Farmers Weekly NZ November 6 2023 by AgriHQ

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Signs of life for rural NZ’s ‘zombie towns’ Richard Rennie

PEOPLE

Community

HE headline surge in national migration numbers has drawn rural winners and losers into its slipstream, based on the latest Infometrics report on Stats NZ population data. To June this year New Zealand experienced a record gain of 129,000 arrivals in 12 months, offset by 32,000 mainly younger Kiwis going overseas, leaving a net gain of 91,600, the equivalent to Palmerston North’s population.

We had Clutha and Waitaki have an increase of 1.3% in population each, driven mainly by an increase in employment in the manufacturing category, reﬂecting the meat companies ﬁlling positions. Nick Brunsdon Infometrics The rural districts that experienced the strongest gains in a single year include MacKenzie, Westland, Kaikoura, Western Bay of Plenty and Southland, all with growth rates between 1.2% and 3.6% for the year. Infometrics senior economist Nick Brunsdon said prior to 2023 most rural areas also enjoyed

solid internal migration as people moved back over the 2021-2022 period, partly in response to covid. He said acute labour shortages in meat processing plants had translated to continuing solid growth in the past year for some as meat companies scrambled to take advantage of lifting immigration lids to fill long vacant positions on processing chains. “That impact came through in the South Island in particular. We had Clutha and Waitaki have an increase of 1.3% in population each, driven mainly by an increase in employment in the manufacturing category, reflecting the meat companies filling positions.” In the North Island, Wairoa also enjoyed a 1.3% gain in population to June this year, despite the impact of Cyclone Gabrielle and repeated flooding events. Brunsdon said while meat processing had increased numbers in some areas, in others rural employment had tended to remain soft, and, if anything, on a longterm decline. Grey District, Gore, Kawerau, Buller and Timaru all continued to languish in the population growth stakes, experiencing zero or negative growth in population in one of the past two years. “The reality is for some areas they went from the early 1980s to 2013 losing people almost every year.” However, after 2014 there Continued page 3

More women answering ag’s call Lincoln University graduate Abbey Dowd is part of the growing trend of young women pursuing careers in agribusiness. She says the multifaceted nature of the Empower programme has kickstarted her career in farm consulting.

NEWS 9

Talkin’ about a revolution Fashion designer Liz Mitchell is so passionate about strong wool, she’s launched The Wool Revolution.

NEWS 16 Transport operators seek more ﬂexible driving hours for linehaul livestock drivers.

Foresters and councils are still at odds as new forestry slash rules come into effect.

Daniel Eb ponders the unmeasurable moments of farming that tech can’t replace.

NEWS 4

NEWS 7

OPINION 25

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News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-21 Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . 22-25 People . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Technology . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 Federated Farmers . 29-32 Real Estate . . . . . . . . 33-43 Marketplace . . . . . . . 44-45 Livestock . . . . . . . . . . 46-49 Markets . . . . . . . . . . . 50-55 Weather . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

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Silver Fern Farms chair Rob Hewett and chief executive Simon Limmer have been nominated for the Deloitte Top 200 Business Awards. Hewett was nominated for Chairperson of the Year and Limmer Chief Executive of the Year. Westland Dairy has been nominated in the Most Improved Performance category, having turned around an $80 million loss in 2021 to record a $40m profit a year later. Winners will be announced on December 6.

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The sale of Fonterra and Nestlé’s Dairy Partners Americas Brazil joint venture to French dairy company Lactalis is complete. The JV was sold for about $240 million and the proceeds will offset debt related to that business, which means there will be little cash impact on Fonterra’s earnings.

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FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – November 6, 2023

Fonterra AGM remits ‘stamped on’ by board Hugh Stringleman

NEWS

Fonterra

ONTERRA has stonewalled four remits proposed by Northland dairy farmer Richard Dampney for the co-operative’s annual general meeting in Methven on Thursday, November 9. The board has strongly recommended that shareholders vote against Dampney’s proposals. The notice of meeting says the Fonterra Co-operative Council does not support the proposals. This means even if the required 75% shareholder approval needed for constitutional changes is achieved, his proposals will not be implemented. Dampney’s remits seek to mandate that: • The number of appointed directors be reduced by two • The number of farmer-directors remains at seven • Former farmer directors can be appointed as independent directors after a ﬁve-year stand-down • The independent assessment panel be abolished.

Continued page 1 was a notable lift and a net gain in migration for many rural areas, with Wairoa and Clutha experiencing their strongest gains for many years. Almost a decade ago economist Shamubeel Eaqub gained headlines with his prediction that some rural NZ towns would become “zombie towns” as their populations shrank and aged,

He will travel to Methven at considerable expense and inconvenience during the seasonal height of milk production, sowing and mating, to speak to the remits. Dampney realises that they have no hope of being passed and implemented within the Fonterra system and constitution. “They have stamped on my proposals and done exactly the same to every farmer remit since Fonterra has been formed. “It is not necessary. We are smart enough to understand what is going on, so let us decide. “My main point will be to highlight the serious disconnect between farmers and the board. “Chairman Peter McBride says that two directors being re-elected unopposed is a vote of conﬁdence, but disconnection is the other way of looking at it.” Dampney said the governance development programme should be bringing forward people willing to stand. “In the next three years ﬁve of the seven farmer directors will have to retire because they will have served nine years – where are the candidates to replace them?” The board has put forward a leaving them hollowed out and barely functioning. While the growth many have enjoyed in recent years appears to have put paid to this, Brunsdon said there are still challenges for some towns as they grapple with lower birth rates, an ageing population and fewer international migrants. Those that are over two hours from a major urban centre will also be hit harder.

DEADWOOD: Northland farmer Richard Dampney of Kaikohe has put forward four remits that have no chance of being adopted.

remit (Resolution 8) to reduce the number of directors from 11 to nine, being six farmer-directors and three appointees.

Should that remit receive 75% shareholder support, Dampney’s proposals, which follow it on the agenda, will be effectively pointless. “Resolutions 10 and 11 are inconsistent with Resolution 8 and the usual course is not to put forward inconsistent resolutions at the same meeting,” the notice of meeting says. “However, the Companies Act provides that all shareholder proposals be presented to shareholders, which has led to this inconsistency.

“Given the Co-operative Council has advised that it does not support these proposals, even if resolutions 10 and 11 are passed, they will not become effective under the company’s constitution. “Therefore, in the unlikely event that both Resolution 8 and resolutions 10 and 11 are passed, only Resolution 8 would be given effect to.” Dampney said he wants Fonterra’s treatment of shareholder proposals changed to be respectful and meaningful.

Some districts that may have beneﬁtted from signiﬁcant increases in dairying and its accompanying employment in the past decade may also face a plateau or even decline in light of fewer if any conversions going ahead. Improvements in farm productivity, farm amalgamation and technology could also see a slide in employment. Brunsdon cited the example of Ōtorohanga,

which recorded 3000 rural workers in 2000, and now has just 1500. Lower birthrates could also have a greater impact in the more European-dominant populations of some South Island districts than in more ethnically diverse North Island districts such as Waikato and Northland that also have more young Māori in their demographic. “The reality is that if you want to maintain the same annual

population growth rate, you need to keep growing net migration, even in those higher growth areas like Waikato and Auckland. “If you don’t grow your total population, your workforce will decline. As the over-65 dependents increase you need to keep your school leavers to enter the workforce locally. “They may leave – that has always happened – but as long as they come back.”

They have stamped on my proposals and done exactly the same to every farmer remit since Fonterra has been formed. Richard Dampney Farmer

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FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – November 6, 2023

Truck firms seek relief on driver regs Neal Wallace

NEWS

Transport

RANSPORT operators want more flexible driving hours for long haul livestock drivers, saying current regulations are too rigid and can compromise animal welfare. There are claims that Commercial Vehicle Safety Teams (CVST) are increasingly vigilant in checking driver logbooks and looking for other infringements, resulting in drivers losing heavy traffic licences, facing fines of thousands of dollars and prompting some to leave the industry. While not condoning illegal behaviour such as doctoring logbooks, operators said long haul livestock drivers are caught between maintaining animal welfare and meeting collection and delivery times and their driving responsibilities while vulnerable to unexpected delays.

Make sure livestock are in the yards and ready on or before the time arranged to be picked up. Jim Crouchley Transporting New Zealand “These regulations have been in place for a number of years but CVST are now better resourced to enforce it,” said Mark Wareing, a Mid Canterbury transport operator. Another operator, who asked not to be named, said as an example, a consignment of store lambs has to be carted as soon as the sale ends, but drivers often don’t know until then where they are going. “We understand the law, but often we can’t plan too far in advance.” Operators said they are asking for flexible driver hours, not an exemption, to avoid instances such as livestock drivers having to take a mandatory 30-minute break in the middle of summer.

Under current law, a driver must take two 30-minute breaks in a 13-hour day and must not exceed 13 hours of work time in one day. An extra two hours driving can be approved if there are unexpected delays. After 70 hours cumulative work they must have a 24-hour break. Southland transport operator Kelvin Sinclair said a return trip from Southland to Canterbury is achievable within permitted driver hours provided there are no unexpected stoppages. He has a policy that drivers must stop every 90 minutes to check stock and the truck. On a trip to Canterbury, Sinclair said, checking loads, emptying effluent tanks and refuelling would require four stops, but none of those necessarily count as mandatory driver breaks. Transporting New Zealand policy adviser Billy Clemens and regional adviser Jim Crouchley said they have heard driver concerns. Clemens said farmers should ensure livestock presented for cartage is ready on time, and that the animals are healthy and fit to be carted. Crouchley said there needs to be greater clarity over the chain of responsibility so drivers do not continue getting fined for actions over which they have little control. “Make sure livestock are in the yards and ready on or before the time arranged to be picked up.” Jason Herrick, Southland Federated Farmers junior vicepresident, said these issues need to be rectified to ensure the welfare of animals is looked after and there are sufficient livestock truck drivers. Training someone to not only drive a truck but to handle multiple classes of stock is a lengthy process, he said. He urged farmers to work with truck companies, to ensure they do not cause delays. A police spokesperson said they have not changed their approach to heavy traffic enforcement. “False or misleading documents can disguise drivers’ real hours of work and ultimately impact on

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PREPARATION: Operators say long haul livestock drivers are caught between maintaining animal welfare and meeting their driving responsibilities. road safety as drivers who work excessive hours are subjected to fatigue,” the spokesperson said.

Depending on the offence, fines for logbook discrepancies can vary from $150 to $500, and $2000 and

licence disqualification for drivers exceeding work time. An employer can be fined $25,000.

‘Video game’ app tests driver fatigue Neal Wallace

NEWS

Transport A HAWKE’S Bay transport operator believes a phone app fatigue test for linehaul drivers could be a sea-change for the industry. Todd Stephenson of Stephenson Transport is one of three firms trialling the alternative fatigue management system with support from New Zealand Land Transport, Transporting NZ, the police and WorkSafe. To assess their level of fatigue during a working day, drivers use an “alert meter” test on a phone app. They complete the test at

the start of the day and when they take 10 minute breaks no more than four hours apart. The one-minute test, developed in the United States, resembles a video game and tests alertness and reaction time. The app is linked to the driver’s electronic logbook. Developing the process has had input from fatigue management experts who say short and variable-length rest breaks are more beneficial than the current mandatory 30 minute break after five and a half hours behind the wheel. Stephenson said it took drivers time to adjust to the change, but the greater flexibility means they stop at appropriate places

where they can check loads and their vehicles and complete the test. If a driver requires an extension to their permitted driving hours due to an unexpected delay, their manager has information from the test showing their level of fatigue. Stephenson said after some initial driver resistance, it is working well and he believes it will benefit the heavy transport sector. “This could be an absolute seachange in terms of logbooks and working hours.” The system will be trialled for another 12 months before a decision is made whether to roll it out nationally.

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FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – November 6, 2023

Plenty to bleat about as lamb price tumbles Neal Wallace

NEWS

Sheep

EW season lamb schedule prices are falling earlier and further than many predicted, reaching levels last seen in 2017. AgriHQ senior analyst Mel Croad says the lamb schedule fell by 10-30c/kg last week, further and a week or two earlier than expected, with some companies now paying $6.50/kg, although some are still closer to $7/kg. Companies last month forecast prices would be about $6.80/kg by Christmas but AgriHQ is forecasting a schedule price just below $6/kg for late January-February. Croad said prices reﬂect market weakness and she is concerned they have been reached before the inﬂux of new season lambs for processing, expected in the North Island in the next two or three weeks.

“This is not driven by volumes of new season lamb but totally by weak markets. “The bottom line is overseas markets are paying less for our lamb than in the last few years. “We didn’t see the bounce in export values through August and September so we are starting the downside from a lower position and with competition from product coming out of Australia.” Until markets recover, Croad cannot see an immediate end to easing prices, evident by the sharp fall in average export lamb values in the past year. From January to September last

The bottom line is overseas markets are paying less for our lamb than in the last few years. Mel Croad AgriHQ

year, the average export lamb prices was $13.02/kg. For the same period this year it was $10.93/kg. Meat Industry Association data shows export returns for red meat for the third quarter of this year were worth $2.1 billion, down 21% from last year, illustrating prolonged market weakness. Sales in the same quarter to China fell 42% to $642 million. Japan was back 31% to $88m, Taiwan 4% to $75m and Korea 36% to $48m. Export returns for the year to September 30 were $10.2bn, down 11% on the same period last year. Returns from most major markets declined over that period, but there were small increases in the United States, up 2% to $2.4bn, and Canada, up 7% to $275m. Croad said last April there was hope that Chinese demand for sheepmeat would recover and that has not happened, although they are still buying but at low prices. Instead, global market weakness has been accentuated by record

OUTLOOK: Falls in the schedule price are being driven not by volumes of new season lamb but ‘totally by weak markets’, AgriHQ senior analyst Mel Croad says. volumes of Australian lamb. As parts of Australia start drying due to El Niño conditions, Croad said, the country’s current surge of export-quality lamb could be short and sharp.

However, if parts of NZ also start to dry, she said, farmers will have few sale options as store markets are soft, given concerns about the weather and where schedule prices will land.

Prime vs store: tactics for tough times levels of feed and different management. Each farmer can be NEWS quite different in what they are Livestock trying to achieve in that system across multiple stock classes. THE schedule is down, the dry is “Key is autumn to winter – you setting in and forecasts are not have got to set up for spring. looking good, making for some Spring is the most important time tough calls for farmers selling in the sheep and beef system to lambs this season. make money, so the goal must be Is it better to sell lambs as store spring feed supply and how you or try to ﬁnish them is the big feed productive animals in late question, Canterbury-based farm winter into spring. systems scientist Tom Fraser “It comes back to tactics for said. tough times. The real problem When to sell lambs can be a right now is it was too good last more complex decision than it year,” Fraser said. appears, and putting on more “The warning of El Niño has weight is not always the most been out there. Now it’s starting to proﬁtable choice. get dry, it is going to be dry in dry“Sheep and beef farms have prone regions and what to do at extremely complicated systems. They can have eight or 10 different weaning really does come back to NZ_Sep2023.ai 6/09/2023individual 2:27:57 PM farmer priorities.” classes of Farmers stockWeekly on the farm at 1any He said this is a decision every one time, all requiring different

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commercial sheep breeder needs to make at weaning and in many cases, it might be better to sell lambs as store and focus on ewe production for the following year. “If feed is limited, there is competition between sale lambs (this year’s income); breeding ewes (next year’s income); and ewe lamb replacements (future income).” All this is compounded by falls and lifts in the schedule and there’s no indication of any signiﬁcant lifts on the horizon. “The whole farm system must be considered and it may be for some framers they are better selling store lambs and looking after next year’s production. “It can be a case of holding on and holding on, striving to get the best return with that extra 2kg in weight, but that usually means

taking the lambs through into December. “You may do it, but you may well be compromising the ewes and next season’s production.”

Spring is the most important time to make money so the goal must be spring feed supply and how you feed productive animals in late winter into spring. Tom Fraser Farm systems scientist If a large proportion of the lamb crop is sold at weaning, more feed will be available for ewes, and ewe performance will lift as a result. This would mean better

performance over the following lambing, increased pre-weaning growth rates and a higher proportion of the lamb crop being sold prime at the weaning draft. “Rule of thumb can be it takes about a month post weaning to match the value of the lamb at weaning.” It’s about breaking the light lamb chain by selling a large proportion of the lamb crop as stores at weaning. By selling lambs as store, farmers are able to better manage the extra feed into their ewes over mating and during pregnancy, so they wean heavier lambs the following season. “It could be tough, it is a difﬁcult balancing act, but farmers need to prioritise for their own farm systems, management and overall business operation.”

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FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – November 6, 2023

Forestry sounds warning on expanded powers Neal Wallace

NEWS

Forestry FOREST owners fear they could be caught by regional councils tightening rules and regulations in the management of slash and improving water quality. New Zealand Forest Owners’ Association chair Grant Dodson said the sector is concerned that the response of councils to Cyclone Gabrielle may not fully acknowledge the role of erodible east coast soils, the extreme nature of the storm or the environmental beneﬁts of forestry. Owners fear the wider commercial forestry sector will be singled out for the physical damage to the east coast landscape without acknowledging that over vast areas of the coast during the storm, pine forests stabilised soil and hillsides. Peer-reviewed work by forestry researchers Scion, for example, showed that during the Auckland storms a commercial forest near the city intercepted or slowed the release of two-thirds of the accumulated rain that fell on the forest, reducing the ﬂooding impact. “Our concern is that people will not appreciate the true value of forestry and the positive impact it has around the country,” Dodson said. “We don’t want to see the unfortunate aftermath to Cyclone Gabrielle [being to] overly restrict rules on planting trees.” He said the National Environment Standards for Plantation Forestry have served the

industry well. Turning to water quality issues, Dodson said the draft Otago Regional Council (ORC) Land and Water Plan is proposing a planting setback for commercial forestry from 5m currently to 50m on slopes greater than 10 degrees. For Dunedin-based City Forests, of which he is chief executive, leaving a 50m buffer on either side of a stream wider than 3m would remove 34% of the company’s productive area. For its Waipori Forest, the reduction would be 47%. “It’ll wipe us out,” he said. Another proposal is to restrict forest owners from spraying herbicide within 20m of waterways, a condition that is more onerous than that for the application of fertiliser by livestock or arable farmers. “If regional councils truly want to achieve freshwater values, they need science-based rules and need to look at other land users,” Dodson said. For example, the ORC proposal would require consent for replanting a large area of Flagstaff Forest owned by City Forests, which is on its fourth planting rotation. Environment Canterbury is looking at the impact of forestry on water yield and on the headwaters of water catchments. Dodson said research shows that 20% of a water catchment can be planted in forestry before there is a noticeable impact on water ﬂow. Dodson said forest owners want councils to acknowledge forestry’s role in improving water quality, and he would also like landowners to see it as a viable and proﬁtable land use.

Richard Rennie

NEWS

Forestry

ORESTERS and councils are still at odds about forestry’s culpability for slash as new regulations around the management of forest waste kicked in from November 2. Announced in early October by then minister for environment David Parker, the regulations on where new commercial forests could be located also include clear rules on harvesting practices and removal of slash from erosionprone land. These include ensuring slash that is longer than 2m and wider than 10cm at its largest end is removed after harvesting unless it is unsafe to do so. The standard is a minimum across the country, with councils now given the power to apply more stringent yardsticks if they choose. The new regulations have been welcomed by Wairoa District Council mayor Craig Little, whose district was hit hard by the impact of sediment and forest waste after Cyclone Gabrielle. “David Parker really listened to us when he came down here and we have worked a lot with him to arrive at these regulations. “Before we were completely powerless here under a single national policy on plantation forestry, so we are now quite excited by what the rules mean – but I also know forestry are not entirely happy about them.” The change in rules also enables councils to have a greater say on where and how forests will be

planted. The sector has taken issue with this, claiming a lack of council resources means decisions will not adequately informed. James Treadwell, president of the Forestry Institute, said there is no doubt some councils will be imposing additional standards over and above those set out in the new rules. “But they do not always understand the difﬁculties of plantings. To be fair to Gisborne District Council [GDC], they got hammered by the ministerial inquiry so because of that they are more like to simply say ‘No’ to new forest plantings.”

But we have to make it a level playing ﬁeld regardless of land use. The solution after Cyclone Bola was to plant pines, and that did not work. Craig Little Wairoa District mayor Treadwell said he suspects there may also be a halt to new forest plantings in Wairoa. Little said he appreciates forestry companies may say it will be the end of forestry in the district, “but we have to make it a level playing ﬁeld regardless of land use”. “The solution after Cyclone Bola was to plant pines, and that did not work. We have to ensure we adopt the best land use, in a district that still has many years of slash still to come down our rivers.”

He also defended his council’s ability to manage and monitor forestry with the powers the new regulations provide. “We have a very capable regulatory team here, and we do share resources across other councils too.” The GDC’s sustainable futures director, Joanna Noble, said the council is looking into options for introducing further requirements around the management of forestry in Tairāwhiti. Warren Rance, chair of the Eastland Wood Council, said the council largely supports the updated standards to reduce the risk of forest slash and debris. However, the increased notiﬁcation requirements placed on councils will require greater support from central government to ensure councils are well resourced to develop and administer systems, he said. The broad-brush approach to removing debris from forest slopes is unlikely to achieve the desired outcome, while severely affecting the viability of the industry locally and nationally, he said. “The Gisborne District Council will need support to achieve the required improvement in mapping accuracy if these rules hope to achieve the intended outcome, and we look forward to continuing to work with GDC so we can get this important work right.” He suggested a national standard for determining the composition of residual debris would be useful, with a means for measuring debris – meaning each council would not have to develop its own tools.

CAPABLE: Wairoa District mayor Craig Little has defended his council’s ability to determine what forests should be planted where.

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FLOW: Grant Dodson said research shows that 20% of a water catchment can be planted in forestry before there is a noticeable impact on water flow.

Foresters and councils at odds on new regs

FARMERS WEEKLY ROP 11/23

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FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – November 6, 2023

Irish deal boosts Fonterra probiotics Richard Rennie

NEWS

Research

JOINT venture between Fonterra and a leading research body in Ireland holds the hope of identifying and building on the dairy co-operative’s commercially available probiotic strains for human health supplements. Announced in late October, the Fonterra Microbiome Research Centre is a collaboration between Fonterra and APC Microbiome Ireland, based at the University College Cork (UCC). APC is recognised as a global leader in research into the human microbiome, comprising a team of 25 lead researchers and their staff. Dr Shalome Bassett, Fonterra’s programme leader of scientiﬁc affairs, said Fonterra has been working with the group for the past four years. A formal collaborative arrangement represents a step up in the search for more clinically proven, commercially viable probiotic strains. Fonterra has been working on probiotics for the past 30 years and has two patented strains on the market today. One, HN001, has been proven to reduce eczema incidence in infants and to also reduce post-

natal depression and gestational diabetes. The second, HN019, has been proven to improve digestive health and reduce gut pathogen levels. Despite being known about for 30 years, the probiotic sector has remained a fraught one over claims about probiotics’ health values. Bassett acknowledged there are a variety of strains on the market, and often consumers may be unaware of what strain they are consuming, and at what rate. “And these may be strains that have no scientific evidence to support them.” Officially the definition of a probiotic strain is it is a live organism that when administered at a certain dose delivers a health benefit. “And this is how we do the work, we are clear where we stand on it, that we must have clear evidence of its benefit.” By partnering with APC, Fonterra aims to increase the rate of strain release with at least one new strain coming to market every year for the next 10-15 years. Several strains are now heading into clinical trials, with Bassett emphasising they are human health trials, not pharmaceutical trials, using placebo controls. “We are looking across a range of possible health outcomes. The

trials will maximise our ability to identify a broad range of benefits to human health.” In terms of the agreement, all IP rights are conferred on Fonterra and the co-operative has the ability to process the strains here in New Zealand. “As far as we know we are the only commercial producer of probiotics in the country.” The benefit for UCC and APC is the opportunity to publish peerreviewed papers on the findings for the strains and it provides them with their first experience working with a commercial partner. With the cost of genomic sequencing falling, Fonterra now has 500 of its probiotic strains sequenced and is adding 200 new ones every year from its library of 40,000 milk cultures. Bassett said the genomic sequencing is identifying some unique traits in NZ-sourced milk cultures, and researchers hope these will lead to some specific health benefits in the future. Another spinoff from Fonterra’s probiotic research has been the development of methane mitigator “Kowbucha”. It is a probiotic strain, isolated from the company’s library of dairy cultures, with trials showing enough early promise for Fonterra to register it as a separate company and appoint a CEO to it.

CULTURED: Fonterra’s Dr Shalome Bassett says partnering with Irish researchers at APC will accelerate the co-op’s ability to get more beneficial probiotics to market. Bassett said probiotics will be the ﬁrst research cab off the rank in the collaboration, but could lead to other work on other milk components in the future.

“Working with the Irish brings some real beneﬁts. We share similar grass-fed farming systems, and the people are great to work with.”

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FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – November 6, 2023

More and more women answering ag’s call Annette Scott

PEOPLE

Education

OUNG people need clear paths for learning and career growth and New Zealand has a duty to help them discover their passions and retain them in the food and ﬁbre industry, agribusiness manager Michael Matthews says. The Rotorua-based Perrin Ag business manager said NZ must guide its young people, including young women, to see beyond the farm gate to the exciting career prospects awaiting them. According to Ministry for Primary Industry statistics, the current gender ratio in NZ’s food and ﬁbre industry is 65:35 in favour of men. But change is in the air. According to Ministry of Education statistics, 56% of domestic students specialising in agriculture at a tertiary level in 2022 were female.

FRESH THINKING: Agribusiness manager Michael Matthews says young people offer fresh perspectives and they deserve a seat at the decision-making table.

The growing trend of young women pursuing careers in agribusiness is also evident in the applicant pool for Perrin Ag’s Empower Graduate Advisor Programme over the past three years. “Female applicants consistently represent more than 60% of our total applicants. “Each year, we prioritise selecting the most qualified candidate, but notably the last three successful appointees have all been female,” Matthews said. When NZ Young Farmer of the Year Emma Poole became the first woman to win the title in the event’s 55-year history this year she also shone a light on a path less trodden for women all over NZ. “While she may have shattered the grass ceiling, it’s no secret that farming in NZ is still primarily seen as a male-dominated industry,” Matthews said. This perception influences young women as they contemplate their future careers and higher education after high school. “Ask most teenagers what farming means to them and you might hear about the environmental impact and carbon emissions or hard and dirty work on the farm. “Few recognise the promising career prospects in fields such as science, public relations, consultancy, or the opportunities within the value chain, extending from paddock to plate.” Traditionally, young women have been underrepresented in these areas. Poole’s confidence to pursue her dreams stemmed from the inspiring lineage of women before her who have showcased the vital role of women in agriculture. “Within our pipeline, there are

many smart and capable women driven to make their mark in agriculture. They excel in their studies, yet their conﬁdence sometimes wanes upon entering the workforce.” To enact real change, these talented individuals need to nurture self-belief. “Instead of remaining on the sidelines and conforming, they should assert themselves, disrupt the status quo, and boldly tackle challenges.

When they have something to say, it’s our responsibility to listen and let their insights expand our horizons. Michael Matthews Perrin Ag “This is when true magic happens. I’ve seen it ﬁrsthand,” Matthews said. Industry must also step up. The government has indicated that NZ’s primary sector will require up to 50,000 more skilled workers by 2025. “As industry leaders, it is our responsibility to nurture and encourage the next generation, both male and female, to step up and help shape the future of farming in NZ.” Working in the primary industry or as a farm consultant doesn’t require living on a farm or coming from a farming background. “Our industry needs young people interested in science, the environment, problem-solving and aiding communities. “Those with the determination to achieve positive outcomes for our environment, our people, and our businesses are just as qualiﬁed as those raised on a farm.

KICK-START: Lincoln University graduate Abbey Dowd says the multifaceted nature of the Empower programme has kickstarted her career in farm consulting. “Since we launched the Empower programme in 2020, we’ve been inspired by emerging talent. “It ﬁlls us with hope for the future of our industry and has taught us valuable lessons.” Not only should values align, but young people also need clear paths for learning and career growth. “To retain them in the industry, it is our duty to help them discover their passions and incorporate them into their work. “As employers of this next generation, we also need to be inquisitive and ask questions. We must remain ﬂexible and open to new approaches.”

Young people offer fresh perspectives that challenge our thinking as leaders and they deserve a seat at the decisionmaking table. “When they have something to say, it’s our responsibility to listen and let their insights expand our horizons. “We must also make sure our businesses foster a culture of success.” When success is achieved, he said, you can be certain that contributions from every level of the business played a role, from recent graduates to company directors. “Let’s celebrate together and acknowledge everyone’s input.”

News

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – November 6, 2023

Sector ﬁrms struggle with sentiment Hugh Stringleman

MARKETS

Business

HAREHOLDER conﬁdence in New Zealand’s primary sector listed companies has fallen to an eight-year low and is down 22% on the 10 months since January. The S&P/NZX Primary Sector Index has sunk to 10,000, a level not seen since January 2016, having begun the year just under 13,000. The index is a composite of all 18 NZ-listed companies engaged in the primary industries of agriculture, horticulture, viticulture, aquaculture and forestry. It was launched in 2009 by local markets operator NZX and for long periods since then it outperformed what is now called the S&P/NZX All Index Gross. In other words, the gains of the share prices of primary sector companies were above those of the full share market, most notably in the period 2016 to 2021. But that chart comparison has now reversed. While the primary sector index has fallen 22% in the past year the S&P/NZX All Index has fallen only 9%.

FALL: A2 remains a big component of this year’s primary index fall, its share price being down 45% since the start of the year. The peak of the S&P/NZX Primary Sector Index was in late 2018 and in the ﬁve years since the index number has halved, which translates into negative 10% return on an annualised basis. In the three years 2015 to 2017 primary sector companies enjoyed a purple period of growth and their share prices rose by 44%, 7% and 55% collectively, consecutively. Much of the excitement during

those years was centred on a2 Milk (ATM), which soared to $20 a share, and this led to the highest market capitalisation on the whole NZX main board. Likewise, a2 remains a big component of this year’s primary index fall, its share price being down 45% since the start of the year to $4.20 currently. Market capitalisation for a2 at $3 billion is still inﬂuential as most

of the other companies within the index are much smaller. Forsyth Barr senior equities analyst Matt Montgomerie said a2 Milk’s share price performance over 2023 has fallen from a relatively optimistic period in January when the company appeared to be regaining its momentum after covid-19 problems. “The slowing Chinese birth rate

and loss of the daigou trading channel have hit hard and other marketing channels are more intensive, cutting into gross margins,” he said. For the S&P/NZX Primary Sector Index, a2 is the dog and all other 17 companies the tail. Only Fonterra Shareholders Fund (FSF, market cap $330 million) is positive over the past year, during which the cooperative achieved its share capital restructure and produced a record proﬁt. The a2 handmaiden, Synlait Milk (SML, market cap $292m), was dragged down 57%, being the worst performer. The horticultural companies, Scales (SCL), Seeka (SEK), Delegat (DGL) and T&G Global (TGG) are down 20-30% because of weather woes. Comvita (CVT) fared better, down 4%, as has Sanford Fisheries, down 5%. Montgomerie pointed out that the index contains a grab-bag of companies that fall short of reﬂecting the importance of the primary sector to NZ’s economy. “On any company quality metric over a sustained period not many would come to the top of the list in the share market.”

Synlait pins hopes on a busier Pōkeno Hugh Stringleman

MARKETS

Dairy

SYNLAIT’S senior management believes that adult nutrition is the next growth opportunity and where a third major multinational partner may be found. At an investor day held at Synlait’s northern processing plant in Pōkeno, on the Bombay Hills south of Auckland, the company said that increasing use of the comparatively new facility is a priority. Pōkeno already makes advanced nutrition products for cornerstone shareholder and major customer a2 Milk and for the giant

Abbott nutrition and healthcare multinational. Dairy-base is made for a2 infant formulas and soy-base and hybrid powders for Abbott, but Pōkeno is capable of much more volume. Adult nutrition offers synergies with infant capability and is a growing demographic. Foodservice, in particular cream products to China and southeast Asia, represent another strong growth opportunity, chief executive Grant Watson said. The ﬁrst main product is Joyhana UHT cream, and butter and cream cheeses have been identiﬁed as expansion opportunities. Equity analysts from Forsyth

Barr, who attended the investor day, said Fonterra had been making and selling these products for years and achieving Asia Paciﬁc foodservice gross margins of $1000 a tonne. “Given Fonterra’s superior pricing, strong market position and wider product range, we assume this is a near-best case scenario for Synlait,” they said. Forsyth Barr said Synlait is obliged to repay $130 million in bank debt by March next year and $180m of retail bonds by December 2024. Those requirements appear to have become harder to achieve as the dairy processing industry copes with lower market prices and

that issue brings out opportunistic offers for the Dairyworks subsidiary sale. “Should Dairyworks not be sold, Synlait alluded to all options being on the table, including equity raising, alternative debt options, selling key assets, Pōkeno or Dunsandel, and bringing in a strategic investor,” Forsyth Barr said. Watson said Synlait has maintained its share of New Zealand milk production at 4% over recent years, while total milk output is ﬂat and the number of processors is rising. It continues to provide a competitive, transparent milk price with a favourable advance

rate and no supply share requirement. Synlait is currently paying an advance rate based on a seasonal forecast of $7/kg of milksolids, a forecast reduced by $1 since it was ﬁrst issued in May. In the past month the company’s share price has traded in a band of $1.25 to $1.40, but this is well down from the level around $3.50 last summer. It is in arbitration with a2 Milk over the recent cancellation of exclusive manufacturing agreements for a2 Platinum infant formula. That capability will be shifted over time to a2’s plant in Mataura Valley, Southland.

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FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – November 6, 2023

Summer promises to run hot and cold Annette Scott

NEWS

Weather

ARMERS in the North and South Islands need to prepare for widely varying weather patterns as forecasters warn of a different kind of summer. A webinar held by Dairy Women’s Network, Ballance Agrinutrients and meteorologists provided farmers and growers with insights into how they can prepare for the intense coming El Niño. In broad terms, this year’s forecast is for a sharp change to a strong El Niño weather pattern characterised by intense and frequent west and southwesterly winds over the spring and summer months. Regions on heat watch for extended high temperatures over the next six months include Gisborne and Hawke’s Bay and, to a lesser extent, Nelson, Marlborough, Canterbury and eastern Otago. Those in areas such as Southland, Otago and Westland may be in for a bit of a “bummer summer” with some cooler temperatures and higher than average rainfall over late spring through summer, MetService forecaster Georgina Grifﬁths said. Seasonal predictions indicate

Gisborne and Hawke’s Bay are looking very dry overall while Northland, Auckland, Waikato, Bay of Plenty and Coromandel can expect modest summer rainfall. “For farmers and growers, be warned that even with modest near-normal rainfall, soils are expected to dry as the forecast dry winds are likely to strip moisture out of the soil.” Ballance’s national corporate account manager, Aaron Stafford, said farmers and growers need to understand what these weather conditions will mean on farm. “The seasons are going to be more pronounced going forward and I really think the key takeaway for those on farm is that this year’s summer is going to be very different to the last couple of seasons, wherever you are.” It will be vital to harness soil moisture and pasture growth consistency throughout spring as soils are likely to dry out post-Christmas. “You’ve really got to make the most with what you can in the early season in terms of pasture growth, good soil moisture and temperatures to harness feed availability for the following months.” Stafford highlighted the importance of nitrogen. “We’d recommend focusing on nitrogen as a pasture growth

HEATING UP: Regions on heat watch for some extended high temperatures over the next six months include Gisborne and Hawke’s Bay. promoter to maximise spring growth, leveraging conditions that are favourable for strong N response. “Don’t leave your available N inputs too late in the season as nitrogen responses will be poor when pastures are moisture and temperature stressed.” The consequences of wet autumn and winter months in parts of the country have led to a lot of leaching of mobile nutrients,

meaning low soil availability of nitrogen and sulphur this spring. “We’ve been seeing a number of nitrogen-deﬁcient pastures out there over the past few months; overlay this with good soil moisture, good temperatures, the pasture production potential is there but nitrogen will become the key limitation, so make sure you recognise to go early and drive pasture production pre-Christmas.”

Ballance science strategy manager Warwick Catto urged farmers to start thinking about how they can best prioritise their crops with advice to plant as early as possible, particularly for the regions looking to get really dry over the summer months. “In those regions you have now got a short window of moisture left to get crops in, particularly summer crops that need their roots down deep in the soil to get established and access moisture.” Catto suggested that yield potential for brassicas will be very high in the deep south and West Coast where there will be levels of summer moisture. “So make the most of the opportunity to apply nitrogen to the established crop with a split application strategy so the rates of N can be better matched to crop yield potential, depending on how the weather plays out.” Wrapping up the webinar, Stafford highlighted the importance for farmers and growers of really making the most of their nutrient products. “With increasing seasonal weather and pasture production variability, it really reinforces getting back to the basics of the 4 Rs of good fertiliser management – applying at the right time, in the right place, with the right product and at the right rate.”

Beekeepers take a win on audit shift Richard Rennie

NEWS

Apiculture BEEKEEPERS are celebrating a victory over the Ministry for Primary Industries after it dropped requirements for them to conduct an expensive and arduous audit process twice a year, reducing it back to a single annual audit. Since 2019 beekeepers have been required to conduct twice-yearly risk management plans (RMPs) as part of an audit, regardless of the frequency of the operator’s use of their honey making facility. Jane Lorimer, president of NZ Beekeeping, said beekeepers are ecstatic at the decision by the MPI to reduce the frequency back to an annual audit, representing a saving of over $2000 per premises. “This is a battle we have been having since 2019. We were told back then the change to six-monthly audits was the result of concerns Chinese importers had over honey. “But we have been arguing ever since that most of us are not operating 12 months of the year and the second audit was simply going over things already covered in the ﬁrst audit.” She said the second audit was one of a number of increasingly onerous requirements placed on beekeepers. Other costly requirements include testing for toxic tutin levels, American Foul Brood spore presence, and even glyphosate levels for Japan-bound exports. Beekeepers are also required to pay a $2500 export licence. “By the time we had done all our testing and audits we were looking at costs of about $8000 over 1500-1800 hives, before you add TRO4198_BUCCALGESIC_FW_[129x190mm].indd 1

13/9/2023 4:26 pm

in all your other operating costs. This will deﬁnitely save beekeepers money.” The amended requirements from the MPI do however require beekeepers to document actions and knowledge as part of a competency requirement to balance out the return to a once-a-year audit. The MPI document recording the change notes annual veriﬁcation reduces the cost of regulatory compliance, and that facilities that only hold honey present a low risk. “We just have to make sure we do not get any serious non-compliance or we will have to go back to six-monthly audits. Most of our members have been free of any noncompliant actions for a long time,” said Lorimer. “It is pleasing to see MPI actually listening to industry views, working with us to achieve a positive outcome.”

SWEET AS: Jane Lorimer, president of NZ Beekeepers, says the shift to audits once a year is a welcome cost and time saver for beekeepers.

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FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – November 6, 2023

News

M bovis programme handed over to OSPRI

OPERATIONAL: M bovis governance group independent chair Kelvan Smith says OSPRI will oversee operational and disease control functions under a contract for service.

Annette Scott

NEWS

Disease

HE Mycoplasma bovis eradication programme has changed hands. On November 1, OSPRI took over the day-to-day control as the programme operation moves into its next phase. M bovis governance group independent

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chair Kelvan Smith said OSPRI will oversee operational and disease control functions under a contract for service. “OSPRI’s role will include the testing of farms, managing the current active confirmed property, any newly detected farms, cleaning and disinfection and farmer support,” he said. OSPRI brings experience in disease management and surveillance, an established regional management model for disease management, streamlined engagement and operational efficiencies with existing OSPRI programmes, NAIT and TBfree. With natural synergies in running the M bovis programme alongside NAIT and the TBFree programme, there is potential for up to $15 million in savings across the three programmes. The M bovis programme partners, the Ministry for Primary Industries, Beef + Lamb New Zealand and DairyNZ, will continue to provide governance and monitor progress. MPI will retain non-operational aspects of the programme, including compensation and any necessary compliance action. “We believe our proposal will ensure the programme continues to adapt to the work that remains ahead and make the most of the significant gains made to date.” By combining resources and capability, it will allow the programme to continue to adapt to the work that remains ahead and help strengthen NZ’s biosecurity system. Farmers should not experience too much change because of the handover, Smith said. “We expect farmers to notice very little difference from current operations and the existing Government Industry Agreement (GIA) between MPI, DairyNZ and B+LNZ remains in place until a National Pest Management Plan (NPMP) is approved and established.” Consultation on an NPMP recently closed with some good submissions from farmers. “We have received submissions that are largely supportive of the proposal and the next step is to analyse and consider the feedback and update the draft proposal as appropriate. “It is expected the final proposal will be submitted to the government in early 2024. “We are planning for the NPMP to be in place by mid next year, subject to approval.” Meanwhile Smith said the programme continues to perform well. “The number of infected properties has fallen to very low levels and the major activity of the programme will be national surveillance of NZ’s cattle herd. “This makes now the right time to look where we can start capitalising on the identified efficiencies and ensure all the partners, DairyNZ, BLNZ and the government, are receiving value for their investment.” Farmers should not be affected by the move and the M bovis levies will not increase, Smith said. The M bovis programme currently has one active confirmed property and over time has cleared 280 properties, paying out compensation of more than $250 million across almost 3000 claims.

News

15 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – November 6, 2023

Handlers and hounds bring home the trophy Annette Scott

PEOPLE

Skills

EW Zealand has emerged victorious in the battle of the sheepdogs, edging out the Australians in the historic Trans-Tasman Test Series. The NZ team regained the coveted Wayleggo Cup in the hotly contested Purina Pro Plan TransTasman sheep dog trial test series hosted by the Ashburton A&P Association last month. The event had NZ’s four most talented sheepdogs and handlers taking on their Australian counterparts, vying for supremacy in the two-test series, the Kiwis tallying 642 points across the two days to take out a convincing win, 84 points ahead of the Aussies. Each team was made up of four competitors and their heading dogs, along with one judge from each country. Kiwis have now won 22 of the 36 matches since the competition’s inception in 1985. NZ Sheep Dog Trial Association

president Pat Coogan said the annual sheep dog trials are always keenly contested, and only the best of the best heading dogs get to compete for NZ against Australia. “It’s been a fabulous few days in a wonderful atmosphere. It’s always great hosting the Aussies and we always get such good support,” Coogan said. Showcasing the sport at the highest level, the competition is conducted over a special course developed with its own rules speciﬁcally for the competition. “It’s a mix of both NZ and Australian rules, making this a unique event. “It was hard fought, so obviously great to get the win in the end.

We are getting a lot more younger people, a lot more women, and they are very competitive. Pat Coogan NZ Sheep Dog Trials Association

VICTORIOUS: The New Zealand team Neil Evans (captain), Brian Dickison, Pat Coogan (NZ Sheep Dog Trial Association president and Trans-Tasman manager-judge), Leo Jecentho and Ian Stevenson. Photo: Supplied But, more than anything, it’s been about the sport. “We’ve all enjoyed the skills masterclass that both dogs and competitors have given us from both sides of the Tasman.” Coogan said it is pleasing to note that the sport is growing in NZ. “We are getting a lot more younger people, a lot more women, and they are very good; very, very competitive.” The NZ team this year had three new faces – Brian Dickison with Jake from Southland; Leo Jecentho and Tess, Waikato, and Ian Stevenson and Zac, Canterbury. Stalwart contender Neil Evans

and Tess from Canterbury headed the Kiwis with Coogan the team manager and NZ representative judge. The 2023 Australian team was captained by Stefan Cross and Echo Park Lady from South Australia with team members Pip Flower and Flowers Fang, New South Wales; Peter Oxley and Rivlin Caesar, NSW; Tom Joyce and Oakdowns Sammy, South Australia, with team manager and judge Michael Grant, the immediate past president of the Australian Sheepdog Workers Association. “Thanks go to Ashburton

for hosting the event in such an efﬁcient and professional manner. Bring on next year,” Coogan said. The 2024 test will be hosted in Geelong, Australia, in early September. The NZ team to defend the prestigious Wayleggo Cup in Australia will be selected following the NZ sheep dog championships to be held in Taranaki in May next year. With sheep and beef farming a backbone of NZ’s economy and lifestyle, sheep dogs play a crucial role, with more than 180,000 working dogs across the country.

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – November 6, 2023

News

Liz Mitchell calls for a wool revolution Staff reporter

NEWS

Wool

ASHION designer Liz Mitchell MNZM is so passionate about New Zealand wool she’s starting a revolution: The Wool Revolution – Powered by Liz Mitchell. Known for using wool in her bespoke fashion business, during lockdown Mitchell began exploring what could be done with felting NZ strong wool. Felting is the oldest textile-making technique in the world, and uses soap, water and massage to create a strong, durable material. Mitchell was given some undyed coloured wool by farmers, and she let her artistic side take flight. She fell in love with the way the material could be transformed. She began creating vessels, pet pods, and works of art. She

experimented with wet-felting larger items, creating rugs. Mitchell also looked at how needle-felting could be used for everyday household items, like cushion covers, nomadic loungers, and living fleeces.

I’m only one person, but there are thousands of us hungry for more wool in our daily lives. Liz Mitchell The Wool Revolution – Powered by Liz Mitchell Now Mitchell is sharing her work in an exhibition at Corban Estate Arts Centre in Henderson, Auckland. This Raw Material features her clothing, homeware, and an interactive space where people can reconnect with wool. It runs from October 27 to December 9.

MOOD BOARD: Mitchell was given some undyed coloured wool by farmers, and let her artistic side take flight.

“Wool is amazing. It has so many properties that we need in our everyday lives. “It’s antimicrobial, wicks moisture away from the body, has insulating properties, is low-allergenic, is naturally fireretardant, and repels waters. It’s also sustainable, regenerative, recyclable, and biodegradable. But it’s fallen from favour over the past few decades, replaced with synthetic oil-based materials that have overwhelmed us in every area of our lives,” Mitchell said. “I want to place New Zealand strong wool back on the global stage, in our homes, and in our everyday lives, using a design-led process. Wool can be beautiful. Since I’ve been on this journey I’ve met some wonderful people who are just as passionate as I am about wool. I believe it’s time for a revolution, which is why The Wool Revolution – Powered by Liz Mitchell has been launched. I’m only one person, but there are thousands of us hungry for more wool in our daily lives.” Mitchell is also opening a Wool and Natural Fibres Textile Hub at Corban Estate Arts Centre, with wet and needle-felting machines funded by AGMARDT, to enable people to experiment and research, and develop more ways to use NZ wool. To support this, Mitchell has

STRONG FEELINGS: Liz Mitchell says she wants to ‘place New Zealand strong wool back on the global stage, in our homes, and in our everyday lives, using a design-led process’. created a PledgeMe campaign with a range of woolly rewards: https://www.pledgeme. co.nz/projects/7671-the-woolrevolution-powered-by-lizmitchell “I really hope people will support our PledgeMe campaign. The crowdfunding gives us the opportunity establish a vibrant hub of enquiry and research with New Zealand wool and natural fibres. We want people to come

and discover the potential of this amazing fibre. “I think the time is right for us to take New Zealand’s strong wool and show the world just how beautiful and useful it can be. It deserves to be in our furniture, on our floors, and on our walls. We have a huge opportunity ahead of us to make a positive change with New Zealand strong wool – that’s why we need a revolution,” Mitchell said.

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FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – November 6, 2023

A packed programme for arable’s big day out Annette Scott

NEWS

Arable

RABLE farming’s big day out is set to host two international speakers in a new look programme for the research and extension event this year. The Foundation for Arable Research’s (FAR) biggest annual event, Arable Research in Action (ARIA 2023), is set for November 29, promising a wealth of inspiring talks and practical take-home messages for farmers. It also provides an opportunity for industry members to get off farm, taking the time to make important social connections as well as looking to the future of their business. FAR communications manager Anna Heslop said the programme will be different this year as there will be no concurrent talks to choose between. “We had a few comments from people that they wanted to see and listen to everything.” FAR researchers will speak on topical arable issues including using crop competition to manage weeds, extending the value of ryegrass seed crops and disease management in wheat. “It’s all about delivering information that growers can take home to manage their crops this season,” Heslop said. ARIA 2023 will host two international speakers. The keynote speaker, British farmer Rob Waterston, will talk about transitioning to more resilient arable farming in the United Kingdom. Waterston is in his third year as an arable monitor farmer with the UK Agricultural and Horticultural Development Board. He is the farm manager for the Welford Park Estate at Berkshire, managing 864ha of arable land in a rotation of wheat, winter beans and oilseed rape, with spring barley introduced to control black grass. Waterston’s ambitions are to develop a notill farming system that is sustainable, viable and carbon neutral as he strives to improve water efficiency and reduce reliance on agrichemicals by improving the farm’s rotation and soil health. The second international speaker, Primary Sales Australia chief executive Peter Broley, will lead a discussion on setting up combine harvesters for an efficient harvest. Across the Tasman, Broley is involved in a project run by the Grains Research and Development Corporation, which in 2021 identified grain and seed losses in Western Australia worth more than $300 million left in paddocks from front and other machine losses. FAR is running a series of field events for growers in the same week as ARIA 2023 in Mid and South Canterbury and Southland, which will examine combine harvesters from the front to the back to ensure as much yield as possible goes into the silo and is not left on the ground. As well as exporting seed totalling $221 million to more than 70 countries in 2022, New Zealand arable growers supply grains and seeds to make bread, pasta, beer and culinary oils, while also providing stock feed to the $20 billion NZ livestock industry. ARIA 2023 will run from 9am to 2.30pm on November 29 at the FAR Chertsey arable research site in Mid Canterbury.

NEW LOOK: Cropping farmers’ annual big day out will take on a new look programme at ARIA 2023.

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For more information go to: https://www.far.org.nz/events

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FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – November 6, 2023

News

INTEREST: Strong demand for chilled venison has seen processors paying up to $10.50 a kilogram for the product.

Diversiﬁcation paying off for venison Annette Scott

NEWS

Deer

NDUSTRY efforts to diversify are paying off with the future of New Zealand venison shaping to be a series of individual value chains. Deer Industry New Zealand (DINZ) deputy chair Gerard Hickey outlined the latest outlook for venison in his presentation to a meeting of NZ Deer Farmers Association (NZDFA) branch chairs. His message highlights how venison marketers’ efforts to diversify markets are paying off. Hickey, also First Light group managing director, said he sees the future for NZ venison involving a series of individual value chains with groups of farmers supplying animals targeting different niches. Strong demand for chilled venison has seen processors paying up to $10.50 a kilogram for product that will go into the highvalue premium market, which is a good start to the season.

“Margins are being made by processors as well and importers are relatively happy, except they can’t get enough product,” Hickey said. The frozen venison market in Europe is “not so ﬂash and that’s why we can’t be reliant on it”, he told the leaders. This further underscores the importance of efforts to move away from the commodity market, pivoting to United States retail and emerging markets elsewhere, which the venison marketers agree is the best way to lift producer returns. At the end of 2022, exporters had shipped 14% less volume on the year before to the region, with shipments now accounting for 44% of the total. As the deer industry gets smaller and diversiﬁcation progresses, it will become more “positively fragmented”, Hickey said. He sees reduced reliance on the published national schedule, which largely covers product supplied for the commodity market. What will emerge are individual

value chains of smaller groups of farmers supplying customers who want a certain parcel of venison of around 15,000 animals to be economical for market niches that will pay higher prices than the schedule. Hickey is buoyed by the positive happenings in the US, not only at retail, but food service too. US retail takes chilled, fresh, trim and leg-based products on a yearround basis, with strong and stable pricing. Focusing on US retail has already lifted that market’s share of NZ venison to 32% in 2022, up 8% on the previous year. Additional Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures (SFFF) funding had been sought from the Ministry for Primary Industries, which will be matched in thirds by DINZ and the companies for a concentrated $5 million programme in that market over the next three years. This investment will enable all ﬁve venison companies to develop their own products and brands with DINZ co-ordinating support for the companies’ activities at

trade shows, in-store promotions, public relations and social media and market research. “First Light, for example, might, pick 700 supermarkets on the West Coast, and maybe into Texas and launch our products. “We’ve got some ideas about new leg products.”

Margins are being made by processors and importers are relatively happy, except they can’t get enough product. Gerard Hickey DINZ Sales targets had been included in the SFFF application. Collectively, the companies aim to lift retail sales of manufacturing-type cuts to 1800 tonnes a year and for sales of new retail items from leg cuts to hit 300t a year by year three of the programme. One of the new niches being

explored by the marketers is demand for elk, with which US consumers are familiar. Some companies have a long history of supplying NZ Elk to their North American customers and others are developing new programmes to meet speciﬁc customer requirements. First Light, Mountain River Venison and Alliance recently launched their own new elk products. China, already accounting for 24% of exports, and up 6% on the previous year, also provides valuable diversiﬁcation. Some DINZ funding has been made available to support marketing activity in the market. Co-products and edible offal are other valuable products lifting overall returns from venison carcases. Co-products including hides, offal, sinews, pizzles and tendons can add $100 to a carcase. Among the other valuable highreturning niches being explored by marketers for NZ venison are Scandinavia and the Middle East.

Stud devastated by theft of cattle Gerald Piddock

NEWS

Livestock A SOUTH Auckland Hereford stud has lost years of genetic development after more than 50 of its cattle were stolen in late September. The theft of 22 breeding cows and 29 calves has devastated Kirstine Lereculey and Phillip Jackson, who run 450 cows, heifers and bulls at Bluff Herefords near Glenbrook. Lereculey said the loss of genetics to the herd was far greater than the animals’ monetary value. “The genetics we have lost has been catastrophic. We only purchased this herd in February and years and years of intentional breeding with bulls brought in from all around the country [went into getting] these amazing genetics, and it’s just gone,” Lereculey said.

“We have years of breeding to make up.” Jackson discovered the theft on September 28 when he went to inspect and shift the cattle. The cattle were in remote holding paddocks on the farm in two mobs adjacent to a road as Lereculey planned to shift the animals across the road to a new paddock that day. When Jackson arrived that morning, he noticed that someone been in the paddock and had damaged its newly built fence and gate. He initially thought it was just vandalism – the paddock was wet from rain and the paddock damage suggested that a member of the public went joy riding and got stuck in the mud. Jackson and Lereculey were also annoyed because their cows and bulls had been mixed up in the mobs, possibly leading to inbreeding in the herd. The theft was discovered when

they yarded the cattle to separate them back into their proper mobs. The calves were still feeding off their mothers, and with the thieves mixing the animals up during the theft, they took the cows but left the calves behind. “We’ve had calves die because their mums are gone,” Lereculey said. The stolen calves were a mix of both sexes and would have been grown and been sold as bulls or kept for the breeding herd if female. The farmers reported the theft to the police, who were sympathetic but have been unable to track down the stolen animals. “Because it was outdoors, it was pouring with rain and there wasn’t anywhere to get forensic evidence from and nobody’s life was in danger, so it’s not a priority for them and I can understand that. For us, it’s devastating.” Lereculey said she understood

CATASTROPHIC: Rustlers stole 22 cows and 29 calves from Bluff Herefords in South Auckland. that at least four other farms in the upper North Island had cattle stolen over that month. They have increased their on-

farm security and alerted stock agents. They hope the animals will be found during any attempted sale.

News

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – November 6, 2023

Buyer interest freshens farm real estate Neal Wallace

NEWS

Real estate

HE expectation that farmer buyers would be cautious in the lead-up to the general election proved correct. Real Estate Institute of New Zealand (REINZ) figures show 39 (20.5%) fewer farms were sold in the three months to the end of September compared to a year earlier. The median price per hectare for all farms sold in the three months to September was $24,730 compared to $23,140 for the same three months last year (a 6.9% increase). REINZ rural spokesperson Shane O’Brien said sales figures were as expected, given caution around the general election, the weather and lower product prices, which prompted properties to be listed later than in other years. “The month of September also saw a large number of properties come to the market across all sectors in New Zealand for the traditional spring market with a good volume of property now available.” He said agents report buyer interest is building weekly as they adjust to a higher interest rate environment and a market that

was buoyed by Fonterra increasing its forecast milk price. O’Brien said the sector has been encouraged by the slight rise in the median sale price, which shows buyers will pay for a property that meets their needs. “It is becoming apparent, though, that buyers are being very diligent around purchasing decisions, in particular regulatory compliance and land use. “Farms that don’t have the necessary consent or farming history may face buyer resistance as the market adjusts to increased levels of environmental regulation.” Demand for land for forestry and carbon conversion has been softened by recent changes to the Overseas Investment Act and the carbon price. The Bay of Plenty, Waikato and Canterbury had a reduction

It is becoming apparent, though, that buyers are being very diligent around purchasing decisions, in particular regulatory compliance and land use. Shane O’Brien REINZ

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BUOYED: REINZ rural spokesman Shane O’Brien says agents report that buyer interest is building weekly as they adjust to a higher interest rate environment and a market that was buoyed by Fonterra increasing its forecast milk price. in sales numbers but there was increased activity in the West Coast and Southland and a recovery in listings in Hawke’s Bay. For the three months to September, finishing farms accounted for 34% of all sales, grazing 27%, horticulture 10% and dairy farms 9%. In the past 12 months the median price per hectare for dairy farms has fallen 14.1%, grazing 12.9% and horticulture 20.6%. Finishing farms rose 9.4%. The median sales price for dairy farms in the September quarter was $34,325/ha (14 properties),

unchanged from the three months to August 31. For the September quarter a year earlier the median price was $39,950/ha for 18 property sales. On a milk solids basis, the median price for September was steady with the August quarter at $28.59/kg/MS, but 24.9% lower the September last year when it was $38.06/kg/MS. The $11,700/ha median price for 41 grazing farms was virtually unchanged compared to the previous three-month period but down on the $13.430/ha a year earlier.

The median price for the 52 finishing farms sold was $38,330/ ha up on $35,600/ha paid for the 56 properties sold in three months to August. For the September period last year the median price was $35,025/ ha for 58 properties. Fifteen horticulture farms sold in the three months to the end of September at a median price of $324,210/ha compared to $444,310/ha for 21 properties for the three months to the end of August 2023. For the September quarter last year, 19 sold at a median price of $408,400/ha.

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – November 6, 2023

News

Designing for friendly urban borderlands Richard Rennie

NEWS

Land

HETHER it is Delhi or Drury, urban growth slamming up against highly productive food producing land is a challenge authorities around the world have to grapple with, and those in New Zealand are no exception. Lincoln landscape architecture senior lecturer Dr Shannon Davis has led an Our Land and Water project that looks at the challenges of the “peri-urban” zone where town meets country, and ways to make better use of it. Davis said if urban design has a twilight zone, then the peri-urban area where suburbs meet rural land is where it will be found. However, rethinking this zone could provide a way to better integrate food production with residential dwelling areas, making the deﬁnition between the two less siloed and encouraging populations to stay connected to their food sources. “The project has come out of a recognition that only about 4% of our soils are LUC 1 (best quality) and much of this land is around our urban centres, and risks being built over if we continue to expand urban areas the way we always have.” She said the project has aimed to recognise that while food

production is important, so too is ﬁnding places for people to live. “It makes sense to try and harness the potential of the soil, but also its proximity to the population needing that food.” Many of the issues that presently arise when urban meets rural are a result of urban dwellers butting against larger scale, monocultural, export-focused food producers. The resulting “reverse sensitivity” issues raised by the urban fringe include opposition to crop spraying, noise, smell, and general disruption.

They were not happy to tolerate activities like the use of sprays, the impact upon water quality and animal welfare impacts, but they liked to see the animals and enjoyed the seasonality of the farms. Shannon Davis Lincoln University Davis and her colleagues interviewed residents and farmers on the outskirts of Christchurch to get a better understanding of how the two groups interact. Perhaps surprisingly they found the urban residents were relatively tolerant of the rural activities around them, to a point. “They were not happy, however,

to tolerate activities like the use of sprays, the impact upon water quality and animal welfare impacts, but they liked to see the animals and enjoyed the seasonality of the farms.” The ability to enjoy food grown “over the back fence” was a compelling attraction. Davis and her team developed a spectrum of urban-rural land-use combinations to take to survey participants. These ranged from a hardcore urban-rural divide model, through to the most favoured, which was a farm-based, publicly accessible and multi-functional greenbelt, with housing sitting in close proximity. This model was focused on local small-scale farms supplying nearest the urban centre, with more conventional exportfocused farms located outside the greenbelt. The Māori philosophy of māra kai (food gardens) and mahinga kai (food landscapes, including food resources and their ecosystems, and the production, procurement, and protection of them) sit within the model’s approach to combining people and food production. The concept of an “agri-hood” is becoming more prevalent in countries including the United States, with over 200 housing developments incorporating land cultivated either by the adjacent neighbourhood or a farming business, providing optimal green

PLANTED: Shannon Davis’s work has found urban residents would like to be closer to their food supply and are happy to share their neighbourhood with food producers. space for recreation that also serves as a food source. Another interpretation of urban models that look to integrate food production back into city spaces is from the United Kingdom, where “continuous productive urban landscapes” create corridors of productive farmland through urban areas. Davis said this is another step up from the natural corridors now more common in NZ that have been planted to link up bush areas for bird life. She also points to Cornwell Park in Auckland as a good example of what can be achieved in combining

an operating farm within an urban park. Earlier research done by her conﬁrmed residents’ strong attachment to the farm, and their enjoyment in witnessing its seasonal rhythms and activities, including lambing and calving. Davis’s place of work at Lincoln University places her at NZ’s ground zero for rapid urban expansion in the Selwyn District. It is one of the country’s fastest growing districts, and she appreciates the challenges faced close to home. But despite the rapid rate of growth, she does not believe it is too late to combine some of the study’s ﬁndings.

We’re paying more, not shopping less Staff reporter

MARKETS

Imperfect fruit and vegetables provide the same nutritional beneﬁt as their regular-shaped counterparts, yet they can often be purchased for a signiﬁcantly lower price.

Food

THE average New Zealand household is now spending $238 per week on food, 9% more than it did a year ago, new research has shown. Rabobank and food rescue charity KiwiHarvest completed their Food Waste Survey in August, interviewing 1501 New Zealanders about their food habits. Rabobank head of sustainable business development Blake Holgate said given Stats NZ data found food prices were up by 8% in the year to September, it was no surprise to see the average household food spend rising by a similar margin. The average NZ household is now spending $238 per week on food, 9% more than it was in 2022. “At the top end, the survey found there’s been a sizeable increase in the number of households now spending more than $300 per week on food – up to 21% from 15% previously. At the other end of the scale, there are now fewer Kiwis saying their household spends $200 or less per week on

Blake Holgate Rabobank

SIMILAR: Despite rising prices, the survey found New Zealanders’ grocery shopping behaviours are largely in line with a year ago. food – down to 53% from 59% previously.” Despite rising prices, New Zealanders’ grocery shopping behaviours are largely in line with a year ago. Most Kiwis continue to favour doing a main grocery shop and then “top-up” shopping as necessary (72%), with a further 19% saying they do a main grocery

shop and no top-up shopping. The remaining 10% say they only grocery shop as they need things. Holgate said the survey did, however, uncover a few minor changes in shopping behaviour, which are likely to have been motivated by a desire to keep the weekly food bill down. When it comes to fruit and vegetables Kiwis are now opting

for the cheaper, imperfect option (47% from 40% previously) as opposed to choosing the more expensive regular-shaped option (37% from 45% in 2022). “Imperfect fruit and vegetables provide the same nutritional beneﬁt as their regular-shaped counterparts, yet they can often be purchased for a signiﬁcantly lower price and therefore provide shoppers with a great alternative to help keep food costs down,” he said. “Improved attitudes towards misshapen fruit and vegetables are also likely to help reduce the amount of fruit and vegetables thrown away, thus reducing food waste and its associated negative environmental impacts.”

There was a sizeable fall in the number of New Zealanders identifying as vegan. While the percentage of vegetarians was unchanged at 9%, the number identifying as vegan dropped to 3% (from 5% in 2022). The survey also found there has been a dip in the percentage of Kiwis saying they are planning to reduce meat consumption. “Across recent surveys, we’ve seen around 30% of respondents saying they are planning to reduce meat consumption, citing a range of reasons for doing so – including perceived health beneﬁts, the cost of buying meat, and a desire to reduce the impact on the environment,” Holgate said. “These reasons continue to be the key drivers for Kiwis who say they are looking to reduce the amount of meat they eat. However, the survey data does suggest attitudes towards meat may be changing. Only 25% of New Zealanders are now saying they are planning to reduce meat consumption, while at the other end of the meat-eating spectrum, 9% of Kiwis now say they plan to eat more meat (up from 7% previously).”

News

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – November 6, 2023

RB gets banks to model emissions taxes 69% of sheep and beef ($7.6bn) unprofitable. At $150/t, 44% of dairy ($12.7bn) and 82% of sheep and beef ($8.9bn) would be unprofitable.

Neal Wallace

NEWS

Emissions

ODELLING by banks has found 82% of sheep and beef farmers would be unprofitable if they had to pay farm emissions costs of $150/tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent. The Reserve Bank asked banks to undertake the financial assessment, and said the conclusions have limitations as they were conditional on economic assumptions and the banks used various methodologies. It asked banks to estimate the financial impact on their clients of four farm emission prices, from $15/t to $150/t of carbon dioxide equivalent. The process made assumptions on the impact of revenue and expenses, that emissions pricing was introduced over two years and that the prices paid captured all direct and indirect costs linked to farm emissions. At $15/t, banks estimated 8% of dairy and 22% of sheep and beef borrowers would be unprofitable, compared to the 6% and 15% of farmers respectively who will not be profitable without any emissions pricing. At $50/t, the bank summary said

In the case of dairy farms, an extra $100 per tonne of emissions price adds approximately $1 to an average farm’s costs per kilogram of milk solids. Reserve Bank report

CAVEAT: The Reserve Bank cautioned that the conclusions have limitations as they were conditional on economic assumptions and the banks used various methodologies. the proportion of non-profitable farmers “rises substantially” to 14% percent of dairy and 44% of sheep and beef, compared to that baseline of 6% dairy and 15% sheep and beef.

This exposes banks to $4.1 billion of dairy lending and $4.8 billion in sheep and beef. An emissions price of $100/t would make 28% of dairy farm lenders (equivalent to $8.1bn) and

“In particular, the results would be highly sensitive to changes in the assumptions for milk and meat prices,” the RB report says. “In the case of dairy farms, an extra $100 per tonne of emissions price adds approximately $1 to an average farm’s costs per kilogram of milk solids, so its effect on profit is equivalent to the milk price falling by $1, and this linear relationship stays constant given the assumptions in the exercise.” Modeling for the proposed He Waka Eke Noa solution for pricing farmgate greenhouse gas emissions showed a reduction in net revenue of between 18% and 24% for sheep and beef, and 6% to 7% for dairy. In terms of output, sheep and beef production would fall

between 16% and 20% and milk solids by around 5%. The scale of the impact on sheep and beef farms was ultimately considered too severe and the proposal lost farmer support. The RB says the exercise to determine the financial impact on farmers of paying for their emissions was designed to “assess a narrow selection of climaterelated risks, while holding other risk factors constant”. These exercises on their own were limited in scope, but considered useful in providing preliminary estimates on the magnitude of the impact of climate-related risks banks can expect. “More importantly, they highlighted data and modelling challenges and supported banks’ ongoing work to find solutions to these, helping to set the stage for banks to better assess and manage climate-related risks as these risks continue to become more pronounced.” Banks are also working on a Climate Stress Test that brings together multiple types of climaterelated risks to improve capability in managing these. A secondary objective is to assess financial stability risks and to identify how banks might mitigate climate risks. It will be released early next year.

in P ODC A S T

Rich farming news for time-poor farmers. GET in FOCUS WEEKLY

22 Editorial

Opinion

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – November 6, 2023

Letters of the week Please vote, please care Andy Grant Mid Canterbury

Women taking centre stage Bryan Gibson

Managing editor

STATISTIC in a news story this week caught our attention in the newsroom – and it points to a slow revolution underway in New Zealand agriculture. The Ministry of Education says 56% of domestic students specialising in agriculture at a tertiary level in 2022 were female. Right now, the gender ratio in the sector is 65:35 in favour of men, but that looks like it will change as the next generation takes over from the current one. Looking back over the past year or so, we’ve seen Kate Acland become chair of Beef + Lamb NZ, Emma Poole win the Young Farmer of the Year contest, Amy Hoogenboom named Emerging Achiever at the BLNZ Awards and just last week Massey Agriculture gave out almost all of its major annual student awards to women. This is a fantastic trend and one that the industry needs to do all it can to nurture.

Perrin Ag business manager Michael Matthews agrees. “It’s no secret that farming in NZ is still primarily seen as a male-dominated industry,” Matthews said. This perception influences young women as they contemplate their future careers and higher education after high school. “Ask most teenagers what farming means to them and you might hear about the environmental impact and carbon emissions or hard and dirty work on the farm. “Few recognise the promising career prospects in fields such as science, public relations, consultancy, or the opportunities within the value chain, extending from paddock to plate.” Matthews touches on a key point. There is room for everyone in the food and fibre sector. But they’ll only come if that room is hospitable – if it’s somewhere they want to hang out. We’ve got a great platform to build on and many amazing pathways in place already. The likes of Rural Women NZ, Dairy Women’s Network and the Agri-Women’s Development Trust all provide support and professional development programmes that give young women a great foundation on which to build. What we then need to ensure is that the workplaces they encounter are environments that recognise their strengths,

even if they are new to others there, and not only accommodate them but make them part of the strategy for success. Globally, it’s estimated that the majority of economic activity from farming in the developing world is done by women. Even in the United States, 30% of farmers are women.

We need to ensure that the workplaces they encounter are environments that recognise their strengths, even if they are new to others there. But they face obstacles like access to land, financing and training. We don’t have that problem here as the ministry’s figures show, but we do have some work to do on our social environments and our hiring practices. Change can be difficult to manage for many and young talent is often written off as being idealistic or naive. But if we are to have any hope of solving the many challenges ahead, including the big one of attracting the talented people we need to thrive in the coming years, we’ll need to project an openness to inclusivity, a willingness to listen to a variety of viewpoints and a commitment to make room at the table.

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From the Editor

VOTER apathy is alive and well among many of the companies owned by farmers, if election turnout over the past six weeks is anything to go by. Is this a reflection of poor voting processes from our co-ops? Or a reflection of a lack of interest from the shareholders in the co-operatives they own? I recently stood for the vacant South Island position on the Ballance Agrinutrients board and was unsuccessful. Congratulations to Jared Collie, who was successfully elected. What I was shocked by was the awfully low Ballance shareholder vote of just under 10%. That is pitiful! I had talked to the chair prior to putting in a nomination and he had said it historically sat around 20%. That is still very poor and really disappoints me. I have just finished five years as a director of Co-operative Business NZ (CBNZ). If you haven’t heard of it, look it up. (www.nzcoop) This organisation was put together to promote the co-op and mutual business model and support its members. These are all member-owned businesses that operate with a co-operative philosophy. Most of New Zealand’s co-ops and mutuals are members. So I have a bit of passion for co-operatives. One of the first things I learnt at CBNZ was the seven Rochdale Principles. These are the essence of the formation and operation of all co-ops. One of the principles is “democratic member control”. This is voting at the annual general meeting and electing the directors. Since the Ballance election result came out, I have talked to others I know who are involved in co-op governance or management. Some contested director elections last year or are contesting them this year. The more people I spoke to the more examples I got of low voting percentages in contested elections. I presume the voting for AGM resolutions would be equally low. I believe many of our grandparents, greatand even great-great-grandparents would be very disappointed in our generation for this level of apathy. They sacrificed a lot in their day for the setting up and growth of the regional co-ops that have become the larger national co-ops we have today. They did that for the greater good and for future generations. We, those future generations, are not paying the respect to our ancestors that they would have expected of us, with many having little to no

Opinion

23 In My View

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – November 6, 2023

In my view ...

Methane myths meet textbook science David Frame

David Frame is a Canterbury University Professor of Physics.

YTHS are circulating within the farming community about methane’s role in climate change. Unfortunately, the recent visit to New Zealand of Tom Sheahen, an American physicist with no history of physical climate research, has added noise and confusion to debates about the role of methane in climate change. Sheahen and Jock Allison, a retired NZ ruminant scientist, wrote a piece in 2018 that also makes a number of erroneous claims. Sheahen’s speaking tour repeated many of these errors. Some of the claims they make in the paper are not coherent: at times they claim that the mainstream research community fails to account for water vapour’s presence in the atmosphere while later in the same document they concede that the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) does include an assessment of the role of water vapour. The claim that the IPCC does not account for water vapour is entirely incorrect. Every IPCC report, and pretty much every atmospheric physics textbook, discusses water vapour’s crucial role in Earth’s energy budget. In just the second paragraph of the very First Assessment Report, the IPCC said: “The main greenhouse gas, water vapour, will increase in response to global warming and further enhance it.” A few pages later it expands slightly on this point: “Water vapour has the largest greenhouse effect, but its concentration in the troposphere is determined internally within the climate system, and, on a global scale, is not affected by human sources and sinks. Water vapour will increase in response to global warming and further enhance it, this process is included in climate models.” This also gives the lie to the claim that climate models don’t include water vapour or clouds. Of course they do, and they have for decades. All six assessment reports cover these points, as do the textbooks on atmospheric physics I have readily at hand. And this is without even cracking open the voluminous journal-based scholarship on climate modelling, or the various user manuals for climate models. In his recent talks, Sheahen made a fuss about a recent piece written by two physicists, Happer and Van Wijngaarden (2019), which largely recycles old material already familiar to the climate research community. Happer and Van Wijngaarden conducted line-by-line calculations using a radiation model. This approach has been

a part of the toolkit for climate researchers for a long time. Sheahen presents this as though it were groundbreaking, and challenging to mainstream climate science. Nothing could be further from the truth. Their results generally converge with the mainstream. The errors they make are in their interpretation of the results, and in thinking that points that are news to them are news to us. For instance, Happer and Van Wijngaarden write: “Methane concentrations may never double, but if they do, WH[1] show that this would only increase the forcing by 0.8 Wm−2.” This is probably roughly in the right ballpark for the direct effect of methane, though it may neglect methane’s effects on tropospheric ozone and stratospheric water vapour – the paper is not clear on this point. Either way the result isn’t exactly news. The IPCC forcing plot shows that methane’s direct forcing effect between 1750 and today – that is, between ~700ppb and 1800ppb – is around 0.5Wm-2. Having done an okay calculation, Happer and Van Wijngaarden go on to say: “This is a tiny fraction of representative total forcings at midlatitudes of about 140 W m−2 at the tropopause and 120 W m−2 at the top of the atmosphere”, which shows a poor understanding of how budgets work. The ongoing residual is the source of the concern. I think every farmer will immediately see what is wrong with “my farm’s turnover is about $1.4 million, so I don’t need to worry about the fact my expenditure exceeds my revenue by $8000 every year”. The problem isn’t so much with what they’ve done numerically as with how they interpret it and with what they assume others have done. In his recent talks Sheahen made the claim that “everything the IPCC has been doing for 40 years has pretended the air was dry air”. This is completely wrong. Among Syukyro Manabe’s seminal contributions to climate science, for which he was awarded the Nobel physics prize, was the development of an early climate model with a hydrological cycle, and subsequently a radiative-convective model that incorporated humidity into the calculation of Earth’s energy budget. Almost 60 years after this work, a huge amount has been done to further develop these ideas and to compare the resulting models with observations. The real challenge for climate modelling is that parcels of air vary and move around. Their pressure, temperatures, humidity/ cloudiness, and chemical composition vary over time. General circulation models attempt this by applying Newton’s laws on a rotating sphere, while also taking account of the energy

Global Mean Surface Temperature relative to 1850-1900 (°C)

DATA: Global near-surface temperature changes from instrumental data for 1850-2020 according to four Source: IPCC (2021) different datasets, as well as decadal averages. fluxes between parcels of air as time goes by. Earth System models contain these features, as well as active biospheres and more thorough representations of atmospheric chemistry. Nobody claims they are perfect, but they are pretty good, at least if what you care about is understanding how climate changes as GHGs change. Climate change deniers quibble over models’ performance, while ignoring that the deniers’ own long-standing predictions of “no change” have been far further from reality. Sheahen and Allison make the strange claim that, because water vapour added to the atmosphere is present there for only a few days, it is not incorporated into the models. Instead, the assumptions in the General Circulation Models (GCMs) are that water vapour operates as a “positive feedback”, which amplifies the effects of the GHGs by two to three times. Again, this is wrong. Water vapour’s effects aren’t assumed – the processes are modelled. All climate and Earth System models have water vapour in them. GCMs and Earth system models – the sorts of models people have in mind when they say “IPCC models” – explicitly resolve water vapour. Enhanced concentrations of water vapour are not independent of GHG; they occur as a result of changes to GHG. This is why we treat water vapour as a feedback or amplifier of climate change. Other things also act as feedbacks on the direct radiative effects of GHG: clouds, albedo effects and changes in the lapse rate, which partially offset the water vapour feedback. Finally, Sheahen and Allison assert that there has been no significant increase in the world’s temperature in the past couple

of decades, the well-known and accepted “pause”. The graph above includes global mean near-surface temperatures according to several of the main data centres. They agree extremely well. They all show that between the mid-1970s and the mid-2020s there has been about 1degC of warming. There are wiggles and wobbles in the data, but the trend is clear and unmistakeable. So is the cause: it is overwhelmingly due to increases in the concentrations of greenhouse gases. Many climate sceptics would have you believe there is a vast conspiracy of thousands of scientists working together to suppress the truth. Among other flaws, the conspiracy argument misunderstands the incentives in front of scientists. If I could show that anthropogenic climate change was no threat, I would do it in a heartbeat: (1) I would win a Nobel prize; (2) I could sign an eight-figure book deal to tell the story; (3) I would annoy Greenpeace and others who have, in my view, inordinate and misplaced faith in global institutions. Major wins all around and I just don’t see the downside. There may well be any number of scientists who are deeply committed for political reasons to “the process” around climate change. But there are plenty of us who would be glad to see it gone if it could be shown to be unjustified. And as many would-be censors – from Renaissance Italy to Soviet Russia – have found out, free enquiry tends to win out over attempts to suppress it, especially over timescales longer than a decade or two. Farming leaders are free to believe or reject mainstream science. There’s a marketplace of

ideas and you are free to set your own position. If you want to bet the farm on fringe science, go for it. I don’t mind – it’s not my farm. But be aware that the more you go around claiming the IPCC doesn’t consider water vapour, line overlaps, or the logarithmic dependence of forcing on concentrations, the less anyone will listen to you because none of these things are true. Methane is a powerful GHG, partly because there’s so little of it, and it and its consequent products contribute about a third of current warming. Farmers have been fortunate to enjoy considerable influence over public policy in many areas, including climate policy. Historically, New Zealand’s provinces have been powerful the context of an urbanising world, where fewer people in 21st Century NZ have a direct affinity with rural communities, your ability to retain your influence depends increasingly on your ability to persuade others of the reasonableness of your position. Denying textbook science seems an unpromising way of going about this. • An expanded and referenced version of this article is available at farmersweekly.co.nz

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24 Opinion

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – November 6, 2023

Opinion

A big merci to our brave lads in France Alternative view

Alan Emerson

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

MUST confess to having a downer on all things French after I was awarded 9% in the School Certificate exam. At least I spelled my name correctly. I’ve changed my opinion as I thoroughly enjoyed the Rugby World Cup. It came across as impeccably organised and France certainly turned it on. It’s a little sobering when you consider our largest stadium holds just 50,000 people with Wellington at 35,000 and Dunedin at 31,000. Stade de France and Twickenham both hold over 80,000 fans. They appeared well behaved and having a lot of fun. The coverage from the fan zones was also entertaining. Those I’ve spoken to who attended the games were full of praise for the organisation and support. It was, by all counts, a friendly, fun-filled event. It was made even more poignant by the New Zealand museum at

a town 200km north of Paris, Le Quesnoy. The Kiwis liberated the walled village in 1918 with no loss of civilian life. Seeing Place des All Blacks in the middle of France, not to mention Avenue des NéoZélandais, was special. Sadly, the same can’t be said for the final, which was a disaster. Having said that, I was incredibly proud of the All Blacks display. Playing most of the match with 14 men and missing by just one point is a monumental achievement. The English match officials didn’t cover themselves in glory and what Sam Cane did that Siya Kolisi didn’t had me stuffed, as did the decision not to award NZ a penalty over the final scrum and the mistaken penalty over Ardie Savea that gave the South Africans three points. The quarter- and semi-finals all flowed well, with little reference to the video referee. The final was a complete anticlimax with pedantry winning over play. My match result would be players zero and officials 10. It was all the more frustrating having watched the Black FernsWales game the previous night. It was a spectacular game to watch, with the refereeing being superb as it has been in all the women’s Tests. Perhaps if instead of neutral referees we insisted on female officials, matches would flow better. Aside from the final the game I enjoyed most was the All Blacks’ Irish match. It would have been the best game in decades and could have gone either way. At the end of the game I was exhausted, which was amazing as I hadn’t

TRY, TRY AGAIN: All Black Will Jordan was the top try scorer at the Rugby World Cup, but his team was pipped for the title by South Africa. Photo: rugbyworldcup.com left the couch. It was a hard, open game played in excellent spirit between two evenly matched teams. The English-South African semifinal was predictable and certainly not the entertainment value of the ABs-Irish game. It was also a niggly affair.

Playing most of the match with 14 men and missing by just one point is a monumental achievement. I was more than a little surprised when World Rugby said it couldn’t conduct a hearing into the accusation of a racist slur from the Springbok hooker before the final because it “didn’t have time”. Life obviously moves at a glacial pace at World Rugby HQ. To then claim it didn’t have enough evidence days before the final was ridiculous, leading to speculation as to what World Rugby would

have done if an English player was alleged to have made a racist slur to a black South African. The NZ Rugby Union (NZRU) didn’t cover itself in glory either with the continual fifth column attacks against Ian Foster. Foster, to his credit, maintained his dignity under extreme provocation. I’d humbly suggest that incoming coach Scott Robertson is untried at international level and that what Canterbury demands isn’t necessarily what’s good for NZ Rugby. Further, selecting the new coach that far ahead of the Rugby World Cup was, in a word, crass. While I’m in critical mode, the treatment the Black Ferns are getting is diabolical. The publicity for the recent Women’s International series in NZ has been abysmal and the general support needs an upgrade. The rugby has been great for those who knew the games were on and the attendance at the grounds was embarrassing.

Someone should politely inform the brains trust at NZRU HQ that half the population are women and they play good entertaining rugby, on occasion even more so than their male counterparts. Looking to the future, there will be many new faces in the All Blacks with some of the greats retiring. The locking partnership of Sam Whitelock and Brodie Retallick will be sorely missed as will Aaron Smith, Richie Mo’unga and the irrepressible Dane Coles. The next selections under the new coach will be interesting. That will be especially so considering the super new format about to come into force in 2026, with two competitions each having 12 teams. At this stage I remain unconvinced. So sincere thanks to Captain Sam and every player who was in the All Blacks team and to head coach Ian Foster with assistants Joe Schmidt and Jason Ryan. You made us proud.

Diversity’s a winner from the ground up Seeds of tomorrow: Perspectives from Future Farmers

Findal Proebst

Findal Proebst grew up on a diverse biodynamic farm near Motueka and works as a soil health consultant in Christchurch

E DON’T plan landscapes well, yet. The future of our food supply and society depends on a deep rethink of how we use space, for everything from housing and conveniences to farmland and recreation. Multifunctional landscapes, by definition, can meet many complementary outcomes, using less area than individual separate land uses would. They do require more planning as they are more complex, but this is far outweighed by the increased utility gained and decreased land area required. For example, the strategic allocation of land to diverse farming and conservation based on its suitability for that land use. Our farmers understand that how well a landscape is planned, and its resources managed, determines

the health and impact of the ecosystem services it can provide to our society. Therefore, the creation of well-managed and diverse agricultural landscapes can meet multiple landscape services, while also producing food and fibre in a profitable way.

Designing ecologically and practically diverse farmscapes has the potential to strengthen New Zealand’s entire farming system As a diverse collective, Future Farmers agrees that designing ecologically and practically diverse farmscapes has the potential to strengthen New Zealand’s entire farming system. Ecological diversity meaning the diverse

presence and abundance of native and endemic species within agricultural landscapes, but also the diversity of productive outputs. The agricultural sector is a critical player in achieving regional and national conservation goals and it is clear that our native flora and fauna can play a much larger role in our farming landscapes. Agricultural land currently makes up 60% of NZ’s total land use, yet we are just now starting to develop a national strategy for managing and restoring biodiversity on farms. Nor are there current regulations or consistent mechanisms for measuring and improving biodiversity outcomes despite farmland, particularly pastoral landscapes, being a significant habitat for NZ endemic species. Native species can be fully

integrated into the active farm system itself as medicinal, shelter and grazed species. Similarly, the exotic species we grow, harvest and farm can be diversified. For example, at the farm scale, increasing the diversity of plant species growing together supports healthy and diverse soil life. By creating farm systems that have both high native biodiversity and crop diversity, there is greater ecological resilience in times of climatic stress such as fires and floods. Beneficial invertebrates and insects attracted by these habitats also provide protection from fungal, bacterial and pest insect attack on fragile crops, potentially reducing reliance on chemical intervention. Diversification can provide Continued next page

Opinion

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – November 6, 2023

The unmeasurable moments of farming

Daniel Eb

Daniel Eb helps Kiwis connect with farming through his agency Dirt Road Comms and Open Farms. His family farms in Kaipara. eating.the.elephant.nz@gmail.com

AVE you heard of FarmBot? Imagine a vege bed. Now add a robot hovering over it – think Tetris or a rugby stadium spider-cam. This gizmo will sow seeds, water, weed and precision-fertilise plants. Outside of planning the layout from your smartphone, pruning and harvest, the whole process is automated. I hate the thing. On the surface it ticks many of my practical and ethical boxes. It empowers people to grow some of their own kai. It’s particularly well suited for kids to learn about growing (and in this case technology too). It’s a timesaver in a busy world. On paper, FarmBot makes a lot of sense. But when we break down growing food into digital scripts and procedures, we risk losing the things that make it deeply special. It’s often hard to accurately name these things. They are feelings, gut intuitions and instincts. You can’t measure them. They don’t appear Continued from previous page

farmers with additional economic security as they have a variety of cash income streams.

in an app or any report. A lot of us aren’t great at talking about them – either because we don’t have the right words to describe them, or we worry about sounding soft. These things can’t be automated. They are only learnt, and earned, with dirty hands, repetition and mistakes. To help me write this piece, I asked a few farming friends for their unmeasurable moments of farming. Here’s what they said. Navigating a tractor to get the perfect line. Listening from afar to hear an animal in distress. That soft light for just a minute or two before dusk starts. A dog in full flight turning the mob at just the right moment. Measuring distance by eye. The satisfaction of a completed fence. Sadness at putting an animal down. The joy of saving an animal. Slowing down the bike to glance at some natives and thinking “they’re getting there”. Grading tracks with the right fall by eye to ensure water goes in the right direction. Watching water go in the right direction. Sensing the moment when a bull decides it doesn’t actually want to listen to you anymore. The buzz of a woolshed working at its peak. Reading an animal on the move – knowing when to push and when to let it find its way. The little spiel Mum gives when serving up “meat from the farm” to guests. Watching a new dam fill up for the first time. Seeing a kererū in full flight. Knowing what’s wrong with an animal by look and sound. Hearing the land tell you what it needs – a rest or maybe some fert. When your child completes a farm job for the first time. Showing friends and family around the farm. The rush of making a big decision to try something new – knowing it’s a gamble but doing it anyway. The right answer to the question The why has been explored, so what about the how? The more simple a system, the more fragile. While it is important to balance the trade-off between

ROBOTIC: Have a look at this automated all-weather vegetable patch. Now think about watering the vege garden after a long day, with a cold beer, just as the light turns.

Navigating a tractor to get the perfect line. Listening from afar to hear an animal in distress. A dog in full flight turning the mob at just the right moment ... “is farming more science or art?” is it’s obviously both. A deep understanding of the relationships between plants, animals and the natural systems we farm with is essential. New agri-tech tools make these relationships visible in language, numbers and concepts we can understand and act on. New products add safety and scale, diversity and efficiency, we can diversify our landscapes to ensure NZ’s food and fibre systems are fit for a more challenging and changeable future.

while often reducing cost and drudgery. Science and technology are undoubtedly a big part of the pathway forward for agriculture. But this article is about giving a voice to the other side of the innovation ledger. The art side. It’s an appreciation of the things that we stand to lose in the face of automation. Things like a dulled sixth sense for stock health when we rely too much on data from a collar. It’s the absence of birdsong or watching an animal face the wind because the hedge had to make way for the irrigator. It’s leaving the dog in the kennel or missing a cow’s dodgy leg because we chose to round up using a drone. Like with all things in farming and life, it’s about balance. As science and technology move

forward ever faster, we also need to learn to talk about and unashamedly love the softer, unspoken and hard-to-measure parts of farming. The art side. Because make no mistake about it, these things matter. They are the “why” of farming. They drive good intergenerational decisionmaking. They are the source of resilience in crisis. They are the story we tell to help people reconnect with farming. Two farm writers who have helped me develop an appreciation for the art behind farming are Wendell Berry and James Rebanks. I think they would appreciate one of my favourite moments – one that no Tetris gizmo will ever take from me: watering the vege garden after a long day, with a cold beer, just as the light turns.

Continued from page 22

other co-op elections recently, but wanted to, please give feedback back to the prospective co-op(s). I know Ballance is conducting a review into this election to see what can be done to improve engagement/participation. Farmers (co-op owners), please get more engaged, please vote, please care. We are so lucky to have so many large co-ops in NZ. Many other agricultural nations have lost theirs. I don’t want that to happen here, do you?

engagement in the co-ops that their ancestors started and worked hard to support and grow. Most farmers are shareholder owners of more than one co-op. So if you don’t vote in one election, do you vote in any? I really hope if you do not vote, that you do not say anything bad about the performance of the co-op(s) either. I have spoken to Ravensdown’s chair and he has allowed me to publish its voting percentages. At its recently contested South Island election, 27% of its South of the Island shareholders voted. Better Farmers Weekly is published by GlobalHQ, PO Box 529, Feilding 4740. New Zealand ISSN 2463-6002 (Print) than Ballance, but in my opinion ISSN 2463-6010 (Online) Phone: 0800 85 25 80 Website: www.farmersweekly.co.nz Best letter each week wins anything under 50% EDITOR ADVERTISING Debbie Brown 06 323 0765is completely a quality Victorinox Bryan Gibson 06 323 1519 Noticeboard/Word Only/Primary Pathways unacceptable. Andy Whitson 027 626 2269 bryan.gibson@globalhq.co.nz classifieds@globalhq.co.nz New Media & Business Development Lead Hiker knife As Ravensdown and Ballance EDITORIAL andy.whitson@globalhq.co.nz Grant Marshall 027 887 5568 Carmelita Mentor-Fredericks upManager virtually the whole Real Estatemake Partnership Steve McLaren 027 205 1456 editorial@globalhq.co.nz Auckland/Northland Partnership Manager realestate@globalhq.co.nz Neal Wallace 03 474 9240 fertiliser industry in NZ and steve.mclaren@globalhq.co.nz neal.wallace@globalhq.co.nz Andrea Mansfield 027 446 6002 Colin Williscroft 027 298 6127 Jody Anderson 027 474 6094 Salesforce over director 33% of farmers are dual colin.williscroft@globalhq.co.nz Waikato/Bay of Plenty Partnership Manager andrea.mansfi eld@globalhq.co.nz it still shows very shareholders, Annette Scott 021 908 400 jody.anderson@globalhq.co.nz annette.scott@globalhq.co.nz little interest from shareholders in Donna Hirst 027 474 6095 PRODUCTION Hugh Stringleman 09 432 8594 Lower North Island/international hugh.stringleman@globalhq.co.nz Lana Kieselbach 027co-ops. 739 4295 their fertiliser Partnership Manager Gerald Piddock 027 486 8346 production@globalhq.co.nz donna.hirst@globalhq.co.nz gerald.piddock@globalhq.co.nz I know LIC and DairyNZ’s voting Advertising material adcopy@globalhq.co.nz Send your letter to the Richard Rennie 07 552 6176 Grant Marshall 027 887 5568 richard.rennie@globalhq.co.nz turnouts very recently South Island and AgriHQ WRITE TO The SUBSCRIPTIONS 0800 85 25 80 are under Editor at Editor, Farmers Weekly Nigel Stirling 021 136 5570 Partnership Manager subs@globalhq.co.nz Farmers Weekly 30%, depending on a vote basis or a nigel.g.stirling@gmail.com grant.marshall@globalhq.co.nz P.0. Box 529, Feilding P.O. Box 529, Feilding PUBLISHER Javier Roca 06 323 0761 shareholding basis as well. or email us at Dean Williamson 027 323 9407 Livestock Partnership Manager 027 602 4925 Printed by Ovato NZ Ltd farmers.weekly@globalhq.co.nz • FAX 06 323 7101 If there is a reason youEMAIL couldn’t SPACE SAVER: Multifunctional and biodiverse landscapes require more planning as they are more complex, Delivered by Reach Media Ltd dean.williamson@globalhq.co.nz livestock@globalhq.co.nz farmers.weekly@agrihq.co.nz or didn’t vote in these or any but this is far outweighed by the increase in utility and decrease in the land area needed, Findal Proebst says.

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26 People

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – November 6, 2023

People

The second spring of Southland’s tulips Hectares of vibrant tulips in Southland each spring draw many sightseers, but these are the only Kiwis to enjoy the blooms. The flowers are not picked, but stripped of their petals in the field, and the bulbs are shipped abroad to be persuaded to flower again. Gerhard Uys reports

T’S one of the busiest times of the year for the team at Southland tulip grower Triflor. Over the past few weeks hordes of tulip admirers flocked to Edendale to take selfies with tulip paddocks in full bloom as the background. Drones zoomed everywhere for aerial photos, photographers lined up to take their turn at climbing a ladder for better angles, oohs and aahs in languages from all over the world were heard, and yes, every now and then the Triflor staff had to nudge the public on Facebook, and from within the paddocks, to stay out of the actual flower beds. “We are not a tourist destination,” says Triflor operations manager Rudi Verplancke, “but it has become part of Southland.”

We are not a tourist destination, but it has become part of Southland. Rudi Verplancke Triflor But the selfie-taking tourists are not what keeps the Triflor team busy. Critical production phases are in full swing, Verplancke says. Triflor grows 110ha of tulips, with bulb exports to fill demand gaps in the northern hemisphere markets as their main production goal. At this time of year every flower planted for bulb export has to undergo virusing. During this process every plant is manually checked to see if it carries disease. If a plant flower is diseased, the

flower is broken off and a drop of Roundup applied to kill the bulb and get rid of the plant, Verplancke says. After this process all plants are debudded, with the flower taken off mechanically by a fit-forpurpose machine. After debudding, plants don’t automatically die and irrigation is still essential. Plants begin to change colour and die off around mid December, he says. Bulbs are then removed from the ground and sent to Triflor’s processing facility nearby. “Some varieties are going to be washed, other ones are going to be graded. It all depends how prone they are to fungal diseases. The ones prone to fungal disease should not get wet,” Verplancke says. Commercial bulbs destined for the export market are stored, and the planting stock is graded. Planting stocks are stored until mid-March when planting begins, Verplancke says. Two-thirds of all the bulb stocks are for exports, he says. After harvesting in summer, bulbs are held in a temperaturecontrolled environment. Control starts at 25degC, with the temperature then dropped to 23degC, then 20degC. “The process speeds things up and cuts out the natural dormancy period.” Bulbs are shipped at 2degC in reefer containers that simulate winter during transport. Once they arrive at their destination they are moved to glasshouses where they begin flowering as they “think it is spring”, Verplancke says. The Netherlands still has

FLOWER ARRANGING: Triflor New Zealand grows a lot of orange tulips for Halloween in the US and Canada, and a lot of red tulips for Thanksgiving and Christmas in those countries.

massive influence on the tulip industry here and worldwide. “There’s 10,000 hectares of tulips grown in the Netherlands and probably 300ha altogether in New Zealand,” he says. Trading and exports are done through the Netherlands office and this is also where new breeding lines come from. Triflor New Zealand exports about 55 million bulbs every year. Together with Triflor Netherlands, bulbs are sent to the United States, throughout Europe and Thailand. The NZ branch was established to prolong the northern hemisphere season. “You can trick a tulip to flower out of season. But you have to give it the temperature treatment,” Verplancke says. “We’re filling in the gap for the northern hemisphere flower production from August until Christmas and making the season longer.” Traditionally the tulip season for cut flowers in the northern hemisphere was from Christmas until Easter. The northern hemisphere now extends its season until about May, with southern hemisphere growers like Triflor in NZ filling in gaps. Tulips are now supplied worldwide by Triflor for eight months, he says. NZ bulbs help meet tulip demand especially during holiday seasons in the United States and Canada. “If people drive past our fields they see a lot of orange. That’s for Halloween. That’s massive. Yellow because that goes nice with orange [and] gives you that autumny colour theme. Purple, is also another autumny colour, and red for Thanksgiving and red for Christmas. That is the market we’re producing for,” Verplancke says. There are several reasons Triflor New Zealand does not export flowers. Firstly, flower exports are done from the Netherlands. Secondly, plants grown for bulb

OUT OF SEASON: Operations manager at Triflor Rudi Verplancke says ‘You can trick a tulip to flower out of season, but you have to give it the temperature treatment.’ export have to flower for bulb growth to be optimal. If flowers are harvested when they are already flowering, they will not reach their export destination in good nick, he says. The amount of flowers grown would also flood the entire market and there would be a price crash, Verplancke says. Demand for fresh flowers is also an issue, he says. “If people ask me why we don’t sell flowers I answer them with a question: ‘How many bunches of flowers have you received from your husband over the last year?’ and that’s my answer.” Verplancke says growing tulips starts with “finding good land”, which means “free draining soil”. “We plant around Anzac Day in April. They’re sitting dormant in the soil for a long period. Freedraining soil means they don’t get waterlogged and are not damaged.” Weed control in winter is also essential because if not done correctly production is “one step behind” when plants emerge, he says.

Every year experts from the Netherlands fly in to help with planting and harvesting. The Southland climate is perfect for tulips, he says. “It never gets too warm. It never gets too cold. There’s never real hard frost. A tulip loves water. Anywhere north of Dunedin is going to be too warm,” Verplancke says. Production issues such as weather are all manageable, but staffing and immigration issues are a real challenge. “We have a core group of people here in New Zealand. They are well trained and come back [every season]. On top of that we need seasonal expertise from the Netherlands to help us with harvesting,” he says. But some processes need experts, and in times of staff shortages a job that an expert needs to do can’t simply be handed to someone else, he says. Verplancke moved to NZ 26 years ago and even though his role has changed to an often office-based planning role, he says the beauty of the bulbs is still magic.

NOW YOU SEE THEM: The Southland flowers are stripped of their blooms. Triflor in New Zealand exports the bulbs to be grown in glasshouses, and does not export fresh flowers.

Technology

27 Technology

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – November 6, 2023

FAR probe site aids with irrigation calls Annette Scott

TECHNOLOGY

Soil

SOIL moisture monitoring demonstration site developed in Canterbury aims to help farmers with their irrigation management decisions. Probes installed at the Foundation for Arable Research’s (FAR) Kowhai Farm near Lincoln will allow farmers to follow and compare the readings of different soil moisture probes.

By familiarising yourself with each one, you will see how easy it is to understand the information that is used to make management decisions. Chris Smith FAR The project aims to look at the various soil moisture monitoring services commercially available to arable growers. Growers are invited to log in to any one of the nine providers’ portals to check out what moisture probe readings look like on the companies’ software platform. “By familiarising yourself with each one, you will see how easy it is to understand the information that is used to make management

decisions,” FAR technology manager Chris Smith said. Moisture probes are a valuable tool for managing the timing and application rate of irrigation, particularly at critical growth stages of a crop’s development. Multi-level probes add an additional benefit for monitoring the movement and penetration of moisture in the root zone after rain or irrigation. Growers are encouraged to use moisture probes as part of their best practice for the irrigation audit process. “This is so they have evidence to justify application rates or timings and prove that they are not creating potential leaching issues from over-applying, as they can illustrate they are keeping the moisture within the root zone,” Smith said. Most probes also monitor soil temperature, which is useful at the shoulders of the season to make sure any irrigation events don’t cool down soils too much. Both temperature and moisture are also critical measurements for fertiliser applications or planting timings. Probes can be calibrated, but it is important to understand most show a trend in a farm’s soil, getting proportionally drier or wetter in the root zone or at different depths within the soil profile. “It is arguably of greater value to have the field capacity and stress point for that specific

ON SITE: Soil moisture probes at the demonstration site on FAR’s Kowhai Farm near Lincoln. probe set up correctly, taking into consideration the soil type, crop type and adjusted for growth stage (root zone depth). “That is why moisture probes should be installed by the providers, adjusting the graphs once the probe has bedded in and had a decent weather event. “This is also the reason it is best to install them in winter when setting these parameters is much easier because of the opportunities to reach ﬁeld capacity.” The season’s results will be reviewed in June each year.

KEY: Moisture probes are a valuable tool for managing the timing and application rate of irrigation, says FAR technology manager Chris Smith.

Farmers can access the moisture probe providers’ portals and logins on the FAR website at https://www.far.org.nz/ research/research-resources/moistureprobe-trial-at-kowhai

Energy-friendly ammonia in the works? Charlie Williamson

TECHNOLOGY

Fertiliser

CENTURY ago a fertiliser production process paved the way for increased food production across the globe through the use of ammoniabased nitrogen fertiliser. Called the Haber-Bosch process, it works by combining nitrogen from the air and hydrogen using high pressure and heat, and its efﬁciency over other methods resulted in 50% of the world’s food producers relying on ammonia fertiliser. However, despite its many beneﬁts, the process isn’t cheap or environmentally friendly, accounting for 1-2% of global energy consumption and CO2 emissions. In response to this, scientists from Germany’s Helmholtz Institute for Renewable Energy claim to have pioneered a new ammonia production process that could provide an alternative to

the Haber-Bosch process, using off-the-shelf lasers to break the chemical bonds, a process needed for ammonia production. They say it could be used with renewable energy to produce

sustainable fertiliser, offering hope for an alternative to traditional methods at a time when traditionally produced fertiliser is both unsustainable and expensive. The new process has broken

NEW METHOD: Ammonia fertiliser, the foundation of modern nitrogen fertilisers, is made using an energy-intensive process, but researchers are trialling a promising new method.

all current energy use and yield records, Huize Wang, from the Helmholtz Institute for Renewable Energy, told chemistryworld.com. “We have achieved an unprecedented yield under room temperature and atmospheric pressure conditions, notable when compared to other methods,” he said. Victor Mougel, an expert in electrochemical transformation at ETS Zürich, said being able to be made at room temperature means the ammonia could be produced where it is needed, also saving on transportation costs. “These alternative methods are potentially more sustainable than the Haber–Bosch process, which is very energy intensive as it operates at high temperature and pressure and contributes to carbon dioxide emissions,” he said. “As the process works in ambient conditions it offers operational ﬂexibility, as well as the environmental beneﬁts with that.” The next step is understanding how the method could be scaled up to be commercially viable,

These alternative methods are potentially more sustainable than the Haber–Bosch process, which is very energy intensive as it operates at high temperature and pressure and contributes to carbon dioxide emissions. Victor Mougel ETS Zürich something Ifan Stephens, an expert in electrochemistry and nitrogen ﬁxation at Imperial College London, is sceptical about. “I’m not certain [these] high rates can be sustained for long periods of time,” he said. “Moreover, the fact that it is a batch process, as opposed to a continuous process, would pose signiﬁcant limitations to its viability.” Researchers are trialling several different methods for scaling up production.

FEDERATED 29 Fed Farmers

FARMERS Vol 1 No 9, November 6, 2023

fedfarm.org.nz

Visa wage requirements ‘untenable’

ederated Farmers and DairyNZ will ask the new Government to remove the requirement that Accredited Employer Work Visa holders be paid at least the median wage. “That wage requirement is simply untenable for the mostly entrylevel farm assistant migrant staff needed to plug dairy workforce gaps,” Federated Farmers dairy chair Richard McIntyre says. The result is that farmers who can’t find New Zealanders to fill roles in a tight domestic labour market, and who are desperate to relieve pressure on already over-stretched existing staff, are forced to pay way over the odds for the entry-level migrant worker. This undermines the financial viability of the business in a climate of high input costs and lower milk payouts, McIntyre says. “Or it means the farm manager and owner can’t afford to hire, and takes on the extra hours themself, risking burnout and their own health.” Federated Farmers and DairyNZ are waiting for the counting of special votes and conclusion of coalition negotiations to seek an urgent meeting with the two new Ministers of Immigration and Agriculture. While some arable, sheep and beef farmers also employ migrant workers under the Accredited Employer Work Visa scheme, most applications are from the dairy sector. “While the dairy sector supports – and can prove – payment of competitive wages for skills and

experience, the reality is New Zealand-equivalent farm experience is not readily available overseas,” McIntyre says. That means most of the international workforce enter New Zealand as entry-level farm assistants. “Some have never been on a farm before, let alone have worked with stock or know how to drive a quad bike or side-by-side. The farm needs to invest considerable time and money to bring them up to speed,” McIntyre says. “To have to pay an entry-level worker around $69,000 for an average 45-hour dairy working week is completely untenable for most farmers.” It also has a significant distortionary effect on wage budgets. “When more experienced Kiwi staff who have worked hard to make progress along their career pathway learn a total ‘newbie’ is paid more than them, quite naturally, they’re unhappy.” The situation will worsen in February when the median wage is set to rise from $29.66 an hour to $31.61. A Federated Farmers survey in March this year found just under one third of farmers employed migrant staff, and 73% of those farmers had employed staff under a visa requiring them to pay the median wage. Nearly three quarters of those paying the median wage under visa conditions said this had caused an increase in other wages on farm. “When they simply can’t afford to

DOESN’T ADD UP: A requirement to pay the median wage to new, entry-level migrant workers is unaffordable for some farm operations, Richard McIntyre says.

When more experienced Kiwi staff who have worked hard to make progress along their career pathway learn a total ‘newbie’ is paid more than them, quite naturally, they’re unhappy. Richard McIntyre Federated Farmers dairy chair hire the staff, many farmers work the extra hours themselves. Our survey found 72% of respondents considered their mental health had suffered due to the difficulty and

cost of employing and retaining labour,” McIntyre says. He says farmers are a resilient and hardworking bunch “but there is a limit – they can break, and this flows on to their families, communities, and businesses”. When Federated Farmers and DairyNZ meet with the new Ministers, we’ll be making it clear that the dairy sector is working hard to make farming jobs more attractive to increase our workforce, McIntyre says. “Through The Great Futures in Dairying plan, we have plenty of initiatives underway to sort out that pipeline and get Kiwis into farming jobs – but migrant workers

still have an important role to play. “Shifting demographics mean we have a reduced number of workingage New Zealanders in our domestic labour pool, and we’re still seeing that a lot of people would prefer to live in big cities like Auckland than in rural communities. There are some real challenges that we need to overcome. “That’s why we need reasonable access to international employees to plug the workforce gaps left by New Zealanders,” McIntyre says. “For me, the problem is very clear – but so is the solution. I think the new Government has a real responsibility to act to help take some of the pressure off farmers.”

Rural Roadshow 2023 Join staff from Horizons Regional Council to hear about our upcoming freshwater reform engagement on water quality targets. For more information visit horizons.govt.nz or freephone 0508 800 800.

2.30pm Thursday 2 November, Āpiti Tavern, Āpiti 2.30pm Friday 3 November, Te Matapihi - Bulls Community Centre, Bulls 2.30pm and 6pm Monday 6 November, Whanganui Jockey Club, Whanganui 10.30am Thursday 9 November, Woodville-Pahiatua Racing Club, Woodville 2.30pm Monday 13 November, Rangatira Golf Club, Hunterville 5.30pm Monday 13 November, Ohakune RSA, Ohakune 10.30am Tuesday 14 November, Taumarunui RSA, Taumarunui NEW DATE - 2.30pm Wednesday 22 November, Levin RSA, Levin 6pm Wednesday 22 November, Palmerston North Cosmopolitan Club, PN

Federated Farmers

November 6, 2023 – fedfarm.org.nz

Mediation ‘took the fear away’, says couple

couple who have been through farm debt mediation say the process was a huge help and released a lot of pressure. Facing foreclosure last year, dairy farmers Steve and Carol (names changed to protect their identity) agreed to take part in the Farm Debt Mediation Scheme. “Our debt loading wasn’t actually that high – we had about 51% debt to equity ratio – but we weren’t making profits, and it’d been like that for about three years. We’d been through droughts, we’d been through floods, and heaps of other challenges, but the bank was putting the screws on us, putting the pressure on,” they say. “So, in the end we went to bank mediation. We were absolutely petrified but our mediator Tony Wilding was so good – he completely took the fear away.” Run by the Ministry for Primary Industries, the Farm Debt Mediation

Scheme gives struggling farmers the chance to work through debt problems with their bank, using independent mediators. By law, banks must offer mediation before taking any debt enforcement action against farmers or farm businesses. Also, farmers can ask for mediation at any time. Steve and Carol say that, leading up to their mediation in November last year, they were under incredible stress and were “at our wits’ end”. When the bank offered mediation, they weren’t sure what to expect. “The bank gave us a number of mediators to look at, and we chose two or three, and then the bank chose one out of that. Tony came out and saw us before the mediation meeting, so he could find out everything about our situation. “He made us feel like decent people when our confidence was really low going into it. “He could see the big picture and he said, ‘You’re in a very sticky

situation with the bank, but look, you’ve got this, this and this option’. He really challenged us to look at our options and he took away that huge mountain of fear.” The Reserve Bank warned on October 26 that, while defaults in banks’ agricultural lending portfolios are currently low, they’re expected to increase and could accelerate if there is a prolonged period of high costs and low prices. Federated Farmers is keen to raise awareness of the mediation scheme and help farmers understand how it works, Federated Farmers’ national board spokesperson for banking Richard McIntyre says. “We’re urging farmers out there who need it to make use of this scheme, because it brings the parties together to find the best way forward.” “It’s about coming up with a plan, which sometimes means it’s a managed exit, or it could be to subdivide a couple of the back

HELPING HAND: Run by the Ministry for Primary Industries, the Farm Debt Mediation Scheme gives struggling farmers the chance to work through debt problems with their bank, using independent mediators. paddocks for sale, or sometimes it’s changing aspects of the farm’s management or changing the farm system. “Whatever the plan is, you’ll end up in a better place than if the bank auctions your farm off.” For Steve and Carol, that agreedon plan was to look at restructuring the way they run their business. Going through mediation has bought them more time to change their system, with less pressure. They say any farmers in difficult financial situations shouldn’t

hesitate to go through Farm Debt Mediation. “Mediation is very, very good. It’s a great process. We want to encourage farmers that it’s really beneficial and much less stressful than you might think.”

Keen to know more? Federated Farmers is hosting a webinar, ‘Farm debt mediation: ask the experts’, at 7pm, November 7. If you or someone you know could benefit, go to fedsnews.co.nz/events and register.

First 100 days: is help on the way? Wayne Langford Federated Farmers president The election is now behind us, and New Zealanders have clearly voted for change after six years of a steady drumbeat for reform. The pace and scale of change asked of our rural communities was unprecedented and touched all aspects of our farming businesses: freshwater, climate change, biodiversity, and everything in between. Often these new rules and requirements were completely unworkable and added nothing but cost and complexity. While the intent of some of those

regulations may have been good, the reality is that the execution and implementation was nothing short of disastrous for rural communities. We were pushed too far, too fast. Most of us were left feeling overwhelmed and couldn’t see a way forward. As the dust settles on the legacy of the last Government, many farmers will quite rightly be sitting there wondering: ‘Is help on the way?’ There’s a lot of work to be done if the incoming Government is serious about restoring farmer confidence – and that work needs to start in the first 100 days.

Federated Farmers are clear on what our priorities are: • Begin a full-scale RMA reform process in the first 100 days of the new Government and then, within three years, deliver a new RMA that rebalances the scales to empower local communities to set their own rules. • Launch an independent inquiry into rural lending to ensure the market is operating the way it should be and give farmers assurance they’re getting a fair deal from their bank. • Make water storage a permitted activity on farmland, and streamline consenting for major water storage, to give farmers

certainty and confidence about their environmental resilience efforts. • Remove the ‘ETS backstop’ from the Climate Change Response Act, which would see agricultural emissions enter the ETS if an alternative pricing mechanism isn’t in force by 2025. • Empower local communities, regional councils and catchment groups to define their catchmentlevel limits, rather than imposing highly ambitious and non-scientific targets from Wellington. • Get rid of unworkable freshwater rules and current requirements for regional councils to give effect to Te Mana O Te Wai.

Freshwater management should be primarily done through Farm Plans and administered by regional councils. • Repeal the National Policy Statement on Indigenous Biodiversity and replace it with plain-language law that recognises both the property rights of landowners and the value already provided by farmers’ biodiversity efforts. Federated Farmers will be advocating strongly on behalf of farmers to ensure quick action from the new Government, so farmers can regain the confidence to invest, grow, and get on with what they do best – farming.

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Federated Farmers

31 fedfarm.org.nz – November 6, 2023

GLOBAL CONNECTIONS: Richard McIntyre, Federated Farmers’ dairy chair, was part of a 29-strong New Zealand delegation to attend last month’s World Dairy Summit in Chicago, US.

NZ’s regulatory approach out of step

airy farmers worldwide are facing similar challenges, but many countries are taking a different approach to New Zealand on how they find solutions. That’s one of Richard McIntyre’s take-home messages from the International Dairy Federation World Dairy Summit, held last month in Chicago, US. McIntyre, Federated Farmers dairy chair, says gathering with other dairy sector leaders helped him to see the big picture – and how New Zealand compares. “We’ve all got the same challenges across the world and farmers everywhere are feeling fatigued. There may be differences in our farming systems, climate, and so on, but the key challenges and opportunities are very similar. “The question is: what are we going to do about them? And how are we going to be supported within our countries to overcome those challenges and seize those opportunities?” He says it became apparent that

New Zealand’s approach is out of step with many of our competitors. “In New Zealand, our Government is obviously quite involved in what we do with agriculture, trying to put regulations on us. “You’ve got a Government looking to tax greenhouse gas emissions but no one else is looking to do that. “The rest of the world thinks we’re crazy,” he says. “In America, the Government’s more trying to enable the dairy industry to be more sustainable, which is about removing barriers to the uptake of more sustainable practices or technologies.” In the US and other countries, change is being driven more by processors than government, he says. “They’re asking certain questions – such as about animal welfare and sustainability – and the industry’s responding. The processor might say they’re concerned about animal welfare, so the industry sets up a quality assurance programme around

it. Or they look to incentivise a certain practice rather than having out-and-out regulation.” Another theme to emerge from the summit was “the absolute need to bring farmers on the journey”, he says. “That seems to be something that resonated with everyone. Whether the requirements are coming from quality assurance programmes or governments or whatever, I think they’ve reflected on the fact that they haven’t brought farmers with them enough.” McIntyre was struck by the fact that, globally, there’s a greater need for changes in dairying to be based on science. “Yes, we need customers to buy our products and we need consumers to consume them, but it should be science leading everything that we do, whether it’s emissions, water quality or animal welfare. Make that the starting point, rather than what one group or another think is best.” Visiting a handful of dairy farms

in Wisconsin was eye-opening, McIntyre says. “I knew there were a lot of dairy farms in the US, but I didn’t realise how many of them are small 80to 150-cow operations. When you talk to these farmers, they’ll introduce themselves by saying, ‘I’m a seventh-generation dairy farmer’. Contrast that with here in New Zealand, where most dairy farmers haven’t held the land for more than a couple of generations.

You’ve got a Government looking to tax greenhouse gas emissions on farmers, but no one else is looking to do that. The rest of the world thinks we’re crazy. Richard McIntyre Federated Farmers dairy chair “These farms are not economic by our standards – they’re not making much money – but there’s this huge feeling like they need

to be protected because you don’t want to be that one who lost the farm.” It helps to explain the US’s protectionist trade stance with regards to dairy, he says. “These guys are struggling financially because of economies of scale but they’re determined to stay in the game.” McIntyre says despite the challenges facing dairying, he came home feeling buoyed that dairy has a bright future. “We’re providing something the world needs that can’t easily be replicated. Beyond a glass of milk, there are all these things milk is manufactured into that help people to live happy, healthy lives. “We should be very proud of that. We just need to ensure that we also keep up the sustainability and animal welfare side of things.” McIntyre attended the summit courtesy of the International Dairy Federation NZ. Keep an eye out for further insights from him in December’s Dairy Farmer magazine.

November 6, 2023 – fedfarm.org.nz

Federated Farmers

Gore Council urged to listen to farmers In the first of what will be a regular Regional Spotlight series, we take a closer look at farmer frustrations with aspects of the Proposed Gore District Plan.

it down with farmers and work through the practicality of the Proposed District Plan. That’s the plea to Gore District Council from Federated Farmers Southland senior vice president Bernadette Hunt. “Federated Farmers is pleased that the council has extended the deadline for submissions by four weeks, until November 27. “We asked for this in the interests of achieving a fit-for-purpose and balanced set of rules governing the development, environmental protection, and community wellbeing. We pointed out that the recent floods, lambing, and calving had sapped farmers’ time and energy,” Hunt says. “Nevertheless, Federated Farmers believes the council could have done a better job of engaging the community in development of the plan to start with.” For example, the council has taken an unusual approach to Sites and Areas of Significance to Māori,

naming the entire district as a ‘site’. When consent applications are received for ‘high-risk activities’, this will trigger assessment against cultural values. “Federated Farmers absolutely acknowledges the relationship Ngāi Tahu and local mana whenua hold with the natural environment,” Hunt says. “But when, by our count, there are 91 rules or standards in the proposed plan which may require an assessment against Ngāi Tahu

If it’s considered that an SNA is a community good, it’s only fair the community helps pay for the costs of fencing and maintaining that natural area. Bernadette Hunt Federated Farmers Southland senior vice president

cultural values, there’s the potential for delay, complexity and cost. “Is the council resourced to meet this standard, and who will be responsible for the assessments?” The proposed plan approach to require assessment against cultural values for consents for normal farming operations could drive conflict, Hunt says. “It regulates and restricts even the most minor activities.” Questions around Significant Natural Areas (SNAs) are fraught because the new Government may well withdraw or amend the controversial National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity, released in July. Federated Farmers is adamant that Gore’s Proposed District Plan should include only areas mapped as an SNA. “We’re also urging the council to make provision in its Long-Term Plan to provide financial assistance or rates remissions for ratepayers with identified SNAs on their property.

RED TAPE: The Gore district plan includes rules for indigenous vegetation clearance and land disturbance and while clearance is permitted but the restrictions are stringent.

HINDRANCE: Bernadette Hunt says that due to lack of consultation on what is practical, operative parts of the Gore’s Proposed District Plan are already placing limits on day-to-day farming activities. “If it’s considered that an SNA is a community good, it’s only fair the community helps pay for the costs of fencing and maintaining that natural area,” Hunt says. The Ecosystems and Indigenous Biodiversity, and Natural Features and Landscapes chapters in the proposed plan are arguably some of the most important and yet the Council failed to consult with landowners, who are the most impacted, Hunt says. “Due to the council’s lack of consultation on what is practical and feasible, some farmers are now facing limits on their ability to carry out day-to-day farming activities, as some parts of the plan are already in force.” For example, for vehicle tracks to be a permitted activity, they can be no more than one metre wide. Another example: the plan includes rules for indigenous vegetation clearance and land disturbance. Clearance is permitted but the restrictions are stringent. “For clearance of indigenous vegetation for fencing only, a land disturbance width of only 1.5m is permitted,” Hunt says.

“This makes it impossible to use a tractor or machinery for fencing and implies the Council intends farmers will do this by hand, or to apply for a resource consent every time they need to carry out fencing work that requires indigenous vegetation clearance to provide enough space for the job. “Federated Farmers is looking forward to getting around a table with council staff, and perhaps councillors, to thrash out practical ways of achieving outcomes that are in the best interests of the district,” Hunt says. Much of Federated Farmers’ work on behalf of members happens in the regions and districts – fighting unfair rates increases, pushing for changes to impractical local authority regulations or clauses in district plans, and advocating for rural families’ interests on all fronts. Each week, we’ll use this page to shine a light on that work.

Low cost, practical training that fits your farming calendar Spring Special!

up to

off www.agricademy.co.nz

33 Real Estate

Ian & Chelly Paeroa Dairy Portfolio Tender

'In Receivership' - Substantial dairy opportunity Total land area 527.99 ha (more or less). Large dairy opportunity for investors seeking to acquire a large scale dairy portfolio located in the Hauraki Plains District. Five operational dairy farms with multiple titles and contiguous boundaries. Three-year production average of 584,000 kgMS (accounting for a lease of two adjoining blocks of 57 ha and 8 ha (more or less), which the purchaser will need to negotiate to continue). Good accommodation provided by nine dwellings. Livestock can be purchased. The properties are located on Rotokohu Road and Thorp Road in close proximity to Paeroa township. Capitalise on efficiencies that can be created by scale and enquire today. Farm Open Days between 11.00am - 1.00pm on Wednesday, 8 Nov, 15 Nov, 22 Nov 2023. Note: Please sign in at “Farm 82” on Farm Open Days

Coromandel 57 Hall Road and 2511 Kopu Hikuai Roads - SH 25A

Tender closes 2.00pm, Thu 30th Nov, 2023 (unless sold prior), Property Brokers, 78 Studholme Street, Morrinsville View By appointment Web pb.co.nz/MAR171261

Ian Morgan M 027 492 5878

E ian.morgan@pb.co.nz

Chelly Aitchison M 022 697 8779

E chelly@pb.co.nz

Paeroa County Road

Tender

'In Receivership' - Hikuai Farms 136 ha (more or less) dairy unit in two titles of flat to rolling contour with steeper sidlings. Three year production average of 78,936 kgMS from approximately 230 cows. Farm improvements include a modern 32 ASHB dairy shed, in-shed meal feeders, 16 tonne silo, four bay implement shed with concrete floor, half round calf shed, storage shed, fertiliser bunker and Kliptank for effluent storage. There is one three bedroom weatherboard farm dwelling. 81 ha (more or less) drystock block in one title is available to be purchased with the dairy unit or standalone. This property is of rolling contour, currently subdivided into 13 paddocks, with yards and load out ramp. Property Brokers Ltd Licensed REAA 2008 | pb.co.nz

Tender

'In Receivership' - County Road Tender closes 2.00pm, Thu 30th Nov, 2023 (unless sold prior), Property Brokers, 78 Studholme Street, Morrinsville View Thu 9 Nov 10.00 - 10.45am Thu 16 Nov 10.00 - 10.45am Web pb.co.nz/MAR171267

Tender closes 2.00pm, Thu 30th Nov, 2023 (unless sold prior), Property Brokers, 78 Studholme Street, Morrinsville This property is a bare grazing block subdivided into approximately View Thu 9 Nov 2.00 - 2.30pm eight paddocks. Thu 16 Nov 2.00 - 2.30pm Web pb.co.nz/MAR171269

59 ha (more or less) drystock/grazing property in two titles with rolling contour.

Ian Morgan M 027 492 5878

Chelly Aitchison M 022 697 8779

Proud to be here

Matata 337 Greig Road RD 4

Te Awamutu 368 Ngutunui Road Tender

Auction

59.7 ha - This is a beauty - just immaculate! • Milking 200 Jersey cows, twice a day, all season • 16 ASHB with padded standoff • Average of the last ten seasons = 72,693 kgMS • Excellent farm infrastructure • Quality pasture, fencing and races • Dairy NZ system 1-2 at a stocking rate of 3.5 cows/ha • Modernised five bedroom home plus two double garages • Good choice of schooling • Whakatane 20 km and Edgecumbe 9.7 km • Matata and the beach approximately 5 minutes away

Bush, stream, views and grazing Tender closes 12.00pm, Thu 23rd Nov, 2023 (unless sold prior), Property Brokers, 38 Landing Road, Whakatane View Thu 9 Nov 11.00 - 12.00pm Thu 16 Nov 11.00 - 12.00pm Web pb.co.nz/RTR166128

Robert Davies M 021 595 767 Ian Morgan M 027 492 5878

Rarely do we get the opportunity to present such a property as 368 Auction 12.00pm, Thu 23rd Nov, 2023, (unless sold prior), Hautapu Ngutunui Road. 145 ha in total area with 59 ha in beautiful, Sports Club, 211 Victoria Road, covenanted native bush complete with rocky bottom stream and Cambridge 35 ha in good pasture land - the balance a mix of bush, pines and View Mon 13 Nov 12.30 - 1.30pm steeper grazing land. The home is a very soundly built 60's Web pb.co.nz/TWR169986 farmhouse with commanding views of the surrounding countryside. Formally part of an adjoining dairy unit, the property has been owned by the same family for a very long time and now the time has come for new owners to take over and enjoy the tranquility and beauty this block offers.

John Sisley M 027 475 9808

Lichfield 937A Wiltsdown Road Tender

Waipa Dairy Waipa Dairy is approx. 277.66 ha consisting of a 248 effective ha dairy platform milking 725 cows and consistently producing 302,000 to 308,000 kgMS. The 54 bail rotary shed is nicely complemented with a large calf shed/implement shed and silage bunkers plus feed pad. It is well subdivided with the fences in good order and races maintained by the on-farm Rhyolite deposits. This property was converted from forestry around 18 years ago and has been a dedicated dairy operation since its development. The balance of the land has been planted in mixed variety forestry trees. There are three houses, two of which have three bedrooms and the manager's house is a nicely appointed four bedroom brick home. The property is located in Lichfield just 9 km west of the Litchfield dairy factory.

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

Tender closes 3.00pm, Wed 15th Nov, 2023 (unless sold prior), Property Brokers, 78 Studholme Street, Morrinsville View Thu 9 Nov 11.00 - 12.00pm Web pb.co.nz/MOR169936

Peter Lissington M 027 430 8770

E peterl@pb.co.nz

Katie Walker M 027 757 7477

E katiew@pb.co.nz Proud to be here

Real Estate FOR SALE

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz/realestate – November 6, 2023

KAIRIMU BLOCK

Marokopa, Waikato

VERSATILE LANDHOLDING + INCOME POTENTIAL

scan QR code to view video + 879ha* freehold (subject to

subdivision), 432ha* farm land; + Predominantly undulating – moderately steep contour; + Arterial track network, satellite yards, spring fed reticulated water;

+ Income potential via 3rd party Beehive

Access License & ETS; + 63km* to Te Kūiti, 112km* to Hamilton; + 142ha* ETS registered (radiata and indigenous); + This farm land is available for sale;

Deadline Offers:

Wyatt Johnston +64 27 815 1303 Jeremy Keating +64 21 461 210

*Approximately **Unless sold prior

Arotahi Agribusiness Limited, Licensed Real Estate Agent REA Act

Thursday 7 December 2023 at 4pm (NZDT)**

Cust 329 Ashley Road Deadline Sale

PREMIUM FIORDLAND DEER UNIT 102 Talbot Road, Te Anau

Rare dairy support Deadline Sale closes Wednesday This versatile, attractive 158 ha dairy support property, situated just 6 km from Cust and 20 minutes from Rangiora, has been used 29th November, 2023 at 3.00pm, (unless sold prior) for dairy grazing and large areas of winter crops throughout the View By appointment 2014/19 reference period and before. Land use is recorded as Web pb.co.nz/RR108142 dairy support within the WIL discharge consent. The use of land can continue as dairy support with no approval needed, providing there is no increase in nitrogen loss. Subdivided into 39 paddocks Maurice Newell and serviced by all-weather lanes, there are three distinct soil types, M 027 240 1718 with the northern area being predominantly Darnley shallow silt loam and Balmoral stony silt. Hamish Anderson M 027 678 8888 Property Brokers Ltd Licensed REAA 2008 | pb.co.nz

• 267.7 hectares (660 acres) • Excellent quality of deer fencing across the whole farm • Mostly flat to gentle rolling contour with some moderate hill • 34 paddocks with good cropping and re-grassing history • Regular fertiliser history and soil tests • Previous dairy grazing history • Large well-equipped deer shed and stock handling facilities • Multiple large sheds and workshop • Tidy three-bedroom home with office, expansive views • A great opportunity to secure a top quality unit with diversification in the Te Anau area

DEADLINE PRIVATE TREATY

(unless sold prior) Closes 12.00pm, 7 December 2023

Dallas Lucas M 0274 325 774 E dallas.lucas@pb.co.nz

Jim Fortune M 027 594 8346 E jim.fortune@pggwrightson.co.nz

www.pggwre.co.nz/TAN35145 PGG Wrightson Real Estate Limited, licensed under the REAA 2008

Helping grow the country

Accelerating success.

New Listing

Rural Bareland East Leigh Farm Tender closing Wednesday 28 February 2024 at 2pm (plus GST if any) 272 Riversdale Road, Riversdale Beach, Masterton

Land Area: 328.8 ha STT (more or less)

Opportunity for Land Bankers/ Investors

Incredible future potential

Overlooking the Pacific Ocean

colliers.co.nz/p-NZL67026109

Here is your “once in a lifetime” opportunity to secure 328ha (STT) of arguably the best prime farmland on the sublime Wairarapa coastline. The property wraps around the premier Riversdale Beach resort, offering elevated building sites overlooking the Pacific Ocean. With approx. 120 hectares of flats the farm currently provides an excellent platform for cropping to grow out and finish stock. A further 108 hectares makes up the grazable area, 50 hectares of pine plantations provide another income source. Eastleigh Farm will be offered in two options. The first being the northern 167 hectares (STT) which includes the woolshed and infrastructure. With the second option being the 161 ha of raised southern terraces. Very seldom do prospects such as these present themselves to acquire a land holding with so much future potential held in them. Register your interest in Open Days on Fri 3 and 10 November at 10am.

Jason Waterman 027 376 8313 jason.waterman@colliers.com

CRWAI Limited Licensed REAA 2008

New Listing

Sheep/Beef Waitio - 687ha in the Renowned Makuri district Tender closing Thursday 7 December 2023 at 2pm (unless sold prior) (plus GST if any) 791 Coonoor Road, Makuri, Tararua

Land Area: 687.5051 ha (more or less)

Sheep/Beef

colliers.co.nz/p-NZL67025826

Four bedroom Two bathroom home

Great infrastructure

Colliers are proud to present this exceptional hill country farm to the market, located in the Makuri district, a 30 minute drive east of Pahiatua. Excellent infrastructure and attention to detail are what separates this farm from others. Waitio has been completely redeveloped and is currently wintering approximately 4700 high performing stock units on the 577ha effective area. 33ha of pruned and thinned 22 year old pines are well located near the Coonoor Road. Outstanding infrastructure includes a 4 stand woolshed and covered yards, plus cattle yards and great shedding. With new centrally located one stand shearing shed, covered sheep yards and cattle yards. A 2006 Villa Replica designed 4 bedroom plus office home includes an ensuite, walk-in wardrobe, walk in pantry and an internal double garage. It’s great location, summer safe climate, strong fertiliser history, 9km to local primary school with bus at front gate and the friendly Makuri community are all factors well worth your consideration.

Jason Waterman 027 376 8313 jason.waterman@colliers.com

CRWAI Limited Licensed REAA 2008

colliers.co.nz

Real Estate

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz/realestate – November 6, 2023

Accelerating success.

Sheep/Beef Greenlees Station

Tender closing Thursday 7 December 2023 at 2pm (plus GST if any) 989 Raukawa Road, Raukawa, Hastings, Hawke’s Bay

Land Area: 670.1746 ha (more or less)

Sheep/Beef breeding & finishing unit

Good balance of contour

Prime location

Development opportunities

colliers.co.nz/p-NZL67025933

A rare opportunity to secure an iconic property that has been tightly held for generations. Greenlees Station comprises approx. 670 hectares held in two titles and offers quality soils with a great balance of contour. A feature of the property is its prime location being very close to town and in the sought-after Raukawa district which provides many options to discerning purchasers including subdivision potential. Years of planning and investment in fertiliser, water and access make Greenlees an attractive, profitable farming opportunity that is highly regarded for its ability to finish quality stock. A full complement of farm infrastructure includes a comfortable 3 bedroom home set in established grounds. With a focus on sustainable farming areas of wetlands have been retired and planted in natives to improve water quality and offer aesthetic appeal. An added advantage is the perfect habitat that provides some of the country’s best duck shooting. Great location, scale, contour, soil type and water make Greenlees Station a quality investment that are often sought but rarely found.

Hadley Brown 027 442 3539 hadley.brown@colliers.com

CRHB Limited Licensed REAA 2008

colliers.co.nz

Accelerating success

For Sale Upton Fells Station 7857ha For Sale by Tender closing Friday 1 December 2023 at 2pm

Andy Poswillo 027 420 4202

1007 Medway Road, Awatere Valley, Marlborough Encompassing 7857ha freehold land, offering substantial scale and a seldom available opportunity to acquire a working high country station with significant hunting, tourism, recreation, and development potential. Located in the sought-after and tightly held Awatere Valley, 55km from Blenheim CBD. Faithfully farmed for three generations, the well balanced property ranges from irrigated workable downs, strong clean productive limestone tussock country to elevated peaks. Majority of the property ranges between 390 MASL to 850 MASL. Approx 1500ha of indigenous native has been identified as potentially eligible for the Emission Trading Scheme and awaiting MPI approval. Well supported with farming infrastructure, numerous stock facilities and huts strategically located throughout the property. Well-formed tracks provide good access and ease of stock movement. Fenced into 88 blocks with a high standard of fencing. Upton Fells Station offers a seldom available opportunity to acquire a significant freehold land parcel in a very desirable and sought-after farming location.

colliers.co.nz/p-NZL67025961

Marlborough Rural Realty Limited T/A Colliers Licensed REAA 2008

Maraekakaho 5063 State Highway 50

Glenfalloch

325.871 ha

This well-located property with a land area of 325.8710ha is situated at 5063 State Highway 50 Maraekakaho and only 37km to Hastings. The property is best described as easy rolling complimented by some flats and small area of gorge bordering the Mangaonuku stream. Excellent access throughout with laneways and metal tracks formed from the red metal quarry on the farm. Water from a reliable spring with pump system reticulates to troughs to most of the property along with a few dams and the Mangaonuku stream. A well-appointed family home built in the 1970s is surrounded by specimen trees, rose gardens and sits in a private setting. A range of shedding with woolshed, covered yards and implement shed. The ownership of Glenfalloch has been tightly held for nearly 100 years, so offers a discerning buyer a unique opportunity.

Tender (unless sold prior) Closing 12pm, Thu 7 Dec 2023 26 Takapau Road, Waipukurau View by appointment Andy Hunter 027 449 5827 andy.hunter@bayleys.co.nz EASTERN REALTY LTD, BAYLEYS, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008

bayleys.co.nz/2870994

Manawatu 1217 Rangiotu Road, Rangiotu

Productive 205ha dairy unit

205.7836 ha

Located only 10 minutes from Palmerston North and State Highway 1 is a well-presented and highly productive 205-hectare Dairy unit currently supplying Fonterra where production has exceeded 300,000 kgms. Improvements are maintained to a high standard with a 60-bale rotary and in-shed feed system, 300 cow feed pad, silage bunker and pad, implement sheds plus wool shed and covered yards utilised for calf rearing. Quality laneways provide access across the property and the farm benefits from a pasture renovation plan with fertile Parewanui silt loam soils assisting production. Accommodation is provided with a tidy three-bedroom home at the front of the property and a second dwelling is available for purchase if required. This is a property close to town, well-appointed and presented to a high standard.

Tender (will not be sold prior) Closing 1pm, Tue 21 Nov 2023 49 Manchester Street, Feilding Phone for viewing times Mark Monckton 021 724 833 mark.monckton@bayleys.co.nz Jack Monckton 027 394 3705 jack.monckton@bayleys.co.nz

bayleys.co.nz/3100531

bayleys.co.nz

MID WEST REALTY LTD, BAYLEYS, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008

Real Estate

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz/realestate – November 6, 2023

Putaruru 653 Overdale Road

Kaikoura Surrounds 3429 Inland Kaikoura Road

Larger lifestyle, grazing or both!

Quail Downs

52 ha

Located more or less midway between Tirau and Putaruru, this block is well positioned to exploit a multitude of farming and lifestyle options. Approximately 65% of the contour is tractor country, suitable for harvesting supplements or growing maize with the balance being of a mixed nature. Mostly fully deer fenced, currently growing prime beef cattle, it would be perfect for those looking for a quality dairy support or be appreciated by horse lovers. Nestled in the landscaped grounds is a four bedroom refurbished contemporary home, featuring two bathrooms, large kitchen, dining and family living area plus separate lounge. Great block, great location, call now!

Tender (unless sold prior) Closing 2pm, Tue 21 Nov 2023 65 Arawa Street, Matamata View 11am-12pm Tue 7 Nov & Tue 14 Nov Sam Troughton 027 480 0836 sam.troughton@bayleys.co.nz

800.4556 ha

Sited in a spectacular location on the Inland Road near Kaikoura, Quail Downs is an excellent property boasting scale, location, and a balance of contour. At 800.4556 hectares, well-suited to sheep and beef breeding, finishing, and cropping on the flats. With scale and development potential, the farm boasts large areas of workable country suitable for cultivation, with steeper gullies providing forestry options. Regarded as a summer-safe location, the property is supplied by both natural and reticulated water. Infrastructure includes cattle yards, a woolshed, sheep yards, hay and implement sheds. Accommodation is a well-appointed home providing elevated views out across the farm. The option is also there to purchase the neighbouring Charwell Farm.

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

bayleys.co.nz/2400597

Price Indication $5,900,000 + GST (if any) Phone for viewing times Ben Turner 027 530 1400 ben.turner@bayleys.co.nz Peter Foley 021 754 737 peter.foley@bayleys.co.nz WHALAN AND PARTNERS LTD, BAYLEYS, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008

bayleys.co.nz/5522388

129ha Taranaki Dairy Farm

Accelerating success.

TENDER

Located on the Lower Lepper road only minutes from Inglewood and ten minutes to New Plymouth makes this a hot property. The mainly flat land with easy rolling hills is serviced by a ring race making farm management easier for the current leasee. The owners have in the past milked around 320 cows with production in the 100,000kg to 115,000kg milksolids range but currently farmed to suit a livestock trading operation. Four bedroom home with office, 36-bail rotary cowshed with cup removers, feed pad and a good selection of farm buildings and the farm will be fully compliant at settlement with a new effluent system being installed this summer.

OPEN FARM:

7th, 9th, 14th & 16th November 2023 – 12pm-2pm 137 Lower Lepper Road, Inglewood

TENDER: Tenders close 4pm Thursday 30th November 2023 at the ofﬁces of Matthew & Co Real Estate.

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The owners are wanting to move, so come, view and discuss what options could be considered by our realistic vendors.

Matthew McDonald Ph 06 765 5599 Cell 0274 814 648 www.matthewandco.co.nz

Farm for Sale Glencairn Station - An iconic high country offering For Sale by Deadline Private Treaty closing Thursday 7 December 2023 at 4pm (unless sold prior)

684 McAughtries Road, Waitaki

3,996.32 hectares (more or less)

Approx 300 ha border-dyke irrigation

Substantial low-cost water

6 bedroom, 3 bathroom homestead

Glencairn Station is genuinely for sale offering the astute farmer or investor a property with spectacular attributes. This property has the enviable advantage of abundant, low cost irrigation supply to its flats. The Station runs alongside the Ohau canal system and is situated on the Benmore Range with uninterrupted views of spectacular Mt Cook, with Lake Benmore to the east.

colliers.co.nz/p-NZL67026151

Richard O'Sullivan 027 292 3921 Mick Sidey 027 229 8888 Agri Realty Ltd Licensed under the REAA 2008

AUCTION

OPEN DAY

Kiwitahi � Matamata/Piako District

Open Day:

Thurs, 9 November

11.00am � 1.00pm

A well�managed dairy unit, situated in the Kiwitahi district, 10 kms from Morrinsville & 23 kms from Matamata, providing a great opportunity for either a first�farm purchaser, for those seeking an additional investment in the dairy sector, or an additional support block for farming dairy heifers, wintering dairy cows, finishing beef, and/or growing supplementary feed.

• 858 Hutchinson Road, R D 1, Morrinsville • 99.94 hectares – 3 titles • easy rolling contour with some steeper sidlings; river on front boundary • variable soil types • well subdivided with the dairy shed in a central location • water supply based on a shallow well, surface pump to tanks, gravity feed to farm and buildings • new, 2.8m ltr lined effluent pond; p.t.o. pump to pods, travelling irrigator & canon

Ph Brian Peacocke 021 373 113

• 280 cows calved – 3 year average 84,503 kgs milksolids • 30 bail rotary dairy shed; automatic cup removers; in�shed feed system • variety of farm buildings including near new 10�bay calf shed, • functional implement shedding; large maize bunker & covered PKE bin • 4 bedroom dwelling, open plan, 2 lounges, good heating, 1.5 garaging, plus 3 bedroom dwelling; open plan, good heating, carport • a very good rural district with good schooling options

TradeMe search # R1428

Sale by Auction: Thurs, 23 Nov 2023 � from 1.00pm

AUCTION

OPEN DAY

Morrinsville Dairy

Open Day:

Wed, 8 November

11.00am � 1.00pm

A good, consistent�performing dairy unit, well located in the Motumaoho district, 5 kms from Morrinsville and an easy distance from Hamilton, is now available after some years of family ownership.

• 184B Kuranui Road, R D 2, Morrinsville • 123.84 hectares – 1 title • contour varies from flats to easy rolling with some areas of steeper sidlings • soils include a mix of silt, peat loam & clay loam • v.g. farm layout, well subdivided and raced, with the dairy shed in a central location • water supply is based on a deepwell bore, alkathene pipelines & strategically located manacon tanks; additional secondary bore at dairy shed

• effluent disposal system includes drop�tested ponds, travelling irrigator & canon • 290 cows calved; 3 year average 101,075 kgs milksolids • 36 bail rotary dairy shed; auto cup removers; in�shed feed system • functional amenities include implement/calf shedding plus on�farm airstrip with covered fertilizer shed and bin • comfortable 5 brm dwelling with garaging • great location, handy to town, with a good range of options for schooling

Ph Brian Peacocke 021 373 113

TradeMe search # R1427

PRL Enterprises Ltd t/a PRL Rural

021 373 113

Licensed REAA2008

MREINZ

Sale by Auction: Thurs, 23 Nov 2023 � from 1.00pm

bjp@prl308.co.nz

41 78 Queen Street, Waimate 7924 Phone: 03 689 1015 New Listing!

103 Connolly Road, Kerrytown

Located in the favoured region of South Canterbury, close to key essential services, that will ensure a stable and safe investment in the fast growing Horticultural space within NZ. In total the offering of Freehold flat land in the Seadown District encompasses approximately 75 hectares. The land is situated over three fertile irrigated blocks comprising the following: 27.5703 hectares, 33.0393 hectares and 14.3536 hectares. • • • •

45 ha planted in Apple & Pear Varieties 22 ha ready to be planted in your choice Packing House & 3 Cool Stores 2 Substantial Residences

Deadline Sale: December 5th 2023 @ 2pm Ian Moore 0275 398 152 Greig Moore 027 205 9702 New Listing!

2593 Hakataramea Road, Ikawai

On offer here is an outstanding Dairy opportunity In the heart of the Waitaki Valley in Ikawai, Waimate on flat land with free Deadline Sale: draining productive soils. The property is approximately 262 hectares freehold plus approximately 4-8 hectares of AMF land December 11th 2023 @ 2pm farmed adjacent to the Waitaki River arguably New Zealand’s most reliable and cost effective irrigation water. Fully spray irrigated, MGI irrigation race, a quality 4 bed dwelling and 3 Ian Moore 0275 398 152 further staff dwellings. Centrally located 50 a side herringbone Greig Moore 027 205 9702 shed, new 35 bail covered A.I race and plenty of sheds and quality lanes.

New Listing!

59 Waihaorunga Back Road, Waimate With quality Dairy Support blocks always in high demand, 59 Waihouranga Back Road offers an excellent addition to a current operation with well-developed infrastructure and improvements across the entire property. Excellent cattle handling facility complete with covered Te Pari weigh platform and head bail, subdivided into 36 paddocks with troughs in all. Comfortable renovated 3 bedroom home, all weather central loop farm track and 5 units of water from the local scheme with 170,000L of water storage plus pumping infrastructure from the reliable creek through the property.

Deadline Sale: December 11th 2023 @ 2pm Ian Moore 0275 398 152 Greig Moore 027 205 9702

Greig Moore 027 205 9702 greig@redhotrealestate.nz

Ian Moore 0275 398 152 ian@redhotrealestate.nz

Licensed Salesperson Red Hot Real Estate - Licensed REAA (2008)

Licensed Agent AREINZ Red Hot Real Estate - Licensed REAA (2008)

Real Estate

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz/realestate – November 6, 2023

AUCTION DEADLINE SALE

317 Aotearoa Rd - Dairy

119 ha

Wharepapa South Infrastructure + Grass = Profit

CAMBRIDGE, 2/164 Fencourt Road 3

3.3490 ha

Modern Luxury, Land and Location!

This stunning property boasts a luxurious modern family home on a highly desirable block, with uninterrupted rural views of the surrounding hills only a few minutes drive to our beautiful Town of Trees and Champions in Cambridge, New Zealand.

AUCTION: 12:00 p.m. Thursday 7 December 2023, NZSIR Cambridge (unless sold prior)

Renewed ryegrass/white clover pastures are subdivided by hotwired, quality post and rail fencing into four paddocks with specimen trees for shade. There is a four-bay shed with one lockable bay, a water bore servicing both house and land and Te Pari Cattle Yards with head bail, loadout ramp and concrete race to complete the perfect picture.

VIEW: nzsothebysrealty.com/CAM1240 Please phone for an appointment to view AIMEE BELTON: M +64 210 277 2426 aimee.belton@nzsir.com

Unique offering. Be quick!

Milking 300 cows through a 32 ASHB dairy, your farming operations will run smoothly with the convenience of this well-equipped shed. Ample shedding for your equipment, calves and hay. Water supply is via 2 bores and the effluent system is a weeping wall and 120 days storage irrigating approximately 25ha. Average 3 year production is 123,538 kgs/ms. Approximately 85% of contour is flat to rolling with 15% steeper. The main home is spacious with four bedrooms and there is also a three bedroom cottage, perfect for staff. Centrally located between Te Awamutu and Putaruru. Contact Jack for more information.

matamata.ljhooker.co.nz/KENHR1

Deadline Sale Closes Thurs 23rd Nov, 3pm (unless sold prior) ___________________________________ View Wed 8th & 15th Nov 1pm - 2pm ___________________________________ Agent Jack Van Lierop 027 445 5099 LJ Hooker Matamata 07 888 5677 Link Realty Ltd. Licensed Agent REA 2008

Link Realty Ltd. All information contained herein is gathered from sources we consider to be reliable. However, we cannot guarantee or give any waranty about the information provided. Interested parties must solely rely on their own enquiries.

Each office is independently owned and operated. NZSIR Waikato Limited (licensed under the REAA 2008) MREINZ.

nzsothebysrealty.com

44 Marketplace

Marketplace

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – November 6, 2023

50 / 50 Herd Owning Sharemilker Position + Equity Partner 700 cows Owhango

Our client owns and operates two sheep and beef farms in Taupo and one in Northern Waikato. We are seeking applications for a Farm Manager for their 360 effective ha (453ha total) drystock trading/finishing block, located 20km north-east of Taupo. You will be required to assist on the other McCallum farm in Taupo which is 20 minutes away. Reporting to the Farm Business Manager, the role of the Farm Manager is to meet the farm objectives of successful and safe management of the farm and livestock. The property operates as a trading/finishing block, finishing approximately 10,000 lambs annually. The cattle policy is breeding, growing, finishing and includes a 110 cow Angus breeding herd.

Over 10 years experience. References available.

• 247ha effective milking platform (total area 310ha) • 56ha effective flat runoff which is used for wintering and silage production • Mix of flat – rolling terraces and easy rolling country • Soils are free draining volcanic silts with excellent fertility • Super tidy farm with great infrastructure, sheds, tracks and pastures • Three-year average milk production is 253,000kg MS • 3 – 4 comfortable houses are available for the Share Milker and their staff

The role requires the Farm Manager to assist with the management decisions, livestock movement and animal health, farm asset and machinery maintenance, record keeping, fencing, tractor driving, break feeding and general farm duties, as well as providing direction and management to casual staff and contractors. You will have farm management experience, or you are an experienced stock manager looking for career progression. The successful applicant, along with the above skillset, will have the following attributes: • Excellent stock management skills, including animal welfare • Business planning and people management capability • Ability to communicate with all stakeholders and build relationships • Can achieve expenditure control within a budget • An understanding weight gains and finishing stock • Accurate stock tally and animal health record keeping • Be a good communicator with strong attention to detail • Shows a high level of motivation and strives to meet targets • Have a team of working dogs under good command • Have experience with reticulated farm water systems • Above all you must be a team player

Phone

021 088 73115

Find primary sector vacancies at: farmersweeklyjobs.co.nz

We are seeking an ambitious, experienced person/couple, with great attention to detail, a high level of professionalism, the ability to run the farm like their own and deliver a high level of performance for our off-farm owners. Please forward your CV and cover letter along with at least two recent referees, to the farm consultant, Stefan Bryant – stefan@bakerag.co.nz Applications close 15th November 2023

To advertise phone Debbie 06 323 0765

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An attractive salary is on offer with housing included in the package. Primary and secondary bus service at gate and with Taupo on your doorstep you will be spoilt for choice for local amenities, schools, and recreational facilities. Applications close 24th November 2023

South Waikato / Bay of Plenty or Hawke’s Bay areas.

An exciting opportunity has arisen in the Ruapehu district for a Herd Owning Sharemilker with an option of farm ownership in the equity partnership.

JW117025©

HS & AC McCallum Trust – Carnoustie Farm Manager

Please apply with a current CV and references to recruitment@agfirst.co.nz

FARMING LEASE WANTED

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IS CANADA IN YOUR FUTURE?

Join the team! Graduate Journalist

Rocky Mountain Equipment (RME) is one of Canada’s largest agriculture equipment dealership networks with branches located throughout the Western Canadian prairie provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. We are primarily focused on the CASE IH and the New Holland brands. Through our network of RME locations we sell, rent and lease new and used agriculture and industrial equipment and offer product support, including equipment servicing, to our

(fixed term 12 months)

We’re wanting to hire someone who is as passionate as we are about the opportunities for our people and our planet that come from New Zealand farming. Our aim is to discuss and inform beliefs, principles, and policies to shape the future of New Zealand farming. Climate change presents an opportunity to reassess our relationship with nature and redesign our food system, with farmers leading the charge. New Zealand is home to brilliant farmers, scientists, and innovators, and already possesses a green reputation on the global stage built on the highquality products we produce. Using the blueprint for stewardship and regeneration provided by mātauranga, New Zealand can lead the way to a new era of food and fibre; while feeding, clothing, and healing the world in partnership with tangata whenua. Our Land and Water, Toitū te Whenua, Toiora te Wai, projects are focussed on enhancing the production and productivity of New Zealand’s primary sector, while maintaining and improving the quality of the country’s land and water for future generations. AgriHQ with funding from Our Land and Water are looking for a science reporter for 12 months, working full time from Feilding, to join our award-winning editorial team, working closely with the editor and sub editor of Farmers Weekly to write stories and help implement the editorial strategy. Our team will work with you to hone your reporting skills. We have industry-standard equipment for podcasting, video-making and photography and use current software for editing.

Consider a Canadian personal and professional adventure with us! Great overseas experience. We are now hiring for the following positions: 

AgriHQ invests in great people to create best-in-class products that include flagship newspaper Farmers Weekly, the AgriHQ suite of data and analysis products, Dairy Farmer magazine, the On Farm Story video series, and a range of podcasts, education and information resources, and various social and website destinations.

  

This is an opportunity to inform the rural community about cutting edge innovation, climate mitigation and adaptation, changes in diets and culture, advances in technology. Tell the stories of how researchers are making a difference in the areas of food equity, food intelligence and food innovation.

Job details at: www.farmersweeklyjobs.co.nz

A basic understanding/background in agriculture, science and/or farming is desirable, as well as journalism and newsroom experience.

ROCKYMTN.COM

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If you’re ready for the responsibility and the challenge, we invite you to register your interest and request a job description and application form now by emailing hr@agrihq.co.nz

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Along with receiving top class on the job training and mentoring, there is a competitive salary plus a relocation fund available. The role is predominantly normal office hours Mon-Fri, although from time to time there will be events outside this to cover.

Marketplace HERBAGE SEEDGROWERS SUBSECTION

See TradeME #2251190054 [For farmers and hunters] Become self-sufficient

ELECTION

Nominations to to fillfill vacancies in the Nominationsare arecalled called vacancies in the North Canterbury, Mid Canterbury and North Island, North Canterbury, Mid Canterbury North Otago, Otago and Southland wards of and South Canterbury wards of the Federated the Federated Farmers Herbage Seedgrowers Farmers Herbage Seedgrowers Subsection arising Subsection arising from the rotational from the rotational retirement of two sitting retirement of three sitting members on members on 15 Wednesday 17 November November2023 2021.

By 5pm Thursday, 9th November 2023

Towable Flail Mower

14.5HP. Vanguard Briggs & Stratton Motor. Electric start. 1.2m cut 3 year Briggs and Stratton Commercial Warranty. 2 year Mower Master Warranty Assembled by Kiwis for Kiwi conditions – built to last.

GO THE MOA!

$4900

Phone JC 021 441 180

LK0116486©

Since 1975

To find out more visit

www.mowermaster.co

Phone 0800 422277 or 028 461 5112 Email: mowermasterltd@gmail.com

frigidair@xtra.co.nz

HIGH COUNTRY JOURNEYS

30/09/2021 11:10:28 am

SCOTTY’S CONTRACTORS ✁

NOW TAKING BOOKINGS FOR 2025

Limited spaces available for 2024 • South Island High Country Grand Slam Self drive your own 4WD from Blenheim to Cardrona in Central Otago through a network of high country tracks including Molesworth on this 7 day 8 night tour. • The Great Explorer Self drive from Lake Ohau to Cardrona through the majestic high country of the Mackenzie Basin, Central Otago and Northern Southland with this 5 day 6 night tour.

New Zealand’s Number 1 service provider since 2004

These Tours are; Fully guided with radio contact; Fully catered and stay in very comfortable lodge and farmstays; Made up of smaller tour groups (6-9 vehicles) and travel at a quieter pace.

For further information contact: John Mulholland RD1, RANFURLY Phone 03 444 9703 • Mobile 027 228 8152 lnfo@highcountryjourneys.co.nz www.highcountryjourneys.co.nz

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

(Obtaining the best profits for our customers)

Free quotes • Markets for all species Email: BTZforestry@gmail.com

ben@waterhousecc.co.nz 027 559 7168

BRIDGE & STRUCTURE MAINTENANCE Providing affordable repair & maintenance solutions for your expensive assets. Waterhouse Complex Civil are specialists in repairing & maintaining bridges, stock underpasses, culverts, &

GRAZING AVAILABLE

0800 436 566

UP TO 50 HEAD. Baleage and standing grass available. Phone 027 223 6156.

BEARDIE PUP, Male, 14-weeks-old. Working parents. Hunua. $1000 each. Phone 021 299 2375. HUNTAWAY PUPS, STATION bred. Proven parents with breeding history available. $350. Phone 022 046 5417. HUNTAWAY PUPS, 10-weeks old. Vac. Hard on cattle, big noise. HEADING pups, mixed ages. From ‘Deal’ bitches. All prices neg. Dave Andrews. Phone 027 450 6095. SMITHFIELD-CROSS heading dog pups. Parents good handy dogs. Maungaturoto. $350. Phone 021 257 1680. YOUNG HUNTAWAYS AND Heading dogs. Top working bloodlines. Check out our website www. ringwaykennels.co.nz Ringway kennels. Phone 027 248 7704. DELIVERING AND BUYING NZ Wide. https:// w w w.youtube.com/@ mikehughesworkingdog Phone 07 315 5553.

ZON BIRDSCARER electro-tek@xtra.co.nz Phone: 06 357 2454

It grows under them.

CORK OAK TRUFFLE TREES Trees produce truffles at around year 7, producing up to 1kg a year by year 15. Currently black truffles are selling at $2,500$3,000 per kg, with high demand.

HORTICULTURE 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 DAIRY OR GRAZING FARM wanted. Open to leasing, equity, share farming or developing land in partnership. Rangitīkei, Manawatū or HB areas. Phone Michael 027 223 6156.

LIVESTOCK WANTED 2023 born Sannen Doe goats wanted

Phone Steve on 021 990 350

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

FARM MAPPING

STOCK FEED MOISTURE METERS Hay, Silage dry matter, grain. www.moisturemeters.co.nz 0800 213 343.

WANTED

NATIVE FOREST FOR MILLING also Macrocarpa and Red Gum, New Zealand wide. We can arrange permits and plans. Also after milled timber to purchase. NEW ZEALAND NATIVE TIMBER SUPPLIERS (WGTN) LIMITED 027 688 2954 Richard.

Fantastic stock feed which is low tannin and high in carbohydrates. Produces up to 1 ton of acorns per tree each year. Extremely resilient. Fire resistant, stabilises erosion, frost & snow resistant to -9 degrees. Drought & heat tolerant over 40 degrees. Add value far into the future. Trees last over 200 years. Cork harvest income at year 25, then every 10 years. Potential carbon credits at 30% with a minimum 1ha canopy cover.

GIBB-GRO GROWTH PROMOTANT

For tree availability call 021 327 637 or visit truffles.nz

LK0117098©

WILTSHIRES-ARVIDSON. Open Day 27.11.23, 2-5pm Auction 28.11.23 11am 15 Oruanui Road, Taupo Saleyards. Phone David 027 277 1556.

MEASURE YOUR FARM’S effective area with a practical and cost-effective map. Visit farmmapping.co.nz for a quote.

FORESTRY

Great stock shade and shelter with 0% loss of grazing land. Stock protector options are available for cattle, sheep & deer.

waterway remediation.

Farm bridges and structures showing signs of age? Don't let these valuable assets deteriorate any further!

For a delivered price call ....

RAMS FOR SALE

LK0113900©

BTZ Forestry Marketing and Harvesting

NZ’s finest BioGro certified Mg fertiliser

DOLOMITE

ELECTRO-TEK ENGINEERING

Buyers of Woodlots and Forest.

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

ATTENTION FARMERS

DOGS FOR SALE

LK0117005©

LK0117081©

✁ Contact Scotty to discuss all that needs to be done Ph 0800 27 26 88 • Mobile 027 26 26 27 2 • scottnewman101@gmail.com

FERAL GOATS WANTED. Pick-up within 24 hours. Prices based on works schedule. Phone Bill and Vicky Le Feuvre 07 893 8916 / 027 363 2932.

EXCELLENT QUALITY, $85 per bale plus GST. Unit loads available. Phone 021 455 787. 20 ROUNDS OF balage. $85 +GST per round. Can be sold individually or in one lot. Phone 027 507 5048.

Drive from station to station and experience the majestic South Island High Country

NOW WORKING IN HAWKE’S BAY / WAIROA / GISBORNE AREAS CONTACT TO BOOK YOUR SHED

GOATS WANTED

FLY OR LICE problem? Electrodip – the magic eye sheepjetter since 1989 with unique self adjusting sides. Incredible chemical and time savings with proven effectiveness. Phone 07 573 8512 w w w. e l e c t ro d i p. c o m

BALAGE FOR SALE

Under Woolshed/Covered Yards Cleaning Specialists www.underthewoolshed.kiwi Digging out and remetalling cattle yards and calf sheds. Also specialising in flood damage and silt removal.

ANIMAL HANDLING

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

GST INCLUSIVE

LK0117060©

When only the best will do!

JW117034©

by 5pm Wednesday, 10 November 2021. Christchurch 8543

FF Herbage Seedgrowers advert - 1021.indd 1

MOWER MASTER TOWABLE MOWERS

CHILLERS & FREEZERS

Federated Farmers Arable

you are areinterested, interested,nomination nomination forms IfIf you forms are are availableby byemailing emailingavailable – prawlinson@fedfarm.org.nz pnijjar@fedfarm.org.nz Nomination forms must be in the hands of the: Nomination forms must Subsection, be in the hands of the: Herbage Seedgrowers Herbage Seedgrowers Subsection, PO Box 20448, Christchurch PO Box 204488543

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – November 6, 2023

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

Advertise with us

Call 0800 85 25 80 wordads@agrihq.co.nz

46 Livestock

Livestock

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – November 6, 2023

Charollais Sheep Genetics NZ

Superior Genetics for Greater Profitability

LK0108979©

For further information on private ram sales contact participating flocks

Want to improve your profitability?

Peter Ponsonby, Lawrence 027 299 2871 Matt Ponsonby, Lawrence 0274 199 733 Scott Linklater, Feilding 0175 483 578 Chris Hampton, South Canterbury 0272 025 679 Murray Smith, Rangiora 0274 140 308 Alastair Brown, Pleasant Point 022 188 6601 Duncan & Casey MacKintosh, Rangiora 03 312 8192 Mitch Taylor, Fairlie 0274 054 527 Nigel Jay, Rangiora 021 140 7827 Martina & Shaun Lawlor, Gore 0274 445 379

Garth Shaw: 027 273 7037 Warwick Howie (PGGW): 027 437 5276 e: wharetoa@farmside.co.nz

www.wharetoagenetics.co.nz

‘Rangiatea’

571 Upper Downs Rd, Mt Somers, Mid Canterbury. Viewing from 11am, sale starts 1.30pm or online via Bidr® LK0116535©

Jw0116950©

Purebreds (9) Suffolk Cross (61) Texel Cross (12) Cheviot Cross (24)

Thursday 23rd November

Mate 40% of your ewes to genetically superior Wharetoa Terminal Sires. Find out how at “Results” www.wharetoagenetics.co.nz Open Day: Friday November 24 – 10am-3pm On Farm Auction: Friday December 15 – 12 midday

Two Tooth Ram Sale

The breed that offers fast growth rate and high yielding carcasses. The Charollais wedge shape gives easy lambing and ideal for hogget mating.

ORARI GORGE GENETICS FAST GROWTH, HIGH YIELD, LESS DRENCHING, GUARANTEED PERFORMANCE Breeding MORE PROFITABLE & MORE SUSTAINABLE sheep in the HILL COUNTRY for the HILL COUNTRY.

“Home of the Beef + Lamb Genetics Low Input Progeny Test”

What is your ram breeder doing to reduce your workload? Orari Gorge Romney, RomTex actively select for

Blair Gallagher 021 022 31522 John Tavendale 027 432 1296 Hamish Gallagher 027 550 7906

Simon Eddington 0275 908 612 Ryan Carr 027 432 4022

RAM AUCTION AT GLENLANDS SHEEPMASTER STUD Gates open 12pm – Auction 2pm, 16 November 2023 1330 State Highway 5, Glengarry, Napier

What makes a SheepMaster? Sustainability

Profitability

Strong Sire‘s head & long ears = fast growth Long muzzle = long body Strong, broad brisket 100% shedding summer coat. Winter coat adapts to extreme cold and heat

More muscle, less fat

Fewer dags and greater resistance and resilience to worms.

Strong bone and front leg structure

Perfect back leg structure, feet and hocks

Perfect width between front legs

SILKY 100% SHEDDING Please contact us any time for more information or to arrange a visit.

• Fertility • Feet – walkability • Productivity

• Easy manage • Early maturity • Drought tolerant

• Hardy, tick resistant • Productive all regions • Aseasonal

No shearing | No crutching | No tailing | No flies Robert & Alex Peacock |

03 692 2893 |

robert@orarigorge.co.nz

Orari Gorge Station, RD 21, Geraldine, South Canterbury, New Zealand

Reps Names – Genetics Tom Suttor 0274469967 | Auctioneer – Sam Wright 0272479035 Dean & Antoinette Martin | Glenlands Farm, Hawkes Bay, NZ Ph: +64 27 250 2850 | E: info@glenlandsfarm.co.nz | www.glenlandsfarm.co.nz

Available on

Livestock

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – November 6, 2023

Elite Ram Sale Building Better Bloodlines

BATLEY BELTEX RAM SALE PURE-BRED BELTEX RAMS

Piquet Hill Rams are: • Moderately framed and structurally sound • Extremely hardy • Prolific and vigorous • FE tolerant • Worm resistant • DNA profiled and parent verified

20th November 1pm Symonds Road, Waipara · 70 2th Wiltshire Rams · SIL recorded · Brucellosis tested · Organically raised Contact: Dave Wooldridge: 027 259 4859 Callum Dunnett: 027 462 0126 Alex Horn: 027 5918 449

506 Batley Rd, Maungaturoto, Northland LK0117035©

Maternal composite (FE testing @ 6.7) Romney (FE testing @ 7.2) Shedding composite (FE testing @ 4.0) Blackface terminal composite

THURSDAY 9 NOVEMBER | 1PM (VIEWING FROM 11.00AM)

Enquiries and viewings welcome Will Jackson 027 739 9939 william@piquethillfarms.co.nz www.piquethillfarms.co.nz

www.mtcass.co.nz

Comprising: • 5 pure-bred Beltex (embryo transplants) • 10 Suffold/Beltex cross • 40 Beltex cross - 50% and 75% Higher dressing yield and meat ratio. Enquiries to:

30th Annual NI Perendale Ram Sale

12 Noon Monday 13th November 2023 Te Kuiti Saleyards

Rex Roadley (Vendor) 09 4318 266 or 021 08155123 rex.roadley@farmside.co.nz Cam Heggie (PGW Genetics) 0275 018 182 Darryl Williamson (PGW Livestock) NZ MATERNAL WORTH0294 WITH MEAT (MW+M) 329 285

26th Annual NI Perendale Ram Sale

60 Top Rams for sale by 10 North Island Breeders 1pm Monday 18th November 2019 Te Kuiti Saleyards

Contact: Sale Secretary Rams for sale by 9 North Island Breeders Philip Brandon 07of Vendors 873 Flock 6313 Rams all selected from top 20% e: pa.brandon@farmside.co.nz Contact: Sale Secretary: Philip Wrightson Brandon Cam Heggie, PGG 873 6313 027 501Ph:07 8182 E: pa.brandon@farmside.co.nz Catalogue available online 8th November Catalogue available online 12th Nov: www.perendalenz.com www.perendalenz.com Cam Heggie PGG Wrightson

600 400

-600 -800 -1000 95 19

-400 -600

James McFarlane Stratford 06 762 5880 Warren D‘Ath Palmerston North 06 354 8951 Gilbert Timms Shannon 06 362 7829

Cor & Bella de Vos Wakefield 03 522 4280 Tim, Sue & Edward Anderson Cheviot 03 319 2730 Ivan & Julie Evans Oxford 03 312 1585 Warwick James Coalgate 03 318 2352 Annabel & Roy Tripp/Vernonese Darfield 03 318 6939 John & Melissa Jebson Darfield 03 318 3796 Blair Gallagher Ashburton 03 303 9819 Philip Oldfield Geraldine 03 693 9877 Robert Gardyne Oturehua 03 444 5032 Pip Wilson Gore 027 207 2882 Hayden & Kate Slee Te Anau 03 249 9097 Andrew & Karen Mackie Otautau 021 210 3381

07 09 20 20 YEAR

Philip Brandon Otorohanga 07 873 6313

John Spellman Te3 Awamutu 5 07 1870 7 1433 1 19 01 Langlands 1 1 2 2 2 2 20Neil &2Linda 20 20 AWAROA - Brandon, Philip & 2Audrey2YEAR – Otorohanga. P: 07 873 6313 Taumarunui 07 896 8660

NORTH 7 9 ISLAND 1 3 5 99 99 00 00 00

-1000 95 19

7 00

9 00

1 01

RUA PEKA PEKA - Bryant, Maree – Urenui. P: 06 752 3701Sean Brosnahan

NORTH ISLAND GREEN ACRES - Jury, Chris – Waitara. P: 06 754 6672 LONGSPUR - Frank, Wayne – Waitara. P: 06 754 4311

AWAROA  RAUPUHA

Gisborne 021 997 519 Otoi Farming Co Wairoa 06 838 7398

AWAROA



LONGSPUR - Frank, Wayne – Waitara. P: 06 754 4311 P: 027 355 Robyn Harding – Mahoneui. 2927 RAUPUHA Woodville 021 133 7533 RUA PEKA PEKA GREENWAIOTANE ACRES - Jury, Chris – Waitara. P: 06 754 6672 - Brosnahan, Sean – Ohope. P: 06 864 4468 John & Carey Henricksen AWAPIKO - Langlands, NeilHarding & Linda––Woodville Taumarunui. 07133 8967533 8660 Pongaroa 06 374 3888 GREEN ACRES KERRYDALE - Robyn – P: P: 021

SNOWDON

12 PM, Te Kuiti Saleyards

RANGIATEA

MONTANA KINNEAR

BENMORE

SNOWDON

RANGIATEA







AWAPIKO





OTOI



WAIOTANE

  

LONGVIEW

 

KERRYDALE

OTOI HAUTERE LONGVIEW OTAPAWA 

TE AWAITI

KERRYDALE

   

17 JANUARY 2023

Gore South Island Ram Sale

10:30 AM, Gore Showgrounds NZ MATERNALHAUTERE WORTH WITH MEAT (MW+M)

MEAT + SURVIVAL + GROWTH = $$$

TE AWAITI WANGAPEKA - de Vos, Cor & Belia

Gore South Island Ram Sale

DOLOMITE - Elliott, Ken – Akaroa. P: 021 221 4185 10:30 AM, Gore Showgrounds

Diamond Peak

BLUFF FARM - Evans, Ivan & Julie – Oxford. P: 03 312 1585

Warren Ayers

OLDENDALE BLUFF FARM Wyndham 027 226 4290 KLIFDEN



WAIOTANE

17–JANUARY 2023 MT GUARDIAN - Anderson, Tim, Sue & Edward Cheviot. P:03 319 2730

Gore 03 208 1789

MT GUARDIAN Gore 03 208 1030

Te Kuiti North Island Ram Sale



OTAPAWA SOUTH ISLAND

Mitchell Hillcrest

BLUFF FARM Clinton 03 415 7187 Christie Wilson Partnership BENMORE WANGAPEKA

14 NOVEMBER 2022



AWAPIKO

HERANGI



Douglas Dara 5880 Robbie GLENOCHY MacFarlane, Whangamamona. P: 06& 762 OTOI -- Brickell, Ian &James Bobbie&–Rochelle Wairoa. P:– 06 838 7398  Eketahuna 027 919 7150 GLENOCHY RAUPUHA Mahoneui. P: 027  LONGVIEW - Maxwell, Graeme– & Sue – Tutira. P: 06355 8392927 7412 Te Awaiti Station RUA PEKA PEKA  022 607 5968 WAIOTANE - Brosnahan, SeanRob – Ohope. P: 06– 864 4468 THE HEIGHTS - Gaskin, & Heather Levin. P: 027 481Martinborough 6924 LONGSPUR  HAUTERE - Henricksen, & Carey– –P:Pongaroa. P: 06 374 3888 KERRYDALE - Robyn Harding John – Woodville 021 133 7533 GREEN ACRES  D’Ath, Warren – Palmerston North. P: 06 354 Ken8951 Elliott OTOI - KAREREVALE Brickell, Ian &- Bobbie – Wairoa. P: 06 838 7398 KAREREVALE Akaroa 021 221 4185 GLENOCHY OTAPAWA - Robbie, Douglas & Dara – Eketahuna. 06 376 7765 LONGVIEW - Maxwell, Graeme & Sue – Tutira. P: 06 839P:7412 ASHBY  Newhaven Farms  HERANGI - Spellman, – Te Awamutu. 1433 Oamaru 03 432 4154 THE HEIGHTS THE HEIGHTS - Gaskin, Rob John & Heather – Levin. P: P: 07 027870 481 6924  LONGSPUR Richard (late) & Kerry France TE AWAITI Wakelin, Sarah – Martinborough. P: 022 607 5968 HAUTERE - Henricksen, John & Carey – Pongaroa. P: 06 374 3888 Tapanui 03 204 8339 ASHBY -- Timms, P: 06 362 7829 KAREREVALE D’Ath, Gilbert Warren––Shannon. Palmerston North. P: 06 354 8951 Mike McElrea & Fraser Darling KAREREVALE Tapanui OTAPAWA - Robbie, Douglas & Dara – Eketahuna. P: 06 376 7765 WANGAPEKA ASHBY 027 424 9376 or 021 701 229 NOVEMBER 2022 HERANGI14 - Spellman, John – Te Awamutu. P: 07 870 1433 THE HEIGHTS Scott & Kjersti Walker MT GUARDIAN Te -Kuiti NorthSarah Island–Ram Sale TE AWAITI Wakelin, Martinborough. P: 022 607 5968 Tapanui 027 630 5301

12 PM, Te Kuiti Saleyards ASHBY - Timms, Gilbert – Shannon. P: 06 362 7829



 DP Flks Avg  Perendale NZ Flocks



RAUPUHA



HERANGI  NZ Maternal Worth with Wool and Meat

 

AWAROA - Brandon, Philip & Audrey – Otorohanga. P: 07 873 6313 AWAPIKO - Langlands, Neil & Linda – Taumarunui. P: 07 896 8660& Sue Maxwell Graeme RUA PEKA PEKA - Bryant, Maree – Urenui. P: 06 752 3701 Tutira 06P: 839 GLENOCHY - MacFarlane, James & Rochelle – Whangamamona. 067412 762 5880









Wayne Frank Waitara 06 754 6672

 

Russell & Mavis Proffit Mahoenui 027 355 2927 Maree Bryant Urenui 06 752 3701 Chris Jury Waitara 06 754 6672

Dave McKelvie Wyndham 027 249 6905

DOLOMITE GRASSLANDS

NEWHAVEN

HAZELDALE OLDENDALE DOLOMITE North Island Ram Sale – Te Kuiti ST HELENS + HINERUA South Island Ram Fair – Gore GOWAN BRAES KLIFDEN 13 November 2023 16 January 2024 AVALON GRASSLANDS FELDWICK MONTANA HILLCREST NEWHAVEN DIAMOND PEAK KINNEAR HAZELDALE CALDERKIN

SOUTH ISLAND GRASSLANDS - Jebson, John & Melissa

MT GUARDIAN - Anderson, Tim, Sue & Edward – Cheviot. RANGIATEA - Gallagher, Blair – Ashburton. P: 03 303 9819 P:03 319 2730 WANGAPEKA - de Vos, Cor &– Coalgate. Belia BENMORE - James, Warrick P: 03 318 2352 DOLOMITE - Elliott, Ken – Akaroa. P: 021 221 4185 OLDENDALE – Geraldine. P: 03 693 9877 Follow on Facebook & 312 Instagram BLUFF FARM - Tripp/Veronese, Evans,us Ivan & Julie – Oxford. P: 03 1585 SNOWDON Annabel & Roy

E: perendalenz@xtra.co.nz GRASSLANDS Jebson,Richard John &&Melissa HAZELDALE -- France, Kerry – Tapanui. P:03 204 8339 KLIFDEN - Gardyne, Robert P: 021 144 9721 RANGIATEA - Gallagher, Blair– –Oturehua. Ashburton. P: 03 303 9819 GOWAN BRAES - McElrea, – Tapanui. P: 318 027 242 BENMORE - James, Warrick Mike – Coalgate. P: 03 23529376

www.perendalenz.com

NEWHAVEN - Smith, Blair & Jane – Oamaru. 4329877 4154 OLDENDALE – Geraldine. P:P:0303693 HILLCREST--Tripp/Veronese, Mitchell, R&R – Clinton. P: & 03Roy 415 7187 SNOWDON Annabel

AVALON - Walker, Scott – Tapanui. P: 027 630 5301P:03 204 8339 HAZELDALE - France, Richard & Kerry – Tapanui.

LK0117095©

0 -200

PERENDALE RAMS Leading way superiorthe Maternal Worth with Meat. superior Maternal Worth with Meat.

 

-400

200

 

400

 

-200

 

CENTS

600

 

200

800

-800

+ GROWTH PERENDALE RAMS = $$$ Leading the way

Helping grow the country

 

1000

800

 

1200

bidr.co.nz

CENTS

1400

MEAT + SURVIVAL + GROWTH = $$$ MEAT + SURVIVAL

LK0116743©

Check out Poll Dorset NZ on 1400 2000 1800 1200 Facebook 1600 1000 nzsheep.co.nz/poll-dorset-breeders

 

1600

 

1800

2200

NZ MATERNAL WORTH WITH MEAT (MW+M) NZ’s Virtual Saleyard

Ph: 027 501 8182

 

2000

 

2200

 

LK0115876©

70 Top

 

New Venue

48 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – November 6, 2023

NZ’s Top 200 FE Rams for Wiltshires

SALE TALK What’s the difference between….

Leading the development of Shedding Sheep in NZ

Open Day 27th November 2-5pm Auction (80 rams) 28th November 11am Taupo Saleyards, 15 Oruanui Road

Cam Heggie Mobile 027 501 8182

LK0114633©

• First (1995) to performance select on Animalplan/SIL • First (2006) to Ramguard™ Facial Eczema Test, currently 0.54 • First (2012) to Carla™ antibody parasite test • Hoof Score (2016) every year, every toe, every hogget ram and ewe, scored in a roll over crate

Arvidson Wiltshires – arvidsonz@gmail.com • 09 296 0597 On Farm Sales - Wellsford, Bombay, Matamata. David 027 277 1556

Livestock

•

a cat and a comma? One has claws attached to its paw, the other has a pause attached to its clause.

•

a pencil and an argumentative colleague? A pencil usually has a point.

•

a hippo and a zippo? One is really heavy, the other is a little lighter.

•

ignorance and apathy? I don’t know and I don’t care.

•

Iron Man and Aluminum Man? Iron Man stops the bad guy, Aluminum Man foils their plans.

STOCK REQUIRED R1 bulls 200kg to 380kg R2 bulls 380kg to 680kg R2 Steers 380kg to 650kg R1 Angus and Angus Hereford X steers 220kg to 350kg

•

beer and your advice? I asked for the beer.

•

a poorly dressed man on a unicycle and a richly dressed man on a bicycle? Attire.

Larger lines of R1 & R2 store cattle. Cull cows. Prime cattle and bulls.

•

a female ant and a male ant? A girl ant sinks in the water. A buoyant floats.

Contact Colin 027 285 5780

SOUTH ISLAND WIDE

LK0117101©

SHEEP SIRE SOLUTIONS ROMDALE RAM LAMBS FOR SALE

• Highly fertile, great survival • Strong emphasis on structural soundness and uniformity • All rams born higher than 1800ft asl Only multiples born and reared on offer Price includes an optional Startect drench and Zapp pour on at departure $270ea plus GST

Use pure genetics from a registered sheep breeder/member to gain a hybrid

Please contact Sam or Liz Barton on 027 242 4262 to enquire and/or confirm a booking – West Otago

www.nzsheep.co.nz

Hill country bred in Wairoa for

Shedding Fleece No Dags High Fertility

Survivability Growth rate Carcass yield

Good feet

ON FARM RAM SALE

Approx. 70 Two Tooth Rams available for sale

Thursday 16th November 2023 Viewing from 10 am. Auction from 12 noon.

Peter & Aira Bremner • Phone 06 837 7456 or 022 567 2852 420 Hereheretau Road, Wairoa, 4196, Hawke‘s Bay, New Zealand Email: taherewiltshires@gmail.com

JW116963©

3243 Puketitiri Road, Patoka – Hawkes Bay

R E D S H A W L I V E S T O C K LTD Dean Freeman 027 445 1944

LK0117083©

Rams available from February 20th to March 15th

Livestock

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – November 6, 2023

MT CASS STATION WILTSHIRE RAM SALE MONDAY 20TH NOVEMBER 208 Symonds Road, Waipara Viewing 11am, Sale 1pm

WILLOWHAUGH SOUTHDOWNS BLENHEIM

Elite Rams for Sale - Online Bidr Auction Wednesday 22nd November - 7pm

>45 1shr Pure Bred Wiltshire Rams >35 1shr Wiltshire & Exlana x Rams These are top lines of SIL fully recorded and organic farmed rams.

> 30 specially selected SIL performance recorded terminal sires

Further enquiries: Callum Dunnett (Hazlett) 027 462 0126 Alby Orchard (Hazlett) 027 534 5753 Alex Horn (PGGW) 027 591 8449 Simon Eddington (PGGW) 027 590 8612 Dave Wooldridge (Mt Cass) 027 259 4859

Freight will be paid to Feilding or Christchurch. Videos and ram info will be available to view on Bidr®. To register for Bidr® please go to www.bidr.co.nz. If you would like assistance registering please call the bidr team on 0800 TO BIDR (0800 86 2437).

SOUTHDOWNS

STOCK REQUIRED 1YR Angus Steers 330-400kg 1YR Exotic & Beef Bred Heifers 250-320kg 2YR Ang & Ang X Steers 450-550kg 1YR Frsn Bulls 250-340kg 1YR Hereford Bulls 330-400kg 1YR Angus Bulls 330-400kg 1YR Angus Heifers 300-350kg

4 Hogget mating

Further enquiries: Christina Jordan (Vendor) 027 628 5308 Callum Dunnett (Hazlett) 027 462 0126 Graham Sidey 027 572 7189

Phone Ross Dyer 0274 333 381 info@dyerlivestock.co.nz www.dyerlivestock.co.nz

LK0116998©

www.southdownsheep.org.nz

A Financing Solution For Your Farm www.rdlfinance.co.nz

“What’s going on with the scanning result - it’s down again. And what about these ewes that are scanned in lamb, why so many dry ones at weaning??” “Ewe losses are so much higher than the neighbour? and ewe condition is lower than it should be.” “I am feeding really well, why is the weaning weight not improving??”

GENETICS you can TRUST

“I only get a few clinical FE cases.... maybe there are more affected than I thought?”

Sound familiar?

Maybe it’s time to invest in FE Gold Rams If you want the best, buy the best

www.fegold.co.nz

BLACK COLOUR MATTERS

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50 Markets

Markets

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Headwinds make for tough lamb outlook There are plenty of options for buyers of lambs, but signals from beyond the farmgate have purchasers feeling cautious.

HIS year hasn’t been the easiest to farm through for all sorts of reasons, and it appears farmers will need to have a resilient mindset to finish the year off, especially for those with sheep. High lambing percentages and good survival rates over lambing have gone some way to buffering the loss of land and subsequent ewe numbers to forestry, and a flurry of new season lambs are now entering the sale ring. These are appearing in decent numbers at the early saleyard of Stortford Lodge and are now starting to make an appearance at Feilding as well, along with paddock and onfarm sales. So there are now plenty of options for those in the market for lambs, but it is a market that buyers are approaching with some caution. A lack of overseas demand is being felt at farmgate level. This is reflected in schedule prices that are set to continue their southern journey. One of the main culprits of the decrease in demand this year is Australian product flooding the market at a much cheaper price than New Zealand can offer, and that is impacting our bottom line. This situation doesn’t look set to change any time soon and so the reality is that the 2023-2024

One of the main culprits this year is Australian product ﬂooding the market at a much cheaper price than New Zealand can offer. These are the lowest average lamb prices recorded in the past ﬁve years with the closest year being 2020 at $97-$108. AgriHQ records date back to 2008, and there was a big turning point for store lamb prices between the 2016 and 2017 seasons with prices lifting on average $30 per head into 2017 and remaining at higher levels until this year. In that period, the strongest season was 2019 when prices averaged $118-$143 for late October to early November, while the weakest seasons were divvied up between 2012, 2015 and 2016 with all posting averages of $69-$85.

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ALL SET FOR SALE: Ewe and lambs at Brooklands Station, Puketapu, Hawke’s Bay are readied for sale on Monday, October 30. undrafted, while at Brooklands Station, Puketapu, more recently the lambs had been weaned ﬁve weeks and the tail-end were not offered for sale. The extra time off mum paid off and the top line made $121 while the balance sold for $69-$104. Buyers covered a large portion of the North Island for all sales from local to

Manawatū, Bay of Plenty and Waikato.” While South Island activity has been quiet to date, it is about to ramp up and at the JG & DA Crawford sheep sale in Oxford recently, 1300 blackface-halfbred lambs sold well with a small prime line at $131 and the balance making $65-$109.

Sheep

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MARKETS

As a percentage of the current lamb schedule, recent yardings came in at 44%, leaving some room in the pot for better prices, though the concern is where the schedule will end up. Historically, that is outside the common range of 45-47%, dating back to 2008, though is not the lowest as that honour goes to 2008 at 36%. Feilding prices and trends have reﬂected Stortford Lodge’s as the market started off at an average of $95 and the subsequent week hit $89 per head. However, very low volume has been traded to date and will pick up in the coming weeks. A new option for buying lambs on the east coast of the North Island has been added, in the form of on-farm sales. To date, three of these have been held with a further three on the books before Christmas. Results from these sales have been positive and Hazlett agent Rowan Sandford said most were above recent paddock price levels. “Most lambs in the paddock have been trading at around $3/kg liveweight and the on-farm sales were above those levels,” he said. “The sales were well-supported, and vendors were happy with the results. At Mangakuri Station, Elsthorpe, the top lambs sold for $90-$118 and the balance returned $54-$83. Te Manuiri Station followed and sold their lambs for $42-$117. Both properties offerings were

season is shaping up to be a tough one for lamb. The season typically starts off at premium price levels and that was no different at Stortford Lodge this year, where the ﬁrst offering just prior to Labour weekend averaged $93 per head. The week following, the average price decreased to $89 and that steady downward trend continued to the most recent sale as it rested at $84.

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Markets

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – November 6, 2023

Weekly saleyards Store cattle sales are continuing with gusto as the spring market hits its straps. Demand for good quality, well-bred and annual draft lines of store cattle has been solid since the start of spring, but recent, more spring-like conditions has allowed grass to finally get away, creating a grass market that benefits all types of cattle. This was timely for an influx of dairy-beef weaners as the fairs get underway, and the annual IHC weaner fair started off the season at Rangiuru. $/kg or $/hd

Frankton | October 31 | 747 cattle

$/kg or $/hd

2-year Hereford-Friesian steers, 433-473kg

3.18-3.28

2-year dairy-beef steers, 450-457kg

3.06-3.12

2-year Hereford-Friesian steers, 407-424kg

3.24-3.32

2-year dairy-beef heifers, 404-420kg

2.90-2.93

Aut-born R2 Hereford-Friesian steers, 352-354kg

3.21-3.27

Aut-born R2 Hereford-Friesian steers, 386-400kg

3.42-3.50

Yearling Hereford-Friesian steers, 264-277kg

3.36-3.37

Yearling Hereford-Friesian steers, 315-327kg

3.46-3.55

Yearling Hereford-Friesian heifers, 265-271kg

3.15-3.21

Yearling Hereford-Friesian steers, 290-302kg

3.38-3.39

Prime dairy-beef steers, 523-560kg

3.10-3.12

Prime Hereford-Friesian steers, 582-612kg

3.15-3.17

$/kg or $/hd

Prime Hereford-Friesian heifers, 523-576kg

3.06-3.07

Boner Friesian cows, 513-521kg

2.09-2.11

Wellsford | October 30 | 890 cattle

Pukekohe | October 28 Aut-born R2 dairy-beef steers

2.66-2.70

Aut-born R2 Hereford-Friesian heifers

3.26

Aut-born weaner dairy-beef steers

4.02-4.24

2-year beef-cross steers, 371-441kg

2.89-2.96

Weaner heifers

440-610

Yearling Angus-cross steers, 208-275kg

3.31-3.32

Prime steers

2.96-3.02

Yearling Hereford-Friesian steers, 287-289kg

3.54-3.55

Prime heifers

2.77-2.93

Yearling Hereford-Friesian heifers, 245-250kg

3.24-3.30

Boner cows

1.78-2.57

Prime Hereford-Friesian steers, 520-619kg

3.08-3.15

Prime Hereford-Friesian heifers, 500-526kg

3.07-3.09

Boner Friesian cows, 539-551kg

2.12-2.13

Mixed-age ewes & lambs

50-54

Store ewes

30-69

Store hoggets

60-118

Store lambs

60-185

Prime lambs

108-145

Tuakau | October 26 | 675 cattle

$/kg or $/hd

3-year Hereford-Friesian steers, 573-598kg

3.13-3.14

2-year dairy-beef steers, 390-446kg

3.17-3.26

2-year dairy-beef heifers, 391-440kg

2.92-2.98

Yearling Hereford-Friesian steers, 232-260kg

3.55-3.57

Yearling Charolais-cross heifers, 270-297kg

2.94-3.15

Rangiuru | October 31 | 441 cattle

$/kg or $/hd

2-year dairy-beef steers, 362-460kg

3.29-3.33

Yearling Hereford-Friesian steers, one line, 299kg

3.53

Yearling Hereford-Friesian heifers, 230-259kg

2.95-3.22

Prime dairy-beef cows, 390-749kg

2.03-2.10

Prime dairy-beef steers, 500-770kg

3.06-3.17

Prime dairy-beef heifers, 440-555kg

2.98-3.08

Rangiuru | November 1 | 413 cattle

$/kg or $/hd

Aut-born weaner dairy-beef heifers, 184-263kg

560-700

Weaner Hereford-Friesian steers, 135-147kg

560-650

Weaner dairy-beef bulls, 120kg average

560

Frankton | November 1 | 337 cattle

Te Kuiti | October 27 | 1024 cattle

$/kg or $/hd

3-year Angus-Friesian steers, 507-600kg

3.05-3.15

2-year Charolais-cross steers, 530-567kg

3.23-3.42

2-year Hereford-Friesian steers, 483-536kg

3.18-3.37

2-year exotic-cross heifers, 375-456kg

3.26-3.32

2-year Hereford heifers, 417-483kg

3.12-3.15

Yearling Angus steers, 371-389kg

3.39-3.42

Yearling Angus steers, 244-284kg

3.76-3.90

Yearling Charolais-cross steers, 305-413kg

1115-1455

Yearling Hereford-Friesian steers, 285-383kg

1065-1210

Yearling Angus-Hereford bulls, 222-258kg

845-920

Yearling Charolais-cross heifers, 358-360kg

3.07-3.17

Yearling dairy-beef heifers, 285kg average

820

Taranaki | November 1 | 338 cattle

3.16-3.23

Yearling Hereford-Friesian steers, 210-263kg

3.76-3.87

Yearling dairy-beef steers, 295kg average

3.31

Yearling Hereford-Friesian heifers, 217-310kg

3.09-3.13

Prime dairy-beef steers, 550-608kg

3.13-3.20

Prime dairy-beef heifers, 529-582kg

3.10-3.16

370-505

Weaner Frieisan & Friesian-cross bulls, 90-112kg

340-460

Boner Friesian cows, 505kg

Weaner Hereford-Friesian, Angus-Friesian heifers, 102-115kg

465-510

Stortford Lodge | October 30 | 1632 sheep

Aut-born weaner dairy-beef heifers, 155kg average

$/kg or $/hd

2-year Hereford-Friesian steers, 480-569kg

Weaner Friesian bulls, 83-117kg

Frankton | October 26 | 1280 cattle

$/kg or $/hd

2.04

$/kg or $/hd

Prime ewes, heavy

92-112

575

Prime ewes, medium

67-85

Weaner Hereford-Friesian, Angus-Friesian steers, 91-125kg

570-680

Prime male hoggets, heavy

165

Weaner Angus-dairy bulls, 107-117kg

535-570

Prime ewe hoggets, heavy

151-184

Weaner Friesian bulls, 113-133kg

570-670

Prime ewe hoggets, good

140

Weaner Friesian bulls, 93-110kg

440-560

Prime mixed-sex hoggets, good to heavy

140-165

Weaner Hereford-Friesian heifers, 99-132kg

465-560

Prime mixed-sex lambs, good

128-152

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – November 6, 2023

Stortford Lodge | November 1 | 1208 cattle, 6620 sheep Mixed-age Angus cows & calves, one line, 637kg

Markets

$/kg or $/hd 1760

2-year Angus steers, 544-558kg

3.29-3.34

2-year traditional steers, 442-570kg

3.34-3.44

2-year traditional heifers, 450kg average

3.12

2-year Hereford-Friesian heifers, 419-509kg

3.02-3.12

Aut-born R2 beef-cross bulls, 501-524kg

3.28-3.42

Aut-born R2 Friesian bulls, 437-473kg

3.22-3.34

Yearling traditional steers, 309-355kg

3.72-3.87

Hogget ewes & lambs, medium

45-51

Store hoggets, all

99-139

Store blackface mixed-sex lambs, good

80-103

Store blackface mixed-sex lambs, small to medium

59-70

Store whiteface mixed-sex lambs, good to heavy

84.50-143.50

Store whiteface mixed-sex lambs, small to medium

48-81

Feilding | October 27 | 1494 cattle, 3709 sheep

$/kg or $/hd

Feilding | October 30 | 160 cattle, 1905 sheep

$/kg or $/hd

3-year Hereford-Friesian steers, 667-688kg

3.11-3.15

Prime Hereford-Friesian cows, in-calf, 497-581kg

1.90-1.91

2-year Angus steers, 443-564kg

3.34-3.48

Boner Friesian cows, 526-576kg

1.79-1.88

2-year Hereford-Friesian steers, 468-596kg

3.20-3.45

Boner Friesian-Jersey cows, 384-473kg

1.76-1.80

2-year other dairy-beef steers, 454-588kg

3.07-3.26

Prime ewes, medium to good

56-100

2-year Friesian bulls, 489-559kg

3.34-3.41

Prime mixed-sex hoggets, heavy to very heavy

109-170

POP OF COLOUR: Yearling South Devon-Simmental steers from Marton added a pop of colour to the Feilding sale on Friday October 27. At 444kg, they sold for $1635, or $3.69/kg.

3.30

Rongotea | October 31 | 132 cattle

$/kg or $/hd

Yearling Angus steers, 224-356kg

900-1280

3-year dairy-beef steers, 461-635kg

3.04-3.15

Yearling South Devon-Simmental steers, 444-445kg

3.66-3.69

Yearling Hereford-Friesian steers, 215-322kg

500-1040

Yearling Hereford-Friesian steers, 298-349kg

3.44-3.52

Yearling exotic bulls, 314-365kg

970-1260

Yearling Angus bulls, 289-388kg

3.53-3.56

Yearling Hereford-Friesian heifers, 198-350kg

630-1140

Yearling Friesian bulls, 279-381kg

2.97-3.22

Coalgate | October 26 | 144 cattle, 1097 sheep

Yearling Angus heifers, 292-323kg

1030-1250

Yearling dairy-beef steers, 385-393kg

2.93-3.02

Yearling Hereford-Friesian heifers, 344-354kg

3.59-3.66

Prime beef, dairy-beef steers, 569-625kg

3.00-3.06

Yearling Hereford-Friesian heifers, 298-314kg

3.26-3.36

Prime dairy-beef heifers, 495-616kg

2.92-3.09

Mixed-age Romney ewes, medium to good

44-70

Store Merino mixed-sex hoggets, medium

Mixed-age ewes & lambs, docked, medium to good

54-67

Store Texel-cross mixed-sex lambs, good

100

Store hoggets, good

60-93

Prime ewes, very good

105-123

Store mixed-sex lambs, good to heavy

99-125

Prime hoggets, good to very good

120-160

Store mixed-sex lambs, small to medium

65-88

Prime lambs, heavy

150-166

2-year Angus-Friesian heifers, one line, 480kg

Track supply & demand

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$/kg or $/hd

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Markets Canterbury Park | October 31 | 606 cattle, 1233 sheep

$/kg or $/hd

2-year dairy-beef steers, 403-466kg

2.94-3.06

Yearling Hereford-Friesian steers, 245-270kg

3.18-3.19

Yearling Angus heifers, 251-312kg

3.02-3.21

Yearling Murray Grey-dairy heifers, 250-328kg

3.05-3.14

Prime dairy-beef steers, 500-710kg

2.89-3.04

Prime traditional, Friesian bulls, 553-748kg

2.80-2.90

Prime dairy-beef heifers, 460-552

2.81-2.98

Store mixed-sex lambs, small to medium

71-87

Prime ewes, very good

100-122

Prime hoggets, good to very good

130-154

Temuka | October 30 | 355 cattle, 1947 sheep

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – November 6, 2023

$/kg or $/hd SEASON BEGINS: These new season lambs at Feilding marked the start of the season at that yard. They were some of the better lambs penned and made $121.

Prime traditional cows, 485-737kg

2.10-2.31

Prime beef steers, 490-636kg

2.96-3.06

Prime Hereford-Friesian heifers, 493-690kg

2.86-2.95

Yearling Angus, Angus-Hereford heifers, 255-305kg

3.14-3.26

Boner dairy cows, 475-655kg

1.90-2.24

Yearling Angus, Angus-Hereford heifers, 207-251kg

740-860

Boner dairy heifers, 474-542kg

2.68-2.85

Yearling Hereford heifers, 216-350kg

800-960

Mixed-age ewes & lambs, medium-good to heavy

55-81

Yearling exotic-cross heifers, 225-280kg

680-890

Store finewool, finewool-cross mixed-sex hoggets, tops

90-128

Balclutha | November 1 | 344 sheep

$/kg or $/hd

Store finewool, finewool-cross mixed-sex hoggets, medium

62-75

Prime ewes, most

60-112

Prime hoggets, most

105-169

Temuka | October 26 | 665 cattle

$/kg or $/hd

2-year beef, dairy-beef steers, 386-551kg

2.94-3.06

2-year dairy-beef heifers, 417-476kg

2.88-3.01

Yearling dairy-beef steers, 276-370kg

2.97-3.27

Yearling Hereford-Friesian heifers, 186-351kg

2.64-2.82

Aut-born weaner Murray Grey-Friesian steers, 168-196kg

650-660

Aut-born weaner Murray Grey-Friesian heifers, 147-197kg

430-530

Castlerock | October 27 | 1318 cattle

$/kg or $/hd

Mixed-age ewes & lambs

Prime ewes, all

30-110

Prime lambs, all

100-152

$/kg or $/hd

Charlton | October 26 | 684 sheep Prime ewes, all

40-94

Prime lambs, all

120-168

$/kg or $/hd

Lorneville | October 31 Yearling beef-cross steers, 345-352kg

3.06-3.13

Yearling beef-cross heifers, 272-347kg

2.89-3.02

Prime cows, 480kg

2.10-2.15

Prime dairy heifers, 430kg

2.20-2.40

Mixed-age ewes & lambs, all

85-90

Yearling Angus, Angus-Hereford steers, 247-342kg

3.73-3.87

Prime ewes, all

54-116

Yearling Angus steers, 205-233kg

3.91-4.10

Prime hoggets, all

100-162

Yearling Hereford steers, 275-319kg

1010-1160

Prime lambs, all

100-136

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Markets

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – November 6, 2023

AgriHQ market trends Cattle

Sheep

Deer

Beef

Sheep Meat

Venison

Slaughter price (NZ$/kgCW)

Last week

Last year

North Island P2 steer (300kg)

6.05

6.90

North Island M2 bull (300kg)

6.05

6.55

North Island M cow (190kg)

4.00

4.90

South Island P2 steer (300kg)

5.75

6.65

South Island M2 bull (300kg)

5.50

6.35

South Island M cow (190kg)

4.00

4.90

Slaughter price (NZ$/kgCW)

Last week

Last year

North Island AP stag (60kg)

8.80

8.85

5.95

South Island AP stag (60kg)

8.75

8.95

6.80

9.25

2.90

5.90

Fertiliser Last week

Last year

DAP

1197

1794

Super

474

509

Urea

897

1340

Urea (Coated)

946

1339

Sep

Last year

Last week

Last year

North Island lamb (18kg)

6.70

9.25

North Island mutton (25kg)

3.05

South Island lamb (18kg) South Island mutton (25kg)

Fertiliser

Export markets (NZ$/kg) China lamb flaps

9.28

11.87

Wool

Export markets (NZ$/kg) US imported 95CL bull

9.44

US domestic 90CL cow

10.97

9.10 9.26

NOTE: Slaughter values are weighted average gross operating prices including premiums but excluding breed premiums for cattle.

Steer slaughter price ($/kgCW)

Slaughter price (NZ$/kgCW)

(NZ$/kg clean)

26-Oct

Last year

Crossbred fleece

3.36

2.69

Crossbred second shear

3.19

2.48

Courtesy of www.fusca.co.nz

Lamb slaughter price ($/kgCW)

NZ average (NZ$/tonne)

Forestry Exports

7.0

10.0

NZ Log Exports (tonnes)

6.5

9.0

China

1,789,412

1,660,959

6.0

8.0

Rest of world

204,344

195,418

Carbon price (NZ$/tonne)

Last week

Last year

5.5

7.0

70.0

85.0

5.0 Oct

Dec

Feb North Island

Apr

Jun Aug South Island

Australia cattle slaughter (thous. head) 160

6.0

NZU Oct

Dec

Feb

Apr

North Island

Jun

Aug

South Island

Australia lamb & mutton slaughter (thous. head)

Stag Slaughter price ($/kgCW) 9.5 9.0

600 8.5

500

120

400

8.0

300

7.5

200

Oct

Dec

Feb North Island

100

0 11-Aug

11-Sep 5-yr ave

11-Oct

11-Nov This year

11-Dec 11-Jan Last year

0 11-Aug

11-Sep 5-yr ave

11-Oct

11-Nov This year

11-Dec 11-Jan Last year

Apr

Jun Aug South Island

Data provided by

Lamb Growth Paparata Priority This kill sheet is of Paparata ram

lambs

Mating date of mothers is

April

2022. .

Finished on Paparata hills

Over

gain

Ram Hgts

300

day live weight

times Te uiti Meat

Processors supplier of the year

1 - 1 0

Also F testing

testing since

www.paparata.co.nz

hgt lambing

scanning

ow methane emission testing

Please see website for more info

Markets

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – November 6, 2023

NZX market trends Dairy

Grain

Data provided by

Milk price futures ($/kgMS)

Close of market

Canterbury feed wheat ($/tonne)

10.5

5pm, Wednesday

700 650

9.5

S&P/NZX PRIMARY SECTOR EQUITY

600 8.5

10005

550

450

6.5 Oct

Dec

Feb

Apr

Jun

Sep-2024

Aug

Oct

Prior week

4 weeks prior

ArborGen Holdings Limited

0.175

0.23

0.17

The a2 Milk Company Limited

4.2

7.83

4.11

Cannasouth Limited

0.178

0.32

0.17

700

Comvita Limited

3.1

3.48

2.75

650

Delegat Group Limited

8.14

10.2

7.98

600

Fonterra Shareholders' Fund (NS)

3.03

3.88

2.94

Foley Wines Limited

1.25

1.42

1.18

Greenfern Industries Limited

0.046

0.113

0.044

Livestock Improvement Corporation Ltd (NS)

1.25

0.99

Marlborough Wine Estates Group Limited

0.161

0.19

0.15

NZ King Salmon Investments Limited

0.195

0.24

0.181

PGG Wrightson Limited

3.15

4.67

3.1

Rua Bioscience Limited

0.113

0.22

0.094

Sanford Limited (NS)

3.87

4.39

3.7

Scales Corporation Limited

2.88

4.25

2.75

Seeka Limited

2.33

3.72

2.2

Synlait Milk Limited (NS)

1.39

3.65

1.16

T&G Global Limited

1.9

2.37

1.9

S&P/NZX Primary Sector Equity Index

10005

12870

9974

S&P/NZX 50 Index

10851

12212

10742

S&P/NZX 10 Index

11120

12411

10937

WMP

3050

3230

2965

SMP

2690

2820

2660

AMF

5450

5380

5200

550

Butter

5000

5050

500

Milk Price

7.91

8.00

7.60

450

* price as at close of business on Wednesday

400

WMP futures - vs four weeks ago (US$/tonne)

Dec

Feb

Apr

Jun

Aug

Oct

Dec

Feb

Apr

Jun

Aug

Oct

Waikato palm kernel ($/tonne) 450

3400 3300 3200

400

3100 3000

350

2900 2800

Nov

Dec

Jan

Latest price

Feb

Mar

Apr

300

4 weeks ago

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11120

Oct

Canterbury feed barley ($/tonne)

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10851

Company

400

Sep-2025

Dairy Futures (US$/t)

S&P/NZX 10 INDEX

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500

7.5

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Oct

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Weather

ruralweather.co.nz

Drier drier, plants on fire Philip Duncan

NEWS

Weather

USH fires are raging across a large part of eastern Australia and the hot, dry conditions that have persisted there in recent months, in particular in Queensland, are now taking their toll. For months now WeatherWatch has been receiving comments from our Australian audience about how tough and worrisome El Niño is becoming. Then you cross the Tasman Sea back home and what do we hear? “Will it ever stop raining?” For the rest of this year I’m part of a weekly podcast at farmersweekly.co.nz, along with AgriHQ analyst Suz Bremner, to discuss how El Niño is tracking each week in relation to the latest weather we’re receiving here in NZ and nearby. In our most recent episode, Steve Wyn-Harris joins us to

challenge the current conditions vs the forecast ahead. It’s a really fascinating short listen and, for those who are particularly new to farming in the past decade or so, you may really find this helpful in preparing for the worst – while also not getting too carried away with a forecast that no one, not even myself, can be 100% sure of. Steve’s reflection on previous El Niño and La Niña events is an eyeopener to anyone who is farming or growing in New Zealand and it really confirms something WeatherWatch has been saying for years: our location on Earth, halfway between the equator and Antarctica and partially in the Roaring Forties belt of weather, means that the chaos we have adds another layer of complexity to the situation – but that does NOT mean the forecasts are all wrong and should be ignored. Steve and I could’ve talked on this podcast for an hour, getting more and more passionate about the conversation!

CLASSIC: The next two weeks’ rainfall shows more classic westerlies returning, producing more rain on the West Coast and driest in the north and east of both islands. However the North Island has the chance of some extra afternoon downpours bubbling up around the ranges.

In my case, it’s rare to meet a farmer who is both being sceptical about the long-range forecast but also taking it very seriously. That’s the same world that I live in as a forecaster trying my best to help people – we don’t blindly trust data, but we must also have some faith in it. There are so many variables –

and having variables (for example, a tropical low that forms during El Niño when many of us think they won’t be so likely) does NOT undo the higher risks of dry weather and drought and long-range forecasts. Variables are our friend. The podcast with Steve really highlights how farmers, growers and forecasters can work together

intelligently – without anyone expecting to know the perfect 100% answer. It’s about collective best thinking – and I highly recommend you take a listen to the most recent “El Niño Watch Podcast”, which you can find under “Podcasts” at the top of the farmersweekly.co.nz homepage.

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