Farmers Weekly NZ August 1 2022 by AgriHQ

28 The facts about foot-and-mouth Vol 20 No 29, August 1, 2022

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Heavy rains top up tank Staff reporters

P TO 300mm of rain has fallen over most of the country so far this month, with NIWA figures showing soils in many areas are at or above field capacity. Northland and coastal areas of Otago and Canterbury were hit hard by heavy and persistent weather in the past week while other regions are welcoming a return to normal winter conditions. Heavy rain caused states of emergency to be declared in parts of Otago and Canterbury last week, and rain has fallen on Northland almost every day during July, completely recharging soils, aquifers and storage. For the North Island the mean temperature anomaly – by how much this July exceeded the 30year average – is 1.2-2degC. The only regions of the island with lower positive anomalies, 0-1.2degC, are Southern Hawke’s Bay, Wairarapa and Greater Wellington. South Island temperatures for July are up to one degree above the historical average. But the month-to-date rainfall map is the most arresting. About two-thirds of the country received 200mm or 300mm within the first 27 days of July. Most of the remaining land area received 100-200mm. A NIWA spokesperson said rivers, aquifers and groundwater sources have been recharged, which will comfort farmers, rural

residents, irrigation schemes and town water supplies that tap those sources. Higher temperatures in July were not isolated, but the result of warmer territorial waters and the La Niña effect that has persisted for some time. Coastal South Island areas from Dunedin to North Canterbury bore the brunt of a slow-moving weather front last week. In the 48 hours to 6pm Wednesday, Dunedin recorded 108mm of rain, yet just over the hill, the Taieri Plain had only 32mm. Simon Williamson, who farms near Twizel, said he has never seen his property, Glenbrook Station, so wet after two snowfalls and two heavy rain events in recent weeks. The second snowfall occurred on Monday, leaving 200mm of snow, which was followed by 70mm of rain, causing a heavy snow melt. “It is thawing quite quickly but I have never seen it so wet, but I guess it’s the right time for it to come,” Williamson said. North Otago is also extremely wet with Federated Farmers president Jared Ross saying 100mm has fallen on his Duntroon farm in the past 10 days. This has taken his rainfall for the year to date to about 350mm, about the same total as for each of the two previous years. Dairy farmers have started calving and although ground conditions are wet, so far feed is not an issue with plenty of supplementary feed available for purchase.

YOUR LOCAL EXPERTS

A RIVER RUNS THROUGH IT: Ashburton farmer Chris Allen and Ace have spent most of the week keeping stock fed on dry ground as surface water flowed through Allen’s farm, much of it from as far as 12km away. Photo Annette Scott

We’ve had more rain in July than we have had for the rest of the year. Ross Hay North Otago The federation’s North Otago sheep and beef section chair, Ross Hay, farms on coastal North Otago and said 65mm fell last week, causing rivers to flood and taking the total rainfall for July to about 190mm. “We’ve had more rain in July than we have had for the rest of the year,” Hay said. Southland and south and west Otago appear to be experiencing

normal winter conditions, with most areas recording about 20mm during the recent storm event. Almost three times the normal July rainfall is creating stock management challenges for David Acland and his team on Mt Somers Station in the Mid Canterbury foothills. June rainfall was 40mm above average and July rainfall 240mm, up from the usual 95mm. “The issue is not really the flooding but water logging. The ground is just saturated,” the Mid Canterbury Federated Farmers provincial president said. “While everyone’s stock is in pretty good nick, livestock management is a big job. “Winter feed utilisation has been poor and testing the budgets in spots.” South Canterbury has been harder hit.

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“Its 20mm feels like 50mm. July has been a long month, but we are on the run out of winter and on the positive it hasn’t been bitterly cold, just wet, and miserable working conditions. The grass will start to grow soon,” Acland said. Mid Canterbury sheep and beef farmer Chris Allen is counting his lucky stars the Ashburton River stayed in its bed after his property was one of the worst hit in the May 2021 floods. “Water is just oozing out of the ground everywhere after the rain events we have had this winter. The aquifers are full and there is nowhere for the water to go. “We have dodged a bullet with the river, just this time, but the surface water that is flowing through my paddocks now has travelled down from 12km up

Continued page 3

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NEWS

20 Broad SNA criteria have farmers very concerned

Farmer organisations have fundamental issues with the draft National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity (NPSIB), mainly the sweeping nature of the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) designation.

REGULARS Newsmaker ��22 New Thinking ��23

18 NZ teen makes cut for Cobber relay

Editorial ��24

The 12 working dog teams representing New Zealand and Australia that will compete in the inaugural Cobber Challenge Relay have been announced.

Pulpit ��25 Opinion ��26 World ��29 Real Estate ��30-31 Employment ��32 Classifieds ��32-33 Tech & Toys ��33 Livestock ��34-35 Weather ��37

8 Funds for GHG-fighting fungi The Government is spending $7.3 million over seven years in a programme intended to reduce agricultural greenhouse gases and nitrate leaching.

9 Dairy sours on ‘false’ defence

of EU deal

Dairy exporters are keeping up their barrage of criticism against what they say is the Government’s failure to own up to poor dairy market access from the recent trade deal with the European Union.

Markets ��36-40 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.

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News

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – August 1, 2022

Census boycott doesn’t have the numbers Neal Wallace neal.wallace@globalhq.co.nz STATS NZ says response to its agricultural census survey is tracking as expected despite a boycott call from two lobby groups. Groundswell and FARM (Facts About Ruminant Methane) are supporting a boycott that was initially to force a change in the metrics used to measure

Given the barrage of regulations, some are digging their toes in and seeing a very good opportunity to say no. Bryce McKenzie Groundswell Continued from page 1 country because there is nowhere for it to go. “Luckily it’s dropping quite quickly but at the peak it was flowing like a river, out across the road and onwards down country.” With another 160mm of rain forecast next week, Allen remains nervous about the state of the nearby Ashburton River. Hawke’s Bay and Taranaki farmers are relishing what is seen as a return to a normal winter after several that were dry. Parts of Hawke’s Bay have already had nearly 900mm, just

greenhouse gases from GWP100 to GWP*, but has extended to general dissatisfaction with the Government. Some consider GWP100, a system introduced in 1990 to standardise the impact of greenhouse gases, no longer suitable as it does not fairly reflect the impact of short-lived gases such as methane, which GWP* does. Groundswell spokesperson Bryce McKenzie said FARM asked for his group’s support but the protest has since shifted to become an outlet for general anger and dissatisfaction with Government policies. “They don’t want to give them the data because it is being used against us,” said McKenzie. Stats NZ says in a statement that participation in the census is a legal requirement and compliance so far has been as expected. “Our response rates are tracking as expected and we thank all the

shy of the 1100mm that fell for all of last year. With lambing underway, the biggest concern is sodden ground conditions even though temperatures are warm. Taranaki Federated Farmers chair Mark Hooper said rainfall has been slightly above average with more than 400mm falling since June. The dry autumn restricted the making of supplements and Hooper said with calving underway that could put pressure on pasture cover. The wet weather has made calving miserable on many

DON’T DO IT: Groundswell spokesperson Bryce McKenzie (right), pictured here with co-founder Laurie Patterson, accepts that census data is vital for funding and targeting services, but farmer sentiment is being affected by an onslaught of rules and regulations. Photo: Natwick

respondents who have completed their agriculture census so far,” the statement says. “The boycott refusals Stats NZ has received so far represent only a very small number of overall potential responses.” Almost 60,000 census packs were sent out in late June to agricultural enterprises, including farmers, commercial growers and forest owners, asking questions

about their production, land use and practices for the 2021-22 year. They were given three weeks to return the completed forms. Stats NZ says it can prosecute for not filing a return, but that is not its preferred approach. It hopes people appreciate the use to which the data is put: to influence rural infrastructure, services, policies and programmes that serve rural communities.

McKenzie said he accepts that census data is vital for funding and targeting services, but farmer sentiment is being affected by an onslaught of rules and regulations. “We accept there are very good reasons for giving that information, but given the barrage of regulations, some are digging their toes in and seeing a very good opportunity to say no.”

Waikato farms with feed levels still tight following last season’s drought. Speaking at an online webinar organised by the Smaller Milk and Supply Herds group, Bart van de Van said his farm has recovered well after the lack of rainfall left it looking pretty dire in April-May. The farm finally received some decent rain in May, and by June 1 pasture cover was about 1700kg of dry matter a hectare. Today, those covers are about 2300kg DM. “It’s phenomenal if you look back at how much grass we have grown over the last two months

and we’re growing better than we ever have,” Van de Van said. Whangarei Airport recorded just under 400mm for the month with four days left to run, and that is double the historical average for July but 40mm short of July 2021. Puhipuhi in the hills north of the city had 328mm in the past week – but 200mm fell on one day, Monday, July 25. Dairy and beef farmer Geoff Crawford, who farms a large area of the Hikurangi Flood Management Scheme, said flood banks and gates had worked as designed.

While he had 200ha under water he expects that to drain within three to four days and pastures to survive in the relatively warm temperatures. Federated Farmers Northland president Colin Hannah agreed with Crawford about abovenormal grass growth for the time of the year. However, paddocks are so wet that cattle have to be stood off for long periods and machinery cannot enter. “If it wasn’t for the rain, we would be sitting pretty sweet,” Hannah told the local newspaper.

TIPS FOR winter grazing crops CHECKLIST

 Slope  Shelter  Soil type  Waterways  Critical source areas

Minimise the impacts on the environment and your animals. Paddock selection • Consider how new wintering rules may affect you • Steeper paddocks come with bigger risks • Consider proximity to waterways and gullies, and propensity to flood • Soil type can impact productivity, nutrient loss and animal welfare • Other factors to consider are: class of stock, animal welfare, access, biosecurity, placement of supplementary feed and water troughs, plan for catch crops and create a winter grazing plan

For more information and useful resources visit: www.beeflambnz.com/wintergrazing

News

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – August 1, 2022

Farmers ‘owed millions’ from shipment Annette Scott annette.scott@globalhq.co.nz A TROUBLED shipment of cattle to China has landed a Hamiltonbased livestock exporter in financial strife with creditors, including up to 50 farmers reported to be collectively owed millions of dollars. Te Puke-based Armer Farms (NI) Ltd has made an application to the High Court in Hamilton to put Genetic Development Exports (NZ) Limited Partnership (GDExLP) into liquidation. The hearing has been set down for September 5. At least 47 farmers have been chasing payment for cattle they contracted to a shipment that left from New Plymouth in May. The farmers have been made aware of GDExLP’s financial plight, but they maintain that they are covered for payment under a “letter of credit” advised by the exporter. Steve Kitchener, director of Waikato-based Maui Farms, had an experience typical of many farmers who contacted Farmers Weekly. His cattle left his property on March 28. “Payment never came and I was promised payment continuously,” Kitchener said. Loading day arrived and he had not been paid. “Then the export company threatened that if we didn’t agree for the cattle to board the ship on the promise of payment in two weeks – and [it] provided a letter of credit as proof – that they would go into liquidation and the cattle would be seized anyway leaving us no choice but to comply,” Kitchener said. The ship sailed on May 27 and still there’s been no payment. “I have been getting one excuse after another and am absolutely desperate for the funds,” he said. “I’ve tried legal action, debt collection agencies and even turned up unannounced at their head office.

“I’m at my wits’ end and I know there are many other farmers out there who are owed large amounts of money also.” Kitchener said he is owed $47,000. Other farmers have reported similar non-payment for amounts up to the $50,000 threshold destined to have been paid direct by GDExLP. The “letter of credit” applied to an arrangement brokered by Australian livestock exporter Purcell Exports. “When complications set in, we were asked to facilitate a financial solution so the shipment could go ahead,” Purcell Exports managing director Patrick Purcell said. “We found a solution with an overseas bank (Bank of Ireland). “Our instruction was to pay 11 or 12 suppliers, the bigger contracts with agents, and it was for about $8 million, and the letter of credit was for these suppliers only. “We were instructed to issue payment to those suppliers and they got paid.” Purcell said his company was not involved with loading the ship but he understands the “ship went light”, a few hundred cattle short, and that’s why there are outstanding payments. “We did not pay GDExLP, it was not in our contract,” he said. “I feel heartbroken for the suppliers and farmers who dealt directly with GDExLP and never got paid,” Purcell said. Armer Farms director Colin Armer said the money chase goes further back in their case. “Armer Farms issued a statutory demand that expired on May 2, so they [GDExLP] have technically been trading insolvent since then.” Armer did not disclose the amount owing to his company but said “it is significantly more” than $50,000. Farmers Weekly has fielded reports from other industry stakeholders, including trucking companies and stock firms with significant outstanding payments.

TRADED DOWN: Exporter Dave Hayman says a smaller vessel had to be used when the MV Al Kuwait, pictured here docked in Timaru, failed to come to NZ in early May.

Exporter apologises, hopes to pay GDExLP managing director Dave Hayman said his company took a “massive financial hit” from the livestock ship MV Al Kuwait failing to come to New Zealand in early May to collect the 12,000 head of cattle that were waiting on two pre-export isolation farms. Total direct costs and losses added up to well over $5 million, Hayman said. This did not count loss of value for farmers or reputational damage and future loss of earnings for GDExLP. “Events unfortunately played out that for the cattle that did get exported on the smaller ship, the letter of credit was paid substantially short due to the vessel being light-loaded by 300 head due to delays and a ruling by the Ministry for Primary Industries on new feed requirements. “Some chunky banking fees were deducted, which are in dispute, with the total deficit on the letter of credit payout being about $1m, plus all those extra costs as detailed,” he said.

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The lack of this income and the excessive costs has meant GDExLP has not had the cash to finish paying for all cattle, Hayman said. More than 85% of the cattle were paid for through the larger stock agent companies who had been issued irrevocable letters of assignment from the letter of credit. Hayman said these irrevocable assignments had first priority on the funds available and they cannot be changed, so there was no possibility for payments to be adjusted in any way. He said while it is understandable that Armer Farming would like to get to the front of the queue for payment, the liquidation application will not benefit them, and it puts at risk the settlement process for other farmers who are waiting for payment. To get any useful settlement for farmers and other creditors relies on GDExLP being able to trade through to maintain the support and goodwill of the Chinese partner to help with settlements, file a claim against

the shipping company for failure to perform and to generate some future income where possible. “It has been tough to get traction on these actions but recently there has been progress, hence at this stage we do not intend to allow the business to go into liquidation to protect the best interests of all creditors and we have to ask for patience from the farmers, some of whom we know desperately need the funds.” So will farmers be paid for their cattle? “We still believe this can happen and are working hard to do so. “As soon as we have sufficient clarity and commitment that we can indicate a payment plan, we will inform the farmers. “In the interim the major extra costs depleted our capacity to deal with any shortfall, all in all a very frustrating sequence of events that was difficult to predict. “We are sorry for the drama and stress for farmers and other suppliers that have been caught up in it,” Hayman said.

News

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – August 1, 2022

Ear tags: NZ sticks to mob rule for sheep Neal Wallace neal.wallace@globalhq.co.nz NEW Zealand farming leaders support the continued use of mob-based traceability for sheep despite Australian states adopting electronic identification as they confront an outbreak of foot-andmouth disease in Indonesia. New South Wales, which has Australia’s largest number of sheep, last week joined Victoria in mandating electronic identification (EID) for sheep and goats. The move has the support of the meat industry and Sheep Producers Australia. “Individual traceability for sheep and goats will be critical in the event of an emergency disease outbreak like foot-andmouth disease in Australia,” NSW Minister for Agriculture Dugald Saunders said. Saunders said there is a strong argument for EID to be extended nationally to all 74-million sheep in Australia. The issue has loomed front and centre in Australia with the discovery of FMD throughout Indonesia, a country to which an estimated 1000 Australian holidaymakers travel every day. But Beef+Lamb NZ and

Federated Farmers are both resisting mandated EID here, saying the current mob-based traceability system works well and has fewer challenges than EID, given that districts have limited or no internet connectivity and potential users have capability issues. B+LNZ chief executive Sam McIvor said research by his organisation confirms mobbased traceability systems are appropriate, but he wants farmers to move to electronic animal status declaration (eASD) systems. “For us the focus really is on eASD, to allow the electronic capture of movements from farm to farm and farm to processors,” said McIvor. “The second aspect we are really keen on, and it is absolutely critical for biosecurity overall, is having an accurate farm database so we know what is on farms.” Federated Farmers board member William Beetham said cost, the lack of internet connectivity, inefficient scanning systems and the IT challenge for many users make mandating EID impractical. He has used the system and said it costs $2 a tag – and lost tags have to be constantly replaced. McIvor said the NZ Meat Board

has a $61 million contingency fund for reinstating and rebuilding markets and consumer confidence should FMD arrive in NZ. “Regardless of the impact, rebuilding consumer confidence will be key because often they miss the facts.” He said the risk of FMD arriving in NZ is low, though “it does not mean we should not manage that risk given the consequences”. The Australia state of Victoria has required the use of EID tags since 2016. At 17m sheep, it has the second largest population behind NSW at 21m and Western Australia at 14m. The Australian Government estimates the cost of an FMD outbreak would be NZ$89m over 10 years. Sheep Producers Australia chief executive Bonnie Skinner said industry has been calling for a national EID scheme for sheep as part of broader reform that strengthens traceability for biosecurity, food safety and to support market access requirements. Australian Meat Industry Council chief executive Patrick Hutchinson has called for the entire agricultural industry to support national EID.

IMPRACTICAL: Federated Farmers board member William Beetham says tags are costly and rely on internet connectivity, which isn’t always up to speed.

New steps to head off foot-and-mouth disease Neal Wallace neal.wallace@globalhq.co.nz EVERY shipping container arriving in New Zealand from Indonesia will be inspected by customs officials as the Government ramps up measures to keep out foot-andmouth disease. FMD is rampant throughout Indonesia, and in NZ yesterday Biosecurity Minister Damien O’Connor termed it a doomsday disease, telling a press conference

its arrival in NZ would threaten 100,000 jobs and cost the economy $10 billion a year. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said preventing FMD reaching our shores is the first step, but an extra $21m was set aside in the previous budget to undertake critical diagnosis and surveillance, and to investigate exotic diseases that threaten the economy. The Government has banned travellers from Indonesia from importing all meat, even in forms

previously allowed, introduced foot baths at international airports and last month audited the palm kernel supply chain. Ardern said it meets NZ biosecurity standards. Other steps include having customs present to inspect the contents and the exterior of all containers arriving from Indonesia to look for products or ways FMD could be transmitted. Food products imported from Indonesia are being tested on

supermarket shelves, which is also happening in Australia. There, the disease was detected as DNA fragments, a state in which the disease is dead but shows the animal had been exposed to FMD. O’Connor said a risk awareness campaign has been launched among travellers, whose luggage is being screened for risk. There are no direct flights between Indonesia and NZ, but it has been reported that 1000 Australians a day are travelling

there, providing a route for possible transmission. O’Connor said farmer compliance with NAIT tracking is high and will be vital for detecting stock movement should an outbreak occur. He fears eradication will be difficult should the disease enter the wild animal, pig and deer population. He said NZ has access to FMD vaccine in storage in the United Kingdom.

Measuring and reporting synthetic nitrogen fertiliser use Who does this impact?

What actions are required?

Where to get information or help

If your farm uses synthetic nitrogen fertiliser on pasture or any other grazed land, this may affect you.

All farm managers must ensure that no area of pasture can exceed 190 kg per hectare per year of synthetic nitrogen fertiliser without a resource consent.

Contact your regional council, farm advisor, or fertiliser supplier – they will be able to help.

A limit of 190 kg per hectare per year of synthetic nitrogen fertiliser on pasture came into effect from 1 July 2021. A resource consent is needed if this limit is exceeded. Those managing dairy farms need to record key information on synthetic nitrogen fertiliser use and supply a report to their regional council by 31 July each year.

All dairy farm managers must supply a report to their regional council by 31 July 2022, covering the period from 1 July 2021 to 30 June 2022, with the information that is needed to calculate synthetic nitrogen application rates for their pastoral land.

To download the nitrogen cap quick guide for dairy farms, scan the QR code below.

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News

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – August 1, 2022

Good news for NZ as Aussie world view softens Richard Rennie richard.rennie@globalhq.co.nz AUSSIE consumers have started to reveal a softer side to the usual “win at all costs” psyche – and New Zealand exporters have opportunities to make the most of that. Research commissioned by New Zealand Story found that since 2015 consumers in NZ’s second largest export market have begun to see themselves as thinking more about what is best for their life balance, chasing less of a material existence, and being less intolerant. They are also aligning themselves more closely with NZ’s more socialist approach to community and the economy, putting the once vaunted freefor-all United States economy on the back burner as something to aspire to. “Between 2015 to 2022 saw a change in narrative. There has probably never been a better time to tell our story to the Australians,” Alex Jones, managing director of research company One Picture, said. The survey was part of NZ Story’s regular qualitative market assessment, for which it interviews consumers and businesses across the Tasman to gauge sentiment about themselves and towards their NZ cousins.

Underscoring the change, the usual Aussie traits of resilience and friendliness remain, alongside a recognition that Australia is still the lucky country, albeit one that is under more pressure than seven years ago. For their part, Aussie consumers increasingly see NZ as a country they can learn from. “We used to be a little cousin but are now starting to grow up more and they see us doing things differently, making them rethink,” said Jones. Nowhere does this apply more than in NZ’s embrace of Te Reo and Māori culture as part of the country’s identity, reflecting a shift in Australia’s own appreciation of its native culture. “That perception is really changing. In Anthony Albanese’s first press conference as PM the aboriginal flag was also in the background,” said NZTE Sydney manager Gabrielle Purhas. But Jones urged NZ exporters to borrow something that still remains firmly embedded in the Australian consciousness, namely the brash confidence to put themselves out there and leverage this newfound aspiration in dealings with NZ. “If we talk more about our success, then a lot of these shadows will dissipate,” he said. These include a sense that NZ is somewhat boring, too reserved and too small.

VALUES: New Zealand’s embrace of Māori culture is finding new appreciation across the Tasman, a survey has found.

We used to be a little cousin but are now starting to grow up more and they see us doing things differently, making them re-think. Alex Jones One Picture The appreciation of NZ’s values carries through at a business level but comes with some practical caveats that exporters need to work harder on to make the most of an increasingly receptive market. Kiwi exporters tend to take a “one container” approach to

exporting, often neglecting inmarket support. They risk being seen as order takers, not market developers. Also, this country’s artisan-craft image plays well with consumers but is less effective when it comes to playing in large outlets demanding greater scale. “We are however regarded as hungry for success and more likely to give things a go, with less resources,” said Jones. Kiwis also receive the same level of trust from Australians as their Australian counterparts. A downside that exporters don’t have as much control over is the costly stretch of Tasman Sea that can be more expensive to get goods across than if they were coming from China. Kiwis have also tended to underplay the investment they need to make into the Australian market.

“Talking to some of the business-to-business experts in the investment space, time and time again NZ businesses were often asking for too little when it came to expanding into the Australian market. Asking for $1.0 million, instead of $10m to do it properly,” Jones said. NZ Story chief executive David Downs welcomed closer ties between the two countries, and said he firmly believes NZ’s use of Māori culture and language can be built on even further in telling our story to the Australians, and beyond. “There is also a real desire from Australians to see authenticity because they are close to us. “They do understand that authenticity can be a bit of a challenge so it is as visible in the Australian market as it is here,” said Jones.

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FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – August 1, 2022

News

Funding for gas fighting fungi

FIELD OF STUDY: Professor John Hampton and Dr Hossein Alizadeh of Lincoln University collect a nitrous oxide sample.

BusinessDesk and staff reporters

Calving 2022

Support lifetime traceability • • •

•

Ensure all Calves are fitted with a NAIT tag before they reach 180 days of age. Register any fitted NAIT tags within 7 days of tagging. All calves must be tagged and registered before their first movement. So, if you are sending them off your location, make sure you meet your NAIT obligations. Calves must be NAIT tagged correctly.

For more information go to OSPRI.co.nz or 0800

842 463 NAIT is an OSPRI programme

THE Government is spending $7.3 million over seven years in a programme intended to reduce agricultural greenhouse gases and nitrate leaching, Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor said. The N-Vision NZ programme comprises: N-Retain – a new nitrification inhibitor technology that will look at new ways to block the biological processes in the soil that lead to nitrous oxide emissions and nitrate leaching. N-Test – a new soil test to inform nitrogen fertiliser decisions on pastoral farms, which will help capitalise on the nitrogen already in soil organic matter. N-Bio Boost – a fungal bio-inoculant to increase nitrogen use efficiency, which will examine how naturally occurring fungi boost the nitrogen efficiency of plants as another way to future-proof productivity. “For our future, we need innovative tools and technologies to help farmers reduce nitrogen fertiliser use on pastoral farms while maintaining production and profitability,” O’Connor said. Funds for the N-Vision NZ programme are from the Ministry for Primary Industries’ Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures (SFF Futures) fund. Christchurch-based fertiliser and agrichemical coop Ravensdown is leading the programme and will contribute $11m cash, with Lincoln University and Plant & Food Research providing research expertise. Ravensdown and Lincoln University will contribute in-kind funding to the value of $3.8m. Ravensdown general manager of innovation and strategy Mike Manning said the N-Bio Boost project will harness the power of humble natural strains of soil fungi to increase the efficiency of nitrogen use by plants. “Lincoln University researchers have discovered natural strains of fungi that reduce the activity of specific microbes, which are involved with nitrogen cycling and losses. These nitrogen losses can occur as nitrate leaching through the soil, which has potential detrimental effect on waterways, and as nitrous oxide, a potent greenhouse gas emission,” Manning said. “Although it occurs naturally in pastoral soils at a relatively low level, the fungi can be applied to soil as either a prill or seed coating. Doing so increases the level of the fungi and therefore alters the nitrogen cycle to reduce nitrogen losses. Research to date indicates this has a strong potential to mitigate both greenhouse gas emissions and reduce nitrogen loss to waterways,” he said. N-Vision NZ will apply leading edge science and technology to create tools that farmers can use on farm. Importantly farmers will have options to maintain profitability while minimising the environmental impact of their land use. O’Connor said the products and technologies developed through the N-Vision NZ programme will be made widely available under commercial terms. “This will ensure that the environmental and economic benefits extend to the whole of NZ and not just Ravensdown’s customers,” he said.

Your comment counts Failure to comply with NAIT obligations may result in fines or prosecution issued by the Ministry for Primary Industries. For more information about your obligations as a PICA, please visit our website ospri.co.nz.

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News

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – August 1, 2022

Dairy sours on ‘false’ defence of EU deal Nigel Stirling nigel.g.stirling@gmail.com DAIRY exporters are keeping up their barrage of criticism against what they say is the Government’s failure to own up to poor dairy market access from the recent trade deal with the European Union. The Dairy Companies Association has already rubbished the Government’s claims of $600 million in annual gains for the industry from last month’s agreement, saying gains won’t even come close to that figure. It also accused Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern of gifting an advantage to EU negotiators by letting slip a weakening in New Zealand’s negotiating bottom lines for meat and dairy in the final few weeks of the talks. Now DCANZ has unleashed its ire on Trade Minister Damien O’Connor for what it says is his repetition of false claims by European farming unions about NZ’s dairy market access. Writing in a recent Farmers Weekly Pulpit column, O’Connor quoted EU farming union Copa and Cogeca, which said NZ dairy exporters already had access to quotas for 75,000 tonnes of annual butter exports to the EU and 11,000t for cheese. The free trade agreement would add 25,000t of butter and 15,000t of cheese to those totals.

“They have said the deal has painful compromises for [EU] farmers,” O’Connor wrote. However, DCANZ chair Malcolm Bailey said the pre-FTA quotas quoted by Copa and Cogeca and referenced by O’Connor were dated, and overstated the actual access NZ exporters had to the European dairy market before the FTA .

Dealing in fact is far better than going as far as what appears to be spinning the numbers to make them look more than what they are. Malcolm Bailey Dairy Companies Association The pre-FTA quotas, he said, were 47,000t of butter and 6,000t of cheese. Both quotas had been slashed as a result of Britain’s exit from the EU two years ago, and have not been restored by the EU despite objections by NZ to the World Trade Organisation. DCANZ executive director Kimberly Crewther said it was disappointing to see O’Connor

repeating such obvious falsehoods from European agricultural protectionists. “The EU industry is using incorrect numbers, possibly because it is politically convenient to do so,” she said. “They are as aware of the postBrexit cuts to quota volumes as we are.” DCANZ’s Bailey said O’Connor repeating Copa and Cogeca’s false figures made the FTA with the EU look better than it actually was. “There certainly seems to have been an element of spin when explaining the outcome of the deal to the wider public of NZ and that is disappointing. “Dealing in fact is far better than going as far as what appears to be spinning the numbers to make them look more than what they are.” In a short statement O’Connor responded by saying the article’s purpose was to point out how farming groups in the EU viewed the deal. “There are different views as to the impacts of the trade deal,” said O’Connor. “My view is we focus on these new opportunities. “The trade deal offers improved conditions to a market that’s effectively been blocked for our dairy exporters in particular.” Bailey said he did not accept O’Connor’s defence for publishing the Copa and Cogeca figures.

FALSEHOODS: DCANZ executive director Kimberly Crewther says it was disappointing to see Trade Minister Damien O’Connor repeat the obvious falsehoods peddled by EU farming lobbyists.

“I don’t buy into that argument at all. The deal is a lousy deal absolutely for dairy. “The highly protectionist attitude of a few people in Europe doesn’t cover up what is a lousy deal.” DCANZ has rubbished the Government’s claims the new quota will lead to an eventual

$600m annual gain for the NZ dairy industry. It says high in-quota tariffs mean they will not be viable for exporters to use most of the time. “The new butter quota doesn’t even get us back to what we had 20 years ago when the EU butter market was 20% smaller,” Crewther said.

Otago farmers pass aerial inspection with flying colours OTAGO Regional Council staff are pleased with the intensive winter grazing practices by farmers that they saw during three aerial inspections during May and June. While 12% of farms had issues and will be subject to an inspection by council staff, the council’s principal compliance specialist, Mike Cummings, said

there were plenty of excellent examples of intensive winter grazing along with some potential issues. These included issues such as crops being planted in critical source areas where there is a risk of sediment flowing into waterways, and some buffer zones near waterways that were

narrower than desirable. “It was obvious from the flyover the majority of farmers were making a targeted effort to develop protections around the at-risk areas on their properties,” Cummings said. He said from 2023 resource consent will be required to graze critical source areas such as gullies

and swale, and land steeper than 10 degrees. Margins alongside wetlands, streams, lakes or drains need to be at least 5m without a resource consent. A further 12% of those inspected do not need any follow up and 66% will receive a “catchment response”. This means that

industry, catchments groups or ORC catchment advisors will have an opportunity to work with groups of farmers on education targeting the risks in their catchments. The council plans to make two more flights, one later this month and a final one in August, provided the weather allows.

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News

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – August 1, 2022

Formula supply farms seek more capital Hugh Stringleman hugh.stringleman@globalhq.co.nz EQUITY investors are being sought for a family-owned dairy farming corporate in the Clutha valley district of South Otago, where 65% of the milk goes to Danone Nutricia for processing into infant formula base powder. The Argyll Group of three farms and a support block with over 2000 cows in milk is seeking wholesale investors for $5 million or more, with a minimum contribution of $750,000 per investor. The properties and the plant are about 25km up the Clutha River from Balclutha. The farms are close to Danone’s plant but the largest, called McCallbrae’s Dairy with 376ha and 760 cows at peak, supplies Fonterra. Total annual milk production is over 900,000 kg milksolids and last season Danone took nearly 600,000 from Argyll Dairy and Riverview Dairy on the southern river terraces to the west of Cluthavale. The Allangrange run-off of 321ha is on the north bank of the Clutha and on Tuapeka Mouth Rd. Argyll Group has 12 shareholder groups who are mainly family members of the original owners of the three farms. They have been working together for 20 years and an opportunity has come up to buy about 20% of the existing shares. The offer is not open to anyone who would require Overseas Investment Office approval. If the offer is oversubscribed, Argyll may seek further farm development or purchase options.

The Argyll Dairy and Riverview farms’ supply relationship brings attractive payment terms and good milk price certainty. Information memo

SPECIALISATION: The South Otago processing plant of Danone Nutricia uses A2 milk supply from Argyll Group to make infant formula base powder.

A cornerstone shareholding is Craigmore Farming with 25% but it is not Craigmore that wants out. Argyll has benefits from scale when covering overheads and compliance, feed growing, winter grazing and heifer grazing, and buying power with key suppliers and attracting talent. The group has a very experienced operations manager, Glenn McCallum, and the board of seven directors has a representative from Craigmore and an independent, Mike Fleming. The Argyll Dairy and Riverview farms have supplied Danone for three seasons since mid-2019 and the information memorandum comments that this supply relationship brings attractive payment terms and good milk price certainty. Danone pays for milk quality and for A2 protein supply, and all the 600,000kg Danone supplies

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More details of the offer and Argyll Group, plus a link to register interest, are on the Syndex platform and website.

Interested investors will need to sign a non-disclosure agreement before seeing the Danone supply agreement, Fleming said.

Danone has 25 farms and growing DANONE Nutricia at Cluthavale has 25 supply farms and is looking to grow production in line with the performance of its brands and demand for high quality New Zealand products. The head of corporate affairs for Danone Oceania, Scott Pettet, said the Fonterra farmgate milk price is a reference level with incentives related to quality and A2 protein composition. The continued expansion of the A2 milk intake will be as

required, based on the product portfolio and supply base. Pettet said Cluthavale will commission its biomass boiler for factory steam supply during this quarter and that will eliminate 20,000 tonnes of CO2equivalent emissions annually. The company supports Clutha Valley Primary School, including for school lunches, and it has sponsored the Balclutha Half Marathon for a number of years. Danone is partnering with Synlait, AgResearch and the

Government on a landmark soil health research project to measure and provide farmers with the tools to enhance soil health, including identifying where regenerative agriculture practices can make a difference. Two paddocks on each of 10 farms in Waikato, Canterbury and Otago will be dedicated to a comparison between conventional practices and regenerative practices, focusing on greater pasture diversity and reduced nitrogen fertiliser use.

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HARDWOODS: Landowner Tim Rose in his eucalypt plantation in the Wekaweka valley, with native undergrowth under mature stringybark eucalypts.

Northland water under microscope Hugh Stringleman hugh.stringleman@globalhq.co.nz E COLI contamination and low levels of macroinvertebrates are two of the most pressing issues in Northland water quality, says Northland Regional Council (NRC) land management officer John Ballinger. He told a workshop for rural professionals on rural sustainability that the key environmental issues for Northland do not include nitrogen for most rivers and soils but do include E coli, sediment, phosphorus and the invertebrates. The National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management has five attribute bands, ranging from A as good to D and E as poor. In Northland, 94% of waterways are in the D and E bands for E coli, 22% are D for phosphorus, 50% to 70% are D for macroinvertebrates, 16% are D for sediment and 5% D for periphyton, commonly algae. Northland also faces loss of its wetlands through drainage and weed infestation and some degradation of its dune lakes. “We have lots of work to do to turn these environmental indicators around,” said Ballinger. “What is a problem today may not have been caused today, but is a legacy issue, particularly with sediment.”

REMEDIATION: Northland Regional Council has seedlings and grants to assist with hill country erosion, in a project overseen by land management officer John Ballinger.

He is project manager for the regional council’s hill country erosion programme and the councilowned and -run poplar and willow nursery. NRC can help with funding to improve water quality through riparian fencing and planting, supporting catchment groups and retirement of eroding hill country. “We supply poplar and willow poles at subsidised prices and our land management officers provide free advice.” Livestock exclusion is a primary tool for protection of waterways and stopping bank erosion and faecal contamination. NRC will reallocate its funding from the higher slopes to lower slopes as national requirements for freshwater take effect. Within the Kaipara Harbour catchment in Northland’s region, 23% of land area has been mapped as high erosion risk hill country, modelled to account for approximately 70% of annual sediment loads entering the harbour. Grants for retirement of eroding hills are available up to $1,500/ha for 2ha or greater, capped at $30,000 and planting species other than radiata pine at 2m by 3m spacings. “We need to diversify our tree species to adapt to climate change, to avoid radiata pests, diseases, storms and drought – we need both exotic and native,” said Ballinger. Northland has a wide choice of species and continuous cover is the ideal regime, where trees are not clear-felled but taken out singly or in small coupes. Clear-felling every 25 years leads to large sedimentary losses, notwithstanding the improvements in ground disturbance made by the forestry industry. NRC has three pilots underway – eucalypts in a mānuka nurse crop at Paparoa; totara at Waipapa; and mānuka, tallow wood and redwood at Waitangi. “We have the opportunity to grow 100% sustainable, NZ-grown hardwoods instead of importing our needs.” Space planting of poplars and willows on pastures can also be registered in the Emissions Trading Scheme, with new varieties like kawa, for which timber application has been made for building code compliance.

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News

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – August 1, 2022

Seaweed option closer than rules can see KICKER KICKER: Exports in June were up $457m or 7.7% on June 2021, mainly for meat, milk powder, butter, cheese, infant formula and casein.

Fuel costs eat into trade balance Hugh Stringleman hugh.stringleman@globalhq.co.nz

NEW Zealand’s balance of trade, exports versus imports, declined sharply to an annual deficit of $10.5 billion in the 12 months to the end of June, compared with the corresponding period to end June 2021. The beginning of the steep fall can be traced back to November 2020 when Statistics NZ reported a $3.2b surplus for the 12 months prior. That was the most recent trade surplus peak and the middle of a relatively rare surplus period over the past 22 years. In the latest figures, for the month of June 2022, spending on import goods rose $1.4b or 24% to $7.1b, because petroleum and products doubled, up $795 million, now we import value-add fuels rather than refine them at Marsden Point. StatsNZ pointed out that imports of fuels often fluctuate from month to month and that expenditure on diesel, for example, was eight times greater than in June 2021, while

the quantity rose three times. It also said it was not possible to publish some of the trend series for seasonally adjusted movements because of the effects of covid-19. Exports in June compared with June 2021 were up $457m or 7.7%, mainly for meat, milk powder, butter, cheese, infant formula and casein. Within that category beef exports were up 23% to $504m and sheepmeats up 15% to $397m. Milkfat products rose 39% in value and cheese was up 11%. The dairy category also contained a fall in exports of milk powder to China, down $232m, and log exports were also down $110m, only partly offset by a rise in preparations of milk, cereals, flour, and starch (including infant formula), up $78m, and gold kiwifruit, up $62m. The monthly trade balance was a deficit of $701m, with exports $6.4b and imports $7.1b. For the year ended June exports were $67.6b, up $7.2b from the previous year. Annual goods imports were valued at $78.1b, up $17.4b.

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The sound of the ticking clock on climate change has lifted several decibels in recent weeks as the northern hemisphere summer burns up vast areas of land, and temperatures surge over 40degC. The lift in alarm and tempo around climate change has added an urgency to Dr Steve Meller’s call for more rapid uptake of a methane mitigator for livestock here in New Zealand. Richard Rennie spoke to the head of methane mitigation company CH4 Global about the need for speed around methane mitigation, as a lead into his visit for this year’s 2035 Agri-Food-Tech conference. WHILE New Zealand’s pastoral sector contemplates what He Waka Eke Noa (HWEN) will mean for the nuts and bolts of emissions reductions, Dr Steve Meller says it may pay to look across the Tasman to see how much faster they are moving when it comes to reducing methane. Despite a history of Australian federal government ambivalence towards climate change, the country’s beef industry has set a goal to become carbon neutral by 2030 and has looked to methane inhibitors to help get there. Meller’s company, CH4 Global, caused a splash in New Zealand in 2020 when it announced it was scaling up its red seaweed aquaculture production for livestock methane inhibitor, to be based at Rakiura-Stewart Island. But despite the boldness of HWEN, NZ appears to have stalled at a regulatory level in getting Agricultural Compounds and Veterinary Medicines rules changed to accommodate methane inhibitors, and Meller fears we may fall behind Australia if accommodations are not made quickly. “We are already just launching commercially into Australia, but regulations here appear to require a two-year window to conduct research that has already been done,” says Meller. “Put most simply, there really is not the time to stall, given the targets NZ has set itself.” He says all research work he has had done CH4 Global’s natural red seaweed product indicates there is no safety concern, and Australian uptake only reinforces that. “And you can be sure, by 2030 with only a few exceptions almost every country’s government will have goals aligned to the Paris Accord and NZ risks missing out on accessing something that is on its doorstep right now.” Given that livestock greenhouse gases are so dominant at almost 50% of emissions, NZ simply has to move quickly and decisively if it is to stand a chance of moving the emission dial at all. Meller is guardedly optimistic that despite its flaws HWEN will provide the demand “pull” from farmers wanting to get on with methane reduction in a cost-effective way, while the Australians’ move to adopt the mitigation tech will provide comfort to government policy makers here. The native red seaweed species can obviously be grown here in the wild, but Meller will be using his conference visit to highlight advances CH4 Global has made

PACE NEEDED: Dr Steve Meller says NZ risks missing out on a carbon mitigation opportunity if regulations continue to stymie farmers’ ability to adopt that technology.

in land-based production of the seaweed ,which provides greater control over harvest density and consistency. This includes a more viable option to conventional tanks and discussing a new way of processing the harvested seaweed that does not involve expensive and energy-intensive freeze drying. He says each of these innovations has reduced the cost of production significantly and together they have put the product comfortably within reach of farmers having to reduce greenhouse gas output, while also improving individual animal performance. “This is clearly coming through with the published beef feedlot data and we believe it will be the case with dairy. We are working on that now.” Overall gas reductions are shown to be up to 90% in published studies to date. The company’s latest publicly revealed breakthrough was a year ago when it shared that its collaboration with NIWA had advanced to the point where they could trigger seaweed spore release, allowing it to build quantities on demand in land-

based hatcheries, to make large scale commercialisation more viable. Meller says the areas needed for Australia to become self-sufficient with the red seaweed mitigator are surprisingly small. Estimates are that the country’s 27 million cattle would require about 1400ha of land-based production, and NZ would be less than half that. “It is possible you could have a facility growing it in the North Island, and one in the South Island to supply the country’s entire needs.” In South Australia the company is partnering with a group of aboriginal people to build a production facility, and they have hopes of working with iwi here. But Meller wants to see the NZ Government engage more rapidly with innovators like CH4 Global, lest the ramping-up in production facilities ends up in countries more inclined to pick up the technology with less red tape. “It’s really up to New Zealand and New Zealand regulators. If they make it too hard, we will go elsewhere.”

The 2035 Agri Food Tech Oceania Summit will be held October 10-11.

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News

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – August 1, 2022

New markets critical for NZ avo industry Gerald Piddock gerald.piddock@globalhq.co.nz WITH production set to climb over the next five years, New Zealand’s avocado industry needs to develop new export markets to ensure sustainable growth opportunities for the country’s producers. Diversifying export markets will be critical for the avocado industry, according to the report Australian & New Zealand Avocado Outlook 2022 produced by Rabobank. The report says NZ’s avocado production is forecast to grow by an average 6% annually for the next five years, reaching 57,000 tonnes by 2026 — up from 44,000t in 2021. Rabobank associate analyst and report author Pia Piggott says the majority of this production growth will come from the Northland and Bay of Plenty regions. “And while the general production trend will be in an upwards direction, we also anticipate this growth will be highly variable on an annual basis due to ‘alternate bearing’, which results in irregular crop loads from one season to the next,” writes Piggott. NZ is highly reliant on Australia,

DIVERSIFY: Rabobank associate analyst Pia Piggott is urging the NZ avocado industry to look beyond its reliance on exports to Australia.

with that market accounting for 79% of total New Zealand avocado exports over the past five years. NZ is well placed to supply the Australian market, but that country’s own supply has ramped up considerably of late, particularly in Western Australia – leading to a national oversupply. “It’s essential that the New Zealand industry continues to grow its sales into other export markets that can pick up the slack

when Australian import demand is lower,” Piggott says. The industry made significant progress growing sales to other markets in 2021, despite exports by volume being back by 11%. This was partly due to the oversupply issues in Australia and the resulting drop in sales into that market, she says. “While exports to Australia fell, strong growth was recorded in other export markets with

avocado sales to the rest of the world (excluding Australia) up by 154%. “This included improved export sales into Singapore, Hong Kong and South Korea – with NZ exports making up 9%, 4% and 12% of total imports into those markets respectively – as well as strong export growth in markets like China, Thailand, Taiwan and India.” This is promising, but further market diversification will be required by the NZ avocado industry in the years ahead. “While New Zealand was less reliant on Australia in 2021, it still accounted for two-thirds of New Zealand avocado exports by volume,” she said. “And with Australian avocado production forecast to grow rapidly over the coming years, it’s essential that the New Zealand industry continues to add new overseas markets and to expand the share of its avocado exports that are heading to other countries around the world.” Further export expansion into the Asian market presents the best opportunity for New Zealand as growth of the Asian middle class is expected to continue increasing consumer demand for avocados, Piggott says.

New Zealand Avocado chief executive Jen Scoular agreed with the report’s sentiment but pointed out that the industry is already diversifying away from the Australian market and trying to increase its presence in Asia. “We have been focused on developing our markets in Asia for five years and last year we put treble the amount of volume in which was great, and now we have to look at how we can get a premium in those markets,” Scoular said. The fundamentals are still good for avocados and the industry has access to the top eight Asian countries that purchase avocados. There is huge potential for demand in those markets. For growers, the focus is on trying to improve the consistency of the fruit to ensure they are all premium quality. New Zealanders eat 3.5kg of avocados per person per year compared to 0.5kg in Asian countries. There is huge potential to increase consumption in that market, Scoular said. “It’s about building demand for our avocados and putting a premium on them so our small volumes can get into Asia and get prices that get a good return for our growers.”

Young Auckland plant producer named the best in New Zealand Staff reporter

LET’S GROW: Young achiever finalists Joshua Mercer, Rajan Singh, winner Amy Clark, Ellen Ballantine and Eilish Chilton.

VOTE KYLIE LEONARD for FMG Board of Directors Ensuring the Grassroots Farmer is heard at the Board table Kylie is a Dairy and Beef Farmer in the Central Plateau. Married to Rick. Mother of Kate, Isla and Eloise. Recent Education • Fonterra Governance and Development Programme • Institute of Directors Company Direction residential • Farmlands To the Core • Waikato University Post Graduate Global Leadership

• 2022 Finalist Women in Governance • 2020 Recipient Local Hero Medal • 2019 Finalist Women of Influence

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THE FUTURE of the country’s $500 million plant production industry is in excellent hands as shown by the talent of this year’s Young Achiever of the Year, Amy Clark, branch manager of Kings Plant Barn in Botany. Clark was named Young Achiever 2022 at a business breakfast in Christchurch last week, during which all five finalists delivered speeches on the future of the industry. Earlier the competitors took part in Challenge Day at Lincoln University, where they were tested on the skills needed to run a successful plant production business, including finance, plant biosecurity and identification, and health & safety. Judges looked for individuals who could make a difference in the industry, going beyond great skills to also include leadership, attitude and personality. The judges said Clark was very well rounded in all the skills and attributes required and in particular excelled at plant identification and biosecurity. Along with her trophy, she has won a 12-month programme of mentorship support plus a $4000 fund to advance her career. She will also take part in the Young Horticulturalist of the Year competition in November, when she will compete against finalists

from the entire horticulture sector, vying for a prize pool worth more than $20,000. Since 2016 New Zealand’s Young Achievers have placed either first or second in Young Hort. Clark has a bachelor’s degree in agricultural science and is now looking into studying horticulture with an emphasis on soil health and science. Her passion is edible plants: “I absolutely love being able to utilise plants in more ways than one, particularly as a vegetarian!”

I absolutely love being able to utilise plants in more ways than one, particularly as a vegetarian! Amy Clark Young Achiever 2022 The Young Achiever 2022 runners up were Joshua Mercer, plant propagation technician at Growing Spectrum in Hamilton, and Ellen Ballantine, potting team leader at Rainbow Park Nurseries in Drury, Auckland. The other finalists were Eilish Chilton, viticultural technician at Riversun Nursery in Gisborne and Rajan Singh, nursery supervisor at Kings Plant Barn in Auckland .

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Foot-and-mouth disease: Work ramped up to keep it out of NZ

What to do if you have visited Indonesia •

•

• •

Clean footwear and clothing before arrival in NZ Do not bring any animal products or meat Declare your visit to biosecurity officers at the airport Declare if you have had any contact with livestock Allow time for additional biosecurity questions and bag searches Footwear may be disinfected at airport If you had contact with livestock, stay away from farms and susceptible animals in NZ for one week.

ADVICE FOR FARMERS Farmers play an important role in keeping FMD out of New Zealand. You should have an on-farm biosecurity plan and know what to do in case of a suspected outbreak. DO

Extra biosecurity questioning and checks at airports have been introduced for passengers who visit Indonesia.

•

• •

arrivals from Indonesia, to ensure footwear is clean of the virus An FMD readiness and response taskforce is operational to ensure all preparedness work is refreshed and up to date A ban on bringing in personal consignments of meat – even if cooked or processed – from Indonesia Raising awareness among farmers of the disease, its symptoms and crucial precautions they can take A wide-ranging awareness campaign for travellers An on-the-ground audit in Indonesia was completed

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Buy stock from reputable suppliers

•

Maintain accurate and up-to-date NAIT records

•

Minimise contact between your stock and other animals (for example, on neighbouring properties)

•

Quarantine new stock away from existing stock until you’re sure they are healthy – at least for one week but preferably two

•

Check feed labels to make sure they are suitable for the stock

•

Minimise potential contamination risks of people, vehicles and equipment entering and moving throughout the farm through thorough biosecurity protocols

•

Anyone concerned about their animals’ health, especially for symptoms including high fever, mouth and feet blisters or erosions and lameness, should call their veterinarian or MPI’s exotic pest and disease hotline (0800 80 99 66) DON‘T

•

Feed ruminant protein to ruminants (such as cattle, sheep, lambs, goats, deer, alpacas and llamas)

•

Feed pigs food that could contain (or have contacted) meat, unless it has been cooked for 1 hour at 100 deg C

•

Allow overseas visitors near stock for a week after they were last near animals or infected places overseas

•

Let overseas visitors bring contaminated shoes or clothes onto your farm

to assess New Zealand’s biosecurity requirements for palm kernel imports •

•

their fight against FMD •

Providing regular updates to

Close cooperation with our

primary sector partners and

Australian counterparts to

the veterinary network

regularly assess the situation

“We’re appealing to travellers

Assisting Indonesia with

coming from Indonesia to play

tools and technical help in

their part, and to be patient

Awareness campaign for travellers The wide-reaching campaign is targeting travellers at the planning stage of any travel to Indonesia, as well as in-flight and on arrival in New Zealand. Online digital messaging via Google and Facebook is warning travellers of the risks of FMD, when they enter key search terms such as ‘hotels’ and ‘flights’. On flights from Australia to New Zealand, in-flight announcements are stressing the importance of passengers fully declaring

their itineraries, any contact with livestock in Indonesia, as well as the ban on bringing any animal products or meat into New Zealand. These messages are being reinforced at our international airports via digital noticeboards, banners and flyers, and by biosecurity officers. Travellers coming in from Indonesia are also subject to additional biosecurity checks, which include extensive bag searches and the disinfecting of footwear.

‘FMD found in Australia’ not live virus Live foot-and-mouth disease virus has not been found on food in Australia, despite some news reports suggesting it had been detected in Melbourne. Australian officials confirmed that viral fragments had been found on some ‘pork floss’ product, but such fragments are not infectious and cannot transfer live virus to another animal. It is not unusual for non-infectious viral fragments to be found in food. Biosecurity NZ deputy director-general Stuart Anderson says there is no

heightened risk to New Zealand. “Pork floss can be legally imported to countries like New Zealand and Australia if it follows strict import health standards, such as the use of heat treatment. “As an extra precaution, Biosecurity New Zealand will undertake market surveillance to double check product available here is legally imported,” Mr Anderson said. Travellers to New Zealand are not allowed to bring in any meat products.

during the very thorough checks happening at the points of arrival,” Mr Anderson says. “New Zealand is free from foot-and-mouth disease, and we are committed to maintaining vigilance against FMD.”

Palm kernel audit An on-the-ground audit of Indonesia’s palm kernel supply chain has shown it is meeting New Zealand’s strict biosecurity requirements for FMD. Biosecurity New Zealand deputy director-general Stuart Anderson says experts were sent to Indonesia to check that the palm kernel supply chain is meeting requirements. “The risk of PKE (Palm Kernel Extract) carrying FMD is low because of the heat processes used to produce it and there are strong import health standards in place for products

coming from Indonesia, especially PKE. “We did a virtual audit of Indonesia’s PKE supply chain last year and it showed producers were following our import health standards, but we wanted to carry out an on-the-groundaudit as an extra layer of assurance. “Our people visited sites across the country, including a mix of production, storage and loading facilities. Our auditors were able to see all stages of the supply chain and found that suppliers are meeting our strict import health standards.”

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iosecurity NZ has ramped up its readiness work – and introduced new measures – to protect New Zealand farmers from footand-mouth disease. While FMD exists in many countries, and the risk from Indonesia’s recent and fastspreading outbreak is low for New Zealand, Biosecurity NZ deputy director-general Stuart Anderson is urging all travellers and farmers to be vigilant and play their part. “We already have a very thorough biosecurity network in place, and we’re adding several layers and elements to lower our risk even more,” says Mr Anderson. „Our multi-layered biosecurity system includes risk assessment, visual inspections, X-ray screening, scanning technology, and detector dogs to prevent risk goods from being carried into New Zealand by travellers or arriving by mail. All shipping containers and imported goods are assessed for biosecurity risk.“ The additional measures introduced since the FMD detection in Indonesia in May, include: • Extra biosecurity questioning and checks at airports for passengers who visited Indonesia • Foot mats with disinfecting chemicals are being used for

News

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – August 1, 2022

Turning the knowing into doing farmstrong.co.nz

NADINE Hickman helps to run an Angus stud farm near Blenheim, but in 2020 she launched PepTalk, a magazine designed to raise awareness about mental health and give rural communities the tools to navigate tough times.

What’s your own background? I’ve been married to a farmer for 17 years. We breed bulls and are also involved in a partnership growing grapes. We’re wintering around 6000 stock units – Angus cattle and trade lambs. You’ve been through some tough times yourself, haven’t you? Yes, I’ve personally experienced both the misery of mental illness and also what life is like when you feel as if you’re thriving. I know what end of the scale I want to be living at and that’s what motivates me to help others. What makes farming so mentally demanding? I think there are three main challenges. The first is that so much of what happens is beyond your control. The two biggies here are the weather and prices. Farming is probably the only business where you don’t get to set the price of your product, you have to take it and it can really fluctuate. The second challenge is that the work on a farm is never done. The next job is staring at you out the window. You’ve living there and you can’t escape that. The third thing is that farmers care so much about what they do. It’s not just a job, they really care about the legacy they’re leaving for future generations. When you’re so emotionally invested

in something, it can leave you vulnerable. I’m sure a lot of farmers would agree with that list, but what can you do about these challenges if you’re super busy? There are thinking skills you can learn that help people cope when they’re busy and under pressure. For example, “controlling the controllables” is an incredibly helpful strategy. How does that work? If you’re feeling stressed out, get a piece of paper. Draw a circle. Make a list of what you can control in the circle and write what you can’t control outside the circle. Then put all your focus and energy into the things inside the circle. If you do everything you can control, that makes it possible to let go of worry. And if we focus on what we can control to the best of our ability, it often mitigates what we can’t control. So, it’s a very practical way to manage stress. What about managing workload? A concept we promote in PepTalk is called “ruthless” prioritisation. When there is so much work and it is never finished, you really do have to be ruthless. What that means is not just choosing the most important thing on your list to do next, but also sacrificing something. Make the list shorter. Many farmers mention that getting time off farm is a challenge. Any suggestions? It’s about doing what’s possible, rather than nothing. When I think back to when our kids were little and it was just

my husband working on farm, it was literally impossible for us to get away for any length of time. But we had a beach close to our farm, so for us time off was heading there on a Sunday afternoon. That’s the beauty of working rurally, farms are in beautiful places, so it’s about finding little ways to make those breaks happen. How can farmers deal with day-to-day stress and pressure? There are lots of ways to give your mind a chance to refresh. One simple strategy is mindfulness – just take a moment while you’re working to admire something about your surroundings. Just enjoy being out there in nature, living in the moment. If you’re really feeling “under the pump”, try some breathing techniques. You might be sitting in the tractor. At some point, just pause and take a long, slow breath and become more aware of your thoughts so that, if necessary, you can change them. Managing stress is often about having the willpower to find more helpful ways of thinking about a situation. You mean adopting a different mindset? Yes, mindset is everything in farming. Two people can experience exactly the same problem, but their perception of it, and its impact on their wellbeing, will be totally different. That’s why working on your thinking is important. Your attitude has a huge bearing on your wellbeing. What’s your message to someone new to all this? I think when a lot of people think about mental health,

they think about mental illness. But mental health is just health. We need to think about it the same way we think about physical health. Just like good food keeps you well, adopting habits like Farmstrong’s Five Ways to Wellbeing improves your mental health. It’s not something airy fairy, it’s a very practical thing that you can do for yourself. That’s why I started Peptalk – to make information about keeping well casually accessible so people feel motivated to give it a go. When you try something for yourself and see the benefit, that’s what keeps you doing it. Looking ahead, what are your goals for PepTalk? I want to motivate people to be more proactive about managing the pressures of farming. We have all these tools and thinking strategies that we know help. There’s a heap of science and research behind them that proves that. So, now we need people to priotitise it in their lives – we need to turn the knowing into doing. What are the benefits of these strategies for a business? I can only repeat the Farmstrong message – you are the biggest asset on your farm. That’s so true. You can’t do your best or be at your best for the people around you if you’re not in good shape physically or mentally. That’s the reality of farming.

To find out more about PepTalk visit www.peptalk.org.nz is the official media partner of Farmstrong

EMPOWERING: Nadine Hickman and her husband Paul with their children Ashlee, Matt, Samantha and Victoria on farm at Taimate during their recent bull sale. Photo: Sharron Bennett

Agrievents Generation Change is back! August 2, 2022 This one-day workshop and mentoring programme from @AgriWomensDevelopmentTrust prepares young women to make an impact in food & fibre. By exploring their values and strengths, drafting a career plan and connecting with inspiring food & fibre people - it’s about supporting the next generation of primary sector women to bring their true selves to the sector. Know a young woman starting her primary sector journey in tertiary study or training? Tell her about Generation Change, happening in Palmerston North. Learn more at: https://www.awdt.org.nz/generation-change-2/ It’s all about YOU Calling all primary sector women! Is 2022 your time to uncover your true value, purpose and identity? Run by our friends at @AgriWomensDevelopmentTrust, ‘It’s all about YOU’ is a popular two-day personal development programme that re-prioritises you. Registrations are now open! Find your nearest programme at: https://www.awdt.org.nz/programmes/its-all-aboutyou/ You’re not your farm, your job or your kids. You, are you. In your search for confidence and self-worth - your values, strengths, goals and experiences will show you the way. It’s all about YOU is a two-day personal development programme that uncovers your true value and identity. Guiding your group are professional facilitators who will both cultivate a culture of trust, and support you one-on-one. It’s all about YOU runs on a two-tier fee model. If you are from a farm, from a rural community, or running a small business, you are eligible for a subsidy. Thanks to generous support from AWDT and DairyNZ the fee is $420 + GST. Where women are sponsored by their primary sector business or organisation, the full programme fee of $1,000 + GST applies.

Should your event be listed here? Phone 0800 85 25 80 or email adcopy@globalhq.co.nz

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Publishing a magazine is a major undertaking. Why did you start PepTalk? I really wanted to empower rural people with the skills and tools they can use to build a healthy mind. The magazine is my vision for how the world can look when people choose to think in ways that help them cope with the challenges and stresses of everyday life. I also felt frustrated by what I saw happening in society in terms of mental health. We know more about the mind than ever before – there’s so much science and research about what keeps people well – and yet as a society our mental health seems to be getting worse. I felt as a country we still had that real “ambulance at the bottom of the cliff” approach. Healthy thinking is about having the mental skills to thrive in good times and bad.

News

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – August 1, 2022

NZ teen makes cut for Cobber relay Staff reporter

HEADING INTO COMPETITION: Taylor Bird, 19, will be competing with dogs Bruno, Kate, Tom and Moss.

THE 12 working dog teams representing New Zealand and Australia that will compete in the inaugural Cobber Challenge Relay have been announced. Representing New Zealand this year is 19-yearold shepherd Taylor Bird. His Team Hakatere Station is made up of four dogs – two huntaways and two heading dogs.

The new relay format recognises that farmers often work dogs in teams, or pick certain dogs to do different tasks, like mustering mobs of cattle or pushing sheep through yards. Now in its seventh year, the 2022 Cobber Challenge Relay will run from Monday, August 22 to Sunday, September 11. Farmers have nominated teams of two, three or four dogs. Each day of the three-week competition, the farmer will select one of their nominated dogs to wear a GPS collar, to track how far, fast and for how long they work. The results will be combined to crown the winning team of the Cobber Challenge Relay trophy. The data is uploaded daily to the Cobber Challenge website so fans can follow their favourite working dog teams at cobberchallenge.com.au and on the Cobber Dog Facebook page. Cobber’s marketing manager, Kellie Savage, said: “We had so many amazing nominations this year, and the 12 we’ve selected span from Bodallin in Western Australia, across to Mount Somers in New Zealand, almost 5000km.”

We had so many amazing nominations this year, and the 12 we’ve selected span from Bodallin in Western Australia, across to Mount Somers in New Zealand, almost 5000km. Kellie Savage Cobber Challenge Relay

How Get Milking courses work: Our team of practising dairy farmers have created online courses for new dairy assistants. They are designed to build knowledge and conﬁdence fast. No classrooms or student debt; the learning content includes practical videos and easy-to-read course notes explaining the why and the how.

Competitors for the 2022 Cobber Challenge Relay are: • Nick Foster of Boorowa, NSW Team Koonama Working Kelpies including dogs Cracka, Drake, Scorcha and Bundy • Olly Hanson of Corinella, NSW Team Lost River Kelpies including dogs Jake, Bowie and Hex • Sarah Richards of Coolah, NSW Team Nerremen Kelpies including dogs Kora, Spud, Cash and Tank • Georgie Constance of Binalong, NSW Team The Young Guns including dogs Belle, Beau, Murray and Jess • Darius Cosgrave of Tintinara, South Australia Team Superior Wool Merino including dogs Jip and Boots • Ali Hodgson of Greenways, South Australia Team Circus including dogs Opie, Becham Floyd and Midi. • Jordan Flemming of Fingal, Tasmania Team Redhead Kelpies including dogs Nuts, Claire and Nip • Ryan Eade of Bodallin, Western Australia Team Hill View Kelpies including dogs Flick, Millie, Tezz and Suzie • Taylor Bird of Mount Somers, New Zealand Team Hakatere Station including dogs Bruno, Kate, Tom and Moss. • Melissa Smith and Dan McKinnon of Skipton, Victoria Team Anywhere Crutching including dogs Caviar Keith, Roy, Pip and Jude • Dane Simmonds of Myrniong, Victoria Team Parwan Prime including dogs Ruby and Tully • Genine Jackson of Charters Towers, Queensland Team Turbo including dogs Whiskey, Buck and Nick

Have your say on this issue: farmersweekly.co.nz

News

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – August 1, 2022

LIC brings home large returns on shares Hugh Stringleman hugh.stringleman@globalhq.co.nz FULLY paid-up dairy farmers who are shareholders of LIC and users of its services will benefit from a near 50% increase in the annual dividend after the co-operative reported a 16.5% rise in net profit after tax. The 2022 financial year results included an increase in dividend to 18.43c a share, accounting for $26.2 million distribution, including 80% of underlying earnings. The latest dividend announcement represents an 18.5% gross return on the current share price of $1.39, a yield that would be hard to beat anywhere in the New Zealand share market. A special dividend of 10c fully imputed was paid on January 21 to partially distribute funds from the divestment of the automation division last June. Therefore, shareholders have received a gross return from the FY22 year of about 28% from the farmerowned co-op or 20% fully imputed. About $4m of the latest dividend amount is expected to be applied on repaying nil-paid shares dating back to 2018, when they were issued to shareholders as part of a share simplification process. Chair Murray King said the FY22 increase of 5.7% in revenue to $263m

and 16.5% increase in net profit after tax to $26.7m was a record result. It was driven by increased farmer spend on premium genetics and herd improvement services to breed more efficient cows with a lighter environmental footprint. Difficulties encountered during the year included covid-19, inflationary pressures and supply challenges. LIC thanked farmers for their support, many of whom faced similar challenges.

We don’t need to milk more cows, we just need to milk the best cows. Murray King LIC “Delivering value for our farmers is at the centre of everything we do and it’s results like this that enable us to do just that – through our herd improvement products and services, a solid dividend, and, importantly, the right R&D investment to keep their herds profitable and sustainable into the future.” Farmers’ use of fresh semen from

premium bull teams has increased genetic gain, and long-term users of LIC genetics have almost doubled the speed of improvement in their herds over the past decade. King said the co-op has invested heavily into genomics over the past 30 years and new research has confirmed farmers are reaping the rewards of this now. “We don’t need to milk more cows, we just need to milk the best cows and we’re really pleased that our farmers are making solid progress in this space.” LIC put $18.2m into research and development during the year, representing 6.9% of revenue. A large portion was directed at the large-scale methane trial, with CRV and funding support from the Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research Centre, which is aimed at discovering a genetic link for methane production to ultimately enable farmers to breed cows that emit less methane. King said the trial has been measuring feed intake and methane emissions from 300 young bulls and results from this phase are expected to be released later this year. The outlook for trading this financial year is good with underlying earnings in the range of $20m to $26m, assuming no major adverse climate event or milk price change.

EXPERT WATER SOLUTIONS Running a farm requires some serious expertise—like knowing how to get good flow to all the hard-to-reach places. So when John needed a water management system, he knew that getting in touch with an expert just made sense. At RXP, our experts like Alannah, can set you up with efficient irrigation systems and stock water solutions, plus tank storage, drainage, and more—saving you time and money. And now things on John’s farm are flowing just right.

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IMPROVED LIVESTOCK: LIC chair Murray King says the rise in revenue was driven by increased farmer spend on premium genetics and herd improvement services to breed more efficient cows.

News

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – August 1, 2022

Broad SNA criteria have farmers very concerned Hugh Stringleman hugh.stringleman@globalhq.co.nz FARMER organisations have fundamental issues with the draft National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity (NPSIB), mainly the sweeping nature of the Significant Natural Areas (SNA) designation. The draft was released by the Ministry for the Environment and the Department of Conservation in June. Submissions closed on July 21 and have been released. In their submissions, Federated Farmers and Beef+Lamb New Zealand said that all areas of indigenous biodiversity on farms could potentially be classified SNA and that would cause uncertainty, erode farmer confidence and likely affect their wellbeing. “The SNA criteria are flawed and would capture most if not all indigenous biodiversity, which is contrary to the stated intent,” Federated Farmers said. Practical concerns include access to experts, delays and costs. Therefore the draft NPSIB legislation fails on the grounds of workability, it said. The proposed package of financial incentives and support is wholly inadequate, it said, and misses a real opportunity to incentivise the protection of existing biodiversity. “Success in biodiversity will largely come because of support, partnerships, collaboration

and improved information and monitoring. “An overly restrictive, or pecuniary, regulatory framework risks disincentivising restoration or enhancement, and deterring of the voluntary involvement of farmers in working with councils or providing information.” B+LNZ chief executive Sam McIvor said farmers have put in huge effort to protect and enhance native diversity and the proposed legislation risks slowing that momentum and disengaging farmers from the Government’s goals. The area of biodiversity on sheep and beef farms is second only to the conservation estate, and therefore the NPSIB has huge implications for farmers. “We have significant concerns about the policy around existing use, which is currently unclear in the legislation,” B+LNZ said. “The NPSIB must clearly articulate the ability for existing pastoral use to continue and provide for flexibility within farming systems in relation to existing use. “Farmers are justifiably concerned about the very real prospect that they will inadvertently be penalised for their hard work planting and protecting areas of native biodiversity when they’re no longer able to make decisions about the ongoing use of those areas.”

ASSURANCES: Beef+Lamb chief executive Sam McIvor called for the proposed biodiversity legislation to clearly articulate that existing pastoral use can continue.

The SNA criteria are flawed and would capture most if not all indigenous biodiversity, which is contrary to the stated intent. Federated Farmers McIvor said it was critical that landowners are involved from the start in the SNA identification process, and that SNAs are ground-truthed before being included in planning maps. B+LNZ and its co-submitter, Deer Industry New Zealand,

called for only the most or truly significant areas to be designated SNAs. The NPSIB proposal doesn’t sit well with other policies affecting land use and farming such as climate and freshwater policy, it said, and doesn’t promote the integrated management of biodiversity within farming systems. “Environmental policies need to be considered as an interconnected whole,” Deer Industry and B+LNZ submitted. Action taken in one area can have an impact elsewhere in complex farming systems and farmers could get tied up in trying to meet a raft of separate requirements.

One the other hand, the Environmental Defence Society said it believes the definition of SNAs is too narrow and it wants a high and medium classification introduced. EDS pointed out that the draft NPSIB arose out of a working group with Federated Farmers, Forest Owners, Forest & Bird and the Iwi Chairs’ Forum and the pathway to legislation started years back under a National Government. Submissions and feedback will now be analysed by officials and a report made to Associate Minister for the Environment (Biodiversity) James Shaw before the finalised policy goes to Cabinet.

Volume 116 I August 1st, 2022 I email: agined@globalHQ.co.nz I www.farmersweekly.co.nz/agined Are you a parent or teacher and want to receive AginED every week directly to your email inbox? Send us an email to sign up at agined@globalhq.co.nz This graph shows the volume of NZ lamb exports to Europe.

FIREARMS SAFETY WINNER! Dear hunters, Wow! What an incredible amount of wonderful entries for the Burris Binoculars, kindly donated by James and Anna from Rivers to Ranges in Rangiora. I loved reading the personal accounts of how you used the firearms rules to keep yourselves safe while hunting or handling firearms. Very impressive. It is with excitement that I announce that the WINNER of the $600 Burris Binoculars is:

Ben Barbour, 10 years old from Te Waotu School! Ben's entries were detailed and informative and he will definitely be keeping himself and others safe when he goes out hunting. Thank you so much to everyone for taking the time to enter, it means lots of you have had a good refresher conversation about firearms and how to look out for yourself and your mates!

Harriet

ANTI-MEAT NARRATIVE GAINING MOMENTUM?

2 What year/month have exports been at the lowest level? 3 How many thousand tonnes of NZ lamb was exported to Europe in May 2022?

STRETCH YOURSELF: 1

A visiting United States states dietician believes that an anti-meat narrative in Western countries is unethical, elitist and can make people's diets nutritionally dysfunctional.

Head to https://www.farmersweekly.co.nz/ fighting-the-anti-meat-narrative/ and then answer the following questions.

5 Who does Diana believe is the best to purport the benefits of red meat? And why?

Why is an anti-meat narrative developing and who does Diana believe is behind its growth?

2 Who is the Global Food Justice Alliance? What do they do? Why do they have this alliance? 3 Why does Diana believe that this rhetoric is elitist? 4 Why does she believe that obesity rates are rising on the back of red meat consumption lowering?

6 Do you agree? Why or why not?

PLANTAIN FOUND TO REDUCE NITRATE LEACHING Follow this link https://www.farmersweekly.co.nz/ how-plantain-cuts-nitrate-leaching/ to read about how plantain can help to reduce the leaching of nitrates. Then see if you can answer the following questions. 1

What is Plantain?

2 Is it palatable for animals? 3 What is the product that Agricom has produced after 20 years of researching and developing plantain called? 4 What are the four mechanisms that this form of plantain uses to reduce nitrate leaching? 5 What is believed to be the main cause of nitrate leaching on dairy farms currently? 6 What is the main drawback of plantain?

FILL YA BOOTS

What year/month have exports been at the highest level on this graph?

Head to https://www.farmersweekly.co.nz/sheep-milkingexpands-to-taranaki/?fbclid=IwAR2 _ kDmdkWQav6VW _ vnT61jXO5OOekReHS8wlSHKSiBlUJEgpcZmzA7JVWE and read the article on sheep milking in Taranaki. 1 What is the name of the sheep milk company? 2 How many suppliers do they currently have? 3 Why are more suppliers of sheep milk needed?

China’s ‘zero-covid’ policy has greatly reduced exports to that destination particularly over the last few months. Do you think this may have had some impact on the amount of product heading to Europe and other countries? Why or why not?

2 Looking at the five-year average trend, would you expect export volumes to track upwards or downwards in the coming months? Why do you think this is? (Hint: think about our domestic supply of lamb). 3 Only 10% of lamb exported in May was chilled, usually this number is around 13-18%. Why do you think there has been difficulty around exporting chilled products over frozen products?

Ever wondered what life is like working in the sheep milking industry? In our latest episode of Road to Rural we are joined by Cameron Ravenwood, who was the driving force behind getting his family sheep and beef farm converted for sheep milking, and launching their own successful brand of sheep milk. What are some of the nutritional advantages of sheep milk over cow's milk? What are some of the environmental advantages of sheep’s milk over cow’s milk? Listen here - https://tinyurl.com/y8f9y285 Or scan the QR code above

Newsmaker

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – August 1, 2022

Collaboration is tech pioneer’s mantra Soil science was firmly in Andrew Cooke’s sights when he headed off to Waikato University in the late ’80s, but along the way he fell into the cold logic of computer science and programming. Today Rezare, the company he later founded, represents a union of the natural world of farming and computing’s potential for unlocking the biological. This year’s winner of the Robin Davidson Memorial Award for Agritech Excellence spoke to Richard Rennie.

ITH a career in agritech running from the pre-internet dark ages to these halcyon days of high-speed connectivity, AI and machine learning, Andrew Cooke admits he risks falling into the “grumpy old man” demographic after witnessing such rapid advances in tech development. But the reality is far from that. Cooke is better categorised as a collaborative pioneer in agritech software, one who is relishing the next step in his career, which comes in part due to the recent acquisition of Hamilton-based agri-software development company Rezare by UK tech company Map of Ag.

A bunch of projects also happened internationally, and the NZ code helped shape the equivalent codes around the world. Andrew Cooke Rezare Cooke has for many years been the industry’s quiet collaborator, recognising very early on that agritech was not going to advance far with every company thinking they had the “silver bullet” solution to whatever problem they thought farmers needed solving. Back in 2012 he was instrumental in establishing a world first by having New Zealand lay out the terms for an agricultural data code of

practice, protecting how farmers’ information was going to be shared, and by who. Cooke acknowledges the way forward was to work on being on good terms with as many parties as possible, at a time when many were liable to hold whatever IP tech they had very close to their corporate chest. He concedes that on one level the farm data code of practice was not as successful as he may have envisaged, with very few companies signing up to be accredited to the code. “But on another level, it was highly successful in a way we did not expect. While few companies got accredited, just about every company went and changed their terms and conditions around data use, for farmers’ benefit. “A bunch of projects also happened internationally, and the NZ code helped shape the equivalent codes around the world.” Greater global uniformity in software configuration, data sharing and interoperability are all testament to Cooke’s ability to get on with most people and get them on side for collaborative projects. These efforts have also been recognised at an international level, with Cooke also recently receiving the award for outstanding contribution at the International Committee of Animal Recording (ICAR) meeting in Montreal. The globally influential work he has overseen with Rezare includes ICAR’s animal data exchange system. The project worked across the hemispheres to establish an open-source software platform that is free to use and can be utilised by agritech developers. It is already in use by robotic milking machine and farm

Andrew Cooke was the recipient of the Robin Davidson Memorial Award for Agritech Excellence this year, the first time the agricultural innovators award has been bestowed in over a decade, in recognition of his enduring partnerships in the New Zealand agritech sector, enthusiasm for building globally competitive businesses and a willingness to constantly innovate. Previous winners included illustrious innovators such Colin Harvey and Sir William Gallagher.

CAPTAIN COOKE: Andrew Cooke has been recognised for his leadership in agritech, having headed up a number of collaborative projects of international significance.

software vendors, data exchanges and milk recording organisations, and supports a wide range of livestock from dairy cows right through to milking buffalo and deer. It is largely thanks to Cooke’s efforts like this that the agritech holy grail of interoperability has become a lot closer between

systems and developers. Here at home, another backroom application few farmers will know about but enjoy the benefit of has been the development of DataLinker. The software framework was developed to help agri-companies share data effectively and eliminate farmers’ pet hate, the

need to enter data twice. The other recent release in NZ has been VelTrak, a supply chain software system developed to track NZ velvet’s movements from farm to final retail destination, guaranteeing supply chain transparency. Cooke says the acquisition of Rezare by Map of Ag came about with the UK company recognising Rezare’s strong talent pool, one that comprises 40 developers and software programmers in Hamilton who are plugged into agriculture. “And Map of Ag is about enabling data to be used by companies, advisors and software specialists. It is a good fit with Rezare’s capacity to power up their aspirations,” says Cooke. He says the move makes Rezare a significant player internationally, and all the challenges being faced right now are positive ones relating to a strong growth phase that includes some high-profile international food-producing and -retailing customers. Cooke says every country likes the idea they are agritech leaders, and his greater global reach has bought him into contact with players as far afield as Finland and Norway, both of which offer great developments. He sees NZ “absolutely” holding its own in the competitive sphere. One major challenge, however, remains maintaining a flow of good talent through our respected tertiary institutions, rather than relying upon immigration to address any talent shortage.

There’s still time to apply for a 2023 Nuffield Scholarship. The future of food and fibre is in the hands of our bold, grounded people, and those who give back. Applications close 14 August. Apply now at Ruralleaders.co.nz/application-nuffield

Desiree Reid Distiller Quiet Leader Nuffielder

New thinking

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – August 1, 2022

Forest giants a viable carbon capture option So often the centrepiece of a mountain bike ride around Rotorua, redwoods have otherwise been largely neglected in New Zealand as a production tree. Richard Rennie spoke to Scion researcher Dr Michael Watt about how these majestic trees could be more than part of the scenery, and help NZ achieve carbon zero.

EDWOODS, the towering natives of California, account for a minuscule 1% of New Zealand’s plantation forest, despite the well-known Rotorua stand being there for more than 100 years as an example of the tree’s potential. Redwoods dwarf their radiata pine cousins in height, but those same pines eclipse redwoods for popularity, accounting for 90% of NZ’s plantation plantings. A carbon modelling study by Scion researcher Dr Michael Watt and colleague Dr Mark Kimberley shows that redwoods’ capacity for carbon sequestration makes them an appealing option as a plantation species in some parts of NZ, exceeding pines’ ability to store carbon on suitable sites. Watt says while pine trees are good candidates for early “heavy lifting” in carbon sequestration, their declining growth rate after 30 years could limit this country’s ability to hit its carbon reduction targets come 2050. “Our modelling work, which by and large was relatively conservative in terms of estimates, found on average by age 40 redwoods growing in the North Island have sequestered 1943 tonnes of CO2 per hectare, against pines’ 1864t CO2/ha. “In the most ideal sites in Taranaki, Bay of Plenty and Waikato, redwoods reached 4000t CO2/ha, far exceeding the 17502500t CO2/ha achieved by radiata pine at those sites.” But redwoods are only just warming up over their first 40 years, maintaining high growth rates and by default carbon sequestration for hundreds of years afterwards. Some individuals in the species include some of the oldest living trees in the world, reaching ages

of 2200 and heights of more than 110m. The researchers’ modelling work enabled them to create a granular map of NZ that highlights areas where the trees are most suited to grow, and their expected growth rates. Areas most suited to redwood are generally warmer and wetter, and include parts of Bay of Plenty, Waikato and Taranaki. The trees do not perform well in drier, cooler areas such as the east coast of the South Island. Watt also points to redwood’s harvest value as another reason for growing the species.

In the most ideal sites in Taranaki, Bay of Plenty and Waikato, redwoods reached 4000t CO2/ha, far exceeding the 1750-2500t CO2/ha achieved by radiata pine at those sites. Dr Michael Watt Scion “Like cypress species, redwoods have significantly greater value than pines due to their appearance-timber premium, often double that of radiata pine. They can often be used as a replacement for imported western red cedar.” As the Government looks to limit carbon forestry to natives only, the researchers’ work also highlights how NZ may miss a valuable sequestration opportunity by keeping nonnatives, including redwoods,

limited to short-rotation plantings alone. Watt says the concern for NZ’s carbon targets is the sawtoothlike pattern of sequestration and drop after harvest at year 30 that characterises pines. “Both volume and carbon capture of redwood planted as permanent forests will continue to increase rapidly after age 30. Establishment of a significant sustainably logged redwood resource in New Zealand would ramp up the carbon capture for NZ forests and at the same time supply high value appearancegrade timber to the market.” Their forward projections show that carbon differences between redwood and pine diverge even more at older ages and higher stand densities in the North Island. For instance, when redwoods were grown at high density, by age 50 they had sequestered on average 2804t of CO2 per hectare, compared to pines at 2296t CO2/ ha. Watt says the work has also highlighted the significant disparities between actual sequestered carbon and the Ministry for Primary Industries’ “look up” table estimates of carbon capture for the species. “The look-up tables are too conservative in their estimates of redwoods’ sequestration. Our study found carbon to be at least twice as high as the values in the look-up tables for all North Island regions.” This has flow-on effects for farmers who are planting trees, as they will usually plant less than 100ha, and under the regulations have to use the look-up table estimates. Watt describes the issue as critical, as the tabled values of carbon are often used by

CARBON KINGS: Dr Michael Watt’s work has shown that, in the right environment, redwoods put radiata pine in the shade when it comes to carbon sequestering.

landowners to make decisions about species selection – and at the current time these will favour the establishment of pines. Look-up data for redwoods is also not regionalised to allow for major environmental differences along this long skinny country. “They should reflect the wide variation in growth for redwood (and other alternative species) throughout the country, so that incentives are in place to establish the right tree in the right place.” The researchers hope their work prompts and assists Government policy makers to revise current look-up tables and also consider longer rotations and non-native

permanent carbon forests in the Emissions Trading Scheme forestry regulations going ahead now. “Redwoods offer a very viable option in some places to natives, which are extremely expensive to establish, and slow to sequester. Natives will not do the job of achieving net zero in this generation. Redwoods would be cooking with gas come 2050, through to 2100.”

Downloadable maps on redwood growth potential are freely available at https://koordinates.com/ (type in “redwood” to the search engine).

Wanting to make the step into a rural career? The Road to Rural podcast connects you with young people already working in the sector, to give you an insight into how to get there, and why they love it. This week Olivia talks with Cameron Ravenwood from Wairarapa, to find out what life is like as a sheep dairy farmer, and entrepreneur. To listen scan the QR Code

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Opinion

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – July 11, 2022

EDITORIAL

All hands on deck to fight foot-and-mouth

HE outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in Indonesia is not quite on our doorstep, but close enough to jolt us from any complacency. While we have the relative security of distance and there are no direct flights between NZ and Indonesia, the fact that the disease is as close as it is warrants a far-reaching response to reduce the risk of it reaching here. With 1000 Australians a day reportedly travelling to Indonesia, it also provides us with a vivid reminder that such diseases can hitch a ride via a third country. Pre-covid, more than 2.5 million people travelled between Indonesia and Australia each year, and even though volumes are still well down on those levels, they will only grow and heighten the risk of the disease hitching a ride. The Government led by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has not always endeared itself to the primary sector, but it is front-footing this issue, strengthening existing biosecurity and introducing new measures to protect our borders. The fact that Ardern and Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor led a press conference last week on the issue shows the Government is taking the risk seriously. Perhaps this is an acknowledgment by the Government that the economy is more reliant on the primary sector today than it has been in recent decades. O’Connor was correct when he referred to FMD as the doomsday disease, and has backed that rhetoric with tangible measures, such as auditing the Indonesian palm kernel supply chain, banning all meat products carried by travellers from that country, including those previously accepted, and ensuring customs inspect every container originating in Indonesia. But that is only part of the required response. With Mycoplasma bovis fading to a memory for most of us, the proximity of the latest FMD outbreak serves as a reminder to farmers to bolster their personal biosecurity. The jury has yet to definitively determine how M bovis arrived here, but it showed that no biosecurity system is watertight and should serve as a reminder that keeping our FMD-free status is a role for everyone.

Neal Wallace

LETTERS

Scraping by to pay a foreign tax A CONTINUED 7.5% tariff on beef into the European Union might not sound like much – until you look at it through the eyes of the typical farming family in New Zealand. What it means for our family with five children farming beef cows and finishing our livestock in South Canterbury is punishing. It means that on our animals given by us supreme free veterinary health care, free rotational grazing feeding, shepherding on lush green pastures and excellent free range living conditions, we will barely make any income at all. Our farm costs for feed, fertiliser, fuel, labour and animal health will consume 85% of our income from selling you beef. Of the 15% profit we could

make, a foreign government, the EU, will tax us 7.5%. Doesn’t sound like much, but this is 50% of our profit from beef sold to Europe – and our New Zealand Government taxes us a further 25% average via income tax, GST/ VAT etcetera. The remaining 25% of our 15% profit, after having paid 75% of it to governments domestic and foreign in levied taxes, we will have left to pay our mortgage and feed and educate our children. Now I hope you can see why we farmers hate punitive tariffs. Dave Stanton Geraldine

A waste of (cows’) breath I HAVE just read your article in the Farmer of July 11 by the wise Professor Keith

Woodford. If we are going to have the urban population of New Zealand understand the methane issue, we must simplify the science. The question we must answer is, should we pay emissions tax on gross or net methane production? If we should pay on gross greenhouse gas from ruminating farm stock, we must surely include respiration – 90% of the carbon the cow emits is CO2 from breathing. Even the dimmest politician can see that this is a false concept, a mistake. A mistake first made in the first years of the century, when the world’s first methane research station was initiated – of course strongly promoted by its leaders ever since. He Waka Eke Noa people still use the calculation based

on gross emissions rather than net. Methane has always been around at about two parts per million and always will be, part of the wonderful carbon cycle. Let’s agree to pay methane tax on net increase in the atmosphere from our animals and stop making fools of ourselves in front of the rest of the world. The question is simple: should agriculture pay emissions tax on net emissions like the rest of the economy, or should we pay the gross emissions tax that originated as a huge mistake by the Labour Green party back in about 2002 – and which anti-farmer sentiment and embarrassment sustain to this day. David Lloyd Te Kauwhata

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Opinion

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – August 1, 2022

How healthy is the soil on your farm? The

Pulpit

SIGNS OF LIFE? Sue Edmonds says getting to know the secret world of soil is the key to sustanaible food production. Sue Edmonds

aren’t growing as much pasture as we thought, because all that rain we are getting isn’t staying in our soil, either running off or sinking straight through because the physical properties aren’t quite right.

An enormous amount of new research is going on all over the world on soil life and how it works together. We are only just learning how fungi and bacteria got our world started, and are keeping it going, along with plants and animals.

Or the chemical balance isn’t working properly because our fertiliser mixes have too much of one chemical and are missing

some of the other necessary ones, only needed in small quantities. And how alive are our soils? Do we have sufficient, or a balance of, the critters (fungi, bacteria and all the small ones moving around there) who are the symbiosis experts, who keep the right things moving in the right directions? Is the constant plant cover adding the carbon and sugars, and swapping them for the things plants need but can’t produce themselves? We need all three of these factors to ensure that our soil is properly aggregated, so the fungal filaments are holding the knobbly bits together, but leaving spaces so the air and water are held in sufficient quantities to give the critters some air, and the water is held where it is useful. And are the chemicals in the right forms for the plants to use? This calls on the critters to make the necessary changes to them if they aren’t. When the weather produces a big dry or a big wet, we need not only plants that can cope, but the soil itself has to hold together and not

be blown or washed away. Our reading, and the courses we’ve joined over the past year, have shown the enormous amount of new research going on all over the world on soil life and how it works together. We are only just learning how fungi and bacteria got our world started, and are keeping it going, along with plants and animals. Their methods are based on symbiosis, which is an overall give-and-take system, where each facet helps the others while taking what they need themselves. Farming has long been based on what we can get out of soil, rather than working with it. This, and our propensity for putting hard development on the surface, has not only reduced the productive areas, it has also killed off the life sources within much of the rest of it, resulting in increasing areas of desertification and unproductive land. It is possible to get working ecosystems going again, but you need to know how to do it. And soon! When we looked around to find

information on suitable tests we can mostly do ourselves, there were bits here and bits there, but nothing all in one place that we could study. So over the coming weeks we are going to give you a series of articles that show you what test is good for what problem, and then we hope to put them all together in a downloadable booklet that you can grab from several websites.

Visit farmersweekly.co.nz for future stories on Sue Edmonds’ soil studies.

Who am I? Sue Edmonds is a farming and science writer from Waikato.

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E VALUE what we grow, but how much do we know about our soil, the stuff we rely on to do its job? A recent article in the Guardian by George Monbiot, “The secret world beneath our feet is mindblowing – and the key to our planet’s future”, is a must-read. How healthy is the soil on your farm? Apart from heaving on fertiliser mixes as recommended, how often do you check on its physical, chemical and biological/ ecological health, using a variety of tests across all that space that you can do yourself? With all the problems going on in the world at present, you may have discovered from your reading or watching that New Zealand is not self-sufficient in its food production. We can eat meat and dairy products forever, but there are a lot of foodstuffs that we have to import, and when the world is in upheaval, from pandemics or wars, some of those may not be available, or the ships bringing them aren’t arriving as we usually expect. This doesn’t mean we should panic but, as everything we eat comes from soil, maybe we need to be able to check that our soil is healthy enough to grow other crops in sufficient quantities to feed our people, which might cause some changes in how we actually farm. Anyway, a few checks around our farms could mean that we

Opinion

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – August 1, 2022

Red meat debate takes farcical turn Alternative View

Alan Emerson

I RECENTLY wrote an article on factory farming. About how the critics of the primary sector use the label and the mainstream media then unquestionably promotes it. As I mentioned, nothing could be further from the truth. Factory farming is super intensive where animals are housed. We don’t do that in New Zealand despite what certain sectors of the media may promote. I was therefore pleased to read about a local study looking into the benefits of eating red meat. It was funded by Meat Industry Association, Beef+Lamb NZ, the High Value Nutrition National Science Challenge and the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment. The study was a collaboration between researchers at AgResearch, the University of Auckland, Massey University and the Riddet Institute. It was headed by Dr Andrea Braakhuis from the University of Auckland. It is highly credible. Basically it told us what every farmer knows: that is eating red

meat is good for you. Like you, I’ve heard and read about meat alternatives and how they’re better for your body and the planet. The reality is they aren’t and we now have research to prove it. I’ve always wondered why you would consume a product that is designed to look and taste like meat but isn’t. Further, those products are highly processed and many use genetic engineering. Red meat by comparison is a natural, healthy product. AgResearch senior scientist Dr Scott Knowles was quoted saying that very little is known about the nutritional value and health benefits of the meat alternatives. Think about that. We’re told ad nauseam about the value of plant-based meat alternatives yet we don’t actually know what they contain or any health benefits they may have. In addition the research showed that meat delivered more of the essential amino acids than any plant alternative is able to. Project head Braakhuis told us that “amino acids from red meat are of greater biological value and better absorbed by the body”. Massey University also found that red meat was better digested in a laboratory simulator than the plant-based alternative. Knowles said that the plantbased alternatives are “marketed as having advantages in environmental footprint and sustainability. Those credentials

are still being scrutinised.” He said we know for certain that New Zealand farmers are producing a highly nutritious food in one of the most efficient production systems in the world. Ironically, much of the mainstream media didn’t seem that interested in the analysis. Instead I read what I would class as a biased and emotive diatribe telling me it was time to kick our meat and dairy habit. Newsroom asked the rhetorical question if it was “time for the government to treat agriculture like tobacco”. I’m serious. They put that in print claiming that on one hand our sector produces $52 billion in exports but on the other it pollutes waterways and contributes to the destruction of biodiversity and is harmful to humans. For a start I found the comparison of food production to tobacco use offensive. Nicotine is a recreational drug that is addictive – you smoke it. Food is a necessity of life – you eat it to survive. We read that eating high levels of red meat increases the risk of heart disease, which is NZ’s biggest killer. Further, that consuming processed meat increases the risks of colorectal cancer. They don’t quantify what high levels are, and there are issues with all foods. For example, consuming excessive amounts of salt can be fatal. Then we have the hardy annual

HIGH STEAKS: Red meat is a natural, healthy product.

of nitrogen in waterways that might, they say, be making rural people sick or leading to babies being born early with low birth weights. I’d like to see some strong science, complete with figures, to back that up. In one place the entire discussion becomes farcical in my view. Agriculture is criticised not only for producing unhealthy food in the form of meat and dairy, but also for putting it on the tables of the “relatively well-off people whose diets contain more protein than what’s considered healthy”. That’s according to a University of Otago academic. It seems we can’t win. On one

hand we have a highly reputable research project that says consuming red meat is good for you and goes into detail as to why. On the other you have meat and dairy compared to tobacco with a plaintive bleat that our sector needs regulation just like tobacco and furthermore we’re feeding our meat and dairy to the relatively well off and not the needy. One could add, humbly and respectfully, that the relatively well off give us the $52b that enables us to maintain our standard of living.

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

Ready for my solar-powered hovercraft From the Ridge

Steve Wyn-Harris

I’VE just had a look at NIWA’s soil moisture graphs for the country after the latest weather event and, not surprisingly, except for an area inland from Dunedin, the rest of us are now officially at field capacity. I was only surprised that vast swathes of the country weren’t in the category above it at the top, which is water surplus, given the immense amount of rain that has fallen over recent weeks and months. Many of you are dealing with floods that have taken out infrastructure and, heartbreakingly, gone through homes and buildings, making access difficult and keeping animals fed very tricky. This is not easy and if it’s a repeat experience even tougher, so we are thinking of you. Further up the coast from here, the big rain events have seen country moving and consequently taking out infrastructure, and again making access challenging.

It’s been bloody wet here as well, but my problems are not as bad as in many other areas, so I’ve got little to complain about. Wet winters on these heavy clay soils with pans were a feature in my teenage years of the 1970s and for my first decade or two farming in the 1980s and 1990s. Since then, the winters have not only gradually become warmer but on average drier. After several autumn droughts and dry winters, this is our first really wet one for a long time and I’d forgotten what a challenge they are. It was only this time last year that I was finally able to put some nitrogen on after moisture at last arrived – and that was done by truck, which was extraordinary. When we bought the property in 1963, the previous owners used horses alone, which was the norm just 60 years ago. The farm came with a horse, but Soda died within a couple of years so the old man bought himself a second-hand Ford tractor. Leaning against an old gum tree for the past 50 years have been a set of impressive iron circles with spikes. These were bolted onto the rear wheels and helped drag the two-wheel-drive tractor through the mud. I can still remember as a kid watching these things go around as I stood on the tray throwing out hay.

TRUE GRIP: After Soda the horse and before the four-wheeler, these were what kept the tractor moving in the wet.

I’ve kept them as a historical oddity and am surprised Jane has never commandeered them for the garden. My successors will probably immediately take them to the scrap merchant and buy a box of beer or some other necessary item on the proceeds. Two-wheel motorbikes made an appearance later in the 1960s, when dealers realised they could modify road bikes to suit farmers. Except for when it was very wet, they revolutionised farming. But they would often break down and it wasn’t uncommon out on the farm to be taking out the spark plug to clean the oil off it to get it going again.

Then three-wheelers with their balloon tyres turned up and they were wonderful when it was wet. I had a nasty experience once when going down a hill: my legging-clad legs got pulled under the wheels and suddenly it was now on sleds. It took off, pulling me hard down onto the seat. The only option I had to avoid breaking the land speed record was rolling it over, which worked out well in the end. I’d been told they floated and tried that once, only to prove it wasn’t true. I was late to getting a fourwheeler but that is obviously brilliant when it is wet. Given the advances just in

my lifetime, a solar-powered hovercraft for my wet flats is just around the corner, or a nifty antigravity all-terrain vehicle. My current problem is that I have two properties and when the four-wheeler is at one farm, I’m consigned to the two-wheeler at the other. The other day I was struggling to get the two-wheeler up a hill to move some sheep. I was beside it, pushing and coaxing it to get us to our goal. The realisation came to me that I’m now 63 and too old for this nonsense, and financially well off enough to buy a side-by-side. Next day I was in town so I went to see my motorbike dealer. Twenty-three grand for a modest one, he told me, but it was a moot point due to the covid supply challenges as I’d be waiting many months for one. I asked about a second-hand one but unsurprisingly, because few were getting a new bike, good second-hand ones are like hen’s teeth. I went home convincing myself that pushing two-wheelers up hills was good for my cardiovascular system and cheaper than a gym membership.

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 – August 1, 2022

UPHILL JOB: The agricultural partnership faces pushback from several fronts on its proposals on carbon sequestration and vegetation.

Photo: NZ Story

HWEN will battle to persuade ministers Meaty Matters

Allan Barber

AGRICULTURAL partnership He Waka Eke Noa has achieved partial success in persuading the Climate Change Commission of the viability of its proposal to measure on-farm emissions outside the ETS using a split gas approach. But it will have a harder job trying to convince ministers to ignore the Climate Change Commission’s advice not to allow carbon sequestration for vegetation that falls outside the ETS and measurement of nitrous oxide at the farm level. It also faces criticism from Groundswell, which maintains HWEN’s measurement model is not fit for purpose as it fails to account for net warming. The CCC report released in July states the commission’s belief that eligible farmers can be ready to participate in a farm-level system by January 1 2025. It rejects including on-farm vegetation, not already eligible for carbon credits in the ETS, for reasons of complexity, cost and inequity, while recommending pricing synthetic nitrogen fertiliser at the processor level in the ETS. The CCC believes farmers can be rewarded more appropriately for on-farm vegetation through

improving the ETS and recognition of enhancements to water quality and biodiversity through some sort of “separate mechanism”. Nitrogen fertiliser emissions could be recognised at the farm level in the future when the science of measuring emissions improves. Beef+Lamb NZ does not accept either of these points and will work with its partners in HWEN to convince ministers that both can be measured accurately and in time to meet the 2025 deadline. In its detailed submission to HWEN’s consultation process, Chartered Accountants ANZ fully supports the measurement of emissions at the farm level, although it questions whether this can be achieved cost-effectively across 100% of farms by 2025 unless the sector leverages the relationship between farmers and their accountants. CA ANZ estimates its members already hold 80% of the information needed for emissions reporting, having helped sheep and beef farmers to complete their Beef + Lamb calculators last summer. The remaining information relates to fertiliser application and vegetation, which can be obtained from fertiliser history and farm mapping. The key to achieving 100% farm coverage at a realistic cost will be avoiding double data entry into farm accounting and emissions calculators. Depending on the GHG calculator format, it will also be possible to enter the emissions data directly or through thirdparty accounting software into the

IRD’s IT system, like a tax return. The Government, not the HWEN partners, will have to take responsibility for setting up an IT reporting system that is capable of accepting and processing information from 24,000 farmers from the 2025 deadline, compared with 2,000 businesses in the ETS. The public service track record in implementing IT systems does not provide massive confidence this will be ready to operate without problem or delay.

We cannot allow a situation where farmers face a price for their emissions and are unable to get full credit for their sequestration.

Groundswell believes New Zealand agriculture to be already climate neutral and therefore any agreement with the Government on a methane reduction target above 3% by 2030 will in effect subsidise non-agricultural emissions at the expense of farmers. However Kelly Foster, HWEN’s programme director, argues that between 1990 and 2020 emissions from agriculture have increased 17%, primarily due to an 80% increase in the national dairy herd and an increase in the application of synthetic nitrogen fertiliser of approximately 700% since 1990. These increases have

been partially offset by decreases in the populations of sheep (by 55%), beef cattle (15%) and deer (15%) over approximately the same period. Environmental spokesperson for Groundswell and agricultural consultant Steven Cranston takes issue with DairyNZ and Fonterra for agreeing to the methane emission target of 10% by 2030 in the Zero Carbon Bill in 2019, which he says should have been based on emissions calculated using the GWP* method, not GWP100. Cranston also maintains the HWEN partners failed to advocate sufficiently for emissions measurement to account for both warming and cooling effects of agriculture and the inclusion of all on-farm sequestration, not just what is permitted under the ETS. B+LNZ chair Andrew Morrison says agriculture achieved some major outcomes in 2019, including keeping agriculture out of the ETS and acceptance of a split gas approach, making NZ the only country to date where this will apply. He agreed with Cranston, however, that the methane targets are too high and should be based on GWP*, which was new science at the time and has much wider understanding now. B+LNZ never agreed to the targets and will be challenging them as part of a separate process in 2024. Morrison says that during B+LNZ and DairyNZ’s consultations with farmers earlier this year they made it very clear they wanted all their sequestration offsets included from day one. While it would ultimately be

preferable to account for more sequestration through the ETS, this is highly unlikely to happen by that time, and there are no biodiversity credits in the Biodiversity NPS, which the Government has been working on for years, so this would also be highly unlikely. According to Morrison, “We cannot allow a situation where farmers face a price for their emissions and are unable to get full credit for their sequestration.” National’s agricultural spokesperson, Barbara Kuriger, was also very disappointed with the CCC’s recommendation on sequestration. Morrison argues it should also be relatively easy to include the additional sequestration in HWEN as there are tools already available to measure sequestration at the farm level, such as through Overseer and Toitū. It would be much simpler to do this than set up a separate system. The decision to accept HWEN’s recommendations in full or go with the CCC report must be made by the end of this year to ensure the passing of legislation in time to meet the deadline, although there may still be some amendments. All parties to the decision agree the final form of the legislation must be based on the correct science.

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

Opinion

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – August 1, 2022

FMD: untreatable and devastating Axel Heiser THE spectre of foot-and-mouth disease and the devastating impact an outbreak would have for New Zealand loom large as other countries in the region grapple with outbreaks. While the actual risk of this animal disease spreading to NZ from the current outbreak zone in Indonesia is not considered high – and it is reassuring to see it being treated with utmost seriousness by our authorities – it is nonetheless unnerving for people to see news reports such as those out of Australia recently about viral fragments being detected in imported food products (though these are not infectious and FMD had not spread into Australia at the time of writing). The impact of FMD becoming established in New Zealand cannot be underestimated. It would deliver a significant economic shock and losses in the area of $16 billion over four to five years as food exports were heavily affected. The mass culling of farmed animals would have a massive impact on the wellbeing of farmers, those in rural communities and the general public. On the positive side, NZ does have the benefit of access to a body of international research on FMD, as well as significant expertise in livestock infectious disease and crisis management to draw on. The recent experience with Mycoplasma bovis, while on a different scale to what FMD may present, also helps in the preparation for any outbreak in NZ. So, what do we know about FMD? FMD is one of the most devastating diseases affecting the meat and dairy industry globally. It is caused by the FMD virus (FMDV) that infects cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, deer and other clovenhoofed animals. Symptoms – lesions in the mouth and on the hooves, excessive drooling, fever, decreased appetite and weight loss – are most significant in young animals, where mortality is 20% or higher. The FMDV spreads easily through contact and airborne transmission and quickly infects

entire herds. The virus can also be transmitted via farming equipment, shoes, clothing, vehicle tyres and more. Why is it so potentially damaging? Once it entered NZ, FMD would likely spread rapidly before it was even detected. Its presence would have a significant impact in terms of NZ’s trading partners halting imports of our animal products. Even a small and local outbreak would affect the whole of NZ. Control of the disease would likely be attempted by culling all animals on infected premises and potentially on neighbouring properties, and by strict controls over animal movement. The response would continue until FMD was eradicated, which would be confirmed by nationwide testing. Reaching freedom from disease would take months after a small outbreak, and much longer after a large outbreak. Testing for FMD Confirmation of the infection would need to be performed in specialised laboratories that met strict requirements for containment of the virus. The commonly used tests are PCR and serotyping. The genetic code of the FMDV is RNA, which can be directly detected using so-called real-time reverse-transcription (RT)-PCR. Usually, two separate highly sensitive RT-PCR assays are used to detect two different regions of the RNA genome. Another direct detection is concurrent virus isolation in cell culture systems and subsequent whole genome sequencing. In contrast to the direct detection by PCR, serotyping detects the immune response against the virus, specifically the antibodies made by infected animals. These antibodies are detected by measuring the binding of the antibodies to parts (proteins) of the FMDV by enzyme-linked immune-absorbance assays (ELISA). This kind of test is also used to certify animals for import/ export and provide evidence of absence of infection. Can the disease be treated or vaccinated against? No treatments for infected

UNNERVING: Dr Axel Heiser of AgResearch says foot-and-mouth disease is one of the most devastating diseases affecting the meat and dairy industry globally.

The impact of FMD becoming established in New Zealand cannot be underestimated. It would deliver a significant economic shock and losses in the area of $16 billion over four to five years.

animals are currently available. Around the world inactivated, wild-type FMDV vaccines are used to control FMD outbreaks. They are produced using large amounts of infectious FMD viruses, which bears the risk of the virus escaping from manufacturing facilities or incomplete inactivation during the manufacturing process. Many attempts to develop better vaccines for FMD that are not inactivated virus have failed to induce sterile immunity. Testing and vaccines FMDV vaccines and natural

infections with FMDV both induce antibodies that bind to the virus, specifically proteins and other large molecules (as building blocks of the virus). The serological tests cannot usually separate these responses, making infected animals indistinguishable from vaccinated ones. Also, the RNA in inactivated FMDV vaccines can result in positive PCR results. This is the reason there are market restrictions for FMDVvaccinated animals. The issue can be avoided by developing combinations of vaccine and diagnostic test using different antigens. They are called “differentiation of infected and vaccinated animals” (DIVA), but so far none are available for FMD. The research response Due to biosafety concerns, there has been no research on live FMDV in NZ. However, AgResearch’s Animal Health Solution Team are among those experts prepared to assist the lead biosecurity agency, the Ministry for Primary Industries, with FMD eradication efforts, including the development and validation of tests.

Our team at AgResearch, working closely with partners, is involved in the control of bovine tuberculosis by providing routine blood testing, PCR and culture of tissue in our PC3 specialist laboratory, and whole genome sequencing. It is developing new diagnostic tests for the detection of Mycoplasma bovis and other pathogens. It has also been developing veterinary vaccines in the past that are now commercially available and used throughout NZ. More recently the team has conducted research around vaccines against bovine TB, bovine mastitis, ovine pneumonia, and mastitis. It is also developing a novel platform utilising microRNA for veterinary diagnostics. The more research that can be done in the infectious disease space, the better we will be prepared for any highly damaging disease outbreaks.

Who am I? Dr Axel Heiser is an infectious disease expert and principal scientist at AgResearch.

There are no second chances with foot-and-mouth Barbara Kuriger

HIGH ALERT: FMD would be a disaster for our farmers and the economy, says National’s Barbara Kuriger.

THERE can be no slip-ups in our actions to keep out foot-andmouth disease, which would have catastrophic impacts on the country. An outbreak would decimate trade and be a disaster for our farmers and the economy. All it would take is a few particles of the disease to walk into New Zealand on a pair of jandals for billions of dollars to be lost. News that FMD particles were identified on meat imports to Australia are a reminder of just how close to home this issue is.

I am questioning the minister for agriculture and closely following the steps the Government and Ministry for Primary Industries are taking to protect NZ. It is pleasing to see that MPI has stepped up the rules for those returning from countries where foot-and-mouth is present. Every possible avenue for the disease to enter the country needs to be identified and put on high alert. Farmers need to re-ensure their farms have stringent biosecurity measures in place, while all returning travellers must carefully declare

where they have been while overseas. NZ has never had an outbreak of FMD, but our recent brush with Mycoplasma bovis and the subsequent eradication programme gives us some idea of the devastating effects that the disease could have. There are no second chances with foot-and-mouth. One misstep by the agencies charged with protecting our borders is all it would take.

Who am I? Barbara Kuriger is National’s agriculture spokesperson.

World

THE NZ FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – August 1, 2022

UK schools cutting local meat from school lunch ALMOST half of schools in England and Wales are moving or planning to move away from serving British meat owing to rising costs, a recent study found. The Cost of Living and Supply Chain Survey, which was carried out by LACA, the school catering association, found almost 21% of schools that were struggling with costs had decided to ditch British fresh and frozen meat as a result of price increases, while another 26.9% said they were thinking about such a move. About two-thirds said they would consider compromising on the quality of the meat in order to cut costs. According to LACA, one catering company had reported the cost of 10kg of prepared potatoes rising

from £10.46 (about $20.15) to £15.50, while eggs had increased from £9.79 to £13.39 for a box of 60. Minced beef, a staple in several school lunch dishes, had, according to one respondent, shot up by 11% “overnight”. Brad Pearce, vice chair and director of LACA, said that while many schools are keen to support local producers, prices are causing them to look elsewhere or to swap more expensive meats for cheaper alternatives. Currently, schools are paid £2.41 to cover free school meals for children in reception and year one. For those on benefit-based meals, schools receive £2.47 per pupil per day, while families opting to pay for their child

OFF THE MENU: British meat is being cut from school lunch by a significant percentage of UK schools.

are charged £2.30 per day – a figure that will rise to £2.40 from September. While acknowledging that the news will come as another blow to farmers, Pearce said: “There is only so much a school can ask parents to pay and margins are tight. “We really appreciate all the work many producers are doing to maintain their service. For example, even though milk prices have risen, many dairies are not passing those increases on to schools. So LACA is keen to back

them where we can. What we want is for producers, schools, caterers and Government to come together to start talking about this before changes are forced to be made.” A spokesperson for the Department for Education said core funding had increased by £4 billion for the coming year to help meet costs, adding: “Schools are responsible for providing nutritious school meals and can agree individual contracts to meet this duty.” UK Farmers Guardian

What we want is for producers, schools, caterers and Government to come together to start talking about this before changes are forced to be made. Brad Pearce UK school catering association LACA

Aus takes strawberry growing to new heights

INTENSE: The new Australiangrown varieties are said to have a rich aroma and sweet flavour. Photo: Supplied

WHEN you imagine a juicy, fresh strawberry bursting with flavour, the colours pink and white are probably furthest from your mind. Well, that could soon change as Australia gets ready to launch two new home-grown strawberry varieties, Pink and White, which will soon be available to Australian growers and consumers after Hort Innovation put the call out for a commercial partner to fast-track the products to market. Hort Innovation chief executive Brett Fifield said both varieties have an intense strawberry aroma and an unusual appearance that is expected to appeal to consumers.

They have been specially bred for the Australian environment and offer superior overall quality. “Pink and White strawberries are like nothing else on Aussie retail shelves,” Fifield said. “They’re exceptional, and so they should be. They are the culmination of years of research, field trials, consumer preference testing and industry engagement.” The new White strawberries are true to their name. On the inside they are brilliant white, and on the outside they are white with a pale pink blush and speckled with red seeds. The Pink strawberries have a peach-pink exterior and also feature a white inside. Both

have a rich aroma and are sweet in flavour. BerryQuest host and Berries Australia executive director Rachel Mackenzie said new varieties are the way of the future for the strawberry industry, supporting growing domestic and export demand. “It’s really exciting to see these new varieties reach this stage in the commercialisation process – this is growers’ levy funding coming to life before our eyes,” she said. According to the Horticulture Statistics Handbook, in 2020-21, 77,751 tonnes of strawberries were produced at a value of $417.2 million. Eighty-eight percent of this

domestic production was supplied to the fresh market, 7% (5417t) was processed predominantly into preserves and 5% (3578t) was exported. Hort Innovation and the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries in Queensland are now seeking a suitable partner to commercialise the new varieties, foster grower adoption and deliver marketing efforts to support consumer awareness. The new strawberries are the first “novelty” varieties to be developed and commercialised through the Hort Innovation DAF QLD partnership. Expressions of interest will open soon.

Growing farming talent in NZ schools Retaining New Zealand’s place as a top agricultural producer requires attracting young talent to the sector. Kerry Allen is pioneering agribusiness teaching in schools across the country, keeping that pipeline of talent open. Watch the video now at youtube.com/OnFarmStory This episode was made possible with support from Rabobank

On Farm Story

Waimiha Ongarue Stream Road

Ashburton 956 Christys Road Tender

Forestry investment / Lifestyle opportunity 178 hectares in two titles with approximate distance being 45 km south-east of Te Kuiti, 62 km north of Taumarunui, 89 km northwest of Taupo and 28 km south-west of Tokoroa. The larger 161 ha title consists of 122 ha cut-over having had radiata recently harvested with the remaining 39 ha being predominantly native bush. The smaller 16.5 ha title consists of 14 ha of 25 year (approx) Douglas Fir and Redwoods with the balance being mainly cut-over. Situated on this title near the Okauaka Stream is a 1990's built cottage/bach that consists of a kitchen/living area, two bunk rooms and a bathroom.

Tender

214.52 ha - "Avonlea" Tender closes 4.00pm, Mon 22nd Aug, 2022 (unless sold prior), Property Brokers - 131 Rora Street, Te Kuiti, 3910 View By appointment Web pb.co.nz/TER103401

Doug Wakelin M 027 321 1343

Avonlea has been an intergenerational farm acquired in 1962. In more recent years the property has been developed into an intensive irrigated arable/dairy support/lamb finishing unit. Soils have progressed with large deposits of humus from the ANZCO Wakanui beef feedlot which combined with the irrigation has seen record maize yields. With proprietary seed contracts in place for both grain and pasture seeds, dairy support history and good quality improvements this farm stands out as "opportunity plus" in a keenly sought after location. Maybe a once in a lifetime opportunity in a tightly held area. Genuine Vendors leave the farm in excellent heart.

Tender closes 3.00pm, Mon 22nd Aug, 2022 (unless sold prior), Property Brokers Ashburton View By appointment Web pb.co.nz/AR102293

Paul Cunneen M 0274 323 382

Together Stronger Our combined strengths complement each other, creating more opportunity for our customers and Farmlands shareholders across provincial New Zealand. • • • •

A nationwide network from Northland to Southland Sound, trustworthy advice from market-leading experts Shareholder benefits and preferential commission rates means more money in your pocket

Bigger networks, more buyers, better results For more information call 0800 367 5263 or visit pb.co.nz/together Property Brokers Ltd Licensed REAA 2008 PB053815

Property Brokers Ltd Licensed REAA 2008 | pb.co.nz

Proud to be here

FARMERS WEEKLY – August 1, 2022

Real Estate

farmersweekly.co.nz/realestate 0800 85 25 80

Secure your space in the upcoming Bayleys Country portfolio, New Zealand’s leading multi-channel campaign showcasing the latest rural and lifestyle properties for sale. Marketing options

Premium Feature + Digital Package $9,800 + GST A limited number of these packages are available in each issue of Country. They provide a more in-depth property overview, offering even greater levels of exposure for the more exclusive property. • Four pages with premium positioning at the front of the Country magazine and e-book • Professional design, copywriting and photography ($1,500 for photography) • Feature in the Country release eDM • Country digital listing package

FARM, SPECIALTY AND LIFESTYLE COLLECTION 2022

Get in front of motivated buyers and have a well-seasoned nationwide team of rural agents put in the hard yards for you. Bayleys Country team is part of the wider Bayleys national network For over 22 years, Bayleys has delivered our customers an extensive network of qualified buyers, more audience reach across sectors; Commercial and Property Services. We and ultimately better results in a highly cost-effective marketing campaign. That’sall why we’re Residential, New Zealand’s #1 rural real have the ability to derive insights and expertise from across the country estate brand. and along with our local market knowledge, we can provide our clients Whether on from a farm,covered orchard,with forestry block, Bayleys Countryyou’re sales moving team have the market experts in vineyard or lifestyle property, or growing your rural unmatched results when it comes to finding the best buyers for your rural property portfolio, securing your spot in Country will ensure your all corners of the country, who understand New Zealand’s rural sector, property is among the pick of the bunch this spring. or lifestyle property. We’re better at rural real – so In putover your in we Country to get the best result for the sale whether it’s aaltogether farm, land, lifestyle block or estate vineyards. 22stake years, of your property. have become New Zealand’s number one rural real estate brand, with our bayleys.co.nz/rural dedicated team of country salespeople selling more farmland than any bayleys.co.nz/country-portfolio other agency. LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008 LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008 FEATURE PROPERTY

National network, strong local connections

Southland organic dairy farm portfolio with scale The forthcoming sale of a substantial dairy farm portfolio provides the opportunity for a like-minded entity to acquire one of the largest scaled dairying operations in Southland, as a going concern.

Owned by Aquila Capital, one of Germany’s first alternative investment management companies, the portfolio has an amalgamated farm footprint of 2,970.94 hectares across six dairy units, and 871 hectares from two supporting lease blocks.

94 1

It has also developed rigorous systems and standard operating procedures, including ISO 9001:2015 certification, to secure compliance with organic and future environmental standards. ASF is the only asset management company of its kind with this internationally recognised certification.

The AsureQuality-certified organic Aquila farms are located close to the Open Country Dairy (OCD) Awarua plant, allowing the organic milk to be received, checked and processed within hours of milking.

Duncan Ross of Bayleys says while the Aquila portfolio as a holistic investment proposition in its existing goingconcern capacity has obvious benefits from scale and efficiencies generated through the ASF management model, he also anticipates wider enquiry from the rural market.

Market-leading operator ASF is the only specialised organic dairy farm management company in New Zealand. It has more than 25 years of collective knowledge of organic farming, leveraging learnings from its European farms long before entering the New Zealand market giving it a tangible advantage over other organic operations in this country.

Address Southland, New Zealand

Total land area 2,970.94 hectares

Portfolio breakdown • six productive organic dairy units • two leased organic support blocks

Peak cows 21/22 5,043

Forecast production 21/22 2,032,734kgMS

Actual production 20/21 1,797,641kgMS

Kowhai

Tahawai

Winton

+650 (ORC)***

Kaiwera

Stevenson

Glencairn

Peak cows 21/22

Forecast production 21/22 (kgMS)

Open Country Dairy

Actual production 20/21 (kgMS)

Average efficient production (kgMS) traditional system*

Bluff

2,010

796,975 715,279

Bayleys, says the Aquila offering is the largest Southland portfolio to come to the market since around 2000, and he’s expecting interest from outside of Southland given the properties' credentials and opportunity.

“In addition, the gently-contoured and easily-managed land in Southland supports good animal health, consistent production, and the region benefits from having multiple dairy processing options.”

Ryan agrees that the easy-contoured Southland Plains may not be on dairy farm investor radars and consequently, land in the region could be underestimated as a prospective addition to an investment portfolio.

Ryan says as a significant employer in the Southland region, ASF has integrated itself with the Southland community, regularly contributing to local initiatives such as the Meat the Need fund, the SdE Bale Wrap Recycling Fundraiser and being recognised as finalists for several Southland Business Excellence Awards in 2019 and 2021.

“In comparison to higher profile areas, Southland is a relatively affordable dairying proposition with dependable fundamentals,” he explains.

753

221,137

280,000

3,800

No consent required Otago region

Land size total area (Hectares)

“A moderate climate with good yearsustainable environmental practices and the development and well-being round rainfall, including reliable summer of its staff. rain, and highly-productive rich soils, allow consistent grass growth for Resilience to climate change is an optimum returns or yield. important advantage of the organic farming system, amplified by the “Southland farming systems are relatively benign outcomes of the predominately grass based, with the use Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Glencairn Farm of supplementary feed in the shoulders Change scenarios on the future effects of the season to ensure more consistent of climate change on Southland. milk supply year-round and allowing for flexibility of farm systems to capitalise Director and farm salesperson Pip Ryan on high milk prices for higher returns.” of Country & Co in partnership with

292,504

1,022,000

Cows consented

“The pandemic climate appears to be consolidating this further, as the food chain is in the spotlight and individuals are taking greater responsibility for their health and the environment. “New Zealand’s organic sector is growing steadily, averaging a growth rate of 6.4 percent a year since 2016.”

Aligning with Aquila Capital’s goal to be a responsible investor and company, the day-to-day operations of the farm portfolio are underpinned by sound environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles around animal welfare,

Kaiwera

+ 26 casual

Kowhai

McIntosh

Ota

Tahawai

Total

Ota

Invercargill

Ross says the portfolio of properties leverages the experienced on-farm teams, their integrated intelligence via ASF across the scaled offering, and the established relationships forged with OCD, providing a guaranteed organic premium to the milk price. “Global demand for organic milk products and growth in the wider organic sector nationwide, is founded on rising consumer sentiment for sustainable and ethically produced food,” he explains.

Staff** 39

Farm operation: Overseen by Aquila Sustainable Farming Limited, the ownership structure is operated under a Limited Partnership model specific to each farm.

Aquila Office

McIntosh

Properties are not to scale

“There are potentially numerous scenarios for genuinely interested parties looking to secure productive farmland in the Southland region,” he explains. “Across the portfolio, the farms have benefitted from significant capital investment made over 10 years, to provide good quality farm infrastructure and improvements.”

Housing 27

Cows consented 7,199

Gore

Otautau

Happy Valley

Four of the six Aquila portfolio farms were converted to A2 organic in 2020, with Aquila one of the largest single suppliers of certified organic A2 milk in New Zealand today.

The portfolio represents a best-practice organic dairying operation with a proven overarching management structure, experienced on-farm teams and established relationships throughout the supply chain as part of the offer. Overseen by Aquila Sustainable Farming Ltd (ASF) as portfolio farm manager, the offering in its entirety has built-in efficiencies and meets rigorous compliance thresholds across animal welfare, health and safety, environmental and organic production.

Fact File

Lumsden

Glencairn

One of the largest organic dairying portfolios in the Southern Hemisphere is now on the market, providing sustainability options for astute buyers.

1,398

458

Infrastructure

Three rotary cowsheds (50, 64 and 80 bail)

54 bail rotary shed

Irrigation

91ha (pivot)

Housing

Staff**

+ 4 casual

884

410

365,479

177,361

314,454

167,147

448,000

209,000

1,300

650

580

230,362 221,614

293,000

850

406

170,053

5,043

2,032,734

158,010

1,797,641

190,000

2,442,000

599

418

221

284

192

54 bail rotary shed and older 50 bail rotary

Double pit 26 aside HB shed (52 cups)

54 bail rotary shed

7,849

2,971

249ha (pods)

+ 2 casual

+ 3 casual

+ 14 casual

+ 1 casual

+ 26 casual

*Average Efficient Production based on traditional farming practice (Valuation) **Casual staff are employed as seasonal requirements demand ***Otago Regional Council - no consent required in the Otago region

Sale details: Expressions of Interest (unless sold prior) Thursday, 18th November 2021 Country & Co Realty Ltd, 33 Arena Avenue, Invercargill, New Zealand Agent details:

Duncan Ross +64 21 663 567 duncan.ross@bayleys.co.nz

Pip Ryan +64 27 432 5770 philip.ryan@countrandco.nz

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

COUNTRY & CO REALTY LTD, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 20088

Paula Laughton +64 27 533 1268 paula.laughton@countryandco.nz

Shay Moseby +64 27 268 6879 shay.moseby@countryandco.nz

COUNTRY & CO REALTY LTD, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008

aquilafarms.co.nz | bayleys.co.nz/1693054

Note: The booking deadline for a Premium Feature property is 7 days prior to the deadlines noted below.

Double Page Advert + Digital Package $5,800 + GST • Double page spread advertisement in Country magazine and e-book • Country digital listing package Full Page Advert + Digital Package $3,800 + GST • Full page advertisement in Country magazine and e-book • Country digital listing package

Half Page Advert* + Digital Package $2,200 + GST • Half page advertisement in Country magazine and e-book • Country digital listing package *Lifestyle only

Country Digital Listing Package Your advertisement in the Country magazine is complemented by a comprehensive digital listing campaign. Your property will receive listings on the below websites: • bayleys.co.nz feature • realestate.co.nz gold package • interest.co.nz listing • hougarden.com listing • Facebook dynamic carousel listing

Key dates

Booking and material deadlines 2022 release dates

Issue 1

Issue 2

5pm, Friday 4th March 2022 Friday 18th March 2022

5pm, Friday 23rd September 2022 Friday 7th October 2022

Contact your local salesperson today, or get in touch on 0800 BAYLEYS | bayleys.co.nz/country

RURAL REAL ESTATE BRAND

LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008

Bayleys’ Country is New Zealand’s premier rural property marketing publication showcasing quality farms, horticulture, viticulture, forestry and lifestyle properties for sale throughout New Zealand. For over 22 years, Bayleys’ Country has provided an altogether better way for potential buyers to find their next rural or lifestyle property. Country is published biannually and holds a unique position in the market as much for its quality, as for its variety and geographic spread of properties. Utilising a combination of printed distribution and digital promotion, the multi-channelled Country campaign ensures your property receives maximum exposure to all key markets. Be part of Bayleys’ next Country campaign and entrust us to achieve an altogether better result.

A LT O G E T H E R B E T T E R

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Residential / Commercial / Rural / Property Services

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Livestock Rattles

FARMERS WEEKLY August 1, 2022

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Primary Pathways

ELITE REFRIGERATION LTD

Farm Technician – Central North Island

• Kit set chiller / freezer rooms

Rimanui Farms Limited is a largescale farming business operating multiple sheep and beef farms across the North Island and includes some of New Zealand’s most iconic farms.

• Freezer / chiller rooms Built to order

The primary function of the role is to provide technical support, collate and record information and analyse on-farm data to assist with planning and management decisions.

• Trailer mounted rooms

We are looking for an energetic person, fit for fieldwork on farm. The purpose of this role is to provide technical support for construction of field equipment on farm to measure drainage from soils at depth. The role includes fieldwork, installation of field equipment, use of an excavator and/or a telehandler and metal work to assist with assembly of field equipment. This position is fixed-term (six months), full-time, reports to Capability Leader, Land Use and Ecosystems team, and is based at our Lincoln site. You will possess a high school qualification with experience working in the agricultural sector with landowners or primary industries and have some knowledge of New Zealand farming systems. You will be familiar with the operation of farm machinery. Experience with the operation of soil excavators and/or telehandlers will be advantageous. Ideally you will have good physical fitness, excellent communication skills, be well-organised, have a strong safety orientation, and be available to travel within Canterbury.

Email: chris@asaer.co.nz Mobile 021 230 6904

www.asaer.co.nz

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Farmers/Woodlot owner Tired of waiting for someone to harvest your trees? We are not committed to one buyer that is how we get our customers the most profit we can. Set up to do the smaller, trickier wood lots. No job too big or too small. Buyers of Woodlots and Forest.

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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

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BTZ Forestry Marketing and Harvesting

• Ice machines

There is an attractive renumeration package on offer, commensurate with experience, and single accommodation available on farm or an alternative arrangement may be negotiated. For further information or to apply please call us on 06 871 0450 or visit www.ruraldirections.co.nz/jobs

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How to apply Enquiries about the position may be directed to Graeme Rogers, RogersG@landcareresearch.co.nz For further details about Manaaki Whenua-Landcare Research, visit our website: www.landcareresearch.co.nz Applications close at 5pm NZT on Friday, 5 August 2022.

Pests out of control? No job too big, I offer efﬁcient and conﬁdential service. CONTACT: 0275258321

Cost-effective pest control using the latest thermal equipment & technology. I am an experienced hunter and ex farmer, I can get rid of the pests eating down your farm, disturbing your stock, and frustrating you and your neighbors.

Especially now, where workers may be required to stay home, or socially distance, the one-man operation and range of tasks that Combi Clamp Equipment can complete, is invaluable.

Noticeboard

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

ANIMAL HEALTH

ACCURATE AND PRACTICAL farm maps showing area sizes of paddocks and vegetation. Visit farmmapping.co.nz for a free quote.

FOR SALE WINTER SPECIAL Get a FREE pair with every purchase. Socks for all ages – contact us for custom made.

GOATS WANTED. All weights. All breeds. Prompt service. Payment on pick up. My on farm prices will not be beaten. Phone David Hutchings 07 895 8845 or 0274 519 249. Feral goats mustered on a 50/50 share basis. GOATS. 40 YEARS experience mustering feral cattle and feral goats anywhere in NZ. 50% owner (no costs). 50% musterer (all costs). Phone Kerry Coulter 027 494 4194.

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

www.thesocklady.co.nz

ATTENTION FARMERS

HORTICULTURE

WORD ONLY ADVERTISING. Phone Debbie on 0800 85 25 80.

40c/50c PER KG dags fadges/bales. Replacement woolpacks. PV Weber Wools. Kawakawa Road, Feilding. Phone 06 323 9550.

GIBB-GRO GROWTH PROMOTANT

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

CONTRACT PIG CULLING. Stock proof dogs. SI. Can travel. Phone 027 353 0661.

DOGS FOR SALE WINTER DOG CLEARANCE sale! $499-$3,499. 30 day trial. Deliver NZ wide. www.youtube.com/user/ mikehughesworkingdog/ videos 07 315 5553.

PROMOTES QUICK PASTURE growth. Only $6.50+gst per hectare delivered. 0508-GIBBGRO [0508 442 247] www. gibbgro.co.nz. “The Proven One.”

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.

LIVESTOCK FOR SALE 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. WORD ONLY ADVERTISING. Phone Debbie on 0800 85 25 80. RED DEVON BULLS. Well grown, purebred. Feilding. Phone 027 224 3838.

RAMS FOR SALE WILTSHIRES-ARVIDSON. Self shearing sheep. No1 for Facial Eczema. David 027 2771 556. FOR ONLY $2.30 + gst per word you can book a word only ad in Farmers Weekly Classifieds. Phone Debbie on 0800 85 25 80.

WANTED TO BUY SAWN SHED TIMBER including Black Maire. Matai, Totara and Rimu etc. Also buying salvaged native logs. Phone Richard Uren. NZ Native Timber Supplies. Phone 027 688 2954. WHAT’S SITTING IN your barn? Don’t leave it to rust away! We pay cash for tractors, excavators, small crawler tractors and surplus farm machinery. Ford – Ferguson – Hitachi – Komatsu – John Deere and more. Tell us what you have no matter where it is in NZ. You never know.. what’s resting in your barn could be fattening up your wallet! Email admin@ loaderparts.co.nz or phone Colin on 0274 426 936 (No texts please)

DOGS FOR SALE

DOGS WANTED

11-month Heading bitch by N.Child’s ‘Harry’. 4-month Huntaway bitch pup. N. George. 4-year-old Heading bitch. Good station dog. Dave Andrews – phone 0274 506 095

1 Heading dog/bitch and 1 Handy Huntaway dog/bitch urgently required for easy property.

Seeking 50:50 sharemilking position

Free lice treatment New lice control products Coarse & fine wool breeds North and South Island Incentives for participation Enquiries 027 387 6241 Gina@nimalpharma.nz

Prepared to pay accordingly. A very good home is guaranteed. Please phone 06 372 7820

Sheep Lice Field Trials • • • • •

Must be of mainstay quality and would consider up to 7 year old.

(for June 2023) Financially secure and willing to consider positions between 400 and 800 cows.

Have an excellent herd of cows. Great references and well maintained equipment.

Shih-Tzu Miniature Poodles

Please email sharemilker2023@hotmail.com for a copy of our CV

FARM FOR SALE Kaihere - Waikato • • • • • • • • •

Inside outside breed Happy Wife Happy Life Puppies available now White Farm Kennel trademe #3680514023

Ken & Natalie White 021 877 991

Sheep and beef 197ha 20 x 20 covered yards Cattle yards Two-stand wool sheds Plenty of shedding Medium to strong country Airstrip Two houses / two titles

All enquiries to 021 0299 0887 Evenings No texts please

Tech & Toys

PROTECT YOUR LIVESTOCK BY STEPPING UP TO COGLAVAX8 VACCINE Changing to Coglavax8 increased the survival rate of our lambs. Now we only use Coglavax8 across all our sheep and cattle. Donald Polson

Owner – Waipuna Farms

STEP UP TO 8 IN 1 PROTECTION When you’ve built a reputation for outstanding genetics you don’t want to take unnecessary risks with clostridial disease. That’s why Waipuna Farms have stepped up from 5 in 1 to Coglavax8 vaccine to protect their unique Waipuna Maternal and Terminal breeds against 8 clostridrial diseases present in New Zealand.

CEV0003 AV FP

O N LY AVA I L A B L E F R O M Y O U R V E T

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FARM MAPPING

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

LK0112501©

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

PUMPS

coglavax8.co.nz

Ceva Animal Health (NZ) Limited. P: 09 972 2853 ACVM No. 7528 References: 1. JS Munday, H Bentall, D Aberdein, M Navarro, FA Uzal &S Brown, Death of a neonatal lamb due to Clostridium perfringens type B in New Zealand, New Zealand Veterinary Journal 2020. 2. West, Dave M., Bruere, A. Neil and Ridley, Anne L. The Sheep, Health, Disease and Production. Auckland: Massey University Press, 4th ed., 2018. Print.

JW0112417@

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

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

LK0112549©

DOGS WANTED

LK0112514©

ANIMAL HANDLING

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

LK0112544©

FARMERS WEEKLY – August 1, 2022

Livestock Noticeboard

Phone Stu 06 862 7534

LK0112456©

Fully moulting 300 ewe hoggets, 300 S.I.L. Ewes 175, scanned 177%

STOCK REQUIRED MALE or EWE LAMBS 36-42kg SIL Pere or Pere X EWES Due Sept/Oct R2YR Fries BULLS 390-520kg

R1YR Fries BULLS 180 - 250 kgs R3YR ANG or Ex X STEERS 500-550kg R2YR ANG & EXOTIC STEERS 400-500kg

www.dyerlivestock.co.nz

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

TE KUITI ADULT CATTLE SALE Friday 5th August 12pm start A/c OM & PR Houchen Complete herd dispersal • 18 R3 Angus Heifers VIC • 75 MA Angus Cows VIC VIC Twin Oaks bulls 24.12 for 2 cycles Enquiries Len Sheeran 027 473 5859 Freephone 0800 10 22 76 | www.pggwrightson.co.nz Helping grow the country

BW 143/50 PW 161/67 RA 100% Check out (in top 10 All Breeds for NZ )Poll Dorset

SALE TALK A guy spots a sign outside a house that reads “ Talking dog for Sale.” Intrigued, he walks in... “So, what have you done with your life?” He asked “I’ve lived a very full life,” says the dog. “I lived in the Alps rescuing avalanche victims. Then I served my country in Iraq. And now I spend my days reading to the residents of a retirement home.” The guy is flabbergasted. He asks the dog’s owner: “Why on earth would you want to get rid of such an incredible dog like that.” The owner replied: “Because he’s a liar! He never did any of that!”

NZ on Facebook

• •

Many cows contracted to LIC for 2011 matings Due to calve from 16-7-12, 6.5 weeks | cross Dairy Yearling Heifers EXPORT AB WANTED Jersey and Kiwi • Estimated to be 420 cows For Saleafter non 2021 Born Heifers pregnant, culls, older cows rejection 10 Jersey heifers,&fully5% recorded, by natural • ANGUS DNA profiled, well bred, dams very good • Production last mating, season 347kgs ms/cow, producers. 1000kgs ms/ha, on rolling to steeper • HEREFORD fullykernel recorded, very well contoured farm, no7 Ayrshire meal,heifers, palm or maize grown, by AB sires, dams last season production • SIMMENTAL fed. average 458kg ms. • Young2022 replacement stock also available Late September 20 Ayrshire heifers, fully recorded, some Autumn 2021 born, well bred, shift well from steep farm.

delivery

CallOutstanding for pricing genetics &

potential to be one of Dairy Yearling Heifers to the countries leading suppliers of Genetics Contact your local agent or call the dairy industry for years to Required come. Full details North Island available. Complete line of up to 25 Ayrshire heifers, fully Wayne Doran 027 493 8957 Harry Van De Ven 027 486 Enquiries to9866 the Luke McBride 027 304 0533

recorded by AB.

sole marketing agents:

All enquiries to: South Island Brian Robinson Brian Robinson Richard Harley 021 765 430 BRLL Livestock Ltd Burke Patching 027 441 1515 410 051 PH: 0272 410051 or Ph 070272 8583132

Gary Falkner Jersey Marketing Service PH: 027 482 8771 or 07 846 4491

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!

TE KUITI ADULT CATTLE FAIR

Friday, August 5 Start 12 noon 1050 Cattle comprising: • 140 MA Angus Cows VIC • 15 Angus Hfrs VIC • 30 R3yr Angus Steers • 230 R2yr Exotic Steers • 180 R2yr Ang, Hfrd & A/H x Steers • 220 R2yr Hrfd/Frsn x Steers • 90 R2yr Hereford Bulls • 50 R2yr Angus Heifers • 90 R2yr Hrfd/Frsn x Heifers CARRFIELDS LIVESTOCK Andrew Jardine 027 397 7005 NZ FARMERS Brett Wallbank 027 488 1299

PGG WRIGHTSON Kevin Mortensen 027 473 5858

Stock sale coming up? Give Andrea a bell: 0800 85 25 80

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

Buy & Donate

For every Allflex tag order purchased PBB will donate 15% to Meat the Need

Limehills Boss 180099

Bull Sale

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WILTSHIRES

FARMERS WEEKLY – August 1, 2022

LK0112537©

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

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HIGH INDEXING JERSEY & JERSEY CROSS HERD

Phone today 0800 AG TAGS (0800 248 247) or www.pbbnz.com Terms & Conditions apply

Livestock Noticeboard

FARMERS WEEKLY – August 1, 2022

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

UPCOMING AUCTIONS

NZ’s Virtual Saleyard TE KUITI SALEYARDS THURSDAY 11TH AUGUST 2022 On A/c: WAIPAPA STATION (Farm Sold) 98 x VIC Angus Mixed Age Cows (R4Yr & R9Yr) Stokman, Shian and Kapiro Angus Bull (Calving from 5th October for 2½ cycles) 73 x VIC Crossbred Beef M/A Cows (R3Yr to R9Yr) Kerrah Simmental Bull (Calving from 11th October for 2½ cycles)

2021 Holstein Friesian Heifers F12+ $1800 F8-F11 $1700 October pre mating delivery.

BEEFGEN : Jess Crow : 022 074 1210

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BEEFGEN : Brian Pearson : 021 0907 1688

Assist farmers to make the right purchasing decisions for their herd with Dairy Farmer’s September feature

Talk to us now about your Dairy Farmer 2022 bull sale advertising 0800 85 25 80 Booking Deadline August 4, 2022

DAIRY

BULL PLAN BUY NOW AND PAY NOTHING UP FRONT

farmersweekly.co.nz

Thursday 8th September 2022 at 1pm

FLEXIBLE FINANCE SOLUTION • Buy bulls now and pay nothing up front, with the balance due 20th February 2023 • Fixed administration fee of $60+gst/head payable on settlement • Ability to sell your cull cows or other livestock to offset the balance due

SERVICE BULL AUCTIONS / PADDOCK SALES

McFadzean Cruizy Calve S020

• Purchase your bulls in the paddock or at one of our service bull auctions

CED +11.6 Gestation Length -6.1 Birth Weight 28kg Weaning Weight 304kg

PROGRAMMED TO PERFORM

Our bulls consistantly wean over 60% of cow weight 40 Years of Proven Performance • Top Quality Yearling Bulls

Contact the Onestock team or your local Carrfields livestock representative

216 Wiltons Road, Carterton www.mcfadzeancattlecompany.co.nz Johnie McFadzean 0274295777 | Andrew Jennings PGG Wrightsons 0275946820

MCFADZEAN CRUIZY CALVE 100% Registered Angus Positive for calving ease Short gestation Positive fats & good growth Suited for heifer mating

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Better Bulls, Better Calves

Open Day 24th August 2pm

Cambridge Calf Sales Altrive Red Deer Foveran Deer 2022 Hind Sale Brock Deer 2022 Hind & Weaner Sale Black Forest Deer 2022 Hind Sale (Bidr Items): Machinery Clearing Sale Greenvale Pastures Ltd PGG Wrightson Genetics Elite Online Semen Sale

Regular Livestream coverage of five North Island Saleyards Head to bidr.co.nz to find out more.

for further information.

BEEFGEN Office : 06 927 7154

Featuring for the first time 'McFadzean Cruizy Calve' Angus Heifer Mating Specialist

1pm 7pm 7pm 7pm 7pm 1.30pm

WEDNESDAY 24 AUGUST 7pm

Please contact your local agent

On A/c: TE TARATA TRUST 100 x VIC Hereford Mixed Age Cows Riverlea Hereford Bull (Bull date 20th November until 18th February) For Further details contact: Vaughan Rogers 0274 521 568 Brent Bougen 027 210 4698

TUESDAY 2 AUGUST WEDNESDAY 3 AUGUST MONDAY 8 AUGUST TUESDAY 9 AUGUST WEDNESDAY 10 AUGUST FRIDAY 19 AUGUST

MCFADZEAN SUPER ANGUS At least 7/8's Angus Moderate framed hill country cattle Excellent growth rates and superior muscling Positive fats & high IMF % Strong milking & maternal traits

MCFADZEAN MEAT MAKER Superior weaning weight % Instant impact on calf size, growth & muscling Higher carcass yields High EMA scores Strong milking & maternal traits

0800 223 070

www.carrfieldslivestock.co.nz

Subject to Bull Power Plan Terms and Conditions

Livestock Advertising? Call Andrea: 0800 85 25 80

MARKET SNAPSHOT

Market Snapshot brought to you by the AgriHQ analysts.

Mel Croad

Suz Bremner

Reece Brick

Fiona Quarrie

Hayley O’Driscoll

Caitlin Pemberton

Deer

Sheep

Cattle BEEF

SHEEP MEAT

VENISON

Last week

Prior week

Last year

NI Steer (300kg)

6.20

6.15

6.00

NI lamb (17kg)

9.20

9.10

8.90

NI Stag (60kg)

8.05

5.60

NI Bull (300kg)

6.20

6.15

5.95

NI mutton (20kg)

6.10

6.40

SI Stag (60kg)

8.20

8.15

5.70

NI Cow (200kg)

4.50

4.40

SI lamb (17kg)

9.25

8.60

SI Steer (300kg)

6.20

5.60

SI mutton (20kg)

6.05

6.45

SI Bull (300kg)

6.05

5.55

Export markets (NZ$/kg)

SI Cow (200kg)

4.60

4.50

UK CKT lamb leg

12.24

12.23

12.12

US imported 95CL bull

9.42

9.48

8.97

US domestic 90CL cow

9.43

9.89

8.66

Slaughter price (NZ$/kg)

$/kg CW

7.0

5.0

$/kg CW

South Island steer slaughter price

7.0

$/kg CW

10.0 South Island lamb slaughter price

8.0

5.0

Oct

Dec 5-yr ave

Feb

Apr 2020-21

Jun

Two weeks ago

Prior week

Last year

2.62

2.57

2.80

Coarse xbred ind.

Dairy

Apr

Jun

Aug 2021-22

NZ average (NZ$/t)

Prior week

Last year

Urea

1340

799

495

339

1794

1055

37 micron ewe

2.75

30 micron lamb

DAP

Top 10 by Market Cap Company

CANTERBURY FEED WHEAT 650

11.0

600 550

$/tonne

$/kg MS

10.0 9.0 8.0

500 450 400

Jul-21

Sep-21

Nov-21 Jan-22 Sep-22

Mar-22

May-22 Sep-23

350

Jul-22

Jul-21

Sep-21

Nov-21

Jan-22

Mar-22

May-22

Jul-22

YTD High

YTD Low

Meridian Energy Limited (NS)

4.81

5.36

4.32

Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Corporation Ltd

20.9

33.4

Auckland International Airport Limited

7.2

7.95

6.88

Spark New Zealand Limited

5.01

5.08

4.3

Mercury NZ Limited (NS)

5.93

6.36

5.2

Ebos Group Limited

44.3

36.11

Mainfreight Limited

94.4

66.11

Infratil Limited

8.07

8.4

7.33

Contact Energy Limited

7.24

8.42

6.82

Port of Tauranga Limited

6.73

6.88

5.96

Listed Agri Shares Company

DAIRY FUTURES (US$/T) Nearby contract

CANTERBURY FEED BARLEY Prior week

vs 4 weeks ago

600

WMP

3650

3740

4205

550

SMP

3640

3850

4245

500

AMF

5530

5690

6025

Butter

5520

5630

5870

Milk Price

9.34

9.35

9.36

$/tonne

Last price*

350

Jul-21

WMP FUTURES - VS FOUR WEEKS AGO

Jan-22

Mar-22

May-22

Jul-22

4200 $/tonne

4000 3800 3600 3400 Sep Oct Latest price

Nov

Dec 4 weeks ago

Jan

0.27

4.76

6.39

4.2

Comvita Limited

3.19

3.78

2.98

Delegat Group Limited

11.35

14.45

Fonterra Shareholders' Fund (NS)

3.01

3.78

2.75

1.4

1.57

1.38

0.167

0.25

0.089

1.5

1.73

1.3

Marlborough Wine Estates Group Limited

0.169

0.26

0.155 0.187

New Zealand King Salmon Investments Ltd

0.215

1.38

PGG Wrightson Limited

4.58

5.76

3.93

Rua Bioscience Limited

0.315

0.53

0.29

Sanford Limited (NS)

4.1

5.07

4.03

4.28

5.59

4.07

Seeka Limited

4.73

5.36

4.45

550

Synlait Milk Limited (NS)

3.16

3.54

3.04

T&G Global Limited

2.75

3.01

2.7

500

S&P/NZX Primary Sector Equity Index

11952

14293

11724

S&P/NZX 50 Index

11135

13150

10588

S&P/NZX 10 Index

10774

12725

10291

450 400 350

Aug

0.205

0.22

Scales Corporation Limited

WAIKATO PALM KERNEL

4400

US$/t

Nov-21

YTD Low

The a2 Milk Company Limited

Livestock Improvement Corporation Ltd (NS)

Sep-21

YTD High

ArborGen Holdings Limited

Foley Wines Limited

450

5pm, close of market, Wednesday Close

Greenfern Industries Limited

400

* price as at close of business on Thursday

3200

Aug 2021-22

Last week

Super

Grain

Data provided by

MILK PRICE FUTURES

7.0

Jun

2020-21

FERTILISER

(NZ$/kg)

4.5

2020-21

Feb

Fertiliser

Aug 2021-22

WOOL

5-yr ave

Dec

6.0

5.0

Apr

Oct

5-yr ave

5.5

Feb

7.0 6.0

6.0

Dec

8.0

9.0

5.0

Oct

9.0

7.0

6.5

4.0

South Island stag slaughter price

11.0

10.0

4.0

7.0 5.0

5.5

4.5

8.0 6.0

7.0

6.0

Last year

9.0

8.0

6.0

Last week Prior week

North Island stag slaughter price

11.0

9.0

6.5

5.0

Slaughter price (NZ$/kg)

10.0

North Island lamb slaughter price

10.0 $/kg CW

North Island steer slaughter price

Last year

$/kg CW

Export markets (NZ$/kg)

Last week Prior week

$/kg CW

Slaughter price (NZ$/kg)

Sara Hilhorst

Ingrid Usherwood

300

Jul-21

S&P/FW PRIMARY SECTOR EQUITY

Sep-21

Nov-21

Jan-22

Mar-22

May-22

Jul-22

11952

S&P/NZX 50 INDEX

11135

S&P/NZX 10 INDEX

10774

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – August 1, 2022

Analyst intel

WEATHER

Overview Last week ended up being quite wet for many regions, the eastern South Island in particular, so a bit of a change to how the outlook for that week portrayed. This gives us an idea that the weather at the moment is very changeable and it can be a bit hard to lock down anything too specific about what the week ahead may hold in store. If we look at some very basic information for this week, it is wetter in the west and drier in the east thanks to a northerly quarter airflow over the South Island. The North Island may be more settled than normal thanks to high pressure.

14-day outlook

Phil Duncan

The basic premise for this week in modelled data shows a northerly quarter airflow for the South Island and a ridge of high pressure further north. So rain or showers for the West Coast and drier weather in the east. Meanwhile the North Island has mainly settled and dry conditions although expect showers in the southwest at times. On Sunday the airflow changes southwest with a cold front. Southwesterlies continue early next week with a few more cold fronts heading in. Mid next week high pressure moves in for the South Island, finally reaching the North Island on Friday, and with high pressure comes frosts.

Soil Moisture

Highlights

27/07/2022

Wind

No overly strong winds this week although about Thursday or Friday northerlies for the South Island become a bit gusty (mainly through alpine areas). These reach the lower North Island on Saturday with strong winds likely through Cook Strait. Southwesterlies may be gusty on Sunday. Source: NIWA Data

7-day rainfall forecast

Temperature

The West Coast of the South Island is looking wet this week with showers, and rain at times when fronts move through especially Tuesday and again on Friday and Saturday. Eastern regions at the time of writing are looking mainly dry. The southwestern corner of the North Island sees a few showers now and then. On Sunday a cold front pushes northwards with rain moving into the western North Island and showers moving into eastern regions. 0

La Niña may be heading for rare ‘triple dip’

If we get the northerly airflow this week that we are hoping for then temperatures in eastern regions should pick up a bit compared to where they have been lately. The North Island will likely have average to slightly warmer than average daytime highs.

LA NIÑA looks to be developing yet again – what is known as a rare “triple dip”. The second one only just came to an end in June, but even as that was announced there were already headlines about it reforming again before the year is out, most likely this spring. If you think of the fire danger signs we see all over New Zealand then we’ve moved out of red and orange but we’re still on yellow/moderate risk. Officially this is known as being on a “La Niña watch” – meaning the ingredients are there and are expected to build back up again into an official La Niña. What does this mean for NZ? It’s important to remember that the past two La Niña events brought two things to NZ: isolated pockets of flooding and larger areas of drought. La Niña is measured at the equator, which is as far north from NZ as Antarctica is south of it. It’s important to keep that in mind whenever you see headlines about La Niña and how “badly” it may affect NZ. It’s actually quite hard for us in NZ to draw a straight line between La Niña conditions and what that means for our weather. For the past two La Niña events there was almost no mention of widespread drought risks from state forecasters, until the droughts had already arrived. So if we’re halfway between the equator and Antarctica we may be more like a traffic island – sometimes we have that green light and are waving down that La Niña

tropical moisture and warmth, then other times the light is red and we’re ushering in some colder Southern Ocean air or windy westerlies. The strength of each La Niña event matters too. The past two La Niña events I’d describe as “moderate” in strength. The more oomph a La Niña event has (how much warmer than usual sea surface temperatures are north of NZ), the more likely it is to have an impact on NZ. This may explain why the past two La Niña events were “sort of recognisable” here in NZ. We didn’t get quite as much of the tropical storms and rain events that one might associate with La Niña – but we did still get some severe pockets of flooding in both main islands. This next La Niña event looks to also be moderate. So will the third La Niña be the same as the others? Not necessarily. Every weather and climate event is as unique as a fingerprint. In recent months NZ has had the biggest weather/climate shift in half a decade, as high pressure clears away to allow big rainmakers to finally come back in. With this change it might open the doors a little more for sub-tropical/rain events or excyclones later this spring/summer. One thing is for sure: New Zealand is mostly two mountainous islands partially in the roaring forties ... anything can happen here and we should always be prepared for northern storms, southern storms and big long dry highs.

Highlights/ Extremes

100

200

400

Rainfall accumulation over seven days starting from 6:00am Sunday, July 31 through to 6:00am Sunday, August 7, forecast generated at 12:00am Thursday, July 28.

Eastern regions should be a little warmer this week than they have been lately. Overall no extreme conditions look likely but a respite from the wet weather we have been having in the east could be considered a highlight.

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

COOLING: The climate pattern known as La Niña – the cooling of surface ocean water along the tropical west coast of South America – is showing signs of reforming again before the year is out, probably in spring.

SALE YARD WRAP

Fall from grace for cull cows The cull dairy cow market fell in dramatic fashion at Temuka this week. Supply to auction has been significantly higher this year as farmers chase the reward of the high prices the season has allowed, which peaked last week at an average of $2.22/kg for Friesian cows, 525kg and better. But unlike most seasons where prices continued to climb until at least the second week of August, they took a tumble of 20c/kg to rest at or just below 2021 levels. The fall was led by oversupply to the market, one where demand is waning due to even less space allocation at the processors, and the extremely wet conditions underfoot. Once paddocks dry out some demand may sneak back into the market for a few weeks, but the good run looks to be well and truly over. NORTHLAND Wellsford store cattle • Autumn-born 2-year Hereford-Friesian steers, 534-543kg, made $3.14-$3.16/kg • R1 Hereford-Friesian steers, 239-256kg, lifted to $3.31-$3.40/kg • Well-grown R1 Friesian bulls, 319-348kg, sold for $980-$1030, $2.93-$3.07/kg Wet weather didn’t dampen the top end of the market at WELLSFORD last Monday though a good number of buyers chose to bid on-line from the comfort of home. It was a yarding of mixed quality and in the R2 steer pens top lines held at $3.06-$3.10/kg and second cuts, $2.84-$2.94/ kg. Similar results were posted in the R2 heifer pens. R1 Hereford-dairy steers, 209-253kg, sold well at $3.20-$3.30/ kg and one line of Angus heifers, 253kg, returned $790, $3.12/kg. A nice pen of 267kg Friesian bulls was able to reach $3.20/kg. Read more in your LivestockEye. Kaikohe cattle • R2 Hereford-cross steers, 400kg and above, made $1180-$1250 • R1 Hereford-cross steers fetched $510 • R2 beef-cross heifers realized $1200-$1300 There was a smaller sale of 160 cattle at KAIKOHE last Wednesday, and power outages meant cattle had to be sold on a per head without weights, PGG Wrightson agent Vaughan Vujcich reported. Nice R2 whiteface heifers sold well at $910. Vetted-in-calf Friesian cows, medium build, made $650-$800.

AUCKLAND Pukekohe cattle • Prime steers earned $3.04/kg to $3.14/kg • Weaner crossbred steers made $440-$510 • Weaner heifers lifted to $380-$525 Prime cattle sold on a solid market at PUKEKOHE on Saturday, July 23 with prime heifers able to achieve $3.09$3.10/kg, $1380-$1670. Crossbred heifers earned $2.80/kg to $3.03/kg, $1090-$1220.

COUNTIES Tuakau sheep 25.5, prime cattle 27.5, store cattle 21.5 • Prime steers reached $3.37/kg • R2 Charolais steers, 470kg, and Charolais-Angus heifers, 433kg, made $3.23/kg • Medium-heavy prime ewes earned $141 to $200 TUAKAU’s prime cattle market was strong last Wednesday, PGG Wrightson agent Craig Reiche reported. The 340-head yarding featured a quality line-up of steers and heavy types sold for $3.30-$3.37/kg and medium, $3.25-$3.30/kg. Heavy prime heifers returned $3.20-$3.29/ kg, medium $3.15-$3.20/kg and beef cows, $1.77/kg to $2.40/kg. Well-conditioned boner cows were in demand and made $2.20/kg to $2.50/kg. Medium cows fetched $2.03-$2.20/kg. Heavy prime lambs traded at $171-$200 last Monday with medium types at $155-$171 and stores $87 to $129. In-lamb ewes managed $141-$166. About 500 cattle were presented at the store sale on Thursday, July 21. That included 447kg Hereford-Friesian steers at $3.35/kg and 354kg Hereford-Friesian made $3.30/kg. Also offered were 230kg Charolais at $800 and 145kg Hereford-Friesian, $690. In the heifer section, 454kg Hereford-Friesian and 376kg Hereford made $3.21/kg while 318kg Hereford-Friesian earned $1010.

WAIKATO PGW Frankton cattle • R2 Hereford-Friesian steers, 445-498kg, fetched $3.27-$3.33/kg • R2 Angus and exotic-cross steers, 408-466kg, reached $3.18$3.28/kg • 50 run-with-bull Angus cows, 489-655kg, mostly sold within a range of $2.52-$2.57/kg • Prime Hereford-Jersey steers, 533kg, earned $3.26/kg Local buyers were out and about at PGG Wrightson’s FRANKTON cattle sale last Tuesday and chased all classes

of stock. The top cut of the big heifer section was dairybeef types that ranged from 384-404kg and managed $3.14-$3.19/kg while second cuts were usually $2.75$2.85/kg. Good numbers of Friesian, 406-435kg, earned $2.82-$2.91/kg. R1 cattle highlights included 207-232kg Hereford-Friesian steers that made consistent per head prices of $820-$840, followed by the best heifers of the same breed, 256-280kg, valued at $770-$840. Read more in your LivestockEye. NZFL Frankton cattle • Prime Hereford-Friesian steers, 536-599kg, earned $3.26-$3.33/kg • R1 Hereford heifers, 229kg, fetched $3.62/kg • R1 Charolais-cross steers, 343kg, traded at $3.32/kg • Autumn-born weaner Simmental bulls, 126kg, made $700 There was another good turnout of buyers at New Zealand Farmers Livestock’s FRANKTON cattle sale last Wednesday. Most R2 cattle were dairy-beef types that weighed in at 390-520kg and they made $2.99/kg to $3.16/ kg regardless of being steers or heifers. In the prime pens, heifers were all traditional-cross, 445-507kg, that collected $3.15-$3.21/kg. Boner cow quality was lower and the maximum price paid was $2.13/kg for a pen of 499kg Friesian. Read more in your LivestockEye.

KING COUNTRY Te Kuiti sheep • Prime 2-tooth ewes made $128-$149 • Heavy prime lambs fetched $188-$198 There was a small sheep yarding at TE KUITI last Wednesday which sold on an easier market. The best of the prime ewes fetched $168-$176. Store male lambs eased to $120-$140 and mixed-sex lambs made $120-$130.

BAY OF PLENTY Rangiuru cattle and sheep • Prime Hereford-Friesian and Angus-Friesian heifers, 504kg, earned $3.17/kg • R2 Angus bulls, 326kg, collected $3.10/kg Demand for quality cattle increased at RANGIURU last Tuesday and returns reflected this. Angus and Hereford bulls, 720-762kg, made $3.39/kg and $3.52/kg and top returns for boner cows was $1/kg behind that. R2 beefcross and dairy-beef steers ranged from $2.81/kg to $2.97/ kg depending on quality. Heifers were all over 400kg, and two clean pens of Hereford-Friesian fetched $2.92/kg and $3.02/kg. One pen of R1 heifers at 175kg earned $3.71/kg while other heifers and bulls were more mixed and traded at $2.61-$2.71/kg. Likewise, clean autumn-born weaner Angus-Friesian bulls collected $500 and mixed types sold for $300. A small number of forward store lambs earned $136-$146 and ewes averaged $100. Read more in your LivestockEye.

TARANAKI Taranaki cattle • R2 Charolais bulls, 607-725kg, made $2480-$2700 • R2 dairy-beef steers averaged 440kg and $3.05/kg TARANAKI cattle tallies dropped to 96-head last Wednesday and quality was mixed. The biggest section was the R2 steers though prices varied from $1640, $3.20/kg for 512kg Hereford-dairy, down to $830, $2.50/kg for light Red Devon-cross. Read more in your LivestockEye.

HAWKE’S BAY Stortford Lodge store cattle and sheep • R2 Hereford-Friesian heifers, 329-356kg, sold well at $2.96-$3.06/ kg • A small line of ewes with lambs-at-foot made $115.50 all counted • Good male lambs came back to average $152-$154 • Top ewe lambs reached $171-$180.50 Cattle tallies dipped to 123-head at STORTFORD LODGE last Wednesday. The main feature was R2 heifers and lighter-conditioned Hereford-Friesian and Angus-Hereford

sold for $2.76-$2.85/kg while a good line of HerefordFriesian at 375kg reached $3.19/kg. One pen of 531kg R2 Angus and Angus-Hereford steers pushed to $3.39/kg to be the only other highlight of the sale. Sheep tallies were typical for the time of year though most were drawn in due to wet conditions. The conditions also meant that few farmers were able to shear and several lines carried near full fleeces. There was no obvious discount for wool as buying was selective throughout, and overall the market eased. However, medium-good male lambs lifted to $144$148 but good ewe lambs came back to average $143-$152. Read more in your LivestockEye. Dannevirke sheep • Store cryptorchid lambs reached $156 • Store ewe lambs sold up to $137 • 11 prime lambs made $181 A moderate tally of 860 sheep greeted sale-goers at DANNEVIRKE on Thursday, July 21. Prime ewes sold on a steady market as they traded at $105-$152 and averaged $125-$137. Store lambs were once again the biggest feature and ewe lambs made up the majority. Male lambs averaged $130-$136 and ewe lambs sold on a firm market to average $120-$121. Stortford Lodge prime sheep • The top lambs earned $205-$247 • Most other lambs made $150-$173 Very heavy ewes sold in two cuts at STORTFORD LODGE last Monday as the best third were priced at $217-$218 and the remainder at $190-$198. A good number graded as heavy and earned $177 though most of the offering was medium to good types that traded at $133-$168.50. Read more in your LivestockEye.

MANAWATŪ Feilding store cattle and sheep • R2 Angus steers, 389-435kg, lifted to $3.33-$3.47/kg • R2 Speckle-Friesian bulls, 602kg, made $3.28/kg • Autumn-born yearling Hereford-Friesian heifers, 289kg, received $2.87/kg • Store male lambs averaged $158 • Store ewe lambs averaged $140 A little more than 400 cattle were yarded at FEILDING on Friday, July 22. R2 Hereford-Friesian steers, 369kg, lifted to $3.27/kg with 439-442kg Speckle Park-Friesian at $3.24$3.28/kg. Both Angus and dairy-beef R2 heifers, 393-459kg, made $3.07-$3.14/kg. A line of 231kg R1 Friesian bulls were $3.16/kg but R1 heifers struggled, maxing out at $2.70$2.73/kg for 204-245kg straight-beef lines. The market lifted on a yarding of nearly 7000 store lambs, mostly on the ewe lambs which were up as much as $20-$25. Forward-store males were $164-$168, good lines $149-$161, medium $126-$140 and light, $101. Ewe lambs were very even, where good were $139.50-$150, medium $135-$148 and light, $120-$137. Good mixed-age ewes, scanned-in-lamb 145-166% to both terminal and Romney rams, improved to $206-$219. Read more in your LivestockEye. Feilding prime cattle and sheep • Very heavy Poll Dorset-cross lambs fetched $243 Cattle pens mostly held empty cows at FEILDING last Monday and both beef and dairy types sold on stronger markets. Traditional cows, 510-564kg, made $2.48-$2.58/ kg and a 740kg Hereford-Friesian fetched $2.76/kg. Almost all dairy cows ranged from $2.48/kg to $2.60/kg aside from a 580kg Friesian which reached $2.90/kg. Limited steers earned $3.19-$3.21/kg and a 485kg Angus heifer made $3.05/kg. Better condition lambs sold on a steady market, but the more dominant forward store type was slightly discounted on last week as a result of less demand. The bulk of the yarding sold from $180 to $227 while ewes typically traded at $100-$177 on a steady market. Read more in your LivestockEye. Rongotea cattle • R2 Hereford-Friesian and Simmental-cross heifers, 369-383kg,

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – August 1, 2022

Feeder calf sales

SPRING HAS SPRUNG: Daffodils and new-season lambs have started to appear among the puddles on Hawke’s Bay properties and at the Stortford Lodge sale yards. This line of ewes with lambs-at-foot was the first for the season and sold for $115.50 all counted.

made $2.49/kg to $2.77/kg • R1 Hereford-Friesian steers, 178-240kg, ranged from $2.71/kg to $3.09/kg • R1 Hereford-Friesian heifers, 134-350kg, realized $2.03/kg to $2.83/kg • In-milk Friesian cows made $1360 Good quality cattle were offered on a slower market at RONGOTEA last Tuesday, New Zealand Farmers Livestock agent Darryl Harwood reported. R1 Speckle Park-cross bulls, 372kg, earned $3.23/kg. R1 Angus-cross heifers, 147272kg, made $1.73/kg to $2.11/kg.

supplied the bulk of store cattle in the R1 pens and offered traditional and Murray Grey-cross. The pick of the steers, 253-290kg traditional, fetched $3.58-$3.60/kg while 210268kg heifers collected $3.17-$3.28/kg. A small offering of prime ewes sold on a steady market, mostly from $130 to $185, as well as lambs which generally settled at $150-$240. Forward store lambs earned $148-$151 while good types made $120-$145. Read more in your LivestockEye.

SOUTH-CANTERBURY

CANTERBURY Coalgate cattle and sheep • Friesian bulls, 553kg, collected $3.27/kg • The heaviest lambs fetched $265 Demand couldn’t keep up with the increase in throughput at COALGATE on Thursday, July 21 and the prime cattle market eased. Beef-cross steers, 550-600kg, traded at $3.42-$3.48/kg and most others, including dairybeef, settled within $3.22-$3.34/kg. The pick of the heifers, 600-620kg, made $3.36-$3.40/kg while a couple just shy of 500kg realised $3.00-$3.08/kg. Better condition Friesian cows returned $2.20-$2.22/kg and Hereford reached $2.36/ kg. R2 Angus and Angus-Hereford heifers, 387-414kg, earned $3.10-$3.12/kg while Hereford, 375kg, settled at $3.00/kg. Forward store lambs traded at $150-$160, good ewe lambs made $146 and medium types earned $120$135. Most prime lambs settled between $160 and $219 but a reasonable number exceeded this. A few 2-tooth ewes earned $110-$147 while some mixed-age options made more. Read more in your LivestockEye. Canterbury Park cattle and sheep • Prime Angus steers, 653kg, earned $3.45/kg • R2 Angus steers, 409kg, made $3.18/kg • Mixed-age Texel-cross ewes, run with a Texel ram in early March, collected $230 The weather played a role in softening the cattle market at CANTERBURY PARK last Tuesday and prime steers came back 15-20c/kg. Anything of reasonable quality still managed to exceed $3.20/kg and $3.10/kg for heifers. Large ex-service bulls ranged from $1.80/kg to $2.20/kg while most others settled either side of $3.00/kg. Cows generally sold from $2.12/kg to $2.48/kg. One Kaikoura vendor

Temuka prime and boner cattle; all sheep • Angus cows, 465-605kg, dropped to $2.40/kg • Boner Friesian cows, 550-650kg, dropped to $2.02/kg • Top store male lambs made $229 Sodden paddocks caused cattle tallies to increase to 703head at TEMUKA last Monday. Three-quarters of the sale was made up of boner cows with an average Friesian sale price of $1.95/kg. Prime steer tallies rose as paddocks start to feel the pressure from heavier cattle and all, but a small handful, weighed over 530kg. Dairy-beef lines averaged 585kg and $3.15/kg. A selection of prime cows that had been run with bulls made solid returns as the heaviest, 614-636kg pure Hereford, made the top dollar of the group at $2.48/kg to $2.56/kg. The sheep sale was well-supported, and throughput was up to 5869-head. This was helped by the inclusion of an annual consignment of 1100 shorn Poll Dorset-Merino store lambs from Ashburton Gorge. Good store male lambs made $170-$229 and mixed-sex $134$175. Most prime mixed-sex lambs held at $184-$238. Read more in your LivestockEye.

OTAGO Balclutha sheep • Store lambs varied from $90 to $152 • Prime lambs earned $122-$232 Store lambs offered by PGG Wrightson at BALCLUTHA on Wednesday, July 20 lifted with the average up $19 to $137. Prime ewes ranged from $60 to $230.

SOUTHLAND Charlton sheep • Store lambs ranged from $40 to $154 • Prime lambs reached $228

Manawatū, Wairarapa and Dannevirke buyers made up a solid gallery at MANFIELD PARK last Monday where early and well-marked dairy-beef calves sold well. Good Hereford-Friesian bulls earned $250-$300 while Angus-Friesian and Charolais-Friesian realised $200-$240. Friesian bull buyers were selective and better options settled at $100-$140. The top end of dairy-beef heifers traded at $150-$215 and medium, $80-$120. A further 240 were penned last Thursday and good Friesian bulls had a better day at $120-$200 while medium types sold for $70-$100. Hereford-Friesian held as the tops made $260-$315 and medium, $150$200. Top Angus-cross and Charolais-cross traded at $240-$250 and Belgian Blue-cross, $280. Small bulls returned $40-$50. Dairy-beef heifers eased but a highlight was Belgian Blue-cross at $200. Top HerefordFriesian made $100-$150 and beef-cross sold up to $115. Medium types of most breeds traded at $60-$80. At HAWERA last Monday Friesian bull prices firmed to $80-$135 and Hereford-Friesian sold up to $250. Heifers of same breed and Charolais-cross made $125. There was good demand for the quality line-up of calves at REPOROA last Monday and heavy Friesian bulls sold up to $135 while medium types settled at $110-$120. Heavy Hereford-Friesian and CharolaisFriesian returned $220-$240 while Angus-Friesian and red Hereford-Friesian realised $135-$150. Medium Hereford-Friesian heifers earned $70 and heavier red options reached $130 along with Charolais-Friesian at $120. The Thursday market heated up for 186 calves and top Friesian bulls reached $135-$147 and the balance, $105-$132. Top Hereford-Friesian made $240 and medium and red types, $140-$160. Charolaiscross bulls reached $155-$205. Most heifers sold for $135-$155. A huge yarding of 1170 feeder calves went under the hammer at FRANKTON last Tuesday. They generally came forward in good condition and there was sufficient demand for all to find new homes. Good Friesian bulls made $130-$140 with medium pens $80-$110 and small, $50-$60. Hereford-Friesian were a highlight as they firmed to $290-$315 with midsized lines $180-$250 and small, $100-$140 while red Hereford-Friesian and crossbred calves made $50-$130. The top Hereford-Friesian heifers were off the pace of last week at $110-$150, though small types improved to $50-$80. Angus-cross sold from $30 to $150. The top end of the Friesian bulls at RONGOTEA last Tuesday fell short of the previous week at $105 and sold down to $30. That contrasted with Hereford-Friesian which firmed to $325 though did start at $40. Exotic-cross bulls sold for $105-$160. Hereford-Friesian heifers varied from $20 to $210 and exotic-cross heifers, $125$130. A small yarding sold at RANGIURU last Tuesday and Friesian bulls returned $75-$82 while AngusFriesian bulls made $60 and heifers, $40.

There were 138 prime ewes offered at CHARLTON on Thursday, July 20 which averaged $125 and reached $185. Prime lambs averaged $176 and a small offering of prime rams ranged from $40 to $72. Lorneville cattle and sheep • R2 beef-cross steers, 474-543kg, made $1500-$1720 • Heavy prime ewes realized $150-$192 • Top store lambs made $120-$135 There was a small yarding of store cattle which sold on a strong market at LORNEVILLE last Tuesday. R1 Herefordcross heifers, 240kg, were able to achieve $790. Heavy prime lambs made $180-$212 while light to medium types earned $140-$170. Good quality 2-tooths fetched $180 while light to medium types earned $112-$151. A small yarding of rams traded at $50-$82.

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Markets

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – August 1, 2022 NI SLAUGHTER STEER

NI SLAUGHTER LAMB

SI SLAUGHTER STAG

($/KG)

BONER FRIESIAN COWS, 530KG AVERAGE, AT TEMUKA

($/KG)

6.20

9.20

8.20

1.95

$140 high $130-$140 Store ewe lamb average Top Friesian bull calves at lights Frankton at Feilding 22.7

Consistent market against all odds Suz Bremner suz.bremner@globalhq.co.nz

SEEMINGLY against all odds, the North Island store cattle market has ploughed on through the rain, mud, snow and wind and seems to be ready for the fast approaching spring market season. Through winter, farmers tend to hold off as long as they can to sell stock, but those that have had to offload have done so into what has been a resilient market considering all aspects that have tried to work against it. Demand for quality, short-term cattle has managed to sustain any blows thrown at it, and as prices have held up those who can enter the market early may have opted to do that, knowing that there is

the potential for prices to climb even further once spring hits. Not every beast is in demand, though – the focus is very much on the better-bred and forward moving cattle, something not everyone has to offer, and most sale yards are offering up their fair share of lesser quality lines, especially as the paddock disappears under water in some regions. It is still a bit early for great interest in younger cattle too, but that will come. The market for R2 dairy-beef steers at Northland and Waikato sale yards has been steady throughout the winter months as, even though those months have been wet and wild, they have also been relatively mild which has kept grass ticking over. At Wellsford, dairy-beef steers in the 425-475kg range have enjoyed a positive run since late April.

This goes against the normal pattern of prices dropping away at this time of year before they pick up again at the spring sales, which are held in the first few weeks of August. Currently, this weight range is averaging $3.05/kg, which is well up on last year and the five-year average, and is a level that was not reached until early September last year. Frankton sales have followed a similar pattern and R2 dairy-beef steers in the 375-475kg range have hovered around $3.00/kg for the last month, which is also a few weeks ahead of last year. Cattle throughput has been down at Rangiuru, Feilding, Stortford Lodge and Taranaki over the past few sales and, aside from a few feature lines, these yardings have mainly consisted of small winter-offloads.

BIG AND SMALL: The Taranaki sale yards at Stratford were busy on Wednesday, July 13 for the monthly cattle fair, but sales on either side were very small.

But, like the other yards, the quality cattle have sold at spring levels of last year and so the question will be being asked – will prices continue to climb once a spring grass market kicks in, or will the current levels remain? The expectation is that the market should continue to see upside if the current overseas demand and favourable schedule

prices levels continue, though limited processor space will mean that farmers cannot re-enter the market until finished stock are offloaded and that may impact on demand for the spring sales.

Find out more about AgriHQ at agrihq.co.nz

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OR 4 FOR

+GST

ShelterShed 3m x 3m Shelter for: Calves, horses, sheep, lambs, alpacas Storage for: Hay, farm implements, bikes and more! • Kitset, easy bolt together design, quick to install • Comes with steel colour cladding for roof and 3 sides • Heavy duty 50 x 50 RHS galvanised steel frame • Lower walls clad with 18mm plywood insert • 3000mm W x 3000mm D x 2200mm H

3m ShelterShed No Gates

3,295.00

(FHS400)

4,395.00

(FHS401)

+GST

ShelterShed Front Gate & Side Panel

+GST

ShelterShed 4x Panels & 1x Gate

5,495.00

+GST

ShelterShed 4m x 4m

ALL PRICES EXCLUDE FREIGHT 4m ShelterShed

4,995.00

+GST EXCL FREIGHT

• • • • •

Ideal for horses Heavy duty 50 x 50 RHS galvanised frame Easybolt together design Quick to install Comes with steel cladding for roof & three sides

843024 Promotional offers valid until 31st August 2022. All prices exclude freight unless otherwise stated.

CATTLE HANDLING ORDERAN STOCKM YARDS E L T T A C BEFOR3E1ST AUGUSCTEIVE A & RE ATWALK FREE C E* UPGR AD *Terms & Conditions apply, FREE catwalk upgrade includes supply of FRP cat walk grating & ﬁ xings on yard designs over $25,000.00+gst

84 Head Yard - with 5 section race

46 Head Yard - with curved force tub

130 Head Yard - with cattle free area

9 Head

10 Head

36 Head

48 Head

alk tw Ca

40 Head

37 Head

27 Head

36 Head

Loading Ramp

POPULAR YARD DESIGN #3

15 Head

• Large curved tub with alloy sheeted sides • Heavy duty anti backing gate for operator safety • Headbail & sliding gate in race POPULAR • Drafting gates YARD DESIGN #1 • 97 x 42mm heavy duty cattle rail • Optional loading ramp

ing

• Popular Mid-Large scale yard • 4 working pens with curved flow • Circular force pen & gate for operator safety • Cattle free area - allows complete operator safety • Optional catwalk available • Optional cattle crush and loading ramps available

• Large, spacious yard with good animal flow • 97 x 42mm heavy duty cattle rail which minimises animal bruising POPULAR • Optional cattle crush available YARD • Optional loading ramp DESIGN #2

DELIVERED AS A KITSET OR FULL DESIGN & INSTALL SERVICE AVAILABLE Stockmaster Headbail

Stockman Headbail

3,695 .00

+GST PLUS FREIGHT

Sliding Yard Gate • Including mounting brackets

2,895 .00

Farmhand Walkthrough Headbail

FREIGHT +GST PLUS

Anti Backing Ratchet

1,695 .00

+GST

Farmhand Swingbail

Cattle Yard Gates • Height 1690mm 7 rail • 70 x 41mm cattle rail • Standard sizes only

995 .00

+GST PLUS FREIGHT

PLUS FREIGHT

FRP Catwalk grating

Priced from

959

.00 +GST

PLUS FREIGHT

509

$ .00 +GST

295 .00

+GST

PLUS FREIGHT

843024

PLUS FREIGHT

Sizes 750,1800,2100,2500, 2700,3100 mm wide.

389 .00

Per sheet

+GST PLUS FREIGHT

Stockman Vetless Cattle Crush

Sto Cru

CATTLE HANDLING Farmhand Vetless Crush • • • • • • •

Economical crush for weighing and handling Farmhand walkthrough headbail 50 x 50 One piece gates on both sides Hot dip galvanised Heavy duty steel floor Single sliding entry door

Stockmaster Vet Crush • • • • • • • •

Economical crush for weighing and handling Farmhand walkthrough headbail 75 x 50 base frame Split gates on both sides Hot dip galvanised Heavy duty steel floor Single sliding entry door Vet access gates

• Made in New Zealand

5,995

.00 +GST

+GST

Vetless option $8495.00+ GST. Optional offside draft handle $495.00+ GST.

Optional offside draft handle $495.00 + GST

Stockman Vetless Crush • • • • • • • • • • •

9,990

.00

Designed for medium to large farms and herds Stockman heavy duty headbail Hot dipped galvanised Extra heavy duty 75 x 50 base frame Quiet locking system Slam latches on both gates Heavy duty steel floor Split gates on both sides VL5S model Double sided parallel squeeze Made in New Zealand

StockBoss Vet Crush

- Double Sided Squeeze

Stockman Vet Crush

Designed for medium to large farms and bull breeders StockBoss heavy duty headbail Hot-dipped galvanised Extra heavy duty 75 x 50 base frame Three piece gates both sides Quiet locking system Slam latches on both gates Rubber floor Includes rear handle for headbail operation • Vet access • Double sided parallel squeeze • Made in New Zealand • • • • • • • • •

Stockman Dairy Drafter • Draft 3 ways • Activated manually from remote control • Affordable system with no expensive software • Compatible with Gallagher & TruTest EID, scales • Install into any existing yards • Made in New Zealand

Stockman Auto Drafter Standard Features: • Stockman HD Headbail • 75 x 50 • Scale Mounting Lugs • Hot Dip Galvanised • One Piece Gate on Both Sides • Quiet Locking System • Slam Latches on Side Gates • Single Rear Door • Heavy Duty Steel Floor

Stockman Cattle Stockman Mobile Stockman Mobile Ramp Cattle Ramp Cattle Crush

• Heavy Duty Cattle Loading Ramp • Optional catwalk

• Heavy Duty Cattle Loading Ramp • Inbuilt trailer unit ready for road transport • Hot dipped galvanised frame with catwalk • Light bar and lights • (excludes ORC)

• Able to move easily between farms or cattle yards • Unique electric winching mechanism easily lifts and lowers crush into position • All the features of our standard Stockman Cattle Crush • Road ready Tandem axle trailer unit • Toolbox for storage of accessories • (excludes scales and EID, and ORC)

26 Head Plan

843024 Promotional offers valid until 31st August 2022. All prices exclude freight unless otherwise stated.

46 Head Plan

THE RURAL BUTCHER

Head Plan FATHER’S DAY SUNDAY 4TH100SEPTEMBER! 8 pc Butcher Knife Set

2 pc Kitchen Knife Set

2 pc Filleting Knife Set

• Ergonomic polypropylene antimicrobial handles • 150mm de-boning curved narrow blade • 150mm de-boning straight narrow blade • 150mm de-boning straight wide blade • 200mm de-boning straight narrow blade • 250mm table trim triangular wide blade • 250mm Knurled finish Sharpening Steel • 300mm Sharpening Steel Protector • 200x50x25mm – Double grit Sharpening Stone

• Ergonomic polypropylene antimicrobial handles • 1 Chefs Knife Narrow Triangular 6” (150mm) • 1 Chefs Knife Wide Triangular 8” (200mm)

• Ergonomic polpropylene antimicrobial handles • 8” filleting knife • 10” sharpening steal • Knife Sheath

BU44

39 .00

BU48

+GST

109.00

109 .00 +GST

BU97

+GST

Leather Skinning Knife & Sheath Set

• Skinning knife • 6” steel • Leather sheath

• Ergonomic polpropylene antimicrobial handles

BU47

+GST

.00 49 160 Head Plan

+GST

6 pc Chef Knife Set

6 pc Butchery BBQ Knife Set • Ergonomic polpropylene antimicrobial handles

149 .00

BU43

79 .00

BUKIT

+GST

YOUR ONE STOP SHOP FOR GAME & MEAT PROCESSING SPOIL DAD WITH THESE SHARP DEALS!

12” (30cm) Butcher Knife, Aerial Trim with straight broad blade

BU31

10” (25cm) Butcher Knife, Aerial Trim w/curved narrow blade

BU32

10” (25cm) Butcher Knife, Table Trim w/triangular broad blade

BU33

12” (30cm) Sharpener with striated shanke

BU40

6” (15cm) Butcher Knife, Aerial Trim w/curved narrow blade

BU34

6” (15cm) Butcher Knife, Deboning w/curved narrow blade

BU35

6” (15cm) Butcher Knife, Table Trim w/triangular narrow blade

BU36

6” (15cm) Butcher Knife, Deboning w/straight broad blade

BU37

6” (15cm) Butcher Knife, Deboning w/straight narrow blade

BU38

8” (20cm) Butcher Knife, Deboning and filleting narrow blade

BU39

6” Sharpening Steel

BU57

843024

53 .00 $ 43 .00 $ 42 .00 $ 54 .00 $ 32 .00 $ 21 .00 $ 19 .00 $ 21 .00 $ 21 .00 $ 30.00 $ 10 .00 $

+GST

WWW.RURALBUTCHER.COM

260 H

THE RURAL BUTCHER SHELTER & EQUINE

FATHER’S DAY SUNDAY 4TH SEPTEMBER! Small Meat Saw

Medium Meat Saw

• Throat size 270mm H x 200mm W • 1.1kW motor • 210mm alloy pulley wheels • Table 500 x 600mm

• Throat size 380mm H x 250mm W • Throat size 460mm H x 285mm W • 1.5kW motor • 1.5kW motor • 300mm alloy pulley wheels • 260mm alloy pulley wheels • Table 700 x 550mm • Table 700 x 550mm

FREE SPARE BLADE

995 .00

BU91

+GST

Rural Meat Slicer

BU92

+GST

Rural Meat Mixer Easy mixing handle and pivoting cradle with lid.

695 .00

•

2,195 .00

•

BU94

+GST

• The orginal farmers meatsaw • Throat size 320 x 250mm • 3/4HP enclosed motor • 250mm alloy pulleys • Cutting guides

FREE SPARE BLADE

Slice meat to perfection every time. Suitable for home, to semiprofessional use.

•

Rural Meat Saw

Large Meat Saw

459.00 +GST

FREE SPARE BLADE

2,995.00

BU93

+GST

Rural Mincer T22

925.00 +GST

2,795 .00

BU01

+GST

Rural Sausage Filler 3L

• Make mince from home • Stainless steel body • 850W motor

BU14

• Make sausages at home

BU08

249.00

BU13

+GST

YOUR ONE STOP SHOP FOR GAME & MEAT PROCESSING SPOIL DAD WITH THESE SHARP DEALS!

Stainless Steel Sink Bench

Stainless Steel Workbench

•1200 L x 600 D

• 1200 L x 600 D

Butchers Block Workbench

Corner Bench Unit • 900 x 900

• 900 L x 600 D

529.00 +GST

BU82

349.00 +GST

BU80

399.00 +GST

BU83

Butchers Apron

Plastic Knife Pouch Plastic Knife Pouch

• PPU

• 370mm L • Hold up to 4 knives

29.00

BU105

+GST

Meat Grab Hook

21.00 +GST

599.00 +GST

BU81

Belt & Steel Holder

• 520mm L • Hold up to 2 knives

BU106

Single Swivel Meat Hook

25.00 +GST

BU107

Single Stainless Hanging Hook

20 .00 +GST

BU109,111

Bacon Hanging Hook

• 8mm x 200mm

•10mm x 235mm

23.00 +GST

4” hook

.95 +GST

•14mm x 270mm

5” hook

.95 +GST

BU60,61

29.00 +GST

BU62,63

.95

BU64

.00 +GST

BU148

7 Promotional offers valid until 31st August 2022. All prices exclude freight unless otherwise stated.

WWW.RURALBUTCHER.COM

FATHER’S DAY SUNDAY 4TH SEPTEMBER! Chainmail Butchers Glove

Double Burger Pattie Press Butcher Saw • Stainless frame

•130mm diameter

Magnetic Knife Holder

• Stainless steel • M / L / XL

.00

BU131

+GST

6” Cleaver Red Handle

.00

BU59

+GST

•

69.00 $ 79.00 $

+GST

25” $ 89.00

+GST

BU50,51,52

.00 +GST

BU58

129 .00 +GST

BU68,69,70

8.5” Cleaver Yellow Handle

.00

BU144

+GST

.00

+GST

BU110

Ox Cleaver Red Handle

Meat Pattie Press

Hoist N Lock Big Game

.00

+GST

BU145

Knife Roll Bag

•130mm diameter

Stainless Steel 530 x 325 x 150mm deep

.00

BU189/194

+GST

131

.00

+GST

Stockinette

Sleeve Protector

• 500g/2.5kg option • 100% cotton

• 500 x 120mm

500g

+GST

8” Cleaver White Handle

Meat Pan & Lid - Large •

18” 22”

.00 +GST

2.5kg

89.00 +GST

BU137/138

15.00 +GST

BU171

259

.00

+GST

BU132

.90 +GST

BU108

The Rural Butcher BUG ZAPPER 220 V 40 W Chemical and odour free No Pesticides Coverage for up to 80m2

BU142

159

.00 +GST

UV LIGHT ATTRACTS FLYING INSECTS!

BU197

Tabloid offers valid until 31st August 2022. Many products shown are manufactured to order so standard Farmquip leadtimes and freight apply. Freight charged on all orders unless otherwise stipulated. Cattle yards pricing excludes concrete and site works. All products while stocks last and limited stock available. Some products may be unavailable due to shipping delays.

Farmers Weekly NZ August 1 2022

Articles inside

NZ teen makes cut for Cobber relay

Dairy sours on ‘false’ defence of EU deal

Funds for GHG-fighting fungi