Farmers Weekly NZ February 6 2023

Timber’s toll tests Tairāwhiti

farmed any more due to erosion risk, just as there are forest areas that should not be harvested.

FRUSTRATION and despair at yet another pasting from forestry waste wiping out crops, pasture and communities has Te Tairāwhiti locals pushing back at forestry and their local council to deliver answers to what has become a perennial issue on the coast.

The anger is shared between iwi and European landowners alike, with Federated Farmers board member Toby Williams likening the pressure to that faced by dairying over a decade ago when it was compelled to address its environmental impact.

The breaking announcement this week of a review of forestry and land use practices in Te Tairāwhiti has gone some way to ease locals’ anger.

However, Williams said the devil will remain in the detail of the review’s scope, and there is a need to keep it as independent as possible, and focus on all land uses.

There is acceptance among Te Tairāwhiti communities that forestry needs to continue to play a key role in a region where land uses are limited, and 80% of land is prone to erosion.

Williams said there are areas in the region that should not be

“This will be less of an inquiry and more a review that involves everyone.”

He cautioned that it will need a strong, independent head from outside the region chairing it to ensure partisan interests do not dominate.

Since the devastating 2018 Tolaga Bay flood damage, communities have had another three major events, including the latest in January that wiped out up to 80% of some maize and sweetcorn crops around Tolaga Bay.

Forestry companies have been praised for their rapid response to the latest event, offering manpower and equipment to help clean up the mess.

However, AgFirst consultant Peter Andrew said that, as welcome as this was, it was little comfort to the likes of himself and others having to help client landowners manage the ongoing losses resulting from crop damage and repeated property repairs.

“We accept sediment-based erosion is part of farming in this region with vulnerable soils, but the addition of logs on top of that make it much worse,” he said.

Sparring with the weather again

Dry weather led South Otago dairy farmer Matthew Korteweg to switch to 16-hour milking at New Year.

Growers count the cost of flooding

Kirit Makan says his father’s garlic crop has been wrecked by flooding.

9

Your guide to healthy soil

Everything we grow and eat depends on healthy soil - our whenua.

How can deferred grazing promote healthy soil?

Deferred grazing is when you temporarily remove an area of pasture from your grazing rotation, to help maintain pasture quality, over the whole farm. It's a low cost, low risk way to improve your soil health and the resilience of your farm system.

Promote healthier soil

One of the most significant benefits of deferred grazing is the higher moisture levels that are retained in the topsoil. This is critical in summer dry areas where there’s the risk of prolonged drought.

Research also shows pasture quality improves significantly in the following season after deferred grazing. By letting the pasture go to seed and removing grazing pressure, you’re

allowing the plants to divert their energy into growing root mass. With this improved pasture quality, you’ll start to improve your soil health too, as roots can penetrate deeper into the soil, and moisture is retained year-round.

Improve farm system resilience

Deferred grazing also helps you build in some resilience around summer feed by providing an extra feed wedge at the end of the dry season. This can help reduce the cost and workload of buying and feeding out supplementary feed.

By removing some paddocks from the grazing round, the stocking rate is increased over the rest of the farm. As a result, the spring feed surplus is better utilised and pasture quality is maintained.

Deferred grazing tips & tricks

Shut

Treat

When we get the balance right, healthy soil grows healthy food, protects our water quality, and can even help to mitigate the impact of greenhouse gases.

How does deferred grazing work on farm?

Jon Sherlock is a 3rd generation sheep and beef farmer on a challenging 1000ha block just out of Te Akau in the western Waikato. He chats to Ballance Science Extension Officer Angus Dowson about how deferred grazing has improved his soil health.

What are the benefits of deferred grazing?

"There are two main benefits – the first is it moves a bit of excess feed from spring to late summerso you can hold pasture quality in spring and then get a valuable chunk of cattle feed in late summer. The second benefit is it helps improve the overall quality of your pasture and soil for the following years."

How and why did you get into deferred grazing?

“The first year we did a small trial in two paddocks –one was rolling and one was fairly steep. There were droughts that year and when you’ve been through a dry period, you really see it. Everything else is bare and brown and the deferred paddock comes back really lush and thick - it’s like new pasture.”

What are the timeframes you’re looking at when you defer?

"After docking time in October, that’s when we closed up the paddocks. You wait for the ryegrass to seed, then get in for the first grazing again after that – sometime around late February. We were able to hold 150 R2yr heifers on 15ha of deferred grazing for around a month – you’ll probably get about 50% utilisation. Then do a pull test on the new grass coming up, view it as new pasture to see when it’s ready for a gentle second grazing, probably around May after some decent rain."

What would you say to other farmers thinking about giving deferred grazing a try?

“It’s so easy to try, it doesn’t cost anything, just try it on a paddock or two. If you end up needing that pasture for stock if things are getting tight, you can always just open the gate.”

Ballance with Nature

Making it easy for you to care for and protect your natural resources. If the natural world is healthy, so too are the people. Taiao ora, Tangata ora.

Let’s talk soil health. What changes have you seen in the deferred paddocks?

“Yeah – so it’s having an effect on not just the soil moisture but the aeration and the structure of the soil, too. You don’t get that when you cut silage! The new pasture growth comes in thick, like lush new pasture – so I was a bit worried about the clover. But the clover comes back really well too, after the first graze has opened things up a bit. That was really satisfying to see. It’s better than a re-grassing programme, because of that retained soil moisture –which is crucial given the volatile summers we’ve had.”

What excites you most about the future of farming?

“Pastoral farmers in New Zealand are already doing a fantastic job working with nature, and now there’s the science to prove its benefits. When you have a team of scientists working together with a team of farmers, that’s really cool. We need to look to use the challenges of compliance and regulations to our advantage, to really set New Zealand farmers apart in international markets.”

Over the coming months, we’ll be meeting farmers all across the country, celebrating success stories and sharing ideas. Scan the QR code to find out more about soil health.

Angus Dowson

EDITORIAL

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News in brief Top apple crop

The New Zealand apple industry says fruit quality and size are good as it heads into the export harvest season. New Zealand Apples & Pears Incorporated chief executive Terry Meikle said export volumes will be similar to last year’s 20.4 million tray carton equivalents. There are still challenges, Meikle said, but the NZ apple industry is reaping the rewards of decades of investment and the commitment of its growers.

California-based precision irrigation company Tule has been acquired by CropX as the company expands its data-capturing technology to incorporate Tule’s dripirrigated expertise.

The Tule purchase marks a continuing acquisition phase by CropX, which bought CropMetrics in Nebraska in 2019, NZ effluent management company Regen in 2020, and Netherlands-based Dacon Farm Intelligence in later 2021.

Company expansion Attempt falls short

Amy Silcock fell short in her attempt on the women’s eight-hour strongwool ewe world record.

The Tiraumea shearer, competing near Pahiatua, needed an average of almost 93 sheep in each of the four two-hour runs to beat the record of 370 set in the United Kingdom last August.

She was consistently behind the target and finished with 348 for the day.

Deficit doubles

New Zealand’s trade deficit doubled in calendar 2022 as price inflation came into play, says Stats NZ. The annual trade deficit was $14.5 billion in 2022 versus a deficit of $7.1b in 2021. Exports lifted 14% to $72.2b while imports jumped 23% to $86.7b. The largest increase in exports for the year ended December 2022 was of milk powder, butter, and cheese.

Otago stares another big dry in the eye

Environment Southland has warned that river levels are falling.

OTAGO farming leaders are poised to seek the declaration of an adverse event should dry weather continue to engulf the province.

Otago Federated Farmers president Mark Patterson said conditions have worsened in the past couple of weeks, and discussions on declaring an adverse event have been held with the Ministry for Primary Industries.

“We’re not there yet but it’s looking really close, so we’re getting the wheels in motion,” Patterson said.

The worst-hit areas are a coastal belt stretching south of Dunedin to South Otago, though there are pockets elsewhere in the province too.

If declared, this will be the third consecutive summer adverse event for Otago.

Southland is also drying out but an exceptional spring and early summer for most of the province has ensured abundant feed stocks and provided winter feed crops with an excellent start.

Southland Federated Farmers vice-president Bernadette Hunt said leaders are watching closely as coastal regions are especially dry, but compared to Otago or saturated areas of the North Island, it has been a typical summer.

January rainfall in Southland has been about 40% of its long-term average rainfall and temperatures are much warmer than usual.

Large parts of Otago have also had very little rain, with Balclutha recording about 35mm since the start of December.

Patterson said while some areas have had a reprieve from regular thunder events, there is little respite forecast.

Tami Sargeant, the Otago Regional Council’s compliance manager, said rivers are running low with NIWA forecasting the next five weeks will be drier than normal.

“Currently there are four rivers where water permit holders have had to comply with consent conditions to cease taking water, from the Waiwera River, Taieri River, along the Maniototo section, Shag River and also the Waitahuna River.”

Water levels in several other rivers are getting close to minimum flows.

Environment Southland integrated and implementation manager Nick Perham said water levels across Southland are lower than average for this time of year and continuing to decline, but the council does not have restrictions in place.

Weatherwatch chief forecaster Phil Duncan described current weather patterns as “very messy”, saying there will be little reprieve for the south from the dry weather. Any rainfall events are likely to deliver only a few millimetres.

The West Coast has also been extremely dry, but got a slight reprieve this week with a thunderburst bringing up to 30mm.

Sparring with the rain gauge once more

THE dry summer started to bite Matthew Korteweg’s South Otago farm three months earlier than last year.

The Otago Federated Farmers dairy vice-chair, who farms at Stirling, switched to 16-hour milking at the New Year.

He said the last rainfall of more

Duncan said a forecast wet weather front due this weekend could bring a further 200mm.

He said spillover to Southland, Otago and Canterbury is likely to be about 10mm.

Hunt said an ideal spring had ensured winter crops in Southland were established. Plenty of supplementary feed was made and there is ample on the market. Arable crops could do with some moisture to help grain fill. She said space for stock at meat works has improved.

Alliance Group’s of manager

than 10mm was about five weeks ago. He moved quickly as his farm dried, extending his grazing rotation and feeding out supplements to preserve cow condition and feed.

Korteweg said a late spring enabled him to harvest supplements but in recent weeks pasture growth has fallen to 35kg/ DM/day, well below the 55kg/DM/ day he needs.

livestock and shareholder services, Danny Hailes, said Alliance is keeping a close eye on the Otago and Southland regions.

“We are ramping up capacity at our plants so we can take livestock off farm should the current weather patterns in Otago and Southland continue.”

The co-operative is able to move livestock around its plant network and has contingency plans for farmers needing to move stock.

Silver Fern Farms chief executive Simon Limmer said climatic conditions are compounded

“We farm in a reliable area so we know it will not take long to turn around once conditions improve,” Korteweg said.

Otago Federated Farmers dairy chair Luke Kane said rainfall has been periodic and varied around the province.

A recent thunder event delivered 39mm to an area of West Otago 5km from his farm, but gave him only 4mm.

by disruptions to labour and absenteeism at its South Island sites.

“This resulted in significant demand for local processing space in the South,” he wrote in a supplier newsletter.

“Backlogs grew due to the dry weather conditions and our constrained capacity. However we have adapted and capacity is now back to planned levels.”

Limmer said sites are maximising overtime, but in some regions it will take time to work through backlogs from December and January.

Neal Wallace NEWS Weather

Neal Wallace NEWS

Weather

ADJUSTING: Dry weather led South Otago dairy farmer Matthew Korteweg to switch to 16-hour milking and begin feeding out supplements at New Year.

Photo: Natwick

More tourists than traders at historic fair

Annette Scott MARKETS Sheep

IT WAS one of the smaller offerings of sheep at the annual Hawarden Ewe Fair last week despite the crowd turning out in droves for the saleyard’s 125th anniversary celebrations.

With a limited number of genuine buyers, it proved a hard sell for auctioneers.

“It was quite a conservative galley of buyers; people were there to buy but they had their limits and while the feature lines sold well, lighter condition ewes were a challenge,” Hazlett Livestock auctioneer Alby Orchard said.

“We were all a little bit surprised at the lack of genuine buyers and there is no real reason why people were standing off, but that is a

reflection on where the market is in general today.”

He said some farmers held back some of what could have been offered because feed is plentiful.

The top Corriedale two-tooths sold from $166-$195 with mixed aged Corriedales ranging from $111-$176.

A limited number of Romney two-tooths sold from $220-$280 while crossbred adult Romneys made $84-$140 and fine wool annual draft ewes $84-$140.

The Lakes Station, North Canterbury, on-farm lamb, sheep and cattle sale was postponed on January 31 due to flooded access to the property. Orchard said roading contractors indicated that repairing the access would take three weeks, so in the meantime the 9000 lambs will be drafted off and held on farm with a plan to drove the 1500 ewes out when the

Hurunui River lowers, hopefully in time for the Sheffield Ewe Fair on February 10.

The 50 R2 Hereford-Angus steers will also be held on farm until road access is restored.

Meanwhile the Temuka Adult Ewe Fair on Wednesday offered 8300 ewes, which included three lines of capital stock.

PGG Wrightson South Canterbury livestock manager Joe Higgins said while the sale was down on the 11,000 of last year, this was a season trend given the lower sheep numbers around and the current state of the market.

Coopdales on behalf of a capital stock vendor were first up, setting the scene for the top quality condition ewes with prices ranging up to $221 for 4-tooth down to $132 for the annual draft ewes, while a second line of capital stock

4-tooth and 6-tooth Coopdales sold from $142-$197. Capital stock Romdales ranged from $124-$168.

In the rest of the sale Romneys, Romdale and Coopdale were selling from $143- $170, dependent on age and condition,

with the tops of the annual draft ewes selling from $130-$142 with lighter condition ewes selling from $111-$126.

Agricademy training hits the road

WAIKATO’S largest agricultural vehicle training provider, Ag Drive, has signed an agreement with Agricademy to deliver operator training to even more of the agriculture sector.

Agricademy managing director Alister Shennan said the organisation is excited to be working with Ag Drive, which has a reputation for offering practical, tailored training in the machine and vehicle operation space.

“Agricademy training offers the practical and life skills employees need to do well at work, so it was a natural synergy for us to partner with Ag Drive, who are known for their practical training,” he said.

“Working with Ag Drive extends our Agricademy offering, and partnering with the experts in machine and vehicle operation means we get the best experience for our customers.”

From February, Ag Drive courses will be available online on the Agricademy platform for tractor, quad bike, LUV, 2-wheel motorbike and chainsaw operation.

The online training is backed up by a practical one-day training course. Ag Drive is also planning on opening training centres in Canterbury and Southland in the first half of this year.

Ag Drive director Andre Syben said working with Agricademy takes Ag Drive to the next level, reaching more people in the agriculture sector.

“Our training is designed and

tailored to what we know farmers want and need,” he said.

“If we can make it easy for people to access training that is actually useful and practical, and not just a tick-the-box exercise, it has a positive flow-on effect for the whole industry.”

If we can make it easy for people to access training that is actually useful and practical, and not just a tick-the-box exercise, it has a positive flow-on effect for the whole industry.

Andre Syben Ag Drive director

TIMELESS: The dust rises on a typical hot, dry sale at the Hawarden Saleyards, celebrating its 125th year. Photo: Annette Scott

Staff reporter NEWS Education

JOINING FORCES: From left, Agricademy director Ian Clarke, Agricademy managing director Alister Shennan and Ag Drive manager director Andre Syben are excited about a new joint venture between the two companies.

Hipkins puts Three Waters on his hit list

PRIME Minister Chris Hipkins has given his strongest indication yet that the government he leads will make changes to the deeply divisive Three Waters reforms.

Announcing the removal of the reforms’ principal architect, Nanaia Mahuta, from the local government portfolio as part of a cabinet reshuffle, Hipkins also said he is “leaving open the possibility of a reset there”.

remove or attempt to defang some of the unpopular elements of an unwieldy reform agenda. However, commitment to the Three Waters reforms – for which the first of two major pieces of enabling legislation has passed into law already – appeared to be a bedrock position.

We will take a close look at the Three Waters reforms.

Chris Hipkins Prime Minister

OUSTED: Nanaia Mahuta was removed from the local government portfolio in a cabinet reshuffle.

His predecessor, Jacinda Ardern, signalled before Christmas that the government was likely to reassess its priorities and either

Hipkins said: “We will take a close look at the Three Waters reforms” led by newly appointed

Minister for Local Government Kieran McAnulty.

Hipkins said there is still a “pressing need for reform and ... investment” in water infrastructure, but the government, he said, will “look closely to make sure we have got those reforms right”.

Most contentious are a twotiered governance structure intended to give a strong Māori voice to water asset management, and the creation of four new water entities that will take over management and control of assets currently owned by dozens of local bodies around New Zealand.

The Māori co-governance element has stoked a race-based debate among some opponents,

while others have questioned the structure that creates an overarching co-governing board, a second board with water asset experience, and then a senior management team under both boards.

The shift in Hipkins’ stance comes at the same time as the National Party, which has promised to “repeal and replace” the Three Waters legislation, continues to struggle with the detail of its alternative prescription.

National has unequivocally said it will scrap co-governance, but its plans to leave assets in local ownership and to allow a much larger number of water entities are understood to be unsettled.

Trial tests how far you can bet on a detainment bund

property at Tapora, Kaipara Harbour.

and analysis of the trial sites over the next three years.

A TRIAL to test the effectiveness of detainment bunds on heavy soils is being rolled out on farms at either end of New Zealand.

John Paterson, the project manager with the Phosphorus Mitigation Project, said detainment bund trials to prevent nutrients and contaminants entering waterways have proven successful on free-draining central North Island soils.

Paterson said two studies on farms in the Lake Rotorua catchment showed bunds intercepted about 60% of phosphorus, sediment and contaminants carried by stormwater, preventing it from entering waterways.

That trial is now being extended to heavier, less well-drained soil types and other farming types on Al Body’s farm at Tapanui in West Otago and Tim Short’s

It is backed by a grant from the Ministry for Primary Industries’ Sustainable Land Management and Climate Change fund, the Otago Regional Council and the Auckland Council.

The West Otago trial is under construction now and the Kaipara Harbour catchment site is being completed, with instrumentation being installed.

“Accommodating the trials is a massive commitment by these farmers and shows the depth of their willingness to pursue new methodologies for helping achieve NZ’s water quality goals,” Paterson said.

Construction of a third hill country site is pending, awaiting final funding signoff.

Paterson said a study looking into whether bunds can mitigate the pathogen E coli is also underway, while the Phosphorus Mitigation Project has engaged NIWA to conduct field sampling

The best way to control phosphorus loss is to minimise release to the environment through good application practices, but Paterson acknowledges that is not going to contain it all.

“Even with the best of farm practices in place, some nutrient is still subject to being carried off farm in episodic high-intensity rainstorm run-off events.”

Paterson said the detainment bund concept is proven and a realistic option for farmers operating on well-drained soil types.

“The current ongoing research work will gauge if the exciting performance of detainment bunds on free-draining soils can be repeated in clay soils,” he said. That work will take three years to complete.

The Phosphorus Mitigation Project was established in 2016 and consists of a governance

group made up entirely of farmers to initiate and direct applied science on new on-farm methods for environmental mitigation.

Paterson said these solutions have practical relevance in promoting improved sustainable farming outcomes for water quality, both on and off farm.

TRIAL BUND: Al Body, left, and John Paterson, the project manager with the Phosphorus Mitigation Project, at the site of a trial detainment bund on Body’s West Otago farm.

Photo: Natwick

Neal Wallace TECHNOLOGY Water

Cleanup begins for flood-hit farmers

Gerald Piddock NEWS Weather

FARMERS across South Auckland and Waikato face an anxious time as they wait for floodwaters to ease so they can take stock of the damage and begin cleaning up.

The two regions have been hit by record rainfall over the past two weeks, causing flooding that damaged infrastructure and roads, and overwhelmed crops and paddocks.

Auckland Federated Farmers president Alan Cole said farmers appear to be coping with the deluge and his biggest concern is the wellbeing of farmers on the flats west of Pukekohe.

Cole said he knows of one dairy farm in the Otaua-Ake Ake district that is underwater. The farmer had managed to shift the herd to safety.

At this stage there are no stock losses and most of the damage seems to be to infrastructure such as fencing, power poles and roads.

Because of the sheer volume of water, anything that got in the way took damage, he said.

“Farmers seem to be all right. Most made the point of moving [stock] because they knew there

was pretty heavy rain. One farmer moved his stock during the night, and the next morning all of his flats were completely flooded.

“One commented to me that he’s had his race moved into the paddock. It’s just been the sheer volume of water. I had water running over my drive and two hours earlier it was barely through the culvert pipe. No infrastructure could have coped,” said Cole.

The Feds’ Waikato president, Jacqui Hahn, said the rain had caused bad flooding in North Waikato around the Mercer district, in Waitomo, and at Otorohanga and east towards Te Aroha.

“There’s surface flooding anywhere near a river,” she said.

Most of the damage appears to be to fencing, road damage, and landslips. Waterways have been re-directed and silage bales have been moved, but there have been no reports of stock losses yet.

Looking ahead, Hahn said the question will now be how long it takes for river levels to drop and the flooding to subside so landowners can make a proper assessment of any damage.

“It’s a continuing watching brief. The high water levels have stuck around longer than I had expected

and the [hydro] dams are also very full.”

The faster the flooding subsides, the less likelihood there will be of damage to pastures or feed crops, and farmers will then know if they have any potential feed issues for their stock, Hahn said.

“It’s the amount of silt that’s still on the paddock and until that goes away, we don’t really know.

“Around the region we should be able to help each other.”

Hahn urged farmers who are badly affected to contact the Rural Support Trust.

Fonterra’s GM of national transport and logistics, Paul Phipps, said the co-operative has generally been able to collect everything from around Auckland.

“The main issue has been to the east of Auckland, along the Coromandel peninsula, where flooding and road slips made collections more difficult. However, we were still able to safely access most farms there and as of today we are able to collect milk from all farms across the country.”

Meat Industry Association chief executive Sirma Karapeeva said that their early assessment is that meat processing plants have been relatively unaffected by the heavy rain and flooding. However,

there has been some disruption to livestock pick-ups due to road closures.

“Inevitably, some plant staff have also faced difficulties getting to and from work. Meat processing companies have been dealing with weather-related disruption for some time and are working closely with farmers to mitigate the impact of the situation,” she said.

According to Waikato Regional Council data, the Pinnacles rain gauge for January recorded a rainfall total of 1224mm, more than the 1133.5mm that fell in July 1998, making it the wettest month since records began in March 1991.

The Te Kūiti rain gauge recorded rainfall greater than a 100-year average return interval for 12- and 24-hour durations.

Maize doused and down after a monsoon month

MONSOONAL levels of rainfall throughout Western Bay of Plenty threaten both maize silage and grain supplies this autumn.

Bill Webb, director of Bill Webb Feed Supplies near Te Puke, said his property at Ohauiti Western BoP has had 3500mm of rainfall in the past 12 months, putting it at a level comparable to West Coast’s Hokitika.

Even the drier Rangitāiki

Plains area between Te Puke and Whakatāne has received 2500mm, about double its annual average.

On average, over the monsoon season India receives about 250mm in both July and August, about 70% of its annual average. This year throughout much

of the Western Bay of Plenty, January’s rainfall alone will total between a third and half of the 1200mm it usually receives in a year.

The latest event has left some crops washed out and useless for silage harvesting.

“We have one block of 8ha near Te Puke where the water came up 24 hours ago to above fence-post height in the crop. It has deposited mud throughout the maize, and it’s going to affect its ability to pollinate, and will also mean we can’t even turn it into silage if all this silt’s through it,” Webb said.

In other instances, farmers contracting to supply Webb with maize this season have had two and in some cases three attempts at getting a crop planted, only to lose it this time around.

“I have never seen this level of rainfall in my time. Some crops did not get planted until early Christmas-New Year.

“Potentially the grain take for the area will be down from normal. And with farmers struggling to get maize, silage in will be down too. It has definitely hit growers hard.”

At a cost of $3000 a hectare to establish maize, turning around and replanting put growers on a fast track to barely breaking even, while a third time was a loss.

Ex-Federated Farmers Bay of Plenty president Darryl Jensen said he is about to feed his 9ha of maize to his cows as it is. Such was the damage it cannot be salvaged for silage. It also lacks any cobs because it went in late, after the pre-Christmas deluges.

Jensen said this has been the

DOUSED: Monsoonal rainfall throughout Western Bay of Plenty has left many growers giving up on their second or even third attempt at getting a crop established this year.

wettest season any farmers of his generation have witnessed.

One farm consultant tells of dairying clients whose cows should be producing 1.7kg MS per head per day scratching to achieve 1.0, and even then only achieving that with 60% of their diet an expensive supplement.

“The green grass is certainly there, but it really lacks feed value. The lack of maize silage heading

into autumn is going to impact on herd body condition, and that will flow into next season now too,” Jensen said.

Horticultural operators have also been hit in the latest deluge, with at least 30 orchardists on Number 4 Road near Te Puke losing access to the town due to a critical bridge being blown out by intense flooding – only eight weeks before harvest starts.

CLEANUP: Once the oodwaters reside, farmers across South Auckland and Waikato will be able to properly assess the damage.

Richard Rennie NEWS Climate change

SHORT: Feed supply contractor Bill Webb says shortages of maize for silage and grain are quite likely after such a tough, wet season for growers.

Growers count the cost of flooding

Gerald Piddock NEWS Weather

SOUTH Auckland vegetable growers are counting the cost of last week’s storm after it flooded paddocks and wrecked crops and infrastructure across the region. Record-breaking rainfall carved a destructive path through one of New Zealand’s biggest vegetableproducing regions.

South Auckland Vegetable Growers Association president Kirit Makan said all growers will have some degree of water or silt issues on their fields.

All growers can do now is wait for the rain to stop and paddocks to dry out, revealing the extent of the damage.

The association represents several hundred growers from South Auckland through to Walkworth in the north.

Onions are one of the worsthit crops. Growers had lifted the produce to the surface for drying prior to harvesting, only to have them washed away by flooding.

“Anywhere where the water has gone through, they have just floated away and washed down the road into drains,” Makan said.

“My dad’s had a bit of garlic wash down the road – it’s the same thing.”

Both of those crops would have to be written off, he said.

Growers are resilient, but the storm came on the back of an already challenging season, in which the wet December pushed the season back by at least two weeks.

“Now this is pushing us back even more. When the rain stops we’ll need a decent spell of fine weather to dry everything up. It’s frustration more than anything,” Makan said.

No amount of farm management could have mitigated this, he said.

“It came at the wrong time of

the year when there is crop sitting on top of the soil. At any other time of the year where everything is still planted, the roots will hold it together.”

The floodwaters had carved through fields like a river, destroying neat rows of crop and depositing the vegetables in a corner of the paddock.

In one area the floodwater had rushed through a culvert, badly damaging it before spilling out onto the road.

“How much force does it take carve that out – and look at the hole it’s made,” he said. “The sheer volume is phenomenal.”

On a nearby road, workers were busy trying to reseal a road after

the floodwaters from the paddock lifted off its seal.

Further on, onions from a paddock had floated across the road to a nearby subdivision of houses and lay strewn across the footpath and road. A plastic box filled with the dirt-covered vegetables had been placed on the berm.

Makan said the damage had to be put in perspective with the wider flooding in Auckland. “There are people in way worse situations than us from the rain.”

Potatoes New Zealand vicechair and Pukekohe grower Bharat Bhana said a lot of the damage to potato crops caused by the rain will not be seen until later.

Much of the crop in the ground is still growing and the damage will not be known until the harvest in June-July.

The rain will have washed away any soil nutrients, he said, slowing the growth of the crop.

It came at the wrong time of the year when there is crop sitting on top of the soil. At any other time of the year where everything is still planted, the roots will hold it together.

Kirit Makan

South Auckland Vegetable Growers Association

“The amount of water we have had in a very short time is not very good for our industry. There’s enough damage been done that if anyone thought that potato prices were going to ease up, it might take a little longer to do that.”

Bhana’s onion crop has been

damaged, with floodwater washing the vegetable away.

“They are on the ground at the moment and we have only harvested a few – we have about 1500 bins in the shed out of 12,000 that we grow. All the rest are on the field drying or are still to be dug.

“Every time it rains there’s some more damage done. There’s enough rain that the water ends up going back into the onion through the dry leaves and starts to rot from the inside out.”

While harvest yields will be affected, selling yields will be impacted more, Bhana said. “There’ll be a lot more rejected onions because of the way the water has been.”

Growers desperately need the rain to clear and a sustained period of fine weather to let growers get on the fields and tend to their crops, he said.

“This year, as far as water goes, it’s probably the worst we have had. We’ve had a lot of rain through the summer and that’s done a lot of damage.”

Insurance advice after the deluge

• Be safe. When checking stock, driving, or assessing damage, avoid ooded areas and don’t do anything that will put your safety at risk. Continue to follow the instructions of Civil Defence.

• Avoid entering oodwater, either on foot or in a vehicle. Floodwater can contain sewage and contaminants, conduct electricity and mask hidden hazards.

• If water has entered your property, do not turn on your electricity unless it’s been inspected by an electrician.

• Do not drive vehicles that

have su ered water damage.

• Lodge any claim as soon as you can on 0800 366 466 or through FMG Connect.

•  Take as many photos of the damage as you can, and before you throw items out, as these will help support your claim. Mark and take photos of where ood water reached its highest on your property.

• You can carry out essential repairs, but take photos beforehand.

• Even in the case of minor repairs, take photos of the damage before you carry these out.

WASHOUT: South Auckland Vegetable Growers Association president Kirit Makan says his father’s garlic crop has been wrecked by ooding, the crown on a frustrating season that has already been disrupted by a wet December.

FLOATING FOOD: Onions are washed up by the roadside following recent ooding.

Southland council drops native vegetation cases

Neal Wallace NEWS Environment

THE Southland District Council has withdrawn two pending prosecutions for the clearance of indigenous vegetation after losing a legal battle with a Te Anau station.

The council’s environmental planning manager, Marcus Roy, said following the Environment Court decision against the council and in favour of Te Anau Downs Station, two prosecutions relating to the clearance of indigenous vegetation have been dropped. The court decision in favour of Te Anau Downs followed a

four-year legal battle in which the council sought an enforcement order to prevent any further indigenous vegetation clearance on the station, and to require significant remedial work for clearance dating back to 2001.

Late last year the court declined the council’s application for an enforcement order and required it to pay costs and compensation of $300,000.

Roy said in a statement one of the two abandoned cases relates to another case against Peter Chartres from Te Anau Downs station over an alleged breach of an interim court decision to cease any indigenous vegetation clearance on the property.

“The recent court decision on

existing use rights has outlined that existing use rights may apply to the site, so there is little merit in council pursuing this prosecution in light of these findings,” Roy said.

The second case is against Hokonui Hills Ltd and relates to the clearance of indigenous vegetation.

“Following the substantive Chartres decision on existing use rights, council has reviewed its position and considers that there is a high level of uncertainty about whether council will be successful if it continues.

“Accordingly, the prosecution has been withdrawn.”

Roy said the council is applying the findings and comments in

COMPENSATION: Late last year the Environment Court declined Southland council’s application for an enforcement order against Te Anau Downs and ordered it to pay costs and compensation of $300,000

the Environment Court decision to test its position and ensure enforcement decisions reflect the most current legal interpretations. It has also contacted the Ministry for the Environment and highlighted to those developing the National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity that the court interpretation may be

contrary to the intent of protecting significant indigenous vegetation.

“Additionally, as part of council’s submission on the new environmental legislation which will replace the [Resource Management Act], council has highlighted that clarity is needed within the legislation about [how] existing use rights will be integrated into the new system.”

Threats, opportunities on the table as farm foresters meet

ENVIRONMENTAL issues of the day will be the focus of this year’s New Zealand Farm Forestry Association annual conference.

Up to 250 members of the NZFFA are expected to attend the five-day conference in Timaru, from March 30 to April 3. Nationally, the association has about 1500 members, down from its heyday in the mid 1990s, when numbers topped 4500.

Convener Ian Jackson said the

conference theme of “The new normal: opportunity or threat?” is aimed at facilitating discussion of the environmental issues facing forestry. Carbon and the implications of the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) for farm foresters would be a focus as would national

environmental standards for plantation forestry and practical ways to apply them.

The event will look at the “threats posed, but also the opportunity as well”.

The conference, which was last held in Timaru in 2002, will

include field trips to farms in Timaru, the Mackenzie Basin and Mt Cook station, and a look at riparian planting aimed at improving water quality on a dairy farm in Geraldine. It is hoped that Forestry Minister Stuart Nash will also be able to address the group.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons/Steve Collis

Craig Page NEWS Forestry

Hawarden Ewe Fair marks 125-year run

LAWRIE O’Carroll

remembers droving sheep from Waitohi Downs to his first Hawarden Ewe Fair in 1982, the year he scored the top price of the day at $17.50. His father, JJ (John) O’Carroll, had purchased nearby Waitohi Downs in 1947 and sold sheep at the annual fair for 34 years.

“This is my 42nd year so that’s 76 consecutive years in total,” O’Carroll said.

But the name goes much further back in the country village that sits beneath the Hurunui Hills in North Canterbury.

“My great grandfather, also John, came to Hawarden in 1883 and built the first general store that still stands today,” Lawrie said.

“He was the first JP in the district, the first postmaster and installed the first public telephone in Hawarden.

“Later he started buying farms, including Waitohi Downs in 1889, and where I still farm now.”

When the saleyard company was formed in 1898, John O’Carroll became a founding director and despite early farm records showing he sold sheep in the sale in 1915, it is believed he sold at the saleyards much earlier, including at the first sale in January 1899.

The saleyards were built to cater for all classes of stock, taking

in sheep, cattle, pigs, horses and poultry, but sheep were the mainstay of farming in a district widely known for the Corriedale breed.

In the early days all the farmers drove their stock to the saleyards and the drafting was done onsite.

There was always keen competition to see who could get into the yards first to use the drafting race and it was a common sight to see farmers holding their mob on the road waiting their turn.

“I remember as a schoolkid in the 1950s at the Hawarden school, walking down to the main gates and watching the sheep being driven down the road before the sale and sheep from different properties lined up along the road waiting to get into the yards to be drafted,” Lawrie said.

Monthly stock sales were held at the Hawarden saleyards for decades, with stock transported by train to butchers in Christchurch.

O’Carroll said many other Canterbury saleyards were owned by stock companies that eventually sold them off, but Hawarden is fortunate to be one of just a handful remaining.

“Ours have been owned by shareholders, with no one shareholder owning more than 30 shares so that has helped us retain our yards.”

At 85 years of age John Sidey still lives in the district, the family farm now into the fifth generation.

He has lost count of the number of sales he has attended at Hawarden. His great grandfather, James Little, was a founding director of the saleyards company.

“Droving sheep to the sale are my first recollections as a young man. There would be 20 mobs coming down the road from different farms, hopefully not getting boxed up.”

Over his time the bulk of the sheep yarded for sale were Corriedales with the Sidey name synonymous with the founding of the breed in the Hurunui district.

“A huge amount of these went to Mid Canterbury, it’s all changed now though. Lower wool prices and higher fertility has led to the crossbred market we see today.

“I would say 20-30 years ago the standard of sheep here was probably the highest quality-wise standard in the country.

“Nowadays we see a mixture of breeds not comparable with the quality of earlier times,” Sidey said.

Despite the many changes over the years, Sidey is confident the saleyards complex has a lot left in it yet.

“These yards in the foreseeable future will last; 125 years is significant but I’m pretty confident it will see another 25 years – I just might not be around to see it.”

With a reputation for always being a hot and dusty sale day, the 125th sale did not disappoint.

But a temperature climbing over 30degC and the dust rising from the yards failed to deter the crowds that flocked to celebrate the milestone celebration.

Among those joining the 125th celebration sale was Hurunui’s Mayor Marie Black, a fourthgeneration district resident and the daughter and wife of dryland sheep farmers.

Black congratulated the intergenerational commitment from many farming families.

“With the changes of land use and shifting trends for the use of productive land, our community should be proud that it has retained this iconic annual event.

“Now attracting stock well outside the district boundary, this certainly is a significant feature on the rural calendar,” Black said.

Farmer and former Hurunui mayor Winton Dalley acknowledged the Hawarden combined churches who have a long tradition, dating back to 1930, of catering for the annual ewe fair, as they did for the 125th sale.

He highlighted key changes in what he described as a “long and colourful history”.

With the early runs being stocked with Merinos, the breed tended to dominate the early sales, along with halfbreds.

By the early 1900s Corriedales, which were developed in the Hawarden district from around 1882 as a dual-purpose sheep (meat and wool) and for which the Hawarden Ewe Fair became well known, gradually took over and totally dominated the annual sales up until recently.

The move away from Merinos was driven by the development and growth of the export meat industry after the successful shipment of frozen meat to England in 1882, making dualpurpose sheep and the use of terminal sires much more profitable.

For many years the Corriedale excelled in this role in North Canterbury and drier districts of New Zealand.

With the decline in wool prices from the 1980s the move towards crossbreds and composite meat breeds occurred, resulting in a wider range of breeds at Hawarden these days.

A relatively small yarding of 12,000 sheep were penned for the 125th sale. The yardings have been up to 25,000 over the years. Dalley said with little documented history, the Hawarden Museum welcomes any saleyard memorabilia people may have to add to the records.

Annette Scott MARKETS Sheep

LONG RUN: Lawrie O’Carroll (left) and Fred Fowler cut the cake to celebrate 125 years of the Hawarden Saleyards company. O’Carroll’s family has been selling ewes at the sale 76 years.

Photo: Annette Scott

MEMORIES: John Sidey and Hurunui mayor Marie Black have a few yarns to tell from growing up around the Hawarden saleyards.

Photo: Annette Scott

Crop losses blow Green kiwi incomes apart

Richard Rennie NEWS Horticulture

KIWIFRUIT growers have reacted with shock and dismay to the announcement from Zespri that this season’s crop payment has been downgraded again due to poor fruit quality.

In an announcement to growers and the market, Zespri CEO Dan Mathieson said Green fruit will be facing at least a further 60c-atray downgrade in payment, and organic Green a 50c-a-tray reduction.

And the figures come with the caveat that they may be even worse.

For growers it means the vital progress payment usually made in February will not be made. Amid surging orchard costs, this is the time growers pay a large portion of their season’s bills.

The news comes after an announcement back in August 2022 that growers were staring down a $1.95-a-tray reduction in Green payments, and SunGold growers had a reduction of $2.80 per tray.

The latest reduction has Green growers likely to take a collective hit of $36 million across the 70 million trays harvested, on top of the $136m blow already dealt to them in August.

Mathieson said further deterioration in fruit quality on Green’s final vessel sailings to Europe and Asia prompted the reduction, with quality on arrival much worse than anticipated.

We want a better understanding from Zespri about what they are doing to give Green growers confidence in the future of the category.

Colin Bond NZKGI

Initial forecasts for the last quarter of 2022 were for 7% losses in Europe due to quality; that has since worsened to 20%.

Repacking levels to sort through damaged fruit were reported to be at three times 2021 levels.

Meantime the growing highvalue market of Japan ended up

being undersupplied by over a million trays, also because of poor fruit quality.

New Zealand Kiwifruit Growers Incorporated (NZKGI) was taken by surprise by the Zespri announcement.

In a newsletter to growers, CEO Colin Bond says the 20% fruit loss now being reported

PLEASE EXPLAIN: Colin Bond, CEO of NZKGI, has told growers the association will be seeking an explanation from Zespri on how quality losses to Europe tripled from 7% to 20%.

and the undersupplying of the Japanese market amount to an “unacceptable” situation.

He wants Zespri executives to “please explain” as more Green growers face the prospect of not breaking even this season.

“We want a better understanding from Zespri about what they are doing to give Green growers

confidence in the future of the category,” Bond said.

In August last year, following the initial quality payment downgrade of $1.95 a tray, it was estimated that 50% of Green growers would be in a break-even or loss situation.

One industry source estimates the latest announcement pushes that closer to 70%, with banks set to tighten lending requirements and payment expectations on growers this year.

The news comes amid expectations that this year’s harvest volume could also be severely compromised, with some anticipating crop volumes as low as 150 million trays in total.

This is well short of industry estimates of volumes that should be closer to 200 million trays on the back of increasing SunGold licence areas coming on stream this year and beyond.

Severe weather conditions, including an unseasonably heavy frost, laid waste to large crop areas in some districts, with some orchardists losing entire crops. A formal estimate of this season’s crop volumes is due to be released in February.

Kawakawa study zeros in on healing properties

research fellow Dr Chris Pook said.

NEW Zealand scientists are proving the health effects of kawakawa, a plant revered as taonga and long used in Māori medicine or rongoā.

In a new paper, researchers from Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland, in partnership with hapū-owned Wakatū Incorporation from Te Tauihu at the north of Te Wai Pounamu, applied liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry to identify the active compounds in the endemic plant’s leaves.

“Our findings show that kawakawa contains a great diversity and abundance of pharmacologically active metabolites,” Liggins Institute

Kawakawa (Piper excelsum) is a relative of black pepper (Piper nigrum). The family of plants to which they belong, the Piperaceae, is famous for its role in traditional medicinal and culinary practices around the world.

In rongoā Māori, kawakawa is used in many ways, including as a topical balm to soothe eczema, boils, bites, stings and grazes, as well as to relieve toothache, gastrointestinal and genitourinary problems.

“The most abundant compound, of more than 60 that we found, was pellitorine, which has numbing effects on the body and could explain its use for pain relief in rongoā Māori,” Pook said.

Pellitorine also has a key role in chemical pathways in the body that reduce inflammation.

Another compound found in kawakawa, yangambin, was shown in earlier human trials to have potent anti-inflammatory effects on the cardiovascular system. Also present is the neurotransmitter dopamine, which doesn’t pass through the bloodbrain barrier but does have known health effects on the digestive system, Pook said.

“It provides a mechanism by which the consumption of kawakawa tea soothes upset stomachs and other gastrointestinal complaints in rongoā Māori.” Dopamine can also help people metabolise sugar and regulate insulin response.

“Dopamine could be the mechanism behind the reduction in insulin levels we observed in previous clinical trials exploring

human physiological responses to consumption of kawakawa tea,” Pook said.

Further, kawakawa, which has a peppery flavour, may improve the bioavailability of other pharmacologically active compounds, such as curcumin found in turmeric, a natural anti-inflammatory.

The Liggins researchers are now running trials testing the potential for kawakawa to reduce inflammation and improve the health of people with noncommunicable diseases, like heart disease and diabetes.

The kawakawa research forms part of Taketake a Tāne, the Indigenous Organisms Programme of Wakatū and its subsidiary AuOra, which develops health solutions from natural resources.

RELIEF: In rongoā Māori kawakawa is used as a topical balm to soothe eczema, boils, bites, stings and grazes, and can relieve toothache as well as gastrointestinal and genitourinary problems.

Peony Pink Blue Sky

Staff reporter TECHNOLOGY Research

Alliance joins SFF in quitting Cervena

to shift their focus to retail, hence their decision to use their own brands.

NEITHER of New Zealand’s two largest venison producers is now using the Cervena brand, with Alliance Group joining Silver Fern Farms to sell the product under its own brand.

That leaves only Duncan and Co and Mountain River using the Cervena brand, which was launched 30 years ago.

Deer Industry NZ venison marketing manager Nick Taylor said neither Alliance nor SFF has renewed its licence to use the Cervena brand, which targets foodservice.

Our focus target has been chefs to understand the difference with NZ product as opposed to other markets or feral venison, which for many consumers can be their first venison eating experience.

Cervena has been focused on United States foodservice to provide a guarantee of quality, provenance and animal husbandry, and Taylor said it still has strong market recognition.

“Our focus target has been chefs to understand the difference with NZ product as opposed to other markets or feral venison, which for many consumers can be their first venison eating experience,” Taylor said.

The brand has primarily been used in the US, one of NZ’s largest single markets alongside Europe, where Taylor said there was some work done before covid struck.

The pandemic has prompted exporters

Alliance Group sales manager Shane Kingston said the co-op has invested heavily in its brands, particularly in the US.

“We are seeing increased sales of venison in supermarkets and online, and stronger brand recognition among shoppers,” Kingston said.

He said Alliance is capitalising on this investment.

“For us to align both our retail and food service promotions, it makes sense for our venison to be marketed clearly under our own brand.”

He said at the time Cervena was launched marketing companies did not have strong brands to take to retail.

“Cervena provided the common platform for the development of an industry qualityassurance programme and allowed the differentiation of young farm-raised venison in the US market.”

He said Alliance will continue to work alongside Deer Industry NZ (DINZ) to help drive marketing and promotional activities in the US.

Silver Fern Farms (SFF) is replacing the Cervena brand with its own branded venison from March, in line with its plate-and-pasture strategy for beef and lamb.

In a letter to suppliers, chief supply chain officer Dan Boulton says the shift in brands from Cervena and Silver Fern Farms follows requests from customers.

“While this does mean that SFF will not be using the Cervena licensing going forward, this is a really exciting opportunity to continue our investment in developing our venison markets by drawing on the success of our existing 100% product lines.”

He described the 100% programmes in lamb and prime Angus as the company’s flagship premium products, which is wellestablished and recognised by customers across key markets.

Neal Wallace NEWS Deer

Nick Taylor Deer Industry NZ

CUT: Silver Fern Farms and Alliance Group now sell venison under their own brands, leaving the 30-year-old Cervena brand to represent just two producers.

Milk flow positive for summer in the South

Hugh Stringleman NEWS Dairy

SEASONAL New Zealand

milk production may be turning upwards, figures for December from Fonterra and the Dairy Companies Association show.

Milk solids production in December was 0.6% higher than in December 2021, only the second month-on-month increase since mid-2021.

Season-to-date figures remain in decline, down 2.3% in the period June 1 to December 31, Fonterra has reported.

The North Island is down 4.1% and the South Island up 0.8%, and for December the figures were minus 0.2% and plus 1% respectively.

The Dairy Companies Association of New Zealand (DCANZ) said the NZ dairy industry as a whole produced minus 3.4% in calendar 2022 compared with 2021.

Production in 2022 was 1.845 billion kilograms milk solids, the lowest in the past five years.

Fonterra accounts for a little under 80% of the NZ total.

In the latest Global Dairy Update, Fonterra commented that December weather was mixed with intermittent rain and warmer temperatures being conducive to pasture-growing conditions.

“Overall, disruptive rain throughout the middle of the month caused lower milk production, with a recovery and flattening towards the end of the month.”

Fonterra’s chief operations executive, Fraser Whineray, said the season-to-date decline in milk production would be hard to make up in only the four months remaining.

However, he pointed to the extra kick in milk production last March, after the summer dry, as farmers maximised the high milk price on offer.

The first half of the current season had a bias towards protein products, driven by the relative prices for product streams on global markets.

“The optionality in our product mix produced that increase in the earnings forecast,” he said.

In early December Fonterra increased the earnings forecast range, from 45-60c a share to 50-70c.

The latest Fonterra milk collection curve in the January 31 GDU shows that peak season in mid-October was around 78 million litres a day, 5-10 million litres below the two previous spring peaks.

Whineray said the lower daily intake enabled more product options, rather than running all plants flat out on milk powders to clear the daily volumes.

“Milk production this season has been largely a North Island story with too much rain and not enough sun and photosynthesis,” he said.

The Fonterra strategy expectation of slightly declining milk flows in future gave rise to changes in product mixes and some capacity closures, such as already announced for Brightwater, Nelson province.

ASB dairy analyst Nat Keall put the slight uplift in NZ production into a global context, particularly a European Union rebound.

In Europe, year-on-year increases of 1-2% were recorded in the monthly figures for September, October and November.

“NZ dairy production remains far below the highs reached in the 2021 season but is set to make some very tentative gains from here,” Keall said.

“The wet spring has seen pasture conditions look okay over the summer months, and we expect data over January and February will show modest improvements on last season.”

Input costs for EU farmers are

easing and the energy crisis has not been as bad as feared.

“Global milk production remains below recent averages, but our sense is that supply is past its low point.

“Production from major dairy exporters remains constrained and will take some time to mount a substantial comeback.

“Plenty of challenges loom for producers too, with higher compliance costs, tough financing conditions and rising wage bills common themes in many jurisdictions, including NZ.”

Fonterra’s new cakes on shelf

Hugh Stringleman MARKETS Dairy

FONTERRA’s foodservice division in China has signed a deal with Walmart China to launch new bakery products in more than 400 stores.

The products are a New Year cream cake, Basque cheesecake and a Swiss roll in two flavours, coconut and chocolate.

The deal was launched on January 14, ahead of the Chinese Lunar New Year, in the Walmart Shenzhen Xiangmi Lake Store.

The foodservice division, Anchor Food Professionals (AFP), developed the new bakery products using high-quality New

Zealand ingredients, whipping cream and cream cheese.

For Walmart this agreement is an upgrade in products and ingredients.

AFP China concentrates on product innovation for bakeries, cafes, pre-packaged foods, and quick-service restaurants.

“We are delighted to join hands with Walmart,” vice-president of Fonterra Greater China, Justin Dai, said.

“Our strong partnership leverages the strengths of both sides, retail, and dairy supplies, to bring out successful innovations.

“In the future we will continue to strengthen co-operation with our retail partners and to provide more innovative solutions for Chinese

customers.”

Fonterra Anchor-branded gift packs of whole milk powder, skim milk powder and butter were also stocked by Walmart for the New Year period.

We are delighted to join hands with Walmart. Our strong partnership leverages the strengths of both sides, retail, and dairy supplies, to bring out successful innovations.

LOST GROUND: Fonterra says the season-to-date decline in milk production would be hard to make up in only the four months remaining.

CEREMONY: Walmart China executive Xiaohong Xu, left, and vicepresident of Fonterra Greater China Justin Dai cut the cake for the product launch.

Justin Dai Fonterra Greater China

Farms sales chilled by ‘wait and see’ buyer approach

Gerald Piddock MARKETS

Real Estate

FARM sales for the three months to December fell by a third, with 166 fewer farms changing hands compared to the same period 12 months ago.

This is according to data from the Real Estate Institute of New Zealand (REINZ). Overall, there were 353 farm sales in the three months to December 2022, compared to 519 farm sales for the three months to December 2021. In the three months to November 2022, 249 farm sales were recorded.

Good, well-developed dairy farms or dairy support land continue to be keenly sought after by local buyers in the stronger dairying regions of Southland and Waikato.

Shane O’Brien Real Estate Institute of NZ

In the year to December, 1509 farms were sold, a drop of 366 sales compared to the same period in 2021, with 15.2% fewer dairy farms, 18.7% fewer dairy support farms, 16% fewer grazing farms, 14.4% fewer finishing farms and 19.4% fewer arable farms.

The median price per hectare for all farms sold in the three months to December fell 5.8%, from $34,500 to $32,490, while the median price per hectare increased 0.2% compared to November 2022.

REINZ rural spokesperson Shane O’Brien said the lower number of sales for the last quarter of 2022 may well be explained by a lower number of listings in many regions.

“A late spring and a wet October across a number of regions saw a delay in the release of many listings with a healthy number of farms under offer (but not sold) at year end, [which] may flow through in sales records in early 2023.”

Increased environmental compliance meant greater preparation by sellers and more due diligence by buyers pushing out traditional selling times, he said.

“Also, the increase in direct farm costs coupled with the near doubling of interest rates has brought a degree of caution to the market from buyers as they fully consider land purchase decisions with no evidence in a decrease in on-farm inflation or interest costs going into 2023.

“The somewhat uncertain political scene is adding another dynamic into farm purchasing decisions, with many adopting a wait-and-see approach.”

O’Brien said interest in farmland for forestry and carbon conversion remains strong despite changes to purchasers’ obligations.

“The Overseas Investment Office is still a market driver in some regions with good, well-developed dairy farms or dairy support land continuing to be keenly sought after by local buyers in the stronger dairying regions of Southland and Waikato.”

In December 2022, grazing farms accounted for a 28% share of all sales.

Finishing farms accounted for 28% of sales, dairy farms accounted for 22% of all sales and horticulture farms accounted for 7% of all sales.

These four property types accounted for 85% of all sales during the three months ended December 2022.

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TASTE FOR TIMBER: REINZ rural spokesperson Shane O’Brien says interest in farmland for forestry and carbon conversion remains strong despite changes to purchasers’ obligations.

Open Farms: show ’em what you’re made of

Scott

THE call is out for farmers to get involved with the Open Farms 2023 event. Now in its third year, Open Farms is set for Sunday, March 12, with the day providing a platform for farmers to share their stories with urban Kiwis.

More than 7000 people have visited 82 farms throughout New Zealand in the past two years and Open Farms founder Daniel Eb is confident the initiative will continue to grow.

“There is no lack of interest to get on farm,” Eb said.

“We book out half of our capacity in 24 hours and more than 80% of events are overbooked.

“We’re asking more farmers to host with us to give more Kiwis a chance to reconnect with their rural roots.”

Changes have been made ahead of the 2023 event to make hosting easier, including a private event format for first-time hosts and a subsidy to help cover farmers’ time.

“We made these changes to help reduce some of the anxiety around hosting, and show farmers that we value their contribution to the project,” Eb said.

“We’re seeing a lot of hosts

return for another year. We can’t do it without them.”

Hosting is rewarding for farmers and their businesses, he said.

“Farmers feel a renewed sense of pride when seeing their farm through fresh eyes, or sparking a passion for food production in others.”

There are tangible economic benefits to hosting.

“We’ve seen farmers use their open day to build team morale, hire new people or market a directto-customer business model,” Eb said.

Greg Hart from Mangarara Station in Hawke’s Bay has seen first-hand how the day can positively impact both urban Kiwis and farmers.

“Farmers will get to see and feel that big body of support for them out there in the wider public. They see that they’re not alone,” Hart said.

Beef +Lamb NZ chief executive Sam McIvor said the industry body

has sponsored the event from its inception to foster better public understanding of farming systems.

“When it comes to growing the understanding of, and support for farmers there is nothing more effective than an on-farm experience,” McIvor said.

“Farmers get to talk directly with consumers to build better

understanding of the expertise, passion and care that goes into NZ’s world-leading red meat sector.

“It is an invaluable experience.”

The Open Farms platform supports farmers with event planning, marketing, registrations and kit, and connects visitors to Open Farms events via a booking system.

The platform is independently run by Open Farms Ltd, with support from sponsors B+LNZ, the Our Land and Water National Science Challenge and the Ministry for Primary Industries’ Sustainable Food & Fibre Futures fund.

Read more about being an Open Farms host at: https://www. openfarms.co.nz/host-an-event/

Awareness campaign intensifies war on wallabies

MORE than a million wallabies are now thought to be in New Zealand and they are causing millions of dollars a year in damage, says Biosecurity NZ.

The growing population has led to the launch of new national awareness campaign, Tipu Mātoro: Wallaby-free Aotearoa.

It aims to highlight the extensive damage caused by the pests and encourage the public to report wallaby sightings.

“Wallabies silently prey on the futures of our forests and farms,” Biosecurity NZ’s director of response, John Walsh, said.

Biosecurity NZ is working with regional councils, local iwi, farmers and landowners to manage and reduce populations.

“Population estimates set wallabies at more than one million, but as they are nocturnal and excellent at hiding, public reports are one of the best ways we can manage the spread,” Walsh said.

With no natural predators, two introduced species in particular are causing millions in damage each year – the dama wallaby in the Bay of Plenty/ Waikato, and Bennett’s wallaby in South Canterbury and North Otago

“If left unchecked, by 2025 wallabies would cost New Zealanders around $84 million a year in damage, and over the next 50 years they could spread through a third of the country,” Walsh said.

Wallabies graze on bush undergrowth, quickly decimating new shoot growth and destroying

native species’ habitats and food sources.

“And their impacts are felt beyond our native bush. They compete with livestock for food, damage fences, foul up pastures preventing it from being a food source, eat planted forest seedlings and contribute to erosion and poor water quality.”

Walsh said the campaign focuses first on stopping the spread of wallabies from known areas. Since it began there had been several sightings outside of containment areas. All reported sightings are followed up by the relevant regional council, including installing trail cameras and using specially trained detector dogs to find any scat (poo).

“By targeting populations outside these containment zones and following up on reported

wallaby sightings, the programme can prevent new populations establishing elsewhere in Aotearoa.”

In the last year there have been confirmed sightings in Kaitoke, north of Wellington, and Mokau on the west coast of the North Island.

The campaign costs about $38,000 and is largely digital, complimenting existing regional council reporting efforts like the ‘Have you seen a wallaby’ signs in Otago, Canterbury, Rotorua and Waikato.

The programme is also undertaking the significant research required to understand wallaby behaviour in a New Zealand context, supporting effective containment and control.

“If you spot a wallaby, please do your bit and report it at www. reportwallabies.nz,” Walsh said.

Annette

Farmers feel a renewed sense of pride through sparking a passion for food production in others.

Daniel Eb Open Farms

Staff reporter NEWS Pests

OUT AND ABOUT: More than 7000 people have visited 82 farms throughout NZ in the past two years.

DAMAGE CONTROL: If wallaby populations in New Zealand are left unchecked they could cost the country about $84 million in damage a year by 2025.

Forest-inflicted flood chaos stings farms

Great arcs of wrecked fences lie tangled hundreds of metres from their origin in the middle of wrecked crops.

one for farming” sentiment that environmental controls appear to foster.

LAND managers and farmers in Te Tairāwhiti have reached boiling point, once again left clearing up after a devastating flood event wiped millions off farm incomes and left livelihoods in ruin.

AgFirst Gisborne consultants

Peter Andrew and Shanna Cairns work with iwi, overseeing large tracts of tribal land in the Tolaga Bay district, one of the hardest hit in the events of early January.

“At this stage we would estimate that, of the 1400ha one iwi corporation in Tolaga has, they have had 700ha impacted by this latest event,” said Andrew. His iwi client’s land was affected by events across three different water courses, with their highvalue flat cropping land sitting downriver of the streams including the Mangatokerau, inland from Tolaga Bay.

Within that area there are kilometres of fences now gone, in some cases after having been replaced only in the past two years, after an earlier event.

GUTTED: Peter Andrew and Shanna Cairns of AgFirst say the impact on landowners in the Tolaga Bay area will total millions in lost income and repair costs, in some cases for the second time in under four years.

“We would be looking at $750,000 in damaged crops, fencing repairs and log cleanup for that one block alone. This is proving pretty hard to take,” Andrew said.

“Some farmers have lost 80% of their sweetcorn or maize crop. There is no way that can be replanted now.”

Cairns said the impact of the events on the region’s limited high-value flat flood plains has been ratcheting up over the years. This is particularly as more companies seek land further afield for annual crops as the Poverty Bay flats gain large permanent horticulture developments.

In a region where 80% of the soils are classed as highly erodible, flat land area takes on a particular significance to iwi for otherwise limited employment and income, offering alternatives to sheep, beef, and trees.

As they picked over the silt and slash left in the latest event’s wake, Andrew and Cairns said landowners are particularly bitter about the “one rule for forestry,

“A large number of farms have put in fences to stop erosion and reduce sediment.

“But a lot of the damage, from the forest waste, is coming from higher up in the catchments, and when it floods the damage from that adds significantly to remediation costs,” Cairns said.

Andrew acknowledged that the use of willow trees for erosion control along with pines is proving problematic, with the trees often jamming up flooded waterways when not managed appropriately.

The advisors also maintain Gisborne District Council (GDC) could do more to raise the standards of forestry planting and harvest practices, and enforce those standards.

But GDC mayor Rehette Stoltz defended the council’s role in enforcement.

“Complying with consent conditions is the responsibility of the consent holder, the obligation sits with them.

“Since 2018 the council has increased monitoring of the 233 5-10 year consents in the region,

and forest consents are only one type of monitoring we do.”

She pointed to the five prosecutions undertaken by the council against foresters after the 2018 Tolaga Bay event.

Andrew said he and landowners accept sediment-based erosion is part and parcel of farming in a region with some of the world’s most vulnerable soils.

“But with the addition of logs on top of that it is much worse. A large amount of harvesting has gone on in forests planted after Cyclone Bola [in 1988] and there is now this period of vulnerability that extends five to eight years post-harvest before the next rotation of trees start to grow.

“This will continue to provide a source for the additional flood material.”

He said the impact of such events on the harvested forest hill country is significantly greater than that on established hill country pasture and is easily seen around Tolaga Bay where the two sit side by side.

Andrew and Cairns said they appreciate the efforts forestry companies have taken after this

Trees on Farms

event to quickly rally around communities, offering equipment and staff to help clean up.

“The companies have been good at helping out. But it is still difficult for us and clients, this has already happened. We are the ones who have to take the damage reports and cost to iwi shareholders in the coming year.”

Cairns said it is a given that some of the country needs to be re-planted in permanent natives in the most highly erodible areas for carbon credits, rather than harvestable exotics. But she acknowledged the significant additional costs that incurs, and the associated management for long-term protection of them.

Both support a commission on inquiry into the region’s land issues but said there needs to be a high level of independence, given the vested interests across all land uses.

After initially denying a need for an inquiry, the forestry sector has acknowledged the value of a review with a 20-50 year outlook in a region twice the size of Auckland, with only 3% of its population.

“We’re growing as much grass – or more – than before we started planting (35 years ago) because we’ve taken out those poorer areas. We can put the resources into the better soils. All farmers should be thinking of planting at least 10% of their farm in trees.”

at Owaka, South Otago

Richard Rennie NEWS Forestry

SMASHED: Iwi land holdings around Tolaga Bay had fences removed and crops wiped out by the January event.

Sector’s own ‘dirty dairying’ tipping point

Richard Rennie NEWS Forestry

FORESTRY has moved to a tipping point for change that a Te Tairāwhiti farming leader likens to the “dirty dairying” moment that sector experienced over a decade ago.

After a period of industry self-enforcement and repeated environmental breaches culminating in the Crafar farms saga, dairying was compelled to fall into line under tougher environmental regulations amid a community clamour on its practices.

Toby Williams, Federated Farmers meat and wool chair and board member, said he hopes this is forestry’s “dirty dairying” moment – even if that moment should have been back in 2018 after the calamitous Tolaga Bay flood event.

It really needs to be the tipping point. The sector cannot just continue to blame the first-generation forests it is harvesting for these events, and rules are needed to have an effect now.

Toby Williams Federated Farmers

Tolaga Bay left millions of cubic metres of forest slash strewn across Te Tairāwhiti beaches and had communities cleaning up for weeks afterwards.

“It really needs to be the tipping point. The sector cannot just continue to blame the firstgeneration forests it is harvesting for these events, and rules are needed to have an effect now,” Williams said.

The Feds supported the local petition launched after the latest events, calling for a clean-up of forest practices and gaining almost 10,000 signatures.

In breaking news last week government, council and community have agreed on commencing a review of forestry and land use in the reigon.

Ruatoria-based petition organiser Manu Caddie told Farmers Weekly a fast-acting measure would be for Gisborne District Council to introduce enforcement orders on forestry companies harvesting trees badly.

“The council is keen on this and will be looking into it,” Caddie said.

He said the broad land use inquiry the petition calls for could result in better rules in place to avoid the outcomes suffered at present, and this could likely include pastoral farmers too.

Another possibility is the tacit acceptance that these events may continue for some years yet, and there should be a fund set up to help compensate affected communities.

“This was proposed back in 2015, with a levy on foresters, but this was rejected. A report was done on it then, and it could be bought in quite quickly too.”

Williams said he would like to see forest owners comply with any new standards voluntarily, but it appears a big regulatory stick is in fact required.

The council launched prosecutions after previous events but the process takes time, and the 2018 prosecutions closed off only late last year after costing the council thousands in legal fees.

“To be fair, under the National Environmental Standard review the fines are likely to increase, that will be a help,” Williams said.

He pointed to the hypocrisy of requiring farmers to work under regulations far stricter than those governing the behaviour of foresters.

“Production forestry can put out as much waste as they like and no one seems to mind.”

He said these are often large

offshore entities that are continuing to operate as they please. He wants to see more forest owners, rather than just contractors, hauled across the coals for unacceptable environmental behaviour.

“We had a Malaysian forest owner visit after the 2018 event and he was horrified at the practices, it was not what he had signed up for,” Williams said.

Some Te Tairāwhiti forest owners are proposing a new plan laying out best practice specifically for steep hill country forestry. Caddie said that while he has not seen the plan, anything in writing would be welcome.

“And it does feel like we may be at a tipping point, with the Environmental Defence Society filing legal proceedings challenging the lawfulness of plantation forestry regulations in the Environment Court.”

Williams said he remains optimistic that the review the petition calls for will go ahead.

He suspects that the death of a young boy while swimming on Waikanae Beach at Gisborne when wood waste inundated the area may sharpen the government’s resolve to get ahead of any coroner’s findings, and support an inquiry.

Forester has a plan to sort out steeper slopes

by farmers in poplars and willows prior to forestry conversion in late 1980s-early ’90s.

A GISBORNE forest manager is hoping a draft plan on forest management practices will ensure slash and waste issues in waterways become a thing of the past for the industry as it re-plants the next generation of forests.

Dan Fraser, Gisborne regional manager for Forest Enterprises, said today’s forest managers are caught trying to manage legacy forests that were planted postBola and not always in the best manner.

Meantime those forests are rapidly reaching maturity, demanding to be harvested.

“That forestry went on the hardest land [after 1988’s Cyclone Bola], and what people often still don’t get their heads around is the risk of managing timber on such landslide-prone country.”

A key focus for Fraser has been to champion a forest management practices plan for foresters operating in such catchments, one he hopes all forestry companies operating in Gisborne will sign up to.

He admits that, with its smaller size, Forest Enterprises is more capable than most of making rapid changes to its practices, and that it also inherited some of the better land, which had waterways planted

“You get the migration of wood debris down a hillside, but it stops. But not from mānuka, it will tear the mānuka out, mānuka only adds to the fuel,” Fraser said.

“We have been assessing the risk, and been replanting those poplars along waterways, which would not be normal practice.

“We would typically plant those trees ahead of the plantation, and that is our strategy for the next generation of forest.”

Perhaps surprisingly there is little work done in New Zealand on fragile land and forestry harvesting techniques, with Fraser working with a colleague at the University of Canterbury School of Forestry on plan details.

“There is best practice for building roads, best practice for building landings, but there is nothing on catchment management on landslide prone slopes,” he said.

The plan contains six “good practice” sections to mitigate impact on landslide-prone country.

These include better evaluation

of slope, limiting the clear-cutting area, minimising slash volumes, and leaving mature trees to help trap slash, or constructing artificial slash traps.

For future forest plantings, there is also a requirement for closer evaluation of land’s suitability for re-planting.

He said in some vulnerable forests trees are already falling over before harvest even commences, unable to be held in place by the fragile soils on steep slope profiles.

“We have been doing risk assessment, saying ‘Look, this forest is too high a risk to even harvest this.’”

Using LiDAR technology, slopes can be identified in more detail to fine-tune forest harvesting, what to take out, and what to leave.

Forest Enterprises already has some of the steps in place, including poplar plantings, and claims no migration from any forests since 2017.

“We are also not going to do massive big clear falls in one catchment in one area. We have gone back to our investors and said ‘You are not going to get your cheque in one year, we are going

to spread the risk in this catchment.’”

Risk mitigation could mean payments are spread out over as much as six to eight years.

Phillip Hope, head of Eastland Wood Council (EWC), said the practice guideline for catchment management brings together current best practice and science, aiming to provide a ready guide for foresters.

It is not compulsory, and nor is EWC membership.

“We are actively meeting with interested parties to talk about options that have a proven impact on issues such as woody debris and look forward to continuing to do so in coming months,” Hope said.

“But for now, our focus is on the clean-up after the recent extropical cyclone Hale. We have committed thousands of hours, and hundreds of thousands of dollars dealing with its impacts on neighbouring properties and beaches.

“While we know the scale of this clean-up will take some time, we are committed to doing what it takes to help solve this problem for our community.”

FUNDED: Petition organiser Manu Caddie says a fund paid into by foresters to deal with the inevitable forest waste damage still to come was proposed in 2015, and could be re-visited.

Richard Rennie NEWS Forestry

PLANTED: Dan Fraser of Forest Enterprises says there is a lack of detailed understanding in New Zealand when it comes to planting forests on steep, fragile slopes.

Letters of the week Antisocial media

Bob Pringle

Geraldine

CONGRATULATIONS and thank you to Steve Wyn-Harris for your commanding “View from the ridge” in this week’s Farmers Weekly, “Manners ought to maketh man behave better” (January 30).

This article deserves to be published on Stuff and in every newspaper publication throughout our country, so I set you the challenge of not being content with a publication in just the Farmers Weekly and or a few news publications. In fact, all radio talk-back hosts need it emailed to them.

Sadly, we as a society have regressed in our treatment of each other over recent years, courtesy of social media. Your expression has nailed it in a concise and simple manner, which I suspect took some time tweaking for that final draft. A genuine wordsmith!

Once again, Steve, congratulations and thanks for your brilliantly scripted article!

Keep up the good work.

PS One of my mother’s gems was: “You can think things but sometimes the best thing to say is nothing.”

From the Editor

Te Tairāwhiti petition a call to reason

Richard Rennie Senior reporter

THE devastating flood events of late January in Te Tairāwhiti prompted communities to prepare a petition calling for changes to how forests are harvested and managed. Whanau and community members presented it to their council with heavy hearts and mixed emotions. One petition organiser described her whanau’s connections to forestry as akin to being in an abusive relationship.

Her family, like one in eight households in Te Tairāwhiti, is tied to the industry for income.

Yet many come home from their forest jobs to witness their work laying waste on iwi land, wiping out fences and damaging crops.

Clearly, anger simmers in the coast’s communities. But there is also recognition of the sector’s value, both in keeping food

on the table and, when practised correctly, soil on the hills.

With that has come a considered and comprehensive call to address forest waste and harvesting. It is far from the knee-jerk “just stop” response that communities with more choices on land use may have the luxury of.

Rather, the petition is a call for a broadbased examination of the impact of land use practices on the region’s fragile soils and steep slopes, underpinned by an official, independent inquiry.

It is telling that in the event’s aftermath, industry and the forestry minister have shifted their initial opposition to an inquiry to one of support in only a short week.

They misread the depth of feeling these repeated, destructive events have stirred up, and which were only exacerbated by the tragic death of a young boy hit by a floating log on Gisborne’s Waikanae Beach.

The blame has swung firmly to today’s forestry companies.

But they also suffer the challenges of trying to manage legacy forests planted in the wake of Cyclone Bola, done with good intentions to stabilise highly damaged land, but not always in the best manner.

Perhaps the finger could be pointed further back in time, at the wholesale torching of native bush for pasture up until the 1960s, but this is even less helpful.

It is important that any inquiry is seen as truly independent.

Emotions are high and at least communities and the industry agree on the need for some solid, science-based evidence to determine the best practices for existing forest harvest, and future “right tree, right place” planting.

That collaborative view from the get-go is an encouraging place to begin a fulsome, honest review of land use practices, one rarely accomplished anywhere else in recent years.

With that has come a considered and comprehensive call to address forest waste and harvesting. It is far from the knee-jerk “just stop” response that communities with more choices on land use may have the luxury of.

Te Tairāwhiti is New Zealand’s most isolated region, bound by its geology, geography and isolation to forestry and pasture on its hills. The community is a tight, caring one that acknowledges its reliance on trees.

The concern those communities, as forestry employees, have for their land may yet be the strongest voice that compels companies to step up and deliver a more sustainable opportunity for their whanau and region.

Claims far-fetched

Lindsay Brown Outram

I AM getting heartily sick of Mr Luddington’s letters, which are full of unproven assertions and far-fetched simile, “This attitude will sink us” (January 30).

Instead of rubbishing Groundswell, perhaps he might try refuting some of their arguments. Much of the legislation we are facing right now is ill thought out, impractical, unscientific, unfair, and will not achieve the result we all need. I doubt that the British motorcycle industry would have been saved by mindlessly following lot of stupid policy changes such as we are faced with now.

On the subject of consumers demanding more sustainably produced food, in my experience the bulk of us buy the cheapest option to spread our dollars as far as possible and to hell with the planet.

We have exactly the same attitude to driving our cars with the CO2 they emit.

Changing people’s choices is not easy, and less so when food has suddenly become much more expensive. There is already a discernible move to cheaper proteins irrespective of their effect on the planet.

If the survival of our agricultural industries means embracing a bunch of changes designed by bureaucrats to deceive consumers with a load of meaningless greenwashing, then pity help us all.

In my view

Glimpse of NZ’s future in Auckland flood

James Renwick Professor, Physical Geography (climate science), Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington

THE extraordinary flood event Auckland experienced on the night of January 27, the eve of the city’s anniversary weekend, was caused by rainfall that was literally off the chart.

Over 24 hours, 249mm of rain fell – well above the previous record of 161.8mm. A state of emergency was declared late in the evening.

It has taken a terrible toll on Aucklanders, with four people dead. Damage to houses, cars, roads and infrastructure will run into many millions of dollars.

Watching the images roll into social media on Friday evening, I thought to myself that I’ve seen these kinds of pictures before –usually from North America or Asia, or maybe Europe. But this was New Zealand’s largest city. Nowhere is safe from extreme weather these days.

The torrential rain came from a storm in the north Tasman Sea linked to a source of moisture from the tropics. This is what meteorologists call an “atmospheric river”.

The storm was quite slowmoving because it was cradled to the south by a huge anticyclone (a high) that stopped it moving quickly across the country.

Embedded in the main band of rain, severe thunderstorms developed in the unstable air over the Auckland region. These delivered the heaviest rain falls, with MetService figures showing Auckland Airport received its

average monthly rain for January in less than hour.

The type of storm that brought the mayhem was not especially remarkable, however. Plenty of similar storms have passed through Auckland. But, as the climate continues to warm, the amount of water vapour in the air increases.

I am confident climate change contributed significantly to the incredible volume of rain that fell so quickly in Auckland this time. There will be careful analysis of historical records and many simulations with climate models to nail down the return period of this flood (surely in the hundreds of years at least, in terms of our past climate).

The type of storm that brought the mayhem was not especially remarkable. Plenty of similar storms have passed through Auckland. But, as the climate continues to warm, the amount of water vapour in the air increases.

How much climate change contributed to the rainfall total will be part of those calculations. But it is obvious to me this event is exactly what we expect as a result of climate change.

One degree of warming in the air translates, on average, to about 7% more water vapour in that air. The globe and New Zealand have experienced a bit over a degree of warming in the past century, and we have measured the increasing water vapour content.

But when a storm comes along,

it can translate to much more than a 7% increase in rainfall. Air “converges” (is drawn in) near the Earth’s surface into a storm system. So all that moister air is brought together, then “wrung out” to deliver the rain.

A severe thunderstorm is the same thing on a smaller scale. Air is sucked in at ground level, lofted up and cooled quickly,

losing much of its moisture in the process.

While the atmosphere now holds 7% more water vapour, this convergence of air masses means the rain bursts can be 10% or even 20% heavier.

The National Institute of Water and Atmosphere (NIWA) estimates that over Auckland, one degree of warming translates to about a 20%

increase in the one-hour rainfall, for a one-in-50-year event.

The longer we continue to warm the climate, the heavier the storm rainfalls will get.

Given what we have already seen, how do we adapt? Flooding happens when stormwater can’t drain away fast enough. So what we need are bigger drains, larger stormwater pipes and stormwater systems that can deal with such extremes.

New Zealand’s stormwater drain system was designed for the climate we used to have – 50 or more years ago. What we need is a stormwater system designed for the climate we have now, and the one we’ll have in 50 years from now.

Another part of the response can be a “softening” of the urban environment. Tar-seal and concrete surfaces force water to stay at the surface, to pool and flow.

If we can re-expose some of the streams that have been diverted into culverts, re-establish a few wetlands among the built areas, we can create a more spongy surface environment more naturally able to cope with heavy rainfall. These are the responses we need to be thinking about and taking action on now.

We also need to stop burning fossil fuels and get global emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases down as fast as we can. NZ has an emissions reduction plan – we need to see it having an effect from this year. And every country must follow suit.

As I said at the start, no community is immune from these extremes and we must all work together.

Is our sheepmeat processing industry run by amateurs?

THE collapse of lamb and mutton returns to the New Zealand farmer in the past two months has crushed any remaining confidence in our industry.

We run a modest-sized sheep breeding and finishing property in Southland and in this past week received an average of $6.13/kg for a line of high-yielding heavy lambs that were ready for processing the second week of December, but weren’t processed because of the staff shortage at processing plants pre-Christmas.

Mutton is now about half the value it was three months ago, and wool sales subsidise some of the shearing costs.

How could the expert forecasters have gotten the positive outlook for the current season so wrong, only a couple of months back?

Beef + Lamb NZ were predicting an average lamb price of around

$8.20, which if correct would mean a sharp increase in pricing very soon, which I doubt we will see. At roadshows in October, the co-op we supply was suggesting a minimum price of $7.80 for lamb. It’s currently $6.45, with no suggestion the bottom has been reached.

There has been deafening silence from our industry leaders while this pricing has been in freefall.

At the time of the rosy price predictions a few months back, there were indications of a slowing tighter world market to sell our fantastic products into. Why did the signals not get picked up, to give farmers a heads-up?

The CEO of our co-op has told us several times now that the pricing is going back to the average pricing of several years ago.

Maybe some of the experts and people running our processing industry who have got this so wrong could surrender a

third of their remuneration or directorships and leave a bit more in the pot for the suppliers who are now in financial crap.

Almost all input costs have increased, to the point that decisions will now need to be made on which inputs can be reduced, or not purchased at all in this coming year. This will have a flow-on effect to suppliers of products and services.

Maybe it is time to take some lessons from the dairy industry on how to keep a stable pricing system through a season and support your producers so there is still product to process in the years to come. I see professionalism in running the dairy industry, but I see a lot of self-interest and kneejerk decisions currently in the red meat industry.

The sheep industry in New Zealand has made enormous gains in recent times in terms of productivity.

The passion and adaptability of

our farmers is amazing, responding to environmental, financial and market signals quickly. However, what has happened in the past two months in our industry may have caused as much long-term damage as the many changes being forced on us currently. We are well aware of the challenges processors have been facing in actually being able to deliver to consumers. On the whole the processors have responded very well to changing conditions and labour shortages, and should be commended for how they have handled the last couple of seasons while still delivering good results to the farmer suppliers. It is unfortunate that the current conditions were not foreseen, which has left many suppliers of lamb gobsmacked at the implosion of our pricing. It seems our product is going down as quickly as input prices are shooting up – the maths is not adding up.

I have just read an article about a looming crisis in our industry – but it is already happening.

I am very proud of our industry and the products we produce, as are most of the sheep-farming community I am regularly in contact with, but we need more professionalism to keep the industry level and viable.

THE COMING STORM: Victoria University’s Professor James Renwick says it is obvious that the Auckland event ‘is exactly what we expect as a result of climate change’ – so, ‘given what we have already seen, how do we adapt’?

Shaun Lawlor

Gore sheep breeder and finisher

Chris-crossing in polls fires up political scene

Alternative view

that 52.9% of the electorate trusts Prime Minister Chris Hipkins.

The figure for National leader Christopher Luxon is just 36.9%.

And while Hipkins had a 46% approval rating, Luxon was languishing at 34%.

There’s a lot of water to go under the bridge before October’s election, but this far out the playing field is, in my view, tilted in Labour’s favour.

With the new cabinet lineup there are positions I support and those I don’t.

we’re going to be facing.

McAnulty as minister of local government will be fascinating. I know the first of the three acts over Three Waters has been passed amid much chicanery from the previous minister, Nanaia Mahuta. Conversely, McAnulty is both mainstream and smart. My belief is that he well understands the electoral time bomb Three Waters holds and will want change. Whether he will be able to convince his cabinet colleagues is another question.

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

IF YOU thought the previous week was busy politically, last week was frenetic. We have a realigned cabinet, a new political poll that certainly changes things, and the Auckland floods.

The recent political poll was fascinating and, I believe, a wakeup call for National.

As I wrote last week, with prime minister Jacinda Ardern standing down, the next election isn’t guaranteed for National and the polls support that.

From languishing below National in the polls, Labour is now in the lead, to the surprise of many.

A jump of 5% from one poll to the next is unheard of but Labour has done it, with National now in second place.

Of more concern to the National Party machine will be the fact

For a start I’m pleased Damien O’Connor has kept his cabinet ranking and agriculture and trade portfolios.

I would have liked to have seen him getting a higher position. Having the engine room of the economy at 12 doesn’t impress me.

Having said that, I’m aware that O’Connor doesn’t care about rankings as long as he retains his primary sector portfolios.

I was impressed Kieran McAnulty has local government, which I’ll come back to, and I’m pleased he’s picked up rural communities.

He understands life in the provinces and will be a muchneeded ally to O’Connor in the cabinet.

Likewise, having Jo Luxon as parliamentary under-secretary to the minister of agriculture is positive.

She also understands the rigours of life in the provinces and will be an asset in that role.

So, I’m happy with the rural team. It is stronger than it was and that strength will be much needed with the headwinds

What is interesting is that a large part of the opposition to Three Waters came from the Auckland Council, which claimed it didn’t need it. Last week’s flooding might suggest otherwise.

My belief or maybe forlorn hope is that we will see change. I don’t like the confiscation of local assets, the four mega-agencies selected largely along tribal boundaries, and co-governance. What will be fascinating will be the reaction of the Māori caucus – whether they’ll take one for the team and progress sensibly or dig a tribal trench and blow the next election.

Onto other portfolios, I support Dr Ayesha Verrall in health. She has shown a steady pair of hands as has Michael Wood, who is now minister for Auckland. While I understand the electoral necessity of pandering to the Queen City, I live in hope that any initiatives don’t come at the expense of the provinces.

Jan Tinetti and Kiri Allen have also been impressive in their roles to date.

I remain unimpressed with Stuart Nash returning to a previous role as minister of police. The fact that the police were quoted as “loving having him as minister” tells me he is a puppet for the cause as tended to be proved over his actions on gun licensing.

There’s a lot of water to go under the bridge before October’s election but this far out the playing field is, in my view, tilted in Labour’s favour.

Willie Jackson surprised me by retaining his role as minister of broadcasting and media. While I do support a merger between RNZ and TVNZ while selling off TV2, I don’t believe he’s sold it to the public.

Last week’s flooding in the north

of the North Island certainly provided some political insights. For a start I’m pleased I don’t live in Auckland under Mayor Wayne Brown’s tutelage. His outburst about “having to deal with media drongos” didn’t say much about him either. He gave me the impression he was totally out of his depth.

Fortunately McAnulty stepped up and, with Hipkins, got the show back on the road.

We’ve all seen extreme weather conditions throughout the planet but getting them here was sobering and will be increasingly a fact of life going forward. The reality is that, as a country, we can achieve little.

Mind you, Greenpeace blamed the Auckland floods on intensive dairying, which doesn’t happen in New Zealand. Maybe someone should tell them NZ dairy emissions are irrelevant in a global context.

My theory gets the wind up after Auckland

From the ridge

in events like this, but this has been a dramatic and souldestroying event for thousands of people.

Let us not forget about the rural dwellers around Auckland also going through great difficulties and heartache, as well farmers still dealing with other recent weather bombs.

This will have an impact not only on Auckland but on the whole country. With the injection of insurance claim money and the spend on fixing and replacing, it may even delay the drop in inflation, for example.

A staggering 250mm fell on the city on that Friday night; 80mm of this fell in a single hour.

POOR old Auckland.

Certainly the first time a rural columnist or perhaps even a nonAucklander has ever written that phrase.

However, when it comes down to it, we are all Kiwis and what folk up there are going through you wouldn’t wish on anyone.

We are more accustomed to feeling sympathy and empathy for fellow provincial dwellers

Even in rural New Zealand, this intensity is going to create havoc but when it’s falling upon mostly roofs and concrete, it will lead to instant flooding, as it did.

The deluge in a single day smashed Auckland’s daily rainfall record.

An atmospheric river fell upon that city.

Four deaths are tough for those families, but I’m surprised it wasn’t a lot more. It probably

wasn’t far away from being much worse.

At the time of writing a followup weather event has blown through the city with further damage. It could have been worse but as we know, once the land is sodden and opened up, it doesn’t take much to create further destruction.

I’d be surprised, although pleased, if we saw summer finally arrive and the North Island had

a respite and dried out.

I think there are likely more of these events for this summer and autumn but let’s hope I’m wrong.

Why do I think this?

This will be familiar as I considered these contributors only a few weeks ago in a column.

Let’s begin with the persistent and ongoing La Niña. This one has hung around for nearly three years, but is expected to wane

MAKES

IT ALL

SENSE NOW: Because it’s warmer, there’s more water in the air. This has made Antarctica colder than usual and affected the polar vortex – and the wind, says Steve Wyn-Harris.

by autumn. However, it is still in play and its signature is to bring warmer and wetter conditions to northern and eastern NZ.

Next we are a few relatively small islands surrounded by a large ocean. That ocean has been experiencing a marine heatwave, meaning sea surface temperatures are warmer than average.

FRESH IDEAS: New Minister of Local Government Kieran McAnulty understands the electoral time bomb Three Waters holds and will want change, says Alan Emerson.

Steve Wyn-Harris

Central Hawke’s Bay sheep and beef farmer: swyn@xtra.co.nz

Photo: Wikimedia Commons/Phillip Capper

Finding fine young farmers for 55 years

Meaty matters

farmers who will take part in the Regional Finals between February and April.

Allan Barber

Meat industry commentator: allan@barberstrategic.co.nz, http:// allanbarber.wordpress.com

NZ YOUNG Farmers has existed for more than 90 years, and a large number of readers no doubt remember with affection their time as members of the organisation. The good news is NZYF is still flourishing and, even though farming has changed immeasurably during its lifetime, there is a great deal of evidence to suggest young farmers today are just as capable and every bit as passionate, and willing to adopt new technologies alongside traditional farming methods.

The most impressive aspect of NZYF is its largely voluntary structure. Apart from a national office co-ordinating main activities like the FMG Young Farmer of the Year, and helping the clubs put on events, the whole organisation operates on a volunteer basis with some 1600 members and 140 clubs across New Zealand. These members hold over 800 club meetings and organise more than 150 events a year, including the qualification series for the FMG Young Farmer of the Year. The flagship event celebrates its 55th anniversary in 2023.

The Young Farmers Clubs (YCF) throughout New Zealand provide the competitors to compete at seven Regional Finals, with the winners going through to the Grand Final held over three days at Timaru in July. The process of finding the qualifiers for the Grand Final begins in October for most of the clubs, when the competition starts to get serious with the District Finals finding the young

Continued from previous page

This adds more energy and more moisture to any storms that head our way.

This next reason will get a few of you frothing at the mouth but the overwhelming science is difficult to ignore or deny: yep, climate change is certainly a factor.

The atmosphere is now 1.2degC warmer than the pre-fossil-fuel era. There is little doubt that it will continue to increase unless a large meteorite smacks into Earth, throwing vast quantities of debris into the atmosphere thus rapidly cooling the planet and bringing massive extinction such as happened 66 million years ago, taking the poor old dinosaur out

This year for the first time the organisers are trialling a shortened process in the Northern and Waikato/Bay of Plenty Regions, with a two-day competition on consecutive days, the first day equivalent to the District Final and the second to the Regional Final. The concentrated schedule is still designed to find the best young farmer to compete in the Grand Final, but to streamline the means of getting to that conclusion. If it is introduced for all clubs in future, NZYF CEO Lynda Coppersmith says, this will potentially reduce the pressure on members to deliver multiple events over a very long season.

Having said that, the local Kaipara Young Farmers Club, which is part of the Northern Region, has been busy putting on a series of skill days designed to prepare its member entrants for the competition. After hosting the 2022 Grand Final in Whangārei and producing the winner – beef farmer Tim Dangen from the Auckland City YFC – the Northern Region is keen to repeat last year’s success.

The concentrated schedule is still designed to find the best young farmer to compete in the Grand Final, but to streamline the means of getting to that conclusion.

The Kaipara YFC has four entrants in the two-day regional finals in February, including Zarnie Fergusson, currently Northern region secretary and Kaipara chair; Daniel Richards, Kaipara vice-chair; and Kate Hawkings, who was on the Grand Final Committee last year as health & safety officer and is Northern region events coordinator this year, as well as secretary and publicity officer for the Kaipara club. The final member of the quartet is 20-year-old Jamie Hodges, who recently completed his NZQA agriculture internship through Whangārei A&P Society.

of the game and allowing a small rodent-like mammal to evolve into 8 billion carbon-releasing humans.

Or there are widespread volcanic eruptive events that caused rapid cooling leading to mass extinctions like the massive Siberian volcanic event 250 million years ago.

Or the sun unexpectedly dimmed or went out, but this scenario is me just being silly.

Anyway, a warmer atmosphere carries more moisture and has more energy, bringing bigger and wetter storms.

Every man and his dog are putting this Auckland event down to climate change, but wait! I

reckon there is an anomaly at work here.

What is notable about these four young farmers is their enthusiasm for belonging to the Young Farmers organisation, their passion for farming and their eagerness to learn how to improve their skills. They are almost certainly identical in these respects to their counterparts in other clubs throughout the country, which holds out great encouragement for the future of farming, in spite of what sometimes look like insurmountable challenges.

Fergusson performs the duties of farm owner on her 89-yearold grandfather’s dairy farm in Kaukapakapa, which is run by 50/50 sharemilkers, but her main farming involvement is beef breeding. She leases land in Kaukapakapa and Waitoki on which she finishes whiteface steers and breeds registered Hereford bulls, having sold her registered Angus herd last year.

Her goals for the year are to produce sound, high-finishingweight, low-birth-weight Hereford bulls with a focus on the dairy market, and she has been putting a lot of energy into the

Remember my “Tongan volcano eruption affecting our climate” theory?

More than theory, mate, some decent science wrapped around it. But I now know how you antivaxxers felt when you’d send me your beliefs based on internet frenzies telling me I was going to cark if I got vaccinated. (Four vaccines later, not only have I yet to have covid but I haven’t had any sort of virus for three years, never been healthier.)

I read your stuff and said I didn’t believe it as I found the supporting evidence wanting.

Readers of my column a few weeks ago wanted to know why they hadn’t heard this through the media.

genetic recording and background of her Herefords in order to achieve this.

She is also experimenting with more obscure beef breeds for her finishing stock, trialling Friesian cross with Fleckvieh, Normande and Viking Red. She maintains “all three of these breeds produce excellent herd replacements, so if their male offspring finish well as beef steers, it will give dairy farmers another viable option for breeding their herds other than the standard Angus or Hereford”.

She finished fourth in the regional final last year and says she really enjoys the social side of the competition as well as the opportunity to measure herself against other young farmers, as she works alone most of the time.

Richards finished second in the 2021 Northern region dairy awards and is currently managing his family’s 300-cow dairy farm with split calving at Tomarata near Wellsford. He has ambitions to go contract milking or become a 50/50 sharemilker when the right chance presents itself.

Hodges attended Taratahi

So, I sent the information about the eruption’s effects on our rainfall to the mainstream media well before the Auckland event and they probably think I’m a nut job! They weren’t interested.

The roaring forties in the southern ocean have been much calmer than usual. Noticed the lack of westerlies during the equinox?

In a nutshell, the 50 million tonnes of water thrown into the atmosphere increased the moisture content of the southern hemisphere by 20% and some of

BREEDING: The Kaipara Young Farmers Club has four entrants in the two-day regional finals in February, including Zarnie Fergusson, who performs the duties of farm owner on her 89-year-old grandfather’s dairy farm in Kaukapakapa but whose main interest is in beef breeding.

Training Centre in Masterton for one day a week while at high school, completing Level 2 Agriculture before moving north to live on a farm, where he finished his internship. He now works on a bull beef farm at Topuni near Wellsford, gaining experience in stock and dog work, fencing and tractor driving. He has entered the FMG Young Farmer of the Year competition to learn the skills he knows he will need when he runs his own farm.

Hawkings currently works as a digger operator near Warkworth and finished first in the diggerdriving module in her first District Final in 2020. She found the learning experience of working on the Grand Final committee last year very beneficial, as it gave her a much better understanding of the skills required to compete in this year’s competition; above all, she enjoyed the challenge of organising the Grand Final programme as well as its social side.

That sums up the Young Farmers experience – work hard, enjoy the friendships and learn a lot of new skills.

that moisture covered Antarctica in a blanket, making it colder than usual.

This strengthened the polar vortex, which means the Southern Annular Mode became positive and clung closer to Antarctica, meaning the roaring forties in the southern ocean have been much calmer than usual. Noticed the lack of westerlies during the equinox?

This has led to fewer storms bringing rainfall to the South Island and the lack of those southern storms has opened the door to tropical storms coming in from the Pacific to the North Island.

When will this effect wane? Sorry, don’t know.

Moving Fish & Game into the modern world

THE switch from working with farmers to an organisation managing fish and game was not as daunting for Corina Jordan as it may appear.

The chief executive of the New Zealand Fish & Game Council, Jordan previously worked for the organisation before joining at Beef + Lamb NZ in policy and strategy roles.

She says the same values, passion and connection to the environment and communities evident among farmers are apparent in those she deals with in her new role.

As with those working in agriculture, Jordan says, Fish & Game staff use science, policy and professionalism to manage the environment for the betterment of the fish and hunting resource.

That commonality provides Jordan with a foundation on which to repair the strained relationship between landowners and the Fish & Game Council that took root under the previous administration.

She has two immediate challenges: restructuring the organisation and establishing better connections with landowners.

Former conservation minister Eugenie Sage commissioned a wide-ranging review of the governance of the organisation, which sits within the conservation portfolio.

The review panel concluded government appointees and iwi representatives with voting rights should sit on both national and regional Fish & Game Councils, and the number of regional entities should be reduced by amalgamations.

It was not popular.

Sage’s successor, Kiritapu Allan, announced in August 2021 that legislation implementing those changes would not be introduced, effectively parking the issue, at least until after the election.

Jordan says that, as part of its new strategy, the council intends enacting recommendations that do not require government legislation.

This will be the first strategy in the 30 years since Fish & Game was created out of the old acclimatisation societies.

“It will move Fish & Game into the modern world and ensure it remains a relevant organisation,” says Jordan.

Forced amalgamation of regions would require a change to legislation, so will not occur.

Two regions have signalled their intention to work together on operational matters.

A ground-up approach to implementing strategy fits Jordan’s management philosophy as it enables buy-in from staff and licence holders.

The aim of this strategy is to create a more efficient organisation with a clear focus on promoting hunting and fishing as a popular, healthy and sustainable activity and source of protein.

It also aims to enhance the social licence and expand the demography and interest of women in hunting and fishing.

This is occurring at a time when, Jordan says, society is starting to question hunting and fishing values despite these being important activities for many people and readily available sources of food that “resonate

with many communities”.

Jordan is enthusiastic about the National Party having created a hunting and fishing portfolio. Todd McClay has been appointed as its spokesperson.

She considers this an important step given what she sees as moves by policymakers to no longer recognise hunting and fishing values.

For example, proposed changes to the Wildlife Act would have stripped legislative acknowledgment of introduced species of game.

“We are seeing a policy shift in those values from politicians and policy makers with the ability to write those values out of legislation,” Jordan says.

The other task facing Jordan is for the organisation to have a better relationship with rural communities and landowners, and she intends to lean on her experience with BLNZ and the way the organisation nurtures relationships and connections with farmers.

Jordan also wants to end what she sees as a “them and us” approach between Fish & Game and landowners.

“Success will come from us working together and realising that we have the same values,” she says.

“We see room for us to naturally work together because we have aligned value sets.

“I’m not sure why it hasn’t happened before.”

She concedes it will take time to heal that divide, but says catchment groups provide an opportunity and vehicle, and she wants to champion their work to the wider public.

“They are a cornerstone of success for conservation, hunting and fishing and resource management.”

Fish & Game staff can contribute to these groups with expertise in habitat and wetland management and restoration, along with some funding.

The organisation has areas of common interest with the primary sector in afforestation and climate change, along with common concerns about proposed changes to the Resource Management Act.

That does not mean Fish & Game will not talk publicly about environmental issues or concerns.

“We will talk pointedly on an issue rather than tar everyone with the same brush,” she says.

Jordan spent the first eight years of her career in animal health and research before joining Fish & Game and working in

environmental management from 2008-16.

Five years at BLNZ followed before her current appointment.

Fish & Game has about 150,000 licence holders, a significant and influential number of people.

Jordan is enhancing its clout through working with the Big Game Council on areas of mutual interest.

Keen on the outdoors, she has interests in horse riding, working with dogs, tramping and scuba diving.

She is also interested in art and dancing, and is a qualified jazz and ballet teacher, having competed nationally and internationally.

The owner of two horses, Jordan runs sheep and cattle on a lifestyle property at Waituna West in the Rangitīkei region, working from home when she does not have to travel.

Former Beef + Lamb NZ environment strategy manager Corina Jordan sees synergies between her old job and her role as chief executive of the NZ Fish & Game Council. She talks to Neal Wallace

NEW PLANS: Fish & Game’s new strategy aims to create a clear focus on promoting hunting and fishing as a popular, healthy and sustainable activity and source of protein.

VISION: Corina Jordan is enthusiastic about the National Party having created a hunting and fishing portfolio.

Sparking change on farm from the ground up

From going bananas for dairy cows to monitoring nitrate leaching, the Rural Professionals Fund has helped test innovative ideas on farm, writes Delwyn Dickey for the Our Land and Water National Science Challenge.

WHEN Whangārei

dairy farmer

Graeme Edwards planted up a mini plantation of banana plants next to his dairy effluent pond a few years ago and trickle-fed them the waste, he had high hopes this could be a game-changer as the northern climate continued to warm.

Along with making use of effluent in his pond, he wanted to see if the banana plants could be a new feed source for his cows during dry summers when pasture struggles.

It ticked a few environmental boxes, and attracted quite a lot of media attention, but Edwards became increasingly frustrated there was no on-the-ground help to test his project, and he lacked the scientific background to test it himself.

Was the effluent causing leaching, were banana plants nutritious enough for stock feed, could they withstand solid grazing?

Then AgResearch scientists

Grant Rennie and Warren King stepped in and ran a trial on Edwards’s plantation, with funding from the Our Land and Water National Science Challenge, through its Rural Professional Fund.

While the funding wasn’t enough to carry out what would be expensive animal health trials on cattle, they found no red flags that would immediately rule the project out.

The Rural Professionals Fund, established in 2020, is now accepting applications for its fourth – and final – round of funding. The fund supports projects led by rural professionals, in partnership with farmers, that test innovative ideas to help farmers add diversity, increase resilience, and tackle environmental challenges for

their farm, catchment, and community.

Other research led by farmers or farm advisers funded by Our Land and Water has been prompted by incoming environmental regulations.

When the Hawke’s Bay Regional Council proposed tightening up regulations around crop cultivation in the huge intensive export and process growing area to reduce risks to waterways by nutrient losses, horticultural growers would need to develop a management plan, including identifying and addressing risks to waterways from nutrient (nitrogen and phosphorus) loss.

I was nearly 30 years at Fonterra, and the best ideas always came from the ground up – from the people on the ground who saw the opportunities. This fund is like that – a suggestion box on steroids. People can actually do something with it.

Jo Finer

New Zealand Institute of Primary Industry Management

This led to Ravensdown consultant Jamie Thompson setting up a monitoring system in a grower’s paddock near Clive, using a nitrate sensor to measure real-time nitrogen losses through drainage, after rainfall and irrigation. The project was then extended to measure how much nitrogen left in the soil after the crop was lifted could be mopped by a catch crop.

The project has been very successful, Thompson says.

“The results of the initial project saw a lot of interest in the technology and installing sump

sensors is now likely to become more standard practice.”

Zespri has also shown interest in installing sensors in kiwifruit orchards, with interest also from national agriculture and horticulture consultancy business AgFirst. Concerns over nitrate leaching are also behind new regulations proposed in the Canterbury region by Environment Canterbury, which are seeing some farms being classified as being in High Nitrogen Concentration Zones and having to reduce nitrogen runoff into groundwater. This is over concerns that nitrate runoff may be entering aquifers used for drinking water.

This prompted farm adviser Charlotte Senior to apply for funding to install nitrate sensors onto a Fairlie Dairy farm in an attempt to gauge when nitrates were being lost into groundwater and where these nitrates were coming from.

The farm was at the bottom of the catchment with water 2from higher up in the catchment flowing under it.

The project showed big rain events were washing nitrates out of the soil and into groundwater, and mostly from higher in the catchment.

“Data from this project will help understand the farm’s impact on the catchment and whether efforts to improve freshwater are on the right track,” Senior says.

Another positive from the project was that it reignited the local farmers’ interest after they had become a bit jaded over the new restrictions, Senior says, with the farmer co-op that operates the irrigation scheme in the area now also doing free water testing for nitrates for farmers in the area.

“Because farm advisers are on the ground and out with

their clients every day they see opportunities for improvements, or have ideas for change that they can now explore,” the chief executive of the New Zealand Institute of Primary Industry Management, Jo Finer, says.

“The Rural Professional Fund provides good seed funding opportunities, within the scope of the science challenge, without the restrictions of a big comprehensive and detailed research programme that might come out of the Crown Research Institutes.

“I was nearly 30 years at Fonterra, and the best ideas

always came from the ground up – from the people on the ground who saw the opportunities. This fund is like that – a suggestion box on steroids. People can actually do something with it.”

Farm advisers with innovative, fresh ideas that could create real change for NZ’s farmers are invited to apply for up to $75,000 in funding, in the fourth and final funding round of the Rural Professionals Fund.

Applications close on Monday March 9 2023. See ourlandandwater.nz/RPF-apply

Digital tree ‘tag’ allows for specialist care

Chapman said the concept was similar to ear tags on cattle.

NEW Zealand’s fruit-growing industry will be heading high-tech if a Central Otago businessman has his way.

Sebastian Chapman, chief executive and co-founder of FruitMinder, is developing a smart app that will map data from individual fruit trees and enable orchardists to provide specialist care for each plant.

“We’re building a bit of software that hopefully should give growers a lot of data so they can make more informed decisions on their orchards,” Chapman said.

The technology creates a “digital twin” of each tree, providing it with a GPS tag.

“That creates a digital version of the animal and we want to do the same for the trees.”

The GPS tag will hold information about the variety of tree and anything that has happened to that tree over its lifetime, such as growing conditions, treatments, sprays and fertilisers.

It could also eventually measure a tree’s genetics “so that over time growers can really increase the assets that are their trees”.

The company was recently given $44,680 by the Ministry for Primary Industries’ Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures fund to help with FruitMinder’s development.

The smart app idea was that

of company co-founder Mike Casey, who owns the Forest Lodge Orchard in Cromwell. He had previously worked in the tech industry in Australia and on his return to New Zealand noticed a lack of software support for the horticulture industry.

“Mike started talking to me about it and I was like, I used to be a dairy farmer and I could not imagine doing my job without the tags we have on cattle.

“I was passionate about the industry so it sort of naturally evolved into where we are at now.”

Chapman said growers face significant labour costs and the technology will help streamline processes and reduce that input.

Individual trees in an orchard of thousands can be identified, and

tasks for that tree, such as disease treatment, can be assigned to workers.

“It takes all the guesswork out of it. You don’t have to inspect every single tree.”

The technology, which has been under development for about six months, is user friendly and can be operated via cellphone. So far about 10 growers from throughout NZ have got on board.

It is hoped the technology, which is being trialled in Casey’s cherry orchard, will be available by April 2023 and will eventually be used on “anything that grows in a straight line and has even spacing”.

The aim is to have the technology used widely across NZ, and to eventually also break into the international market.

Craig Page TECHNOLOGY Horticulture

SCREEN TIME: Sebastian Chapman uses the FruitMinder app at the Forest Lodge Orchard in Cromwell.

Photo: FruitMinder

FUNDING BOOST: New Zealand Institute of Primary Industry Management chief executive Jo Finer says the Rural Professional Fund provides good seed funding opportunities.

UK lists new green incentives for farmers

THE UK government has announced a raft of changes to its Environmental Land Management schemes in a bid to encourage more farmers to sign up.

Following an announcement by the Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) last week, a new “prospectus” is to be published online detailing 280 actions that farmers will be paid to deliver through an enhanced version of the Countryside Stewardship (CS) scheme, known as Countryside Stewardship Plus, alongside an accelerated rollout of the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) that will add six standards to the offer.

Farmers will be able to receive payment for actions on hedgerows, grassland, arable and horticultural land, pest management and nutrient management.

About 30 new actions will be available under the new CS Plus scheme by the end of 2024, building on the 250 currently on offer. The new prospectus will detail each of the actions and will reveal, for around 275 of those arrangements, exactly just how

much money farmers can expect to receive for each undertaking. Details are set to be published soon with applications opening by mid-year.

Defra said it hopes the system will clarify and simplify the schemes, allowing farmers a pick and mix approach to the incentives on offer.

“Farmers are at the heart of our economy, producing the food on our tables as well as being the custodians of the land it comes from,” Defra Secretary Therese Coffey said.

“These two roles go hand in hand and we are speeding up the rollout of our farming schemes so everyone can be financially supported as they protect the planet while producing food more sustainably.”

Elsewhere, Defra has confirmed it will open applications for the second round of the Landscape Recovery scheme within a few months to support ambitious large-scale nature recovery projects, focusing on net zero, protected sites and habitat creation.

It is hoped that groups of land managers and tenant farmers

will work together to deliver a range of environmental benefits across farmed and rural landscapes.

Defra said it hopes the announcement will provide clarity and certainty to farmers, “allowing them to make business decisions and cover costs as direct payments are phased out”.

It emphasised that the plans “deliver on assurances” provided by UK Farming Minister Mark Spencer.

Speaking at the Oxford Farming Conference, Spencer introduced

Farmers cut livestock in face of soaring costs

SOARING input costs and concerns over post-Brexit support are prompting beef and sheep producers to make significant cutbacks in the number of livestock on their farms.

A survey of beef and sheep farmers across England and Wales found more than a third, at 36%, of sheep farmers plan to cut flocks by 6% over the next year. Meanwhile, 40% of cattle farmers intend to reduce herd sizes by almost 10% over the same period.

Carried out by England’s National Farmers Union (NFU) and its Welsh counterpart, NFU Cymru, late last year, the Livestock Production Intentions survey questioned more than 1000 English and Welsh farm businesses about their 2023 plans.

Most respondents (92%) said they were worried about the cost of fuel prices affecting their

business’ viability in the coming months, and 85% cited high feed prices as a top concern.

Soaring gas and electricity costs (82%), the passing out of Basic Payment Scheme payments (79%) and fertiliser prices (78%) added to producers’ worries.

About 90% of beef and sheep producers made forage in 2022, although poor growing conditions and high fertiliser costs meant that 80% made the same volume or less than previous years.

For 2023, 55% said the plan is to buy less feed, while 77% intend to buy less fertiliser – decisions likely to increase the number of days to slaughter, with 31% of sheep farmers and 30% of beef producers predicting longer finishing times.

In response to the energy crisis, almost half (49%) of beef and sheep farmers said they are interested in renewable energy

generation, but capital outlay, return on investment and planning issues all pose barriers.

Summarising the survey’s findings, NFU chief livestock adviser John Royle said businesses need to consider the impact that reducing fertiliser applications will have on forage yields.

“There are ways to mitigate the impact of reduced fertiliser applications, such as timely

There are ways to mitigate the impact of reduced fertiliser applications, such as timely applications of farmyard manure and, where appropriate, management changes.

John Royle National Farmers Union

applications of farmyard manure and where appropriate management changes such as adopting rotational grazing, reseeding and mixed swards and implementing breeding policies to ensure the most feed efficient animals,” Royle said.

While improving productivity and resource use efficiency are key aspirations for the livestock sector, the high cost of inputs is having a measurable impact on the sector and on its ability to invest in infrastructure and technology, he said. Farmers Guardian

a new additional payment, backdated to June 2022, for the first 50 hectares (£20/ha, or about $38/ha) in an SFI agreement in a bid to attract small and tenant farmers who are currently underrepresented in the scheme.

There was also an increase for those in CS agreements, with revenue payment rates set to rise by an average of 10%, covering ongoing activity such as habitat management.

Mark Tufnell, president of the Country Land and Business

STEWARDSHIP:

About 30 new actions will be available under the new Countryside Stewardship Plus scheme by the end of 2024.

Association, said the standards and payments are “broadly in line with what was expected” and will encourage many arable farmers to sign up.

“But there is little new in this for those on moorlands or the hard-pressed hill farmer struggling to earn a living,” he said.

Tufnell said that with the current economic situation, the government needs to make the schemes accessible for all farmers and he encouraged every farmer to look “very closely” at them.

Farmers Guardian

Brexit sweetens UK market for Aus sugar

THE first imports of Australian sugar for more than 40 years are expected to reach the UK by the summer, say officials at Tate & Lyle.

Gerald Mason, the processor’s senior vice-president, said the company is looking forward to resurrecting its trading relationship with Australian sugar farmers — one that once saw 20% of its raw materials come from the country.

Speaking during a visit by Australia’s agriculture minister, Murray Watt, to Tate & Lyle’s London refinery in mid-January, Mason said Australian sugar had been a “massive part” of the UK sugar market until the country’s membership of the European Union put a stop to trade.

He said they want to buy more, not because of the price, but because the sugar “meets the highest ethical and environmental standards in the world”.

Watt, who has been touring Europe promoting Australian agriculture’s sustainability credentials, said he was in London to “push along” the Australian-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA).

“We are having lots of meetings over the next couple of days to convince the UK parliament to get this legislation passed. We obviously want to get these sales into the UK as quickly as possible, and companies like Tate & Lyle are pretty keen to get that product as well,” Watt said.

The president of Australia’s National Farmers’ Federation, Fiona Simson, who accompanied Watt on his visit, said a freetrade deal between the two countries is a “huge win-win” for Tate & Lyle, consumers and Australian sugar growers.

We raised our concerns about the introduction of tarifffree, quota-free access Australian sugar would be given under the UKAustralia trade deal and the impact this would have on British sugar beet growers back in 2021.

Michael Sly NFU sugar board chair

The UK-Australia FTA has been widely criticised in the UK as giving away “too much for far too little in return”.

Michael Sly, chair of the National Farmers Union sugar board, said: “We raised our concerns about the introduction of tariff-free, quota-free access Australian sugar would be given under the UK-Australia trade deal and the impact this would have on British sugar beet growers back in 2021.

“UK sugar beet growers are subject to very different regulatory standards compared to other growers around the world.”

Farmers Guardian

CUT BACK: About 40% of UK cattle farmers plan to reduce their herd sizes because of rising costs.

Boundary lines are indicative only

Kaihere 1339 Kaihere Road

Great scale, premium improvements

This prime 191 hectare (more or less) dairy unit in Kaihere is a beauty. The property is contained in four titles which provides the buyer with future proof options. An excellent, fully spec’d 54 bail rotary cowshed is well positioned with central race systems fanning out to all 111 paddocks. The shed is complete with automatic cup removers, a meal feeding and a teat spray system, and stock management is well catered for with a 600-cow capacity yard with dung buster backing gate, a weight station, feed pad with yards and rubber matting. Currently milking 580 cows, production supplied to Fonterra was 221,517kgMS last season. The main home is a 1990’s four bedroom, with two further houses on the farm. Just a 13.4km drive makes Ngatea your closest township with your everyday requirements. This is a top-quality, very well set-up unit in a sought-after location. bayleys.co.nz/2314179

NEW LISTING

Central Canterbury 658 Wards Road, Burnham

The future looks bright

Combining quality infrastructure with excellent water resources, this 299-hectare (subject to survey) farm has all the building blocks in place for future success. The exceptional farm setup includes a three-stand raised shearing shed with covered yards, plus multiple sheds. Careful maintenance and upkeep means this property comes to the market immaculately presented and ready for the new owner to step in and move forward with confidence. A lovely family home makes this well-positioned farm an excellent prospect for pairing farming with an idyllic country lifestyle. The current farm system includes finishing lambs, fattening beef cattle and a variety of cash and fodder crops. The property ticks the boxes to enable dairy support. Production is underpinned by fertile soils and comprehensive irrigation. Situated approximately 30 minutes from Christchurch. bayleys.co.nz/5515575

191ha

Tender (unless sold prior)

Closing 4pm, Wed 22 Feb 2023

96 Ulster Street, Hamilton View 11am-12pm Wed 8 Feb

Karl Davis 0508 83 83 83 karl.davis@bayleys.co.nz

Lee Carter 027 696 5781 lee.carter@bayleys.co.nz

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

299ha

Deadline Sale (unless sold prior)

12pm, Wed 1 Mar 2023

3 Deans Avenue, Chch

Phone for viewing times

Ben Turner 027 530 1400 ben.turner@bayleys.co.nz

Craig Blackburn 027 489 7225

craig.blackburn@bayleys.co.nz WHALAN

bayleys.co.nz

Mangawhai 685 Ocean View Road, Te Arai

Farm, lifestyle & location!

Superbly positioned in the heart of Te Arai, close to Mangawhai, popular surf & swimming beaches, great fishing, world-renowned golf courses, Tomarata Lakes and just over an hour to Auckland is this 120 hectare grazing property. Its fertile flat to undulating contour has been well subdivided into 66 paddocks and linked by an extensive limestone race network. As a former dairy farm, it’s has a full set of farm infrastructure already in place; including a 30 ASHB milking shed (with operational plant), an undercover set of cattle yards, a calf shed, a bore, and a recently renovated threebedroom character bungalow. bayleys.co.nz/1203356

Wairoa 174 Clydebank Road

120.8128ha

Tender (unless sold prior)

Closing 4pm, Tue 28 Feb 2023

41 Queen Street, Warkworth View by appointment

John Barnett 021 790 393 john.barnett@bayleys.co.nz

MACKYS

Well located bare land options

The options to build and farm are fantastic on these three bare land options located only 6km from Wairoa township. The parcels of easy to medium/steep hill country include pockets of native bush and poplar plantings with excellent finishing flats on Clydebank Road for an ideal small farm or lifestyle block, or build and live the good life while practising self sufficiency only a stones throw from Wairoa. Purchase one, two or three of the titles being 21.8ha, approximately 147ha (subject to survey) or 165ha (total 334.8ha). Ideal handy grazing land these would also be suitable for the forestry/carbon market being approximately 103km to Gisborne Port and 124km to the Port of Napier. Call now to view these attractive parcels of bare land. bayleys.co.nz/2853193

334.8ha

Tender Closing 4pm, Tue 7 Mar 2023

17 Napier Road, Havelock North View by appointment

Tony Rasmussen 027 429 2253 tony.rasmussen@bayleys.co.nz

Stephen Thomson 027 450 6531 stephen.thomson@bayleys.co.nz Monty Monteith 027 807 0522 monty.monteith@bayleys.co.nz

EASTERN

Canterbury 107 McQueens Valley Road, Gebbies Valley, Motukarara

Dairy in Peninsula paradise

This attractive dairy and beef farm is tucked into a picturesque peninsula spot with the bonus of an easy commute to the big city. The 211.3471-hectares of flat to rolling fertile pasture milks approximately 210-220 cows producing 88,000 – 100,000kgMS, plus carries 100 head of dry stock on a low-cost system. The 20-aside herringbone milking shed is equipped with attached yards plus an array of further shedding. There are three separate dwellings (one being As is, where is) on-farm ensuring comfortable accommodation. Situated at the gateway to Banks Peninsula, the area offers access to swimming beaches, fishing and a wide variety of tracks for biking or tramping. Zoning for Tai Tapu School and Lincoln High School. bayleys.co.nz/5520089

bayleys.co.nz

211.3471ha

Asking Price

$4,750,000 + GST (if any)

Evan Marshall 027 221 0910 evan.marshall@bayleys.co.nz

Peter Foley 021 754 737 peter.foley@bayleys.co.nz

Ben Turner 027 530 1400 ben.turner@bayleys.co.nz

WHALAN AND PARTNERS LTD, BAYLEYS,

LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008

Central Canterbury 671-699 Sharlands Road, Bankside

Combine lifestyle with dairy success

This 213.4735 hectare (more or less) dairy farm presents an exciting opportunity to combine farming success with an idyllic family lifestyle. The established dairy operation produces an average of 330,000kgMS per year from 680 – 690 cows at peak milking, although the property is consented for 750 cows. The infrastructure is in place for continued success including four pivot irrigators and one RotoRainer and 54-bail rotary dairy shed equipped with ACRs, in-shed feeding, lame cattle crush and ProTrack for stock management. Water for irrigation comes from Central Plains Water Limited along with one groundwater well. The farm boasts four separate dwellings. Situated a stone’s throw from the Rakaia and Selwyn Rivers. bayleys.co.nz/5520146

213.4734ha

Deadline Sale (unless sold prior)

12pm, Tue 28 Feb 2023

3 Deans Avenue, Chch

Phone for viewing times

Ben Turner 027 530 1400 ben.turner@bayleys.co.nz

Craig Blackburn 027 489 7225 craig.blackburn@bayleys.co.nz

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

Simply stunning!

Superb quality buildings comprised of 339 m2 house and apartment with commanding view of the professionally designed stable complex, 336 m2 of stables includes 10 loose boxes, four covered foaling pens, twin hot water wash down bays, tack rooms and vet rooms PLUS 450 m2 high-stud building designed to accommodate all weather equestrian training. Simply stunning South Waikato stud potential. The 1 km all-weather training track in good repair is an added bonus. 11.34 ha. Our vendor's farming policy is finishing cattle for the prime beef market. In the past this property supported 60 brood mares each season.

Together Stronger

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

• A nationwide network from Northland to Southland

• Sound, trustworthy advice from market-leading experts

• Shareholder benefits and preferential commission rates means more money in your pocket

Bigger networks, more buyers, better results

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

Owhango 205

Road

Opportunity awaits

This property at 205 Tunanui Road, Taumarunui is a 42.29 ha (more or less) farm located 17 km southwest from Taumarunui and just 9.2 km to Owhango. The property is situated west facing with 8 ha of flat to rolling easy country. There is an existing three bedroom home, as well as a selection of farm buildings. While these may require some maintenance to be fully usable, they provide the opportunity for a new owner to put their own personal touch on the property. The possibilities are endless and if you are looking for land at a great value, this block will be perfect for you. Contact us today to schedule a viewing of 205 Tunanui Road.

Papatawa 18 Beagley Road

Beagley Road - 80 ha

This former dairy property presents real options to the market, from lamb finishing through to calf rearing or dairy support, Beagley Road caters to all. Well located just 8 km north of Woodville township in a highly regarded farming area and 30 km from Palmerston North. Farm infrastructure is of a superior nature which includes a modern 24 ASHB cowshed, covered feedpad suitable for 300 MA cows, ample shedding and effluent system. Over the last two years the property has been through a development programme which includes investment in fencing, fertility & regrassing. A renovated 3 bedroom home with open plan living & modern kitchen provides a sound family or future sell down opportunities.

Eketahuna 172 Kakariki West Road

Tender

Kakariki West - 201 ha

A hunter or fisherman's paradise, this fully self contained dairy operation is surrounded by all the great outdoor activities that the Tararua District has to offer.

Nestled near the Tararua Ranges and bounding the Mangahao River, this 201 ha property provides an opportunity for large scale finishing, dairy support or to continue as a dairy operation. The property sits on three separate titles providing multiple purchase options. The main four bedroom home provides stunning views of the Mangahao River and surrounding bush, with numerous sheds providing more than adequate storage. Farming infrastructure includes a 24 ASHB cowshed complete with rectangle yard and compliant effluent system with lined storage. Sitting on nature's doorstep, Kakariki West provides flexible purchase options ranging from a 39 ha bareland property, 2 x 80 ha portions with separate dwellings through to the entire unit of 201 ha.

Woodbury 133/141 Four Peaks Road and 1006 Te Moana Road

Tender

Tender closes 2.00pm, Wed 22nd Feb, 2023, to be submitted to Property Brokers Pahiatua, 129 Main Street Pahiatua View By appointment Web pb.co.nz/PR114857

Jared Brock

M 027 449 5496 E jared@pb.co.nz

Jamie Smith

M 027 220 8311 E jamie.smith@pb.co.nz

214.15 ha - Te Moana Dairy Limited

Seldom do we get to offer for sale a property in this favoured farming location of Woodbury/Four Peaks. The property consists of 166.55 ha of dairy platform and a further 47.6 ha of dairy support. The dairy platform was converted in 2011 and has a modern 2015, 40 ASHB shed with Waikato plant and circular yard that holds 500 cows. Excellent supporting infrastructure including in-shed meal feeding system with mineral dispenser, high quality calf sheds and lined effluent pond which is discharged via boom irrigator across the dairy platform. In addition resource consent authorises 5 litres/second of irrigation across a movable 10 ha which can be used to establish and support crops. The proven production from 460-480 cows is approximately 181,000 kgMS average. The farm has two very tidy family homes in established grounds, plus a modern one bedroom studio. This is an excellent opportunity to purchase a very attractive farm with a proven track record and consistent rainfall.

8 3

Tender closes 12.00pm, Wed 1st Mar, 2023 (unless sold prior), Property Brokers Ashburton

View By appointment Web pb.co.nz/AR115024

Greg Jopson

M 027 447 4382 E gregj@pb.co.nz

Chris Murdoch

M 027 434 2545 E chris@pb.co.nz

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – February 6,

When Only The Best Will Do - 102.7370 hectares

1658B State Highway 56, Palmerston North

• Situated on State Highway 56 opposite Number One Line at an intersection known as the Rocket sits this 102.7370 ha dairy farm, with its exceptional soils and infrastructure

• 35 aside herringbone shed with in-shed feeding

• Excellent supporting infrastructure for calf rearing and machinery storage

• Two homes - four bedroom main house plus sleepout and three bedroom cottage

• Artesian free flowing bore supplies water to the dairy shed and farm

WAIPUNGA STATION

WEBER

For Sale By Tender

Tenders Close: 23rd February 2023 at 56 Stafford St, Feilding. View By Appointment. Call Richard or Robert to arrange a time to view.

Richard Anderson 027 543 1610 richard@rals.co.nz

Robert Dabb 027 255 3992 robert@rals.co.nz

Ideal Support Block

692 Hectares

Welcome to Waipunga Station, a 692ha (1712 acre) sheep and beef farm situated in Weber, in the heart of the Tararua.

• Approx 494 hectares effective

• 48ha flat-easy country

• 4-stand shearing shed with associated infrastructure

• Good balance of contour

• Good balance of soil types

• 4-bedroom Lockwood home with renovated kitchen

• Only 37km from Dannevirke

www.forfarms.co.nz - ID FF3529

For Sale by Deadline Sale on 17th February 2023 (if not sold prior)

Jerome Pitt

M: 027 242 2199

H: 06 374 4107

E: jeromep@forfarms.co.nz

33.4 ha

Situated in an excellent location in the Waihou / Te Aroha West area is this 33.4 ha block.

It is well subdivided and has its own water supply. The contour is flat and has good fertile soil.

Currently used as part of a dairy farm. Call Jack today to find out more or to view the property.

matamata.ljhooker.co.nz/K54HR1

Deadline Sale

Closes Thurs 9th March, 4pm (unless sold prior)

View By Appointment

Agent Jack Van Lierop 027 445 5099 jack.vanlierop@ljhooker.co.nz

LJ Hooker Matamata

07

195b Waihekau Rd, Waihou Licensed Agent REAA 2008

WAITOMO, WAIKATO 25 Kokakoroa Road

Balcraigie

587.0543 hectares (more or less). A family farm run for 109 years in the Waitomo district. Located 16km west of Waitomo Caves. Mostly easier contour with some steeper sidling's. Traditionally sheep and cattle breeding property. Our environmentally aware vendors have worked with QEII in fencing off the bush/wetlands and planting of 3000 young natives. Abundant natural water throughout. Balcraigie is a pleasure to visit with the predominantly easy contour, and the bush element helps make it a special farm, topped off with a quality homestead and a second dwelling as well.

pggwre.co.nz/TEK37302

TENDER

TENDER (Unless Sold By Private Treaty)

Closes 11.00am, Fri 17 March

PGGWRE, 57 Rora Street, Te Kuiti

VIEW 10.00-12.00pm, Friday 17 & 24 February & 3 March

Peter Wylie

M 027 473 5855

B 0800 735 578

E pwylie@pggwrightson.co.nz

NEW LISTING

ARIA, WAITOMO 333 Waitewhena Road

Rivendell - 537.6778 ha (more or less)

A fertile sheep and beef breeding finishing property with excellent infrastructure. Finishing lambs and bulls, this is a productive farm. Contour ranges from river flats to easy rolling to steep hills in the south. Water is reticulated via a new solar system to a majority of the farm. Very appealing four bedroom homestead with additional sleep-out. Renovated three bedroom managers house. Four stand woolshed and covered yards, covered cattle yards, three bay implement shed, and three bay stables. The fencing and livestock production is very good. Three purchasing options available.

pggwre.co.nz/TEK37319

TENDER (Unless Sold By Private Treaty)

Closes 11.00am, Fri 10 March

PGGWRE, 57 Rora Street, Te Kuiti

VIEW 10.00-12.00pm, Wednesday 8 & 15 February

Peter Wylie

M 027 473 5855

E pwylie@pggwrightson.co.nz

For more great rural listings, visit www.pggwre.co.nz

WAITOMO, WAIKATO 537 Tapuwae Road

Tapuwae-Picture Perfect 302ha

Consistent pasture renewal & high fertility

Five yearr average production 188,477kg MS

Two newly built Golden Holmes in 2009 and the other being the original dwelling

• Located some 14km south of Benneydale and 49km southeast of Te Kuiti Great opportunity to purchase a large-scale, easy contoured Land package. Converted to dairy in 08/09, held within two adjoining titles with a milking platform of 248ha + support land (18ha) balance being native bush/riparian. Modern 54-bail rotary cow shed centrally located with good infrastructure.

pggwre.co.nz/TEK37300

TENDER

$7.4M

Plus GST (if any)

VIEW By Appointment Only

Peter Wylie

M 027 473 5855

E pwylie@pggwrightson.co.nz

Tony Foreman

M 027 654 7434

E tony.foreman@pggwrightson.co.nz

TUTIRA

Northbrook Farm

376.5 hectares of easy medium hill, 47km from the port of Napier (and 27 km to the Pan Pac Mill at Whirinaki). It has been farmed as a sheep and beef unit by the same family for three generations encompassing a 98 year tenure and been very well maintained. It is well tracked and easily accessible and workable. There is a lot of road frontage which greatly assist access also. Some of the front country has been cultivated and planted in plantain and rape. It shares approximately 1.5 km of river frontage with the Waikoau River which provides fishing and aesthetic appeal.

pggwre.co.nz/WAR37230

4 1 3

TENDER Plus GST (if any)

Closes 4.00pm, Thursday 9 March Hastings

VIEW By Appointment Only

Carl Van Der Meer

M 027 493 5525

E carl.vandermeer@pggwrightson.co.nz

Mark Johnson

M 027 487 5105

B 06 878 3156

E mark.johnson@pggwrightson.co.nz

NZ’s leading rural real estate company

WAIPUKURAU 304 Middleton Road

Droxford

482 hectares (1,191 acres) subject to survey located 11km east of Waipukurau. Essentially bare land, well subdivided into 60 plus paddocks with good access and lanes. A member of the Farm Road Water Supply Ltd scheme delivering 135 litres per hectare per day.

Sheep, cattle yards, airstrip with 120 tonne bin. Breeding, bull unit, finishing, all base are covered here.

15 March

VIEW By Appointment Only

Paul Harper

M 027 494 4854

E paul.harper@pggwrightson.co.nz

Wills Buchanan

M 027 462 9716

E wills.buchanan@pggwrightson.co.nz

EXCLUSIVE

SOUTHBRIDGE, CANTERBURY

'Karetu' - The Land of Milk and Money

An amazing opportunity to purchase a superb 144.7ha unit with an enviable production track record. Consistently milking 510 cows with production around 255,000-260,000kg MS. Spray irrigated from storage pond with water sourced from groundwater and surface water take from the Rakaia River. Modern three-bedroom, two bathroom home with office built by Peter Ray Homes in 2009. Staff accommodation consists of two one-bedroom selfcontained 'gottages'. Handily situated near the service town of Rakaia (11.5km) and Leeston (13.9km) and approx 55km to Christchurch airport.

pggwre.co.nz/LCN37238

Closes 2.00pm, Thursday 23 February

VIEW By Appointment Only

John Davison

M 027 436 4464

E john.davison@pggwrightson.co.nz

Lower North Island Partnership Manager

The lower North Island is brimming with opportunities for an experienced media professional to work alongside key agri stakeholders to provide recommendations for reaching rural audiences.

Representing Farmers Weekly, Dairy Farmer, On Farm Story and AgriHQ you will strengthen existing relationships, form new ones, and become a trusted advisor in a crowded landscape.

Wellington will be a key focus, as will Manawatu, Hawke’s Bay and Taranaki.

You’ll be a proven self-starter with great relationship building skills who loves the agricultural industry and, more importantly, loves to build long lasting and meaningful relationships.

We invite you to register your interest and request a job description and application form by emailing: hr@agrihq.co.nz

Applications close: Monday February 13, 2023.

Informing

ANIMAL HANDLING

FLY OR LICE problem?

Electrodip – the magic eye sheepjetter since 1989 with unique self adjusting sides. Incredible chemical and time savings with proven e ectiveness.

Phone 07 573 8512

www.electrodip.com

CRAIGCO SHEEP JETTERS. Sensor Jet. Deal to y and Lice now. Guaranteed performance. Unbeatable pricing. Phone 06 835 6863.

www.craigcojetters.com

DOLOMITE

For

ATTENTION FARMERS

ARE YOU OR a loved one battling the e ect of alcohol or drugs? The Retreat NZ is a discreet residential facility o ering a 30 programme to recovery. Set in 7 hectares of native bush it o ers a private and healing place to be.

Phone 0800 276 237 or email: reception@theretreatnz.org. nz Website: https://www. theretreatnz.org.nz

36 Mkt & Livestk

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – February 6, 2023

CONTRACTORS

GORSE AND THISTLE SPRAY. We also scrub cut. Four men with all gear in your area. Phone Dave 06 375 8032.

12-MONTH HEADING dog and bitch. Fast, strong, good stop, pulling sides. Station and trial potential. Nolan Timmins. Phone calls only 027 932 8839.

BUYING / SELLING. Huntaways. Heading dogs. Deliver NZ wide. https:// www.youtube.com/@ mikehughesworkingdog 07 315 5553.

ATTENTION DAIRY FARMERS

COWSHED PAINTER AVAILABLE. Experienced. Old and new sheds. Herringbone and Rotary. Southland / Otago. Phone 027 517 9908 or email: raymond.d@slingshot.co.nz

HUNTAWAY AND HEADING pups. Phone Dave Andrews 027 450 6095.

FARM LEASE OR grazing block. 800 to 8000 stock units for sheep and beef cattle or nishing prime stock. Phone Robbie Hughes 027 23 24 104.

FARM FINANCE WANTED

LOOKING FOR FARMERS who want to help farmers, who can lend to an experienced farmer. 7½% return, secured by rst mortgage for 8 years on a re-grassed productive farm all legally secured. Text or phone The Farmer 027 396 9134.

FARM LEASE WANTED

EQUITY OPPORTUNITY in sheep, beef /dairy support farming wanted by hard working kiwi couple. Pride in keeping a tidy, wellmaintained farm. Interested in 300ha upwards. Please contact 027 887 7027.co.nz

GENUINE AUTUMN CALVING JERSEY & CROSSBRED A2/A2 HERD AUCTION

A/c G & R Barlow

Wednesday 15th February 2023

Start time 11:30am

Cambridge Saleyard, Hickey Road Cambridge will be available for online bidding

COMPRISING:

217 Genuine Mixed Aged Jersey & Crossbred Autumn Calving Cows

DETAILS:

BW: 180 PW:181 NZMI: 203

Milk Solids: 450 per/cow

Breed Breakdown: 90% Jersey

10% Crossbred

DTC 18th March, Calving (6 Weeks of AB) –

Tailed Jersey Bull removed 02/09/22

BVD Milk Tested & Lepto Vaccinated

TB Status: C10

10 years of A2/A2 Breeding – Individually

A2 tested.

AUCTIONEERS NOTE:

A well-bred autumn herd with a long CRV history. These cows have been in the family for 2 generations (54 years). They are milked by robots, will come forward in great condition and are all dried off with dry cow. Don’t miss this opportunity to purchase outstanding autumn calving cows.

SPECIAL CONDITIONS:

Collars to be removed from cows after sale and prior to trucking.

PAYMENT TERMS:

Payment to be made 14 days after sale.

CARRFIELDS LIVESTOCK AGENT:

Matt Hancock 027 601 3787 matthew.hancock@carrfields.co.nz

OR VISIT OUR WEBSITE: www.carrfieldslivestock.co.nz

MJD CONTRACTORS

CLEARING SALE

FRIDAY 24th February

Start time 12:00pm Viewing from 10:00am at 2 Robinson Street Ashburton AUCTIONSPLUS will be available for online bidding and to view the catalogue.

COMPRISING:

• 2012 DAF XF105 8X4 Tractor Unit & Low

Bed Trailer

• 2000 Scania R124LA 6X4 Tractor Unit

• 2013 Freightliner Columbia Bulk Truck & Bulk 4 Axle Tipper Trailer

• 2005 Hino FS-1ELP 6X4 Truck

• 2000 International Navistar Truck & 4 Axle Bulk Transport Trailer

• 2004 Foden A3-6T 6X4 Truck & Axle Trailer

• Komatsu PC210 Excavator

• 2016 Hyundai R140W-9 Excavator

• 1994 Champion 710A Grader

• Komatsu WA450 Wheel Loader

• 2005 Vano 420DS Wheel Loader

• STA Heavy Construction Roller

• 1994 Sakai SW500 Roller

• Ingersoll-Rand DD-25 Roller

• 2003 Toyota Hilux

• 2014 Foton Tunland Luxury

• Brandt 852 Auger

• Green Grain Auger

• Unregistered Single Axle Trailer

• Single Axle Laser Trailer

• Highway Hound 3 Axle Log Trailer

• 2001 Tool Trailer

• 2008 JCB 526-56 Handler

• 2008 Mitsubishi Canter Boom Sprayer Truck

• 2005 Hardi Sprayer

• 2013 Fella SM 4080 Mower

• 1994 Nissan Atlas 200

CONTACT VENDOR: Murray Deuart 027 439 1556

CONTACT CARRFIELDS: George Wilson 027 807 9886

HORTICULTURE

LEASE LAND WANTED RAMS FOR SALE

ACCURATE AND PRACTICAL farm maps showing area sizes of paddocks and vegetation. Visit farmmapping.co.nz or phone 0800 433 855 for a free quote.

GOATS WANTED

FARM MAPPING GOATS WANTED. All weights. All breeds. Prompt service. Payment on pick up. My on farm prices will not be beaten. Phone David Hutchings 07 895 8845 or 0274 519 249. Feral goats mustered on a 50/50 share basis.

GOATS. 40 YEARS experience mustering feral cattle and feral goats anywhere in NZ. 50% owner (no costs). 50% musterer (all costs). Ph Kerry Coulter 027 494 4194.

NZ KELP. FRESH, wild ocean harvested giant kelp. The world’s richest source of natural iodine. Dried and milled for use in agriculture and horticulture. Growth promotant / stock health food. As seen on Country Calendar. Orders to: 03 322 6115 or info@ nzkelp.co.nz

LEASE LAND WANTED

FARM LEASE WANTED WANTED TO BUY

DAIRY OR GRAZING. Rangitīkei / Manawatū through to HB. Regenerative farming practiced. Open to developing land in partnership. Phone Michael 027 223 6156.

THINKING ABOUT RETIRING but don’t want to sell the family farm? Looking to expand our drystock property. Northland drystock / nishing farms of 100ha or more preferred. If bigger than 500ha then further away would be considered. Five year lease with option to extend to 10 years preferred. Enquiries ring Marty Vermeulen 09 439 0004.

PERSONAL FRIENDSHIP/ COMPANIONSHIP. A slim, petite country lady, with blonde hair and hazel eyes. Enjoys the outdoors, tramping, sports, cooking and gardening. She is looking for a genuine gentleman to share her life with. To meet please call and quote code 54. All ages and areas are welcomed. 0800 446 332.

2T FULL SHEDDING Wiltshire Rams for sale. All rams brucellosis tested negative. For more information please ring Kevin New 07 878 4758.

RELAXING FULL BODY massage in rural Ohaupo. Unwind. De-stress. www. ruralmassage.co.nz or call 027 529 5540. SAWN SHED TIMBER including Black Maire. Matai, Totara and Rimu etc. Also buying salvaged native logs. Phone Richard Uren. NZ Native Timber Supplies. Phone 027 688 2954.

Livestock

FEMALE SURPLUS SALE

Tuesday 11th April 2023 - 1pm

PRELIMINARY NOTICE

Approximately 100 registered Simmental females for sale.

12 Registered Autumn Simmental cows with calves at foot.

On property at Tangiwai Station, 1350 Hereheretau Rd, Wairoa. To be sold on farm in conjunction with bidr.

Sale catalogue will be available 15th March 2023.

CONTACT

Jon Knauf (Vendor) (06) 838 6793 021 0279 7922

Email: jsknauf@gisborne.net.nz

Phil Transom 0274 420 060 PGG Wrightson Ross Mitchell 0274 048 965 Fergus Rural

Clevedon Cattle Corporation Limited

We are offering joint venture grazing to interested parties.

– We buy them

– You graze them – 50/50 on all profits

Large to small scale. South Auckland & Waikato regions.

Call Hugh Green Jnr on 021 888 412 or email admin@clevedoncattle.co.nz for all enquiries.

SALE TALK

A man walks into a bar and sits down. He asks the bartender, “Can I have a cigarette?” The bartender replies, “Sure, the cigarette machine is over there.” So he walks over to the machine and as he is about to order a cigarette, the machine suddenly says, “Oi, you bloody idiot.” The man says with surprise in his voice, “That’s not very nice.” He returns to his bar stool without a cigarette and asks the bartender for some peanuts. The bartender passes the man a bowl of peanuts and the man hears one of the peanuts speak, “Ooh, I like your hair.” The man says to the bartender, “Hey, what’s going on here? Your cigarette machine is insulting me and this peanut is coming on to me. Why’s this?” The bartender replies, “Oh, that’s because the machine is out of order and the peanuts are complementary.”

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

Puketi Angus Stud

#1 Angus Stud in the country for Calving Ease, Birth Weight and Short Gestation Bulls

Upcoming Auctions

TUESDAY

STOCK REQUIRED

Key: Dairy Cattle Sheep Other

Selling 80-100 bulls per year to Northland and Waikato Clients

Current land lease ends in June 2023

• Do you have quality farmland that you’re not sure what to do with?

• Perhaps you would like to retire, don’t want to sell, but don’t have family willing or able to take over management of the land?

• Or perhaps you’re looking for a sound investment opportunity?

Look no further!

We come with an established 250 cow pedigree Angus herd, a full suite of modern machinery and no debt.

We are seeking either long term land lease (>200ha) or land with equity partnership through which we can grow and develop our stud breeding operations.

No debt means we have the financial means to maintain and even improve upon your property investment, as opposed to it just surviving on minimal input. Prepared to look anywhere in North Island for the right farm or opportunity. Full CV and references available.

If interested, please contact Craig Davie-Martin on 0274 733 765 for a conversation in full confidence – or email mvpagriculture@gmail.com

TARATA HILLS ANNUAL WILTSHIRE EWE & RAM SALE

Wednesday 8th February

Commencing 1pm

70 Whyle Road, South Hillend, Southland (Signposted SH6 Centre Bush)

Will be livestreamed on

Account MT & SM Day

• 400 Wiltshire 2th Ewes (Bold)

• 400 Wiltshire AD Ewes (All hand-reared lambs)

600 Wiltshire Ewe Lambs (Shedders)

500 Wiltshire / Perendale x Ewe Lambs (Bolding traits)

Account Tom Day

• 20 Wiltshire 2th Rams

• 15 Wiltshire Ram Lambs

20 Wiltshire Ewe Lambs

A very good line of Wiltshire genetics that come recommended. Easy care flock.

Callum McDonald PGW Genetics

027 433 6443

Barry McAlister PGW

027 441 6432

Tom Day 027 585 5048

NZ’s Virtual

TE KUITI WILTSHIRE SHEEP SALE

Tuesday 21st February | 12pm start.

2100 Wiltshire Sheep comprising: 150 - 2th Ewes

• 100 - 6th - 5yr Ewes

500 - MA Ewes

• 1350 - Ewe Lambs

Special entry:

A/c Otangiwai Shedding Sheep

• 500 MA Ewes

1000 Ewe Lambs

These sheep are out of a flock of 3000 ewes docking 145% and come highly recommended.

Further enquiries: Marty Cashin 027 497 6414

Aussie beef to stiffen competition

After a balmy two years when NZ producers had much of the beef export market to themselves, a lift in Australian production is about to complicate matters

NEW Zealand beef exports have been enjoying less competition from across the Tasman for the past two years as Australian producers concentrated on rebuilding their beef herd amid favourable conditions.

But, while overseas demand for beef remains positive, a lift in export competition from Australia is inevitable with likely implications for NZ beef. Australia’s rebuild has been so successful, its national cattle herd is forecast to reach its highest level since 2014, inflating to 28.8 million head by June 30. Only three years ago herd numbers were down as low as 24.6 million head. Ultimately this leads to increased beef production and therefore higher availability of Australian beef in global markets.

Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA) is projecting that 2023 Australian beef exports will push over 1 million tonnes. This follows two low years through the herd

rebuilding phase, when exports struggled to reach 900,000t. It’s no coincidence that through that period of low Australian beef exports, NZ beef performed favourably, relishing the lower competition within global markets.

This spike in Australian beef exports won’t be a one-off. Forecasts point to exports holding above 1 million tonnes in 2024 and 2025. Supporting this forecast is the assumption that by 2025 the national cattle herd is forecast to reach 29.6 million head, the highest level since the 1970s. Whether increased beef export competition happens this year or next will be determined by the capacity of Australia’s meat processors to manage an increase in supply.

With such bullish growth to herd numbers, Australia is set to benefit from ample cattle supply even at the finishing end. MLA forecasts that a total of 6.625 million head of cattle will be slaughtered this year, up almost 500,000 head on last year. But this will only come to fruition if Australian processors have the labour force available to

Get ahead of the market

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lift capacity and manage the surge in supply. By comparison, Beef + Lamb NZ has forecast a 1.2% lift for the 2022-23 season NZ cattle slaughter to 2.69 million. This makes up just 41% of Australia’s forecast cattle slaughter for this year. Just like NZ, meat production in Australia has been impacted by labour shortages at processing plants. The Australian government has indicated that more skilled workers will be able to enter Australia this coming year to help alleviate these labour issues at a processing level. If labour shortages persist and processors are unable to increase capacity, cattle slaughter is projected to remain at last year’s

level of 6 million head. That is only going to drop a bigger slaughter issue into the 2024 calendar year as cattle back up. On the flip side, if production can’t expand then exports will fail to push towards current expectations, delaying competing from building in export markets. MLA’s latest report also expects that the labour issues will have eased by 2025, bringing the cattle slaughter up to 8 million head, a 30% increase on 2022’s estimated slaughter figure of 6.02 million head.

A large proportion of Australia’s grass-fed beef heads to the United States, so it is a key market that both NZ and Australia compete for when it comes to beef exports. In recent years, Australia’s beef shipments to the US have been well down. In 2022, just 133,841t of Australian beef was shipped to the US, whereas between 2017-2019 shipments were over 230,000t.

This decline has been partly due to herd rebuilding but also because of a focus on supplying other markets, such as Japan and South Korea. With the end of La

Niña on the way, it’s hoped that the weather will improve, easing drought conditions in the US. This would allow the US to move back into a herd rebuilding phase sometime this year.

When this occurs, the US is likely to revert to being a net importer of beef following two years of high slaughter and beef production. Compared to the last major US drought in 2010-2012, significantly more beef cows and heifers have been slaughtered this time around. Therefore, US demand for beef from overseas markets is expected to remain strong for longer this time as herd rebuilding takes place.

With Australian beef production expected to ramp up this year, it’s going to mean a larger supply of beef on the market competing with NZ beef exports. If demand isn’t strong enough to absorb it, prices will be impacted. However, if the US can move into a herd rebuilding phase, it will help alleviate some of the pressure as Australian beef will be able to fill gaps in other markets such as South Korea and Japan that the US is unable to supply.

COWABUNGA: Australia’s herd rebuild has been so successful, its national cattle herd is forecast to reach its highest level since 2014 – 28.8 million head by June 30.

The Australian government has indicated that more skilled workers will be able to enter Australia this coming year to help alleviate these meat processing labour issues.

Hayley O’Driscoll MARKETS Beef

Weekly saleyards

The heavy rain and flooding that hit the upper North Island has affected some sales. Carrfields Northland livestock manager Robert McLean said Kaikohe on Wednesday was cancelled as was Dargaville last Thursday, though that was more precautionary and gave people a chance to dry out and assess their properties.

The Tuakau sheep sale was also cancelled but the rest of the sales were held. However, due to the long weekend some sales, such as Pukekohe and the Wellsford store cattle sale, were not calendered.

Matawhero | January 27 | 439 sheep

BUSY DAY: Nearly 8400 breeding ewes filled pens for the Temuka Adult Ewe Fair recently.

Array perennial ryegrass

The ryegrass every ruminant has been waiting for.

Cattle Sheep Deer

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Grain

Close of market

Listed Agri shares

What next for sodden upper North Island

Philip Duncan NEWS Weather

SOAKED sodden and sick of it: upper North Islanders are desperate for a return to dry summer conditions following the unprecedented flood event in Auckland and surrounding regions at the end of January and the start of February.

The incredible rain event was fuelled by a number of things: a blocking high to the east of New Zealand, an atmospheric river of moisture direct from the tropics to northern NZ, low pressure in the Tasman Sea which worked with the high east of NZ to pull down more moisture, a “squash zone” of wind/rain, and a marine heatwave that can especially increase rainfall when rain bands move slowly, which is what happened in Auckland.

For northern growers and farmers desperate for some good news, there is some.

General trends for the next 15 days suggest conditions will be drier more often than wet, and rainfall totals don’t look that big. Of course, even 20mm in one day could lead to flooding and slips after past conditions, but hopefully showers in the short term will be lighter.

The long-term trend for February and autumn for the upper North Island leans a little bit wetter still – but the next week or two will see large dry spells returning. So hopefully that’s the silver lining many people need right now – but it’s also worth noting that La Niña conditions may still carry on for a month or two.

Mother Nature may be about to attempt a balancing act with a shift to drier weather in northern NZ and a return to wetter weather in parts of the South Island.

In West Coast, conditions have been so dry locals have been asking RuralWeather if a drought is going to be announced.

The rain coming up in the first 15 days of February should put an end to that speculation with 200-300mm

Upcoming highlights

expected to be clocked up. However, drier areas like Canterbury may not see much relief, with perhaps only 5-20mm falling over the next two weeks. Soil moisture levels remain below normal for parts of Canterbury, Southland and Otago. Recent thunderstorms and afternoon downpours have helped numerous dry regions, in particular parts of Southland, around Greymouth, Manawatū, Wairarapa, Whanganui and Taranaki.

• A cold front this week in Southland will see daytime highs drop from the low 30s this past weekend to maybe only midteens by Wednesday.

• Drier weather and more high pressure for northern NZ

• High pressure this week is mostly centred over Tasmania, but stretches over the Tasman Sea to NZ, encouraging that cooler southerly ow in the south for a time

• That next high is hopefully going to cross most of NZ this coming weekend

• Humidity reduces this week

• Recent moisture plus daytime heat means facial eczema spore counts are expected to increase this week

Mother Nature may be about to attempt a balancing act with a shift to drier weather in northern NZ and a return to wetter weather in parts of the South Island.

Soil moisture anomaly (mm) at 9am on 31/01/2023