Farmers Weekly NZ September 2 2024

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Macca’s adds to NZ order: hold the GHG

BEEF producers need to address climate change and treating bobby calves as a byproduct, says Andrew Brazier, McDonald’s global supply chain director.

Speaking to Farmers Weekly at McDonald’s Chicago headquarters last week, he said New Zealand farmers rate highly for addressing the four key issues in consumer surveys: deforestation, animal health and welfare, antibiotic use and climate change.

But that does not excuse NZ farmers from taking action.

Brazier said the slaughtering of bobby calves hasn’t yet emerged as a public issue, but could. Meanwhile, consumers consider agriculture, specifically beef production, a significant contributor to climate change.

Brazier said McDonald’s has been looking at the sustainability practices of its suppliers for 10 years and, like the food industry in general, needs them to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions footprint.

“We want customers to feel good about the food they eat.

“If we do not address it, it may not hurt us today, but it could in the future,” Brazier said.

McDonald’s is not threatening to take its NZ business elsewhere, but Brazier said consumers’ concerns are growing faster than

Rest easy with our

many realise. And beef production powerhouses like Brazil are making significant strides in addressing those issues.

Up until 2015, McDonald’s did not buy any beef from the Amazon biome due to deforestation concerns.

Brazier said not all farmers in that region were responsible for the deforestation.

In return for supplying McDonald’s, farmers provide whole-of-life traceability data for stock and satellite verification of their land to prove they have not been cutting down the rain forest.

He said solutions for NZ farmers are equally complicated.

Between when a calf is born and McDonald’s takes delivery of ground beef, there have been four to five transactions.

The fast-food giant wants to help farmers address these challenges, and globally has more than 200 pilot programmes in proof-ofconcept stage that may assist

Sock factory town lands on its feet

Norsewear quality controller of 33 years Sharon Doreen has checked more than 10 million pairs of socks during her time with the company in Norsewood, southern Hawke’s Bay, which was purchased last year by business entrepreneur Tim Deane. PEOPLE 16

Synlait co-founder John Penno says a better deal is possible for the struggling company. NEWS 4

Cashmere goats a profitable soft option

Woolyarns manager Andy May says NZ has an opportunity to increase its cashmere fibre production, which the market wants because of the country’s farming capability and integrity.

There’s a glimmer of hope on the horizon for droughtstricken North Canterbury farmers. NEWS 5

The question of just who gets to be a contender is itself hotly contested, writes Daniel Eb.

OPINION 15

Neal Wallace

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News in brief Fonterra expansion

Fonterra has announced a $75 million expansion to its Studholme site in the South Island to create a hub for high-value protein products.

Fonterra CEO Miles Hurrell said the investment is part of the co-op’s strategy to grow value through its ingredients business by partnering with customers who value Fonterra’s unique offering.

Water legislation

The passing of the Local Water Done Well legislation will allow councils to begin developing their water service delivery plans, Local Government Minister Simeon Brown says.

“Councils can act sooner, with streamlined consultation and decisionmaking requirements to enable timely establishment of new water services council-controlled organisations to deliver the safe and reliable water infrastructure that Kiwis expect.”

Rankings up

Fonterra has jumped three places from nine to six in Rabobank’s annual Global Dairy Top 20 following its strong financial result for the 2023 financial year. The report, which highlights the financial results of key global dairy industry leaders, calls its performance “strong”.

NZ Pork appointment

Mike Mackay has been appointed NZ Pork’s policy manager.

Mackay has 15 years’ experience in the public and private sector, working across agricultural policy development, applied science and innovation, and rural stakeholder engagement. His expertise includes assessing the impacts of policy and regulatory proposals on agricultural businesses and rural communities in New Zealand.

New opportunities on the west coast wind

MEETING the MARKET

7 COUNTRIES IN 6 WEEKS

Neal Wallace MARKETS Food and fibre

THE endorsement was timely and reassuring for Brook Leeder.

Leeder, wife Rachel and their two young children had recently arrived in Los Angeles from Dunedin after Brook was appointed market development manager for Silver Fern Farms (SFF).

He was meeting the parents of friends his children had made at school when the conversation drifted to jobs.

Their response when he told them his role took him by surprise.

The day before, the school parents told the Leeders, they had decided to start looking at which foods were healthier for them and their family and better for the environment – exactly SFF’s target demographic.

Continued from page 1

climate change and animal welfare issues.

Before joining McDonald’s, Brazier ran his family’s Australian beef farm, where he hunted for ways to make their beef operation more profitable.

Every day McDonald’s serves close to 70 million meals globally, and as a percentage of all beef produced by a country, the volume

Leeder said it is something he has since heard many times since moving from New Zealand to the United States last November, as consumers start placing real value on product attributes.

“These concerns are real,” he said.

“US consumers are driven by attribute-based claims. They are willing to pay more for attributebased products and are constantly looking for products that are healthier for them and benefit the environment.”

Leeder is one of five SFF staff in the US – three on the west coast and two on the east coast, and he said having an in-market presence is critical.

These concerns are real. US consumers are driven by attribute-based claims.

Brook Leeder Silver Fern Farms

“It is critical to build direct relationships with end customers to unlock extra value and to truly understand what consumers and customers want and need.”

It’s competitive.

An increasing number of companies are producing

it buys from NZ is the most of any country.

Brazier describes it as “double digit” volumes.

He said a solution to the bobby calf issue could be developing a dairy-beef cross over part of a herd to produce milk and grow animals for the beef industry.

“It’s a resource opportunity to be able to grow out an animal with desirable carcase traits that allows McDonald’s to take their part of

branded red meat products when supermarkets are providing limited shelf space compared to other proteins.

Restaurants are equally competitive.

Leeder’s focus is beef and venison as The Lamb Company, owned by SFF, Alliance and ANZCO, handles lamb sales and distribution throughout the US and Canada.

Getting a foot in the door of new customers increasingly requires innovation as previous tactics of sending emails seeking meetings and cold calling are often lost in the mass of similar approaches.

Out recently with his family having a meal at a large restaurant chain, Leeder spontaneously decided to approach the chain to see if they would be interested in working with SFF.

He sent a message via LinkedIn and 30 minutes later had secured a meeting.

Converting such invitations to tangible business takes time and Leeder said they are still in negotiations.

Such approaches seeking new business fail more often than they succeed.

In NZ’s favour is the fact that our meat is grass fed and hormone and antibiotic free.

With a population of more than

the carcase but to also produce prime cuts.”

The way greenhouse gas emissions are calculated, Brazier said dual-purpose animals have a lower footprint, so that would provide another benefit.

McDonald’s is open to paying more for product from farmers who reduce their greenhouse gas emissions, and while solutions are complex, he said technology is evolving fast.

“McDonald’s is trying to figure out how to support, financially or otherwise, farmers implementing changes to reduce their carbon footprint.”

Challenges include rewarding a farmer who has a consistently low emissions footprint relative to someone who has only started taking action, and acknowledging the contribution of owners of livestock between the breeder and finisher.

This is likely to require farmers to share data and information to provide verification and to quantify their contribution.

“We need to know from a credibility perspective and avoid accusations of greenwashing,” he said.

Another issue is ensuring farmers financially benefit from the carbon sequestration they achieve.

The first stage is for farmers to calculate their baseline emissions, and he urges farmers to do that.

Environmental and animal welfare issues are real for young people.

BENEFITS: Silver Fern Farms US market development manager Brook Leeder says US consumers are constantly looking for products that are healthier for them and benefit the environment.

40 million, Leeder said, California offers enormous potential, but so does the rest of the US.

The key is to focus on the few most promising leads at one time and slowly build trust and integrity, but he said there are opportunities being converted into new business and adding real value.

“It isn’t a quick game but there are new opportunities in the wind.

“There is significant value to be had when considering direct

relationships we are building with end users.”

Leeder said one of their ultimate challenges is to add value to as many parts of the carcase as possible, so the overall value of the animal increases.

• Wallace is visiting seven countries in six weeks to report on market sentiment, a trip made possible with grants from Fonterra, Silver Fern Farms, Alliance, Beef + Lamb NZ, NZ Meat Industry Association and Rabobank.

McDonald’s is trying to figure out how to support, financially or otherwise, farmers implementing changes to reduce their carbon footprint.

Andrew Brazier McDonald’s

Research shows that between the ages of 16 and 25, people develop lifelong eating habits.

If a 16-year-old is told a plantbased patty tastes the same as

a beef patty but does not have the issues of animal welfare and emissions footprint, they will believe it and it will be difficult to convert them to eat real meat.

Brazier said the industry needs to collectively find solutions.

“I don’t want to come at it as a McDonald’s solution.”

Failure to act sooner rather than later will result in governments legislating action.

• Wallace is visiting seven countries in six weeks to report on market sentiment, a trip made possible with grants from Fonterra, Silver Fern Farms, Alliance, Beef + Lamb NZ, NZ Meat Industry Association and Rabobank.

NEED TO ACT: Andrew Brazier, the global supply chain director for McDonald’s, says New Zealand beef producers rate highly but still need to act on climate change and bobby calves.

MACCA’S HQ: McDonald’s moved into new offices in central Chicago in 2018.

Penno sees ‘better options’ for Synlait

Annette Scott NEWS Dairy

SYNLAIT co-founder and shareholder John Penno believes a better deal is possible for the struggling milk company, not only for minority shareholders but for farmers, staff, customers and New Zealand Inc.

“It is extremely important that we get this right for all parties associated with this essential agribusiness,” Penno said.

“This is an important company for industry and for NZ.

“I don’t believe that the board have been able to explore all options and I’m asking them to be more explicit about the processes they have gone through.

“Forcing this deal through looks like a move to prevent better options coming forward and I have no doubt they will emerge if the current roadblocks to a better capital structure are removed, and management is given the freedom to make sensible choices.”

Penno, a 2.4% shareholder, has made formal complaints to both the NZX and Takeovers Panel regarding a capital raise that he said completely overlooks minority shareholder rights.

At a special shareholders’ meeting this month the board

will ask shareholders to approve resolutions relating to the proposed recapitalisation of the issuance of $185m of shares to Bright Dairy Holding Limited and of $32.8m shares to the a2 Milk Company and the settlement with a2MC and A2 Infant Nutrition Limited.

“My advisers have concluded that the voting procedures set out in the Notice of Meeting are not legally compliant in critical areas,” Penno said.

“The Synlait board has erred in getting this deal across the line at any cost rather than doing what is in the best interests of all shareholders and indeed the company.

“It should be noted that minority shareholders cumulatively own 41% of Synlait’s shares, making them the largest interest group in the company, yet they have been completely overlooked in the capital raising process that will see their cumulative holdings diluted to 15%.”

Penno said minority shareholders would be better off if Synlait was put into the hands of an administrator to sell the assets to the highest value owners.

Based on publicly available information from the company and brokers reports the net value of Synlait’s assets after debt is around $600 million.

The current deal essentially

Forcing this deal through looks like a move to prevent better options coming forward.

John

Penno Synlait shareholder

takes the company private, with independent shareholders captive, valuing Synlait at not much more than $100m.

“Synlait’s need to address fundamental issues facing it dates back to 2020. I applaud the board settling its differences with a2Milk. However, questions should be asked about how the relationship could have got in this state to begin with.

“Bright has controlled the Synlait board since 2010, so how can moving from 39% to 65% help when it has not worked to date?

“The current plan raises enough capital to kick the can down the road while raising support

from farmers, staff and key international customer accounts.

“I urge independent shareholders not to cast their votes until these matters are resolved, and the board makes clear how they are going to solve the issues the company has so obviously faced under the current ownership structure.”

Synlait Chair George Adams said Penno’s position was unhelpful and based on unsubstantiated asset valuations.

“He is putting forward a narrative that is effectively Russian roulette for all stakeholders.

“Our proposal recapitalises the company, pays our bondholders, provides a refinance option for our banks and ensures a viable future for Synlait group’s more than 1400 employees and the nearly 260 farmer suppliers whose businesses rely on us.

“It enables shareholders to be part of a company that we are confident will return to profit-

OPTIONS: Synlait founder and shareholder John Penno is not convinced the troubled company has explored all options and says the Synlait board has erred in getting this deal across the line at any cost.

ability and positive cashflows.”

Adams said the board’s responsibilities are to act in the best interests of the company and, in this situation, all stakeholders, including its minority shareholders.

“Over the past year, the board has worked through a comprehensive and thorough process, which included testing the market for major asset sales. The independent directors remain confident the current proposal is the best option for Synlait and all its shareholders.

“The report by Northington Partners has independently come to the same conclusion. It has also carefully appraised the insolvency option concluding that it would deliver ‘highly uncertain outcomes’ for shareholders.

“We are confident shareholders will see the merits of our proposal and we recommend they carefully read the notice of meeting and the independent Northington report before voting.”

Draft climate plan kicks costs down the road

FUTURE generations of New Zealanders risk having to pick up the costs of climate mitigation if the government’s Second Emissions Reduction Plan (20262030) goes ahead, Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment Simon Upton says.

The low-cost approach advocated in the plan runs a high risk of passing costs to future generations, he said in his submission on the plan.

“At the same time future generations will inherit a vastly expanded forestry estate that will have to be maintained in perpetuity, effectively removing any option value the land may have.”

The plan is a key tool for implementing the government’s climate strategy. Submissions on the draft plan closed on August 25.

The proposed plan will almost certainly be insufficient to meet the third emissions budget and may miss the second budget and even the first, depending on the impact of the current dry year and forestry harvest, he said.

“In falling short, the plan will pass the bill for additional action to meet the 2050 target and ongoing maintenance to future generations.”

Upton also questioned the assumption that emissions reductions technology will inevitably be much cheaper in the future.

“There is no guarantee that the cavalry of cheap technology will come charging over the hill as is implicitly assumed by this plan.”

Upton said more needs to be made of existing options that can bring down emissions.

These practices, which focus on improving the efficiency of production include reducing stocking rates while maintaining output, reducing inputs, improving animal genetics, once-a-day milking (for dairy) and raising bobby calves for beef (for sheep/ beef).

More incentives are also needed for farmers to preferentially purchase low-methane sheep to drive up demand. These genetics have to be linked with productivity enhancements or it is unlikely they will be adopted.

As the first domestic target for biogenic methane emissions is a

10% reduction by 2030, there is work needed to ensure policies are in place to drive the changes needed to achieve this target, he said.

“Currently the only incentive driving reductions in agricultural emissions is the ETS [Emissions Trading Scheme], which is

BUCK HAS TO STOP: Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment Simon Upton says the government’s draft plan for emissions runs a high risk of passing costs to future generations.

encouraging sheep and beef land to be converted into forestry.”

Agricultural emissions pricing needs to be carefully designed and communicated so farmers understand why they are being asked to pay.

“Whilst I believe the science on methane to be well established, the communication of this science will be an important challenge the government must carefully address to ensure buy-in for any pricing system.

“The key issue the government will need to grapple with is why it is allowing fossil fuel emitters the right to offset emissions but not agricultural emitters. In my view, using forestry to offset agricultural methane emissions would be a far more appropriate use of whatever offset capacity we have.”

Its nature as a short-lived gas made offsetting emissions using forestry a responsible mitigation option.

It would not fall victim to the issues with offsetting carbon dioxide because of the commensurability between the lifetime of the cooling effect of a pine production forest and the lifetime of the warming effect of livestock methane. It meant there

would be no need for ongoing planting after a forest had been established, he said.

“Furthermore, if the herd size were reduced the area forested could also be decreased, maintaining the option value of the land for future generations.

Why is the government allowing fossil fuel emitters the right to offset emissions but not agricultural emitters?

Simon Upton Parliamentary Commissioner for the Environment

“It would therefore make sense to enable farmers to offset their methane emissions using trees.”

He recommended the government build in a much greater margin for error into its emissions budgets, saying unlimited forestry offsets cast a “long shadow” over transitioning to a low emissions economy.

“My central recommendation is therefore to decouple forestry from the ETS and use alternative incentives to drive afforestation.”

Gerald Piddock NEWS Climate change

Glimmers of hope in N Canterbury drought

Gerhard Uys NEWS Weather

NORTH Canterbury farmers who have been facing drought conditions for months will have to continue to carefully manage their feed stocks, but there is hope for improvement on the horizon.

In March Farmers Weekly reported drought conditions and a medium-scale adverse event was declared for the top of the South Island.

By June some farmers had received only 40mm of rain for the year. Drought, poor returns and high transport costs left Hurunui farmers scraping the barrel for feed, with animal welfare becoming a major concern.

North Canterbury Federated Farmers president Karl Dean said at the time that, apart from a lack of rain, the biggest challenge at that stage was the cost of bringing in supplementary feed.

Earlier in August, Rural Communities Minister Mark Patterson announced the government is providing $20,000 towards specialist veterinary care for farmers in the district.

But now there is hope on the horizon as normal rainfall and normal soil moisture levels are predicted for September and October.

General manager catchment implementation at Environment Canterbury Judith Earl-Goulet said in the past month soil moisture levels have improved.

In all, “65mm to 130mm of rainfall was recorded at our monitoring sites across the region. However, groundwater levels are still low,” Earl-Goulet said.

“The recent rains, coupled with warmer temperatures, are

resulting in some pasture growth, which is expected this time of year,” she said.

“Without sufficient rainfall for recharge in coming weeks, it may be necessary for irrigation restrictions to be put in place earlier than usual.”

Irrigation restrictions are determined by the source of irrigation water, groundwater availability and the conditions that apply to the irrigator’s consent, Earl-Goulet said.

We had a little bit of rain and snow last week. Any moisture is gratefully received.

Sara Black Federated Farmers

She said NIWA’s drought index shows conditions are easing.

Head weather analyst and owner of WeatherWatch.co.nz Phil Duncan said the country is in a neutral weather pattern.

“We don’t have El Niño and we don’t have La Niña. This means our weather pattern is highly chaotic.”

This tends to suggest that Canterbury may lean warmer than average and slightly windier than previous years, Duncan said.

“Heavy rain on the West Coast will to some degree spill over into Canterbury waterways and potentially to farms in lower foothills. For those nearer to the eastern coastline, we expected it to be dry and milder,” Duncan said.

“Because of the extremely stormy nature of the Southern Ocean weather pattern this year we have an elevated risk for a brief-lived snowstorm or frost event this September and October.

“Soil moisture levels in

Canterbury will be lower the further east you are, unless there’s a surprise easterly rain event,” he said.

North Canterbury meat and wool chair for Federated Farmers Sara Black said most farmers are not out of the woods yet.

However, she said, there was a glimmer of hope at a Hurunui Adverse Events Committee meeting held on Tuesday night.

“We had a little bit of rain and snow last week. Any moisture is gratefully received. Totals from around the district show 30mm to 50mm of rain,” Black said.

Farmers were still under a lot of feed pressure, especially as lambing approaches.

“We’re very much in a holding pattern at this stage.”

She said many farmers have been feeding out since January and are under financial pressure as a result.

“There’s no money coming in, especially for sheep farmers until

they get lambs grown out. Even though there’s been a recent spike in the sheepmeat price it’s hard to see where the lamb price will be, especially for store lambs,” she said.

“People are still stressed. We haven’t got to the end of anything. We’ve had a little bit of rain, but there’s still that uncertainty. It’s long haul now.”

Sheep entered the next season leaner than they should have been, she said.

MPI, China sort new frozen velvet regs

Annette Scott NEWS Deer

AGREEMENT has been reached on new regulations to restore market access for New Zealand’s frozen deer velvet exports to China.

Deer Industry NZ (DINZ) chief executive Rhys Griffiths said the agreement between the respective government agencies on the new formal arrangement’s content proposes “goodfaith intention amongst the regulators”.

The Ministry for Primary Industries is drafting separate lists of premises and developing

health certificates for frozen and dried velvet for China’s approval and implementation.

Once finalised, the Overseas Market Access Requirements for China will be updated to enable the new certificates to be used, Griffiths said.

Trade in frozen velvet is expected to resume for the 20242025 season.

“This progress is a testament to the MPI’s dedication throughout the process, reflecting a shared commitment to maintaining robust safety systems and advancing the economic prosperity of NZ,” Griffiths said.

“We extend our gratitude to

MPI officials in Wellington and Beijing for getting us to this point and acknowledge the efforts of all parties involved from both NZ and China.”

In October last year China signalled changes to its rules for imported velvet used in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), necessitating new market access regulations for exports of NZ velvet.

Since May 1 this year, only dried velvet has been able to be imported as a TCM into China.

The changes apply to velvet imported by China from all countries and are not solely about NZ imports.

PRESSURE: North Canterbury meat and wool chair for Federated Farmers Sara Black says most farmers are not out of the woods yet and are under financial pressure as many have been feeding out since January.

Photo: Joseph Johnson

Pass wide and slow, riders urge motorists

Annette Scott NEWS Safety

ALACK of effective legislation in New Zealand is placing horse riders at serious risk when riding on the roads and equestrian groups want their vulnerability formally recognised.

They’ve been clipped by wing mirrors, overtaken at speed, sworn at and honked at,

and they have had enough.

Horse rider, equestrian advocate and former TVNZ journalist Julia McLean, with the backing of the NZ Equestrian Advocacy Network (NZEAN), Equestrian Sport NZ (ESNZ), the NZ Pony Club Association (PCNZA), NZ Riding for the Disabled (NZRDA), and Te Hapori Hōiho - National Māori Horse Association Aotearoa Trust, is leading the charge.

She said the safety of horse riders is being seriously compromised because they are not formally recognised as a vulnerable road user (VRU), like cyclists and pedestrians.

Horse riders are “other road users” with no road safety benefits attached.

“We sit outside inclusion, so when no one’s being educated it’s bloody dangerous out there,” McLean said.

Formal recognition would put horses equal to cyclists in terms of vulnerability and would be similar to definitions included in the European Commission and the United Kingdom highway code.

NZEAN Canterbury chair McLean has experienced an accident.

Riding along the side of the road, her horse bolted and slipped on the tarmac. McLean fell off and her head hit the road. She doesn’t know what triggered her horse to bolt, but ultimately the message is the same: riders are managing an animal, and anything can happen.

The incident left her in an induced coma for six days. It also brought her career as a broadcast journalist to an abrupt halt.

McLean has been talking to councils and transport committee meetings across the country, talking with trucking associations, and writing to NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi and Minister of Transport Simeon Brown.

“This is about lives. This isn’t a political football.

“There is no definition in the NZ Transport Agency literature to define a VRU and as a result, horse riders are more than often a forgotten group in safety and transport planning,” McLean said.

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The Ministry of Transport’s Road to Zero Road Safety Strategy fails to mention horse riders, which McLean said is why road safety messaging for horse riders at a local or national level rarely exists.

Kiwi horse riders have launched a petition to have horse riders formally recognised as VRUs.

The petition also seeks to address legislation the network sees as ineffective, asking for the Land Transport Act to be amended to include safe provision for horse riders.

McLean has been heartened by the positive response from local councils, but said that “a commitment from central government is key to pulling this together and making riders safer on our roads”.

The NZEAN has designed yellow and pink hi-viz vests carrying the Pass Wide and Slow messaging.

Transporting NZ, the National Road Carriers Association and the NZ Trucking Association have all agreed to support and share the Pass Wide and Slow message to their driver networks, via newsletters, monthly magazines and social media platforms.

As part of the campaign, NZ horse riders are taking part in registered rides across the country in a Pass Wide and Slow event over the weekend September 14 and 15.

The petition closes on October 14 and|will be presented to Parliament on October 15.

ACTION: Horse riders have been overtaken at speed, sworn at and honked at and they are calling for action.

‘Social licence’ rebuke as banks hedge

ANigel Stirling POLITICS Finance

LONG-awaited

Parliamentary probe into rural lending hasn’t even started and at least one bank is dragging its feet about appearing for questioning.

Getting to the bottom of why farmers pay more in interest than homeowners is one of the top priorities for the Finance and Expenditure and Primary Production select committees, which hope to report findings from their banking inquiry back to Parliament before the end of the year.

The chair of the Finance and Expenditure Select Committee, National MP Stuart Smith, said he could compel bank executives to appear – but he doesn’t expect to have to use those powers.

“I did point that out to a banking representative when they suggested it will be quite difficult to align diaries and so on.

“I told them their social licence would be lost if they didn’t appear or it didn’t appear that they wanted to appear.

“But I am sure they will turn up

COMPEL: Finance and Expenditure Select Committee chair and National MP Stuart Smith says he can compel bank executives to appear before it, but he doesn’t expect to have to use those powers.

and I am sure they will cooperate.”

The inquiry’s terms of reference, released in August, include questions about the extent to which rules set by the Reserve Bank are to blame for high rural borrowing costs.

NZ on alert for Trump trade manoeuvres

TNigel Stirling MARKETS Trade

RADE Minister Todd McClay says New Zealand’s longstanding friendship with the United States could be the government’s best card to play should Donald Trump be returned to the White House.

The Republican presidential candidate has promised to take the protectionist trade policies of his first term to a higher level should he be re-elected, with 10% to 20% tariffs on all imports. China would be targeted with tariffs as high as 60% to raise revenue for the federal government and strengthen the US’s industrial base at the expense of its rival.

McClay told Farmers Weekly should Trump make it back in November, the government would strenuously argue that new tariffs were not in either NZ or the US’s interests.

“It would be very harmful and America would miss out on some great products that their consumers enjoy.”

The Center for American Progress Action Fund, a leftleaning think-tank, has calculated Trump’s tariffs would add US$3900 (about $6200) every year to the

average US family’s living costs.

“That is why tariffs are very blunt and it does not necessarily bolster a domestic economy,” McClay said.

“In many cases it lessens choice and puts prices up for consumers.”

Fonterra’s trade strategy, sustainability and stakeholders affairs Americas manager James McVitty agreed.

“These levels of tariffs would be highly inflationary.

“NZ agricultural exports are often ingredients for further processing, support food manufacturing jobs in the US and are required to produce essential products in health and wellness, pharmaceutical, infant formula, medical and organic applications for consumers.”

During his presidency Trump’s tariffs tended to target countries with which the US had trade deficits.

McClay said the trade balance between the two countries has swung marginally in NZ’s favour since then.

“At that time NZ did not have one and it has changed now as a result of some the new areas we trade in in space and so on, but it is still a fairly balanced relationship and that is important.”

Aside from the economic rationale, McClay said the government would invoke

unfair and the banks are using the rules as a fig-leaf for charging higher interest margins on rural loans than is justified.

Smith said he is keeping an open mind about who is right but does expect Orr to appear before the committee members to explain himself further.

The big five rural lenders all operated overseas and we will ask them what is happening overseas and I would expect them to tell us.

Stuart Smith, MP Finance and Expenditure Select Committee

“Either the Reserve Bank is requiring the banks to hold too much capital unreasonably and they may or may not be.

The banks say the rules requiring them to hold additional capital against rural loans are a large contributor to the higher lending costs for farmers.

But Reserve Bank Governor Adrian Orr says the criticism is

“Or the banks themselves are deciding to hold more capital than they need or they have got a margin on their lending which is greater than it needs to be.

“We do not know the answer to that but that is what we seek to find out.”

Comparing interest margins

here with comparable rural loans overseas is one way the committee can assess whether the banks are gouging their farmer clients, Smith said.

“The big five rural lenders all operated overseas and we will ask them what is happening overseas and I would expect them to tell us.”

Asked what confidence the public could have in committee members to properly scrutinise those answers, Smith said the committee will appoint specialist advisers to assist it. Officials from the government’s key economic departments will also be on hand.

“We will fact-check them. I would expect them to be fulsome with their answers and to be honest – I am not going to question that for a moment – but we will do what we can to validate those answers.

“We need to get the answers to those questions because if we do not have a competitive banking sector that is making enough money to be a viable, thriving business but not so much that they are strangling the sector or taking unreasonable profits then we will not have a successful economy.”

NZ’s close and longstanding relationship with the US to argue for an exemption from any new Trump tariffs.

“The use of tariffs indiscriminately on those that you get on with has a greater impact than using them against those you get on with less.

“So we would very strongly advise against that but ultimately it will be for the next administration to decide what their policy is.

“But NZ is a good friend and if they want to do that they should be exempting us.”

However, Stephen Jacobi, the executive director of the International Business Forum, representing exporting heavyweights including Fonterra, Silver Fern Farms, ANZCO and kiwifruit marketer Zespri, said that relationship counted for little when NZ was caught by

Trump’s 2018 steel tariffs. Those tariffs stayed in place despite NZ’s lobbying for them to be lifted.

Should NZ’s arguments for an exemption to a new round of Trump tariffs fail, the government’s reaction should be swift, joining inevitable legal challenges at the World Trade Organisation, Jacobi said.

“You couldn’t really retaliate against them until you had a World Trade Organisation case saying they were wrong.

“And we can’t really send a warship.

“I suppose we could send the Aratere but it might run into Mexico instead!”

While Kamala Harris is not proposing the same damaging tariffs as her Republican opponent, she has a record on free trade agreements in keeping with most of her Democratic Party

PROTECTIONISM:

Donald Trump has threatened, if he is elected, to impose 10% to 20% tariffs on all imports. NZ would argue for an exception on the basis of the two countries’ ties.

It would be very harmful and America would miss out on some great products that their consumers enjoy.

Todd McClay Trade Minister

colleagues, Jacobi said. She voted against both the TransPacific Partnership and the US-Mexico-Canada free trade agreements while in the US Senate. More encouragingly, her running mate, Tim Walz, is on record as saying he could not understand why the US did not have a free trade agreement with NZ.

“So we might have a friend at court, you never know,” Jacobi said.

AgriZeroNZ puts more bucks behind bolus

REGISTRATION: Ruminant BioTech is working with the MPI on full product registration to enable the methane-inhibiting bolus to be used on New Zealand farms.

Gerald Piddock TECHNOLOGY Emissions

AGRIZERONZ is investing a further $4 million in Ruminant BioTech’s methane-inhibiting bolus specifically suited to New Zealand’s pastoral farming system.

The extra funding will go towards accelerating the commercialisation of the bolus to farmers.

The slow-release, biodegradable bolus sits in the animal’s rumen, releasing a controlled dose of a methane inhibitor for up to six months.

Recent trials on cattle showed a 75% daily methane reduction for 100 days from a single treatment.

AgriZeroNZ chief executive Wayne McNee said the public-private joint venture is pleased to boost its investment in the Kiwi scale-up, after an initial investment of $1.8m in April 2023.

“Ruminant BioTech is proving its technology is working on animals and in New Zealand, so we’re pleased to make this further investment to accelerate the development of a pasture-based solution for Kiwi farmers,” McNee said.

“The bolus has demonstrated worldleading results for methane reduction in a pastoral system in its latest animal trial, and we look forward to supporting the team to make their emissions reduction tool available to farmers.”

Ruminant BioTech is working with the Ministry for Primary Industries on full product registration to enable the methane-inhibiting bolus to be used on New Zealand farms.

Ruminant BioTech chief executive Tom Breen said the company aims to be treating over 30 million cattle annually by 2030 and envisages this increasing to 100 million cattle within the next 10 years.

“This additional funding from AgriZeroNZ will help us accelerate our product and market development programme and build our first manufacturing plant in New Zealand to bring the product to market in late 2025, starting in Australia and followed by New Zealand, subject to regulatory approvals.”

The trial undertaken earlier this year on non-lactating Kiwicross heifers was a small-scale controlled study mimicking a typical dairy setting, Breen said.

The animals were grazed on pasture with no supplement with some bolus-treated and others not treated. The methane emitted was then measured daily and recorded.

“What we saw from it from those first 100 days of performance was an average dairy methane reduction of 75% per day for 100 days. It’s an outstanding result that we think is world leading.”

He hopes it will be commercially available in New Zealand by 2027.

Breen said they are also trying to get the product registered for Australian farmers through its regulatory pathways.

This will give them the opportunity to undertake a 12-month market development programme in Australia they can see it performing in a true commercial farm setting.

“That will be ahead of a first commercial launch in Australia in October 2025.”

It will also see Australian farms as the product’s test subjects by exposing the bolus’s performance to the variabilities that typically occur on a farm, he said.

McNee said the bolus could be a gamechanging tool to help farmers reduce emissions without changing farming practices.

“The bolus application holds huge promise for providing Kiwi farmers with a solution that’s practical and effective.

“It has the potential to be suitable for all ruminant animals, and due to its low-touch nature, it’s also a viable option for the likes of beef farmers who don’t need to interact with their animals daily.”

AgriZeroNZ has committed more than $34m across a range of emissions reduction tools and technologies for New Zealand farmers including novel probiotics, lowmethane pasture and methane vaccines, he said.

Action needed to keep NZ’s vets in the field

Gerhard Uys PEOPLE Animal health

THE veterinary industry needs support to retain staff as work pressure forces many out before retirement.

Pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim has published research showing fewer than half of veterinarians intend to stay in the profession until retirement.

The report, Taking animal health forward, showed that from more than 600 veterinary professionals surveyed across New Zealand, only 40% of vets and 26% of vet nurses expected to remain in the profession until retirement.

“Burnout and mental health pressures are driving many out of the field – 43% of clinic decisionmakers report difficulties in hiring skilled staff,” the report says.

Staff shortages, insufficient investment in training, lower wages than other sectors and a misconception of the value of veterinary services are other woes the sector faces, the study says.

The head of NZ animal health at Boehringer Ingelheim, Paul

Fitzpatrick, said vets protect the agriculture industry.

“By 2025 export revenues are expected to reach $58 billion. The strength of the domestic economy depends largely on the health and welfare of our production animal population.”

Salaries in vet services are well below those in human health, the report shows.

Nurses in human health start on a base salary of $70,000 or above, rising to around $163,000.

“Veterinary nurses often earn barely above the minimum wage, equating to around $54,000 for a full-time position.”

The report calls for legislation to enable allied veterinary professionals (AVPs) to take on more skilled work.

The president of the New Zealand Veterinary Nursing Association, Laura Harvey, said globally AVPs take on new roles and responsibilities.

“Regulation of AVPs in Aotearoa is one way we could help relieve the ongoing staffing shortage. Robust legislation may give workplaces the confidence to fully embrace the skills that vet nurses and vet technicians bring to the table,” Harvey said.

Around 70% of animal health practitioners believe the scope of their work is not well understood.

“Many rural veterinarians are performing a consultancy role on behalf of farming clients, such as how to improve fertility and growth, advice on breeding and selecting alternatives for certain geographies, and much more,” Harvey said.

Kevin Bryant, CEO of the New Zealand Veterinary Association, said fully leveraging the knowledge of vet professionals to support business growth is an untapped opportunity.

“We’ll spend hundreds on our own dental work, but a similar veterinary treatment, which requires similar skill and equipment, is considered too expensive, even at much lower cost.”

The study shows only 44% of clinic decision-makers have a succession plan.

Clinic owners and management should be looking for other opportunities to offer career development to members of the team who might be willing to step up, Bryant said.

General manager for farming excellence at Beef + Lamb NZ

HEALTH: Paul Fitzpatrick, the head of animal health for New Zealand at pharmaceutical company Boehringer Ingelheim, says the health of NZ’s economy is intrinsically linked to the health and welfare of its animals.

Dan Brier said vets and animal health experts play a pivotal role in clinics and on farms, but also in producer and meatworks locations.

“These roles are often overlooked by new graduates, but they are key to the ongoing profitability of our agriculture sector.”

Professor Jon Huxley, the head of Massey University’s Tāwharau

Ora, the School of Veterinary Science, said veterinary science is not funded to the level it needs to be to address the shortage of professionals in the industry.

“We receive about 300 applications from domestic students every year, but the government constraints mean we are only able to take on 125 students.”

Fonterra lifts forecast and advance rate

Staff reporter NEWS Dairy

FONTERRA has lifted its milk price forecast by 50 cents, increasing the midpoint to $8.50/ kg milk solids for the 2024-2025 season.

The dairy co-operative has also lifted its advance rate schedule and advised that its 2024 earnings are forecast to be at the top end of the announced range of 60-70 cents per share.

Chief executive Miles Hurrell said the announcements reflect the recent lift in GDT prices as well as the strength of the co-op’s balance sheet.

Since announcing the opening forecast for the 2024-2024 season in May, GDT prices have improved, he said.

“We’ve reflected this in our revised forecast range, with our midpoint lifting 50 cents to $8.50/ kg MS.

“It’s still early in the season, with a relatively small proportion of our sales book contracted, so we are maintaining a wide forecast range.

“Our new forecast range is $7.75-$9.25/kg MS, up from $7.25$8.75/kg MS.”

The uplift in the advance rate payment schedule will see farmers paid more for their milk earlier in the season.

That rate lifts from $6-$7.25/kg MS from December paid January.

“Our balance sheet strength has allowed us to make several enhancements to the advance rate schedule over the last two seasons,” he said.

Fonterra’s earnings for the 2024 financial year are forecast to be at the top end of the announced range of 60-70 cents per share.

Waikato Federated Farmers dairy chair Matthew Zonderop called the lift in forecast a gamechanger for farmers at a period of the season when it is needed most.

“With the way interest rates have been and the price lifts across the board, it’s certainly going to make a difference, certainly at this time of year.

“Most guys have got large overdrafts and it will help bring down those quickly and cover basic expenses now at the moment when we need it the most.”

Fonterra will confirm its final earnings and full-year dividend when it reports its financial results in September.

Peaks, troughs for Pāmu after challenging year

Neal Wallace NEWS Food and fibre

PĀMU has navigated a difficult year, including a revaluation of property and livestock, to report a $20 million net operating profit.

Chief executive Mark Leslie said net operating profit is the state-owned farmer’s principal performance measure, but this translated into a net loss after tax for the 2024 financial year of $26m compared with a loss of $9m for the previous year.

The $20m net operating profit result for the year ended June 30 2024 compares to a $33m net operating profit for the previous year.

Leslie said the 2023 result was boosted by a $20m gain on milk futures, whereas this year there was a $1m loss.

During the financial year under review, Pāmu revalued its farm portfolio, which returned a reduction of $141m in property values, of which $4m was recorded within the 2024 net loss after tax.

A fair value loss of $9m was recorded on livestock ($22m loss in 2023), which Leslie said largely reflected

declining values for sheep and the fair value of forestry assets, which declined $6m.

Net finance expenses were $26m ($3m higher than 2023) reflecting higher interest costs.

Leslie said productivity was higher for the year.

The six-week dairy cow in-calf rate for the 2024 year was 3% higher at 68%, milk production was up 3.6% at 14.2 million kg/ MS, lambing percentages were up 1.5% at 132.4% and total red meat production was 4% higher at 17.9 million kg.

Operating expenses were 2% lower at $227m, down from $232m in 2023.

During the year Pāmu increased its controlling interest in FarmIQ Ltd, lifting its equity ownership from 56% to 69%.

FarmIQ’s results are now consolidated with Pāmu results.

“Farmers and growers can benefit hugely from digital technologies and from data availability for better decisionmaking on-farm, regulatory compliance with the likes of greenhouse gas reporting, and providing information consumers are seeking on the food they consume,” said Leslie.

“Our strategic investment in FarmIQ is about enhancing our principal objective of operating a successful and profitable business.”

In other measures detailed

EXPENSES: Chief executive Mark Leslie says productivity was higher for the year and operating expenses 2% lower.

in the statement, Pāmu now has 10,000 hectares in QEII covenants, it has removed the last quad bikes from its farms, introduced a new apprenticeship scheme and a methane reduction genetics programme.

Leslie said as detailed in its Statement of Corporate Intent, its net operating profit in 2025 is forecast to decline by $12m to $8m.

“For the full year 2023-2026 period, this would deliver a cumulative net operating profit of $106m versus the business plan goal of $100m,” Leslie said.

Kate Scott to lead HortNZ

Staff reporter PEOPLE Horticulture

FORMER Nuffield scholar Kate Scott has been appointed chief executive officer of Horticulture New Zealand.

Scott has been working in agribusiness for 20 years and has significant experience in resource management, environmental policy and planning and stakeholder engagement.

She is currently executive director of environmental consultancy Landpro, chairs the New Zealand Rural Leadership Trust and is deputy chair of Thriving Southland.

I am confident Kate will navigate the sector’s complexities and be able to unpick and understand the key issues.

Barry O’Neil HortNZ

Scott was a Nuffield scholar in 2018 and was a recipient of the Rabobank Australasian Emerging Leader award last year.

Her qualifications include a Bachelor of Arts (Geography & Political Science) degree from Victoria University. She completed the Leading Professional Service Firms programme at Harvard Business School and the Institute of Directors Governance Development Programme.

Barry O’Neil, chair of HortNZ, said Scott is

a strong and effective leader, a collaborative relationship builder and a practical problem solver.

“The calibre of candidates for the CEO role was exceptional. Kate stood out for her energy and ability to not only deliver on our strategy and priorities, but also look for opportunities for wider collaboration.

“She is also experienced in leading organisations and people, fostering a strong sense of team and enabling those she works with to succeed.

“I am confident Kate will navigate the sector’s complexities and be able to unpick and understand the key issues while remaining focused on delivering results that will make a difference for growers and the wider horticulture industry.”

O’Neil paid tribute to departing chief executive Nadine Tunley.

“Nadine has been amazing in the CEO role. She has always been connected, always looking for the best horticulture and organisational outcomes, and encouraging us to find a better way of working.

“She led us through some really tough times, including the pandemic, the labour crisis as a result of the closed borders and Cyclone Gabrielle.

“We wish her all the best for the next stage of her career.”

Scott attended the HortNZ conference in Mount Maunganui last week and was formally introduced at a networking event on August 28.

Michelle Sands, HortNZ general manager strategy and policy, will stand in as interim chief executive until Scott starts on October 17.

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From the Editor

Time to value our vet professionals

Craig Page Deputy editor

NEW Zealand’s beleaguered health system is always under scrutiny and, despite plenty of talking and promises by politicians, there appears no immediate solution in sight.

Concerns are regularly raised throughout the country about staff shortages – both doctors and nurses – and the burnout among those staff left to carry the load. Patients voice concerns about a lack of service and, at times, the lengthy delays in getting critical treatment.

Health was a political football leading up to last year’s general election and the coalition government has moved to try to address the problems. Te Whatu Ora’s board was fired and new commissioner, Lester Levy, appointed to sort out the issues, including health overspending.

Now it is the veterinary industry – our healthcare system for animals – in the spotlight after a report highlighted that vital support is needed to retain and attract staff. Pharmaceutical company Boehringer

Ingelheim’s research shows fewer than half of veterinarians intend to stay in the profession until retirement.

The report, Taking animal health forward, said that from more than 600 veterinary professionals surveyed across New Zealand, only 40% of vets and 26% of vet nurses expected to remain in the profession until retirement.

“Burnout and mental health pressures are driving many out of the field – 43% of clinic decision-makers report difficulties in hiring skilled staff,” the report says.

Staff shortages, a lack of investment in training, lower wages than other sectors and a misconception of the value of veterinary services are other issues the sector faces, the study says.

A shortage of vets has been an ongoing problem and it is not confined to this country.

Australia is in a similar position and in the United States a lack of veterinarians has contributed to mental health issues among veterinary staff. There are warnings the shortage could leave the country at risk in terms of food safety and public health.

That situation is mirrored in New Zealand. Some veterinary practices have

had to close, or merge, because of a lack of staff, and others are refusing to take on new clients because they don’t have the resources to cater for them.

Like most things relating to healthcare, funding is at the root of the problem. Massey University’s Professor Jon Huxley, head of Tāwharau Ora, the School of Veterinary Science, warned more money is needed to address the shortage. About 300 domestic applications are received each year to train as vets, but government funding restrictions mean just 125 students can be accepted.

One solution being touted is to allow allied veterinary professionals – which include veterinary nurses, technicians, and technologists – to take on more clinical work, such as routine procedures, which would free up vets for other tasks. It is much the same principle as a practice nurse at health clinics taking over some roles that were previously the domain of doctors.

It is clear something needs to be done quickly to ensure veterinary staff feel inspired and valued. As the report says: “The strength of the domestic economy depends largely on the health and welfare of our production animal population.”

SERIOUS INCINERATORS

Letters of the week Holes in Swiss argument

Garry Reymer Cambridge

I FIND it amusing or probably not so funny but more disturbing that we have Bruno Spire from Nestlé speaking at a New Zealand ag conference and telling us we need to improve our productivity, lower our emissions and improve our efficiency, “Nestlé cautions NZ dairy on efficiency” (August 26).

Here someone coined a phrase “production is vanity, profit is sanity”. If we were to go down the road Spire is talking and intensify to barns to capture methane, we would surely add cost and lose profitability.

This can be evidenced in many ways but none better than in his native country. In Nestlé’s home base the Swiss receive over 50% of their income from a taxpayer subsidy, and up to 80% in some cases. They will get approximately $200 per cow if they try to be like Kiwi farmers and graze cows outside for 100 days or more, and another $800 per cow if they graze hill country. This is while that hugely subsidised farmer has a massive herd of 28 cows on average, needing at least two full-time staff, and he talks to us about efficiency!

He goes on to say that the consumer does not understand how food is produced. Here I think he is right. I would go one step further and say the consumer does not understand the carbon footprint of their consumption either.

Yet Nestlé, for political reasons I assume, wants to drive a carbon debate. But like its farmers who want the government to bail them out, Nestlé doesn’t want to take ownership of its emissions but wants us to do the heavy lifting. Scope 3 is a nice way to pass the buck down to those who just have to suck it up.

Maybe Spire would like to pay our farmers $200/cow and another $800 for those on hills above the milk price if we lower our GHG footprint. After all, it’s his marketing campaign that will get the kickback. But don’t count on it. We will pay the price and Nestlé will bank the profit.

Forests inflame fire fears

Kerry Butler Central Hawke’s Bay

BACK when the New Zealand Forest Service was still controlling the vast areas of public land planted in Pinus radiata, there were

Continued next page

Scraper

Charcoal maker Spark arrestor & ash guard

In

my view ...

These chic Europeans may well be our future

Jasper van Halder

Van Halder is CEO of agribusiness venture capital firm Agnition

MY JOB as CEO of an agribusiness venture capital firm means most days I scour the globe – by desk and plane – for the latest and greatest agritech technologies to invest in and bring home to our farmers and growers.

On a visit to my native Netherlands last month, I noticed some recent big changes in the perspective of these Western European consumers toward meat and dairy consumption, and organic and sustainable products. They were surprising to me, and may offer a glimpse into the direction of where these consumers are going.

We were in Amsterdam, Utrecht, and Nijmegen – the more urban parts of the country, but the markets with the money to buy New Zealand foods.

Now, these are purely qualitative and anecdotal observations, but they struck a chord. Whether they’re early warnings for our sheep, beef and dairy industries or just passing food trends, they served as a vivid reminder that we need to stay attuned to ever-shifting consumer perceptions.

First up: meat consumption. Remember when you had to

Letters of the week

Continued from previous page

strict protocols – such as a series of firebreaks, an extensive roading system, and waterholding ponds for fire-fighting (many of which were lined to prevent leakage). There were, in some cases, also strategically positioned lookout towers that were manned full time during dry periods.

On top of all that, the employees, who were locally based in those days, were trained in fire-fighting, and equipped with vehicles or trailers carrying pumps and hoses, as well as shovels and chainsaws etcetera.

In other words, the very real risk of fires was taken into consideration, with the emphasis on nipping them in the bud.

I’d be interested to know whether there are any regulations regarding fire breaks, access tracks, and water holding dams in the new wave of extensive forest planting on private farmland.

Because if global warming is anything like we’re being led to believe it is, there is a serious risk of devastating forest fires in the future that could have the

specify if you were vegetarian at work dinners? In the Netherlands, it seems to have completely flipped. You’re more likely to be asked if you eat meat.

After eating out in a popular “pure food” restaurant with small suppliers and seasonal products only, I asked my friend where I could find my favourite “steak with frites”. “That’s not a thing anymore,” was the answer.

The statistics bear the comment out. Although 95% of the Dutch are still meat eaters, the proportion of meat in their diet is falling.

What I witnessed was a great cultural shift in attitudes and intention, and it happened fast.

The number of self-declared “flexitarians” is closing in on half the population. Twenty-five percent of main meals of the day do not include meat, and this trend seems to have drastically accelerated post covid.

And what about dairy? I got some funny looks when I asked for “normal” milk with my coffee. Someone commented, “There’s nothing normal about raising animals just to get something for your coffee.” Ouch.

So clearly, dairy, our biggest

potential to wipe out much of the country, including towns, if they got out of control in a dry period of gale-force winds.

People seem to naively believe that we can rely on helicopters with monsoon buckets to get them under control.

No, we can’t. The only hope of controlling major forest fires is to use huge water-carrying aeroplanes, the likes of which you see overseas dumping literally tonnes of fire retardant.

Another point is, when the big syndicates (which are often made up of offshore investors) buy farmland for planting forest, part of the attraction is to claim carbon credits.

Well, if their forest is wiped out by fire (thus releasing all the carbon into the atmosphere), they should be required to repay the credits they’ve claimed.

And be obligated to replant the burnt-out area back into forest.

Of course, in many cases they would renege on those stipulations, by whatever shifty means.

So, aside from insurance that they may choose to take out to cover the timber value of the trees, it should be compulsory for additional insurance to cover not only public liability, and replanting but also to recoup the paid-out carbon credits.

export, is equally caught up in this change among high-value consumers. The average European drinks 25% less milk than two decades ago.

It’s not all bad news. Athletes and gym bunnies in the same high-value demographic are doubling-down on high-protein, dairy-packed energy drinks and muesli bars.

A fascinating branding trend was the quality mark “meadow milk”. This high-end product boasted that its cows had spent at least 120 days, or six hours a day, outside in the paddock. That’s four months of the year, and only one-twelfth of all the time they’re alive. We do better than that.

When I asked people what they thought of “meadow milk,” they didn’t seem too impressed.

This is a critical consumer perception issue for New Zealand, because the core of our production methods and – we think – market value, is production of animals and plants using the natural gifts of our outdoor environment.

So, I took special notice of milk cartons proudly advertising how much the producers spent on planting trees on farms. New Zealand producers have not started doing this, even though we can claim much better.

A completely different new trend was the rise of “vin naturel”, or “nature wine”. It’s the cooler

Politicians need to have the foresight to take this matter seriously.

But the worry is that they don’t tend to think responsibly, long term.

On the data-time continuum

Julian Price Oamaru

I’M STRUGGLING to understand Neal Wallace’s statement that StatsNZ data is more current than Beef + Lamb New Zealand data regarding national ewe numbers, in “Where have one million ewes gone?” (August 26). If the data are released six months apart, surely which set is more current will change every six months?

The most recent figures from BLNZ are based on actual numbers from June 30 2024, which would make them the most current. The StatsNZ figures relate to the same date, but are months away from release. The latter should be slightly more accurate because they include the whole population, rather than a sample.

sibling of organic wine, made from grapes grown without chemicals, mechanical harvesting, or much intervention from winemakers –no temperature control, no added sulphites – which supposedly means no hangovers.

This trend has grown in contrast with a steady fall in wine consumption across the European Union – and especially of French wines. My fellow drinkers said Bordeaux wines were out of favour because the traditional producers would not “adapt to new consumer trends”. A warning for all of us.

Some non-ag-related trends fill out what New Zealand is up against. Recycling has moved beyond plastics and bottles. Consumers are buying rental clothing subscriptions rather than buying new garments. Biodiversity is going street-level, with authorities offering subsidies for

removing street tiles and planting wildflowers in cityscapes.

All these shifting trends may only be mildly visible in lagging consumer consumption statistics, but they are very visible at the European supermarket, restaurant and bottle store. What I witnessed was a great cultural shift in attitudes and intention, and it happened fast. Trends we may dismiss as fashionable talk are changing what is offered to consumers.

I’ll finish with one huge trend that buoyed me. The extent of conversion of farming to solar farms is readily visible as you drive across the Netherlands. I couldn’t help thinking that for each farm closed there, wealthy European consumers need part of a New Zealand farm to stay open. We’ve just got to serve up ingredients that such a community wants to eat.

We’re keen to hear local stories about the innovators, inspirations and characters that keep our communities ticking over. Farmers tell the best stories and we want to hear yours.

yourstory@agrihq.co.nz

NEW WORLD: Agnition CEO Jasper van Halder says trends we may dismiss as fashionable talk are definitely changing what is offered to consumers – and NZ ag had better take heed.

Power play holds our profits hostage

Alternative view

Alan Emerson

Semi-retired Wairarapa farmer and businessman: dath.emerson@gmail.com

THE front page of Farmers Weekly of August 19 was of major concern. Under the headline “Energy costs slice into sector yields”, Richard Rennie detailed the crisis affecting the sector.

He quoted Open Country Dairy CEO Mark de Lautour as saying that “dairy processors are unable to continue to absorb the increases coming at them from all key energy suppliers”.

He added that the company was having its hand forced “to spend capital that should be instead spent on the likes of a new cheese plant, which actually adds value”. What an appalling state of affairs. Our primary industries manufacturing companies are being effectively screwed by venal power companies.

Open Country Dairy isn’t the only company affected by the greed of the electricity organisations.

Two timber mills in the Central North Island have had a 600% power price increase since 2021. How can you justify that?

During the week leading up to August 19 the power price increase was 33%.

That was on top of a 50%

increase in the spot market a week earlier.

Fonterra has said that it has aired concerns about the lack of energy resilience “for some time”.

Silver Fern Farms (SFF) has seen energy prices double over the previous 12 months and ANZCO is in a similar position.

It all makes me wonder if we are actually a developed nation or rapidly languishing towards developing nation status.

I realise the situation is compounded by the previous government banning oil and gas exploration and the current government canning Lake Onslow, but it is surely an indictment on politicians of all colours that we don’t have a cost-effective and resilient electricity supply system. For a start it is no use politicians blaming the weather. The generation capacity just isn’t there and all a dry winter has achieved is to compound the problem.

In 2023 60% of electricity was generated from hydro. Why can’t that increase?

We let over 90% of our water run out to sea. Why not use it to generate power and, dare I say it, irrigate land to produce additional income for the country?

Then there’s geothermal (18%), and gas at 9%. Courtesy of the previous government, we’re going to have to import gas. Wind sits at 7%.

Next was coal, all 270,000 tonnes of it. That coal-fired pollution is equal to the burps and farts of a whole lot of cows.

Since 2021 wholesale electricity prices have quadrupled.

On top of that we’re being called on to conserve electricity. Why, in a country with the natural resources of New Zealand, would we have to do that? Why don’t we have an efficient and reliable energy system?

We’ve had politicians huffing and puffing, blaming the power companies, so let’s consider that.

The NZ Electricity Authority

comes across to me as a toothless organisation. It tells me that we have a “world-leading electricity market”.

I have a different view.

Then we have Transpower overseeing the sector for better or worse. Both organisations are government controlled with the government appointing board members.

The NZ Electricity Authority comes across to me as a toothless organisation.

Following on are the power companies, which we taxpayers used to own but over 2013 and 2014 the Key National government sold off 49% of Genesis Energy and Mighty River Power, now Mercury Energy and Meridian.

The government still has a

Hoggard’s formula call is a step backwards

Guest column

Gergely Toldi and Mariana Muelbert

Toldi is senior lecturer in Neonatology at the University of Auckland. Muelbert is a research fellow at the Liggins Institute, University of Auckland

THE government’s recent decision to opt out of the Australia-New Zealand joint infant formula standard is a step in the wrong direction for child health policy.

Food Safety Minister Andrew Hoggard said New Zealand now plans to develop its own standard after Australia declined to review

labelling restrictions proposed by the joint standard.

The standard would have added controls on what statements manufacturers can make on product labels, and limited sales of specialist formula to pharmacies or healthcare professionals. This is important, as only one in 10 New Zealand babies is exclusively breastfed for six months.

Infant formulas are a safe alternative for families who do not breastfeed. But parents have to choose a product from a wide range of manufacturers competing in a global industry worth more than US$55 billion (about $88bn).

The financial stakes for industry players are high, and marketing is therefore key. There is no better way of doing this than appealing

to the parental instinct of wanting to give the best to your child.

However, surveys show many formula companies make unsubstantiated nutritional claims about their products. Without the joint infant formula standard, addressing this becomes more difficult.

The global infant formula market is highly profitable and driven by high prices, particularly for premium and specialised formulas. Consumption of formula for infants under six months has risen in regions with upper and middle incomes, including in Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Middle East.

In comparison to the size of the formula industry, which spends about US$2-3bn on marketing

controlling interest in those companies. The government appoints the directors and can remove them.

The government approves the long-term planning and direction of those entities. The government receives the dividends from those organisations.

The cynic in me suggests that power company dividends boosting the governments’ coffers are more important than an energy-efficient productive rural sector or warm housing for all of us.

To me politicians, certainly government ministers, criticising the power companies is, simply, hot air. They have the ability to appoint or remove the directors of the five high-priced energy organisation boards and should do just that.

We had the prime minister telling us the power companies need to make profits to be able

NO CAPACITY: Alan Emerson says the harsh reality is that we need to generate more power either by dams, large-scale solar or even nuclear power. The alternative is to burn coal.

to re-invest. There have been a lot of profits but not a lot of new investment.

The harsh reality is that we need to generate more power either by dams, large-scale solar or, dare I suggest it, nuclear power. The alternative is to burn coal.

Last week’s government announcements will help, especially as regards gas, but opening the market up for exploration now won’t achieve much in the short to medium term. In addition, we seem to be lurching into the “hui rather than doey” mentality.

A simple solution would be to close the smelter at Tiwai Point, which uses 12.5% of our electricity.

I’m only humbled that the government saw fit to put the interests of Rio Tinto, which earned a profit of US$43 billion, ahead of local companies like Fonterra, Open Country Dairy, SFF and ANZCO.

POPULAR: Consumption of formula for infants under six months has risen in regions with upper and middle incomes, including in Eastern Europe, Central Asia and the Middle East.

globally, public health investment in breastfeeding support is minimal.

The United States spends about

US$60 million per year on a nutrition programme for women,

E-sports is ready to level-up

Eating the elephant

In short, there are three broad requirements a sport has to meet. There’s the functional, straightforward stuff like logistical feasibility, rules to judge by and the chance for all nations and people to legitimately have a go.

Then the powers that be consider popularity, global reach, heritage and the sport’s long-term trajectory as an Olympic code. Also relatively straightforward.

It’s the last requirement that got tongues wagging. New Olympic sports need to “uphold the integrity and enhance the image of the Olympics” and “adhere to the Olympic values”. Open another bottle. We’ll be here a while.

So the duel begins, each of us taking aim at the many inconsistencies that make up the modern Games.

Surprisingly, e-sports ticks a lot of Olympic boxes.

eating.the.elephant.nz@gmail.com

In this series, the team reflect on what the Olympics mean for NZ ag.

EVERY four years, our family dinner table morphs into the International Olympic Committee boardroom. The topic up for debate: which sports “feel Olympicy” enough to step into the global spotlight, and which don’t. It’s always a chaotic discussion. Full of flip-flops, inconsistencies and flagrant exceptions for our favourite sports. It’s messy and I love it.

To bring a little order to the verbal judo, we quickly turned to Uncle Google for some ground rules. How do the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and host cities actually determine which codes make the cut?

infants and children, compared to its US$3bn formula market. In the United Kingdom, public health funding for breastfeeding support is around £14m (about $29m) annually, against a £200m infant formula market.

The formula market in Australia and New Zealand is valued at about $540m a year.

New Zealand’s Ministry of Health received $35m over four years (2020–2024) to support the maternity sector through the expansion of the Maternity Action Plan. This includes the national breastfeeding strategy, among other initiatives.

As scientists learn more about the composition of breast milk and infant development, formula companies try to match the ingredients of their products by adding new components, such as prebiotics or probiotics. However, the way biological systems work is not as simple, and synthetic forms of added

Like, how is basketball an Olympic sport? It has its own World Cup (which itself lives in the shadow of the NBA), so doesn’t need the Olympics to serve as the pinnacle of the sport.

That said, it’s pretty hard to look past the 20-million Americans who watched this year’s final –more than double United States viewership for the men’s 100m final. Or the game’s massive and growing popularity around the world.

The Olympics is big bucks – not just for the IOC, sponsors and host cities, but the media and hospitality spots who depend on it. Or sport climbing. Although only started in the 1980s and has a small following even today, it was a surprise fan favourite, beating out long-time stars like athletics and sailing in Google search traffic. So much for heritage and

ingredients don’t act the same way as natural ones. Formula products will never be able to fully replicate the complexity and dynamic composition of breast milk.

Many formula companies make unsubstantiated nutritional claims about their products.

It is well established that breastfed children have lower rates of respiratory and gastrointestinal infections, better cognitive development and a lower prevalence of developmental delays.

A large randomised trial of more than 17,000 infants demonstrated that breastfeeding is associated with improved cognitive development, including better performance at school age. Despite this, a major study published in 2023 found unsupported health claims are a

popularity, but in this case a risk worth taking.

Or pistol shooting or archery. Can you have athletic integrity without raising your heart rate? Does that matter when both codes generated two of the most meme-worthy stars of the 2024 games – making the competition more relevant for the TikTok generation?

Cricket is set to return in 2028 in the T20 format. I’m not sure how the KFC Big Bash fits with Olympic integrity, but we’ll see. Heard of flag football? I hadn’t until now. Set to debut in 2028, this non-contact version of American gridiron has only US and Canadian professional leagues, but is growing rapidly in other Western countries. It actually looks like a lot of fun, but is soured by whispers that NFL lobbying efforts

common marketing practice in the formula industry. It showed most infant formulas add labels claiming the product supports brain development or a healthy immune system, without providing scientific references.

A recent survey conducted in 15 countries, including Australia, examined the specific health and nutrition claims made by infant formula manufacturers on their product labels and websites.

The survey also examined scientific evidence cited in support of these claims, which were mostly related to positive impacts on brain development, immune health and growth.

For the majority (74%) of products making specific health claims, no scientific reference was provided. For most of the remainder, evidence was deemed to have a high risk of bias, with more than 80% of the authors affiliated with the formula industry.

On the other hand, independent reviews clearly question the

have put it in play for 2028. Not great for “enhancing the image” of the hallowed Games.

As we parried arguments, and attempted to draw longer and longer bows, the family finally synchronised. No one wants the extremes.

The Games shouldn’t stay tethered wholly to the ancient traditions – frankly, that would be boring and devalue the human achievement in new sports. But there must be limits too – no one wants a repeat of the 1912-1948 years when painting, sculpture, and architecture were medalworthy pursuits. That’s just weird.

It was decided that the IOC’s approach to new sports is probably about right. Accept that the process is going to be messy but keep trying bold new stuff with the original values firmly in view. Retaining the right to U-turn helps in a pinch too. If there is a lesson for NZ ag in Olympic sport selection, it’s probably that.

So what about e-sports (competitive video gaming)?

Our parting shot of the evening

benefits of added components, reporting these did not promote long-term cognitive benefits compared with standard infant formulas. And there is no robust evidence to recommend the use of prebiotic-supplemented formulas.

While infant formulas are a safe alternative, the benefits of breastfeeding are extensive, including positive impacts on infant and maternal health, society and the environment. Hence, breastfeeding is a key public health strategy.

To protect consumers from the marketing strategies of the formula industry, the World Health Organisation established the International Code of Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes in 1981. The code restricts advertising, free samples and promotional activities related to breast milk substitutes. Adherence is enforced by national regulations and local monitoring mechanisms.

Countries such as Norway

MAD SKILLS:

Accept that the process of adopting new sports such as competitive video gaming is going to be messy, but keep trying bold new stuff – that’s Daniel Eb’s ‘Olympicy’ lesson for New Zealand ag.

was to evaluate this strange new contender for the Olympic spotlight. Surprisingly, e-sports ticks a lot of Olympic boxes. It’s massively popular and globally accessible – promising to expand the Olympic pull to younger generations. It has a qualification and rules structure that could fit the Games, but lacks a pinnacle event that the Olympics could well provide.

It feels counter-intuitive, but the code has plenty of traditional athletic achievement elements –player’s heart-rates hit 180+ beats per minute (on par with motorracing drivers and necessitating plenty of gym time) – and teamwork, training and handeye reflexes are paramount. While it lacks a long-standing heritage, it’s not much younger than sport climbing, BMXing or skateboarding.

On paper, it’s hard to argue that e-sports doesn’t deserve a spot. But it doesn’t quite feel “Olympicy”, does it? Maybe the next generation will argue differently.

and the Philippines, with strict adherence to the code, have high exclusive breastfeeding rates (around 80%). In contrast, countries such as the US and China, where the code is not fully implemented, have much lower rates (around 20%).

New Zealand complies only partially because the code is managed primarily through voluntary agreements rather than laws and policies.

One of the proposals under the Australia-New Zealand joint infant formula standard would have addressed legislative shortfalls, particularly in the regulatory framework, product definitions, nutrient composition and limits on additives and contaminants.

The proposed regulations would have enabled families to make unbiased, informed decisions, free from unfounded nutritional claims or unnecessary added components. The decision not to adopt the standard is a backward step. – This article was previously published on The Conversation.

Daniel Eb

Daniel Eb helps Kiwis connect with farming through his agency Dirt Road Comms and Open Farms. His family farms in Kaipara.

Continued from previous page

Best foot forward for corporate player

Tim

FROM milk to Merino, business entrepreneur

Tim Deane has quite the profile in the ag world. Now, after many years in big business corporate roles, he has landed a niche position.

Growing up, Deane always wanted a career in the agricultural space. On leaving school at the end of the Sixth Form he spent five months working on a sheep farm at Loburn in North Canterbury before going to what was then Lincoln College and completing his wool-classing certificate. With no immediate job available in the wool industry, he headed north to Auckland, where he worked for four months milking cows on his uncle’s dairy farm before returning to Lincoln to do an AgScience degree.

On his graduation in 1988 the industry was in the doldrums.

“Everyone said it was a sunset industry. I couldn’t get a job in wool, so I started as a dairy consulting officer, went on to work in genetic technology with Pioneer and did a short stint in tourism.”

This was followed by senior executive positions including roles as managing director of Goodman Fielder NZ; MD of Fonterra Brands NZ; director of global sales at Fonterra; general manager milk supply at Fonterra; and currently a director at Rabobank.

“Everything but the wool industry and that’s the hook in the story. Now, all these years, maybe 36, later I have landed in my own wool space.”

In February 2023 Deane purchased Norsewear, and now the Auckland-based business brain commutes down to Norsewood, spending one week a month focused on ensuring a future for New Zealand’s strong-wool and Merino growers.

He is quite a fan of winter as people buy more socks then. Those famous Farm Fleck socks had a milestone birthday this year.

“Yes, Norsewear has been

making the finest woollen socks for outdoor people, right here in NZ for 60 years.”

The diamond jubilee celebration has brought the humble farm sock back to its basic beginnings. While now joined by high-tech thermal socks, dress socks and other fine Merino products, the Farm Fleck socks are still the most renowned of the Norsewear products.

“Norsewear has been on quite a journey in its 60 years, but I have brought the brand back, the same company name with the same people, same brand, same socks, same machines, and same location – back to its original.

“I spent time going through the history books from 1963, done a whole heap of work, refreshed the brand, changed the packaging to enviro-friendly and, most importantly, kept it local.”

The factory in Norsewood, a little town with a population of about 150 at the foot of the Ruahine ranges in Southern Hawke’s Bay, is a vital part of the local community.

Right from the start, the people of Norsewood, and its location, have shaped the approach to the design and manufacture of the Norsewear products.

“It’s such a cool story, a journey that really resonates.

“We now have better technology and machines than we did in the 60s, which means we can design and make better products, but our approach remains the same.

“We’re still committed to manufacturing in NZ using the finest Merino wool and other natural fibres.

“Compromising quality is still out of the question and at our heart we’re still a people company with success based on the commitment of our staff, many of whom have worked with us for their whole careers.”

Looking back to the early 1960s, Ola Rian, a Norwegian army captain, fell in love with NZ during an extended skiing holiday, before returning home and meeting his

I’M JOHN BULL. 90 YEARS TOUGH.

The promise made 90 years ago still stands We’re here to keep New Zealanders stepping up and taking the bull by the horns.

If you are adding value to NZ commodities ... that’s a pretty big driver; it’s not just a fairy tale.

Tim Deane Norsewear

Kiwi wife Shirley, who was on her big OE in Norway.

Returning to NZ, Ola and Shirley started Norsewear as a side hustle in the front room of their Wellington home.

Starting with the manufacture of Scandinavian-style ski hats and socks made with NZ wool, the now iconic Farm Fleck sock was born and been in production ever since.

In 1971 Sir Edmund Hillary chose an over-the-calf version of Norsewear Farm Fleck socks to complete a grand traverse of Aoraki-Mt Cook.

In 1978 Norsewear became both a domestic and export leader based on the production of high-quality NZ woollen clothing, winning export awards and developing markets in Australia, the United States, Japan and Canada.

After 40 years of sock making, in 2003 Norsewear imported new machinery from Italy and sent Kiwi technicians offshore for

specialist training and developed a completely new range of technical socks, including the world’s first possum-merino ski and hiking socks.

During the early 2000s much of NZ’s textile industry moved offshore as cheaper imports flooded the local market.

Norsewear stayed, remaining committed to Norsewood and NZ manufacturing.

In 2007, under increasing economic pressure, the company restructured.

Many thought Norsewear was over, underestimating the grit and resilience of the local Norsewood community.

With the support of some local investors, a group of incredibly determined Norsewear staff bought the stock and machines, rented the factory building and paid a royalty back to the new brand owner.

Working together, they refocused and Norsewear continued.

“Without these staff, some who are still with Norsewear today, and the support of the landlord and factory shop owner, Norsewear would not have survived.”

Sixty years after it began, the Norsewear business and brand were bought by Deane, who finally fulfilled his passion for wool while also making a commitment to local

PASSION: It’s been almost 40 years but Tim Deane is finally able to pursue his passion for wool.

manufacturing in the unwavering belief that NZ can grow goodness and wealth for local rural communities by taking a brand to the world.

“At this stage the focus is on turning it around and onwards to the world.

“You could argue my timing is not right, but we are holding our own and the feedback is amazing.

“You could say I’m crazy, but I’m not delusional. I always wanted to run my own business with a value set that sits well in my own value set; you can’t always do that within the corporates.

“If you are adding value to NZ commodities and bringing it back to regional communities that’s a pretty big driver; it’s not just a fairy tale.

“We are working to get closer to our NZ growers; we are not going to change the wool industry because we are not big enough, but it provides a model.

“The big driver is we are building a brand based on high-quality NZ raw materials, taking that brand to the world and bringing the business returns back to NZ.

“The world is a big stage. There are huge export opportunities for niche product; you have got to understand the target market, value provenance and quality and those are the people you focus on.”

Deane’s twin dreams of working with wool and running his own show come together in his revival of an iconic Kiwi sock brand and its regional community. Annette Scott reports

Software to transform biosecurity practices

In the space of six months, new software identifies at least 1000 check-in movements presenting a heightened biosecurity risk. Annette Scott reports.

A$9 MILLION biosecurity technology project is geared to protect New Zealand’s food production sector at the flick of an app.

Agri-tech company Onside is delivering the new biosecurity technology that will arm biosecurity managers with a new app to protect the rural sector.

The technology is set to transform biosecurity practices and help the primary industries better prepare for and prevent biosecurity incursions, Onside chief executive Ryan Higgs says.

“As a country, we face the growing risk that an increasingly diverse set of pests and diseases will cross our borders and impact our all-important primary sector.

“Time matters in a biosecurity response and fast access to accurate traceability data is critical for preparing and responding efficiently to a biosecurity incursion,” Higgs says.

Onside’s mobile app for rural risk management has mapped more than 16,000 rural properties and logged over 2.6 million movements across NZ and Australia.

When contractors and visitors check in to rural properties, movement data, including plant material, people, machinery and equipment, is collected to make it easy to manage health and safety and biosecurity risks.

In the past six months, Onside’s new biosecurity tracing software, Onside Intelligence, has identified at least 1000 check-in movements that presented a heightened risk of spreading a biosecurity threat, Higgs says.

Onside’s technology uses data from various sources to create an intricate map of rural interactions and potential disease pathways to support biosecurity management activity, making it easier and faster to detect and respond to outbreaks of pests and diseases.

Higgs says the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) investment in the Onside technology has been instrumental in getting it into the hands of industry partners.

“With recent additional support from MPI, we’ve also set up a dedicated science group comprising some of the top minds in biosecurity to tackle the everevolving challenges presented by global biosecurity risks.”

Biosecurity NZ deputy directorgeneral at the MPI, Stuart Anderson, says biosecurity is crucial for safeguarding the primary sector and economic security.

“It’s great to see the development of this tool and industry uptake growing for Onside.”

The Onside and MPI partnership was established in 2022 to fasttrack the development and adoption of Onside’s biosecurity app through a $9m multi-year project co-invested in by the MPI Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures (SFFF) fund.

Early adopters of the Onside biosecurity technology include

Biosecurity NZ, Kiwifruit Vine Health (KVH), NZ Winegrowers, NZ Pork, Aquaculture NZ and NZ Avocado.

Adoption rates of Onside Intelligence in the kiwifruit and viticulture industry are growing beyond 30% as growers continue to understand the benefits of digital traceability to protect their industry and livelihoods.

In industries like salmon, adoption has grown rapidly to more than 80%.

One of the first industry partners to deploy Onside Intelligence was NZ Winegrowers, the country’s grape and wine sector organisation, which sought to test the system to improve traceability in the $2.3 billion viticulture sector.

NZ Winegrowers biosecurity manager Sophie Badland says from a production perspective, many grapes must be of the right quality for export quality wine.

“An incursion of a new pest or disease, like BMSB or Pierce’s disease, could affect both grape quality and quantity, posing a significant challenge for our growers.”

One means of unwanted organisms being transmitted between vineyards is through the extensive use of machinery and equipment.

“Having a traceability system like Onside Intelligence potentially saves primary industries and the government a lot of time and money in the event of a response,” Badland says.

“By having movement data readily accessible, we can get ahead of any new damaging pests and diseases, which gives us the best chance of eradication.”

KVH, a biosecurity organisation dedicated to protecting NZ kiwifruit growers from pest and disease threats, is another early adopter implementing Onside’s technology to help protect the $4bn kiwifruit sector from future incursions.

The kiwifruit industry faced its first big biosecurity challenge just over a decade ago when the bacterial canker Psa spread across orchards and growing regions in the North Island.

The Psa response cost the industry an estimated $1bn in production and profitability, with added social and psychological stresses.

KVH chief executive Leanne Stewart says, “This is an important project for KVH as we help ensure industry preparedness for biosecurity to protect orchards, businesses, and livelihoods.

“Onside is adding great value to growers by improving day-today best biosecurity practices in a

• Leading spring barley in FAR CPT trials with great yields and consistenc y

• Suited to all sowing times and conditions in both spring and autumn.

• Good all-round disease resistance profile especially powder y mildew and net blotch.

simple, innovative way.”

The industry partners deploying Onside’s technology are part of the Government Industry Agreement for Biosecurity Readiness and Response, a formal partnership between the MPI and 23 industry organisations.

The SFFF partnership has also invested $100,000 in a dedicated science programme that aims to ensure Onside’s traceability platform remains world class and meets the ever-evolving challenges presented by global biosecurity risks.

This includes the development of specialised network algorithms that are aimed at providing insights on where incursions might show up and how to respond in the most impactful way.

Higgs says the project has leveraged some of the world’s leading scientists to support technology development that provides insights to improve the efficiency of readiness and response.

“The goal is to detect new incursions as early as possible and minimise impact and cost.”

The science programme is governed by an advisory committee that includes Dr Mary van Andel, chief veterinary officer at the MPI; leading network scientist Professor Santo Fortunato from Indiana University; Dr Hautahi Kingi, a data scientist at Google; and Higgs, who is a Fulbright scholar with a PhD in Animal Science from Cornell University.

CAPTURED: Onside’s mobile app for rural risk management has mapped

Zealand and Australia.

TRANSFORM: Onside CEO Ryan Higgs, left, with a winegrower at Greystone Vineyard in Waipara, says the goal is to detect new incursions as early as possible.

Photo: James Munro

Sector Focus Sheep & Beef

Cashmere goats a profitable soft option

FEW could argue against the government aspiration of New Zealand being predator-free by 2050, but for a specialist yarn manufacturer the policy created a few ruffles.

Woolyarns makes specialty machine-knit, hand-knit and weaving yarn and, since the early 2000s, possum fibre has been a staple for its Perino yarns that also use Merino wool and silk fibres.

Woolyarns manager Andy May said in 1999 the company produced about 2000kg of Perino yarns a year, but today it’s over 120,000kg.

The possum fibre industry contributes about $150m a year to the NZ economy through retail sales, he said.

The company has pioneered technology that enables it to produce a range of possum and wool yarn blends, but the risk of NZ becoming predator-free or the possum population being significantly reduced, prompted a look for alternative fibres.

It identified cashmere, most of which currently comes from China, Mongolia, Iran and Afghanistan.

May believes NZ has an opportunity to increase its

PRODUCTION: Andy May believes NZ has an opportunity to increase its cashmere fibre production, which he says the market wants because of the country’s farming capability and integrity.

cashmere fibre production, which he said the market wants because of the country’s farming capability and integrity. In addition to the goats controlling weeds and improving pasture, he said cashmere fibre can provide an extra source of income for sheep and beef farmers without compromising stock numbers.

Cashmere is a $4 billion global industry with an estimated 3 million kilogrammes of the fibre used in textiles each year. One Scottish mill alone uses 400,000kg a year.

May, who is based at Woolyarns’ Lower Hutt factory and is also the executive director of the wholly owned subsidiary NZ Cashmere, said high-end global fashion manufacturers have told him they want alternative and reliable sources of cashmere.

They also want farming practices that meet their sustainability, production and animal welfare standards, benchmarks he said NZ farmers already largely meet.

He has met with owners of some of the world’s leading brands, such Hermès, Gucci, Givenchy, and Johnstons of Elgin.

In many cases the usual

30-minute sales meeting lasted several hours as he was quizzed on NZ’s ability to produce cashmere fibre to their requirements, such is the importance they place on finding alternative sources of fibre.

Discussions ended with the question “When can NZ start supplying significant volumes of cashmere?”

The answer, according to May, is ‘Not yet’, as Woolyarns has insufficient volume, but it is working to grow supply.

NZ currently farms about 8000 cashmere goats with many farmers in the expansion phase and working to improve the quality of their fibre.

Their target is to clip 250-350 grams of cashmere per animal.

Fibre prices are currently $110 to $150/kg depending on micron, which ranges from 14.5 to 18.

May believes by 2030 NZ could have 50,000 cashmere goats but that would still only provide less than 15,000kg of cashmere.

“We’re not going to take over the world here but we will win in the end because we have got all those supporting qualities and accreditation that high-end brands want.”

Possum fibre is still a key product for Woolyarns, which has invested in the supply chain to ensure a source of product and to ensure trappers follow best practice.

It is a key investment to ensure supply and quality standards, he said.

Similarly, Woolyarns is working with cashmere goat farmers to build partnerships.

“We have a history of investing back in the supply chain because we know what brands want.”

Neal Wallace NEWS Food and fibre

YARN DYEING: Kevin Rei at the start of the yarn-dyeing process at Woolyarns.

BLENDING FIBRES: Andy May, general manager of Woolyarns with a machine that starts the fibre-blending process.

Sheep & Beef

About five years ago South Otago farmer and cashmere goat enthusiast David Shaw began to scale up the sector, citing benefits in weed control and unsatisfied markets for the fibre.

There was a brief, albeit uncoordinated, spike in interest in the sector in the 1980s and 1990s when farmed goat numbers reached an estimated 1 million.

A lack of structure and mixed quality meant it became unviable and it effectively morphed into a cottage industry.

In 2021 Shaw and Woolyarns launched NZ Cashmere, an entity Woolyarns subsequently bought outright.

To see what they can do, helping farmers to save costs and provide an extra source of revenue, excites me more than the fibre.

Andy May Woolyarns

It has since invested in growing the industry behind the farm gate, and spent $3 million on bespoke machinery that cleans the fibre and removes the guard hair ahead of processing.

“Having that machinery here is a massive investment and really I think is the key to the whole industry outside what is happening on the farm,” he said.

With assistance from the government’s Sustainable Farming Fund, it invested $900,000 over three years in understanding and promoting how to farm goats and how they fit into an existing livestock farming systems, as well as providing information and advice for those wanting to farm them.

The brief explosion of interest in the cashmere fibre in the 1980s was also driven by the notion that you manage goats like sheep, which May said is something to avoid.

Research commissioned by NZ Cashmere shows that given access to unimproved areas infested with

weeds, a 3000 stock unit farm can run 300 goats alongside existing stock numbers.

Goats eat 15 more plant species than sheep and May said studies show they can use up to 25% of hill country forage that would normally go to waste.

Goats are happy to live on weeds and research shows when they have access to clover, it provides less than 2% of their diet.

Farmers are increasingly using them to control weeds such as gorse, blackberry and thistles and to tidy lamb finishing feed, which reduces the cost of chemicals, labour and fuel.

They tend to eat from the chest up and the head down, leaving better quality feed untouched.

Farmers – some very sceptical – have told May that goats have transformed areas that were previously impenetrable due to weeds or that they have improved the quality of lamb and cattle finishing pasture, while also generating extra income.

A mated doe costs about $120 and traits such as fibre colour, weight, diameter and down length are highly heritable.

May said Shaw’s long-term commitment to the sector ensures there are high-quality genetics available.

The one issue prospective farmers will have address is containment, but May said trial and error shows the animals quickly learn to respect electric shocks so an electric fence will often suffice.

Select meat companies are already processing goat meat and say they could handle more should numbers increase.

It is the complementary role of goats on farms that most excites May.

“To see what they can do, helping farmers to save costs and provide an extra source of revenue, excites me more than the fibre, because I know that in end we will get this beautiful fibre.

“The demand is there. If we had 50,000kg of cashmere tomorrow, we could sell it all.”

On the tools at Woolyarns

Neal Wallace NEWS Food and fibre

YOU don’t expect to see the managing director of a sizeable company wearing overalls with grease-covered hands, holding a piece of machinery.

Apparently that is the norm at Woolyarns.

Recently a piece of equipment at the Lower Hutt yarn manufacturing plant needed to be fixed and managing director Neil Mackie was on the tools, using his knowledge to mend it.

Woolyarns Holdings incoming chief executive Andy May said it is a not a rare sight.

He said Mackie’s predecessor, Peter Woods, son of founder Colin Woods, would turn up to work, don a pair of overalls and spend every day

helping maintain the plant.

Woolyarns has been in business 80 years, has annual turnover of about $20 million and today employs more than 50 people producing machine, hand and weaving yarns.

Many have worked there for 30-plus years, including retiring MD Mackie, who has worked for the privately owned company for over 40 years.

May is relative newcomer.

His father worked for Alliance Textiles in Dunedin and then textile plants in Timaru and Oamaru.

Andy May studied at Otago University and worked in sales for Summit Wool Spinners in Oamaru for 17 years and for Woolyarns for the past 10.

An estimated 85% of Woolyarns’ business is domestic but international sales are growing.

May said the fundamental process of producing yarn has been in existence for centuries, but that muck-in and can-do attitude means Woolyarns has added its own engineering touches and developed its own technology, especially the blending of possum fibre and wool. It extends to designing and building a $3m plant that cleans the fibre and removes the guard hair ahead of processing.

May said the Woods family have supported the textiles industry for 80 years and continue to do so.

They invested to support the development of possum fibre industry and are doing the same with cashmere, building the bespoke processing plant and buying and storing fibre until they have economies of scale and can start manufacturing.

WINDING YARN: Pele McCarthy-Kupa, a winding operator, and Andy May, general manager of Woolyarns, during the thread-making process.

Facial Eczema Research S tudy

We want your sheep poo

Get free FE spore counts and be part of the solution to tackle FE

Help us eliminate the impact of Facial Eczema (FE) by participating in the Sheep Poo Study By contributing, you’ll receive:

• Free FE spore counts on your farm, helping you better understand your FE risk

• Access to an online map showing where FE spores have been detected across New Zealand.

• Networking opportunities with other farmers in the study through:

– WhatsApp group.

– Webinars such as ‘ask an expert’ and the annual results of the study.

Together, we can improve animal welfare, reduce economic costs, and enhance farmer wellbeing

Get involved:

Collect 10 poo samples every 2 weeks from October to May from one mob of sheep.

For more information visit www beeflambnz com and search “Sheep poo study” or contact research@beeflambnz.com

King Country – one of our youngest sheep poo collectors Photo credit: Cathryn Peacocke

The Eliminating Facial Eczema Impacts programme is a collaborative effort and is jointly funded by Beef + Lamb New Zealand, the Government through the Ministry for Primary Industries Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures fund and various industry partners

SCAN THIS QR CODE

Beef-on-dairy endorsed by Nuffield research

Hugh

Stringleman NEWS Livestock

THE New Zealand pastoral farming industries have a great opportunity to shift the dysfunctional bobby calf output to functional beef-on-dairy production, 2023 Nuffield scholar Matt Iremonger believes. It needs greater value in the supply chain for mating, rearing, growing, processing, marketing and delivering a beef product to the end consumer from the NZ dairy industry.

“Unless there is more money for the end product of nonreplacement calves, the value chain will continue to focus on cost minimisation of the calf as a by-product of milk production,” he said.

To change the value chain requires knowledge of the customer needs, including perhaps grain-fed finishing, improved integration and communication of farming systems and greater efficiency and cost optimisation.

Iremonger called for improved technology in meat grading for confidence in product quality and consistency in the eating experience.

He also called for innovation and improvement in marketing beefon-dairy products.

“By shifting from a productiondriven to a consumer-demanded beef-on-dairy value chain there is a prospect to enhance value and provide an opportunity for beef on dairy and the non-replacement dairy calf.”

Farmers will need to communicate transparently, engage with consumers, and build trust through storytelling, education and advocacy efforts to promote the benefits of beef on dairy and address consumer concerns around sustainability and quality.

Iremonger is general manager of Willesden Farms, running 40,000 sheep and beef stock units on Banks Peninsula and for the twin

Kaimoo dairy farms milking 1500 cows in Central Canterbury.

On his Nuffield scholarship travels Iremonger found that New Zealand is almost alone among the dairying countries in having a “bobby calf problem”.

The 1.8 million bobby calves killed in their first week after birth are an underutilised resource.

Among the reasons for inability to access value, he cited lack of consistency in NZ beef, intermittent supply and problems with grading.

About 40% of NZ beef production already comes from culled cows and slaughtered bobby calves from the dairy industry, being mainly manufacturing beef.

Within $4.6 billion of beef exports in 2022-23, nearly $2bn went to China and $260 million to Japan.

Adopting beef-ondairy practices should be a financial strategy to improve business performance and demonstrate commitment to sustainable farming practices.

Matt Iremonger Nuffield scholar

Meat companies are poorly represented in China, supply is inconsistent and grass-fed beef is discounted in many Asian markets because the market prefers grain-fed.

Iremonger said the supply of beef-on-dairy cattle is developing as a specialisation involving selected beef genetics such as Charolais, Wagyu, Angus and Hereford with desirable traits such as high growth rates, meat quality and suitability to NZ growing conditions.

“One of the main challenges to success has been the lack of financial participation along the value chain; someone is often missing out, often the calf-rearer.

“Also, the product is often

less than successful as a farming system, [with] either underperforming animals or underperforming at processing with lower quality meat or both.”

The low carbon footprint and the pastoral system provide a unique point of difference for NZ beef on dairy.

The International Dairy Federation has a carbon accounting methodology that stipulates that 85% of the dairy cow’s emissions are attributed to her milk and 15% to her calf. By contrast a beef on beef calf starts life with 100% of the dams’ emissions attributable.

When NZ cattle are finished and processed the per kilogram beef GHG emissions are 29% lower for beef-on-dairy animals compared to a beef on beef animals.

The NZ birth-to-farmgate carbon footprint for beef-on-dairy animals is about half that of cattle in the United States and Australia.

Iremonger suggested opportunities with the beef-ondairy market for grain finishing in compost bedded barns for 70 to 100 days.

Beef genetics with high calving ease and short gestation length in addition to the sires having high EBVs for growth, eye muscle area, yield and marbling (IMF) and feed efficiency would be desirable.

Iremonger identified what he called the market challenges, including effective branding and marketing strategies.

“Achieving consistent beef quality and meeting market specifications can be challenging, particularly for pasture-based beef production.

“Variability in factors such as genetics, nutrition, management practices, and processing methods can affect beef quality attributes such as tenderness, marbling, flavour, and consistency, which may impact market acceptance and consumer satisfaction.

“Consumer preferences and trends in the beef market are continually evolving, influenced by factors such as health and nutrition concerns, sustainability

considerations, animal welfare standards and culinary trends.”

NZ farmers must navigate regulatory requirements related to animal health, welfare, traceability, food safety, labelling, and environmental stewardship to ensure compliance and market access.

He wanted adoption of beef on dairy to be independently financially driven and not forced by processing companies.

“Adopting beef-on-dairy practices should be a financial strategy to improve business performance and demonstrate commitment to sustainable farming practices, thereby enhancing their social licence to operate.

Appropriate beef-on-dairy genetics and feed strategies are needed.

The USDA beef grading system is an example of what NZ needs, for quality assurance, market value, consistency and in some cases market access.

The Meat Standards Australia (MSA) grading system and its index scoring for eating quality is another example.

After visiting the US, he reported

that the development of the beefon-dairy market has been called “arguably the most significant advancement for the US beef industry in a generation”.

The numbers of cattle in that category have increased from 50,000 in 2014 to over 3 million in 2024.

A collaboration between family-owned Sustainable Beef in Nebraska and Walmart has grown to 1500 head a day through the packing plant.

“Beef-on-dairy genetic cattle are providing a $150/head advantage over the standard due to the uniform product and performance,” he said.

Iremonger also found a Californian company, Grimmius Cattle, that raises 700,000 calves annually as a vertically integrated business that supplies genetics to dairy farmers, rears calves and finishes the cattle at feed yards. It operates a calf buyback system with dairy farmers using Angus and Charolais genetics.

Technological advances in genomics and precision feeding systems are increasing the efficiency of calf-rearing and finishing.

Young NZ team off to defend the Wayleggo Cup

Neal Wallace PEOPLE Skills

ONE of youngest ever New Zealand sheep dog trial teams is heading

been in the team once before.

and non-traveling reserve Paul Collins and Sky,

were

picked following the recent NZ and South Island short head and yard trials.

They travel to Geelong, Victoria and, in a prelude to the test series, will compete in the Australian Supreme Dog Trial Event before the test series over three consecutive days, September 13,14 and 15.

The course is a blend of Australian heading and carrying elements and NZ’s drive and must be completed within 15 minutes. The trialists will be working with Merino wethers.

NZ holds the Wayleggo Cup and NZ has won 22 of the 36 events held in the 39-year history of the Trans-Tasman clashes.

INVESTIGATION: NZ Nuffield scholar Matt Iremonger, left, with Felo and Stephanie Martinez at their Rio Beef feedyard, in Floresville, Texas, during a Nuffield visit.

across the Tasman to compete in a three-test series against Australia for the Wayleggo Cup.

Team manager Pat Coogan said of the five selected, two – Ben Millar and Scott Hunter – are new to the side and just Leo Edginton has previously competed in Australia. Stuart Childs has

The 2024 Elanco NZ Team of Ben Millar and King, Canterbury;

Scott Hunter and Lucy, North Otago; Stuart Child and Diesel, King Country; team captain Leo Edginton and Roxy, Poverty Bay;

Otago,

TEST TEAM: The New Zealand sheep dog trial test team is, from left, Paul Collins and Sky (non-travelling reserve), Otago; Ben Millar and King, Canterbury; Scott Hunter and Lucy, North Otago; Stuart Child and Diesel, King Country; Leo Edginton (team captain) and Roxy, Poverty Bay; and Pat Coogan, team manager and judge.

Flexibility puts flystrike in its place

Richard Rennie NEWS Livestock

THIS winter may have been closer to a “normal” winter in the Awatere Valley, but Bruce Hamilton knows soon enough the perennial headache of flystrike will raise its ugly head as warmer weather arrives.

Bruce has been managing Glenlee Station on the northern side of the Awatere River for the past four years but has spent far longer in the district and has tracked a few shifts in the district’s weather patterns over time.

“We are seeing much more intense rainfall events with summer humidity, other than this year, being higher, bringing on the problems you would expect with flystrike over a lengthy warm weather period.”

Despite that trend, the past late summer period had a relatively low humidity level, with an exceptionally dry autumn meaning weaning was pushed out some weeks past its usual date.

He runs 5000 stock units comprising largely Merinos and some Angus cattle on the 10,000 hectare station, and tight economic conditions means managing the big block as economically as possible is more critical than ever this year.

In assessing his flystrike treatment choices, Bruce has opted for Zoetis’s StrikeForce®-S spray on as a ready to use treatment.

Having flexibility on when to spray, is a critical requirement for him, as well as aligning treatment with yarding for weaning and other treatments.

He will typically apply StrikeForce-S at tailing time.

“Then if you can get through to the trigger point in autumn where you can make the call to apply a second treatment, StrikeForce-S’s lengthy prevention period means for the past couple of years we

have enjoyed the flexibility of making that call.

“This year we weaned later on account of the lower feed levels, and the high-risk period wasn’t the same as other seasons, thus we could get away with not treating them a second time.”

He also treats the ewes, at tailing.

It is also just having that peace of mind, knowing you have taken the right steps applying it when you have.

Bruce Hamilton Glenlee Station

“Hoggets are also done offshear, and we have found that StrikeForce-S holds really well. And in the last season, we had no flystrike from tailing through to weaning.”

Rams also come in for some spot treatment, run up the race for a quick spray on their head where they may have been banging horns together.

The treatment has been fully integrated into his animal health plan and plays a key role in preventing flystrike over the summer months.

A cost evaluation with comparative treatments has StrikeForce-S come out on top. He finds its easy to apply formulation is enhanced by its highly visible colour, ensuring accurate application in the pen.

“Normally we can get away with one treatment for the lambs at tailing, which provides great value for money, but if we do have to give another treatment, we have confidence the lambs are protected through to the end of the fly season.”

The perennial threat of flystrike is not going away any time soon at Glenlee station, and Bruce can recount some dire encounters with it in the past before integrating

Setting up for lambing success

THE key indicator of ewe flock performance is the number of kilograms of lambs weaned per ewe mated. This is determined by two factors. Firstly, the number of lambs weaned and secondly the lamb weaning weight. With drought affecting many areas of New Zealand during the summer and autumn, mating performance wasn’t as good as it could have been, meaning the number of lambs we are likely to have by the time we get to weaning will be down.

health routine.

“Historically, flystrike’s been a real headache. I can remember always keeping a tin of Maggo handy, a pretty tough treatment to have to use on the sheep. We would also often get the sheep in every six weeks to spray with historical treatment methods, which was time consuming. And if you had a rain event afterwards it meant it had been a waste of time.”

That contrasts with StrikeForce-S which he finds remains relatively unaffected by rainfall events post-treatment.

“The main thing is to just be aware of when the treatment period is coming towards its end, and making a timely decision about re-application if required. Eighteen weeks is a good length of protection to have.”

For Bruce the freedom from having to set up and run jetters for treatment is invaluable, and

underscores StrikeForce-S’s flexibility for rapid application.

“And it is also just having that peace of mind, knowing you have taken the right steps applying it when you have.”

Zoetis New Zealand Limited Tel: 0800 963 847, www.zoetis.co.nz. StrikeForce-S is a registered trade mark of Zoetis. ACVM No. A11349. All other trade marks reference are trade marks of their respective owners.

Also, many ewes will be lambed in less than ideal condition or on very low pasture covers. This has a flow-on effect through poor milk production to their lambs, leading to lower weaning weights. This means that the overall kgs of lamb weaned per ewe mated is likely to be down. On the brighter side, the lower lamb crop is likely to keep lamb prices up through procurement competition. This means we need to maximise the potential of every lamb we have to realise their value.

Zoetis consulting veterinarian Dr Clive Bingham shares some key areas for farmers to consider to get their lambs thriving –disease prevention, mineral

supplementation, feeding and protection from internal and external parasites.

If a ewe is in poor condition she is less likely to have mounted a good immune response to her pre-

lamb vaccination, meaning less maternal antibodies are passed on to the lambs once they suckle. Lower levels of passive protection mean the lambs will become susceptible to disease sooner.

A field trial looking at lamb loss periods from docking through to pre-lambing found the greatest periods of lamb loss occurred after docking and weaning 1

It is therefore important that we begin our clostridial vaccination programs as early as possible, with the initial sensitiser dose given at docking/tailing and complete the booster vaccination prior to or at weaning. This will maximise the lamb’s chance of developing its own immunity before their maternal antibodies are all gone, and in the case of pulpy kidney, they are protected before the period of greatest risk which is around weaning. Even on farms where trace

Continued next page

StrikeForce-S into his animal

PEACE OF MIND: Effective flystrike treatment over the warmer months gives Bruce Hamilton, here with his son Tom, peace of mind that his lambs are getting the best chance possible to grow to full weight potential.

IMPACT: With drought affecting many areas of New Zealand during the summer and autumn, many ewes will be lambed in less than ideal condition or on very low pasture covers. Photo: Pexels

Sheep & Beef

element deficiencies (selenium and/or cobalt) are not usually seen, deficiencies can occur where ewes are chronically underfed, and this can pass onto their lambs.

Consider supplementation of lambs at docking with vitamin B12 and/or selenium to top up their levels. This can be done in conjunction with the clostridial vaccination of the lambs using Ultravac® 5 + 1 SeB12 at docking.

Ewes that produce less milk will have lambs that are smaller at

weaning. This means more lambs will be retained on the farm for longer. Depending on the timing of shearing, consideration should be given to treating the lambs at docking to prevent flystrike. Consider a long-acting treatment (e.g. StrikeForce®-S) sprayed over the tail stump and scrotum to protect them up to shearing. When ewes don’t produce as much milk or lactate for as long, thought should be given to weaning lambs early onto a highquality diet. This can be pasture with a high legume component or

Poor condition lambing ewes are likely to lay down more contamination on the areas they were set stocked on.

Dr Clive Bingham Zoetis

a specialist finishing crop. These crops not only provide better nutrition so the lambs grow faster, but also aid in parasite control by decreasing exposure of the lambs to the infective parasite larvae.

Poor condition lambing ewes are likely to lay down more contamination on the areas they were set stocked on.

Combined with less milk production, this means that contaminated pastures will become a greater proportion of the lambs diet sooner, compared to better fed milk lambs. It is recommended that you start taking fecal egg count samples (FEC’s) from these lambs prior to weaning to detect any early buildup of parasites that will slow down lamb growth rates. For lambs weaned onto pasture it is important that they are weaned onto low contamination areas of the farm where no ewes have lambed in order to promote optimal lamb growth. Monitor the lambs on these areas using FEC’s to balance your drench inputs with

CONSIDER:

the level of pasture contamination. Also ensure you do a drench check early in the season to ensure you are using an effective drench and not contaminating your farm with drench resistant worms.

Lambs are the main contaminators on the farm.

Removing these young susceptible stock as quickly as you can will help decrease the worm burden and therefore help improve overall health for ewes and the remaining lambs.

Although you cannot fully compensate for low lamb numbers, working on maximising the

survival and growth of the lambs that you do have, goes a long way to improving your bottom line and allows you to take full advantage of any better store or schedule prices.

Zoetis New Zealand Limited. Tel: 0800 963 847; www.zoetis. co.nz. Ultravac and Strikeforce are registered trade marks of Zoetis. ACVM Nos. A11349, A11606

1. Bingham, C. M. & Hodge, A. (2022) Lamb mortality and clostridial disease. New Zealand Veterinary Journal 70 (1) 49-54.

REMOVED: Lambs are the main contaminators on the farm. Removing these young susceptible stock as quickly as you can will help decrease the worm burden and therefore help improve overall health for ewes and the remaining lambs.

Photo: Pexels

Zoetis consulting veterinarian Dr Clive Bingham says depending on the timing of shearing, consideration should be given to treating the lambs at docking to prevent flystrike.

FEDERATED FARMERS

McClay: Farm confidence will come back

Agriculture Minister

Todd McClay says he expects to see farmer confidence start to rise as the Government continues to cut unnecessary red tape for farmers.

“We’ve moved quickly to make changes, with 20 actions already completed or underway to undo some of the mess Labour created.

“Some of those rule changes will take time to be felt behind the farm gate as we continue to work them through Parliament, but it’s clear we’ve set a new direction.

“When we let farmers do what they do best, which is to get out on farm, that’s when I think we’ll start to see a lift in farmer confidence.”

Federated Farmers’ regular surveys have painted a grim picture in recent years, with farmer confidence reaching historic lows.

While the January 2024 survey showed a lift in confidence, things went backwards again in the July survey.

McClay, speaking on the Federated Farmers Podcast, says he’s not surprised by the survey findings.

“Farmers have faced a lot of headwinds over the last six years, and it takes a while to work through that.

“The uptick in farmer confidence we saw after the election was likely reflecting the relief farmers felt that the Labour Government was over.

“Now they’ve got a National-led Government who are willing to listen to them and work with their leaders, like Federated Farmers, to find practical solutions.

“We’ve got some challenges we need to address, but the solution isn’t more rules and regulations that cost a lot of money and fail to deliver outcomes.”

Despite the change of Government, poor commodity prices and high interest rates have continued to weigh heavily on farmers, McClay says.

“Commodity prices are taking a real battering at the moment. We know China is still an important market for us, but their economy has stepped back a little.

“Those half-a-billion middleincome consumers in China are being a bit more careful and discerning of what they spend their money on, just like Kiwi families are.

“High interest rates are also playing a major role at the moment.

“It’s very hard for farmers – or for any New Zealander really – to have much confidence when so much of their money is going out the door to the bank.”

McClay says the Government is committed to freeing up the rural economy and allowing farmers to get back to farming.

“One of the things that’s come up the most as I’ve been out in rural New Zealand is the cost of compliance.

“There has been a real feeling that Wellington has been sitting there making decisions in offices and telling people how to run their farms.

“National campaigned on getting Wellington out of farming, and that’s what we are doing. Yes, we need rules and regulations, but we don’t

want more: we want fewer, and we want better ones.”

In the lead-up to last year’s election, Federated Farmers laid out a roadmap of 12 policy priorities for the incoming Government to adopt to rebuild farmer confidence.

Nearly of all those priorities have now been ticked off the list, with sweeping reforms made by the new Government.

“We want to give farmers certainty

and work with them on solutions –not just tax them,” McClay says.

“That’s why we’ve disbanded He Waka Eke Noa, removed agriculture from the ETS, and commenced an independent review of biogenic methane’s warming.”

Other key changes include restoring common sense to intensive winter grazing rules and rebalancing the hierarchy of obligations for Te Mana o te Wai.

Keen to st ar t your digit al journey ?

“We’ve also started the process of replacing the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management and simplifying farm plans, so they’re not a cost.

Farmers have faced a lot of headwinds over the last six years, and it takes a while to work through that.

Todd McClay Minister of Agriculture

“The coalition Government has an absolute commitment to deliver on all these things we campaigned on –and more.”

McClay says the independent inquiry into banking will also play a big role in making life easier for farmers.

“As interest rates come down, we will see some of the pressure start to ease, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be looking at ways to improve the banking system.

“At the very least, this inquiry will tell rural communities what’s going on and suggest some changes that could help rebuild farmers confidence in the banking sector.

“New Zealand needs a strong, vibrant, profitable farming sector, and so do banks. It’s in everybody’s interest to work well together through the inquiry.”

• Listen to the full interview with Todd McClay at fedfarm.org.nz/ podcast

UNBOUND: Agriculture Minister Todd McClay says the Government is committed to freeing up the rural economy and allowing farmers to get back to farming.

Farmers urged to vote in Fish & Game elections

Federated Farmers presidents around the country are encouraging farmers to make sure their voices are heard in the upcoming Fish & Game elections.

Jason Herrick, Southland Federated Farmers president, says it’s important for farmers to vote in the elections to ensure they’re represented well.

“At the moment, it feels like we’re constantly butting heads with Fish & Game and fighting over what we can and can’t do on our farms.

“We need farmers – or at least people who actually understand farming – on each Fish & Game regional council to make sure we have better, fairer representation.” Herrick says he wants to see Federated Farmers and Fish & Game working more collaboratively.

“Fish & Game needs farmers onboard to ensure they can have access to rivers on our land.

“At the same time, farmers need Fish & Game behind them when it comes to getting approval for things like extracting gravel and other farming activities.

It feels like we’re constantly butting heads with Fish & Game and fighting over what we can and can’t do on our farms.

Jason Herrick Southland Federated Farmers president

“We should be working together so we can get the best outcomes for the community.

“I really urge all farmers who are licensed anglers or game bird hunters to enrol now to vote.”

Fish & Game councillors are elected every three years to represent the

interests of anglers and hunters in each of the organisation’s 12 regions.

Councillors’ tasks include setting regional fishing and hunting regulations, developing policy, and promoting freshwater sports fishing and game bird hunting in their community.

Waikato Federated Farmers president Keith Holmes has also written to his members with a prompt to vote.

“It’s crucial that we speak up to make sure people who understand farming are elected to these roles.

“What happens if we don’t? Well, in recent years we’ve seen the result, with Fish & Game playing a litigious role in Plan Change 1.

“They’ve argued for more stringent rules for farming, such as 10 metre minimum setbacks from waterbodies.”

Holmes says Fish & Game seems to have given no consideration to

how these rules will affect Waikato farmers financially and practically.

“Of course, these are the very farmers on whose land hunters and fishers want to shoot on or walk across to access fishing spots.”

Pine tree report ‘horror story’ for farmers

CONCERNED: Planting pines as far as the eye can see may help reduce emissions or improve water quality, but the cost will be enormous, Toby Williams says.

Amajor report about the increasing and rapid conversion from farms to forestry should serve as a major wake-up call for the Government, Federated Farmers say.

The study found that, under current policy settings, New Zealand will continue to see millions of hectares of productive farmland plastered in plantation pine trees.

“It may have been published as a report, but it reads more like a horror story for Kiwi farmers and rural communities,” says Federated Farmers meat and wool chair Toby Williams.

“Planting pine trees as far as the eye can see may help to reduce emissions or improve water quality, but somebody has to ask the question: at what cost?

“It will come at the expense of rural communities, food production, the economy, and our native biodiversity.

“There simply has to be a better way.”

The ‘Why Pines?’ report, released

One of the studies found that, even if there was no carbon price, one-fifth of sheep and beef country would still need to be converted to pine forest to meet freshwater goals.

Toby Williams Federated Farmers meat and wool chair

by the Our Land and Water National Science Challenge, shows meeting current freshwater bottom lines will require widespread land use change from farming to forestry.

“One of the studies found that, even if there was no carbon price, one-fifth of sheep and beef country would still need to be converted to pine forest to meet freshwater goals,” Williams says.

“This must be of huge concern to the Government, who scrapped the failed He Waka Eke Noa pricing programme because it was going to have the exact same effect.”

Fixing New Zealand’s freshwater rules and rethinking ETS forestry settings were in Federated Farmers’ list of policy priorities for the new Government to restore farmer confidence.

“While the Government has done lots of good things to restore farmer confidence, unfortunately, the Labour Government’s unworkable freshwater bottom lines remain on the books,” Williams says.

“Federated Farmers have consistently called for those rules to be scrapped, with a new focus to go on replacing the broken RMA system.

“Under the current system, every time a farmer tries to do something different on their land they’re met with red tape and expensive consenting costs.

“Our current environmental policy framework is completely broken. The Government needs to work at pace to urgently repeal unworkable freshwater bottom lines and replace the RMA.”

REPRESENTATION: Farmers need to play their part in making sure people who understand farming are on Fish & Game’s councils, Waikato Federated Farmers president Keith Holmes says.

Filipino farmer’s path to dairy leadership

hen Kristine Asuncion

Wsaw foot and mouth disease bankrupt her family’s farm in the Philippines, she wondered how they’d ever rebuild their lives.

In 2008 the family found a fresh start in rural New Zealand – and 16 years later Asuncion’s absolutely loving her new life as a dairy farmer.

She’s also recently been elected junior vice-president of Federated Farmers North Canterbury and chair of the Filipino Dairy Workers in New Zealand (FDWNZ). Asuncion is now determined to help other Filipino migrants not only succeed in farm assistant roles in New Zealand, but to step into higher leadership positions.

“My own journey has shown me the opportunities for migrants to make a new life for themselves and contribute to our communities here,” she says.

“In farming, I’ve seen a lot of focus on helping migrant workers gain good pasture management, animal husbandry and other practical farming skills.

“That’s great, but I want to see that expanded to help them become better managers of people and leaders in their community.”

Asuncion and her husband Abner are contract milking 1250 cows at Hororata, north of the Rakaia River in Canterbury.

She says it’s been quite a journey since arriving in Invercargill as a teenager.

“My parents and five siblings came here looking for a better future after a foot and mouth disease outbreak hit our farm and meat retail stores in the Philippines.

“We had absolutely nothing and needed to start again from scratch.”

Asuncion’s mother is a chemical engineer and spent six months working in Queenstown on her own before the rest of the family could come.

When she landed a laboratory role in Alliance Group’s Mataura plant, the family’s residency pathway was secured.

“Invercargill is a very cold place, but I met some of the warmest people I’ve ever met in my life –and it’s the same in other rural communities,” Asuncion says.

“Filipinos always find their feet and quickly find ways to look after each other and integrate into the community.”

Invercargill is a very cold place, but I met some of the warmest people I’ve ever met in my life.

Kristine Asuncion

Federated Farmers North Canterbury junior vice-president

She says her family members already had good English, but soon picked up the Southlanders’ rolling of their ‘r’s.

Asuncion married Abner, who came to New Zealand aged 20 to work on a deer farm. She finished a commerce degree at Otago University and the couple now have two children, aged seven and nine.

She says Filipinos come here for better-paid work but top of mind for many is a better education for their children.

Her parents’ ambition and sacrifice have paid off – for their children and

for New Zealand.

Asuncion’s siblings now work as a lawyer, a rural GP, small business manager, and in the Ministry of Education and Fonterra.

Asuncion still isn’t quite sure how she came about being elected as chair of FDWNZ – but she’s relishing it.

“I think this organisation is more critical than ever,” she says.

“We hear all the debate about visas and residency. Filipinos have much to offer in New Zealand, and not just on farms.”

She says migrant workers on-farm bring new vitality and spending to small rural towns and communities.

One person who agrees is Marty Gameson, principal of Hororata School, where Asuncion joined the board of trustees.

The farmer-turned-teacher says things have certainly changed since he arrived at the mid-Canterbury school in 2007.

“Back then we were a little forestry town, with some arable and sheep, and a school roll of 59.

“The dairy explosion in the district saw the roll hit 136 before dropping back to its current 100.”

At last count the school roll was 58% ‘international’, with nearly 40 Filipino children.

Gameson says pupil numbers track the fortunes of the district’s

THRIVING:

dairy farms, and the governments’ decisions on visas and residency.

There are challenges with the new arrivals, including language – but plenty of benefits too, he says.

“We’re now a real snapshot of New Zealand’s multicultural society.

“There are plenty of other schools that don’t have that. Their youngsters go off to high school or boarding school and they’re in for a culture shock.

“Respect, empathy and diversity are strengths of our school.

Difference makes us strong,” Gameson says.

Hororata School’s first international dinner late last year, which Asuncion helped put together, fed a crowd of over 150.

Asuncion sees her role with Federated Farmers North Canterbury as another way to work for the good of her community, farming and Filipino New Zealanders.

“For me, it’s about people reaching their potential.

“If I can help with that, I’m willing.”

Kristine and Abner Asuncion, with their children Karlina and Sebastian.

GROWTH: Hororata School principal Marty Gameson says at last count the school was 58% ‘international’, with nearly 40 Filipino children.

Farmers say ECan is wasting time and money

Environment Canterbury needs to slow down and spend more time listening to ratepayers instead of rushing through new environmental regulations.

That’s the message Federated Farmers have delivered loud and clear in a letter to the regional council this week.

“We’re incredibly concerned the council is needlessly charging ahead with new rules,” Federated Farmers South Canterbury president Greg Anderson says.

“The Regional Policy Statement (RPS) sets the framework for how resources are managed in the region and will have a significant impact on local farmers.

“Councillors need to stop barging ahead with the process and give the community, including some very concerned farmers, a chance to give further feedback on the plan.

“Instead, they seem to be pushing ahead with total disregard for what the local community, or central Government, are saying,” Anderson says.

The letter to Environment Canterbury (ECan) has been cosigned by Anderson, Federated Farmers North Canterbury president Karl Dean, and Mid-Canterbury president David Acland.

Dean says it makes no sense for councils to be forging ahead with new planning documents until a new national direction for freshwater management is set.

“The Government has made it very clear it’ll be repealing and replacing the poorly thought-through rules brought in by the previous Labour Government.

“Councils have also had their deadlines for putting new local rules in place extended by a further three years, so there are no time pressures to hide behind.

“ECan knows this full well but is choosing to keep going anyway, wasting ratepayers’ money and creating huge uncertainty for the community,” Dean says.

The three leaders are concerned that the council plans to pass the new RPS by early 2025 and bring in a plan change to the Land and

Water Regional Plan. The council sought feedback from key stakeholders in a draft earlier this year.

Acland says many local farmers are already struggling to make ends meet and the last thing they want to see is more ratepayer money being wasted by the council.

We’re incredibly concerned the council is needlessly charging ahead with new rules.

Greg Anderson

Federated Farmers South Canterbury president

“Farmers are facing huge rates rises from ECan this year, so to see the council wasting money by pushing ahead with these processes when we know there will be changes is just salt in an open wound.

“The council seems totally hellbent on ignoring any signals from the new Government. It’s like councillors are completely unaware there was an election last year.”

Acland says there’s a risk ECan will follow a similar path to Otago Regional Council (ORC), which has recently faced backlash for its approach.

“In Otago, the council has taken quite a lot of flak for charging ahead trying to meet the timelines and standards put in place by the previous Government.

“That’s going to lead to duplication and unnecessary cost for ratepayers and could see the rules go much further than they need to.

“I think those exact same concerns are applicable here in Canterbury. The council needs to slow down and read the room,” Acland says.

The letter raises concerns that hastily pursuing changes to the RPS could breach the financial

management requirements of the Local Government Act.

“The council has a moral obligation to spend ratepayers’ money wisely, but it also has a legal obligation for prudent financial management,”

Dean says.

“A review of the RPS will require a significant investment of resources from the council, but also from the community stakeholders who engage in the process, and the draft we saw misses the mark.

‘It would be a complete and utter waste of time and money to move ahead with it as is.”

Federated Farmers are also concerned the plan changes could see Canterbury implement national bottom lines for freshwater that are no longer ‘national’.

“Those bottom lines could have serious implication for our region,” Anderson says.

“The council used to be able to hide behind the fact that bottom lines were being pushed down on us from Wellington, but that’s not the case anymore.

“It’s now clear they’re being driven by councillors, or council staff, with total disregard for what they’ll mean for farmers, rural communities or ratepayers.

“It’s almost like councillors feel they’ve come so far in the process with consultation and drafting that it would be a shame to have the work go to waste.

“I’m sure farmers will agree with me that there’s no point sending good money after bad. That kind of approach makes no sense.”

Dean, Acland and Anderson say they’ll also be writing to Canterbury’s 10 district and city mayors to express their unease about ECan proceeding at such pace.

WASTE: The last thing struggling farmers want to see is ratepayer money being squandered by the council, David Acland says.

DIRECTION: Karl Dean says it makes no sense for councils to be forging ahead with new planning documents until a new national direction for freshwater management is set.

GALATEA, BAY OF PLENTY 170 Whirinaki Road

Your First Farm

The Galatea Valley has long been recognised as a first farm destination. Galatea could be described as a snapshot of rural New Zealand at its best with all the attributes that provincial communities are recognised for and Galatea’s dairy community rating the area's ability to achieve outstanding industry recognised performance

• 140.2377 total hectares with 134ha effective with a best production of 221,296kg MS, milking 500 mixed age Kiwi Cross cows

• Irrigated area of 70 hectares (more or less) K-line system, effluent discharge resource consent compliance in place until 2038, surface water resource consent compliance in place until 2033

34 ASHB with 535 cow capacity yard excellent fertiliser history and application

Well-presented three-bedroom family home and three-bedroom cottage with sleepout

70.3km to Rotorua CBD, 73.9km to Whakatane CBD

It’s all here at 170 Whirinaki Road with its location and consistency of production and you must consider this farm if you have been looking for your first farm, or a property to add to your dairy investment portfolio. Call Phil now to receive an IM and make a plan to view.

TENDER Plus GST (if any) (Unless Sold Prior) Closes 4.00pm, Thursday 17 October VIEW 12.00-1.00pm Tuesday 17 & 24 Sept, 1 & 8 Oct

Coast B&F Contracting Ltd

Contact: Grant Jenkins Mob: 027 896 6774 Email: grantjenkins32@hotmail.com

WANTED SHEEP AND BEEF LEASE OR GRAZING

We are an innovative young Farming duo looking for a sheep and beef lease Property for approximately 5000su or more.

Any area, however, North Island preferred.

Short or long term, we will consider anything including recent forestry conversions and are also prepared to take on cyclone damaged properties.

Please ring 022 574 1426 if you want to have a chat or are able help us out.

Deer Farm Manager Required

An experienced Deer farm Manager is required for a 180ha farming business in the Tirau/Matamata area.

This is a venison/velvet operation running 600 velvet stags and 400 hinds, focusing on genetic gain. A generous salary and good housing is provided. The property is 20 minutes from Matamata. Applicants must be able to demonstrate the experience required, and have good communication skills.

Applications to John Dawson, Registered Farm Management Consultant by email to Daws.JAVCT@xtra.co.nz by 12th September. CVs must include contact numbers for referees, which should include previous Employers.

Go to landify co nz

Or talk to Sarah: sarah@landify

DOC seeks to understand interest in obtaining a grazing concession and/ or other concession arrangement at Pūponga Farm Park. Expressions of interest (EOI) close at 5 pm on Friday 13 September 2024.

Go to the DOC website and search ‘Pūponga’

•

speak to the manager Nathan 027 203 6000. LEASE LAND

9 HECTARES CROPPING land for short or long lease. Good water. Hastings. Phone 021 133 5088.

FOR ONLY $3.30 + gst per word you can book a word only ad in Farmers Weekly Classifieds. Ph 0800 85 25 80. PERSONAL COUNTRY ROMANCE. At 5’4, silky blonde hair, green eyes and a slim build. This lovely lady has a caring, fun loving personality. She enjoys the outdoors, bush walks, travelling, tramping, cooking, gardening and swimming. She is looking for a genuine gentleman to share her life with. To meet, please phone and quote code 63. 0800 446 332.

RAMS FOR SALE

WILTSHIRES-ARVIDSON. Self shearing sheep. No1 for Facial Eczema. David 027 2771 556.

SHEEP CRUTCHING AND SHEARING TRAILERS. Triple and single trailers. Operating in Canterbury and Southland areas for over 30 years. Call Shaun Adams 021 204 1274.

WANTED TO BUY

WHAT’S SITTING IN your barn? Ford, Ferguson, Hitachi, Komatsu, JD. Be it an excavator, loader or tractor, wherever it is in NZ. Don’t let it rust. We may trade in and return you a brand new bucket for your digger or cash for your pocket. Email admin@loaderparts.co.nz or phone Colin 0274 426 936.

Premier Jumper Blueprint ET

Photo: Bradley Cullen

Premier Tequila Sweet

Photo: Dean Malcolm

JERSEY SERVICE BULLS FOR SALE OR LEASE

YEARLING BULL & HEIFER SALE

THURSDAY 26TH SEPTEMBER 2024

12 NOON, 662 RANGITATAU EAST ROAD, WANGANUI

A QUALITY SELECTION OF 32 IMPRESSIVE YEARLING BULLS WITH LOW BIRTH WEIGHT & EARLY GESTATION 40 YEARLING HEIFERS WHICH ARE SOLD IN LOTS (NOT TRANSFERRABLE)

DON’T MISS OUT – ENQUIRIES TO:

LINDSAY JOHNSTONE 027 445 3211 MARIA JOHNSTONE 027 610 5348 OR YOUR LOCAL LIVESTOCK AGENT

craigmore

polled herefords

We’ve done the work for you!

We’ve done the work for you!

All bulls are:

All bulls are:

• Performance recorded

• Genomics tested to improve accuracy of EBVs

• Performance recorded Genomics tested to improve accuracy of EBVs

• Polled gene tested

• BVD tested

• Polled gene tested BVD tested

YEARLING BULL SALE

YEARLING BULL SALE

On farm bull sale plus online sale at bidr Sign up at www.bidr.co.nz

On farm bull sale plus online sale at bidr Sign up at www.bidr.co.nz

Monday 9th September 2024, at 12.30pm Luncheon available On A/C D.B & S.E

Monday 11th September 2023, at 12.30pm

Luncheon available On A/C D.B & S.E Henderson

At

At the stud property: 429 Rukuhia Road, RD 2, Ohaupo 100+ registered well grown bulls

Date: Thursday 12th September 2024

Address: Cambridge Saleyards

Start Time: 11:30am will be available for online bidding

A/c Bayliss Farms

Spring Calved Friesian/ Friesian Cross cows

130 x In-Milk Frsn/FrsnX cows.

BW245 PW295 RA97%

A spring calving herd with some outstanding indexes.

Lepto Vacc, TB Status C10. Herd testing on the 4th September 2024.

Catalogue will be updated prior to the sale once the herd-test data is available. All cows guaranteed sound in milking quarters.

PAYMENT TERMS:

Payment to be made within 14 days of the sale. Delivery on sale day.

Craigmore has been breeding Hereford cattle for over 50 years! We have bulls that will suit beef and dairy farmers www.craigmoreherefords.co.nz

Craigmore has been breeding Hereford for We have bulls that will suit beef and dairy farmers www.craigmoreherefords.co.nz

Fowler Farms Ltd

450

Deferred

Here’s a selection of some of the top jokes at the recent Edinburgh comedy festival:

I was going to sail around the globe in the world’s smallest ship, but I bottled it. Mark Simmons

• I’ve been taking salsa lessons for months, but I just don’t feel like I’m progressing. It’s just one step forward, two steps back. Alec Snook

• Ate horse at a restaurant once – wasn’t great. Starter was all right, but the mane was dreadful. Alex Kitson

• I sailed through my driving test. That’s why I failed it. Arthur Smith

• I love the Olympics. My friend and I invented a new type of relay baton. Well, he came up with the idea, I ran with it. Mark Simmons

• My dad used to say to me: “Pints, gallons, litres” –which, I think, speaks volumes. Olaf Falafel

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

Monday 16 September

11.30am | Owairaka Valley Rd, Te Awamutu

Comprising:

44 Recorded Well Grown Yearling Jersey Bulls G3 profiled bulls, Average BW 420 PGG Wrightson in conjunction with Bidr are pleased to be holding this 1st Annual Sale

The Riverina herd and young stock are farmed on a large challenging contour farm which has certainly sorted out the weaklings and developed a no nonsense, robust and productive herd whose offspring will preform in any environment

Thus, these bulls can be used with confidence to sire replacements and are G3 tested so no nasty surprises in 9 months time

Some of these bulls dams/sisters will be on display on sale day to further endorse their breeding qualities

Bulls can be picked up over the following 10 days after the sale

TB C10, BVD tested and vaccinated Catalogues available on: www.agonline.co.nz/upcomingsales

Warren Berry ( Vendor) 027 478 2509

Chris Ryan 027 243 1078

Andrew Reyland 027 223 7092

63RD NATIONAL HOLSTEIN FRIESIAN BULL SALE

Wednesday 18 September

11.00am | Te Awamutu Saleyards

Comprising:

• 30 x 2yr Recorded Friesian Bulls 9 x 15/18 Month Recorded Friesian Bulls

• 30 1yr Recorded Friesian Bulls

BW’s up to 452 (17 Bulls over 400 BW )

Dam s production up to 1125 MS

Fantastic line-up of exceptionally well-bred

Friesian bulls that can be used with confidence in your mating program Most are G3 profiled so their offspring can be fully recorded as replacement heifers Whether you are looking for bulls from high BW - NZ bred cow families that have supplied numerous sons to AI - or overseas genetics that have proven conformation and production traits needed in a higher input system, you won’t be disappointed when you look through this catalogue Bulls are predominately owner bred/reared & will come forward in excellent order These bulls give you different options at mating time & would be great running with a non-cycling herd & condensing the calving pattern Catalogues available on: www.agonline.co.nz/upcomingsales

Andrew Reyland 027 223 7092

NATIONAL JERSEY BULL SALE

Thursday 19 September

11 30am | Te Awamutu Saleyards

Comprising:

• 12 x 2yr & 3yr Recorded Jersey Bulls

• 45 x Yearling Recorded Jersey Bulls

BW’s up to 514 (46 Bulls over 400 BW )

• 20 Straws of semen

This year’s line-up of well-bred & presented Jersey bulls are backed by many generations of high-quality female bloodlines

Sired by the best type & production bulls currently available They have been selected by their owners from the top individual cows within their herd

Take a look at the footnotes in the catalogue - a large number of these sale bulls have brothers already at AI centres

Heifer calves by this year’s offering can be kept as replacements with confidence Farmers requiring well recorded high genetic merit bulls should attend this sale Bulls have been BVD tested & vaccinated Catalogues available on: www agonline co nz/upcomingsales

Andrew Reyland 027 223 7092

Key: Dair y Cattle Sheep O ther

RIVERINA JERSEYS 1ST ANNUAL BULL SALE

Tuesday

To

Yearling Bull Sale

Comprising

32 x 1yr Purebred Hereford Bulls

Live

Proudly sponsored by

Lifting the lid on the sudden price bump

Hikes only happened because slaughter rates fell off a cliff – so what’s in store when supplies start to lift and procurement competition disappears?

WINTER is usually traversed in quiet, orderly fashion.

Those who opt to offload finished stock through late winter are the minority but are duly rewarded for their hard work. This year, however, the winter market has been anything but quiet, especially when viewed in $/kg paid for stock at both the store and slaughter level.

Falling slaughter supplies are the key reason market conditions have changed so quickly. The store market has reacted swiftly to the steep climb in slaughter prices. Buyers have fought hard to secure lambs or cattle with early finishing capabilities.

There is an underlying assumption that if the slaughter market is this strong now, it can only lift higher from here, since spring is when slaughter prices usually peak.

If the current upside was derived from a widespread lift in export prices, it would be easier to justify a continuation of these

strong slaughter prices. However, the market is quickly feeling unsustainable due to it being heavily procurement driven.

It needs to be reiterated that these sudden higher prices are only covering a very small portion of the kill and wouldn’t have eventuated if slaughter rates hadn’t fallen off a cliff.

AgriHQ’s Livestock Outlook report for August delves deep into the drivers of current prices, providing insights into where the market is expected to track through to January, encompassing the crucial start of the new season.

It’s hard to get the message across that the key driver has been domestic competition. After

a dismal 12-18 months battling shockingly low returns amid fastpaced cost increases, any upside has been welcomed, but not questioned.

The market is quickly feeling unsustainable due to it being heavily procurement driven.

The concerns raised in the recent report highlight what happens when supplies in New Zealand do start to lift and procurement competition disappears.

Meat companies will see a lift in volumes between now and

December. Key markets are very aware of the cyclical nature of our slaughter rates and will adjust prices accordingly when we have more to offer. This will lead to downside for slaughter prices – the level of which will be determined by how long and hard meat companies compete until they have the numbers they need. Breeding farms need to factor in current market movements as they will impact returns, particularly new season lamb’s prices.

The more money meat companies punch into schedules now because of procurement, the thinner returns will be early in the new season.

Last December lamb slaughter prices averaged between $6.15$6.25/kg, which was a kick in the guts.

Despite current returns being much stronger, AgriHQ’s latest outlook for the new season shows some improvement on December 2023 levels but nowhere near enough to encourage growth in the sector.

Weekly saleyards

There were a few surprises in saleyards last week and the simple explanation is a shortage of supply. The top draft of in-calf traditional cows at Canterbury Park last Tuesday reached $1700 or $3.21/kg while second and third drafts made $1300-$1420, $2.86/kg. These were purchased to calve down but the strength of the manufacturing schedule did underpin the market. A shortage of bulls at processors has also caused a spike in returns at prime sales and this is transferring to the store bull market. A buyer after R2 Friesian bulls to go over dairy cows had to front up with $2045-$2090, $4.31-$4.34/kg at Stortford Lodge on Wednesday.

R1 Hereford-Friesian, Angus-Friesian steers, 244-260kg

R1 Hereford-Friesian heifers, 205-259kg

Prime steers,

440-500kg

R2 Friesian bulls, 477-500kg

R2 beef-cross, dairy-beef heifers, 394-460kg

Aut-born yearling beef-cross, Angus-Friesian steers,

Friesian bulls, 210-236kg

R1 beef-cross, dairy-beef heifers, 269-312kg

Aut-born weaner dairy-beef, Friesian bulls, 101-116kg

Prime Angus, dairy-beef steers, 497-605kg

dairy-beef

Feilding | August 23 | 1673 cattle, 8703 sheep

or $/hd

R2 traditional steers, 470-622kg 3.88-4.13

R2 Belgian Blue-Friesian, Friesian bulls, 415-470kg 4.32-4.37

R2 traditional heifers, 421-499kg 3.80-3.84

R2 Wagyu steers & heifers, 376-402kg

R1 traditional steers, 315-325kg

R1 Hereford-Friesian steers, 310-341kg

R1 Friesian bulls, 188-221kg

R1 traditional heifers, 195-211kg

Mixed-age ewes & lambs, all

Store male lambs, heavy

Store male lambs, good

Store ewe lambs, good

Store ewe lambs, medium

Feilding | August 26 | 107 cattle, 4210 sheep

Prime traditional, Speckle Park-beef steers, 460-640kg

Prime beef, dairy-beef bulls, 465-750kg

Prime beef, dairy-beef heifers, 470-541kg

Boner Friesian cows, 490-598kg

or $/hd

| August 28

Charlton | August 22 | 154 sheep

Feeder calves | August 22 - August 28 Tuakau | August 26 | 326

Belgian

Hereford-Friesian (black) heifers, small to good

heifers,

Hereford-Friesian (black) heifers, small to good

Hereford-Friesian (red), Murray Grey-Friesian heifers, small to good

AgriHQ market trends

Cattle Sheep

Spring weather roars into stressful life

THE season of stress is upon us! Spring weather brings all sorts of challenges to many of you (and to us as weather forecasters, too). Of course, one of the biggest issues in early September is dealing with snowstorms for newborn livestock and frosts for those that don’t want damage to plants, vines and buds. Many of us are in a heightened sense of alert for the next couple more months.

The weather pattern at the moment is highly chaotic. Major storms down over the Southern Ocean have helped dominate our weather pattern for the past week and look to continue for September’s first week.

These storms have had central air pressure down around 920 hectopascals, which is incredibly low. But high-pressure zones over Australia, the north Tasman Sea and near New Zealand put the lid on just how far north those storms can go – and that’s what creates those gigantic windy westerlies

that stretch all the way from south of Australia across the Tasman and then over New Zealand.

We said goodbye to El Niño back in April and we’ve had a “neutral” winter season, evident with the huge high-pressure zones that we had and the many large lowpressure zones too.

I’ve said a number of times that this has been “the winter of big air pressure”. Now that spring is here (at least on the meteorological calendar), will we still get these “big” weather systems? It certainly appears for the start of September that, yes, they will continue with big storms south of us and large highs out over Australia putting NZ on the edge of it all.

At the time of writing this column the climate driver update from Australia’s Bureau of Meteorology suggests that we’re still in a neutral season but that we are getting closer to a possible La Niña.

It’s worth noting when you look at the various models from all around the world it still shows that the mean average keeps conditions in “neutral” for the rest of 2024, although it does certainly flirt with La Niña during spring (especially

October and November).

But those same long-range models suggest that we’re heading back into neutral as we head towards summer.

Major storms down over the Southern Ocean ... look to continue for September’s first week.

To make sense of all of that confusion, it basically means not a lot is going to change with our weather pattern. There might be a bit more life to the north of New Zealand and we’ve certainly seen a few low-pressure zones over the past two weeks (and they are worth keeping an eye on because the wet season in the tropics doesn’t normally start for another month or two, so this may well be a sign of a very weak La Niña forming).

Either way, New Zealand remains two small mountainous islands partially stuck in the Roaring Forties ... in other words, don’t get too hooked on what might happen months from now, but my general feeling is more chaos before there is a stronger pattern emerging.

investment of $100,000

ACCUMULATED: NIWA’s SPI map (the Standardised Precipitation Index) is a simple measure of drought (and also of very wet conditions) and is based solely on the accumulated precipitation over the past 30 days as of August 27, so does not include the last few days of the month.

Philip Duncan NEWS Weather