Ag&Ed

Volume 125 I October 3rd, 2022 I email:agined@agrihq.co.nz I www.farmersweekly.co.nz/agined

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FROM BOVINE TO OVINE

Some may consider it a step back but it is really it was more of a lateral move. One that saw James Wallace swap out milking cows for milking sheep, with a stint in chook farming in between.

The change to milking sheep has not been without its challenges but James and his family are loving the lifestyle that ovine milk production has provided.

Head to https://www.farmersweekly.co.nz/ no-regrets-switching-to-ovine-milking/ to find out more then answer the following questions:

STRETCH YOURSELF:

1 When did the Wallaces start milking sheep? 2 Why did they decide to start milking sheep? 3 What type of milking shed do they have? 4 How many sheep can they milk at a time? 5 How many sheep do they milk all together? 6 How many times will the shed be filled before all sheep are milked? 7 Do some research. What is the current payout for bovine milk solids? 8 Given a $14.70/kg payout for ovine milk solids and an aim of 50kg ms per sheep annually (40,000 ms for the flock) and a comparable stocking rate of 5 sheep to 1 cow. How do returns stack up against an equivalent cattle herd (hint: work out how many cows are equivalent to 800 ewes and the milk solids the cows would produce on average. Then work out the payout on this and compare it to sheep returns).

How do these stack up against one another?

A Beef + Lamb NZ cattle genetics programme has expanded to the North Island and will now include Simmental genetics in their study.

Lochinvar Station near Taupō will become part of the Informing NZ Beef Genetics Programme, joining Pāmu’s Kepler Farm near Te Anau in Southland, which is an existing progeny test site.

Follow this link to find out more:

https://www.farmersweekly.co.nz/ genetics-programme-jumps-the-cookstrait/?fbclid=IwAR3yn5gtwGM3forIi4FwIvOMBHvAJNpLgvSijatxL9Pzb9Y9EsSm13CFE

LA NINA IS BACK FOR A THIRD TIME!

La Nina has returned for the third time in a row. La Nina is caused when the easterly trade winds near the equator blow warmer surface water on the sea over to the western side of the Pacific (our side). So our sea surface temperatures go up north of NZ - but they drop in the eastern Pacific, near Chile etc. The warmer waters north of NZ create more cloud, more rainmakers and potentially more tropical storms. With NZ halfway between the equator and Antarctic we are right on the edge of this set up.

NZ’s La Nina weather:

We get more highs parked east of NZ and more lows to our north. This does a few things:

YOUR TASKS:

Visit RuralWeather.co.nz and look for: - More easterly winds, in northern locations especially. - Higher (mild) temperatures in places you’d think would be colder (Southland and Otago for example). - Use the Cloud/Fog forecaster and see if there is more cloud in eastern centres vs western ones (it won’t always be, but that’s the trend to look for). 1 Where in NZ is James’s farm? 2 How big is his farm?

1It makes for more cloud 2 It makes for more 3 in northern and eastern NZ. easterlies and north easterlies across NZ. That airflow means western and southern regions of both Islands can be hotter and drier.

New varieties of apricots hope to reinvigorate consumer interest

It seems that tasty apricots have become overlooked by consumers in favour of other fruits though Plant Food Research in Central Otago has plans to change that. They have developed three new varieties of the fruit that are not only juicier and sweeter but between them have a longer picking season and shelf life than current varieties.

To learn more head to: https://www.

farmersweekly.co.nz/game-changingapricots-on-the-way/?fbclid=IwAR19V3 yBl7GabtsB1Vj2tBt0208BjenWpQmxlU4E6ISDu9hY3CpoIf6DI0

Then answer the following questions: 1 What is the label (name) of these new varieties currently? Commercial names are yet to be selected, can you come up with some possibilities? 2 How long has it taken to develop these new varieties?

STRETCH YOURSELF:

1 What are the current varieties of apricots available commercially in NZ? 2 What is the picking season for current varieties? 3 How many more weeks of picking will there be with the introduction of these new varieties? 4 How long is it anticipated to be before these new varieties are widely available? 5 The NZ Summer Fresh apricots have been developed in the South Island but some trial plantings are underway in the North Island. Darling states that “it is viewed that the trees need harsh winters”, so the North Island plantings will test this theory. Why do stone fruits need cold winters? 6 Do you think it is necessary to develop new varieties of fruits and produce regularly to keep up with consumer expectations? Why or why not? 1 What are the across-breed beef progeny tests identifying? 2 What breed of cows are being used? 3 What are the breeds of bulls included in the study? 4 This programme is led by Beef + Lamb New Zealand

Genetics with the support of the Ministry for Primary

Industries’ Sustainable Food & Fibre Futures (SFF

Futures). What is SFF Futures? 5 Hybrid vigour is mentioned as a benefit in the study.

What is hybrid vigour?