheep

FRANKTON COMBINED SALE Tuesday 2nd June 10.30am Pigs 11.30am Sheep 11.45am Boners/Bulls 12.00pm Feeder Calves 12.00pm Store Cattle Comprising: • 500 Sheep • 50 Boners • 100 Feeder Calves • 500 Store Cattle For further details contact: Vaughn Larsen 027 801 4599 Tony Blackwood 027 243 1858

FEATURE AUCTIONS

• Bulldozer

Tuesday, 2 June 2020 2.30 pm Nethertown Angus, Foulden Hill Polled Hereford, Blue Stone Santa Gertrudis

• “94” Isuzu Truck

Wednesday, 3 June 2020 11.00 am Orari Gorge Hereford 1.00 pm Kairuru Hereford

• Brick Mill

Friday 5th June, 11.30am

• Lot of other assorted sundries and machinery

Feilding Saleyards Complex

Thursday, 4 June 2020 11.00 am Beechwood, Richon & Woodburn 12.00 pm Waitangi Angus 2.00 pm Grassmere & Capethorne Hereford and Riverlands J Angus

EFTPOS AVAILABLE

• 160 R3yr Hereford Hfrs

5% Buyers Charge

VIC Ang Bull 1/12

Friday, 5 June 2020 10.00 am Te Whanga Angus 12.30 pm North Island Limousin Trail Sale

For further information go to bidr.co.nz or contact the team on 0800 TO BIDR

• Massey Ferguson Tractor 6140

Other

• Engineering equipment • Shipping containers

FEILDING STORE SALE

• Wood working tools

Catalogue available in PGG Wrightson Northland stores. To view online go to: www.agonline.co.nz www.facebook.com/pgwlivestock www.pggwrightson.co.nz For Further Information contact Richard Healey (PGW) 0279 727 372

A/C Siberia Stn, Turakina Valley

Hfrs sourced from Beaumont Stn, Maniototo as Ylgs every year. Bulls sourced from Atahua Angus Studs. Farmed on Steep Hill Country. Great Shifting Cattle. Photos available. Further enquires: Maurice Stewart 0272 469 255

Freephone 0800 10 22 76 | www.pggwrightson.co.nz

Helping grow the country

LK0102528©

FARMERS WEEKLY – June 1, 2020

MARKET SNAPSHOT

Market Snapshot brought to you by the AgriHQ analysts.

Suz Bremner

Mel Croad

Nicola Dennis

Cattle

Reece Brick

Graham Johnson

Caitlin Pemberton

Sheep

BEEF

William Hickson

Deer

SHEEP MEAT

VENISON

Last week

Prior week

Last year

NI Steer (300kg)

5.10

5.00

5.50

NI lamb (17kg)

6.75

6.60

7.60

NI Stag (60kg)

5.40

5.50

8.95

NI Bull (300kg)

5.15

5.05

5.20

NI mutton (20kg)

4.60

4.55

5.20

SI Stag (60kg)

5.40

5.50

8.95

NI Cow (200kg)

3.55

3.50

4.10

SI lamb (17kg)

6.55

6.45

7.25

SI Steer (300kg)

4.50

5.05

SI mutton (20kg)

4.20

4.05

5.05

SI Bull (300kg)

4.45

4.90

Export markets (NZ$/kg)

SI Cow (200kg)

3.00

3.45

UK CKT lamb leg

9.95

10.16

9.88

US imported 95CL bull

9.53

9.56

7.69

US domestic 90CL cow

10.93

11.08

7.55

Slaughter price (NZ$/kg)

Export markets (NZ$/kg)

6.50

7.0

South Island lamb slaughter price 9.0 $/kg CW

5.00 4.50

8.0 7.0

5.0

Oct

$/kg CW

5.50

Feb

Apr

Jun

2018-19

Coarse xbred ind. Feb

5-yr ave

Apr

Jun

2018-19

Dairy

Dec

Feb

Apr

Jun

Aug

2018-19

2019-20

FERTILISER

(NZ$/kg)

Dec

Oct

Fertiliser

Aug 2019-20

WOOL

5.00 4.50 Aug 2019-20

Last week

Prior week

Last year

2.96

NZ average (NZ$/t)

Last week

Prior week

Last year

Urea

567

625

314

321

787

833

37 micron ewe

Super

30 micron lamb

2.15

DAP

Grain

Data provided by

MILK PRICE FUTURES

Top 10 by Market Cap

CANTERBURY FEED WHEAT

Company

YTD High

Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Corporation Ltd

29.45

32.22

YTD Low 21.1

18.6

20.39

13.8

7.75

430

The a2 Milk Company Limited

420

Meridian Energy Limited (NS)

4.9

5.8

3.61

7.25

Auckland International Airport Limited

6.4

9.21

4.26 3.445

$/tonne

$/kg MS

Dec 5-yr ave

Oct

South Island stag slaughter price

5-yr ave

6.00

4.00

Last year

6.0

South Island steer slaughter price

6.50

Last week Prior week

North Island stag slaughter price

12.0 11.0 10.0 9.0 8.0 7.0 6.0 5.0 12.0 11.0 10.0 9.0 8.0 7.0 6.0 5.0

5.0 5.50

Slaughter price (NZ$/kg)

$/kg CW

8.0

6.0

6.00

6.75 6.25 Jun-19

Aug-19 Oct-19 Sept. 2020

Dec-19

Feb-20 Sept. 2021

Spark New Zealand Limited

4.43

4.93

Ryman Healthcare Limited

12.92

17.18

6.61

400

Mercury NZ Limited (NS)

4.73

5.62

3.595

Last price*

WMP

Apr-19

Jun-19

Aug-19

Oct-19

Dec-19

Feb-20

Apr-20

CANTERBURY FEED BARLEY Prior week

0.00

vs 4 weeks ago 0.00

SMP

0.00

AMF

0.00

Butter

0.00

Milk Price

0.00

410 400 390

* price as at close of business on Thursday

Apr-19

WMP FUTURES - VS FOUR WEEKS AGO

Jun-19

Aug-19

Oct-19

Dec-19

Feb-20

Apr-20

WAIKATO PALM KERNEL

2800

500

$/tonne

2700 2600 2500 Jul Aug Latest price

Sep

Oct 4 weeks ago

Nov

8.08

4.9

6.25

7.74

4.54

Mainfreight Limited

39.8

43.99

Listed Agri Shares

5pm, close of market, Thursday Close

YTD High

The a2 Milk Company Limited

18.6

20.39

YTD Low 13.8

Comvita Limited

3.556

4.97

1.66

Delegat Group Limited

11.25

12.1

6.39

Fonterra Shareholders' Fund (NS)

3.63

4.06

3.41

Foley Wines Limited

1.75

1.91

1.35

Livestock Improvement Corporation Ltd (NS)

0.7

0.82

0.7

0.188

0.21

0.188 1.29

New Zealand King Salmon Investments Ltd

1.95

2.3

PGG Wrightson Limited

2.63

2.74

1.55

Sanford Limited (NS)

6.8

8.2

5.55

Scales Corporation Limited

4.91

5.17

3.3

SeaDragon Limited

0.055

0.205

0.001

Seeka Limited

4.3

4.74

3.4

Synlait Milk Limited (NS)

7.12

9.1

4.36

T&G Global Limited

2.7

2.93

2.35

16206

16941

12699

400

S&P/NZX Primary Sector Equity Index S&P/NZX 50 Index

10857

12073

8499

300

S&P/NZX 10 Index

11324

12096

9100

200 100

Jun

7.36

Contact Energy Limited

Marlborough Wine Estates Group Limited

380 370

Port of Tauranga Limited

Company

420

$/tonne

Nearby contract

380

Apr-20

DAIRY FUTURES (US$/T)

2400

410

390

5.75

US$/t

Last year

North Island lamb slaughter price

9.0 $/kg CW

North Island steer slaughter price

Last week Prior week

$/kg CW

Slaughter price (NZ$/kg)

Ingrid Usherwood

Apr-19

S&P/FW PRIMARY SECTOR EQUITY

Jun-19

Aug-19

Oct-19

Dec-19

Feb-20

Apr-20

16206

S&P/NZX 50 INDEX

10857

S&P/NZX 10 INDEX

11324

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – June 1, 2020 NI SLAUGHTER LAMB ( $/KG)

6.75

SI SLAUGHTER STEER ( $/KG)

4.50

SI SLAUGHTER MUTTON ( $/KG)

4.20

PULSE

Down but not out Graham Johnson

graham.johnson@globalhq.co.nz

HE wool industry has taken a significant blow in recent months. Prices have eased back 25% in the first sales since covid-19 lockdowns. New Zealand is not alone as Australian wool prices have also decreased by 25% since March. Prices achieved in NZ have dropped to average $1.50-$1.70/kg greasy for good, crossbred, second-shear fleece. That is a hard pill to swallow for many because crossbred wool returns no longer cover the cost of the shearing. AgriHQ data show crossbred wool prices are $1.84/kg clean, back by about 31% on this time last year and can only be described as dire. However, the industry is far from giving up. Those involved from the woolshed to the end market are working hard to ensure wool will continue to have its place in the market and recover from the downturn. Wool prices have seen this sort of drop in prices before. At the back end of 2008, as markets

reacted to the global financial crisis, wool prices dropped by about 25% to $2.92/kg clean in four months. Right now $2.92/kg clean for crossbred ewes’ wool looks attractive. Wool prices did ease about another 30c/kg clean to bottom out in 2009 but prices did improve from there to clear $6/kg clean at the peak in 2011. Like any product, there needs to be demand from the end consumer for it to sell. Places like America that are a destination for the end product are still heavily affected by covid-19. Those markets need to be back buying and selling before the demand will flow back to the woolshed. For farmers shearing will come at a cost in the short term but there is optimism that once the global markets get back on track demand and prices will improve. In the short term it is important to remember the animal health and management benefits of shearing. With lamb and ewe prices relatively strong it will not take many losses from cast ewes at lambing to cost more than the difference between the wool cheque and the shearing bill. These are unusual times. Fortunately, wool still has a demand and wool can be sold. It might not be at a fantastic price but it could be worse.

WEATHER Soil Moisture

Overview This week kicks off with a wet Monday in the northeast of the North Island and some showers and drizzly spells making it into central New Zealand but by tomorrow it clears to the east and most of NZ is dry and calm. On Wednesday warmer northwest winds move through many regions. For some areas it will come from the sub-tropics and be mild but then a cold front moves through and temperatures drop nationwide. There might be a few thunderstorms with this front. A colder southwest flow will cover most of the nation as another enormous belt of high pressure spreads over us from Australia at the week’s end.

Source: NIWA Data

Highlights

“ANCALF IS OUR NATURAL CHOICE.” ANDREW GRANT BELFIELD DAIRIES, GERALDINE.

Highlights/ Extremes

Temperature

Wind Fairly light winds until Wednesday when a northwest turning to southwest wind kicks up. Blustery southwest winds follow for the end of the week in exposed places but nothing too major. Calmer conditions return this weekend and into next week.

Fairly mild in some places from Monday to Wednesday but a colder change comes in on Wednesday or Thursday. The week ends on a cooler note than it starts. The weekend sees colder nights returning to the north.

14-day outlook

Wednesday’s cold front might trigger some heavy western downpours and isolated thunderstorms as it moves in. Colder by late week. More significant dry weather returning to northern NZ as early as this weekend.

7-day rainfall 7-DAY RAINforecast MAP

High pressure remains around NZ but midweek a cold front arrives and we return to a more autumn-like weather pattern with windy westerly winds turning colder southwest. That southwesterly eases this weekend and a huge area of high pressure pushes back in again from Australia, lingering into next week and might last till the end of next week with a milder nothwester probably returning.

EXPENSE: Shearing now costs more than the wool fetches.

28/05/2020

Rain today in the upper, northeastern and eastern North Island with a few showers possible elsewhere. A cold front on Wednesday brings another burst of downpours, possibly briefly heavy, with isolated thunder in some spots as it comes off the Tasman Sea followed by a colder southwest flow. Showers linger until the weekend and mostly in the west. Drier weather returns this weekend.

Weather brought to you in partnership with weatherwatch.co.nz

Closest to mother’s milk, high degree of faith. Andrew Grant knows calving is a very difficult time for a lot of farmers. Anything that makes life easier, has got to be good news. His team at Belfield Dairies are feeding up to 1200 calves a day, so he wants a calf milk replacer that delivers. “We’re looking for a protein that’s at least 26% and Ancalf always delivers on that. I know a lot of other cheaper products don’t achieve the same sort of numbers that Ancalf does.” It’s Ancalf’s ability to curd, just as nature intended, that gives calves such a good start. They can digest the milk more efficiently and their young stomachs can absorb all the nutrients – leading to better weight gains and healthier calves all round.

ANCALF™ THE WORD ON THE FARM

“We find that there’s less variability in what we’re feeding them, so there’s no chance of them having some slightly dodgy milk.” For Andrew, transporting milk is an expensive and cumbersome option. So having a supply of Ancalf on hand is definitely beneficial. It suits his multi-farm system, his team and of course, his calves. At the end of the day, the decision to use Ancalf is always an economic one and Andrew makes no bones about that. “Roughly, our feed cost is budgeted at around $200 per calf, but it’s definitely not an area we want to scrimp on... which is why we never use any other CMR.”

For more information talk to your local rural retailer or call us on 0800 809 011

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – June 1, 2020

Cattle overflow the Matawhero yards A catch-up cattle sale at Matawhero swelled volume to 2200 head though that was down on the expected 2700. That was fortunate given the usually strong buying power from Hawke’s Bay was absent because of the drought, which left a mainly local buying bench to absorb the numbers. The yarding consisted of 650 R2 cattle and nearly 1400 weaners and was almost exclusively traditional-bred cattle. R2 steers were the highlight while the R2 heifer and weaner markets met limited demand. NORTHLAND Wellsford supplementary weaner fair • Angus and Angus-Hereford steers, 241-253kg, softened to $585$675 • Hereford-Friesian steers, 128-179kg, held at $430-$550 • Angus and Angus-Hereford heifers, 171-228kg, came back to $440-$450 • Hereford-Friesian heifers, 225-235kg, eased to $525-$570 • Hereford bulls, 122-140kg, softened to $375-$425 A combined supplementary weaner fair was held at WELLSFORD last Wednesday. Weaners were generally lighter than 2019 counterparts, with corresponding results also softer. Ten Angus steers, 212kg, held at $690, while Hereford, 179kg, were discounted to $585. Hereford-dairy, 168-219kg, managed $505-$535, though 165-167kg could only muster $290. Angus heifers, 131-187kg, eased to $370-$465. A small consignment of Speckle Park-cross heifers, 152-188kg, were discounted to $365-$430, as were Hereford-Friesian, 225-235kg, $525-$570. Six Hereford-Friesian bulls, 354kg, reached $770, though Friesian, 222-232kg, eased to $500$560, and 155-199kg, $400-$495. Wellsford store cattle sale • R2 Angus steers, 415kg, lifted to $2.28/kg • R2 Hereford-Friesian steers, 399-468kg, held at $2.28-$2.38/kg • R2 Angus-Friesian steers, 393-471kg, were steady to firm at $2.23-$2.32/kg • Weaner Angus steers, 231kg, managed $640, $2.77/kg • Weaner Hereford-Friesian heifers softened with 247kg back to $500, and 146-154kg, $330-$400 Throughput swelled to just over 830 head at WELLSFORD last Monday. R2 Hereford-dairy steers, 448kg, eased to $2.15/kg, with 289-326kg at $1.92-$1.96/kg. Top Murray Grey-Friesian, 381-421kg, traded at $2.10-$2.16/kg, while second cuts, 343-367kg, were $2.04-$2.07/kg. R2 Hereford heifers, 294kg, eased to $1.84/kg, while Hereford-beef and Hereford-Friesian, 348-367kg, held at $2.10-$2.14/kg. Most weaners traded at softer levels but there were still highlights as Hereford-Friesian steers, 207235kg, improved to $550-$615, though the balance, 161192kg, eased to $405-$545. Beef-dairy, 121-165kg, softened to $300-$335. Kaikohe sale • R2 beef-cross steers, 360-400kg, were firm at $2.42/kg to $2.54/kg • R1 beef bulls were hard work and sold for $2.00-$2.20/kg • Good weaner beef-bred steers, 180-290kg, sold well at $2.65$2.75/kg • Weaner beef-cross and dairy-beef heifers varied at $2.10/kg to $2.40/kg There was a big line up of around 900 cattle at KAIKOHE last Wednesday. Recent rain meant some buyers could re-enter the market which lifted competition, though they remained cautious and prices held. R2 beef-cross heifers were good buying at $2.00/kg to $2.20/kg. Annual draft capital stock Shorthorn cows fetched $1000-$1100, $1.78$1.85/kg, and weaner heifers, $2.86/kg.

AUCKLAND Pukekohe cattle • R1 heifers earned $2.39-$2.41/kg • Weaner steers traded at $635-$678 • Medium weaner heifers made $450-$500 Demand was strong for a good quality line up of cattle at PUKEKOHE, for the first sale post lockdown. The top prime steers fetched $2.56-$2.60/kg, with the next cut at $2.48-$2.53/kg. Better prime heifers earned $2.49-$2.56/kg. Boner cows varied, to sell over a range of $1.04 /kg to $1.40/kg.

COUNTIES Tuakau sales • Good Hereford-Friesian steers, 242kg, made $3.06/kg. • Friesian and beef bulls eased to $1.70/kg to $2.00/kg • Prime Charolais heifers, 620kg, fetched $2.65/kg • Top prime ewes sold to $165 Around 600 store cattle were yarded at TUAKAU last Thursday, PGG Wrightson agent Chris Elliott reported. The market was tough, and prices eased on the previous week and most steers, 400-560kg, sold at $2.30/kg to $2.53/ kg, and 300-400kg, $2.20/kg to $2.55/kg. Good HerefordFriesian, 242-253kg, made $740-$752, and 155kg HerefordFriesian, $570. Heifers, 350kg-plus, returned $2.20/kg to $2.48/kg, with weaners at $345-$650. In contrast Wednesday’s prime market was firm. Steer prices lifted 6-8c/kg, and 620-750kg traded at $2.57-$2.68/kg. Heavy beef heifers returned $2.60-$2.69/kg and light-medium, $2.40/kg to $2.55/kg. Good dairy heifers sold up to $2.58/kg, and heavy beef cows $1.70/kg to $1.95/kg. Heavy prime lambs returned $130-$165 on Monday, and mediums $115-$135. Good stores fetched $90-$115, while lighter sold down to $60.

BAY OF PLENTY Rangiuru cattle and sheep sale • R3 dairy-beef cattle, 485-488kg, made $2.47-$2.48/kg • R2 Murray Grey-cross steers, 440kg, traded at $2.67/kg • R2 Charolais-cross steers, 434kg, earned $2.53/kg • Weaner Friesian bulls, 232kg, returned $555 It was a buyers’ market in the store cattle section at RANGIURU last Tuesday as vendors destocked for winter. Plenty of R2 Hereford-Friesian steers were entered and while one well-marked pen, 334kg, achieved $2.59/kg, $2.24-$2.35/kg was typical of 360-486kg pens. HerefordFriesian heifers were selectively bought from $1.03/kg to $2.38/kg. Increasing schedules impacted the prime pens with Angus steers, 582-778kg, firmer at $2.61-2.67/kg and Hereford-Friesian, 565kg, $2.55/kg. A last gasp of Friesian cows was entered prior to moving day and the majority, 412-542kg, traded from $1.42/kg up to $1.70/kg. Prime lambs made $82-$149 and ewes varied from $55 to $137.

POVERTY BAY Matawhero sheep • Prime lambs fetched $150-$160 • Romney store ewe lambs made $141 Store lamb numbers dropped back down to just over 2000 head at MATAWHERO last Friday and overall the market lifted. Male lambs typically sold at $110-$123, with the next cut at $90.50-$100, while ram lambs typically earned up to $126. Matawhero cattle fair • Traditional R2 steers, 385kg plus, were mainly $2.50-$2.55/kg • Almost all 185-250kg traditional weaner steers made $555-$625 • Weaner beef heifers, 185-295kg, were consistently $2.10-$2.25/kg The 2200 cattle at MATAWHERO was too much for the mainly local contingent of buyers, and prices eased as a result. A few in-calf cows began proceedings at $1.70$1.75/kg. R2 steers went well if weights were at least near 400kg, but the lighter cattle only made $2.25-$2.35/kg. Low weights held back the R2 heifers were a lot of 280-370kg lines largely made $2.00-$2.15/kg. Weaner steers were mainly bought on per head budgets, eventually averaging $2.65/kg at 215kg through the traditional breeds. Weaner heifers followed similar suit, averaging $2.12/kg through both traditional and exotic lines. A mixed bag of bull calves

sold according, small lines were around $2/kg, but the larger and better-quality types were more like $2.40-$2.60/ kg.

WAIKATO Frankton cattle sales 26.05 • R2 Charolais-Friesian steers, 451kg, lifted to $2.42/kg • R2 Hereford heifers, 393-416kg, returned $2.47-$2.49/kg • Weaner Angus-Friesian steers, 158-186kg, improved to $445-$490 • Weaner Hereford-Friesian steers, 147-152kg, strengthened to $560-$590 PGG Wrightson penned 624 head at FRANKTON last Tuesday. R2 Hereford-Friesian heifers, 378-381kg, firmed to $2.20-$2.28/kg, and 440kg, $2.44/kg. All bulls sold in two main bands and 451-483kg earned $2.29-$2.39/kg with 353363kg, $2.18-$2.20/kg. Weaner heifers, 187-220kg, returned $525-$580, and 151-178kg $405-$450. Prime HerefordFriesian steers, 546-593kg, strengthened to $2.45-$2.55/kg, with heifers of the same, 456kg, steady at $2.40/kg. Boner Friesian cows, 396-518kg, held at $1.40-$1.49/kg, and 745855kg, $1.49-$1.58/kg. Frankton cattle sales 27.05 • R2 Angus steers, 370-400kg, strengthened to $2.41-$2.45/kg • Most R2 Hereford-Friesian steers, 303-417kg, firmed at $2.51/kg to $2.64/kg • Weaner Angus steers, 220-243kg, realised $630-$665 Throughput lifted to 661 for New Zealand Farmers Livestock last Wednesday. Better R2 Angus-cross steers, 324kg, managed $2.47/kg, while 300-323kg eased to $2.20$2.23/kg. Charolais-cross, 415kg, reached $2.70/kg, and 326-382kg, $2.54-$2.61/kg. Hereford-dairy, 307-310kg, held at $2.26-$2.31/kg, whilst Hereford-Friesian heifers, 394405kg, lifted to $2.49-$2.58/kg. Weaner Angus-cross heifers, 159-163kg, held at $400$495, and Hereford-Friesian, 123-124kg, $375. Friesian bulls, 188-205kg, managed $400-$460. Prime HerefordFriesian heifers, 420-440kg, improved to $2.47-$2.50/kg, and Hereford-dairy, 433-503kg, fetched $2.46-$2.53/kg, with 395-402kg up to $2.41/kg.

HAWKE’S BAY Stortford Lodge store cattle and sheep sale • Weaner Angus steers, 190-245kg, made $560-$635 • Weaner Angus and Angus-Hereford heifers, 175-200kg, reached $430-$505 • Top male lambs lifted to $120-$135.50, with a premium for cryptorchid • Top ewe lambs also lifted to $118-$134 • Medium to good ewe lambs lifted to $90-$115 Lamb volume exploded at STORTFORD LODGE last Wednesday, as vendors chased the strong prices. Prices lifted for the second week running, across all classes. Light ewe lambs achieved $70-$96 and similar cryptorchid $90-$108. Breeding ewes also appeared, and a heavy line of run-with-ram Romney reached $158, and a capital stock 5-year Romney, scanned-in-lamb 155%, made $144. Weaner cattle featured in a small mixed-quality sale. Older Hereford-Friesian steers achieved $2.35-$2.37/kg, though light Angus, 337-386kg, only reached $2.20-$2.27/kg. Most R2 heifers sold below $2.00/kg. Weaners made up the bulk of the sale and one line of Angus heifers, 218kg, made $570, while Hereford-Friesian, 247-254kg, returned $465-$495. Stortford Lodge prime cattle and sheep • Five Hereford-Friesian steers, 671kg, topped their section at $2.62/kg • Top cryptorchid and male lambs returned $170.50-$176 • Heavy ewes improved to $124-$126.50 • Medium-good to good ewes eased to $81-$89 A slight lift in cattle numbers was met by a solid bench of buyers at STORTFORD LODGE last Monday. The main feature was two lines of Angus heifers, 437kg and 486kg, which were consistent at $2.58-$2.59/kg. Out in the sheep pens both lamb and ewe throughput lifted. Top end mixedsex lambs strengthened for most, up to $124-$170.50. Increased ewe numbers did not impinge the market for better quality types, though mid-range to lighter ewes softened. Top ewes strengthened to $141, with the balance of very-heavy types steady at $129.50-$131, and very-good $108-$111. Light-medium ewes eased to $58.

TARANAKI Taranaki cattle sale • Good-quality R2 Hereford-Friesian steers, 420-470kg, strengthened to $2.46-$2.56/kg • R2 Hereford-dairy heifers, 448kg, were able to achieve $2.41/kg • Weaner Santa Gertrudis heifers, 242kg, made $480 • Weaner Hereford bulls, 215kg, fetched $740 • Prime steers, 643-731kg, strengthened to $2.64-$2.66/kg There was a mixed offering of cattle at TARANAKI last Wednesday, and buyers were selective when it came to

SALE YARD WRAP

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – June 1, 2020

Prime lambs strengthened and all traded above $100, with most returning $120-$159, and the top end at $182. Male store lambs traded at $99-$114, with ewes at $97, with much of the balance, $80-$114. Canterbury Park prime cattle and all sheep • R2 Angus and Angus-Hereford steers, 356-481kg, sold well at $2.24-$2.33/kg • R2 Hereford-Friesian, 431kg and 445kg, were the best of the heifers at $2.02/kg • Small pens of weaner Simmental steers, 312kg, earned $870 and 286kg heifers, $810 • Prime Angus steers and traditional bulls, 625-700kg, made $2.31$2.40/kg Demand for prime lambs grew at CANTERBURY PARK last Tuesday and prices improved $5-$10, with a third making $137-$173 and the balance mostly $110-$136. Ewe prices improved $4-$6 with very heavy to heavy priced at $159-$227. A good spread of store lambs met keen interest with the heaviest rising to $115-$124. R2 steers mostly sold in two evenly sized cuts, with 80 each in the $1.94-$2.05/kg and $1.72/kg to $1.87/kg ranges. Prime steers, 500-600kg, typically made $2.10/kg to $2.26/kg.

BIG YARD: Some of the 2200 cattle offered at Matawhero last week.

quality. The majority of R3 steers sold in a range of $2.40$2.48/kg, though Simmental-Friesian, 435kg, pushed to $2.52/kg, and same aged heifers fetched $2.34-$2.44/kg. Overall, the market improved for weaner steers where quality Hereford-Friesian and Hereford steers, 250-307kg, were sought after at $655-$760. Heavier Boner cows lifted to $1.55/kg.

MANAWATU Rongotea Cattle • R3 South Devon-cross and White Galloway-cross steers, 444455kg, made $2.25/kg. • R3 Hereford bulls, 540kg, earned $2.46/kg, and Jersey bulls, 540kg, were $2.35/kg • Friesian boner cows, 501kg, sold at $1.40/kg • Yearling Friesian bulls, 134-230kg, earned $1.74/kg to $2.62/kg • Yearling Speckle Park-cross steers, 287kg, fetched $2.47/kg Cattle pens brimmed at RONGOTEA last Wednesday with buyers looking to offload before winter sets in, NZ Farmers Livestock agent Darryl Harwood reported. R3 HerefordFriesian steers up to 677kg varied at $2.07/kg to $2.51/kg, while Angus-cross steers, 431kg, softened to $1.98/kg. R3 Hereford-Friesian heifers, 317-595kg, traded at $1.92/kg to $2.33/kg. In the yearling pens, Hereford-Friesian steers, 136-177kg, sold for $2.28/kg to $3.01/kg, and same breed heifers, 136-295kg, $2.14/kg to $2.90/kg. Sue Bros weaner fair • Traditional weaner steers, 182-239kg, fetched $3.02-$3.07/kg. • Traditional weaner heifers, 263-315kg, made $2.30/kg to $2.45/kg The annual Sue Bros weaner fair again delivered the quality and high standards that has come to be expected from these vendors, with the offering was in top condition. Calves sold well, albeit at slightly softer levels given the current market conditions. The average steer was 255kg and made $2.95/kg, and it was pleasing to see half of the yarding able to reach $3.00/kg and above. Calves either side of this weight range weren’t far off, with the lion’s share selling in a range of $2.81/kg to $2.97/kg. The average heifer was just 5kg lighter than their brothers at 250kg, and at the top end most at 187-244kg traded at $2.51-$2.59/kg. Feilding weaner fair • Traditional steer calves, 250-290kg, were $2.90-$3.05/kg • Traditional steer calves, 170-195kg, were $3.10-$3.30/kg • Traditional heifer calves, 210-280kg, were $2.40-$2.60/kg Around 1800 weaner beef calves met good interest at FEILDING. On average both steers and heifers were 10c/kg stronger than last week, though quality was better too, with more late-born traditional types on offer. Mid-range steer calves were particularly strong, with some lines getting up to $3.35/kg, but the overall average for this section was $3.05/kg at 215kg. Exotic steers almost matched the others, with some 295-300kg Charolais-cross the strongest selling at $905-$910, $3.05/kg. Traditional heifers averaged $2.45/ kg at 220kg, with heavier cuts usually making better per kilo prices. Some 245kg Speckle Park-Charolais heifers did quite well at $645 or $2.65/kg. Some 230-270kg Hereford bulls were the better selling of this section at $3.20-$3.25/kg.

Feilding prime cattle and sheep • In-calf and empty Friesian cows, 490-625kg, averaged $1.42/kg • Friesian cows, 425-465kg, earned $1.23/kg to $1.36/kg • Ewes sold on a steady market as most traded at $70-$146 Prime lamb numbers tripled to 3300 at FEILDING last Monday after the cobwebs were shaken out the previous week. Very heavy lambs made $164-$175 with 1000 heavy types $145-$159. In the cattle rostrum a small crowd turned out for a predominantly boner cattle offering, with the main highlight outside the dairy pens 20 Angus cows, 484kg, that made $1.40/kg. There were only two pens of steers with Angus, 560kg, the best at $2.51/kg, while Hereford and beef-cross heifers, 530-610kg, all sold in the range of $2.40-$2.49/kg. Feilding store sale • Top line of 510kg traditional VIC R3 heifers made $1310 • Forward beef steers, 580-655kg, were $2.70-$2.80/kg • Two big lines of 325-355kg R2 Angus heifers were $2.60-$2.65/kg • Male lamb average eased to $111 • Ewe lamb average eased to $102 Half the yarding of almost 850 store cattle at FEILDING was straight-beef R2 and R3 steers, often in forward condition, and per kilo rates on these fell as weights lowered. Cuts around 600kg were almost $2.80/kg, whereas 425-515kg were $2.45-$2.60/kg and 390-420kg mostly $2.30-$2.50/kg. R2 bulls firmed with some 435-475kg lines at $2.35-$2.40/kg. R2 heifers were mixed. One specially advertised consignment noted above was stronger than the rest, but otherwise standard 335-415kg traditional types were $2.30-$2.40/kg, while anything else was around $2/ kg. Around 22,000 lambs was a little to much to sustain the levels set last week, but the market was still solid all things considered. A few forward male lambs were $135$138, but the bulk of the other good types were more like $115-$125, mediums $105-$115, and the remainder largely $90-$100. Ewe lambs peaked at $119-$130, but again $104$113 covered standard good lines, mediums were around $95-$103 and the rest were usually $80-$90. Almost 2000 in-lamb ewes had varied success, with the top mixed-age line, SIL 163%, making $172, but other decent SIL and RWR lines were mostly $118-$140.

CANTERBURY Coalgate cattle and sheep • Weaner traditional steers made $2.31-$2.41/kg • Prime traditional and Charolais steers mostly fetched $2.16$2.24/kg • Mixed age prime ewes strengthened, with the top end at $216$244 • Two-tooth scanned-in-lamb ewes fetched $134, while mixed age pushed to $170. Store cattle tallies lifted to 360 head at COALGATE last Thursday, as vendors look to shift cattle before winter hits. R2 Hereford-Friesian heifers, 358-436kg, were mostly $1.81$1.88/kg. Good quality weaner heifers realised $500-$640. Prime heifers firmed, helped by heavier weights of up to 650kg with most achieving $2.10-$2.20/kg. Boner cows mostly returned $1.16-$1.20/kg.

Coalgate cattle and sheep sale • Weaner traditional steers made $2.31-$2.41/kg • Prime traditional and Charolais steers mostly fetched $2.16$2.24/kg • Mixed age prime ewes strengthened, with the top end at $216$244 • Two-tooth scanned-in-lamb ewes fetched $134, while mixed age pushed to $170. Store cattle tallies lifted to 360 head at COALGATE last Thursday, as vendors look to shift cattle before winter hits. R2 Hereford-Friesian heifers, 358-436kg, were mostly $1.81$1.88/kg. Good quality weaner heifers realised $500-$640. Prime heifers firmed, helped by heavier weights of up to 650kg with most achieving $2.10-$2.20/kg. Boner cows mostly returned $1.16-$1.20/kg. Prime lambs strengthened and all traded above $100, with most returning $120-$159, and the top end at $182. Male store lambs traded at $99-$114, with ewes at $97, with much of the balance, $80-$114. For full coverage of this sale subscribe to AgriHQ LivestockEye reports at agrihq.co.nz.

SOUTH-CANTERBURY Temuka prime and boner cattle; all sheep • Beef and beef-cross steers over 500kg earned $2.20-$2.30/kg • Friesian cows, 530-640kg, improved 7c/kg to $1.23/kg • Friesian cows, 410-490kg, increased 13c/kg to also sell at $1.23/kg • Prime lambs rose $5-$10 with $120-$163 paid for most • Prime ewes sold up to $209, with half the yarding $120-$199 With the post-lockdown ice broken at the previous sale, 12500 sheep flowed into the pens at TEMUKA last Monday. Prices improved in all sections, with store lambs sold in pens of 100 or more and firmer at $106-$138. Light lines sold particularly well. The last chance to sell dairy cattle at auction before moving day saw over 500 available. In the beef cows, Hereford, 481-509kg, made $1.42-$1.50/kg while quality traditional heifers, 510-635kg, sold well at $2.11/kg to $2.26/kg.

SOUTHLAND Charlton sheep • Heavy prime ewes made $150-$170, medium $120, and light $70-$110 • Top store lambs earned $105-$115 Demand was strong at CHARLTON last Thursday, with heavy prime lambs returning $140-$151, and light to medium types at $110-$135. Local trade rams earned $50-$70. Store lambs also had good interest and mediums fetched $90-$100 with light at $70-$80. Lorneville cattle and sheep sale • Top end boner cows made $1.00-$1.10/kg • R2 Hereford-cross heifers, 340-370kg, traded at $1.81-$1.89/kg • Heavy prime ewes lifted to $130-$171, medium, $120-$126, and light, $60-$90 There was a medium yarding of prime cattle at LORNEVILLE last Tuesday. Prime steers, 500kg, traded at $2.10/kg, with better heifers at $2.00-$2.05/kg. Beef-cross bulls, 500kg, earned $2.00/kg to $2.20/kg. In the store pens, R2 Hereford-cross steers, 383-506kg, fetched $2.04-$2.08/ kg, with Friesian, 401kg, at $1.67/kg. R2 Hereford-cross bulls, 336kg, returned $1.58/kg. The prime lamb market strengthened, with heavy lambs at $130-$141, medium, $115-$125, and light, $100-$114. A moderate store lamb yarding saw good quality types well sought with the top end at $100-$105, mediums, $85-$95, and light, $70-$80.

Markets

48 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – June 1, 2020 NI SLAUGHTER BULL

NI SLAUGHTER MUTTON

SI SLAUGHTER LAMB

($/KG)

GOOD EWE LAMBS AT STORTFORD LODGE

($/KG)

($/HD)

4.60

5.15

6.55

$560-$790/hd high $110-$124/hd traditional steers, lights Good mixed-sex lambs at Weaner 200-295kg, at Matawhero

110

Temuka

Bull beef not yielding North Island bull procurement North Island bull procurement indicator indicator Hugh Stringleman

90%

EAT companies are passing through to beef producers a record low 55% of the United States 95CL spot

market price. The procurement indicator, which is the M2 bull schedule price over the in-market price expressed in New Zealand dollar terms, has never been this low, AgriHQ senior analyst Mel Croad said. Last week the US imported 95CL manufacturing beef market price was US$2.66/lb, having risen rapidly by 49c since the end of April because of a slowdown in beef processing capacity in the US amid strong demand. Converted into NZD that in-market price is $9.44/kg, about 28% higher than in May last year. Meat companies are paying an average of $5.15/kg in their procurement schedules for M2 bulls in the North Island, hence the 55% procurement ratio. Widespread disruption to US meat packing caused by high rates of covid-19 infection in staff and the peak demand for beef consumption around Memorial Day and the easing of lockdown restrictions has driven the higher prices for imported beef, Croad said. “The slowdown in processing capacity caught everyone by surprise and US weekly kill numbers fell considerably. “But there isn’t a shortage of cattle – they are still on farms and feedlots waiting to be killed.” US processors are now recovering their capabilities and slaughter tallies are increasing. Though the bull schedule has lifted across NZ during the past month the increases do not reflect the $1.50/kg jump in the US market for imported beef.

% of slaughter price

hugh.stringleman@globalhq.co.nz

80%

70%

60%

50%

Oct

Dec 5-yr ave

Feb

Apr

2018-19

Our farmers are steadily going backwards at a time when they can least afford it, because of drought. Geff Cookson Northland farmer

NZ companies were cautious and delayed their schedule responses and no-one in the meat industry, including farmers, wants schedule prices to fluctuate widely, she said. It is nearing the end of the bull slaughter season and exporters are less likely to take forward-market positions if they are not confident of adequate supply. There is also concern the spike in US import prices might not be sustainable and could ease just as quickly if US processors make further gains in cattle throughput. However, Croad believes there is room for companies to increase their

Jun

Au g

Oct

2019-20 schedule prices for manufacturing beef given the procurement ratios. The NZ dollar against the US dollar is moving around but is generally lower by 7-8c compared with last November when import prices reached historical highs. The lower exchange rate effectively pushed down the procurement ratio. Northland bull beef farmer Geff Cookson said the record low procurement ratio is a disgrace and the comparable Australian farmgate cattle prices prove his point. Australian meat companies are paying $7.70/kg carcaseweight, which converts to NZ$8.30. “Our farmers are steadily going backwards at a time when they can least afford it, because of drought. “You ask why our meat companies pass on only 50% and all I say is because they can. “It is certainly hard to get any facts out of the companies.” Cookson, from Kawakawa, finishes more than 500 bulls a year and is restocking with autumn-born weaners. He targets an average 275kg CW but the latest consignments have been closer to 245kg because of the dry summer.

Cattle Fair

ACROSS THE RAILS SUZ BREMNER

In tough times farmers look for tough cattle SOMETHING was bound to give the markets a shake-up as we’ve had a good run over the last few years but who would have picked it to be combination of a pandemic and drought ... not me. Not surprisingly, this year’s post-lockdown prices have been dramatically affected and while last year’s prices were regularly flying well above $3/kg it would be unfair to make comparisons with those results given there are unusual influences that have affected this year’s market. So, it is best to look at what is laid out in front of us as a stand-alone and there are a few points that have clearly stood out – calf weights are down because of feed struggles essentially since birth and while demand for traditional and exotic weaner cattle has been better than expected the dairy-beef market has not enjoyed the same attraction. Compared to typical averages at the sale yards, weights across most classes of calves have been down by 20-40kg though we need to remember some of the better annual draft lines have been sold in the paddock. In tough times buyers will look for the tough cattle to carry through winter and there has been a clear preference for traditional and exotic cattle over dairy-beef. The former have exceeded expectations, which, to be fair, were not overly high given the uncertainty in the market whereas vendors of Friesian bulls and dairy-beef heifers are having to meet the market. As an example, a common weight range for weaners this year has been 180-200kg and in that range traditional steers have traded at $550-$650 and heifers $420-$520 while Friesian bulls have made $400-$475. Dairybeef heifers tend to be lighter and 150-170kg have mostly traded at $345-$380 with some exceptions to the rule. Within breeds the focus is on the top-end lines with small calves selling to limited interest. Prices $3/kg and slightly higher are limited to just the very best in the traditional and exotic pens where, typically, lighter end calves tend to sell for higher prices given that per-head budgets are more of a focus. But this year those lighter calves are too longterm for many to consider so their prices are lower. suz.bremner@globalhq.co.nz

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NZâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S #1 RURAL REAL ESTATE BRAND ISSUE 1 - 2020

YOUR GO -TO GUIDE FOR REGULAR, INFORMATIVE COMMENTARY ON KEY MATTERS AFFECTING THOSE LIVING AND WORKING IN RURAL NEW ZEALAND. 1

Rural Insight

A HARD ROW TO HOE… Properties have settled, virtual tours have been conducted, video conferencing has brought professionals into the frame despite physical distancing and now that we can physically get people into and across rural property again, we expect enquiry and activity to surge.

Welcome to Bayleys’ Rural Insight – in what are unprecedented and somewhat uncertain times. The Covid-19 pandemic has challenged all of us in some way and forced widespread change upon every sector of the community.

With commercial, retail and residential investment yields being compressed, we could expect more appetite for investment into the rural sector and as ex-pats return – or seek to return – to New Zealand seeking a safe refuge, lifestyle property will be a very appealing option for these homesick Kiwis.

What started out as a health issue has become an economic crisis and it is likely that we will be “paying” for this for many years to come. The agricultural sector has, in some measure, been insulated from the worst of the pandemic fallout given that it was deemed an essential service throughout the lockdown phases. Domestic food supply chains remained largely operational and farm and horticultural work proceeded – albeit with strict safety protocols in place. Flour even took on new status as home baking flourished under lockdown conditions! However, layered on top of tiresome drought conditions, the Covid-19 situation also meant there were production constraints, farmers have been left carrying more stock than usual and there were conundrums around export capacity and the shutdown of international markets. The last couple of months have shown that the wider agri-sector is resilient, stoic and vital to the country’s economy – even more so now that our top export earner – tourism – has been decimated for the time being. I believe there is now a new-found respect for the rural sector and its contribution to the country’s economic well-being – we really are all in this together. Urban-based workers marginalised by workforce restructuring, are now looking at farm and horticultural-related work through new eyes and there’s a huge opportunity for the agri-sector to recruit and redeploy labour from an expanded domestic pool.

Editorially in this Rural Insight brochure, we look deeper at the primary sector’s Covid-19 response and recovery, explore how the Ballance Farm Environment Awards – which Bayleys is a sponsor of – has changed up its regional award ceremonies in response to pandemic-induced limitations, and delve into New Zealand’s “paddock to plate” story as we look for sustainability in supply chains and markets. And, with our recreational freedom returning, we celebrate a surfing initiative that sees farmers “hanging 10” to relieve farm stress and take back some of their leisure time. We also feature more than 40 farm and rural properties for sale so you can see the opportunities that exist in the sector today. As we move into the next phase, know that the Bayleys country team are ready whenever you need us.

Cheers, Duncan Ross Bayleys National Director Rural

From a property perspective, it has been business as UNusual. Bayleys’ country team has been pivoting the way we promote properties and support our clients throughout lockdown and the subsequent move down the alert levels.

TO STAY UP TO DATE AND IN-THE-KNOW, REGISTER AT BAYLEYS.CO.NZ/RURAL-INSIGHT TO RECEIVE BAYLEYS RURAL INSIGHT DIRECT TO YOUR INBOX.

115

1,357

$1,558,247,242 *For the period 1st April 2019 - 31st March 2020

Rural Insight

SOLD

610 Te Kowhai Road, Ruawai, Kaipara District

SOLD

Boundary lines are indicative only

393 Papakura Clevedon Road, Clevedon, Auckland

733 Kopuku Road, kopuku, Waikato

SOLD

Boundary lines are indicative only

349 Mystery Creek Road, Ohaupo, Waikato

686 Quine Road, Morrinsville, Waikato

445B Manoeka Road, Te Puke, Bay of Plenty

SOLD

117 Armstrong Road, Te Puna, Bay of Plenty

SOLD

1271 Rakauroa Road, Matawai, Gisborne

SOLD

Cedar Drive & Camellia Avenue, Aramoho, Whanganui

SOLD

441 Blythes Road, North Canterbury

SOLD

145 Nichsolson Road. Ngakuru, Bay of Plenty

SOLD

748 Heays Access, Tutira, Hastings,Hawkes Bay

SOLD

534 Winters Road, Ashburton

752 Ponatahi Road, Martinborough, Wairarapa

SOLD

58 Greenacres Road, Redwood Valley, Nelson

SOLD

Corbett Road, New Plymouth, Taranaki

5761 State Highway 63, Wairau Valley, Marlborough

SOLD

932 Otara Haldane Road, Tokanui, Southland

CONTENTS Primary sector a Covid-19 star in the economy.....................................4,5

Big effort to deliver sustainable premium for NZ food............. 10,11

Farm Environment awards recognise value of NZ farmers .......6,7

Properties for sale ........................................................................................................ 13,23

Surfing for Farmers ...........................................................................................................8,9 Rural Insight

PRIMARY SECTOR

COVID-19

A STAR IN THE ECONOMY.

The primary sector’s response to the Covid-19 crisis over the past weeks has set it up well for the uncertain future ahead and offers some opportunities that will be welcome by many in those sectors that have been hit hard by the global pandemic.

hen New Zealand went into lockdown on March 25 the government’s practical acknowledgement of the need for the farming sector to continue operating as normal as possible was welcome. Now, as the country hopes to emerge to something closer to ‘normal’ the sector can quietly celebrate some wins over a particularly trying time. Latest export figures covering part of the lockdown period from February 1 to late April highlight that primary exports pulled in nearly $8.2 billion over that time, a whopping $800 million more than the same period two years ago. That figure included a healthy $6.2 billion of dairy exports and $890 million in fruit.

recovery. While always regarded as a key plank in New Zealand’s export earnings, this has been accentuated with the loss of tourism, a sector earning about $12 billion a year.

Investor attention is turning to the primary sector and the starring role it is likely to play in the coming months and years in the recovery.

The figures had agriculture minister Damien O’Connor supporting the sector’s potential for pulling the economy out of a dire position. “The latest provisional trade statistics show our apples and kiwifruit continue to be star performers, with $890 million of fruit exported between February 1 and April 22,” he said. Investor attention is turning to the primary sector and the starring role it is likely to play in the coming months and years in the

Rural Insight

Bayleys Bay of Plenty lifestyle and country sales manager Matt Clutterbuck says he is getting strong enquiry from investors and orchard operators wanting to expand their kiwifruit holdings. This season’s performance has the sector viewed as wellpositioned with a strong brand, good marketing, distribution and appealing returns.

recovery as those restrictions ease, with Fonterra anticipating sales tonnages will return close to normal over May and June. Underscoring the positive prospects is the need to get more people engaged in the primary sector. Dairy, horticulture and forestry are all seeking more workers for seasonal and longerterm jobs in the sector. Covid-19 has further sharpened that need, with many migrant workers unable to make it to New Zealand for their seasonal jobs like pruning and harvesting. Damien O’Connor said there was no shortage of demand over the coming year for more workers and that New Zealand needed a skilled workforce to help the country seize the opportunities before it. Estimates were that the primary sector needed about 50,000 more people in a post-Covid-19 world. Bayleys national director rural Duncan Ross says the enduring value of primary sector investment is more appealing than ever in a global environment where interest rates are historically low, and stock markets are wrecked with volatility and uncertainty.

The sector recovered well from Psa and has responded well to the Covid-19 crisis, continuing to process fruit and ship to market. “People are seeing this performance and we are getting more enquiry than ever for quality orchards throughout the region,” he says. Zespri’s latest update on the sector is looking positive after nervousness early in the lockdown about how it would be able to harvest a bumper crop with the social distancing constraints laid down.

Bayleys national director rural Duncan Ross says the enduring value of primary sector investment is more appealing than ever in a global environment where interest rates are historically low, and stock markets are wracked with volatility and uncertainty.

“There is a recognition there that investment in solid primary sector assets that generate definitive yearly returns are a good place to be, and New Zealand with its high standards of production and biosecurity has suddenly become an even more appealing place to be invested in and working within.”

However, by early May packhouse processing was running well ahead of previous years. Zespri reported it had shipped 32 million trays by the end of April, up more than 4 million trays on last year and almost 12 million trays ahead of 2018. This is coming with a crop that is estimated to be 5 percent ahead of last year’s. Meantime the forestry sector which took an early hit from Covid19’s effect on China has had a healthy recovery as work gets going again under level 3. Wharf space and stockpiles that were constraining shipments to China have been dealt with, ports in New Zealand are into full processing mode and prices are again looking buoyant in the log market. Dairying prospects are also looking healthy heading into the start of a new season. Food service sales were hit hard by the Covid-19 lockdown in China’s big cities, but provinces are on the road to Rural Insight

Farm

ENVIRONMENT Awards recognise value of NZ Farmers

The Covid-19 lockdown has prompted organisers of New Zealand’s most prestigious farm awards to take an innovative approach when recognising this year’s top farmers.

he Ballance Farm Environment Award’s ceremony schedule was interrupted by the country going into lockdown on March 23 after the announcement of only two regions’ winners, Canterbury and East Coast. “We were determined to keep up the recognition of our other nine regional winners, even if it meant we had to do away with the ceremony and occasion that accompanies it. So we kicked off on April 22 with our first online ceremony, for the Horizons region,” says James Ryan, general manager for award backers the New Zealand Farm Environment Trust. The occasions are marked every Wednesday at 7.30 pm with

Rural Insight

regional award announcements on YouTube running for about 40 minutes. Anyone interested simply attends the virtual event by joining via the award’s Facebook page. The final award announcement is for Greater Wellington on June 10. “Of course, we would all have preferred to celebrate these very special events with the usual social occasion. But this was the next best option and we believe it’s really important now more than ever to showcase our food-producing farmers.” Seven weeks of lockdown highlighted the critical role New Zealand farmers play not only in feeding New Zealand but in generating valuable export income that many countries have lost over the crisis.

The winners announced by mid-May include farmers in Otago, Waikato, Horizons, Canterbury and East Coast.

Seven weeks of lockdown have highlighted the critical role New Zealand farmers play not only in feeding New Zealand but in generating valuable export income that many countries have lost over the crisis.

Evan and Linda Potter, the East Coast regional winners along with Tony Coltman and wife Dana Carver of Canterbury also claimed the “People Award”, sponsored by Bayleys. Bayleys national director rural, Duncan Ross says it is a privilege to be able to contribute to the awards and to recognise the invaluable role farm staff play in award winners’ success. “Many farmers have been working hard, keeping their heads down and dealing with the raft of regulations coming their way," “With Covid-19 they have good reason to hold their heads high knowing they and their staff will be contributing hugely to New Zealand’s recovery, now and for many years to come,” says Duncan.

“This income is going to be even more critical than ever and there is a real appreciation there among New Zealanders about farmers’ value. We believe for this reason we may find there is even greater interest in the awards this year, from a wider urban audience,” says James. Once again, the awards have been characterised by a high calibre of entrants who have committed their farm businesses to set new standards proving exceptional environmental management can be compatible with commercial success.

With Covid-19 they have good reason to hold their heads high knowing they and their staff will be contributing hugely to New Zealand’s recovery, now and for many years to come,” says Duncan Ross, Bayleys national director rural. As many New Zealanders face uncertain employment prospects, the opportunity to reward those award entrants who have displayed excellence in staff management will do much to draw new people to the sector. “These winners highlight the real benefits and rewards that go with being part of a team motivated by operators who are passionate about looking after the land, and having a great farm business,” he says. Each of this year’s regional supreme winners from the 11 regions will also be in the running for the ultimate awards trophy, the Gordon Stephenson Trophy. James says this year’s supreme award will still be announced, but the exact date has yet to be determined. “Because it is a very prestigious event, we do still want to hold it at a venue, but at this point in time, a date has still to be set. Nevertheless, we know there will be an intense level of interest in what is a highly coveted award within the New Zealand farming scene.” The award organisers are also hoping to be able to catch up with past award winners, to see how they have progressed on their sustainability journey over the years, and how they have coped during the Covid-19 crisis.

Linda and Evan Potter, BFEA East Coast regional and Bayleys’ East Coast People Award winners.

“For the first time in a very long time food security has become a big issue, and these awards help highlight how important our farmers are, and how much they care about the land they rely upon,” says James. Rural Insight

Surfing for farmers

The opportunity to get off the farm, learn to surf and have some fun has proven to be a simple but successful formula to relieve stress for a growing number of farmers around New Zealand.

Rural Insight

he opportunity to get off the farm, learn to surf and have some fun has proven to be a simple but successful formula to relieve stress for a growing number of farmers around New Zealand. Thanks to Bayleys Gisborne country salesperson Stephen Thomson, a longtime surfer who puts himself more in the “average” than “brilliant” category of surfing ability, more farmers around New Zealand have been introduced to the joy of the sport. Stephen felt compelled to introduce farmers to surfing after much time spent as a farm consultant in the Gisborne region. “I was very much dealing day to day with farmers who were experiencing the stress and demands that their business brings. Seeing the statistics about farmers’ mental health which are not good - it got me fired up to think there must be something I could do about it.”

Seeing the statistics about farmers’ mental health which are not good - it got me fired up to think there must be something I could do about it. He was also inspired by a Netflix documentary he watched called “Resurface”. It is the story of a Marine veteran who had come close to taking his own life before he tried surfing, a sport he found some solace in. He came upon it through Operation Surf, a surf therapy group for army veterans. It inspired Stephen to think about how he could apply the same approach to farmers who as a group are socially isolated, under pressure and often lacking a healthy outlet for stress. Working with the Gisborne Boardriders’ Club Stephen managed to line up some keen coaches, boards and wetsuits for the farmers to use, and some sponsorship support from Bayleys and Ballance Agrinutrients. A year on and the initiative has expanded to Mount Maunganui, Gore Bay in North Canterbury and Sumner near Christchurch. “Before I committed to it I put a few feelers out, and knew there were some older farmers out there who had surfed and maybe lost the passion or time for it.” He knew if he got a handful of farmers on the first day just over a year ago, he’d be happy. “Instead I got 25.” Surfing is a fun, refreshing change after a day spent on the farm, but Stephen also knows it offers farmers the opportunity to socialise in a different environment, sharing experiences as a group, learning something new and getting their minds off the usual demands farming brings. “That is even more so over the summer when things have been so dry, and you’ve got that extra level of stress dealing with keeping your animals well-fed.”

He says he’s been impressed with the level of skill the groups have developed. “We have a few white water warriors who are happy just to be that. But we also have some guys who kept up surfing last winter after we finished, and they are getting fussy about their waves now!” Sam Hain farms in the hill country 50km west of Gisborne and for him, every Tuesday evening over summer holds special significance. It’s his chance to head to the coast and get into the water with the Surfing for Farmers group, leaving the heat and stress of the hill country behind for a few hours.

It’s his chance to head to the coast and get into the water with the Surfing for Farmers group, leaving the heat and stress of the hill country behind for a few hours.

“I started just over a year ago when Stephen kicked off with it, my wife thought it would be a good thing for me to do. Often when you live somewhere like this, you don’t always do the things that are on your doorstep.” A year on Sam says he’d never claim to be a competition standard surfer, but his skills have got better thanks in part to having some good instructors. “I absolutely love it, and feel more confident about going out, it’s a great thing to do.” Stephen says usually the group finishes off with a barbeque and a few beers and a catch-up. He says when it has been so dry through much of the North Island, the group is a chance for the younger farmers to talk to a few older ones who have been through it and pick up a few ideas on coping with it. Farming aside, it is the waves that are drawing the farmers back to the coast for some stress therapy and a social catch-up. Stephen has not ruled out some sort of inter-regional farmers’ surf competition as the surf students become more adept. “There has even been talk about a farmers’ surf trip to Bali.” Anyone interested in the group can check it out on the Facebook page – Surfing for Farmers. Rural Insight

BigEffort TO DELIVER SUSTAINABLE PREMIUM FOR NZ FOODS

Much has been made about New Zealand’s status as “100% Pure” and how much, or how little, needs to be done to keep that claim valid.

hile that debate rumbles on, the primary sector has been doing much to deliver on Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern’s promise to the United Nations in September

2019 that New Zealand will be “the most sustainable food producing country in the world.” As overseas consumers have become increasingly sophisticated and demand to know where their food has been sourced from, all parts of the New Zealand primary sector have been working to ensure the “paddock to plate” story is more than just a story. This work ensures our food comes via a validated, traceable, sustainable supply chain, delivering consistently high quality products to meet consumer expectations.

Rural Insight

As overseas consumers have become increasingly sophisticated and demand to know where their food has been sourced from, all parts of the New Zealand primary sector have been working to ensure the “paddock to plate” story is more than just a story.

In the pastoral sector Beef + Lamb New Zealand’s Taste Pure Nature brand launched in March 2019, rolling out in California with a digital media campaign introducing the “conscious foodies” target market to New Zealand beef and lamb’s provenance. California was chosen because it is recognised as the market with the greatest awareness of grass-fed meat’s nutritional value and sustainable production base. The campaign represents a remarkable level of co-operation among the three companies already well invested in the market, including Anzco, Silver Fern Farms and Alliance. In its first few weeks of launch the campaign generated a respectable 160 articles about Taste Pure Nature and 125 million media impressions. Despite it being only in its early stages, the Taste Pure Nature campaign has already been recognised as a market leader, claiming the Primary Industry Team award at last year’s inaugural Primary Industries Awards. In May Beef + Lamb NZ took the campaign to China, focusing on digital on-line sales growth and the shift in consumer purchasing behaviour to buying more meat online during the Covid-19 lockdown. As New Zealand’s primary exporters move to prove their sustainability to demanding markets, emerging blockchain technology is also doing much to help them stand by their claims.

As New Zealand’s primary exporters move to prove their sustainability to demanding markets, emerging blockchain technology is also doing much to help them stand by their claims.

Blockchain acts as a type of digital ledger, recording transactions chronologically in a data “block”, open to selected parties to view as the product moves through the supply chain. Depending on the party in the supply chain, some documents will be visible, some will not if they are commercially sensitive, so a meat importer may be able to look into the blockchain and confirm the quantity and cost of the order they are receiving, but not what other companies are also receiving if in the same shipment. Alex Sims, Auckland University head of commercial law and blockchain expert says two of the country’s largest food producers, Fonterra and Silver Fern Farms are now working with blockchain technology through their joint logistics company Kotahi and shipping giant Maersk Line. She describes New Zealand’s food supply lines as the low-hanging fruit for the technology and the way it can help lower transaction costs for exporters and secure proof of provenance.

The same technology is also being used to prove the provenance of New Zealand manuka honey, a frequently imitated and counterfeited product. It means recipients of manuka honey in China can verify the jars they have were the same ones that departed New Zealand. In kiwifruit packhouses around the country increasingly sophisticated tracking and packing technology means post-harvest operators are now able to determine the fruit’s origin not only down to orchard, but specific blocks within that orchard. Specifics on crop treatments and timing are available for full customer assurance that crops are meeting GLOBAL GAP (Good Agricultural Practices) standards. Like manuka honey, kiwifruit is also vulnerable to counterfeiting, initially by changes in labelling to imitate Zespri branding, but more recently to actual Zespri-owned fruit varieties like SunGold being grown illegally in China. With about 2,000 hectares estimated to be illegally grown, Zespri grower and Alliance manager Dave Courtney said the market is working to develop DNA techniques and tools to identify fruit by type and even region, in order to verify its authenticity. The efforts to ensure New Zealand’s food products are pure, validated and genuine are helping give the farmers and growers who work hard to produce them the peace of mind their marketers can secure top dollar for their efforts. Duncan Ross, Bayleys national director rural said these efforts are a positive aspect of the primary sector that don’t always get the recognition they deserve. “There is an intensive effort around the science and the standards growers and farmers have to meet today that matches New Zealand’s efforts to deliver premium food products to the world’s most discerning consumers.” Rural Insight

ALL ACROSS THE

RURAL REAL ESTATE BRAND

From north to south, Bayleys is New Zealand’s number one in rural real estate. As the largest full-service real estate company in the country, our wide reach and ability to find rural property buyers is second to none. We have passionate salespeople on the ground in every region nationwide. From dairy to horticulture, lifestyle to forestry, they’re experts in their fields. Part of the local community, the Bayleys team is committed to finding the best buyer every time. So whether you’re buying or selling a 500-acre farm or a 5-hectare lifestyle block, you’re in altogether better hands with Bayleys.

Rural Insight

Buck the trend in the Far North Lot 2 Far North Road, Waiharara, Northland

Super-sized scale that will get your investors interested! 95.8ha of sandy soils on flat to easy contour ready to develop into a high performing avocado orchard. Water consents allow for two bores to be put down on the property, allowing a well-planned, staged development to take place. Opportunity for diversification into other crops could help spread the cash flow out as machinery can be operated year round. The temperate climate and sandy soils provide the ideal growing environment for avocados to thrive with early fruit maturity and consistent production year on year. Tender (unless sold prior) Closing 2pm, Thursday 28th May 2020 84 Walton Street, Whangarei, New Zealand Vinni Bhula +64 22 632 0630 vinni.bhula@bayleys.co.nz MACKYS REAL ESTATE LTD, BAYLEYS, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008

Dairy, beef and forestry 2488 Pouto Road, Dargaville, Northland

187 hectare dairy farm offers your farming business versatility â&#x20AC;&#x201C; ideally suited to finishing, calf rearing or milking. The property has quality flats, a warm wintering block and a naturally fertile milking platform. The contour of the land is 70% flat to easy rolling with the remainder a mix of medium hill with steeper faces. Infrastructure on the property includes a 16 ASHB milking shed that is supported by a five-bay calf rearing shed, two hay barns, fertiliser bin, feed pad for 240 cows and a new cattle yard with head bale. Accommodation consists of a three-bedroom home. Asking Price NZ$1,595,000 + GST (if any) Catherine Stewart +64 27 356 5031 catherine.stewart@bayleys.co.nz

bayleys.co.nz/1050430

MACKYS REAL ESTATE LTD, BAYLEYS, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008

The hub of Northland's future

A headland of your own?

Cotton Road, Ruakaka, Northland

Capitalise on the prospects this north-facing waterfront property offers. 319ha (more or less) in nine titles with some 4km of Whangarei Harbour frontage with stunning panoramic views from the city to Mt Manaia and across to Marsden Point. A long-time family beef finishing operation, the property is very private with numerous access options including direct access to One Tree Point. Set Sale Date (unless sold prior) 2pm, Tuesday 30th June 2020 84 Walton Street, Whangarei, New Zealand Lin Norris +64 21 959 166 lin.norris@bayleys.co.nz Catherine Stewart +64 27 356 5031 catherine.stewart@bayleys.co.nz MACKYS REAL ESTATE LTD, BAYLEYS, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008

bayleys.co.nz/1050431

Country Lifestyle Collection

bayleys.co.nz/1020285

140 Beatson Road, Whakapirau, Northland

Containing 92.7 hectares (229 acres) and offering three titles, this property has uninterrupted panoramic views. Private beaches, significant natural landscaping and intense visual beauty make this an ideal opportunity for further development as an exclusive retreat or unique escape for private or business purpose. The land is currently utilized for grazing beef and water is sourced via dams with the fencing post and batten. Surrounded by established trees the quaint two bedroom solid block home boasts magical views. Tender (unless sold prior) Closing 2pm, Thursday 18th June 2020 84 Walton Street, Whangarei, New Zealand Catherine Stewart +64 27 356 5031 catherine.stewart@bayleys.co.nz MACKYS REAL ESTATE LTD, BAYLEYS, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008

bayleys.co.nz/1020434 Rural Insight

Under contract

Equine lifestyle with much more

337 Wairere Road, RD 1, Paparoa, Northland

47 Saddleton Road, Waiau Pa, Auckland

Boundary lines are indicative only

Approximately 169 hectares, set on four titles, the property is currently leased on a year-by-year basis, milking 250 cows through an 18 ASHB shed. A large homestead set overlooking the farm, has raised three generations in this family. A second home provides excellent staff accommodation. There is also a third dwelling being a one-bedroom cottage. The farm boasts multiple road frontages, spring dam water and a quarry. Suited to both dairying or beef. Asking Price NZ$1,895,000 + GST (if any) Todd Skudder +64 27 439 1235 todd.skudder@bayleys.co.nz

Infrastructure and detail that you only can dream of! The question is – can you rebuild this property for the asking price? Within the 38 acres (more or less) is central raceways and well fenced paddocks. A spacious family home offers a spread out floor-plan of 380sqm (more or less) positioned privately with a northern aspect. Additional minor dwelling offers extended living/office with good spaces, kitchenette and bathroom. Plenty of shedding options plus separate stable block and 60m x 20m sand and rubber arena. This truly has everything you need - come and see for yourself! Price by Negotiation

Tracy Dalzell +64 27 535 9162 tracy.dalzell@bayleys.co.nz

Ginny Cheyne +64 21 405 462

MACKYS REAL ESTATE LTD, BAYLEYS, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008

BAYLEYS REAL ESTATE LTD, PUKEKOHE, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008

bayleys.co.nz/1020424

bayleys.co.nz/1971116

Kiwifruit with room to expand

Bracu Estate and olive empire

214 Glenbrook Waiuku Road, Auckland

Michele Mathieson +64 27 486 3738

49 Main Road, Bombay, Auckland

Boundary lines are indicative only

A unique acquisition to purchase 16.28ha (more or less) of easy contour land. The current orchard of 6.32ha approximately (3.91 can/ha of Hayward and 0.54 can/ha of G3) enjoys the established shelter belts and water supplied by bore water with a irrigation system. The remaining 9.4ha is perfect for beef fattening or greenhouses, horticulture or expanding the kiwifruit along with access to the gasline.

The land, buildings and businesses of Bracu Estate is one of the biggest commercially-run olive estates, function venue and restaurant empires in New Zealand. 104.038 hectare property located 50 kilometres from Auckland’s CBD, with approximately 30,000 olive trees, and a fully functioning on site olive oil production facility. Renown for its award-winning extra virgin olive oil and restaurant, plus exclusive wedding and function venue.

Price by Negotiation

Expressions of Interest

Ginny Cheyne +64 21 405 462

Jayson Hayde +64 27 443 9475 jayson.hayde@bayleys.co.nz

BAYLEYS REAL ESTATE LTD, PUKEKOHE, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008

BAYLEYS REAL ESTATE LTD, AUCKLAND CENTRAL, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008

Stefni Baigent +64 21 758 227

Peter Sullivan +64 21 733 278 peter.sullivan@bayleys.co.nz

BAYLEYS REAL ESTATE LTD, COUNTIES, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008

bayleys.co.nz/1971198

bayleys.co.nz/1689828

Rural Insight Country Lifestyle Collection

T A Reynolds Portfolio 1949 and 1999 Buckland Road, Tuakau, Auckland

Boundary lines are indicative only

T A Reynolds Portfolio 2339A Buckland Road, Tuakau, Auckland

Boundary lines are indicative only

63.74ha (more or less) of prime cropping land across two titles. The contour is mainly level with some rolling pasture around the shoulders of the farm and the water course which has been fenced. 1949 Buckland Road has a reservoir located on the northern border which has a surface take consent lodged for 500 cubic metres per day. 1999 Buckland Road has an eight inch bore consented to take 2,400 cubic metres of water per day and is set up for both pivot irrigation and water guns connected to hydrants across the farm.

35.062ha (more or less) of class A cropping land zoned ‘Future Urban’ adjacent to the western suburbs of Tuakau township across two rural titles. A third, 1.8519ha, residential zoned title is also available as a part of this offering. The two rural titles present an excellent strategic investment with the third residential zoned title ready to develop in the short term. Tuakau has recently see a resurgence in residential activity as other developments in the area attract strong interest from the market.

Tender (unless sold prior) Closing 3pm, Friday 5th June 2020 8 Massey Avenue, Pukekohe, Auckland, New Zealand

Shane Snijder +64 21 730 488

Benjamin Jameson +64 21 568 800

BAYLEYS REAL ESTATE LTD, PUKEKOHE, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008

Duncan Ross +64 21 663 567

BAYLEYS REAL ESTATE LTD, AUCKLAND CENTRAL, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008

bayleys.co.nz/1971208

bayleys.co.nz/1971202

T A Reynolds Portfolio

River Road, Tuakau, Auckland

Boundary lines are indicative only

8.1433ha (more or less) of highly valued cropping land located on River Road south of Tuakau township across five rural titles with excellent supply of quality water. The five titles range in size from 0.736ha to 2.54ha. Across Alexander Redoubt Road is a large park with equestrian facilities and sports grounds. Water take is from a six inch commercial bore on a high pressure pump for gun irrigation. Tender (unless sold prior) Closing 3pm, Friday 5th June 2020 8 Massey Avenue, Pukekohe, Auckland, New Zealand Shane Snijder +64 21 730 488 Benjamin Jameson +64 21 568 800 BAYLEYS REAL ESTATE LTD, PUKEKOHE, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008

Duncan Ross +64 21 663 567 BAYLEYS REAL ESTATE LTD, AUCKLAND CENTRAL, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008

bayleys.co.nz/1971200

470 Harrisville Road, Buckland, Auckland

Boundary lines are indicative only

23.2744ha (more or less) of New Zealand’s finest cropping land with an excellent water supply, approximately 1,260sqm of shedding and located close to the cropping hub of Pukekohe and near Auckland’s southern motorway. A six inch bore is consented for 1,600cubic metres take per day from the Waitemata aquifer (160,000 cubic metres per annum). The location, topography and nearby gas gate would make this property a perfect location for development of glasshouses or as a transport hub. Tender (unless sold prior) Closing 3pm, Friday 5th June 2020 8 Massey Avenue, Pukekohe, Auckland, New Zealand Shane Snijder +64 21 730 488 Benjamin Jameson +64 21 568 800 BAYLEYS REAL ESTATE LTD, PUKEKOHE, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008

Duncan Ross +64 21 663 567 BAYLEYS REAL ESTATE LTD, AUCKLAND CENTRAL, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008

bayleys.co.nz/1971210 Insight Country LifestyleRural Collection

Two houses, too good! 47 Shelly Beach Road, Pipiroa, Waikato

Large-scale Coromandel forest 2 Bennett Road, Te Mata, Coromandel

Boundary lines are indicative only

This property features a disused dairy shed, loading race yards, a haybarn and calf shedding, making it the perfect addition to any grazing venture with a little bit of repurposing. With two homes on the property, each with a separate driveway, there is plenty of room for yourself, family and farm workers. The first home which is 210sqm (more or less) features three bedrooms, the master with ensuite and has an open-plan kitchen and dining area providing easy living for the family and features a fireplace. Asking Price NZ$900,000 + GST (if any) Karl Davis 0508 83 83 83 karl.davis@bayleys.co.nz Lee Carter +64 27 696 5781 SUCCESS REALTY LIMITED, BAYLEYS, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008

Price by Negotiation Glenn Tanner +64 27 486 2399 glenn.tanner@bayleys.co.nz Karl Davis +64 27 496 4633 karl.davis@bayleyscoromandel.co.nz MH REALTY LTD, BAYLEYS, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008

bayleys.co.nz/2310977

bayleys.co.nz/2180322

Grazing and family lifestyle

Location and price

59 Block Road, Hikutaia, Waikato

Boundary lines are indicative only

The home is nestled peacefully in established landscaping with expansive valley views from its north-facing position, and is located down a long driveway, off a no exit road. Offering four double bedrooms and a fifth single bedroom or office, the home has been well-maintained since its construction in the late 1990s. Outside, a swimming pool, private streams, and large lawn providing hours of fun. Currently running 40 deer and 80 mixed-aged cattle, the mixture of fencing and other improvements this property has a range of possibilties! Asking Price NZ$1,659,000 + GST (if any) Karl Davis 0508 83 83 83 karl.davis@bayleys.co.nz Lee Carter +64 27 696 5781 SUCCESS REALTY LIMITED, BAYLEYS, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008

bayleys.co.nz/2310991 16

Located on the beautiful Coromandel Peninsula is this spectacular 463.529 hectare (more or less) forestry block. This property comes with a substantial income stream and offers the new owner many other benefits that are synonymous with this part of the Coromandel. The property offers a 280.4 hectare (approximately) commercial pine plantation, mostly planted in 1996, pruned and thinned. The property abounds with native wildlife. A good-sized forest hut with kitchen and bunk house completes this Kiwi dream. Don't miss out, call today to view this symbolic Coromandel block.

Rural Insight Country Lifestyle Collection

190 Maukoro Landing Rd, Morrinsville, Waikato

Boundary lines are indicative only

This 139 hectare (more or less) dairy unit has an all flat contour and excellent race system to 70 paddocks. The centrally-located modern 36ASHB has a large circular yard, Reid slide pulsators, ice bank water chill with excellent cow flow. Adjacent are a number of spacious calf-rearing and implement storage sheds, concrete feed pad plus a large metalled area for silage storage. The main dwelling has three bedrooms plus an office. Water is sourced from a stream and filtered before storage in three 30,000 litre tanks then pressure pumped around the farm. Production last season was 163,574kgMS with a three-year average of 146,324kgMS. For Sale NZ$4,900,000 + GST (if any) Mike Fraser-Jones +64 27 475 9680 mike.fraserjones@bayleys.co.nz SUCCESS REALTY LIMITED, BAYLEYS, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008

bayleys.co.nz/2311008

Grazing, cropping, lifestyle 952 Orini Road, Orini, Waikato

Flat and fertile 80 Troughton Road, Matamata, Waikato

SOLD

Boundary lines are indicative only

This 23.7 hectare (more or less) grazing or cropping block has many appealing benefits with lifestyle options. With the all flat contour offering good productive areas while quality races feeding out to 19 paddocks allows for ease of management. An extensive gable eight-bay shed with power is positioned centrally and is a great asset for implement storage or rearing facilities, a good set of cattle yards is also nearby. Water is by way of your own bore and fencing is all of a high standard. Location is key being an easy commute to Hamilton City via the Waikato expressway.

This attractive 59ha dairy unit is rectangular in shape with road appeal to burn! Supplying Fonterra, the farm is currently milking around 250 cows with production levels to 111,900 kgMS. The property comes with two dwellings and is well serviced with centrally located infrastructure which includes an 18 ASHB dairy, concrete feed pad and bunkers plus a good range of support buildings. The farm is well raced and subdivided with strong healty pastures. There are plenty of options here including goats, first farm opportunity or high performance dairy support unit.

Asking Price NZ$1,100,000 + GST (if any)

Price by Negotiation

Scott Macdonald +64 27 753 3854 scott.macdonald@bayleys.co.nz

Sam Troughton +64 27 480 0836 sam.troughton@bayleys.co.nz

SUCCESS REALTY LIMITED, BAYLEYS, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008

bayleys.co.nz/2311072

bayleys.co.nz/2400140

Well-performing berry farm

Size, scale and location

12 Huna Road, Whakatane, Bay of Plenty

1932 Pyes Pa Road, Tauranga, Bay of Plenty

Boundary lines are indicative only

Julians Berry Farm & Cafe - land, buildings & business. An award winning multi-faceted business set on 10.79 hectares - zoned deferred residential. Excellent cashflow with huge further potential to grow or prime for redevelopment or land bank. Located on Huna Road, just off State Highway 30 in the popular Eastern Bay of Plenty approximately four kilometres from Whakatane's central business district. Tender (unless sold prior) Closing 4pm, Wednesday 10th June 2020 247 Cameron Road, Tauranga, New Zealand Rhys Mischefski +64 27 457 8718 Larissa Reid +64 27 436 9701 SUCCESS REALTY LIMITED, BAYLEYS, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008

bayleys.co.nz/2501033

This 402ha grazing property is well located on SH36, being only 27km from Tauranga CBD and 36km from Rotorua. An easy commute to Tauranga, this farm offers size and scale in a prime location that is seldom found. Varying contour throughout the property, with a good mixture of undulating to steeper hill country with the balance being in a mature pine block and native bush. With two homes, a four stand wool shed and various shedding, the infrastructure is well set up. Held in six titles with further subdivision possibilities. An opportunity not to be missed. Price by Negotiation Ike Unsworth +64 27 429 6106 ike.unsworth@bayleys.co.nz SUCCESS REALTY LIMITED, BAYLEYS, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008

bayleys.co.nz/2500971 Insight Country LifestyleRural Collection

The kiwifruit is the star 768 No 1 Road, Te Puke, Bay of Plenty

Your own national park SH2, Waioeka, Opotiki Surrounds, Bay of Plenty

Boundary lines are indicative only

The Leinster Orchard sits on a sunny 6.7390 hectare site comprising approximately 4.3can/ha of Hayward and 0.54can/ha of SunGold G3 with five year old grafts. The orchard is planted in four well-sheltered zones. Sound end assemblies, majority on Ag Beam pergola structures, good size load-out area and generally flat contour are all features that combine to enhance a great orchard opportunity. Good support shedding provides ample storage. The 221sqm home (more or less) is charming with its Rimu features and offers a genuine lifestyle option 8.9km from Te Puke township. Price by Negotiation

Raysburn Station provides for a large 607ha nestled between the Te Urewera and Raukumara wilderness areas in the eastern Bay of Plenty. Densely clad native hilltops, regenerating scrub valleys, and pasture with deer-fenced subdivision. Five kilometres of national park boundary and close to 13km of pristine internal waterways, including spectacular waterfalls, the property has a natural beauty on par with owning your own national park. Tender (unless sold prior) Closing 4pm, Tuesday 2nd June 2020 10 Reads Quay, Gisborne, New Zealand James Bolton-Riley +64 27 739 1011 james.bolton-riley@bayleys.co.nz Stephen Thomson +64 27 450 6531 stephen.thomson@bayleys.co.nz

Phil Mangos +64 27 496 5995 phil.mangos@bayleys.co.nz SUCCESS REALTY LIMITED, BAYLEYS, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008

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

bayleys.co.nz/2501068

bayleys.co.nz/2751655

Big in Waikite Valley

Kiwitahi Station

552 Puaiti Road, Taupo Surrounds, Waikato

Boundary lines are indicative only

This property is made up of 777 hectares (more or less), currently being run as a Dairy Support block, located in the stunning Waikite Valley. The dwellings and farm buildings consist of one, four-bedroom home with an in-ground swimming pool. The contour is described as 275 hectares flat to rolling, 430 hectares easy to medium hill with some steeper. A further 71 hectares is retired or non-effective which includes buildings and races. Asking Price NZ$9,600,000 + GST (if any) Stan Sickler +64 21 275 7826 stan.sickler@bayleys.co.nz WESTERMAN REALTY LTD, BAYLEYS, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008

bayleys.co.nz/2652014

1274 Poihipi Road, Oruanui, Waikato

Boundary lines are indicative only

Kiwitahi will not disappoint the most discerning buyer and sits on top of the central North Island overlooking Taupo, the mountains and lake, sitting on 795 hectares (more or less). Carved out of the native rainforest in the early 60s this property boasts a very high standard of improvements and unrivalled stock performance. Very well subdivided, has two water systems, three dwellings including a renovated fourbedroom home with views, a sleepout, office and garage. The magnificent stands of native bush, home to fellow deer and native birds also offers shelter to the stock run on the property. Price by Negotiation Stan Sickler +64 21 275 7826 stan.sickler@bayleys.co.nz WESTERMAN REALTY LTD, BAYLEYS, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008

bayleys.co.nz/2651832

Rural Insight Country Lifestyle Collection

Equestrian Paradise 148 Fraser Smith Road, Awakino, Waitomo

One of New Zealand's finest properties, Awakino Estate is situated on approximately 198 hectares overlooking some of the most spectacular waterfront and provides the ultimate venue to retreat. The Tasman Sea and Awakino River offer a vast adventure playground for boating, fishing and diving while the Estate offers superior equestrian facilities, forestry, native bush and quality grazing. With an indoor riding arena that includes office, canteen, function room and separate accommodation facilities the property is self-contained. This slice of paradise lies on the West Coast between Hamilton and New Plymouth Cities.

Contractors and calf rearers 347 Inland North Road, Tikorangi, Taranaki

All new purpose built cattle facility available with 5.6 hectares in the highly regarded Tikorangi District. With a 42 x 18 metre footprint this newly constructed single span shed could suit a multitude of users which could include contractors, calf rearers or an embryo and semen facility. Re-fenced to an excellent standard with 11 paddocks and central race this property is in a prime location, with premium soils and all new infrastructure ready and waiting for the new purchasers. Tender (unless sold prior) Closing 1pm, Friday 29th May 2020 15 Courtenay Street, New Plymouth, New Zealand

Asking Price NZ$4,900,000 + GST (if any)

Brendan Crowley +64 27 241 2817 brendan.crowley@bayleys.co.nz

Mark Monckton +64 21 724 833 mark.monckton@bayleys.co.nz

SUCCESS REALTY TARANAKI LTD, BAYLEYS, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008

bayleys.co.nz/2600415

bayleys.co.nz/2600462

Flower growing business

An East Coast icon

1066 Egmont Road, Egmont Village, Taranaki

3+1

For sale is this 1.975ha (4.8 acres) well-established and successful Alstroemeria Cut Flower business with cashflow and great infrastructure. A successful business that can be run by a couple part-time while still providing a good income. The property has a very well presented three-bedroom home, a beautiful separate sleepout, internal accessed garaging/packing shed, established gardens and four large greenhouses.

1542 Panikau Road, Whangara, Gisborne

Price by Negotiation

Situated in the renowned Whangara farming district just 48km northeast of Gisborne, renowned for its superb coastal climate and contour, the 1,094ha station property has been proudly held by the same family since the 1880s. The picturesque property has nationally significant plantings of exotic and native trees including a central park. Superb natural water sources including several springs and the adjoining Pakarae River provide further potential sources to increase production. Begin your legacy now!

Leo Baas +64 21 444 073 leo.baas@bayleys.co.nz

Tender (unless sold prior) Closing 4pm, Tuesday 16th June 2020 10 Reads Quay, Gisborne, New Zealand

Brendan Crowley +64 27 241 2817 brendan.crowley@bayleys.co.nz

James Bolton-Riley +64 27 739 1011 Simon Bousfield +64 27 665 8778

SUCCESS REALTY TARANAKI LTD, BAYLEYS, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008

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

bayleys.co.nz/2600451

bayleys.co.nz/2751664 Insight Country LifestyleRural Collection

Premium produce, soils & location 69 Ford Road, Ormond, Gisborne

This well managed 6.4ha lies in the heart of some of Gisborne's premium horticultural country. This progressive and meticulous horticultural offering is currently in production with tamarillos, passionfruit, limes, Miyagawa mandarins, Valencia oranges and Meyer lemons. The tamarillos and passionfruit benefit from approximately 3.3ha of full and overhead canopy respectively. This premium orchard is supported by an attractive four-plus bedroom home, irrigation infrastructure and a large packhouse facility. Tender (unless sold prior) Closing 4pm, Thursday 4th June 2020 10 Reads Quay, Gisborne, New Zealand James Bolton-Riley +64 27 739 1011 Stephen Thomson +64 27 450 6531 MACPHERSON MORICE LTD, BAYLEYS, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008

bayleys.co.nz/2751666

Award-winning winery portfolio Gimblett Road, Roys Hill, Hawke's Bay

World-class Mangaheia 545 Mangaheia Road, Tolaga Bay, Gisborne

Mangaheia provides 2,720ha of rare scale with a combination of excellent farm management, significant investment back into the farm and a favourable balance of contour and climate resulting in a prime breeding and fattening unit with equally strong wintering options. The station comprises circa 22,600SU including capital stock of 800 Angus cows and a ewe flock reporting 174% lambing on ewes wintered, the station already setting a benchmark amongst the top 10% of farms in the district. Tender (will not be sold prior) Closing 4pm, Thursday 18th June 2020 10 Reads Quay, Gisborne, New Zealand Simon Bousfield +64 27 665 8778 Stephen Thomson +64 27 450 6531 MACPHERSON MORICE LTD, BAYLEYS, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008

bayleys.co.nz/2751675

Private, serene estate 158 Matangi Road, Tuki Tuki, Hawke's Bay

Boundary lines are indicative only

Through dedication and investment over a two-decade period, this award-winning winery has unlocked the secrets of the prized Gimblett Gravels soils of Hawke's Bay. Consistently producing arguably New Zealand's number one Syrah, the opportunity presents itself to purchase a slice of the iconic Gimblett Gravels soils. The vineyards, include a total landholding of approximately 46.64 hectares (38.32 hectares planted) across three titles within the Gimblett Gravels area. The award-winning wines are produced from the fruit of the three standalone vineyards. All parcels are offered in one line or individually. Price by Negotiation Duncan Ross +64 21 663 567

Tender (unless sold prior) Closing 4pm, Thursday 29th October 2020 17 Napier Road, Havelock North, New Zealand

BAYLEYS REAL ESTATE LTD, AUCKLAND CENTRAL, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008

Tim Wynne-Lewis +64 27 488 9719

Kris August +64 27 248 9266

EASTERN REALTY LTD, BAYLEYS, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008

bayleys.co.nz/1689872 20

In the late 1800s the 272 hectare Tauroa Station was selected by the Chambers family for its grandeur, location, sheltered topography, and abundant water. Today, Tauroa has evolved into a thriving certified organic farm with a nature preserve and delightful riding and hiking trails. The picturesque property offers beautiful views and the contour is flat to rolling with some steeper limestone outcrops. Water is supplied from natural springs and ponds. Tauroa is well supported with farm infrastructure plus three traditional farm dwellings in attractive surrounds.

Rural Insight Country Lifestyle Collection

EASTERN REALTY LTD, BAYLEYS, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008

bayleys.co.nz/2852082

Bigger than a lifestyle 376 Salisbury Road, Maraekakaho, Hawke's Bay

Diversification and contour Opoho Station 2225 SH2, Wairoa, Hawke's Bay

Boundary lines are indicative only

This small trophy farm comprises 40.06 hectares (more or less) of well-balanced, predominantly easy contour with some medium sidings of sheltered country with easy 4x4 access and its own microclimate. Water is reticulated throughout the farm via a well thought out and reliable reticulation system with troughs in all paddocks plus the bonus of 35,000 litres farm and 55,000 litres of house tank water storage. Call now to arrange a private viewing. Price by Negotiation

Opoho Station provides enviable climate and contour; 128 hectares of fertile, tile-drained flats and an additional 110 hectares of arable, sand country and valley flats opens multiple opportunities for diversification. Currently a total of 690 hectares, the residual land consists of easy, medium and steep hill country. Recent decades have seen Opoho undertake successful diversification in the form horticulture, sheep and beef, mixed cropping, and dairy. A generous spread of 1,700mm-2,000mm amidst warm summer further enhances this unique and appealing farm. Tender (unless sold prior) Closing 4pm, Wednesday 10th June 2020 10 Reads Quay, Gisborne, New Zealand

Luke Dee +64 21 158 3152 luke.dee@bayleys.co.nz Neal Andersen +64 27 282 9714 neal.andersen@bayleys.co.nz EASTERN REALTY LTD, BAYLEYS, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008

Simon Bousfield +64 27 665 8778 Stephen Thomson +64 27 450 6531 MACPHERSON MORICE LTD, BAYLEYS, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008

bayleys.co.nz/2801444

bayleys.co.nz/2751653

Te Wai Station

Grazing opportunity with scope

368 Boyle Road, Ashley Clinton, Hawke's Bay

This 478ha property has a mix of contour from some easy cultivatable country to medium steeper hill. Extensive development has been undertaken with the present owners with tracking, water reticulation and grass renewal. A spacious three-bedroom home positioned at the front of the property, sits on a elevated site with fantastic views. Infrastructure includes a four-stand woolshed with new covered yards, cattle yards with Te Pari cattle crush and loadout race and a newly-installed solar e-pump water reticulation scheme to part of the farm. This is a genuine hill country opportunity with scale and location. Price by Negotiation Andy Hunter +64 27 449 5827 EASTERN REALTY LTD, BAYLEYS, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008

bayleys.co.nz/2870680

694 Farm Road, Waipukurau, Hawke's Bay

This well-presented 463ha property opens itself to many options, and benefits from the reliable Farm Road water scheme which reticulates to troughs in every paddock. The well-balanced property is currently utilised as a sheep and beef breeding and fattening unit, with a mix of easy to steep contour and excellent access tracks throughout. Improvements include a three-stand woolshed and sheep yards, two sets of cattle yards along with a six-bay implement shed used for storage. Price by Negotiation Andy Hunter +64 27 449 5827 andy.hunter@bayleys.co.nz Andy Lee +64 27 354 8608 andy.lee@bayleys.co.nz EASTERN REALTY LTD, BAYLEYS, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008

bayleys.co.nz/2870691 Insight Country LifestyleRural Collection

Diversity on Longacre - 68.945ha 413 Longacre Road, Okoia, Whanganui

Nga Kowhai Farm - 81.0037ha 791 Wanganui Road, Turakina, Wanganui

Boundary lines are indicative only

This property is set up to cater for sheep and beef with a twostand woolshed, implement shed, plus sheep and beef handling facilities. A transformer is located between the woolshed and tunnel house which could potentially be utilised for numerous semi-industrial or recreational activities (due diligence required). A cosy three-bedroom farmhouse completes the scene. The well-established home and garden are centrally positioned, in a private and sheltered position with a pleasant sunny aspect. Price by Negotiation Knud Bukholt +64 27 222 6161 knud.bukholt@bayleys.co.nz BARTLEY REAL ESTATE LTD, BAYLEYS, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008

bayleys.co.nz/3000970

Large scale Orchard 78 Gregs Lane, RD 1, Greytown, Wairarapa

Approximately 81.0037 hectares (subject to survey) of easy and flat contours. This property is ideally set up for beef farming, dairy grazing, finishing or cropping with an estimated 95% classified as tractor country. Divided into 18 paddocks with a central laneway extending to most areas. Water supply is reticulated with all troughs fed from an on-farm dam. Soil types are made up of the Marton and Halcombe series. For Sale by Deadline Private Treaty (will not be sold prior) 2pm, Wednesday 13th May 2020 158 Wicksteed Street, Whanganui, New Zealand Knud Bukholt +64 27 222 6161 knud.bukholt@bayleys.co.nz BARTLEY REAL ESTATE LTD, BAYLEYS, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008

Andrew Bonnor +64 27 941 7630 andrew.bonnor@bayleys.co.nz MID WEST REALTY LTD, BAYLEYS, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008

bayleys.co.nz/3001059

Marlborough vineyard investment 65 State Highway 63, Renwick, Marlborough

Boundary lines are indicative only

JRs Orchards Ltd is the largest commercial orchard and only exporter in the Greater Wellington region. On track to ship 260,000 cartons (TCEs) this season and sell through their own renowned and established brands ECCO and Capital apples. A fully vertically integrated business with staff accommodation, full packhouse, grader, Smartfresh technology and coolstore. A unique opportunity in New Zealand's world renowned apple industry. Tender (will not be sold prior) Closing 2pm, Thursday 18th June 2020 186 Chapel Street, Masterton, New Zealand

Exceptionally well-located on the southern town boundary of Renwick this 29.46 hectare property offers a unique opportunity to secure a well-maintained vineyard with scale or land bank this generous portion of Marlborough. The property supports some 20.3 hectares of vineyard all planted in sauvignon blanc, a large four-bay pole shed, caravan or boat lean-to, three-bay pole shed with enclosed workshop and recently refurbished four-bedroom home. Price by Negotiation

Andrew Smith +64 27 760 8208 a.smith@bayleys.co.nz

Kurt Lindsay +64 27 469 9685 kurt.lindsay@bayleys.co.nz

Lindsay Watts +64 27 246 2542 lindsay.watts@bayleys.co.nz

Tarin Mason +64 27 788 5748 tarin.mason@bayleys.co.nz

EASTERN REALTY (WAIRARAPA) LTD, BAYLEYS, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008

BE MARLBOROUGH LTD, BAYLEYS, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008

bayleys.co.nz/3150867

bayleys.co.nz/4133586

Rural Insight Country Lifestyle Collection

One Tree Hill

Kilmarnock - scale and location

12 Mendip Road, Parnassus, Canterbury

441 Blythe Road, Motunau, Canterbury

SOLD

This 985.6139ha property is an absolute stand-out in all respects, with genuine upside still available from both irrigation and forestry. Currently run as a breeding and finishing operation for sheep, cattle and deer, it has a balance of contour and aspect, good shelter, 118ha deer-fenced, an irrigation consent of 53 l/sec being renewed and a very high standard of subdivision and infrastructure. Close to Cheviot, around an hour 40 from Christchurch. A spectacular property.

Kilmarnock is a large, hill country property with a small area of flats combining scale, balance of contour and aspect and centrally located infrastructure. Kilmarnock is 868.8119ha and is part-way through a large redevelopment project, including cultivation and re-grassing, with huge future potential still available through fencing, water reticulation and forestry. Kilmarnock has recently been run as a beef breeding and trading operation.

Price by Negotiation

Ben Turner +64 27 530 1400 ben.turner@bayleys.co.nz

Peter Foley +64 21 754 737 peter.foley@bayleys.co.nz

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

bayleys.co.nz/5511977

bayleys.co.nz/5511270

English character and charm

Blue chip property

730 Hepburns Road, Ashburton, Canterbury

65 Guthrie Road, Geraldine, Canterbury

SOLD

Two-storey homestead in a mature garden with 41.4194ha (more or less) fully irrigated via two pivots and some K-Lines. The ground floor has a glamorous kitchen, open-plan living/dining area and separate lounge and great indoor/outdoor flow to a paved courtyard. It has an entrance foyer, office, separate laundry, access to the attached double garage and a double bedroom with an ensuite. On the first floor there are three double bedrooms and a family bathroom. A detached two bay garage, a three-bay hay shed and a four bay implement shed complete this property. Deadline Sale (unless sold prior) 2pm, Tuesday 16th June 2020 Jon McAuliffe +64 27 432 7769 jon.mcauliffe@bayleys.co.nz

With spectacular views this 53ha flat to easy rolling property is currently being utilised for beef fattening and has good infrastructure. The contemporary home comprises open-plan kitchen, dining and living, four bedrooms (master with large spa bath), separate lounge, office and bathroom. Set amongst the well-established grounds is the stunning pool complex with changing facility. Deadline Sale (unless sold prior) Unit 7/50 Theodosia Street, Timaru, New Zealand Hamish Lane +64 27 685 6204 hamish.lane@bayleys.co.nz WHALAN AND PARTNERS LTD, BAYLEYS, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008

bayleys.co.nz/5511870

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

bayleys.co.nz/5511840 Insight Country LifestyleRural Collection

A LTOGETH ER YOURS, NEW ZEAL AND

A LT O G E T H E R BETTER

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