Farmers Weekly NZ March 8 2021

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Vol 19 No 9, March 8, 2021 2021

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Disruptions hit processors Neal Wallace neal.wallace@globalhq.co.nz

D

ISRUPTED shipping schedules, labour shortages and dry conditions in parts of the country are starting to hamper meat processing capacity as the season reaches its peak.

The shortage of labour and a squeeze on cold storage space is limiting the ability of companies to work overtime and also forcing further reduced processing of cuts.

In recent weeks we have seen multiple ports closed for periods of time, refusing container deliveries until vessels discharge and they have the opportunity to load out.

Simon Limmer Silver Fern Farms “We have adjusted our cut mix in some plants to speed up product flow, but conversely this means we lose the higher-value small cuts, which will ultimately be reflected in the pricing schedule,” Silver Fern Farms chief executive Simon Limmer told shareholders in a newsletter.

AgriHQ analyst Nicola Dennis says a shortage of skilled workers means processors have had to stop producing premium-earning

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boneless, tubed shoulders for Japan, instead selling bone-in shoulders to China at lower prices.

While AgriHQ senior analyst Mel Croad says dry conditions in parts of the North Island could create a problem in the future as farmers seek to offload stock.

At this stage, feed crops sown in spring, low stock numbers following last year’s drought and a flush of grass following rain in December means Hawke’s Bay is not yet facing a significant feed shortage.

Croad says staffing issues in processing plants have worsened since university students returned to study and from apple growers offering competitive rates this harvest.

In the season-to-date – October to early February – the South Island kill was 4.6% ahead and North Island lamb kill was 3% behind.

Nationally, the lamb kill was 40,000 higher than a year ago and the mutton kill 20.5% higher, at over 2.1 million.

Limmer says 85% of ships calling at NZ ports are off-schedule and delays of up to a week are common, prompting vessels to miss ports as they try to catch up.

An imminent resolution is unlikely.

In transit ports, Limmer says a third of containers are missing their scheduled connecting vessel, extending a product’s journey, which may reduce its shelf life.

“In recent weeks we have seen multiple ports closed for periods of time, refusing container deliveries until vessels discharge and they have the opportunity to load out,” he said in his shareholders’ letter.

China’s main meat importing port Darian has been closed since mid-December, while rolling

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NO END IN SIGHT: With exports delays being just one of many constraints, Silver Fern Farms chief executive Simon Limmer says a third of containers are missing their scheduled connecting vessel, extending a product’s journey, which may reduce its shelf life.

industrial action across Australian ports is compounding delays.

“North American ports are heavily congested, and our own ports in NZ are overwhelmed with both inbound and outbound containers waiting for vessels,” he said.

Meat exporters face delays in the delivery of empty containers that are cleaned and approved for export due to a backlog at container-processing depots.

“The combination of these challenges make it difficult to build stability in our daily operational plans,” he said.

Alliance Group general manager of manufacturing Willie Wiese

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says the season is progressing as normal.

“Despite the global supply chain issues caused by covid-19, our refrigerated and cool store capacity is generally satisfactory across our network and livestock processing is continuing as normal,” Wiese said.

BusinessDesk reports Lyttelton’s container operations general manager Simon Munt as saying ships carrying imports are leaving Ports of Auckland 10-12 days behind schedule, and “it means they don’t have time to call at Lyttelton” resulting in a 20% drop in ship visits.

Because Auckland is closer to

the nation’s densest population, most ships will call at Auckland first to unload imports before filling their holds with New Zealand’s exports.

“If we’re getting fewer calls, there’s less capacity to take volume out of Lyttelton” and that clogs up the supply chain back to the port’s customers’ warehouses.

A report by international ratings agency Fitch says a sharp rise in shipping rates has reached a point where they are unsustainable.

Shipping a 40-foot container from China to Europe or the US would have cost $2700 a year ago, it now costs $11,000 to Europe or $5600 to the US’ West Coast.

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26 Working together on common goals

Beef + Lamb NZ’s new independent director Bayden Barber brings a mix of business acumen, governance experience and a Maori voice to the boardroom table.

REGULARS Newsmaker ��������������������������������������������������� 26 New Thinking ����������������������������������������������� 27

4 Pay rise to sweeten job appeal

Editorial ������������������������������������������������������� 28

Amid a tight job market and limited overseas worker supply, the kiwifruit sector is clamouring for more staff to meet what is anticipated to be a record cropping season for fruit volume.

Pulpit ������������������������������������������������������������� 29 Opinion ��������������������������������������������������������� 30 Real Estate ���������������������������������������������� 33-39 Tech & Toys ���������������������������������������������������� 40 Employment ������������������������������������������������� 41 Classifieds ����������������������������������������������� 41-43 Livestock ������������������������������������������������� 43-45 Weather ��������������������������������������������������������� 47

5 Dairy leads property

turnaround

The number and value of dairy farms sold on the open market increased dramatically during the second half of last year.

9 Focus on NZ-grown grain An industry drive to increase the use of New Zealandgrown grain is taking off.

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FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – March 8, 2021

3

GDT prices blow their top Hugh Stringleman hugh.stringleman@globalhq.co.nz ONE of the biggest single-event increases in the Global Trade Dairy (GDT) index may be the impetus for a buoyant dairy market that delivers $8/kg farm gate milk prices this season and next.

The GDT index jumped 15% on March 3, to 1346, fuelled by a 21% increase in whole milk powder (WMP) and 13.7% in butter.

Logistics disruption fears are here to stay and they are motivating buyers.

Nat Keall ASB The market has risen 40% since the beginning of November, with four months of eight consecutive GDT index increases, and WMP is now 46% higher.

The latest GDT leap bears an uncanny resemblance to market behaviour eight years ago.

In March 2013, the GDT index had consecutive rises of 11.4% and 14.6% at elevated levels similar to those of today.

The index then spent 12 months above 1400, enabling Fonterra

to deliver its record milk price of $8.40/kg milksolids for the 201314 season.

Westpac senior agri-analyst Nathan Penny was convinced by the latest GDT results to add 40c on his farm gate milk price forecast, now $7.90.

ANZ agricultural economist Susan Kilsby lifted her forecast by 50c to $7.70.

NZX dairy analyst Amy Castleton says the GDT activity followed by the reaction in dairy derivatives added 30c to her milk price forecast, now $7.95.

She says after WMP prices on the GDT platform rose US$750/ tonne in one auction to average $4364, the WMP futures put on $500 across the board.

Butter futures have also soared, adding $900 for the March contract.

The September 2021 milk price futures jumped 25c and is now trading around $7.60; likewise the 2022 milk price contracts.

ASB analyst Nat Keall says the dairy market trend was for stronger prices and the magnitude of the gains regularly exceeded market expectations.

The latest GDT auction took 23 rounds and three hours to complete and some buyers were unable to secure the quantities they sought.

“Logistics disruption fears are here to stay, and they are motivating buyers to secure

ELEVATION: Westpac analyst Nathan Penny has loaded 40c on to his forecast of the farm gate milk price.

supply early even for shipments some way in the future to meet expected demand,” Keall said.

Chinese buyers dominated the WMP bidding.

Rabobank senior dairy analyst Emma Higgins says Chinese demand stemmed from high feed prices for its domestic dairy industry and local milk prices

are near record levels.

“Throw in other factors like inclement weather in the northern hemisphere and port congestion and shipping delays and it makes the scramble on GDT somewhat understandable,” Higgins said.

She says it was possible there was more price volatility to come.

Kilsby says a decline in the

volume of Fonterra milk collection may have prompted some buying activity on GDT before the market potentially tightens further.

The supply and demand factors driving the sharp increase in prices right now were difficult to explain fully and was therefore uncertain how long the run may last.

Fonterra ups forecast payout – again FONTERRA once again lifted its forecast payout for its farmer shareholders on strong demand, but noted the high input costs put pressure on the co-operative’s earnings.

The dairy co-operative now expects to pay $7.30-$7.90 a kilogram of milksolids, up from a DEMAND: Fonterra chief executive prior forecast of $6.90-$7.50.

Miles Hurrell says the increase is due The midpoint of the range, to consistent strong demand for NZ which farmers are paid off, has dairy in China, alongside Southeast increased to $7.60 a kg MS and the Asia and the Middle East. lift means Fonterra now pump GENERATION SOFT BAIT FARMERS WEEKLY 265W X 100Hwill MM

more than $11.5 billion into the economy through milk payments.

Chief executive Miles Hurrell says the increase is due to consistent strong demand for NZ dairy.

“It’s very much a China demand-led story, but there is also good demand for New Zealand dairy across Southeast Asia and the Middle East,” Hurrell said.

He says customers know Fonterra are continuing to get products to market, despite the

challenges in the global supply chain.

“They are looking to us for this reliability,” he said.

Hurrell says customers are also buying more product than usual to help mitigate the risk of global supply chain delays.

He said, however, it is important farmers recognise there are a number of downside risks to the midpoint of the range.

For example, the European Union and US are heading into

their season and their milk supply will start increasing, and he pointed to the impacts of covid-19 on key markets and market volatility.

Not only that, but “a $7.60 a kgMS forecast farmgate milk price also increases our input costs putting further pressure on our earnings in the second half of the 2020/21 financial year,” he said.

Hurrell said more details on earnings would be provided at the half-year result on March 17.

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FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – March 8, 2021

Pay rise to sweeten orchard job appeal Richard Rennie richard.rennie@globalhq.co.nz AMID a tight job market and limited overseas worker supply, the kiwifruit sector is clamouring for more staff to meet what is anticipated to be a record cropping season for fruit volume.

Typically, the sector would be taking about 3000 Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) staff from the Pacific Islands, but expectations are this will be less than half this season. The Bay of Plenty usually relies on 20,000 of the 23,000 seasonal workers employed in the sector during harvest, extending from early March to June.

Billboards promoting job opportunities with different postharvest companies line the main routes in and out of Tauranga city this season.

New Zealand Kiwifruit Growers Incorporated (NZKGI) chief executive Nikki Johnson says she is optimistic the 16% lift in sector pay rates to the living wage rate of $22.10 an hour will entice more locals into the sector.

The $22.10 rate is being paid by all packhouse companies, while kiwifruit picking jobs are expected

to exceed the living wage, paying an average last year of $24 an hour, compared to minimum wage rates of $18.90 an hour.

In a region where lower paying hospitality and tourism jobs have been hard hit by the loss of overseas visitors, the increase in pay is expected to provide a welcome boost to numbers of willing workers.

“We have been told for some time by the minister that if we pay more, we will attract more staff. This is an effort to see if this happens,” Johnson said.

Increased flexibility around work times and days is another feature of this season’s employment opportunities, as the sector hones in on semi-retired workers and students.

“We can be looking at two to three days a week of work, and finishing times. We do know, however, it will be weekends and night shifts that will be harder to fill,” she said.

Workers happy to take up night shifts can expect an additional $1 an hour for shifts starting after 7pm.

One problem packhouses experienced last year was a relatively high “churn” rate,

with staff leaving the physically demanding, intense work sometimes after only a few days.

“This year we have offered one-day ‘taster’ courses, so people have an idea about what they are committing to before they start,” she said.

Working closer with the Ministry of Social Development (MSD), workers who lack transport are having free buses provided to get to work. MSD is working to increase awareness among the unemployed about the opportunities that exist not only for seasonal work, but for full-time positions.

The crunch point for the sector can come after harvest when skilled winter pruning staff are needed, who were often RSE workers. The industry ran a series of training courses last year to boost local participation, with success.

Workers with licences to operate heavy trucks and forklifts would be in particular demand, and some packhouses have been implementing training programmes for staff wanting to get licences.

Following some timely lateFebruary rain after a prolonged

HELP WANTED: Billboards promoting job opportunities with different post-harvest companies line the main routes in and out of Tauranga city this season.

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BOOST: NZKGI chief executive Nikki Johnson says demand for kiwifruit labour is high, but the sector is hoping increased pay rates and job flexibility will boost staff numbers this season.

dry spell, expectations are that this season’s crop will deliver in terms of yield and size throughout the Bay of Plenty.

This contrasts to the heavy losses suffered by growers around Marlborough following the Christmas hail storms, which are estimated to have inflicted losses of about $20 million, of which only $7m was covered by insurance.

Last season a record 157m trays of Green and SunGold were harvested, and this year SunGold is expected to haul ahead of Green in terms of tray volume.

Red fruit will also be harvested in the first commercial crop yields, with delivery to some local and limited overseas markets.

Seeka’s grower and marketing general manager Jim Smith says the company has pulled out all stops to boost its local workforce this year.

“In Northland we have a good initiative with MSD and local iwi, and have 60 people running through a pilot employment programme, bringing them up to be work-ready for the season,” Smith said.

He says the company’s orchards

This includes timing around after school hours in a twilight shift, and the opportunity for people to do job sharing too.

We are open to all ideas.

Jim Smith Seeka and plant in the main growing area of Te Puke still require staff, and the company is taking a very flexible approach to employment hours and shifts to accommodate staff schedules.

“This includes timing around after school hours in a twilight shift, and the opportunity for people to do job sharing too. We are open to all ideas,” he said.

Seeka was also working with tourism contacts in Rotorua to draw staff who may have lost their jobs in the tourism sector and were seeking employment.

News

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – March 8, 2021

5

Dairy leads property turnaround Colin Williscroft colin.williscroft@globalhq.co.nz THE number and value of dairy farms sold on the open market increased dramatically during the second half of last year.

Property Brokers general manager rural Conrad Wilkshire says based on Real Estate Institute of NZ (REINZ) data for the 12 months to January this year, 157 dairy farms 20ha and over were sold for a total of about $663 million, compared to the same period the year before when there were 101 sales for about $436m.

The biggest increases were in October, November and December, which saw increases of $75m, $105m and almost $102m respectively on the same months a year earlier.

Dairy real estate sales for the current season are up $308m to the end of January compared to the same period last year.

That is in stark contrast to the first half of 2020, which was more than $91m back on a year before.

Wilkshire says one of the reasons for the change is that properties listed this season have actually been on the market, rather than vendors dipping their toe in to see what interest was like.

That’s been helped by food production being more highly valued as a result of covid, reinforced by the strength of international dairy prices.

Underlying returns on dairy sector investment are very favourable, he says, which may create more interest from investor syndicates.

Horticulture land sales have benefitted from outside thirdparty investment in recent years and there is a similar opportunity for dairy, especially if properties are sold with leases in place.

Wilkshire says the advantage of that model is that it attracts investment without relying on debt to make it work.

It provides good returns for both

the landowner and the farmer operating a business on the property, allowing them to each focus on their own enterprise.

Bayleys general manager Waikato and country manager Mark Dawe says inquiries in the Waikato dairy market during spring were strong, but has since slowed.

It does not have to be an all or nothing strategy.

Conrad Wilkshire Property Brokers Although spring is the time when most dairy farms are listed, autumn is also traditionally popular, albeit to a lesser extent, but Dawe says in Waikato at least, that hasn’t yet been the case this year, with not much coming on to the market.

His office was processing two conditional contracts during the first week of March, so there is interest out there.

A 15% rise in the Global Dairy Trade (GDT) index last week means it’s at a seven-year high, which has resulted in plenty of positive sentiment around the sector.

However, Dawe does not expect that to translate into significant increases in the prices paid for dairy farms.

At $431m, horticulture land sales for the year ending January are very similar to the year before, which was $434m. That was on the back of a favourable swing back of $105m in the second half of the year compared to the same period a year before.

Wilkshire says horticulture real estate sales are expected to increase in value and volume this year.

There’s also plenty of interest in sheep and beef farm sales, with return on capital ahead of financing costs.

Alternative land-use, particularly the demand for permanent forests is now a real factor in the market.

That’s not going to change in the next 12 months.

However, he says there is an opportunity for farmers to take a more strategic approach by identifying parts of the farm, or two or three farms in the same area, that are less productive and consider putting them into forestry or permanent forest.

That way the most productive areas are retained in the pastoral sector, while the more marginal areas are utilised where they are better suited.

He says as farmers become more comfortable about the concept of carbon and where it fits, there could be opportunities for them to invest in permanent forests or forestry.

Areas where back country land can be retired into forestry while the rest of the property is retained for farming could offer significant upsides for farm succession plans, rather than seeing whole properties sold into forestry.

“It does not have to be an all or nothing strategy,” Wilkshire said.

He says it’s important that enough land is retained to support the national sheep flock as it cannot be allowed to drop too much further.

“There’s no question that we can ill afford it to drop below 20 million ewes if we want to continue to support our supply chains,” he said.

Looking ahead, Wilkshire says the level of the turnaround in the rural property market – which continues to track at $2.4 billion a year on 1100-plus sales – shows the importance of keeping the long-term in mind as recoveries often come faster than expected.

“Focus on the future,” he said.

CONDUCIVE: Property Brokers general manager rural Conrad Wilkshire says returns on dairy sector investment are very favourable, which may create more interest from investor syndicates.

Covid level rise effects events LAST week’s rise in covid-19 alert levels led to some rural events being either cancelled or postponed, while the organisers of other events are monitoring the situation.

Events cancelled • Golden Shears • Northland Field Days • Horse of the Year • Southland A&P Show Events postponed • What’s the Beef roadshow, North Island dates, now to run from week of April 12 • NZ Herefords’ Coast to Coast Herd tour, to March next year

Still on, at least for now • What’s the Beef South Island dates, March 9-11 • Wanaka A&P Show, March 12 • NZ Rural Games, March 12-14 • Central Districts Field Days, March 18-20 • Open Farms, March 21 • South Island Field Days, March 24-26

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News

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – March 8, 2021

7

Councils defend rates rise plans Neal Wallace & Gerald Piddock MARLBOROUGH farmers are accusing their district council of double-dipping with plans to charge them for staff time and costs monitoring permitted activities, as the implications of the Government’s freshwater policies materialise.

The unitary authority’s proposal released this month provides an indication of the impact on ratepayers and consent holders, with fears about the cost appearing to be founded.

Environment Canterbury (ECan) is consulting on two spending options amounting to an increase of more than $40 million than this year, of which the Government’s essential freshwater package has been identified as a key factor.

The Waikato Regional Council’s 10-year budget for its draft Long-Term Plan (LTP) would see a 7.3% rates rise in year one, of which about 2% is due to meeting the Government’s freshwater requirements.

That 2% includes costs required around extra staffing, as well as the monitoring and auditing of farm environmental plans (FEPs).

Waikato Regional Council chief

DRAFT: Waikato Regional Council’s 10-year budget for its draft Long-Term Plan would see a 7.3% rates rise in year one, of which about 2% is due to meeting the Government’s freshwater requirements.

financial officer Janine Becker says the bulk of funding those requirements would come out of that first year.

Year two of the plan proposes an average rates increase of 8.5% and in 2023-24, it would be 2.4%.

Costings around implementing the requirements of the new National Policy Statement on Biodiversity are estimated to be about $500,000 and will be funded from the second year increase.

It argues that for 77% of Waikato Regional Council ratepayers, the overall rates rise will be less than $1 a week, but for the remaining 13% it would vary. Ratepayers in some catchments could see higher bills due to the costs of maintaining infrastructure.

“That would indicate that it will be the rural sector that is impacted by that,” Becker said.

The LTP has been approved by the council for auditing and

adoption will be voted on at the end of March before sending it out for consultation from April 1.

Marlborough Federated Farmers provincial president Phillip Neal says ratepayers already pay the council a fee for environmental monitoring, in his case $9692 a year, plus 60% of the actual cost.

At present the balance, 40%, of the council’s environmental protection group’s costs are funded by general rates, but under the proposal, all the costs would be recovered.

Neal says the council’s proposal proves farmer fears that the essential freshwater reforms would impose costs.

Marlborough Mayor John Leggett says the council is fulfilling its requirements as set by the Government and expecting a push-back from farmers.

“These additional reporting and monitoring requirements are put onto us as a local authority and have to be accounted for,” Leggett said.

He promised visits by council officers will not be excessive.

The report to the Marlborough council’s February meeting states that the proposal will enable the recovery of monitoring costs

Landowners can accept that policy comes from the central Government, however, this proposed charge appears to be implemented directly

by MDC staff and councillors.

Phillip Neal Federated Farmers for permitted activities under the National Environmental Standards for Freshwater (NESFW) introduced last year.

“Monitoring NES-FW permitted activities undertaken by the environmental protection group incur a cost to council. If this cost is not recovered from the property owner, it would be borne by the general ratepayer,” the staff report advised.

The costs to be recovered are for staff time, travel, reporting, reviewing, administration, sampling and testing, and any external costs such as consultants.

Proposed rates increase ‘outrageous’ Annette Scott annette.scott@globalhq.co.nz ENVIRONMENT Canterbury (ECan) councillors were poorly led with no financial analysis and now ratepayers face footing the bill, a councillor says.

Ian Mackenzie, who represents the Mid Canterbury constituency on the regional council, voted against the draft Long-Term Plan (LTP) 2021-31 last month because of the unjustified and outrageous rates increase proposed.

The proposed 18-24% rates increase in the regional council’s LTP should not be, Mackenzie says.

He is urging the community to have their say when consultation on the draft LTP goes live this week.

“I believe, as a councillor, we were poorly led, the process lacked scrutiny, was deficient (and) there was never a limit set on council funding – an inexperienced council advised staff there should be

no cap,” Mackenzie said.

“It was like letting a bunch of kids loose in a candy store.”

The larger part of the rate rise, 15%, is to fund three years of planning for the Government’s Essential Freshwater package.

But Mackenzie says for ECan ratepayers it is paying for work that is already done.

“ECan just spent $60 million on Freshwater on Plan Changes one to seven (PC 1-7),” he said.

“That $60m has just been

thrown out the door and now there’s another $30m spend proposed for the next three years, pretty much just to change a few words.”

Mackenzie is frustrated that ECan did not challenge the Government’s Essential Freshwater package that implemented new national environmental standards for freshwater and a new National Policy Statement for Freshwater that came into effect in September.

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Ratepayers can visit https:// ratescalculator.ecan.govt.nz and enter their address to calculate what their rate increase will be.

Mackenzie is facing a $6000 increase for his Mid Canterbury mixed-farming operation.

Mackenzie urges ratepayers to have their say when consultation on the LTP goes live on March 8.

Submissions will close on April 11.

Available from March 8, to have you say, visit www.haveyoursay. ecan.govt.nz/LTP

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News

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – March 8, 2021

Moving on from disappointment THE cancellation of iconic events like Golden Shears and the Southland A&P Show due to covid alert level changes highlights the need for rural communities to stick together and have a plan B. The 61st Golden Shears, which were scheduled to be held in Masterton last week, have been cancelled for the first time in their history. A huge disappointment, not just for the 300-plus competitors, but also for the many rural families who look forward to the event each year.

“It was a huge thing,” New Zealand Shearing Contractors Association (NZSCA) president Mark Barrowcliffe said.

He was a judge at last year’s competition and intended to compete at this one.

“Our shearing community was only just getting used to being able to catch up again with each other after so many shearing sports events were cancelled last year.

So it was a huge disappointment to have the goalposts pulled up again,” Barrowcliffe said.

“I know a lot of planning and extra measures have gone into this year’s event too. But looking back, I guess we were very lucky

to be able to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Golden Shears last year before we went into lockdown.”

He says events like Golden Shears hold a special place in the hearts of those involved in wool harvesting.

“What a lot of people may not appreciate is that shearing’s not just a job, it’s also a sport. Many shearers are honing their skills at work for five to seven days a week, just so they can compete at events like these. They work hard for months to prepare for show season, even down to making sure the comb on their hand piece is the perfect thickness. So having the rug pulled at the last minute is a real let down,” he said.

Farmstrong sought some expert advice on how to cope with such disappointment.

Sarah Donaldson of Tea Health and Wellbeing (www.tea-retreats. co.nz) is a clinical psychologist based in Wairarapa and works extensively with rural families for the Rural Support Trust and Farmstrong.

“First, let’s not minimise how people may be feeling – a cancellation like this is hugely

MILESTONE: Last year’s Golden Shears was its 60th anniversary.

gutting for people competing for elite level, national titles,” Donaldson said.

“It obviously requires a huge amount of mental and physical preparation. It would be abnormal if you didn’t feel gutted. so it’s important to let yourself have that emotion.

“But it’s also true that going through that kind of gutwrenching disappointment sometimes allows you to appreciate just how much meaning an event like that has for you. It reinforces how important it is for you in your life.”

The key, she says, is “not to let the disappointment sit with you for too long” “We don’t want that disappointment to consume a person so they lose track of where to next and lose motivation,” she said.

“It’s okay to feel flat for a bit, but it’s also important to contain it and realise something like the cancellation of Golden Shears is completely out of your control. It’s nothing personal, everyone is in the same boat. You can’t change it.

All you can do is work out how to reset and look at other goals.

“For example, these competitors clearly have a lot of passion and drive. So it’s about asking, where else can I put my energy to good use in other activities that are still happening and are meaningful to me?

“It’s a bit like the All Blacks last year when they couldn’t do the international games and Super 15, but they still put a lot back into the community. It’s about looking for local opportunities to fill the void.

“That might be stuff that’s happening outside the woolshed.

What else right now is going to give you some joy? If it can’t be elite shearing, could it be hunting or fishing or another sport or helping to organise a community

SUPPORT SYSTEM: Tea Health and Wellbeing clinical psychologist Sarah Donaldson is based in Wairarapa and works extensively with rural families.

event? It’s about making the best of a crappy situation.”

Donaldson says even making a plan and deciding what your next steps are will give you a sense of accomplishment if you’re feeling ho-hum.

“Disappointment is natural, but don’t let it fester, take steps to move on,” she said.

Barrowcliffe offers similar advice.

“Obviously in uncertain times like these it’s about keeping it simple. So instead of waiting for that big event, get along and support some of the smaller things that are happening in your own town. Go to the little show or event down the road. Make the most of what you’ve still got,” he said.

He believes rural communities will need to be resourceful in organising and running events in the era of covid.

“Last year, for example, our Canterbury Shears event ran on a much smaller scale in someone’s woolshed. But that meant it could still go ahead, so it’s about being flexible too, taking into account the need to stick to the alert level guidelines,” he said.

Barrowcliffe says keeping up morale during a global pandemic is also about more than events.

“As a shearing crew, we’re celebrating the little things that matter a lot more than we used to,” he said.

“For example, instead of going hard and jamming three days’ work into one, we’ve decided as a crew to do the work over the three days so it’s more relaxed, more communal and there’s more time for a yarn. In times like these, it’s not just about the work, it’s about looking after each other too.

“These are tough times for the wool industry anyway with the value of the product. That does have an effect on people, the crews and the farmers. It’s important to talk about these things and support one another.

“You can’t do that when you’re constantly under the pump. It’s about taking time to check how people are doing. If people aren’t used to these conversations, they might find it a bit awkward at first, but usually after 10 minutes, they’re away.”

He says it’s also important to remember that positive things are happening. For example, there’s a new training initiative for wool harvesting called Kaiaka run by trainers WOMOlife, which is just getting underway.

Up to 270 people will be trained and 150 new shearing and wool handling jobs created, which will help revitalise our industry.

“So that’s something I’m looking forward to. And hopefully the NZ Shears will still go ahead in Te Kuiti in early April,” he said.

“So it’s not all doom and gloom.”

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FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – March 8, 2021

9

NZ-grown grain project paying off Annette Scott annette.scott@globalhq.co.nz AN INDUSTRY drive to increase the use of New Zealand-grown grain is taking off.

In a project started in 2017, the arable industry has been working towards increasing the use of NZ-grown grain through heightening consumer and enduser awareness of the benefits in using locally grown grain.

Wheat is the specific target.

Wheat production has bumped up by 40,000 tonne over the past three harvests and with this season’s milling wheat harvest showing promising signs, the project is on track.

“We are looking at some good average yields, with production expected to hold up to further grow that increase this year,” United Wheat Growers (UWG) chair Brian Leadley said.

Initiated by the Arable Food Industry Council (AFIC), the project is being driven by farmers through the Foundation for Arable Research (FAR), UWG and the Federated Farmers arable section.

“We are seeing increased demand from mills and good uptakes by farmers,” he said.

“It’s certainly adding options for farmers in their farm systems and the farmer support around the project is positive, with a number of new varieties in milling wheat broadening the window of opportunity for planting.

“Arable farmers love growing wheat, and we are good at it.

“We know we are producing some of the best quality and yields in the world, and we want to see our NZ consumers getting the benefit of that.”

NZ plant breeders are also playing their part.

Agronomy plays a big part and NZ plant breeders are introducing some good varieties that fit well with what can be achieved, he said.

The mills are also on board.

“Contract pricing is more positive with mills hearing farmers as we ask for early indication signals around demand so we can plan planting,” he said.

HIGH-QUALITY: United Wheat Growers chair Brian Leadley says New Zealand’s arable farmers are producing some of the best quality and yields in the world and want to see NZ consumers getting the benefit of that.

Photo: Annette Scott

It’s about understanding the market and determining the best way to work with growers.

Ivan Lawrie Foundation for Arable Research “We like to see contracts out as early as possible, but the mills do need to secure their market share first, so we are looking at lateApril to early-May for new season contracts.”

NZ imports 230,000t of milling wheat a year, mostly into the North Island, and while the arable industry would like a good share of that, it has to be realistic.

Current milling wheat production in NZ is an average 110,000t a year.

“Extra growth required could come but while we want to grow

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Wheat is grown on a combination of good soils and under irrigation, but there is still a seasonal element in production.

“But compared to other global producers we have more controlled risk factors than any other part of the world, so our ability to supply is reliable once we grow our volumes,” he said.

“We are very strong and consistent given the conditions we grow in.”

While the South Island mills generally use all local grain, there is a push to get more local grain produced in the North Island.

FAR general manager Ivan Lawrie says production growth is specifically focused on growing milling grains in regions where it is not normally grown, including Wairarapa, Manawatu and Hawke’s Bay. “Our (industry) work is to ensure the varieties we are growing in these new regions and in these markets are meeting the

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Demand for durum wheat flour is going mad in one regionallyfocused project.

While under its pea growing ban and looking for new crops to grow, Wairarapa’s climatic conditions and soils have proven ideal for growing speciality durum wheat.

Processed grain from last harvest has bakers and pasta makers around the country excited.

“It’s about understanding the market and determining the best way to work with growers.

Feedback has been really good,” he said.

Chefs, bakers, pasta makers and growers around the country have been busy in the kitchen with new creations using the durum wheat flour from Wairarapa.

“We want to develop a regional flavour and give a good traceable provenance story around it,” he said.

While not a huge project,

Lawrie says it is shining as hugely successful.

“A little but great success story that links in well and supports the bigger initiative around using NZ milling wheat,” he said.

Lawrie says there is very clear information around the quality of NZ wheat, its traceability and environmental credentials, and from that FAR is compiling information to better inform consumers and end-users of the benefits in using NZ grain.

“It is the growers and merchants of local grain who have primary interest in the local industry,” he said.

“It is our (FAR) job to convince the bakers and end-users that we are a good and fit for purpose ingredient for baking flour.

“When we have the market aligned, we will press on with issues such as infrastructure and logistics.”

In the meantime, the signals from a recent survey of consumers and end-users show that people are willing to pay for quality NZgrown grain in their bread.

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10 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – March 8, 2021

Dairy payout scheme ‘ill-timed’ Gerald Piddock gerald.piddock@globalhq.co.nz FONTERRA sharemilkers and contract milkers have been urged to talk to their farm owners to determine the fairest way to distribute the new 10c cooperative difference framework.

Federated Farmers sharemilkers’ chair Aaron Passey says theoretically it should be as simple as having a discussion with the farm owner but in practice, it may come down to the negotiating skills of both – and how comfortable they were at having that discussion.

Most 50:50 sharemilkers would have already signed their contracts and any agreement around the payment should be included in the milk payment part of the agreement, reflecting the percentage the sharemilker receives.

He says the situation was different for others.

“Lower order and contract milkers will be right in the thick of signing contracts at the moment,” Passey said.

The new framework would see that from June 1, up to 10c of each farm’s milk payment will be determined by the farm’s sustainability credentials and milk quality.

IMPORTANT: Federated Farmers sharemilkers’ chair Aaron Passey says farm owners and sharemilkers supplying Fonterra needed to talk about how to fairly allocate the new 10c milk payment parameter.

Seven of the 10c are determined by achievements in environmental and social areas of farming, and the remaining 3c is for milk quality.

The payment is not an addition to the average farm gate milk price forecast, but will be part of the milk payment parameters used

by Fonterra when paying each farmer.

Passey says for contract milkers it got “interesting” because

they had already negotiated the payment for their services, It would be up to them to negotiate with farm owners to ensure they were compensated if they qualified for the payment.

“Just be open about it, you’re not going to come off worse if you don’t mention it at all and talk to the farm owner to try to come up with a position that’s fair to each party,” he said.

He also suggested due diligence

by both parties to ensure each was committed to achieving the 10c payment.

Federated Farmers sharemilker farm owners’ chair John Numan says prior to the change, contract milkers or herd-owning sharemilkers were paid a penalty of 100% of the downgrade of the milk.

He understood the 3c portion of the new parameters related to milk quality would be evenly split between the two parties, and there may have to be some allowance for that in the contracts.

When applying for a job, contract milkers or herd-owning sharemilkers would know quickly if the farm would qualify for the payment by observing its infrastructure.

The timing of the announcement disappointed Numan, given that many of next season’s contracts are either about to be signed or already signed.

“I’m a little disappointed Fonterra didn’t put the workings in place as a pre-run dummy trial for one year because a lot of the contracts would have been signed before this was announced,” Numan said.

Waikato farmer Ben Moore is one of the farmers consulted

by Fonterra prior to the new

framework being released.

He says the issue of payments to sharemilkers and contract milkers was raised during the consultation.

Another argument raised was whether the payment was contrary to the co-operative idea of everyone being paid the same.

Just be open about it, you’re not going to come off worse if you don’t mention it at all and talk to the farm owner to try to come up with a position that’s fair to each party.

Aaron Passey Federated Farmers

Moore says if there were two farmers and one was farming in a way that is environmentally compliant and the other was not, was it fair that they are both paid the same by Fonterra?

“Is that in the co-operative spirit?” he asked.

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News

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – March 8, 2021

11

Inexperience felt as harvest cranks up Gerald Piddock gerald.piddock@globalhq.co.nz AGRICULTURAL contractors remain short of experienced operators as a bumper maize harvest gets underway across the North Island.

Contractors have been hard at work in Northland since early February, while further south in Waikato, harvest started a few weeks later.

Rural Contractors New Zealand (RCNZ) vice-president Helen Slattery says the New Zealanders that had been retrained and were employed by contractors were fitting in well in their new vocation.

“In saying that, we do still need those experienced harvest operators. You don’t learn how to operate a harvester in your first year,” Slattery said.

The efforts by the industry to recruit and train people made unemployed due to covid-19 had helped relieve much of the staff shortfall that in the past was taken up by Northern Hemisphere workers.

Slattery says there would be some contractors still looking for staff, but there are also some workers who were holding out and for the best deal for their services among different contractors.

I’m all for employing Kiwis, but they cost us, they hit things. They don’t have the experience and knowledge to do the job properly.

Brook Nettleton Bluegrass Contracting Bluegrass Contracting director Brook Nettleton says his business should be able to get through harvest okay without major staff shortages.

While the staffing situation was better, he too says there was

still a shortage of experienced machinery operators.

Industry and government incentives to train up new employees had helped, but were no substitute for experience.

“You can’t train experience.

I’m all for employing Kiwis, but they cost us, they hit things. They don’t have the experience and knowledge to do the job properly,” Nettleton said, adding the staff also required more supervision and more management time.

Nettleton says he took on three airline pilots for his Waikato business who were made unemployed because of covid.

Two of them have since left after finding work again flying planes.

Slattery says the training courses that were put in place or expanded last year will continue operating because of the likelihood of further border interruptions.

“It’s going to continue and it’s going to expand further, but these people do need work experience, and we need to work out how we can give that experience in the industry,” she said.

SOUGHT-AFTER: While newly trained staff have plugged some of the gaps, nothing beats having an experienced operator driving machinery during harvest.

That will require working closely with the Ministry for Social Development, so the workers are not completely inexperienced for next season.

She says it will also ensure those workers know what to expect when the season starts.

“You not only have to have the training on the machinery, but it’s also looking at the situation holistically, pastoral care, as well as making sure that they are

mentally prepared for the long hours alone in the tractor,” she said.

While those hours are largely weather dependent, many contractors would be using the Critical Agricultural Variation clause, which allows them to extend their logbook hours.

“At this time of the year, it’s definitely not a 40-hour week job and you have to be mentally prepared for that,” she said.

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12 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – March 8, 2021

Prospects for venison look promising Annette Scott annette.scott@globalhq.co.nz VENISON prices are looking to rise as marketers plan chilled season contracts.

Deer Industry NZ (DINZ) chair Ian Walker says the indicators look promising with industry expecting improved market conditions for venison in the coming year.

Over the next few weeks, some venison companies will be offering minimum price supply contracts for the game season for shipment of chilled venison during September and October.

This is expected to assure better prices for venison animals processed for supply in the European game season.

Contracts offered in 2020 were $7-$7.20 a kilogram, when Europe was gripped by covid-19.

This year restaurants are starting to reopen in North America.

“Also, prices for all meats in major world markets have begun what economists expect will be a steady long-run climb,” Walker said.

Despite all the disruption caused by covid, the 2020 European game season went well, both at foodservice to restaurants and at retail.

“Importers were understandably cautious with their orders, but they sold everything and could have sold more, if not for airfreight disruptions,” he said.

“With mass vaccination programmes underway in Europe, demand from foodservice this coming game season could be even stronger.

“The only note of caution is the strength of the NZ dollar, which has firmed by about 10% against

the Euro and US dollar since last October.”

It is more difficult to predict demand outside the chilled season when a lot of venison is frozen after processing.

Demand for frozen venison comes mainly from northern Europe, and now China.

In Europe it is stored until the following game season for use in traditional cold weather game fare.

“There are significant stocks of frozen venison from NZ and other countries in Europe from last game season,” he said.

“This will tend to have a bearish effect on prices for the next few months.”

On the other side of the ledger, prospects in North America are improving and demand from China, a developing market for venison, keeps growing.

“The US restaurant scene is coming back as vaccination campaigns are rolled out and infection rates drop,” he said.

The US is NZ’s biggest yearround market for chilled venison.

“Venison marketers have also been very active in North America in the past 12 months building retail and home delivery demand for our venison with some promising results,” he said.

“While this will take time to be reflected in meaningful volumes, every kilogram that is sold is a kilogram that is not sold frozen in Europe.”

Meanwhile, food price inflation is gripping the world.

Beef, pork and chicken prices are climbing on the back of the highest grain and soybean prices in seven years.

These are being driven by poor harvests because of bad weather

Importers were understandably cautious with their orders, but they sold everything and could have sold more, if not for airfreight disruptions.

Ian Walker DINZ and drought, at a time of growing demand, especially from China.

Westpac Bank senior agrieconomist Nathan Penny expects covid vaccine rollouts will boost demand for NZ meat, first in the

US, where the rollout is going very well, followed later in the year in the EU and the UK. This boost will add to the demand strength already present in China.

“That means venison prices, which have been hardest hit by covid are also likely to turn the corner as European (German) meat demand returns.

“We expect the farm gate venison price pickup to materialise from around midyear,” Penny said.

DINZ is working closely with the five major venison marketing companies to build year-round demand for venison, particularly at retail and online for home delivery.

“We fully recognise that deer

farmers need a schedule premium over lamb to make venison production a competitive landuse,” he said.

“The industry was achieving that until the impact of covid.”

“Venison prices will improve and hopefully none of us will have to deal with another pandemic in our lifetimes. Once is more than enough.”

Because deer farmers can bank on getting better prices during the chilled season, Walker encourages talking to venison marketing companies about their plans and consider locking in supply over this period.

Walker says farmers should target getting venison animals away before the end of October, if that fits with their farm system.

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14 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – March 8, 2021

Genetic gain rate needs to rise Hugh Stringleman hugh.stringleman@globalhq.co.nz THE national dairy herd already contains the calibre of cows that will be required in the future to allow farmers to reduce cow numbers without losing total farm productivity or profitability.

“We already have cows with the desired levels of productivity, we just need more of them,” LIC’s general manager of New Zealand Markets Malcolm Ellis said.

LIC says genetics are a big part of the dairy industry’s response to the Climate Change Commission’s targets for greenhouse gas reduction in agriculture.

NZ is already a low-emissions dairy producer, but the commission is signalling a 15% reduction in stock numbers in nine years.

“We will need to be more efficient at a per cow level and look to produce at least as much milk from less cows to maintain profitability and competitiveness,” he said.

Over the past 25 years it is acknowledged that the average rate of genetic gain within the

ANALYSIS: LIC’s Malcolm Ellis says the more productive cows of the future are already in our herds.

sector has been in the order of 9BW units (dollars) a year.

LIC says if the rate of genetic gain was to increase to within the range of 15 to 20BW a year, the associated productivity gains captured would go a long way to counteract declining cow numbers.

Ellis says the current 9BW a year is worth approximately 5.9kg

milksolids per year, of which 2.7kg is directly attributable to genetic gain.

But while the sector average is currently 9BW, it is clear that many farmers are achieving in the order of double this rate of genetic gain.

Individual farms that are incorporating the use of sexed semen and genomically-selected bulls and have a desirable reproductive performance are achieving up to 32BW gain between their R1 and R2 replacement animals.

There is currently noticeable growth in the uptake of genomically-selected sires on the back of farmers increased confidence from the validation of teams once they have matured to daughter-proven status.

LIC reported 1.4 million inseminations from genomic sires took place last year, up from just under 400,000 in 2017.

Validation includes all contemporary groups of bulls across all traits, production and non-production (TOP), in order to verify the claims of superiority of the young genomic bulls.

Ellis then turned to the BW

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BW distribution within a typical herd

PROGRESS: Enhanced selection pressure to increase the rate of genetic gain means avoiding retaining replacements from tail-end cows and focusing on the reproductive outcomes of superior BW cows and heifers.

spread within herds to show what genetic gains are available by sharpening the selection pressure within the herd improvement equation and tightening the bellshaped curve of distribution.

Following decades of cow population growth a number of dairy herds within the country have a long tail of genetic merit and indeed productivity.

He says the objective is to avoid mating the tail-end cows.

In order to create the desired number of replacements, farmers could mate a portion of the top end of the herd to sexed semen in order to better utilise those high BW cows.

Yearling matings would also accelerate this rate of gain.

“We have long known that poor cows very often come from poor mothers – that is genetics 101,” he said.

Ellis says the combination of MINDA LIVE and herd testing can generate very informative cow analysis to sharpen that selection pressure in herd improvement.

Once the distribution of

herd quality is well-known and understood, more emphasis can be put on the reproductive outcomes of those top cows.

“With limited selection pressure, often we see too many poor quality cows being trusted with the creation of the next generation, which ultimately holds back the rate of gain achieved,” he said.

Ellis listed the options available to farmers wanting to increase the rate of genetic gain – the use of genomic bulls, sexed semen and yearling matings along with a sharpened focus on reproductive performance.

Underpinning all of it was enhancing selection pressure.

“It is a reality that in a national herd averaging 385kg MS a cow, the difference in productivity of four to eight-year-old cows, adjusted for age, breed and location, is a staggering 160kg a cow,” he said.

“This represents a significant opportunity as an increased spotlight goes on the principles of herd improvement.”

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PEAK dairy cow passed five years ago and the regional populations have shown some large movements, both up and down.

The national herd topped 5 million in the 2013-14 season and has since fallen to 4.92m in the 2019-20 season, according to statistics from DairyNZ and LIC. Infometrics senior economist Nick Brunsdon analysed the latest numbers and ventured some opinions on what is happening.

He says there is no more cow population growth left in the tank, after the 1.5m increase between 2000 and 2014.

“The industry’s extended march is headed into a wall of regulation, which laudably seeks to mitigate the negative effects of intensive agriculture on the environment,” he said.

Going back two decades, the

average herd size has increased from 250 to 440 cows and the number of business units has fallen by 28%.

But in that time Taranaki has lost 400,000 cows, Northland 260,000, Auckland 100,000, Nelson-Marlborough 70,000 and Wellington 66,000.

The dairy industry’s growth momentum was mainly in the lower South Island, with Canterbury’s cow numbers up by one million, Otago 270,000 and Southland 590,000.

Waikato also put on 1.2m cows and ManawatuWhanganui 300,000.

Brunsdon says that severe drought in Northland and higher feed costs contributed to a 3.6% fall in dairy farming GDP in the year to March 2020, from $6.4 billion down to $6.24b.

That impact of falling GDP was also felt in dairy-intensive districts such as Clutha, Southland, Waikato and South Taranaki.

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News

16 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – March 8, 2021

Surge in kiwifruit volume expected Richard Rennie richard.rennie@globalhq.co.nz AS ORCHARDISTS grapple with staff challenges, kiwifruit marketers are bracing for an onslaught of fruit this season, with a record crop anticipated.

With February crop estimates just in, the sector is anticipating a 13% lift on last year’s harvest to 177.5 million trays, with SunGold fruit exceeding Green for the first time.

SunGold tray volume is estimated at 99.5m and Green at 72m. This season also marks the first time the much-touted Red variety will be more widely available.

Early season harvest of SunGold kicks off this week in Gisborne.

Zespri global supply manager Alastair Hulbert says the crop volumes are also being met with high-quality, well-sized fruit, which is in part attributable to recent rain that fell after a significant dry period.

“Growers have really figured out how to get a good size, taste (dry matter) and yield off their SunGold vines, as a crop it is really starting to hit its straps,” Hulbert said.

Europe has gone gangbusters for kiwifruit and we had to allocate more there.

Alastair Hulbert Zespri Adjustments have been made to storage infrastructure to manage the boom in fruit volume. A boost in shipping capacity is on its way with the charter of an additional ship, the Cool Eagle, normally used for transporting bananas to Ecuador.

Zespri also announced the launch of the first of three specially built reefer ships, with the first sailing late last season.

The Kowhai arrived for a late shipment in October, and two other ships, the Karariki (Green)

FLEET: Zespri also announced the launch of the first of three specially built reefer ships, with the first sailing late last season.

and Whero (Red), are also due to be commissioned.

“Given the logistics issues around the world, having dedicated ships is like a type of insurance and gives us flexibility,” he said.

While more fruit has been containerised in past years, the marketer is wary of overreliance on scheduled shipping services given the level of disruption being experienced at many port hubs around the globe.

“We have also ensured additional cool storage facilities are in place in markets,” he said.

In the meantime, Zespri executives are confident the volume growth will be met with equally strong demand, having had to juggle supplies of last year’s crop to meet surges in demand, including the European market, which surged from 55m to 66m trays between 2018 and 2019.

“Europe has gone gangbusters for kiwifruit and we had to allocate more there,” he said.

Spain is now one of Zespri’s three key markets, accounting for more than 20m trays sold a year, alongside China and Japan.

The early lockdowns against covid in China prompted a significant shift to online

purchases, and Zespri has moved a significant portion of advertising away from traditional retailfocused media to online digital sales apps. Giant online retailer JD is now one of its three top retailers in China.

Japanese sales have also taken a leap in the past two years. Having typically been around the 20m mark, they jumped to 30m last year, with consumer preferences including both Green and SunGold.

Zespri has had an office in California established for four years to build more of a beach head into the US market, and Hulbert says this is providing promising if smaller volumes of about 8-9m trays a year.

“In all markets, there is a significant relationship between kiwifruit and wellness, particularly in the past year,” he said.

In the meantime, sales of the Red fruit were likely to be into

Greece helps fill the kiwifruit gap GREECE is proving to be a surprising contributor to Zespri’s off-season efforts to grow more fruit in the Northern Hemisphere to ensure valuable produce shelf space is maintained in key markets yearround.

Zespri global supply manager Alastair Hulbert says SunGoldplanted area in Europe has expanded to 4000ha, compared to the 6700ha planted in New Zealand. The bulk of the SunGold crop in the Northern

Hemisphere is grown in Italy.

The company’s Green Northern Hemisphere crop includes about 10 million trays, and Greece now accounts for about 35% of crop production.

Other Northern Hemisphere growing regions include France, South Korea and Japan.

“Greece is now growing more than Italy for Green. Its infrastructure, including for handling and cooling fruit, is just getting better and better,” Hulburt said.

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Australia, Singapore and Hong Kong, and will be sea-freighted for the first time this year.

Early market trials using air freighted fruit have highlighted its shorter keeping properties, something crop developers have acknowledged and are working on.

“We are still seeing how we ship it and proving we can get it through the 8-10 week supply chain. It is almost more like a berry than a kiwifruit,” he said.

Typically fruit from Greece will be yielding about 70% of what crops do here, with slightly smaller size, but demonstrate a good level of crop quality.

Some Italian vines are also suffering from “kiwifruit vines decline” syndrome that is affecting 27% of Green crops.

Zespri is working closely with industry and grower groups in Italy to help improve orchard management, soil drainage and plant health.

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News

18 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – March 8, 2021

Pressure on Govt over winter grazing feedback

VERDICT: DairyNZ chair Jim van der Poel says the farming sector has engaged in good faith and is now calling on the Government to respond in kind with a fair and timely outcome.

Neal Wallace neal.wallace@globalhq.co.nz THE Government is not saying when it will respond to suggested changes to its winter grazing rules, which were made in late December.

DairyNZ is calling for a decision to be made soon on the changes recommended by the Southland Advisory Group on intensive winter grazing, saying farmers need certainty ahead of winter.

A government spokesperson says it will respond to the “in the near future”.

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response, it will be announced in coming weeks,” the spokesperson said in response to questions from Farmers Weekly.

“We are pleased farming leaders and others in the group accept that intensive winter grazing practices need to improve and we are working constructively with them to achieve that.”

DairyNZ chair Jim van der Poel says the farming sector has engaged in good faith and is now calling on the Government to respond in kind with a fair and timely outcome.

He says farmers need certainty and to enable them to start working to meet the new requirements.

The intensive winter grazing advisory group was made up of farmers, Environment Southland, farming bodies and Fish & Game NZ. They were unanimous in their support for the suggested changes, which are based on adopting an interim winter grazing module until farm environment plans (FEPs) are introduced.

This would enable farmers to identify the specific risks on their property and good management practices to mitigate any impact on freshwater.

The group suggested pugging and resowing date conditions included in the policy be removed and replaced by a focus on the management and protection of critical source areas within intensively grazed areas.

Southland dairy farmer and advisory group member Paul Turner says decisions are being delayed because people are unsure of regulatory changes.

“It is important for farmers to have clarity around what they are doing for next season and beyond in terms of wintering practices, investment decisions and logistics on the farm,” Turner said.

“People are feeling positive about the proposed changes. Replacing sowing date and pugging recommendations with protecting critical source areas will ensure better outcomes for waterway health.”

NZ wine making a splash overseas Hugh Stringleman hugh.stringleman@globalhq.co.nz DELEGAT wine sales increased to 7% to 1.862 million cases in the six months to December 31, 2020, as the United Kingdom, European and North American sales soared.

Case sales were up 12% in the UK, Ireland and Europe, and up 17% in the United States and Canada.

Conversely, Australian, New Zealand and Pacific sales dropped by 16% in the first-half compared with the previous corresponding period.

Operating revenue was up 9% to $168m, operating earnings before interest and tax were up 21% to $64.5m, and net profit was up 25% to $43.1m.

Profit was 25% of revenue versus 22% previously and the improved margins accounted for 74% of the profit increase.

The outlook for the full year includes case sales of 3.4m and operating profit of $67m, which would be an improvement of 10% on FY2020.

The company made no further comments on market conditions.

Over the past year, Delegat shares have risen in price by $4.70 to around $15 currently, an increase of 46%.

Following usual practice, Delegat did not declare an interim dividend and said it would do so at the end of the financial year.

In the past two years that dividend has been 17c a share fully imputed.

News

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – March 8, 2021

19

Fieldays still hoping to go ahead Gerald Piddock gerald.piddock@globalhq.co.nz FIELDAYS organisers are hoping the country will be at Level 1 when the gates open on June 16, but are also preparing as well as they can if parts of the country are put into lockdown.

Planning has been well underway since last year for the Fieldays after the covid lockdown caused the physical event to be cancelled in 2020.

Fieldays chief executive Peter Nation says a big part of that planning is covid risk mitigation.

“We’ve learned to manage this hour by hour, day by day, week by week. Our target is June 16 and we manage everything in between it,” Nation said.

‘We’re working with the authorities and others because that’s all you can do, and work towards staging a really good event.”

Covid-19 had added an extra layer on their risk mitigation when it came to planning the event and they were working with government agencies to see what holding the event under Level 1 would look like.

He says exhibitor numbers at this stage were looking to be on a par with previous years and he hoped to have more volunteers on the ground to assist people with issues around covid scanning or mitigation.

Nation says there will also be more pre-training of staff and volunteers so they are prepared for this.

One major deadline is when the site at Mystery Creek opens for contractors on May 1 to start preparations.

“We’re working towards that date and keeping an eye on what is happening with this yo-yo situation and working with the authorities,” he said.

Nation says Fieldays already had good information around recording and traceability of people when they used the Fieldays app, pre-purchased a ticket and used the wristband.

“We have pretty good systems in place on top of what covid scanning already does,” he said.

Fully integrating those all into the covid tracking software was still being discussed.

“Like everyone else, we’re keeping a watching brief on the (covid level) yo-yo and keeping the focus on June, because there’s a lot of work between now and then to ensure that we both mitigate and keep focused on the June 16 opening,” he said.

Nation says there will be lots of information available at Mystery Creek to inform people of how best to stay safe, as well as hand cleaning areas.

There will be multiple areas for people to scan QR codes to record visits, although these will probably will not be at every exhibit.

“We won’t just have one at the gate because of the volume of people ... that’s not sufficient,” he said.

“Bearing in mind that it’s voluntary. The Ministry of Health

PREPARATIONS: Fieldays organisers are still working with officials to work out what this year’s event will look like under covid.

(MoH) wanted people to scan, but it’s not against the law not to scan. We want the event to run smoothly and we want people to be compliant, so we’ll push that as hard as we can in the bounds of what we can do,” he said.

He says they have yet to decide if there would be entry number limits to encourage social distancing. They were also looking at traceability options on what to do for people who did not have smartphones or use the covid app.

Inside the gates, the laneways had been widened to encourage social distancing, but people would be largely left to judge for themselves whether they wished to visit a crowded area.

Our target is June 16 and we manage everything in between it.

Peter Nation Fieldays The knowledge side of Fieldays was also still going ahead, with both virtual and physical events planned.

The studio hosting the Future Focus programme will be used again alongside physical events where there are seminars and discussions.

He says using the virtual event again will allow Fieldays to reach international markets that would have otherwise been unavailable because of travel restrictions.

Regular events, including the fencing and excavator competitions and tractor pull were planned. But the Rural Catch (formally the Rural Bachelor) will not go ahead.

IT’S IN OUR HANDS Kai roto i ō tātou rikarika #toitūWaitaha #ourCanterbury

Stepping up for the future of our region now… means asking more from all of us.

Environment Canterbury needs your input into the draft Long-Term Plan 2021-31, which outlines the proposed actions that will help shape our region’s future.

Make a submission at haveyoursay.ecan.govt.nz/LTP.

News

20 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – March 8, 2021

THE BUZZ: Foothills Honey folk at work preparing their produce under the Made North Canterbury brand.

Brand puts spotlight on local produce Annette Scott annette.scott@globalhq.co.nz

Agrievents Thursday 08/04/2021 Seeing, Understanding, Believing Field Day Since November 2020 in a project funded by the Our Land and Water National Science Challenge, farmers within the Nguturoa Catchment near Linton have been studying stream health, greenhouse gas and farm management issues.

The field day is an opportunity to discuss and see the results from our project to date with farmers, industry groups, scientists and policy agencies Where: 267 Millricks Line, Linton in the Manawatu Time: Start 10.30am and finish at 2.30pm including a farm and stream walk.

For further information contact Terry Parminter at KapAg Ltd, terry.parminter@kapag.nz In the event of raised Covid-19 Alert Levels in the region, the field day will be cancelled.

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ENTERPRISE North Canterbury has launched the region’s first food and beverage brand to showcase local produce.

The brand, Made North Canterbury (MNC), has been in the making since late last year after a study found North Canterbury food and beverage producers wanted a unifying brand that would offer them collaborative opportunities in marketing and promotion.

With more than half its targeted membership of 80 already on board, Enterprise North Canterbury (ENC) food and beverage development manager Alissa Wilson is encouraged.

“We have had so much interest from our local food and beverage producers wanting to get involved with this initiative, we already have 43 members signed up,” Wilson said.

“We are seeing a lot of connections happening between them and we’re working hard to foster those connections and help promote our members and their offerings, as well as share opportunities for them to expand into new markets.”

Included in the membership is Wash Creek Farm with organic beef and lamb from the farm gate, Harris Meats, Foothills Honey, hemp product producers, nut farmers with nut milk, vegetable growers, cheesemakers, berry and olive growers, locally-grown grain

PAT ON THE BACK: Enterprise North Canterbury food and development manager Alissa Wilson says everyone should be proud of their regional produce.

This is not just a shop local campaign, this is a brand that will stand the test of time with a strong place and provenance story.

Alissa Wilson Enterprise North Canterbury breads, wineries and a brewing company.

ENC’s involvement is about collaborating businesses in the region.

“We are sitting down with members on a one-to-one basis to understand what they want to achieve and helping to connect them with businesses in the region, such as restaurants and cafes, and also to market further afield,” she said.

The MNC website will be a key media channel for the brand, but the MNC brand can be seen on display at numerous eateries and retailers throughout North Canterbury.

This is planned to grow outside the region as the brand takes off.

“Local eateries are displaying the brand and restaurants will hopefully take up the MNC brand on their menus,” she said.

“Businesses are already on board, including new shelftalkers highlighting products that are made in North Canterbury in Rangiora New World and Rangiora Pak’n Save supermarkets, making it easier for consumers to buy locally-made items.”

ENC is also working with supermarkets to map where customers can find the various MNC produce in the shop.

“We have such a wide variety of produce from meats to honey, cheese and vegetables, and wines – it’s not possible to have it all in one place in supermarkets, so a map will steer customers to the brand in the specific areas of the shop,” she said.

“The development of this brand is very exciting for both producers and consumers.

“This is not just a shop local

campaign, this is a brand that will stand the test of time with a strong place and provenance story.

“It is early days, but we are just so thrilled with the support we have had, particularly our generous sponsors, with their help we will be able to continue this momentum and further promote and grow our amazing productive region.

“Everyone should be proud of their regional produce; hopefully we may be leaders for other regions around New Zealand.”

The first major promotion for the brand was planned for the North Canterbury Wine and Food Festival to be held on March 7, but due to covid restrictions the event was cancelled.

“This was disappointing, as it would have been a wonderful and timely promotion; we had our own branded marquee all ready to go for our Makers’ Market,” she said.

MNC is an initiative of ENC, the local development agency for the Waimakariri and Hurunui District Councils.

It is jointly funded through ENC and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) Provincial Growth Fund, as well as key sponsors Meridian Energy and Sidekick Rangiora, with several contra sponsors also on board.

MORE:

For more information and to connect with the MNC brand, check out www. madenorthcanterbury.co.nz

News

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – March 8, 2021

21

Project finds solutions to lower dairy footprint Gerald Piddock gerald.piddock@globalhq.co.nz DAIRYNZ’S Greenhouse Gas Partnership Farms research project has shown ways farmers can increase their efficiency and reduce their environmental footprint, but it is not without its challenges.

The project, which started in 2018, worked with farmers to identify and model how their farms might reduce both nitrogen loss and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.

It established 12 partnership farms across New Zealand, and initially modelled 44 different farm systems options. The farms were based in Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Southland, Canterbury and Manawatu.

Case studies on six of the farms were developed to demonstrate potential options for farmers to reduce emissions and nitrogen loss, while exploring the effect on profitability. These six farms were selected to ensure representative and robust farm system data and modelling.

For each of the case study

farms, changes to the system have been modelled in Overseer and Farmax to estimate the reduction in N leached, changes in GHG and profit.

The remaining six farms had the case studies abandoned because of changing circumstances on the farm, such as changes in ownership.

DairyNZ strategy and investment leader Dr Bruce Thorrold says the research reinforced its position on the Climate Change Commission’s report that its targets are achievable but challenging.

“While every individual farm will find its own set of solutions to reducing emissions and nitrate leaching, all farms are operating under the same core scientific principles,” Thorrold said.

“If you want to produce less methane, you have to produce less feed. If you want to lower your N outputs, then starting at your N surplus is a good place to start.”

All of the options for methane reduction modelled on the case studies came back to those core principles, Thorrold said.

“While every farm will find a

unique solution, let’s not confuse the issue by suggesting this is really complex and difficult. The principles are really clear.”

All of the farms in the case studies were able to make some gains. These included easy fixes, such as inefficiencies in the farm system.

Thorrold says for other farmers who were already operating highly efficient systems, they could make gains by reducing their inputs, but that came at a cost to profitability.

“It is more challenging for farms that are already efficient.

For them, it’s about where even the smallest gains can be made.

Small improvements on individual farms add up at national level,” he said.

He says the research highlighted the need for more investment in research and extension work, while at the same time protecting the dairy industry’s viability if it was to meet some of the commission’s more challenging targets.

For farmers, the message was they had to face this challenge.

“Here are some of your peers

FINDINGS: DairyNZ strategy and investment leader Dr Bruce Thorrold says the partnership farm project findings reinforced the organisation’s position on the Climate Change Commission’s report that its targets are achievable but challenging.

and here’s the work they have done to try and understand their system and find ways forward.

It’s time for us all to do the same thing,” he said.

He says the study also

confirmed many of DairyNZ’s long-held positions around one size not fitting every solution, the importance of good data and understanding the starting position and accurate modelling.

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22 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – March 8, 2021

AgMatch grows its wool range Neal Wallace neal.wallace@globalhq.co.nz IT’S niche and has strict specifications to be met, but a farmer collective is proving that consumers still love crossbred wool.

AgMatch is using member’s wool to make jerseys, socks, carpet and carpet underlay, which is then sold via the members and the AgMatch website, earning growers up to $40/kg net for the wool used.

The group’s newest venture is floor coverings, with suppliers recently taking delivery of 900 lineal metres of carpet manufactured in Australia, enough for more than 40 homes.

Most has already been sold for $300 a lineal metre.

AgMatch manager Ken Algie says this project has returned supplying farmers about $10/kg net, with most carpet sales made to farmers.

There is interest from a housing developer in Canterbury and also from architects looking to use safe, sustainable wool carpets.

Algie says now that they have ironed out supply chain issues, carpet manufacture and sales is a business that could potentially grow.

Algie has spent 40 years working in the wool industry and is especially enthusiastic about the new wool carpet underlay.

“It wears better than insulation, it’s fire retardant and, a known issue with synthetic underlay, is that it becomes compacted and degrades, whereas wool will still be there in 30 years’ time,”Algie said.

When underlay becomes compacted the carpet wears more quickly, and Algie says the natural resilience and bounce of wool should prevent that.

The trial wool underlay, using bellies and pieces, has just arrived in New Zealand and its performance will be assessed.

Experiments to produce

PRODUCT: AgMatch manager Ken Algie with carpet samples and a crossbred wool jersey the farmer collective is selling.

I’m not knocking Merino wool, it is a great product, but this is also a good product.

Ken Algie AgMatch crossbred yarn from various processes have been trialled, which has enabled the development of a product that is finer than what has previously been achieved and can be used in jerseys and socks.

“We’ve been able to get fabric for next-to-skin products out of crossbred wool, which does not

have a prickle issue,” he said.

“I’m not knocking Merino wool, it is a great product, but this is also a good product.”

The key is to get a product, in this case jerseys, that performs well, and Algie says they have done that.

One AgMatch member estimates he has worn his crossbred jersey for 6000 hours and it still looks new.

“If we made garments that pilled or bubbled we’d be wasting our time – these don’t,” he said.

New opportunities for wool are being investigated, such as in high visibility clothing to utilise the breathability and comfort of wool, and a wool-based velour (a woolbased polar fleece).

New wool processing methods

adopted provide yarn yields of 89%, superior to what has historically been achieved, but that yarn is also performing better than previously at 92%.

Algie says this means yarn makers are yielding more usable yarn and when it is run through machinery, there are fewer problems such as breakages.

The support of farmers is crucial to their success and suppliers have grown from nine at the start to 40 nationwide now.

They supply one to several bales of wool for product manufacture but in doing so, must meet stringent specifications especially vegetable matter contamination.

They also market and sell the products themselves or through the AgMatch website.

Have you read Dairy Farmer yet?

The latest Dairy Farmer hit letterboxes on March 1.

Our OnFarmStory this month features Matthew and Katherine Spatoro who ditched successful careers in Melbourne for sheep milking in Waikato.

We also catch up with the boss of Samen, whose team is working to improve the New Zealand dairy herd, and talk with a Taranaki farmer who changed his entire farm system.

“One farmer has sold 150 jerseys, including those using his own wool, and he loves it,” he said.

A further factor that is helping are changes to the NZ knitwear and wool manufacturing industries.

Previously wool would pass through three or four hands, each adding a mark-up before reaching the consumer.

Algie says that meant compromises in areas such as quality to keep product prices competitive, but industry rationalisation means that the system is more streamlined and those remaining manufacturers are innovative.

Algie says jerseys and socks are both made by NZ companies.

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FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – March 8, 2021

Westland appoints new chief executive Annette Scott annette.scott@globalhq.co.nz WESTLAND Dairy Company’s new chief executive Richard Wyeth says he is excited about the opportunities that lie ahead for the West Coast dairy processor.

Wyeth, the former chief executive of Miraka, takes up the leadership role of Westland Dairy, owned by global dairy giant China’s Yili Group, from resident director Shiqing Jian.

Jian acted as interim chief executive following the resignation of former chief executive Toni Brendish.

Yili also owns Oceania Dairy in South Canterbury.

“We hope Richard is as excited as we are about the opportunities that lie ahead for Westland as he takes stewardship of this iconic New Zealand company,” Jian said.

Wyeth says he is looking forward to bringing the strength of a global dairy giant to the opportunities that lie ahead for the Westland Dairy Company.

“Westland holds a unique place within the NZ dairy landscape and now, with the backing of Yili, the company is uniquely placed to leverage the advantages of its strong dairy heritage and culture,” Wyeth said.

HONOURED: Newly appointed Westland Dairy chief executive Richard Wyeth says it is a great honour to be entrusted as the custodian of the iconic dairy processor.

“Increased demand for our products shows how much value global consumers place on the undoubted quality of NZ-based dairy products and their potential health benefits because of the advantages of NZ’s climate, location and quality processing facilities.

“We are committed to ensuring that our dairy processors play a strong role in the continued success of the NZ dairy industry by creating products of the highest calibre that contribute to the promotion of global good health.”

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There has never been a more exciting time for the dairy industry in NZ and I look forward to embracing all the challenges, opportunities and responsibilities that it brings in my new role.

DRIVERS CAN DO LONG DAYS AND FEEL FRESH THE NEXT DAY ”

Richard Wyeth Westland Dairy

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“It is a great honour to be entrusted as the custodian of this iconic NZ company.

“I am especially aware of the important role Westland plays, not only within the NZ dairy industry, but also as part of the West Coast and Canterbury communities.

“Yili is an enormously innovative company dedicated to quality and serving the consumer above everything else.

“Being part of that naturally brings huge advantages for Westland.

“There has never been a more exciting time for the dairy industry in NZ and I look forward to embracing all the challenges, opportunities and responsibilities that it brings in my new role.”

Brendish, who led Westland Milk through its most difficult years, resigned in August last year, having been at the helm for four years.

With three years heading the former farmerowned dairy co-operative, repositioning Westland away from a historical commodities producer to a modern company with hugely successful branded products, Brendish then completed Westland’s first year of transition to Yili.

Jian says demand for Westland and Oceania’s products continues to rise internationally, demonstrating the value that global consumers place on NZ dairy goods.

“We are convinced that the future for the dairy industry in NZ is a very bright one indeed,’’ he said.

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News

24 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – March 8, 2021

Women’s Institute marks 100 years Women’s Institutes across New Zealand are celebrating 100 years of existence this year. Annette Scott talked to members about the changing face of the organisation.

ORIGINATING in Canada in 1897, Women’s Institutes spread across the globe with astonishing rapidity, but it was not until 1921 that the idea of the organisation was introduced to New Zealand by Anna Elizabeth Jerome Spencer on her return from her war work in England.

Inspired by the work of the organisation, Spencer went about forming the Rissington Women’s Institute (WI) in her hometown in Hawke’s Bay, the first in NZ. The first meeting was held on February 21,1921.

Spencer’s hopes were fully realised as the movement spread quickly throughout the country, with Founders Day celebrated each year on February 21, this year marking 100 years of WI in NZ. The first South Island institute was formed at Waituna in South Canterbury in 1926.

At this time, Federations were being formed too; the first in Hawke’s Bay in 1925, with Auckland in 1927 and Wellington in 1928, leading the way.

The first Dominion conference was held in Wellington in October 1930, and in 1932 the organisation became the Dominion Federation of Women’s Institutes.

The original aims and objectives of the WI were specifically to increase opportunities and activities to rural women, and this was reaffirmed in 1952 when the name was changed to the Dominion Federation of Country Women’s Institutes.

A further name change in 1982 dropped the word Dominion, with the organisation officially known as the NZ Federation of Country Women’s Institutes (Inc).

This was progressively eroded, and with exceptions having been made for urban institutes

ALL-OUT EFFORT: Mid Canterbury Federation of Women’s Institute members Sue Kent, Dianne Carter, Sarah Kent and Mavis Wilkins dug deep into their wardrobes to dress up in the finest pre1940s fashion, complete with furs, pearls, gloves and hats, as a tribute for the centennial anniversary at their annual meeting.

Photo: Annette Scott

This was totally fitting for 100 years, there’s not many statues of women around NZ, so this is very special.

Fay Leonard NZFWI national president catering for retired rural women, in the 1990s urban members outnumbered rural.

Declining numbers and an aging membership were taking their toll and successive national executives and their advisors continued with strenuous efforts to effect more substantial change.

In the changing face of the organisation struggling for survival, the word country was dropped in 2004 to the now NZ Federation of Women’s Institutes (NZFWI).

By 2018 the alarm bells were ringing, WI had shrunk by 80%

fully reinventing itself to continue enriching women’s lives, and their communities, in the 21st century.

Some younger women, while hugely enthusiastic for the social and community connections they had formed in their new local groups, made it clear that members were critically eyeing the national affiliation, measuring its value and pondering its future.

NZFWI national president Fay Leonard says the objective of the organisation remains as relevant today as it was 100 years ago.

That being able to provide an organisation that encourages and supports all women to take an active part in the life of their community and its development, both town and country.

Leonard acknowledges structural changes are evolving, but she believes there is still a good future for the organisation.

“I feel that women need women, for help and friendships,” Leonard said.

“We need contact and social communication, whatever age we are.”

Leonard says despite the

since 1992 and once vibrant federations were evaporating.

The greatest barrier to change appearing to be older women’s difficulty grasping the changes in women’s lives, as professional housewives with limited finances, they were thrifty experts in making do.

By contrast, younger women were time-poor, extremely busy juggling jobs and families, and had different priorities.

By the 2010s a new model was emerging, with meetings at times and places to suit younger women, organised and promoted through digital media.

In its heydays of existence, the organisation boasted 36,000 members, at a time when it was the largest women’s organisation in NZ. Currently membership is just 3300, with 230 local WIs, 38 District Federations and one national executive committee of seven members.

The energies marshalled for the 2021 centennial gave members a chance to determine whether NZFWI was a spent force or was

changes, there still are challenges.

“It is still a challenge to get younger members and we continue to explore ways to address that,” she said.

Leonard says changing social communications and interactions will likely be the key to the way forward.

Meanwhile, the national celebrations of 100 years were held in Napier, the home of the first WI established by Miss Jerome Spencer in 1921.

The centennial lunch was held at Rissington, the place of the first-ever WI in NZ, but one that fell victim to the changing times and is now in recess.

A brass statue of the founder was unveiled in Napier.

“This was totally fitting for 100 years, there’s not many statues of women around NZ so this is very special,” she said.

NZFWI around the country will continue to celebrate the centennial as it works for individual local institutes and at the end of the year, it plans to compile a centennial coffee table book of the celebrations.

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News

March 8, 2021

25

Scales avoids 2020 minefields Hugh Stringleman hugh.stringleman@globalhq.co.nz HORTICULTURAL giant Scales Corporation traded well throughout a difficult 2020, without setting any milestones or making major moves with its sizable cash reserves.

Earnings per share were 15c, from which it is expected that directors will declare in May a profit similar to the 19c paid from FY2019.

Underlying earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (Ebitda) were $53.9 million, up 2%, and underlying net profit after tax (Npat) was $33.8m, down 7%.

Delays in shipping and higher portside charges will affect all divisions.

Scales Corporation The crop volume for the Mr Apple subsidiary was 3.915m tray carton equivalents (tce), up 2%, and the horticulture division had Ebitda of $31.4m, down from $39.7m in 2019.

The food ingredients division reported an Ebitda of $23m and the logistics division $3.4m.

The basis of the 12% increase in revenues and 70% increase in Ebitda for food ingredients was a strong global demand for pet food as pet ownership and adoption increased during the covid-19 pandemic.

Company revenue was down slightly at $470m and total apples exported were 5.74m tce compared with 5.95m in the prior year.

Scales had net cash at December 31 of $97.6m and managing director

Andy Borland says this was a solid base on which to build future growth or acquisitions.

Along with chair Tim Goodacre, Borland paid tribute to the hard work and unity of staff members that enabled Scales to trade through lockdowns, without wage subsidies, and deliver a profit consistent with the previous guidance.

Mr Apple had finished phase two of its orchard replanting, an upgrade of its seasonal worker accommodation and completed the new Whakatu cool store.

Borland says further automation in the packing houses would be a priority in the current year.

Over 140ha of orchard has been renewed during the past three years, mainly with the new proprietary Dazzle variety.

These two-dimensional orchards enabling savings in pruning, thinning and picking, will reach commercial scale from 2023 onwards.

Premium varieties accounted for 57% of Mr Apple’s own-grown volume in 2019 and this ratio is forecast to increase to 62% in 2025.

The updated guidance for the current financial year is a net profit between $27.5m and $33.5m on the back of underlying Ebitda of $46.5m to 53.5m.

Stone fruit exports out of Central Otago were reduced, the Tasman region apples have been impacted and Mr Apple will drop its own-fruit production.

“Delays in shipping and higher portside charges will affect all divisions,” the directors said.

“The ripples from the covid-19 lockdowns are having a greater impact on our results for 2021 than they did for 2020.”

SCL share price has put on 50c over the past year, but the price was as high as $5.20 at times before sinking back to $4.60 presently.

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26 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – March 8, 2021

Working together on common goals Beef + Lamb NZ’s new independent director Bayden Barber brings a mix of business acumen, governance experience and a Maori voice to the boardroom table. Colin Williscroft reports.

B

AYDEN Barber’s first meeting with his fellow B+LNZ directors was a workshop that also brought together board members from DairyNZ and Federated Farmers to look at a range of issues they have a shared interest in.

He says working together on mutual challenges makes sense, not only because it’s a more effective use of resources, but also because of the opportunities it provides to gain an appreciation of other views and approaches.

That includes complying with rules and regulations coming out of central government that increasingly require engagement with iwi and hapu right through legislation.

Barber, who is of Ngati Kahungunu, Ngapuhi and Ngai Tahu descent, has a 50ha block near Waimarama where he breeds Angus heifers and bulls.

A Hastings district councillor, he and his wife Myra run business consultancy Ipurangi Developments, while he is also chair of Waimarama Section 3 Block 2 Trust.

The trust looks after about 550ha of sheep and beef country, about half of which was planted in pines about 40 years ago because it was coastal land prone to erosion, while the remainder is beef country.

A trustee of Tiakitai Estate, which is leased to Horizon Farms, Barber is also a member of the NZ Institute of Directors.

He sees his new role as an opportunity to get involved and contribute at a boardroom level to a sector he says has traditionally

been very important to New Zealand.

It’s an opportunity to put his skills and experience in governance and the Maori community to the benefit of the sheep and beef industry, while also being there to support Maori farmers and landowners.

He says although there are plenty of Maori farms, farmers and corporations in the primary sector, Maori have traditionally been under-represented on governance boards.

There’s people at an operational level but not a governance level. I’d like to see more Maori stepping up into that space.

Bayden Barber B+LNZ “There’s people at an operational level but not a governance level. I’d like to see more Maori stepping up into that space,” Barber said.

He says the different sector groups have plenty to gain by having Maori representatives at a boardroom level, whether that’s bringing a different perspective to issues such as the environment or providing a voice for iwi and hapu, who are an integral part of communities where a lot of land is farmed and leased.

He says there is enough Maori

talent available to make a valuable contribution at that level, it’s just a matter of showing those people there is an opportunity and pathway for them to get involved.

As a member of the Hawke’s Bay Rural Advisory Group, he is primarily there both as a rural district councillor and to support Maori farmers through challenges like last year’s drought and covid-19.

During the drought that included providing a link between Maori farmers and iwi support groups, making sure people were aware of the wider networks available to help with solutions, including accessing feed for stock.

Barber chaired primary health organisation Health Hawke’s Bay for four years, stepping down from that role around the time when covid arrived, although he remains a director of the organisation, which has a mandate to support general practitioners from Wairoa, through to Napier and Hastings, and down to Central Hawke’s Bay. That means making sure primary healthcare is delivered at the front line by supporting community practitioners.

He says it’s getting increasingly harder to recruit GPs, with many new doctors preferring hospital roles rather than being out in the community. When it comes to areas like Central Hawke’s Bay and Wairoa, the relative isolation makes that recruitment twice as hard.

Barber believes there is a lot to be gained by different groups working together for the benefit of farming and communities.

There is a project being initiated in Waimarama that involves

CO-OPERATION: New Beef + Lamb NZ independent director Bayden Barber believes primary sector groups will benefit from working together more.

multiple landowners, farmers and the marae to restore 11km of waterway.

He says opportunities like that, where the community, farmers and the marae can come together and work to achieve set outcomes that bring ecological, cultural and environmental benefits, are important. If jobs can be added to the mix there’s social benefits as well.

As for the future, Barber is looking forward to working with his fellow directors, with their next meeting, the B+LNZ annual

meeting, in Invercargill on March 17.

He says the primary sector has some challenges facing it, especially around the environment and climate change, but he is optimistic it can get to where it needs to be.

That will mean looking at different ways of doing things, supporting research and development and leveraging technological innovations.

However, he says the sector is resilient and he thinks the outlook is positive.

“It’s alright to talk“

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New thinking

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – March 8, 2021

27

Bees get a fighting chance University of Otago researchers have made a discovery that may just give honeybees a fighting chance against the varroa mite. Neal Wallace reports.

S

CIENTISTS have identified naturally occurring compounds which induce a cleaning response among some worker bees, killing juvenile varroa mites.

The University of Otago researchers are now looking at how to replicate the six relevant compounds they have discovered, and a way to deliver them to hives from which beekeepers can selectively breed bees that have this trait.

Emeritus Professor Alison Mercer of the university’s Department of Zoology says varroa mites reproduce in brood cells, but researchers have identified some worker bees can sense where the mites are using these compounds, then open those cells and pull out the contents, including the mite, killing it.

Unfortunately, they also kill juvenile bees forming there, but Mercer says this varroa sensitive hygiene behaviour (VSH) is a trait breeders can utilise.

“Within any colony you get worker bees, some of whom are able to detect varroa mites,” Mercer said.

By identifying worker bees and

breeding from their colonies, she says beekeepers can develop bees that will stand up to the varroa mite.

This discovery solves a problem that has confounded solutions to confront the varroa mite infestation.

“Standing in the way has been trying to identify colonies that show varroa resistance,” she said.

Mercer says six years of work by lead researcher and University of Otago Department of Zoology doctoral candidate Fanny Mondet revealed that adult varroa can camouflage their presence in a hive by mimicking the smell from within the colony.

But juvenile mites cannot do that, making them vulnerable to attention from worker bees that have the VSH trait.

“We know that if we take the compounds into a colony in the field and inject the compounds into cells, when we return the next day a colony with strong resistance will have all the cells opened up,” she said.

Without intervention, infected honeybee colonies die within two years of varroa infestation.

The key has been identifying the six compounds that trigger VSH behaviour.

INFESTED: A bee infected with the varroa mite.

BREAKTHROUGH: University of Otago Department of Zoology doctoral candidate Fanny Mondet, whose discovery gives honeybees a fighting chance against varroa mite.

In a paper published recently in Nature Chemical Biology, Mondet and her research colleagues identified four ketones and two acetate compounds that provoke this behaviour.

A French researcher, Mondet worked between France and NZ and while here, liaised with beekeepers throughout NZ. Now back in France, she said in a statement that the level of compounds found in varroainfested brood cells is a reliable indicator of the numbers of juvenile mites present, which enables worker bees to selectively target those that are infested.

“If the varroa-related compounds alone are presented to bees, all bees appear able to detect the odours,” Mondet said.

“However, not all bees are able to tell the difference between the smell of healthy brood

odours and the smell of brood odours containing varroa-related compounds.”

To confront varroa it is critical for worker bees to differentiate healthy from unhealthy hive odours, but for beekeepers to use this natural process is difficult, time-consuming and with no guarantee of success “In vulnerable colonies, a majority of worker bees fail to show this ability,” she said.

“In field trials, we were able to show injecting the varroa-related compounds into brood cells induces responses in worker bees that mimic intrinsic VSH activity in bee colonies.

“A simple and reliable bioassay of this kind has the potential to greatly assist the breeding of bees with stronger resistance to the devastating impacts of the varroa mite,” she said.

We know that if we take the compounds into a colony in the field and inject the compounds into cells, when we return the next day a colony with strong resistance will have all the cells opened up.

Professor Alison Mercer University of Otago The next stage of the research is to develop a cheap and easy delivery system, allowing beekeepers to identify resistant colonies from which to breed from.

Opinion

28 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – March 8, 2021

EDITORIAL Sustainability makes good business sense

I

NDUSTRY work on reducing greenhouse gas emissions continues, with some great initiatives coming from DairyNZ. The Greenhouse Gas Partnership Farms research project has shown that farmers can increase efficiency and reduce emissions, often by just taking a closer look at their farming systems and tweaking where necessary.

The difficulty now will be transferring the knowledge from these partnership farms to every farmer.

And, building upon this work with even more research.

But efficiency is a concept that should resonate with all food producers – no one wants waste or bloat in their systems that can suck up time and resources.

It’s becoming clearer that sustainability makes economic sense, so there’s no excuse for not continuing to work for the betterment of the industry.

The pivot to sustainability has in the past been driven by regulation, but now those in charge of capital are driving change as well.

Late last year the head of BlackRock, the world’s biggest investor, made climate change central to its investment policy.

And recently Southern Pastures signed up to a deal with a major bank that would reward them for hitting environmental targets. This follows a similar deal involving Synlait a while back.

This is a great opportunity for the New Zealand primary industries, which already have a head start on other food producing nations.

There’s capital being pulled from extractive industries and that money is looking to be invested in businesses that provide both monetary and environmental wellbeing.

Issues around food security mean many wealthy nations are looking to shore up supplies of the high-quality produce their citizens demand. NZ can be at the top of the wish list if it continues to lead the way on sustainable farming.

But it’s a challenge without an end, and success relies on perpetual improvements to systems and storytelling.

Yes, it’s stressful and yes, it’ll mean more paperwork, but there isn’t a job or business out there that doesn’t face similar challenges as technology, perceptions and demographics evolve.

The world is moving fast and it’ll take all our ingenuity and hard work to maintain the pace.

Bryan Gibson

LETTERS

Farmers are being hard done by THE February 15 Report ‘Overestimates’ Sequestration article suggests farmers have been, and are about to, get a poor deal in the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS).

Beef + Lamb NZ commissioned an AUT report which said the area of carbon sequestering native bush and vegetation on sheep and beef farms meant many were, or close to, being carbon neutral.

The Ministry for the Environment (MfE) put the AUT study down.

Why? The reason may be in the not so fine print of the ETS. I have not seen it mentioned in the media, but the ETS only accepts “a forest species capable of reaching five metres in height” – somewhat illogical

and bizarre. Five metres is double the height of a normal housing ceiling. Any vegetation under five metres does not count in carbon sequestering.

Bureaucrats setting such rules should, in their centrally heated cocoon, look at the ceiling and ponder at the absurdity.

A good number of native trees and shrubs would be under five metres.

For example, the coprosmas (58 species), pittosporums (200 species), hebes (80 species), and of course, tall species such as rimu, beech and totara, being slow growing, are less than five metres in height for a considerable number of years.

Surely, even pasture grasses have some carbon sequestering value.

Which raises the question, why have a height limit on vegetation?

It appears the dice is loaded against the rural community and in particular farmers.

When I asked an MPI officer who was responsible for such an unfair rule, the answer was “it’s international”.

Does this mean the Paris Accord and/or United Nations boffins dreamed it up?

Well, it’s past time the Government and agriculture ministers stood up against the stupidity.

I’m also surprised Federated Farmers NZ haven’t picked up on this impractical and unfair rule.

And don’t get me started on the carbon trading scheme, which seems simply

a free market exploitive arena for greedy corporate profit-making, and results in excessive monoculture of pines – an environmentally poor outcome, especially at clear felling time.

Farmers are being hard done by successive governments.

Tony Orman Blenheim

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Opinion

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – March 8, 2021

29

The future of food is now Jack Keeys

The

Pulpit

international reputation for safety.

A reputation that has further increased since the covid-19 pandemic.

NZ produces over 21 billion litres of milk, processes over 30 million animals for meat and exports over 1.38m tonnes of fruit.

Though we may not be able to feed the world, we do produce enough food to feed parts of the diet of hundreds of millions of people with some of the highest quality, most environmentallyfriendly and safest food in the world.

As scientific advancement, technological enhancement and health and nutrition expectations all accelerate simultaneously, the future of food is here – but is only going to accelerate as well.

So, what should be NZ’s role in a food system where nutrition is grown in a laboratory, controlled by artificial intelligence and customised to an individual’s health requirements and taste preferences?

Firstly, science and technology are unlikely to break the barrier of physics, including laws such as the conservation of energy, which means we won’t be producing food from nothing anytime soon. In this case, access to natural resources is a significant competitive advantage in future food production.

NZ is positioned as a world leader in renewable energy, with the potential to harness significantly more of our wind, solar, tidal, hydro and natural gas renewable energy sources.

Synthetic nutrition is highly energy intensive, and using renewable energy sources greatly

CONCERTED EFFORT: KMPG insights analyst Jack Keeys says for NZ to remain a global leader of food production it will require constant adaptation, smart investment and a focus on both domestic and international collaboration.

Though we may not be able to feed the world, we do produce enough food to feed parts of the diet of hundreds of millions of people with some of the highest quality, most environmentallyfriendly and safest food in the world.

reduces the footprint of these foods. NZ can use this platform of abundance as a launchpad and become the destination for food innovation and processing, with potential to attract massive investment to develop our infrastructure and deliver value as a global future food hub.

Secondly, NZ already has the beginnings of a food innovation system. With organisations such as AGMARDT, Callaghan Innovation and FoodHQ, combined with those such as the Sprout Accelerator and the Food Innovation Network. By integrating these organisations with our universities and science institutions and telling an aligned story, NZ can become the Silicon Valley of food – but better.

To achieve this, there are some key actions for NZ to focus on: • Increase national investment into renewable energy generation.

• Develop our current food hubs into further interconnected international food innovation centres.

• Articulate our aligned value proposition and encourage investment from early international collaborators through reduced regulatory

barriers or incentivisation schemes.

NZ is a world leader in food production. Remaining a global leader of food production in this world of rapid change will require constant adaptation, smart investment and a focus on both domestic and international collaboration.

Let’s continue to strive to achieve not becoming the best country in the world, but the best country for the world.

Who am I? Jack Keeys is an agri-food research and insights analyst at KPMG.

Your View Got a view on some aspect of farming you would like to get across?

The Pulpit offers readers the chance to have their say. farmers.weekly@globalhq.co.nz Phone 06 323 1519

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MAGINE a world where you can get monthly personalised nutrition stacks 3D printed and delivered directly to your door, matching your own personal circumstances, requirements and goals.

Imagine a world where you can have the DNA in your saliva analysed to provide full dietary recommendations that match your genetics and the latest scientific advancements in human nutrition.

Imagine a world where your fridge records and remembers every item you place in it, makes online grocery orders for you when those products are running low and provides recipe recommendations based on the ingredients you have, customised to the number of people you’re catering for.

Well, that’s the world we already live in.

Check out companies and products like Nourished, GeneFood and Samsung’s latest Family Hub Refrigerator The future of food isn’t waiting decades or even years ahead of us, the future is already here.

The good news for New Zealand producers is that the world is not evolving equally. While some markets such as wealthy areas of the US and Europe are entering a new phase of customised and automated nutrition, other markets such as parts of Asia and Africa are still growing their appetite for quality imported meat, dairy and horticulture products.

This puts NZ in an exceptional position where we have a platform which we must use as a launchpad for the future.

We’re already positioned excellently for the continued growth in demand for high-quality primary produce to developing markets.

We are world-leading producers of high-quality dairy, meat and horticulture products.

This is achieved through the implementation of science and a focus on quality in the design of our food production systems.

We have world-leading environmental efficiency of food production, which is enhanced further by our predominantly pasture-based and outdoor systems and targeted land-use.

We are world-leading in our

Opinion

30 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – March 8, 2021

Let’s create our own brand Alternative View

Alan Emerson

REGENERATIVE agriculture (RA) tends to bounce around the media like a ping-pong ball. It embraces whatever the proponent wants.

The Farmers Weekly editorial last week made the valid point that there’s an “urgent need for clarity about what the concept means in a NZ context”.

There also needs to be “more scientific testing of evidence and claims provided by advocates”.

RA originated in Japan in the 1970s with agricultural leader and philosopher Teruo Ichiraku, who made it his mission to “alert the public to the chemicals used in agriculture and to encourage people to only buy produce from organic family farms”.

Interestingly, the average family farm over the majority of Japan is but 1.8ha.

What can happen on a 1.8ha family farm may be quite different from a NZ sheep and beef unit.

Then in the early 1980s the American Rodale Institute described RA as “based on minimal soil disturbance and the practice of composting”. Over the next 40 years at Rodale, RA became regenerative organic

agriculture and then restorative agriculture.

At the same time in the US, Allan Savory was preaching RA as “holistic management”. “Holistic management restores grasslands, sequesters carbon gives food security, drought resistance and financially viable communities,” Savory said at the time.

As holistic means that “the whole is greater than the sum of the parts,” I would strongly argue that the NZ farmer is currently farming in a holistic manner.

I asked three local scientists who I respect what they think RA means.

Lincoln professor and president of the NZ Institute of Agricultural and Horticultural Science Jon Hickford’s view was succinct.

“There is no clear definition, just a whole lot of feel-good activities.

It’s not prescriptive,” he said.

Professor Jacqueline Rowarth made the valid point that a considerable amount of research has been done in NZ to produce high-quality animal protein from pasture. “Claims being made about a better way are not supported by research in New Zealand – and the research overseas is generally being described without important details,” she said.

Dr Doug Edmeades view, strongly stated that “we must stop this virus before it takes us back to the middle ages”.

Regenerative is described in my dictionary as “to undergo moral, spiritual or physical renewal or invigoration”. That suggests to me

PERCEPTION: Alan Emerson believes the sector has been blinded by the enthusiastic advocates of regenerative agriculture and has ignored where New Zealand’s agriculture is at.

that anything else is degenerative, which means “decline or deteriorate to a lower mental moral or physical level; degraded corrupt”.

I know it is an international fad and I’ve read both the Danone and Unilever RA definitions, which are quite different to those I’ve quoted here.

My position is simple: banish the term RA from our vocabulary.

We have a reputable, sustainable, grass-fed farming system now.

Chasing fads will achieve nothing.

We can always improve, but not with RA. The Primary Sector Council details RA in its Fit for a Better World document. They claim that there “is an expectation that regenerative farming systems will improve the profitability of

farming while leaving behind a smaller environmental footprint”.

How that will happen they don’t say, and my rural banker tells me they won’t loan to RA exponents as they’re not profitable. That begs the question as to how many disciples of RA are relying on their farms to survive.

Not to be outdone, Beef + Lamb NZ paid a group associated with the University of Otago to investigate RA. What the tender process involved, how much levy money was wasted and what the results were they haven’t said.

My strong belief is that both the Primary Sector Council, MPI, B+LNZ, Nuffield and Landcare Research have been blinded by the enthusiastic advocates of RA and have ignored where NZ agriculture is at.

RA’s success was with the American prairies where land has been mined for over a century.

We don’t mine our soils and the carbon content of our soils is high.

Yes, the disciples of RA suggest it can be used as a marketing tool, but for how long? People are bound to start asking the hard questions like “What’s the carbon footprint of RA, where are the nutrients going and how economic is it?”

And as the majority of our land is hill country, with the major fertilisers being rain and sunlight, how will RA work there?

The NZ Institute of Agriculture and Horticulture Science has produced an excellent booklet on RA. It is factual, unemotive, science-based and written by NZ’s leading agricultural scientists. It should be compulsory reading for everyone. We don’t need to waste more money with Landcare Research.

Finally, the RA promotion lauded the system as a solution for bad farming. That’s resulted in public perception that our farming practices are poor. They aren’t, they are the best in the world.

Yes, we can improve, but it needs to be a NZ initiative with a NZ brand and not something derived as a result of mining the prairies.

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

Delusional beliefs still take hold From the Ridge

Steve Wyn-Harris

BACK in 1997, a study published

by British surgeon Andrew Wakefield stated the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine was causing autism.

This study was even published in the British medical journal The Lancet.

The paper has since been completely discredited due to serious procedural errors, undisclosed financial conflicts of interest and ethical violations.

Wakefield lost his medical license and the paper was retracted from The Lancet.

He has been vilified by the medical profession for the damage he has caused.

Despite Wakefield being shown to have clearly falsified data, his belief of a link between vaccinations and autism took hold and spread.

He has continued to push his false hypothesis and put out misleading films and pamphlets

in an effort to justify and enrich himself.

This man has spawned the antivaccination movement and led to preventable diseases that have plagued humanity and were nearly wiped out, making a comeback.

Measles and whooping cough are just two viruses that were nearly eradicated, but have now got back into communities, killing children once again. We saw this with measles here and in the Pacific just a couple of years ago.

Reported autism rates have risen over time. It would seem that an increased awareness in it has contributed to its prevalence. Until the 1980s, many affected were institutionalised so weren’t seen.

Once people were diagnosed as intellectually disabled but are now deemed autistic. As autism rates have increased, the rates of intellectually disabled have decreased.

An autism diagnosis gives greater access to services and funding options, so clinicians are more likely to make the diagnosis, thus increasing the rates.

Having an older father and being born premature are both known to increase the chances of autism, but more premature babies survive with modern medicine than ever before.

And there may be other causes

not yet identified but one of those causes is not vaccination, as no valid study, and there have been many, has been able to find a link.

This is relevant for these times as countries roll-out vaccination programmes to counter the covid-19 pandemic.

Sure enough, the anti-vax movement has risen once again, becoming vocal about the perils and evils of vaccinations.

These people are particularly vocal in Northland, which, because it is a low socioeconomic region, is more vulnerable to an outbreak of this virus.

As well as the autism link, they will quote infant immune systems can’t handle vaccines, vaccines contain unsafe toxins, natural immunity is better than vaccineacquired immunity and the like.

All of it demonstrably false and not backed by any credible science or peer-reviewed papers.

It’s another example that although we might now be in the 21st century and know more about the world and universe around us than at any time before, delusional beliefs can still take hold. These false beliefs are assisted and fuelled by the internet and various social media platforms.

There are few reading this that are not vaccinating their animals with great abandon. We are not

prepared to take the risk of a disease outbreak with our stock. I must have done tens of thousands and never seen a death or even a reaction.

But I do know of a small number of people who have refused to vaccinate their children and there will be others reading this who have also not done it. Probably with smoke coming out of their ears by now.

That’s their personal right, but it doesn’t make sense for those opposed to vaccinations to agitate for others to join their cause.

They and their children are protected by the herd immunity offered up by those of us who have had our kids and ourselves immunised.

Herd or community immunity is when a large amount of a population is immune to a specific disease.

Once this particular level is achieved, the disease loses the ability to transmit around that population and infect those who don’t have immunity.

If this country and others can’t quickly get to 80% or more of the population vaccinated against the disease that has caused the pandemic, then we have big problems ahead.

The virus will continue to circulate amongst those not

This man has spawned the antivaccination movement and led to preventable diseases that have plagued humanity and were nearly wiped out, making a comeback. vaccinated, not only potentially hospitalising and killing them, but also mutating to forms that may not be vulnerable to the current vaccines available. Then we could easily be back to square one, with a brand new pandemic that no one has natural or vaccine-acquired immunity of.

How these misguided people are educated to see the error in their beliefs is beyond my pay scale, but it is vitally important that the system does inform them with the truth and facts and ensure most of them are convinced, or else we will all suffer the consequences.

Your View Steve Wyn-Harris is a Central Hawke’s Bay sheep and beef farmer. swyn@xtra.co.nz

Opinion

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – March 8, 2021

31

Meat processing needs a rethink Meaty Matters

Allan Barber

THE Meat Industry Association (MIA) issued an enthusiastic press release at the beginning of February, lauding the continued strength of the red meat sector’s export performance, which saw exports reach a historic high of $9.2 billion in 2020, up from $7.6b in 2017. In a year dominated by covid-19, which saw foodservice business reduce dramatically, coupled with the inexorable rise of the New Zealand dollar, this bordered on the miraculous.

It is a huge credit to meat exporters and producers who have demonstrated an ability to be flexible and nimble in meeting customer demand.

The dairy industry also played a big part by supplying a key raw material, cull cows, as a necessary byproduct of what was also a highly successful year for dairy farmers.

While companies are always obliged to budget for an improved performance year-on-year, otherwise shareholders are entitled to ask hard questions, it is becoming increasingly difficult to see how this trend can continue indefinitely without a serious change in scientific research,

advances in technology and the current business model.

Genetic improvements, specifically developed grasses and feedstuffs, breeds with inbuilt parasite resistance and reduced methane emissions, coupled with judicious use of fertilisers, and all of this supported by sound scientific principles, will be essential components of farming in the 2020s and beyond. Most farmers understand this intuitively and are already making changes to the way they farm, embracing the principles of sustainability, using technology to measure, monitor and control their livestock, planting trees where appropriate, carefully applying fertiliser and constantly striving to comply with regulations.

None of this is particularly good news for the meat processing industry which, if the Climate Change Commission’s recommendations are adopted, will be compelled to process fewer head of livestock, whereas their whole business model has been volume-based since it started.

Processors will justifiably argue they have adapted to whatever volume requirements they have faced, with plant size and number of chains being reduced as change has dictated. Plant efficiencies have improved, labour levels have come down and tallies adjusted to meet throughput targets. Relations with unions have generally got better, although there have been hiccups along the way.

But, for all the work on value-added cuts, robotics and

automation, it remains essentially an industry dependent on the skill of an aging workforce paid for slaughtering and cutting a given number of head. A major traditional success factor is the ability to procure the right livestock in the right quantity at the right price, which is then processed and sold at a profit.

In the future, a change to the business model is inevitable to adapt to lower throughputs and consumer demand for consistently more sophisticated product presentation. The emphasis will still remain on disposing of the whole carcase because that is the only way to optimise revenue and the pressure on marketers to find the best markets for the different parts of each carcase will become even more intense. The overall returns from sheepmeat will be boosted by the success of initiatives to reintroduce wool to tomorrow’s consumers, while leather will need to find new end uses to compensate for the declining demand for luxury cars and leather clothing.

At the Red Meat Sector Conference in 2019 there were presentations predicting how critical the online channel would become and, less than two years later, it is already a reality. Covid has accelerated the trend to online purchasing and the largest market China is the global leader in this trend. The market is now hugely diverse, stretching from traditional butchers through supermarkets to online channels, while foodservice, if it ever recovers

KUDOS: Continued strength in the red meat sector is a huge credit to meat exporters and producers, meat commentator Allan Barber says.

from the pandemic, requires products specifically tailored to specific business segments. The pressure on marketers to source product which satisfy ever-more selective consumers, combined with farmers who can supply to specification, will only intensify.

On the other side of the Tasman, pressure on livestock supply has already seen plant or chain closures in Victoria and New South Wales for several reasons: drought-breaking rains mean farmers can hold onto stock, dairy farmers exiting the industry and seriously negative margins on cattle slaughter.

Processors have been losing at least $130 per head as a result of the reduced cattle kill, exacerbated by a fall in US prices because of herd liquidation there.

For the 2021 season, Meat & Livestock Australia is forecasting a 2% growth in the national herd size, which is currently the smallest it has been since the early 1990s. The Australian lamb flock is set to increase by 5% or 3.3 million head, which will ultimately flow through to a higher lamb kill.

NZ’s meat processing industry is certainly not under the same pressure as its Australian counterpart, but in the longerterm it will face similar issues which will cause processors to analyse their operating model carefully and assess how well aligned they are from their suppliers right through to the marketplace and increasingly diverse end consumers.

Processing efficiency – skilled labour, modern plants, scrupulous standards of health, safety and hygiene – coupled with consumer driven products backed by skilful marketing and state of the art logistics and distribution will be what distinguishes the successful from the also rans.

The companies that do all this successfully will flourish in this new environment, while the others will be left behind.

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

Keep an eye on bank funding costs Cameron Bagrie FINANCIAL conditions remain stimulatory and loose/supportive, with the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) still pushing on the accelerator, buying bonds and supplying cheap funding to banks, while maintaining the Official Cash Rate (OCR) at 0.25%.

While still loose, financials have tightened via a higher New Zealand dollar (NZD) and interest rates in the past few months. The interest rates borrowers face have still pushed lower though.

The NZD has risen to 0.73-0.74 against the United States dollar.

The NZD on a trade weighted basis is up 6% in four months.

Most world prices for NZ’s commodity exports have been on the ascent, led by dairy, so commodity linked currencies have risen.

The market has gone from pricing in a negative OCR to the next move being a hike. The actual OCR has not changed at 0.25%, but expectations where it could be in 2021 have gone from -0.2% to around 0.25, a

turnaround of more than a 50-basis points.

Long-dated interest rates, the 5-year and 10-year government bond have risen more than 100 basis points.

Some of these moves will unwind with the trajectory for the economy more uncertain, given the shift in alert levels, and expected negative gross domestic product (GDP) for the March 2021 quarter.

But clearly markets have a different tone, despite inherent uncertainty on the covid-19 front, buying into the concept of reflation – expanding output and a hint of inflation – around the globe.

We might not quite be fully at that juncture, but markets are forward looking. US 10-year bonds and Australian equivalents are up sharply too.

NZ is clearly an outperformer around the globe, so we should not be surprised to see market sentiment change. Dovish overtures by the RBNZ noting prolonged monetary policy stimulus would be necessary did

little to stop a higher NZD and bond yields.

The movement in long-term wholesale interest rates and shifting expectations for the OCR has some asking whether the interest rates borrowers face will be moving up, and particularly in areas where there is less competitive pressure and greater difficulty involved in shifting banks, such as the agriculture sector.

While wholesale interest rates have certainly moved and this can pre-empt borrowing rates shifting, the key variable to keep an eye on is bank funding costs.

Bank funding costs remain low and are still decreasing as banks shed term deposits currently costing circa 80-90 basis points.

Cheap local sources of funding are available. Deposit rates declined over 2020 and there is limited sign of a turn in 2021.

Bank funding costs continue to benefit as customers switch out of term deposits to hoarding cash in savings and transaction accounts.

The latter two offer little yield,

which means zippo cost to banks, but give people flexibility and time to decide what to do with the money.

NZ is clearly an outperformer around the globe, so we should not be surprised to see market sentiment change.

Total deposits with banks were up $18 billion in the second half of 2020 and $39b in the year.

Transaction balances rose $37b (which you get zero on) and savings balances (almost zero) $27b.

Term deposit balances fell $25b in 2020, a fall of almost 13%.

That switch is providing a lot of cheap funding.

The RBNZ stands prepared to offer cheap funding to banks via the Funding for Lending Programme (FLP) at the OCR of

0.25%, which is well below term deposit rates.

There is scant sign of stress in offshore funding markets, though rising wholesale rates will be adding to funding costs, somewhat offsetting the benefit of the switching mentioned earlier.

Risk premia metrics (the additional compensation investors require for risky investments) are showing less funding stress in the banking system, helped by the RBNZ. There seems little pressing need for interest rates borrowers face to move up in the current funding environment. That could change if we start seeing sustained nudges up in deposit rates. * While Bagrie Economics uses all reasonable endeavours in producing reports to ensure the information is as accurate as practicable, Bagrie Economics shall not be liable for any loss or damage sustained by any person relying on such work, whatever the cause of such loss or damage.

The content does not constitute advice.

AginED Ag ED

#

FOR E FUTURIA G R R S! U PR EN E

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Volume 46 I March 8th, 2021 I email: agined@globalHQ.co.nz I www.farmersweekly.co.nz

CLEARING UP HOW FOG IS MADE STRETCH YOURSELF: 1 Grant’s path to owning his own farm has varied. What jobs has he held over the years?

2 Who encouraged Grant early on to stay on and succeed at school and then at University?

3 Due to The Dashers high altitude it can be cold and wet, with snow capping the hill tops all winter. How do they farm their sheep taking these conditions into account? What do they have to do differently to farmers at lower altitudes?

Have a go:

Fog is simply cloud that forms on the ground. Autumn is the perfect time to start producing fog as it loves mild days and long cool nights to help it form. By the end of March the nights will be longer than the days and with sea surface temperatures at the highest for the year that also contributes to fog. In New Zealand fog can form in any region but fog that lingers longest tends to especially love inland valleys or low lying areas (known as basins).

Which North Island and South Island regions are most likely to get fog that lingers all day? Only one location in each island is correct.

4 Grant believes that “To be environmentally sustainable you have got to be economically sustainable”. How are they doing this?

1 Go to www.farmersweekly.co.nz 2 Find and watch the OnFarmStory of Grant McNaughton “We want to be here for hundreds of years” and read the article “Our attitude determines our altitude”.

5 What level and type of stock units do they carry annually on the farm?

6 What improvements have they made since they have taken on The Dasher Station?

3 Where is The Dasher Station?

4 How old is the property?

Thomas and Jack Dawkins showing us how to be easily seen on the farm and keeping themselves safe while doing the things that they love.

OF N E R AFE , N I W BE S “ THE E SEEN”ON I B ETIT P M CO

Fog in NZ usually occurs overnight in calm, high pressure, set ups. Fog is simply tiny droplets of water or ice suspended in the air near the ground when humidity is up to around 100%, showing the air is saturated. Sometimes after a foggy morning the sun burns it off but then we see big afternoon cloud build up develop, some even with thunderstorms and downpours.

When it’s windy, fog is less likely to occur at sea level in New Zealand (but can form in the mountains in windy weather). Lower down though, calm conditions are a key component.

In this map, which island is most exposed to low level fog?

This graph shows monthly NZ lamb exports to all countries for this season, last season and the five year average.

Have a go: 1 How do January lamb exports (2020-21) compare to January last season (2019-20) and the five-year average?

2 Looking at the graph, when could we expect export volumes to peak?

3 Which month could we expect export volumes to be at their lowest?

NZ lamb exports (thous. tonnes)

STRETCH H YOURSELF: 1 Exports to China have been above year-ago levels from November to January. Which annual celebration has just happened in China that has driven demand for NZ lamb?

2 While demand and values of NZ lamb to China are strong, the strengthening NZ dollar is eroding processor margins. What is the current NZD-USD exchange rate?

3 A weaker domestic currency stimulates exports and makes imports more expensive; while a strong domestic currency makes imports cheaper. What might a high NZ dollar do to overseas NZ sheep and beef export demand?

One of the foggiest places on earth is Newfoundland, Canada. They get 200 days a year of fog!!

Roughly how many days a year of fog do you get where you live?

Got your own question about how the weather works? Ask Phil! Email phil@ruralweather.co.nz with your question and he could answer it on the Weather Together podcast!

Substantial Dairy, Dairy Support, Lifestyle and Sheep/Cattle Farming Portfolio Woodleigh Farm Trust, located in the Wairarapa District, offers its property holdings for sale providing an outstanding opportunity for either owner operators or investors seeking to acquire a large mixed agricultural portfolio of two supported dairy units, a large lifestyle property as well as a substantial drystock sheep and cattle unit all with an exceptional location north of Masterton in the semi-summer safe localities Kopuaranga and Mauriceville.

The two dairy units and lifestyle property with dwelling share common boundaries, with the other two properties within 7 km from the dairy units.

• 235 Donovans Road, an irrigated dairy unit of 143.6 ha

For more information about these properties pb.co.nz/woodleigh

• 631 Opaki Kaiparoro Road, dairy unit 173.8 ha with multiple titles

These properties are available as individual units or any combination, including options for going concern including livestock, plant and machinery.

• Opaki Kaiparoro Road, 90.84 ha, currently used as dairy support block with subdivision potential • 398 Opaki Kaiparoro Road, 29.97 ha lifestyle/support block with substantial dwelling with subdivision potential • 436 Jacksons Line, 362.6 ha sheep and cattle property currently used as dairy support John Arends M 027 444 7380

Jared Brock M 027 449 5496

Paul Joblin Steve Penn M 027 443 3756 M 027 448 1221

Kopuaranga 235 Donovans Road Tender

Woodleigh - 143 ha Located 14 km to the north of Masterton is a well sought after mid-scale dairy unit featuring favourable soil types and contour. Farming improvements consist of a 26 ASHB milking shed, various implement, feed and calf rearing sheds.

Approximately 35 ha are irrigated by K-line system providing early summer growth assurance. Currently milking 280 cows, with average annual production over the past three years being circa 85,000 kgMS of an effective platform area of 112 ha. The remaining area is in a mix of native bush and established woodlots.

Woodleigh is completed with two dwellings with the main homestead featuring three bedrooms + office and two living areas. Woodleigh features some of the districts most favourable soil types and is well suited to continue as a dairy operation or diversify into finishing/cropping.

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

Tender closes Tuesday 30th March, 2021 at 2.00pm, to be submitted to Property Brokers, 203 Chapel Street, Masterton View By appointment Web pb.co.nz/PR82772 Jared Brock M 027 449 5496 Paul Joblin M 027 443 3756 Stephen Penn M 027 448 1221

E jared@pb.co.nz E paulj@pb.co.nz E stephenp@pb.co.nz Proud to be here

Kopuaranga 631 Opaki Kaiparoro Road Tender

Kopuaranga - 173 ha Located some 14 km to the north of Masterton is a well sought after mid-scale dairy unit featuring favourable soil types and contour.

Farming improvements consist of a 24 ASHB milking shed, three old woolsheds, various implement, feed and calf rearing sheds. The property has milked up to 450 cows, which has previously included a winter milking herd of 160 cows. Average production over the past three years is circa 120,000 kgMS off the platform area of 160 ha. The property features a three bedroom homestead set in mature grounds.

Kopuaranga features excellent road frontage and multiple titles providing subdivision options for the incoming purchaser.

Tender closes Tuesday 30th March, 2021 at 2.00pm, to be submitted to Property Brokers, 203 Chapel Street, Masterton View By appointment Web pb.co.nz/PR82771 Jared Brock M 027 449 5496 Paul Joblin M 027 443 3756 Stephen Penn M 027 448 1221

E jared@pb.co.nz E paulj@pb.co.nz E stephenp@pb.co.nz

Kopuaranga Opaki Kaiparoro Road Tender

Millers Block - 90 ha Comprising 90 ha of fertile dairy support land located within the Opaki District, some 11 km to the north east of Masterton.

The land is currently all in pasture and is being utilised for the production of hay, baleage and for grazing but could also be utilised for growing crops. Farming improvements include large cattle yards, laneway, reticulated water and hayshed.

The property is well subdivided into 16 main paddocks by both conventional and electric fencing.

This bareland property features an excellent building platform should you wish to build your dream home within commuting distance to Masterton.

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

Tender closes Tuesday 30th March, 2021 at 2.00pm, to be submitted to Property Brokers, 203 Chapel Street, Masterton View By appointment Web pb.co.nz/PR82769 Jared Brock M 027 449 5496 Paul Joblin M 027 443 3756 Stephen Penn M 027 448 1221

E jared@pb.co.nz E paulj@pb.co.nz E stephenp@pb.co.nz Proud to be here

Kopuaranga 398 Opaki Kaiparoro Road Tender

Support/cropping block - 29 ha Located within the Opaki District, some 12 km to the north of Masterton is a well apportioned 29 ha larger lifestyle/support or cropping block.

Improvements on the property include an attractive modern homestead of 320 m2. The home features a master bedroom suite, two further double bedrooms, an open plan kitchen, dining, family room, a formal lounge, family bathroom and laundry on the ground floor. A large fourth bedroom/rumpus room on the upper floor above the garage.

The home sits within attractive developed gardens, which include a covered patio area attached to the house, a double detached garage and wood shed.

The property has been utilised as dairy support and cropping and is well suited to most farming practices utilising some of the districts best soil types.

Tender closes Tuesday 30th March, 2021 at 2.00pm, to be submitted to Property Brokers, 203 Chapel Street, Masterton View By appointment Web pb.co.nz/PR82770 Jared Brock M 027 449 5496 Paul Joblin M 027 443 3756 Stephen Penn M 027 448 1221

E jared@pb.co.nz E paulj@pb.co.nz E stephenp@pb.co.nz

Mauriceville 436 Jacksons Line Tender

Val'dor - 362 ha Val'dor is a summer safe sheep and beef semi finishing farm situated approximately 18 km to the north east of Masterton. The farm is currently being operated as a dairy support block running young stock and wintering mixed age dairy cows.

Val'dor features a four bedroom home with expansive decking set in mature grounds. Farming improvements include a four stand woolshed with adjoining covered yards, various shedding, satellite yards, cattle yards, a fertiliser bin and airstrip. The property has a good range of contours, including some 95 ha of easy cultivatable hills, the remaining area is mainly medium hill with some steeper sidlings. In addition there is some 12 ha of pine trees and bush, and a further 5.6 ha of QE11.

Located in a sought after district, Val'dor provides the astute purchaser an excellent add on or first farm.

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

Tender closes Tuesday 30th March, 2021 at 2.00pm, to be submitted to Property Brokers, 203 Chapel Street, Masterton View By appointment Web pb.co.nz/PR82752 Jared Brock M 027 449 5496 Paul Joblin M 027 443 3756 Stephen Penn M 027 448 1221

E jared@pb.co.nz E paulj@pb.co.nz E stephenp@pb.co.nz Proud to be here

36

farmersweekly.co.nz/realestate 0800 85 25 80

Real Estate

FARMERS WEEKLY – March 8, 2021

Magnificent Private Coastal Waiheke Sanctuary is on the Market

C A R E Y B AY 301 Man O’War Bay Road, Waiheke Island, New Zealand

This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to acquire possibly New Zealand’s best coastal land to create a private sanctuary within easy reach of Auckland City. An expansive landholding that could be optimised as a multi-generational family resort style estate or, with visionary thinking, an exclusive master-planned haven with superior recreational credentials.

The land is characterised by rolling to steeper coastal hills and gullies with outstanding sea views. Cover is a mixture of pasture, mature native bush, and wetlands, and the land is currently used for dry stock grazing.

Large scale 300 hectares (more or less) in 16 titles, with future development opportunities Significant coastal boundaries including approximately five kilometres of coastline, rocky cliffs, headlands and sandy beach at Carey Bay Currently operated under a grazing lease, the farm (approximately 150 hectares effective) is fenced into grazing paddocks with reticulated stock water The balance of land is made up of mature native forest (noted as areas of ecological significance), with regenerating stands of Kānuka and Mānuka and notable wetlands The outlook, scale, outstanding natural landscape, and natural private subdivision of the land, along with the numerous titles, makes this the ultimate in private family island estates providing options for extended family to build individual dwellings but retain the extreme privacy offered Dwellings include the homestead, renovated in the 1980’s, retaining the heart of the original Carey cottage built 1886, and two additional farm cottages. Further improvements include a woolshed, numerous farm sheds and a freshwater catchment system

bayleys.co.nz/1691850 | careybay.co.nz Boundary lines are indicative only

Sale Details

Contact Sole Agents

Expressions of Interest.

Closing 4pm, Thursday 8th April 2021 (unless sold prior) Bayleys House, 30 Gaunt Street, Auckland, New Zealand

Mike Bayley +64 21 670 101 mike.bayley@bayleys.co.nz

Contour and pristine coastal views set amongst the mature native forest sets the scene for what could be a pre-eminent gated farm park, golf course, resort, eco-tourism venture or multi-generational residential estate

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

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

Mark Spitz +64 27 442 1295 mark.spitz@bayleys.co.nz RESIDENTIAL RE LTD, BAYLEYS, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008

FINAL NOTICE

Ohuka 734 Ohuka Road

Farming, hunting, with rainfall Located in the Ohuka valley 43 kilometres west of Wairoa is Craighurst Station, a faithfully farmed 943 hectare landholding with approximately 550 effective hectares. A traditionally farmed sheep and beef property which has an excellent fertiliser history, great workability, a very good standard of conventional fencing and station gates, captures very good rainfall, and has good portions of easy and medium contour. Boasting a fully refurbished four bedroom home with new office, kitchen, two bathrooms, large decks, elevated to take in the stunning rural views, you may never want to leave. Other improvements include a four stand woolshed/covered yards complex, steel cattle yards, four bay implement shed/workshop with satellite sheep yards. Vendors are purchasing another property. You won’t want to miss this one, the hunting is phenomenal! View by appointment.

Tender (will not be sold prior) Closing 4pm, Mon 15 Mar 2021 17 Napier Road, Havelock North Tony Rasmussen 027 429 2253 tony.rasmussen@bayleys.co.nz Stephen Thomson 027 450 6531 stephen.thomson@bayleys.co.nz

bayleys.co.nz/2852498

EASTERN REALTY LTD, BAYLEYS, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008 BOUSFIELD MACPHERSON LTD, BAYLEYS, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008

Real Estate

FARMERS WEEKLY – March 8, 2021

farmersweekly.co.nz/realestate 0800 85 25 80

NEW LISTING

Boundary lines are indicative only

Hawke's Bay 109 Springfield Road, Taradale

6.0 hectare Hawke's Bay G3 kiwifruit Located on the outskirts of Napier in the sunny Hawke's Bay is this recently developed six hectare kiwifruit orchard.

With 4.5 canopy hectares of fully licensed G3 (2018 grafted) on Ag Beam pergola structures the production levels are only going to improve. There is a very good water consent for irrigation and frost control.

The orchard will be sold with the G3 crop included, providing a superb opportunity for the incoming owners to benefit from the excellent returns and continued global demand for vitamin C rich gold kiwifruit.

Don't snooze on this rare find. Your opportunity to purchase the winning golden kiwi ticket!

bayleys.co.nz/2852514

Boundary lines are indicative only

Boundary lines are indicative only

Horotiu 264 Crawford Road A blank canvas Situated on the northern side of Hamilton, this approximately twenty hectare property has level contour, a reliable water source and alluvia soil. It has a long history of cropping with the current use being maize. The improvements are centrally located and include an implement shed, multipurpose shed, two bay carport and a three bedroom home. Held in one title, there may be potential to subdivide into one additional lot and buyers are encouraged to explore this directly with the District Council. Due to the age and condition of the improvements, this property is likely to be viewed as a blank canvas. Given the proximity to Hamilton, this property would make a lovely place to live or continue with its use as a rural support block.

bayleys.co.nz/2312139

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Auction (unless sold prior) 11am, Thu 25 Mar 2021 96 Ulster Street, Hamilton View 2-2.30pm Wed 10 Mar Sharon Evans AREINZ 027 235 4771 Stuart Gudsell AREINZ 021 951 737 SUCCESS REALTY LIMITED, BAYLEYS, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008

Tender (will not be sold prior) Closing 4pm, Wed 7 Apr 2021 17 Napier Road, Havelock North View by appointment Tony Rasmussen 027 429 2253 tony.rasmussen@bayleys.co.nz EASTERN REALTY LTD, BAYLEYS, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008

37

farmersweekly.co.nz/realestate 0800 85 25 80

Real Estate

FARMERS WEEKLY – March 8, 2021

O PE N

D AY S

38

BLUE CHIP LIFESTYLE LIVING

40.16 HA | 4 BED | 2 BATH Auction

331 Burnand Road, Manunui This immaculately presented property presents the ultimate lifestyle opportunity. Consisting predominantly of easy contour land giving options of diversity. The quality and spacious 4bedroom home is positioned on an elevated site giving fantastic 360-degree rural views. As an additional bonus, the large 4-bay implement shed is fully lockable with concrete floor and power.

This property is not only suitable as an intensive finishing unit or superior lifestyle block but also as a dairy grazing or cropping unit having previously grown maize, cereal and fodder crops.

Currently finishing 600 lambs and 98 1.5yrs steers.

nzr.nz/RX2717545

Auction (unless sold prior) 11am, Thu 15 Apr 2021 NZR, 1 Goldfinch Street, Ohakune Jamie Proude AREINZ 027 448 5162 | jamie@nzr.nz Open Days | 11am - 12pm Sun 14 March 2021 Tue 16 March 2021 Tue 23 March 2021 NZR Central Ltd | Licensed REAA 2008

DEVELOPED, PRODUCTIVE & VERSATILE 114 Makoura Road, Apiti, Manawatu This property will suit a range of land-uses, with approx. 40% having been cultivated into new pastures over the past 7 years, the soils are loamy, free draining types, classified as Kiwitea Fine Sandy Loam. Balance of country is predominantly clean, very medium hill. The water reticulation system is a real feature, redesigned/re-built with 50+ troughs. Well laned with significant runs of new fencing. The four bedroom home has freshly painted living areas and new carpet through-out.

210.58 hecatres Video on website

nzr.nz/RX2577666 Tender Closes 11am, Thu 8 Apr 2021, NZR, 20 Kimbolton Road, Feilding.

Peter Barnett AREINZ 027 482 6835 | peter@nzr.nz NZR Limited | Licensed REAA 2008

Open Day Wed 11/03 led ride departs woolshed 11am.

Tender

Ōtorohanga 713 Honikiwi Rd

Maramarua 108 Maxwell Road

First farm, Support block or larger lifestyle

12.24ha A

4 B

2 C

2 D

2 I

10 acres currently leased - 10 acres Free Range Chickens operation with two laying houses -pack house and Feed storage - 10 acres for stock or horse or two even an arena. This is a versatile property which will keep everyone happy. Call now for viewing details.

Tender Closes Friday 9th April at 4:00pm (unless sold prior) View by appointment, harcourts.co.nz/PU210216 Harcourts Pukekohe Jo-Ann Day-Townsend M 021 1696 056

jo-ann.day-townsend@harcourts.co.nz Harcourts Pukekohe / 24 Seddon Street, Pukekohe / 09 238 4244 / Port Realty Ltd / Licensed Agent REAA 2008

Located just 10 km’s West of Otorohanga, this very tidy 51.9087 hectare (128 acre) property is going to tick a lot of boxes for those searching for a well located property where all the hard work has been done.

With a good mix of contours, high standard of fencing and handling facilities, this outstanding grazing property will not disappoint.

• Approximately 47 hectares in grass • Comfortably wintering 120 cattle • 200 Round bales of silage produced annually • Good fertilizer history • 3 Bay implement shed • Attractive 3 bedroom Lockwood home built for views Retiring vendors who are realistic about selling have priced their property to get interest.

For Sale $1,500,000 Plus GST (if any) View Wed 10th March 11am Wed 17th March 11am harcourts.co.nz/OH8959 Kerry Harty 027 294 6215

kjharty@harcourts.co.nz Licensed Agent REAA 2008

Karen Lennox 027 559 4468 kjharty@harcourts.co.nz Licensed Agent REAA 2008

Real Estate

FARMERS WEEKLY – March 8, 2021

farmersweekly.co.nz/realestate 0800 85 25 80

39

RURAL | LIFESTYLE | RESIDENTIAL

OPEN DAY

TAUMARUNUI, KING COUNTRY 117 Cemetery Road Otangiwai Station - 1562ha Magnificently contoured farm - extensive flats and easy hill to strong Matiere hills.

Excellent fencing and lane-ways throughout the property.

Strong fertiliser and top water supply. Vendors have run cattle only in the past - over 3000 cattle wintered.

Opportunity to purchase a top class farm with fertility, infrastructure and scale rarely come to the market.

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DEADLINE PRIVATE TREATY (Unless Sold Prior) Closes 3.00pm, Friday 9 April PGGWRE, 57 Rora Street, Te Kuiti

VIEW 10.00am-1.00pm Tuesday 9, 16, 23 & 30 March Peter Wylie M 027 473 5855 | B 07 878 0265 E pwylie@pggwrightson.co.nz

This is the opportunity of a lifetime.

pggwre.co.nz/TEK33634 Helping grow the country

PGG Wrightson Real Estate Limited, licensed under REAA 2008

Your destination for rural real estate Market your property to an audience that counts

Add another touchpoint to your campaign on the website built for farmers.

Align your brand with content farmers read: • Geo and agri sector targeting options available • Post campaign analysis of your adverts performance • Advertise on our Real Estate page alongside relevant editorial content • Enrich your print ad - Click through to your property videos or websites from the virtual edition.

Contact your agent to advertise today!

0800 85 25 80 farmersweekly.co.nz/realestate

40

farmersweekly.co.nz/advertising 0800 85 25 80

Tech & Toys

FARMERS WEEKLY – March 8, 2021

SHEEP JETTER Sheep dipping… made easier!

• Fantastic penetration • Get one now before price increase

7685

$

Innovative Agriculture Equipment

+ GST

Serving NZ Farmers since 1962

LK0105676©

• Manufactured from stainless steel • Electric Eye • 800-1000 sheep per hour

www.pppindustries.co.nz / sales@pppindustries.co.nz / 0800 901 902

Get

cents

EXCLUSIVE ND SOUTH ISLA FIELD DAY DISCOUNT

ff Price o eekly Sebco w s fuel rate

0 F F 3 O a Litre RST FILL!

I F R U O Y WITH

You’ll find us at Site 480 (West section)

THE LAST DIESEL TANK YOU’LL EVER NEED! NZ’s most innovative range of on-ground stations for diesel, diesel exhaust fluids (AdBlue®, GoClear®, Alliedblue®, Z DEC®), and waste oil.

• Bunded design - contains spills • Polyethylene construction won’t rot or rust • NZ WorkSafe and EPA Compliant • Kiwi made for kiwi conditions

Call Ed for a quote today 0800 473 226 | www.sebco.co.nz Prices subject to weekly changes. Discount offered on all Farmer Model Series purchased at the South Island Field Days. Terms and Conditions apply.

Primary Pathways – Jobs, Education & Training

Shepherd General

STOCK MANAGER CENTRAL HAWKE’S BAY

(with room to move)

A position is available on a sheep and beef farm, 420 hectares, 16km south of Waipukurau in the popular Flemington district, wintering 3300 stock units.

• Individual employment agreements • Season and fixed term workers • Staff planning

• Job descriptions • Tailor made advertising • Labour market testing • Performance management • Candidate care

PAULA@RURALPEOPLE.CO.NZ

PAULA: 0275 11 88 14

JOBS BOARD

• East Coast Region – Gisborne to Wairarapa • Central & West Coast Region – Taranaki, Manawatu, Whanganui & Wellington

Riverly farm runs sheep and beef and is located 35km from Whanganui with a finishing block on the edge of Whanganui.

We are currently undergoing a programme to intensify the farming operation and integrate more technology. This is an opportunity for someone to grow with the farm.

A high standard of work ethic and large amount of common sense is essential, along with a passion for farming.

For more information and to wow us with your abilities please email: laupatterson219@gmail.com

Noticeboard

farmersweeklyjobs.co.nz

Regional Business Development Managers - 2 Roles

Dairy Sheep Farm Manager Labourer

A BIT ABOUT NEW ZEALAND CARBON FARMING…

Regional Business Development Managers

New Zealand Carbon Farming is 100% locally owned and operated.

It now has the largest privately-owned permanent forest estate in New Zealand. This estate is carefully managed to regenerate into indigenous, biodiverse environments over time. It is also committed to working with local landowners to deliver better economic and environmental outcomes through its lease solutions.

Senior Agronomist Senior Shepherd Stock Manager *FREE upload to Farmers Weekly jobs: farmersweeklyjobs.co.nz

LK0105354©

Contact Debbie Brown 06 323 0765 or email classifieds@globalhq.co.nz

(Obtaining the best profits for our customers)

Farmers/Woodlot owner Tired of waiting for someone to harvest your trees?

See Page 42

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.

Free quotes

For more Noticeboard advertising

Markets for all species Email: BTZforestry@gmail.com

Travel & Tourism

Adventures - 4WD Tours

4X4 TAGALONG TOURS

ON OFFER… There is an attractive remuneration package including a work vehicle and flexible work schedule on offer. NZ Carbon Farming offers personal growth and career development by way of working with smart, dedicated people within an organisation that makes a real difference nationally and globally. Don’t miss your chance to get involved with a company that has an active strategy for preserving our planet for future generations.

Information packs are available for the 2022 season

Bring your own 4X4 on a guided tour to discover more of the South Island.

Molesworth Station, St James and Rainbow Stations LK0106233©

Applications close Sunday 14th March 2021

BTZ Forestry Marketing and Harvesting

*conditions apply

A BIT ABOUT YOU… To grow and be successful in this role, you will ideally bring the following: • Previous experience working in a commercial agri-sector role with a successful track record in customer relationship management, risk management and an ability to influence outcomes.

• A genuine interest in NZ Carbon Farming, the Emissions Trading Scheme and Farm Environmental Management planning.

• Experience operating at a senior sales and business relationship management level with the ability to negotiate and close large complex deals.

FURTHER INFORMATION: For further information or to apply please visit www.ruraldirections. co.nz/jobs or phone the Rural Directions team for a confidential chat on 06 871 0450. (Ref # 678484).

LK0105415©

Shepherd General

THE OPPORTUNITIES… These Regional Business Development Manager positions are two newly created roles that will be based in the Central and West Coast areas or the East Coast areas of the North Island. As part of the Business Development Team, the appointees will be responsible for the supply of Carbon Credits primarily through lease and land acquisition agreements with landowners throughout their region.

Key responsibilities for these roles will include: • Following up new business leads and managing opportunities through to completion.

• Developing, building and maintaining long term relationships with new and existing clients and be seen by the client as being trustful and accurate with a common-sense approach.

• Preparing proposals, land analysis and sales contracts in conjunction with other staff, contractors and advisors (understanding the complex nature of NZCF lease/acquisition products).

Dates 2021: March 21-24.

Dates 2022: Jan 9-12; Feb 5-8, 20-23, March 13-16, 20-23, 27-30; April 3-6, 24-27 Other dates available for groups of 6 or more people on request

RECRUITMENT & HR Register to receive job alerts on www.ruraldirections.co.nz

Phone 0274 351 955 Email info@southislandtoursnz.com www.southislandtoursnz.com

LK0105970©

www.ruralpeople.co.nz

LK0106223©

Rural People are passionate about working with the dairy farmers of New Zealand

Essential requirements for the position are: • Good stock management and finishing skills • Pasture and feed crop expertise • Good stock husbandry • Maintenance and development • Good reporting and reconciliation skills • A team player as part of a larger farming business A first class three bedroom home is available, with Flemington Primary School 6km away.

CHB College in Waipukurau is nearby.

A wide range of recreational activities available.

Applicants should apply with CV and referees to: Tim and Janet Cullwick tjcullwick@gmail.com Mobile: 027 245 3396

If you are looking for a varied role and have a wide range of skills to offer (or the ability to learn quickly on your feet) then this is your chance to join the Riverly team.

LK0106183©

We offer a range of services including but not limited to: • End to end recruitment • Immigration service in conjunction with our licenced immigration advisor • Reference and police checks

41

LK0106253©

Struggling to find good dairy farm workers?

classifieds@globalhq.co.nz

info@nzadventures.co.nz Ph: 03 218 8569 027 550 6727 or 027 435 4267

www.nzadventures.co.nz

LK015995©

FARMERS WEEKLY – March 8, 2021

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

Noticeboard

DOLOMITE

SCOTTY’S CONTRACTORS

Available in Squares & Rounds

Phone Mark 0800 478 729 or Tracey 027 554 1841

QUALITY Feeds You Can TRUST

0800 436 566

www.underthewoolshed.kiwi

Selling something?

Working Taihape, Raetihi, Ohakune and National Park areas.

Book your shed now

Ph: Scott Newman 027 26 26 272 0800 27 26 88

scottnewman101@gmail.com

We also clean out and remetal cattle yards – Call us!

Call Debbie

LK0106119©

LK0106102©

BARLEY & WHEAT STRAW RYE GRASS STRAW MEADOW HAY LUCERNE & MEADOW BALEAGE

NZ’s finest BioGro certified Mg fertiliser For a delivered price call ....

NZ’s #1 Under Woolshed/Covered Yards Cleaning Specialist For Over A Decade

0800 85 25 80 classifieds@globalhq.co.nz

FARMERS WEEKLY – March 8, 2021

ANIMAL HANDLING

DOGS FOR SALE

FLY OR LICE problem?

Electrodip – the magic eye sheepjetter since 1989 with unique self adjusting sides.

Incredible chemical and time savings with proven effectiveness.

Phone 07 573 8512 w w w. e l e c t r o d i p . c o m

DELIVERING DOGS NZ wide 23/3/21 www.youtube.com/user/ mikehughesworkingdog/ videos email: mikehughesworkingdogs@ farmside.co.nz 07 315 5553.

FERAL GOATS WANTED. All head counted, payment on pick-up, pick-up within 24 hours. Prices based on works schedule.

Experienced musterers available.

Phone Bill and Vicky Le Feuvre 07 893 8916.

DOGS WANTED

GRAZING AVAILABLE

CRAIGCO SHEEP JETTERS. Sensor Jet. Deal to fly and Lice now. Guaranteed performance.

Unbeatable pricing.

Phone 06 835 6863. www.craigcojetters.com

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

BUYING HEADERS, HUNTAWAYS, Beardies, Collies NZ Wide. www. youtube.com/user/ mikehughesworkingdog/ videos email: mikehughesworkingdogs@ farmside.co.nz 07 315 5553

GRAZING AVAILABLE for 150 yearling dairy heifers from 1st May 2021.

Horowhenua District.

Phone 021 430 961 HEIFER GRAZING available, May to May, 10-22 mo, up to 75 total. Tauranga, 20+ yrs. experience, references available. 027 659 6538.

FOR ONLY $2.10 + gst per word you can book a word only ad in Farmers Weekly Classifieds. Phone Marie on 0800 85 25 80.

ATTENTION FARMERS

RIVER AND DRAINAGE ENGINEERING SCHEMES CATCHMENT COMMUNITY MEETINGS - 2021 Each year meetings are held for ratepayers funding Horizons Regional Council’s various Flood Protection, River Control and Drainage Schemes.

The purpose of the meetings is to report to ratepayers on the work carried out on the Schemes over the past year, and to discuss work proposed to be carried out during the forthcoming financial year. Scheme budgets and proposed rates for the 2021-22 year will also be presented and staff will be available to respond to ratepayer queries on general Scheme issues.

This year’s meetings have been scheduled as follows: • Ashhurst Drainage Scheme: Tuesday 16 March - 1.00pm Ashhurst Village Valley Centre, Winchester & Guildford Streets, Ashhurst. Drop-in

DAGS .25c PER KG. Replacement woolpacks.

PV Weber Wools.

Kawakawa Road, Feilding. Phone 06 323 9550.

JONES DAG CRUSHING. Buyers of wet and dry dags, we also buy sheep manure from under woolsheds and covered yards. Pick up service available for loose and baled. Phone Andrew 027 208 5270

CONTRACTORS

• Matarawa Flood Control Scheme Urban: Tuesday 16 March 11.00am-1.00pm Whanganui War Memorial Centre, Watt Street, Whanganui. Drop-in

GORSE AND THISTLE SPRAY. We also scrub cut. Four men with all gear in your area. Phone Dave 06 375 8032.

• Lower Whanganui River Management Scheme: Tuesday 16 March - 1.00pm Whanganui War Memorial Centre, Watt Street, Whanganui. Public Meeting • Matarawa Flood Control Scheme Rural: Tuesday 16 March - 3.00pm Okoia Hall, Okoia. Public Meeting

WORD ONLY ADVERTISING. Phone Marie on 0800 985 25 80.

• Lower Kiwitea Scheme: Wednesday 17 March - 9.00am Cheltenham Hotel, 1469 Kimbolton Road, Feilding. Public Meeting

DOGS FOR SALE

• Makirikiri Flood Control Scheme: Wednesday 17 March - 11.00am Richard Redmayne property (Tunnel Hill). Drop-in • South Eastern Ruahine Management Scheme: Wednesday 17 March - 10.30am The Hub, Dannevirke Christian Fellowship, 23 Gordon Street, Dannevirke. Public Meeting • Upper Manawatū –Lower Mangahao Scheme: Wednesday 17 March - 1.00pm Woodville Service Centre, Cnr Vogel (SH 2) and Tay Streets, Woodville. Public Meeting • Hōkio Drainage Scheme: Monday 22 March - 11.00am Te Takere, Levin, 10 Bath Street, Levin. Drop-in

12-MONTH HEADING dog and bitch. Fast, strong, pulling sides, good command. Station and trial potential. Nolan Timmins.

Phone 027 932 8839.

FARM MAPPING IMPROVE AND SIMPLIFY day-to-day farm management with maps showing names and paddock sizes. Visit farmmapping.co.nz for a free quote.

FOR SALE 16-YEAR-OLD mare. Good horse for hunt season. HB. Phone 027 688 7535.

GOATS WANTED 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.

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

GOATS WANTED

HAY FOR SALE

HAY ROUNDS $75+gst; squares $60+gst.

BALEAGE $75+gst. Unit loads available. Top quality.

Phone 021 455 787.

• Rangitīkei River Control Scheme: Thursday 25 March - 3.00pm Te Matapihi - Bulls Community Hall, 112 Bridge Street, Bulls. Public Meeting • Moutoa – Whirokino Drainage Schemes: Friday 26 March - 9.00am Te Awahou Nieuwe Stroom, 92 Main Street, Foxton. Public Meeting • Himatangi Drainage Scheme: Friday 26 March - 1.00pm Te Awahou Nieuwe Stroom, 92 Main Street, Foxton. Drop-in • Koputaroa Drainage Scheme: Monday 29 March - 9.00am Koputaroa Hall, 399 Koputaroa Road, Koputaroa. Public Meeting • Makerua Drainage Scheme: Monday 29 March - 1.00pm Tokomaru Community Hall, 761 Makerua Road, Tokomaru. Public Meeting • Haunui Drainage Scheme: Wednesday 31 March - 9.00am Whangaehu Community Hall, 19 Whangaehu Valley Road, Whangaehu. Drop-in • Whangaehu-Mangawhero River Scheme: Wednesday 31 March - 11.00am Cooks Garden Event Centre, (Stadium) Maria Place, Whanganui. Public Meeting • Turakina River Scheme: Wednesday 31 March - 1.00pm Whangaehu Community Hall, 19 Whangaehu Village Road, Whangaehu. Drop-in • Forest Road Drainage Scheme: Wednesday 31 March - 3.00pm Cnr Parewanui & Forest Roads. Drop-in

WILTSHIRES-ARVIDSON. Self shearing sheep. No1 for Facial Eczema. David 027 2771 556.

3-YEAR-OLD Perendale ram, well bred. $250.

Phone 027 2432 116.

WILTSHIRE EWES, 2th Rams, RL & EL July born.

Benneydale Wiltshires.

King Country.

Vaxed.

10yrs established clean shedding. Ram Lambs $350+gst 60 for you to choose. High rainfall soft land resistant. Phone Joe Hodge 027 2806 747.

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

TEWAEWAE HORSE SALE Saturday 27th March 11am Approximately 30 horses,3 broken in and going well and the rest ready to break in.These horses are bred under natural conditions on steep country, suitable for all disciplines including showring, trekking, hunting, hacking and pleasure.All sale horses are handled and will be led through the ring.

We have quality stallions with good temperament, whose progeny are performing well. For more details please follow our event and Facebook page (TEWAEWAE HORSE SALE 2021) or ring Ian Brickell 06 839 1686.

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

WANTED TO BUY SAWN SHED TIMBER including Black Maire.

Matai, Totara and Rimu etc. Also buying salvaged native logs.

Phone Richard Uren. NZ Native Timber Supplies. Phone 027 688 2954.

t os le re m iab he s ar s ld v r i or ul e W rf pp we cli po ed e sp

• Porewa Flood Control Scheme: Thursday 25 March - 11.00am Hunterville Hall, Bruce Street, Hunterville. Drop-in

LIVESTOCK FOR SALE

HORSES FOR SALE

handypiece

• Ōhau-Manakau Scheme: Monday 22 March - 3.00pm Ohau Hall, Muhunoa West Road, Ohau. Drop-in

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

■ Ideal for shearing sheep, alpacas, goats and cow tails ■ Variable speed from 2400-3500 rpm ■ Latest brushless motor technology means minimal heat build up ■ 1400gms means 100-200gms lighter than standard handpiece ■ At 2700 rpm the 12-volt lithium battery will crutch up to 300-400 sheep, 400-500 cow tails ■ Tough alloy switch box with auto reset fuse for overload or lockup – clips to belt

Field Days Special – receive a FREE box of 10 cutters

See us at CD Fieldays on AGBITS site G16a

LK0105541©

42

View in action go to www.handypiece.co.nz

Free call 0800 474 327

Email: dave@handypiece.co.nz

• Pohangina-Oroua River Control Scheme: Tuesday 6 April - 9.00am Pohangina Hall, 1269 Pohangina Road, Pohangina. Public Meeting • Tutaenui Flood Control Scheme: Tuesday 6 April - 3.00pm Marton Service Centre, Hammond Street, Marton. Public Meeting • Lower Manawatu Scheme: Wednesday 7 April - 9.00am Te Kawau Memorial Recreation Centre, Wyre Street, Rongotea. Public Meeting • Te Kawau Drainage Scheme: Wednesday 7 April - 12.00pm Te Kawau Memorial Recreation Centre, Wyre Street, Rongotea. Public Meeting

See us at Central Field Days – Site K24

• Manawatū Drainage Scheme: Wednesday 7 April - 3.00pm Te Kawau Memorial Recreation Centre, Wyre Street, Rongotea. Public Meeting • Pakihi Flood Control Scheme: Thursday 15 April - 9.00am Ohakune Council Chambers, 37 Ayr Street, Ohakune. Drop-in

STANDARD FEEDER (C6 Pinned)

• Upper Whanganui River Scheme: Thursday 15 April - 3.00pm Taumarunui Council Chambers, 59-63 Huia Street, Taumarunui. Public Meeting

• • • •

horizons.govt.nz

1 x 6 foot bale 2m diameter 15 feed positions 15 - 30 animals

100% New Zealand Made Quality Stockfeeders

0 $ 85 +GST

OVAL FEEDER (S2 Pinned) • • • • •

3 x 4 foot bales 2 x 6 foot bales 24 feed positions 24 - 48 animals 4m long

$ 120+G0 ST

0800 104 404 | www.stockfeeders.co.nz

New Zealand’s proven stock feeder for 24 years | 100% New Zealand Tensile Steel

LK0105978©

• Ohakune Drainage Scheme: Thursday 15 April - 11.00am Ohakune Council Chambers, 37 Ayr Street, Ohakune. Public Meeting

Noticeboard

43

Livestock Noticeboard

w w w. e l e c t r o t e k . c o . n z STOP BIRDS NOW!

NATIONWIDE DAIRY SPECIALISTS Go to: www.carrfieldslivestock.co.nz Register your requirements and be informed when new listings arrive

ZON BIRDSCARER

DE HORNER

Selection of listings:

Phone: +64 6 357 2454 HOOF TRIMMER

• DCO 1934 – 50 x Jsy/JsyX c/overs BW186 PW218 R/A 100% DTC 25/7, 3 to 5yr - $1385 Call: Steve 027 278 3837

LK106255©

electro-tek@xtra.co.nz

EARMARKERS

• DW 1963 – 146 x Fsn/FsnX hfrs BW136 PW173 – CRLine, $650 Call: Mark 027 550 9554

T H INK P R EB UILT

• DR2090 – 79 x Xbred hfrs BW139 PW148 - DTC 15/7 CRLine, strong hfrs , $1400 Call: Richard 027 407 0562

NEW HOMES

• DH1948 – 195 x Top Xbred herd BW124 PW148, DTC 23/7 550ms, strong cows -$1974 Call: Brent 027 551 3660

SOLID – PRACTICAL WELL INSULATED – AFFORDABLE Our homes are built using the same materials & quality as an onsite build.

Easily transported to almost anywhere in the North Island. Plans range from one bedroom to four bedroom First Home – Farm House Investment – Beach Bach

LK0105296©

• DH2003 -186 x Fsn/FsnX herd BW97 PW123 R/A 85% 450ms DTC 20/7 - $1650 Call: Karl 027 207 4767

Call or email us for your free copy of our plans Email: info@ezylinehomes.co.nz Phone: 07 572 0230 Web: www.ezylinehomes.co.nz

WOOL

Independent wool brokers Est. 1983

Dedicated to delivering farmers the best service and best returns

A FREE, industry-first roadshow, coming to a town near you!

Gore | Tuesday 09/03/21 Timaru | Wednesday 10/03/21 Kaikoura | Thursday 11/03/21

Contact your local agent or call: Trevor Hancock 027 283 8389 or Paul Kane: 027 286 9279

LK0105984©

P.O. Box 30, Palmerston North 4440, NZ

Wednesday 10th March 2021

KAIKOHE WEANER STEER FAIR 12.30pm start 475 x Angus 260 x Charolais 520 x Simmentals 120 x BWF 50 x Speckled Park 70 x Hereford N Miller V Vujcich

027 497 3492 027 496 8706

Thursday 11th March 2021

PERIA WEANER STEER, BULL & HEIFER FAIR 12.30pm start

Live Auction . Online Auction

Adding value from shed to sale!

4 3 S ever n S tr eet Pandor a, Napier

. 06 835 6174 . www.kellswool. co. nz

50 TON WOOD SPLITTER

Whangarei | Monday 12/04/21 Te Kuiti | Tuesday 13/04/21 Taupo | Tuesday 13/04/21 Feilding | Wednesday 14/04/21 Pahiatua | Wednesday 14/04/21 Wairoa | Thursday 15/04/21

GENUINE REDUCTION 12HP, Diesel, Electric Start

Heavy duty construction for serious wood splitting. Towable.

Registrations essential: www.whatsthebeef.co.nz

280 x TQ Charolais steers 280 x Simmental steers 350 x Angus steers 80 x Maine Anjou & S/horn steers 300 x TQ Simmental bulls 55 x TQ Charolais bulls 20 x H/f bulls 80 x FB Bulls 12 x AB Simmental heifers 280 x Charolais heifers 180 x Simmental heifers 260 x Angus & W/f heifers 60 x Beef heifers Reuben Wright 027 284 6384 Harley Sloane 027 279 5397 Dean May 027 590 1001

Friday 12th March 2021

BROADWOOD WEANER STEER & BULL FAIR 12.30pm start 10 AB Charolais steers 10 AB Angus steers 770 Char steers 350 Angus steers 60 Sim steers 40 Red Devon steers 410 Char bulls 20 Sim bulls 35 Frsn bulls C Murray Dan Sweetapple S Morey

09 409 5501 021 046 0755 021 142 1660

Thursday 18th March 2021

BROADWOOD WEANER HEIFER FAIR

$3900 GST INCLUSIVE

Very limited stock To find out more visit

LK0106149©

$4200

www.moamaster.co.nz Phone 027 367 6247 Email: info@moamaster.co.nz

12.30pm start 1100 x Char heifers 250 x Angus heifers 140 x Sim heifers 35 x Devon heifers Dan Sweetapple C Murray S Morey

021 046 0755 09 409 5501 021 142 1660

LK0106201©

Special Price

Livestock Noticeboard

Beltex X Ram Lamb Sale Sale Day: Tuesday 9 March 2021 AUCTION at Gore Showgrounds Viewing from 12pm Sale starts 2pm

Also on

Provides xbred growers the opportunity to dial down their Wool Micron whilst maintaining Meat, fertility and easy care traits.

•

•

•

•

•

Tested Rams Smartwool sheep bred in crossbred country since 2012 27 Rams on offer via Yourbid.co.nz auction closing 8pm 17 March

Sired by top pure Beltex Rams: 23 Beltex X Texel Ram Lambs Robinson Family 28 Beltex X Suffolk Ram Lambs Robinson Family & Symon Howard (Taronga) 14 Beltex X South Suffolk Ram Lambs Robinson Family & Doug Irwin (Parmount) 22 Beltex X Poll Dorset Ram Lambs Robinson Family 11 Beltex ¾ X Ram Lambs Robinson Family

50 Years

"Maximising your return through personal livestock management"

WANTED R1 Beef/Beef X Steers

New Plymouth

RS

R2 Beef/Beef X Steers

RS

320 - 350kg Frs Bulls

C

22nd April 2021 Inviting all past/present members and any other expressions of interest contact: Lindy, PBB, 06 323 4484

FOR SALE

All Ram Lambs are showing the unique double muscling and the higher yielding density characteristics of the Beltex breed.

LK0106238©

Celebrating

BYLLIVESTOCK.CO.NZ

– hybrid livestreamed auction

Callum McDonald PGGW 027 433 6443 Brent Robinson 03 206 4958 or 027 206 4958 Michael Robinson 027 210 5977

52 x 418kg ave. Frs Bulls $2.50/kg

RS

35 x 350kg Ang/Frs eifers

RS

100 x 200kg Weaner Frs Bulls

C

100 x 130kg ave. Ang/Frs eifers $455/h

C

Stock sale coming up?

_______________________________

Richar Seavill Chris Smith Chris yle Jason Roberts Bryce Young

021 169 8276 027 96 7 1 |

06 7 6 8968

027 96 7 12

07 88 7 12

|

Give Ella a bell: 0800 85 25 80

027 707 1271 027 96 7 11

byllivestock

07 823 4559

STOCK FOR SALE

Ready to talk some Bull?

Proudly Based in Hawke’s Bay

NZ’s Virtual Saleyard

Lines R2YR BULLS 390-540kg

UPCOMING AUCTIONS

R2YR ANG & AHX STEERS 460-540kgs

Tuesday, 9 March 2021 2.00pm Glenrobin Beltex X Ram Lamb Sale

700 MA COWS SIC SIM 15/11 230 MA ANG COWS SIC ANG 15/11

Contact Ella: 0800 85 25 80 or email livestock@globalhq.co.nz

ef - No G e Be rie or

f

Check out Poll Dorset NZ on Facebook

Glenrobin Stud

Hillender Mid Micron Meat sheep

For further information or to view contact Stephen Jack on 027 280 5468 Glenflora Hillender Or go to

FARMERS WEEKLY – March 8, 2021

M

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

LK0106077©

44

Wednesday, 10 March 2021 8.00pm NZ Milking Shorthorn Association AGM Sale

(Sell End of March) Please call with enquiries

Thursday, 11 March 2021 7.00pm Tower Farms 31st Annual Hind Sale 7.30pm Southland/Otago Store Lamb Sale Monday, 22 March 2021 11.00am Rangatira Angus Mixed Age Cow & Calf Dispersal Sale

www.dyerlivestock.co.nz

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

For more information go to bidr.co.nz or contact the team on 0800 TO BIDR

DISPERSAL SALE Autumn Ram Sale

Friday 19th March 1pm

MIXED AGE COW, HEIFER CALF & BULL CALF DISPERSAL MONDAY 22nd MARCH 2021, 11am at COVENTRY STATION, MURIWAI, GISBORNE

SALE CATALOGUE & VIDEO on www.rangatiraangus.co.nz VIEWING DAY SUNDAY 21st of MARCH Between 1pm & 4pm or by appointment THROUGHOUT THE NORTH ISLAND ALL LOTS HAVE PASSED AA INSPECTION | FREE DELIVERY & TO WELLINGTON FOR SOUTH ISLAND PURCHASERS

RARE OPPORTUNITY – TOP GENETICS ON OFFER COWS MATED TO: Kaharau Outlander 632, Kaiwara 480/14, Turiroa Maverick 945 ALL COWS VETTED IN CALF & other Exceptional Sires.

Proudly New Zealand Owned

BEEFGEN is currently purchasing animals for live export: Holstein Friesian Heifers (Born 2020)

On-farm at Meadowslea Mt Cook Road, Fairlie.

123 2th Rams - Perendale x - Romney Texel x Romney - Romdale - kelso. Maternal - Texel x Romney (hogget maters) - kelso. x Romney - kelso. Terminal (blackface)

CALVES EBV’s AVAILABLE ONLINE NOW on ABRI & HARD COPIES HAVE BEEN MAILED OUT

“The Cream of the Crop!”

First Sons & Daughters for sale at March Dispersal Sale as Calves

ALL CALVES ARE SIRE VERIFIED Tangihau Top Gun - New Zealand’s Top Priced Rising Two Year Old Bull in 2019

The sale will simultaneously be LIVE STREAMED ONLINE with remote bidding available through bidr.co.nz.

Please contact us if you would like to view the cattle or receive a sale catalogue Charlie & Susie Dowding Alastair MacPherson Phone: (06) 862 3876 Mobile: 027 475 2798 Email: cdowding@xtra.co.nz

Phone: (06) 862 8077

RANGATIRA FINAL RISING TWO YEAR OLD BULL SALE Wednesday 30 June 2021 at 9am COVENTRY STATION, MURIWAI, GISBORNE

.co.nz 0800 TO BIDR (0800 86 2437)

Please contact your local agent for more information.

BEEFGEN Livestock Manager: Brian Pearson Mobile: 0210 907 1688 Email: brian@beefgen.com BEEFGEN Office: Teeshay Harrison Phone: 06 927 7154 Email: export@beefgen.com

LK0106231©

TANGIHAU TOP GUN N436

David Giddings 027 229 9760 giddingsfamily@xtra.co.nz George Giddings 027 656 3323 george@yourbid.org

List Now Buy Now

Livestock SALE TALK

A hound dog lays in the yard and an old man in overalls sits on the porch.

Key: Dairy

“Excuse me, sir, but does your dog bite?” a jogger asks.

The old man looks over his newspaper and replies, “Nope.”

As soon as the jogger enters the yard, the dog begins snarling and growling, and then attacks the jogger’s legs.

As the jogger flails around in the yard, he yells, “I thought you said your dog didn’t bite!”

The old man mutters, “Ain’t my dog.”

• Ideal for hogget mating • Easy lambing, with very good growth rates • High Yielding Carcasses • High SIL Indexed Flock • Hill Bred and Brucellosis Accredited Flock

80 Frsn/Frsn X Cows BW 99

235 XBred Frsn/Frsn X Cows PW 123

$1,700+GST

198 Frsn/Frsn X Cows BW 103

PW 113

$1,700+GST

•

RA 99% DTC 12/7 I/C LIC Jsy 4weeks 330 M/Solids - System 2 - sole agency.

Allan Jones 027 224 0768 Agonline ref: 9772

ON FARM DISPERSAL SALES OF PTIC COWS, HEIFERS & PROGENY Tuesday 16th March 2021 HM&KM Studholme 27 Hakataramea Highway, Waimate Commencing 11am on Property We are privileged to sell on behalf of Henry & Kate Studholme.

Approx. 300 PTIC Angus & Angus x Heifers.

These are only coming to Sale due to a change in farming policy and all cattle have reared 1 or 2 calves.

57 13 60 8 77 14 33 5

R3 Angus Heifers R3 Angus/Hereford x Heifers R3 Angus, Hereford/Friesian x Heifers (1/2 ¼ ¼) R3 Angus, Murray Grey x Heifers (1/2 ¼ ¼) R4 Angus Heifers R4 Angus/Hereford x Heifers R4 Angus/Hereford/Friesian x Heifers (1/2 ¼ ¼ ) Angus/Murray Grey x Heifers (1/2 ¼ ¼)

C10 Status. All Cattle are PTIC to Kakahu & Te Mania Angus Bulls in 15/11/20 – Out 14/1/21 All cattle will be drafted into lines suitable for intending purchasers with the larger lines offering any reasonable runout to the successful Purchaser.

Enquiries: Kelvin Sadler 027 4302 029 At the conclusion of this sale: Mt Dalgety Station Rollesby Valley, RD17, Fairlie Commencing approx 1.30pm on Property We have been favoured with the sale of a quality line of Angus Female In Calf Heifers & Cows and their progeny.

80

PTIC 2 Yr Angus & Angus/Hereford x Heifers Angus Bull in 2/11/20-Out 21/12/20 70 PTIC Angus & Angus/Hereford x Aged Cows Angus Bull in 25/11/20-Out 27/1/21 150 Angus & Angus/Hereford x Steer Calves 100 Angus & Angus/Hereford x Heifer Calves 25 R 2 Yr Hereford/Friesian x Steers 25 R 2 Yr Hereford/Friesian x Heifers C10 Status. They will be drafted into lines to suit.

Top Angus Genetics used from reputable Studs. Well grown cows.

Angus Steer Calves Ave. weight 248kg over 160 total last year.

Opportunity to purchase outstanding bloodlines of Heifer Calves.

Sign Posted from Burkes Pass.

Light refreshments will be available.

Enquiries: PGGW Jonty Hyslop 027 595 6450 Owners: Hayden & Lisa Watson 03 685 8229

Helping grow the country

PW 126

$1,650+GST

•

RA 98% DTC 10/7 I/C LIC 600 M/Solids - Spring Calving Content Dean Evans 027 243 1092 Agonline ref: 9838

45 Jersey Cows BW 209

PW 175

$1,600+GST

•

RA 99% DTC 7/7 I/C LIC, Ambreed 9weeks 375 M/Solids - Top genetics, annual line Shaan Featherstone 027 666 1198 Agonline ref: 9826

350 M/A Friesian/Friesian X Cows BW 80

$1,595+GST

•

RA 88% DTC 7/7 I/C LIC, samen 6 weeks 310 M/Solids - 48yrs ownership Kent Stove 027 224 0999 Agonline ref: 9852

PW 92

$1,695+GST

•

RA 90% Tidy hard working predominantly Friesian Herd, options available on breed splits. Good udders. All calves fed on whole milk. Farms sold so cows must go. Calving start 01 Aug 2021 Andrew Leggett 022 038 3216 Agonline ref: 9515

385 Friesian & Friesian X 2-7yr olds BW 123

150 XBred Cows BW 90

PW 149

•

RA 98% DTC 15/7 I/C Nom LIC/Ambreed 4weeks 380 M/Solids - system 1 Regan Craig 027 502 8585 Agonline ref: 9822 LK0106240©

Contact: Chris Hampton P 03 614 3330 - M 027 202 5679 Email: cahampton@xtra.co.nz

DAIRY HERDS & IN-CALF HEIFERS FOR SALE

BW 114

PW 141

$1,825+GST

•

RA 100% Current SCC 78000, doing 500 milk solids. Dated to A2A2 sires for AI cycle, well worth inspection. Calving start 28 Jul 2021 Peter Forrest 027 598 6153 Agonline ref: 9885

WAIROA CATTLE SALE - PRELIMINARY NOTICE Thursday 25th March 2021, 11am PGG Wrightson will offer a top yarding of beef cattle including: A/c Rangimoe Station 300 R3yr Ang & Ang/Here Strs 40 R2yr Ang & Ang/Here Hfrs (x Waimaha & Marewa Stns) A/c Papuni Station 200 R2yr Ang & Ang/Here Strs 30 R2yr Ang & Ang/Here Hfrs A/c Kouhauroa Station 100 R2yr Ang & Ang/Here Strs 80 R2yr Ang & Ang/Here Hfrs Grand opportunity to purchase exceptionally well bred lines of hill country station bred cattle.

Upcoming East Coast Weaner Sales: Matawhero Wnr Steers Tuesday, 30th March 2021, 11am Matawhero Wnr Hfr & Older Cattle Wednesday, 31st March 2021, 11am Wairoa Weaner Sale Thursday, 8th April 2021, 11am Enquiries to: Ian Rissetto..............027 4449 347 06 838 8604 Mason Birrell ..........027 4967 253 06 838 7091 Jamie Hayward......027 4347 586

UPCOMING NORTH ISLAND WEANER SALES - MARCH 2021 8 March 9 March 10 March 10 March 11 March 11 March 12 March 12 March 15 March 16 March 17 March 17 March 18 March 18 March 18 March 24 March 24 March 25 March 30 March 30 March 31 March 31 March

12.00pm 12.30pm 11.30am 1.00pm 12.00pm 1.00pm 12.00pm 1.00pm 12.00pm 12.30pm 12.00pm 1.00pm 11.30am 12.00pm 1.00pm 11.30am 12.30pm 11.30am 11.30am 11.00am 11.30am 11.00am

Sheep

Other

MCMILLAN PARTNERSHIP CLEARING SALE

PGG Wrightson Dairy representatives are specialists at marketing and selling dairy herds.

Benefit from the nationwide team that is dedicated to matching herds with the right buyers and achieving an optimal outcome for your business.

CHAROLLAIS RAMS

Cattle

Wellsford Weaner Steer (Subject to Covid 19 Alert Levels) Kauri Weaner Steer & Bull Masterton Weaner Fair Kaikohe Weaner Steer Te Kuiti Weaner Steer & Bull Peria Beef Weaner Fair Te Kuiti Weaner Heifer Broadwood Weaner Steer & Bull Wellsford Weaner Heifer Kauri Weaner Heifer Rangiuru Weaner Fair Kaikohe Weaner Heifer Feilding Weaner Fair Taranaki Weaner Fair Broadwood Weaner Heifer Feilding Weaner Fair Kaikohe Weaner Bull Dannevirke Weaner Fair Masterton & Martinborough Weaner Steer & Bull Matawhero Weaner Steer & Bull Masterton & Martinborough Weaner Heifer Matawhero Weaner Heifer

Freephone 0800 10 22 76 | www.pggwrightson.co.nz

Saturday 13th March 2021 11am start Knights Road, Ongarue • Polaris Ranger 570 2016 • Suzuki DR200 2015. 2-wheeler • InEx Flat deck sprayer 400 litre and hose • AES 350 litre PTO driven Spray unit with boom and hose • Fleming Topping mower • Mole plough • Reed Silage feeder • Hustler Bale Grabs • Harrows • Tru-test cattle weigh crate • Weigh box for sheep • Tru-test weigh bars and monitor • Portable Docking yards and old-style docking cradle • Docking scrim and spikes • Stock huts x 2 • Calf and lamb rearing and feeding equipment • Concrete water troughs • Bale feeders portable round x4 • Generator • Delfast Batten Stapler • Selection of steel gates. New • Wooden poles • Posts • Assorted timber new and used • Electric fence reels, spikes and solar units • Waters pipe and fittings • C-Dax slug master quick hitch • C-Dax sprayer quick hitch and boom • C-Dax fertiliser spreader quick hitch • Portable shearing plant • Handpiece and combs • Electric Dog Collar Super Trainer EZT plus 2000 • Fleece weighing scales x 2 • Assorted tools • Assorted sprays • Magnesium blocks x 5 • Bagged Magnesium powder • Reel Mower • Large round pool cover • 44-gallon drums • Memorabilia – copper tubs, wood lathe, PTO driven saw, gravel scree and more • Assorted household goods All items sold as is. Prices are plus gst. All intending purchasers must register at the office before bidding. Strictly cash, Eftpos or PGG Wrightson account. No cheques will be accepted. Items to be taken on the day.

Enquiries: Marty Cashin 027 497 6414

Secure Your Dairy Herd Now

Contact your local rep

Helping grow the country

MARKET SNAPSHOT

46

Market Snapshot brought to you by the AgriHQ analysts.

Mel Croad

Suz Bremner

Reece Brick

Nicola Dennis

Sarah Friel

Caitlin Pemberton

Deer

Sheep

Cattle BEEF

SHEEP MEAT

VENISON

Last week

Prior week

Last year

NI Steer (300kg)

5.00

5.05

4.80

NI lamb (17kg)

6.50

6.55

6.90

NI Stag (60kg)

5.30

5.30

7.80

NI Bull (300kg)

5.00

5.00

4.80

NI mutton (20kg)

5.00

5.10

4.60

SI Stag (60kg)

5.40

5.45

7.80

NI Cow (200kg)

3.45

3.50

3.35

SI lamb (17kg)

6.20

6.25

6.80

SI Steer (300kg)

4.50

4.60

4.60

SI mutton (20kg)

5.15

5.20

4.10

SI Bull (300kg)

4.50

4.60

4.65

Export markets (NZ$/kg)

SI Cow (200kg)

3.35

3.40

3.20

UK CKT lamb leg

9.98

9.95

10.85

Slaughter price (NZ$/kg)

Export markets (NZ$/kg) 7.46

7.44

7.31

US domestic 90CL cow

7.05

6.93

7.86

North Island steer slaughter price

6.50

5.0

10.0 South Island lamb slaughter price

Oct

5.00

WOOL

4.50

(NZ$/kg)

Dec 5-yr ave

Feb

5-yr ave

Dairy

2019-20

7.0

Oct

Aug 2020-21

Apr 2019-20

Jun

MILK PRICE FUTURES

Feb

Apr 2019-20

Last week

Prior week

Last year

2.30

2.28

2.53

NZ average (NZ$/t)

Prior week

Last year

Urea

637

637

567

305

305

314

869

849

787

37 micron ewe

2.15

2.05

2.45

30 micron lamb

2.40

2.35

-

DAP

Top 10 by Market Cap

CANTERBURY FEED WHEAT

Company

Close

YTD High

YTD Low

28

36.21

27.8

Meridian Energy Limited (NS)

5.675

9.94

5.4

Auckland International Airport Limited

7.03

7.99

6.65

Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Corporation Ltd

405 400

7.00

$/tonne

$/kg MS

7.50

6.50 6.00 Mar-20

May-20

Jul-20 Sep-20 Sep. 2021

Nov-20 Jan-21 Sep. 2022

Nearby contract

Prior week

vs 4 weeks ago

WMP

3790

3780

3365

SMP

2835

2830

2825

4140

4100

4050

Butter

3500

3460

3430

7.42

Apr-20

Jun-20

Aug-20

Oct-20

Dec-20

Feb-21

7.36

$/tonne

3200

10.01

12.5

8.92

Mainfreight Limited

68.6

69.98

64.85

Fletcher Building Limited

6.6

6.7

5.67

7

11.16

6.7

Listed Agri Shares

5pm, close of market, Thursday

0.161

The a2 Milk Company Limited

10.01

12.5

8.92

Comvita Limited

3.26

3.48

3.1

Delegat Group Limited

14.75

15.4

13.75

395

Fonterra Shareholders' Fund (NS)

5.09

5.09

4.35

Foley Wines Limited

1.84

2.07

1.8

390

Livestock Improvement Corporation Ltd (NS)

0.95

0.95

0.81

Marlborough Wine Estates Group Limited

0.62

0.62

0.44

New Zealand King Salmon Investments Ltd

1.49

1.72

1.43

PGG Wrightson Limited

3.2

3.65

3.14

Rua Bioscience Limited

0.45

0.61

0.44

Sanford Limited (NS)

4.54

5.23

4.3

Scales Corporation Limited

4.45

5.09

4.45

Seeka Limited

4.92

5.04

4.66

Synlait Milk Limited (NS)

3.46

5.24

3.35

3

3

2.88

S&P/NZX Primary Sector Equity Index

14349

15491

14349

S&P/NZX 50 Index

12225

13558

12141

S&P/NZX 10 Index

12028

13978

11997

Apr-20

Jun-20

Aug-20

Oct-20

Dec-20

Feb-21

T&G Global Limited

350

3400

14.5

The a2 Milk Company Limited

YTD Low

400

3600

15.99

0.195

WAIKATO PALM KERNEL

3800

15.3

YTD High

Feb-20

4000

5.79

Ryman Healthcare Limited

0.176

380

WMP FUTURES - VS FOUR WEEKS AGO

4.59

7.6

ArborGen Holdings Limited

385

* price as at close of business on Thursday

4.97

Close

400

7.27

4.63 6.14

Company

405

$/tonne

AMF

Milk Price

Feb-20

Spark New Zealand Limited Mercury NZ Limited (NS)

Contact Energy Limited

CANTERBURY FEED BARLEY

Last price*

US$/t

390

380

Mar-21

DAIRY FUTURES (US$/T)

3000

395

385

5.50

Aug 2020-21

Last week

Super

8.00

Jun

Fertiliser

Aug 2020-21

Grain

Data provided by

Dec 5-yr ave

FERTILISER

Coarse xbred ind.

Jun

8.0

5.0

7.0

5.50

Apr

9.0

6.0

5.0

6.00

Feb

South Island stag slaughter price

11.0

6.0

South Island steer slaughter price

Dec

7.0

$/kg CW

8.0

$/kg CW

$/kg CW

4.50

Oct

8.0 6.0

5.50

6.50

9.0

7.0

9.0

Last year

10.0

8.0

5.00

Last week Prior week

North Island stag slaughter price

11.0

5.0

4.00

$/kg CW

Slaughter price (NZ$/kg)

6.0

6.00

4.00

Last year

North Island lamb slaughter price

9.0 $/kg CW

US imported 95CL bull

Last week Prior week

$/kg CW

Slaughter price (NZ$/kg)

William Hickson

Ingrid Usherwood

300 250

Mar

Apr May Latest price

Jun 4 weeks ago

Jul

200

Feb-20

S&P/FW PRIMARY SECTOR EQUITY

Apr-20

Jun-20

Aug-20

Oct-20

Dec-20

Feb-21

14349

S&P/NZX 50 INDEX

12225

S&P/NZX 10 INDEX

12028

47

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – March 8, 2021

Pulse

WEATHER

How Aussie’s pain has been NZ’s gain

Soil Moisture

Overview Welcome to textbook autumn. This week is a classic setup, with a cooler southerly fading, high pressure trying to come in, then another cooler southerly. We’re starting to see more of those westerlies kick in and the highs are struggling to sit over New Zealand as much – although, they’re sure doing an effective job at blocking rainmakers from those that need rain the most. This autumn pattern favours more of a westerly lean to our weather and this means the West Coast will be wetter than usual, while eastern and northern parts of both islands will be drier than average. In fact, the next seven days look drier than normal in particular for coastal Otago, Canterbury, Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne.

04/03/2021

F Source: NIWA Data

Highlights

Wind

Not overly windy this week, but not calm either. Southerlies fade on Monday with westerly quarter winds developing on Tuesday. Over Wednesday and Thursday a more southerly lean blows through, then high pressure this weekend makes for light winds again for most.

Highlights/ Extremes

Temperature Those longer nights, coupled with a few southerly injections, means we’re slowly descending the ‘temperature staircase’ where it drops, then flattens out, drops again, flattens out again. This week will have some cooler nights, especially later this week.

Milder again next week.

14-day outlook

The next two weeks will feel like a combination of seasons as autumn starts to kick in, but at the same time, summer refuses to let go. This week high pressure isn’t very powerful, but enough of it around to keep many eastern and northern areas mainly dry. High pressure dominates most of NZ this weekend. Next week, the fading La Nina may be more noticeable. Despite the dominant high pressure, we’ll also get easterlies and sub-tropical air moving back, bringing some northern showers.

Another southerly midto-late this week will drop temperatures. Eastern NZ looks drier than average still. No big rainmaker yet in sight to reverse the drought/big dry.

7-day rainfall forecast

0

5

10

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30

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50

60

80

100

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400

The bulk of the rain will be falling on the West Coast over the next week, but a couple southerlies will see some showers make it into dry eastern areas, although the totals won’t be huge – sorry. For the most part, the West Coast leans wetter than average, while all of eastern NZ leans drier than average. The western and upper North Island is patchy with pockets of relief, but those leaning east look mainly dry still.

ARMERS in Australia were bucked off their hypothetical horse in 2019 and early-2020 when drought was followed by bush fires, then covid-19. And they’re getting back on it without any hesitancy, for better or worse.

Australia’s pain has, in some ways, been NZ’s gain.

Large-scale culling of capital stock cows and ewes has left the country bereft of stock to process. This has slowed the amount of meat hitting export markets where it would otherwise compete with, and therefore knock down prices for NZ product.

According to Meat and Livestock Australia (MLA), the cattle herd is the smallest it’s been in almost 30 years at 24.6 million head, with the sheep flock estimated to have fallen to a record-low of 64m in 2020.

With La Nina bringing frequent rains to the eastern states and farm gate prices strong, these figures are set to mark the low point from which the industry regrows.

The cattle herd was similarly low in 2016 and immediately rebound by 1.2m head the following year. Cattle values are much stronger this time around though, which will limit the speed of the rebuild as farmers look to capitalise on this market before it fades away. Restockers continue to underpin results at the sale yards, though feedlot buyers are cutting processors out of the heavier type cattle too. The Eastern Young Cattle Indicator – average for 200kg and heavier young cattle in 25 saleyards – has settled at AU$8.65-$8.90/kgCW since the back half of January, easily the highest on record.

MLA forecasts a 2% or 570,000 head growth in the national herd come the end of 2021.

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

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The good news, from a NZ perspective, is that the cattle kill will stay very low in 2021. Herd rebuilding will syphon heifers out of the killing system and onto farms as breeding stock, taking tallies out of an already small base of calves born in the past two years or so. MLA estimates another 3% drop on slaughter numbers for the year.

This has already become very obvious, with the average weekly kill at 112,000 head since mid-January, down 40,000 head on the fiveyear average.

However, the amount of beef actually produced is forecast to be marginally higher. Extremely high cost of store stock, combined with low stocking rates and cheap supplementary feed costs, are going to push cattle buyers to kill at heavier weights to recuperate margins.

NZ might notice a tiny bit more competition on the lamb side of things through 2021. Improved on-farm conditions are pushing eastern states farmers ahead with sheep flock rebuilding too. The same cannot be said of the drier Western Australian regions though, with an estimated 2m sheep transported from there to the eastern states last year.

The quick turnaround of lambs from weaning to slaughter will lead to a faster recovery of lamb production compared to cattle. A mixture of higher lambing percentages, strong prices and fewer production issues are forecast to lift the national lamb kill by 4% or 800,000 head this year. This is still 1.7m or 8% lower than the five-year average.

Actual production may be a little higher than this too, based on the same factors as with cattle – high store prices, low feed costs and low stocking rates. Merinos account for a significant proportion of Australia’s sheep flock, and lower wool prices will likely see a movement away from these in place of meat breeds in the next year or two, which will likely push carcase weights up further in the short-term.

ADVANTAGE: NZ beef producers have benefitted from low Australian cattle herd numbers in recent years.

48

SALE YARD WRAP

All eyes on the weaner fairs The North Island has fully switched into weaner fair mode. The $1000 mark has mostly been elusive on these this year, but has been achieved on the rare occasion. Two examples were at the Tuakau beef weaner fair held at Frankton, where 305-325kg Charolais-cross were bought for $1020, at $3.15-$3.35/kg. One of these pens was sourced from the Great Barrier Island.

AUCKLAND Pukekohe cattle • Prime steers earned $1520-$1870, $2.48-$2.56/kg • Good 18-month heifers returned $1050-$1090, $2.50-$2.55/kg • Medium weaner heifers fetched $390 Cattle traded above expectations at PUKEKOHE on Saturday 27th February, where a keen bench of buyers competed on quality lines. Medium 18-month steers returned $940-$1075, $2.46-$2.64/kg and prime heifers traded at $1190-$1600, $2.35-$2.47/kg.

WAIKATO Frankton cattle 2.3 • R2 Angus-Friesian steers, 340-487kg, improved to $2.54-$2.65/kg • R2 Hereford heifers, 348-407kg, realised $2.36-$2.49/kg • Weaner Hereford-Friesian bulls, 128-172kg, managed $440-$580 PGG Wrightson penned just under 300 store cattle at FRANKTON last Tuesday. Heifers accounted for close to 50% of that tally and the best of the beef-dairy section was six Angus-Friesian, 312kg, which pushed to $2.60/kg while the balance, 331-356kg, traded at $2.33-$2.42/kg. Most Hereford-Friesian, 266-308kg, softened to $2.26-$2.39/kg.

R2 Jersey bulls, 361-487kg, traded at $2.08-$2.18/kg. Weaner beef-dairy heifers, 125-147kg, earned $300-$400 and Friesian bulls, 163-175kg, were consistent at $400. Six prime Charolais steers, 525kg, topped their section at $2.64/ kg with beef-dairy, 498-510kg, at $2.50-$2.62/kg. Friesian boner cows were presented in good number and most, 451529kg, held at $1.31-$1.40/kg, while 611kg lifted to $1.51/ kg. Read more in your LivestockEye. Frankton cattle 3.3 • Five R2 beef-cross steers, 346kg, realised $2.60/kg • Better R2 Hereford-Friesian heifers, 343-396kg, realised $2.55$2.63/kg • Prime Murray Grey cows, 410kg, reached $755, $1.84/kg Store cattle number held at 216 head for New Zealand Farmers Livestock at FRANKTON last Wednesday. The mixed quality offering had varied returns in line with type and condition. R3 steers, 496-517kg, were consistent at $2.54-$2.58/kg and traditional and exotic heifers, 357-376kg, returned $2.42-$2.57/kg. The balance of R2 beef-dairy steers, 273-425kg, managed $2.26-$2.34/kg.

R2 Friesian bulls, 242-326kg, earned $430-$680. Cows and heifers dominated the prime section. Hereford cows, 420-510kg, managed $1.62-$1.68/kg while 356kg pushed to $1.78/kg. Friesian boner cows, 585-690kg, eased to $1.29$1.36/kg though crossbred, 376-506kg, held at $1.33-$1.37/ kg. In-calf and run-with-bull Hereford cows, 490-507kg, were well contested at $815-$820. Read more in your LivestockEye.

BAY OF PLENTY Rangiuru cattle and sheep • Prime Jersey steers, 526kg, made $2.70/kg • Prime Friesian steers, 618kg, fetched $2.62/kg • Prime Hereford-Friesian steers, 578-750kg, ranged from $2.51$2.60/kg • Friesian boner cows, 400-500kg, earned $1.22/kg to $1.43/kg A moderate yarding of store cattle was penned at RANGIURU last Tuesday. Of the 169 offered, a third were standout lines of R3 Angus steers, 424-478kg, that fetched $2.54-$2.63/kg. A pen of Angus bulls, 315kg, attracted a comparable bid of $2.54/kg. The rest of the older cattle varied depending on quality, other standout lines included R3 Hereford-Friesian steers, 406kg, at $2.49/ kg, while Angus-Friesian, 533kg, managed $2.39/kg.

Weaners contributed most of the balance and included a pen of Angus steers, 194kg, at $500. Read more in your LivestockEye.

KING COUNTRY Taupo dairy-beef weaner fair • Angus-Friesian steers, 146-190kg, sold well at $490-$570 • Angus-Friesian and Murray Grey-Friesian heifers, 137-173kg, returned $345-$455

• Friesian bulls, 195-248kg, firmed to $590-$660 • Friesian bulls, 140-180kg, varied from $405 to $545 TAUPO offered up 970 mainly dairy-beef weaners last Monday and vendors were happy with results. The only straight beef cattle penned were Simmental and Simmental-cross steers, 288-311kg, which made $660-$885 and heifers of same breed, 224-294kg, $585-$780. Anguscross steers, 224-267kg, returned $625-$725 and heifers, 214-248kg, $560-$615. Most steers ranged from $2.90$3.05/kg, though lighter beef-Friesian did trade up to $3.27$3.44/kg. Heifers mostly ranged from $2.40/kg to $2.80/kg, though a few better-quality Hereford-Friesian with higher tallies sold to $3.11-$3.38/kg. Friesian bulls made up nearly half the tally and sold on a firm market. The heavier end traded at $2.66-$2.88/kg and 145-195kg improved to $2.95$3.05/kg. Read more in your LivestockEye. Te Kuiti sheep • Heavy prime lambs made $139 • Medium prime lambs earned $125-$129 and lights $98-$105 • Top store lambs made $126.50 • Dry ewes sold in a range of $80-$176 1500 sheep were yarded at Te Kuiti on Wednesday, which was a lighter yarding than the previous sales. The market was firm, and top prime lamb prices lifted to $139. The top-cut of male store lambs were estimated at 34-36kg sold for $126, while the second cuts went for $96-$100, third cut $72-$77. Medium ewe lambs traded for $89-$93. One pen of breeding 2th ewes sold for $140, a drop from last week’s price.

POVERTY BAY Matawhero sheep • Romney breeding ewes earned $132-$172 • Prime ewes sold for $158-$186 A decent sized offering of store lambs met good interest at MATAWHERO last Friday. Shorn lambs were the most popular with male pens $92.50-$105.50 and ewe lambs $85.50-$94.50. A mixed-sex line topped the prime lamb section at $145 with most of the rest trade at $127-$138.

Read more in your LivestockEye.

TARANAKI Taranaki cattle • R3 Hereford-Dairy steers, 475kg, earned $2.48/kg • R2 Hereford-Friesian steers, 400kg, made $2.65/kg The TARANAKI sale consisted of mixed runs of prime and store cattle prior to the dairy-beef weaner fair last WEDNESDAY. Most of the R2 lines were Friesian heifers, 367-420kg, that returned $2.13-$2.23/kg, while crossbreds were generally $2.01-$2.11/kg. Of the prime cattle, 480549kg, dairy beef heifers were the most numerous and sold at $2.44-$2.51/kg. A pair of heavy 832kg Hereford-dairy steers managed $2.55/kg, followed by eight beef-cross cows, 633-670kg, that fetched $1.74-$1.75/kg. Read more in your LivestockEye. Taranaki dairy-beef weaner fair • Well-marked Hereford-Friesian steers over 160kg were priced at $535-$585 • Hereford-Friesian heifers, 157-182kg, fetched $440-$520 An offering of just over 300 head was available at the TARANAKI dairy-beef weaner fair last Wednesday. Friesian bulls contributed a third of the tally and $450-$485 was typical for those over 170kg. Most of the remainder weighed 132-155kg and fetched $350-$450. The balance of HerefordFriesian, 116-139kg, earned $320-$430. Read more in your LivestockEye.

HAWKE’S BAY Stortford Lodge prime cattle and sheep • Seven very good Angus steers, 704kg, earned $2.53/kg • Very heavy ewes held at $141-$156 • Good to very good ewes were steady at $110-$126 • Top mixed-sex lambs $123.50-$152 Cattle were back on the menu at STORTFORD LODGE last Monday, albeit still at limited numbers with 22 head

presented. Seven very good quality Angus steers, 704kg, managed $2.53/kg.

Beef-dairy heifers, 511-590kg, returned $2.30-$2.35/kg, while traditional cows, 603kg, realised $1.54/kg, and 495kg, $1.38/kg. Heavy ewes fetched $126.50-$140, with the tail at $60-$91.50.

Five wethers managed $113, with the balance of rams and cryptorchids at $77-$82. Lamb throughput was minimal with 88 penned and the balance of heavy lambs mostly held at $115.20-$120.50. A handful of heavy wether lambs realised $117.50. Read more in your LivestockEye. Stortford Lodge store sheep • Heavy cryptorchid lambs held at $107-$108 • Good ram lambs eased to $94.50-$96.50 • Good ewe lambs improved to $94-$97 A total of 15 pens were presented at STORTFORD LODGE last Wednesday with just over 1800 sheep penned.

A reasonable number of buyers were on the rails, though they were selective and multiple pens of the same weight showing a distinct variance. A larger line of medium rams fetched $91 while a smaller pen of equal weight could only muster $77. Good males realised $96.50-$105. Medium ewes improved to $85 with lighter types at $70. Read more in your LivestockEye.

MANAWATU Feilding prime cattle and sheep • Friesian cows, 510-680kg, were $1.34-$1.41/kg with one pen stretching to $1.51/kg • Friesian cows, 420-475kg, ranged from $1.22-$1.34/kg • Jersey and Jersey-cross cows, 441-477kg, fetched $1.25-$1.28/kg.

Fewer sheep were offered at FEILDING this week with lamb and ewe numbers almost equal. Most of the lambs reached or exceeded the $125 mark with the top price paid $147.50. A few very good ewes returned $150-$160 and included a pen of 231 5-year ewes. The rest of the offering was mostly good types that earned $128-$145 while medium-good lines made $94-$126. Read more in your LivestockEye. Feilding store sale • R2 Charolais-cross steers, 600kg, were $2.60/kg • R2 Friesian bulls, 425kg, sold for $2.35/kg • R2 purebred Hereford heifers, 425kg, made $2.60/kg • Store male lambs averaged $104.50 • Store ewe lambs averaged $89 A yarding of a little more than mixed-quality store cattle at FEILDING sold for a little more than the previous week.

Three big lines of R2 Angus and Hereford-Friesian steers, 400-430kg, all made $2.70-$2.75/kg. Mixed-marked R2 dairy-beef bulls, 440-485kg, went for $2.30-$2.45/kg. R3 Angus heifers, 395-475kg, made $2.35-$2.45/kg. Some R2 Angus heifers, 320-340kg, were $2.45-$2.50/kg. Weaner traditional steers, 205-235kg, sold for $2.95-$3.05/kg, while 160-205kg heifers from the same property were $2.60$2.45/kg. About 8500 store lambs sold on a steady-to-firmer market.

Good-to-heavy shorn male lambs strengthened with $115-$120 covering these, whereas the medium and woolly cuts made $100-$110. Light-to-medium male lambs were $85-$95. Ewe lambs were mainly medium shorn lines at $80-$90, but two good lines did make $108-$111. Lighter pens were $65-$75. A big portion of mixed-sex lambs came in, the good types of these making $100-$110, mediums $80-$90, and the light end $60-$70. Read more in your LivestockEye. Rongotea cattle • R3 Hereford-cross steers, 430-525kg, made $2.21-$2.26/kg • R3 Charolais-cross steers, 435-480kg, managed $2.23-$2.29/kg • R2 Hereford-Friesian bulls, 228-415kg, returned $1.80-$1.95/kg • Weaner Friesian bulls, 125-275kg, fetched $320-$510 • Weaner Hereford-Friesian heifers, 107-250kg, made $300-$510 A larger yarding of R3 cattle and boner cows left few pens for weaner cattle at RONGOTEA last Tuesday, New Zealand Farmers Livestock agent Darryl Harwood reported. R3 Traditional bulls, 433-560kg, traded at $2.32-$2.56/kg, while 430kg Friesian earned $2.17/kg and Jersey, 390kg, $2.08/

49

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – March 8, 2021

GOOD BUYING: This pen of 112 Friesian bulls, 195kg, sold in a single line for $590, $3.03/kg at Taupo last week. kg. Friesian boner cows, 519-584kg, fetched $1.25-$1.39/ kg, with the balance of beef and beef-dairy, 486-740kg, at $1.40-$1.55/kg. Bull calves returned $75-$190, with heifers at $90-$195.

CANTERBURY Canterbury Park cattle and sheep • Prime traditional steers over 500kg fetched $2.41-$2.51/kg • Prime dairy beef steers were largely $2.30-$2.40/kg • Prime traditional heifers, 480-600kg, returned $2.26-$2.36/kg • One pen of prime ram lambs managed $178 with other heavy pens $157-$171 Most heavy store lambs at CANTERBURY PARK last Tuesday were mixed sex and in the price range of $83-$105.

Smaller pens featured several tidy-up lines that generally made that made $64-$80. Most prime lambs were medium types and $100-$154. A smaller offering of prime ewes met good demand and very heavy ewes earned $200-$225 while most of the yarding centred around the good pens at $112$140. Read more in your LivestockEye. Coalgate cattle and sheep • High yielding prime steers over 550kg fetched $2.42-$2.50/kg • R2 Angus-Friesian steers and heifers, 279kg, made at $2.72/kg • Weaner Charolais-cross steers, 195-285kg, earned $500-$690 It was a busy start to March at COALGATE last Thursday with over 3000 store lambs penned. Most earned $80-$104, although there were a few lighter pens in the $50-$70 range.

The best prime lambs made $152-$169 with most of the remainder $100-$149. A smattering of heavy ewes generally earned $174-$221, although one pushed to $255. Common ground for most of the tally was $130-$150 with the balance $100-$138. Read more in your LivestockEye.

• Traditional steers over 500kg mostly earned $2.36-$2.45/kg • Hereford-Friesian over 500kg were typically $2.32-$2.40/kg.

• Texel-Coopworth breeding ewes made $143-$157 while RomneyFinn earned $100-$132 Store lambs came from around the wider region to TEMUKA last Monday. Heavy pens of wethers and mixed sex often made $109-$123 while lighter pens were usually $81-$110 including many of the ewe lambs. The top cut of the prime lambs reached $161-$166 while the balance mostly ranged from $102-$159. A few ewes topped the sale at $240 with the next best $188-$189.

The remainder were evenly spread from $100-$179. A few pens of 513-610kg Friesian cows managed $1.48-$1.56/kg, most of the balance returned $1.30-$1.38/kg. Read more in your LivestockEye. Temuka store cattle • Gelbvieh-cross steers, 358-427kg, earned $2.65-$2.73/kg • Gelbvieh-cross steers, 438-452kg, fetched $2.76-$2.80/kg • Gelbvieh-cross heifers, 342-424kg, made $2.40-$2.53/kg An annual consignment of Gelbvieh-cross contributed 20% of the yarding at TEMUKA last Thursday. Traditional steers, 378-390kg, mostly earned $2.52-$2.64/kg with the rest of the section primarily Hereford-Friesian, 370389kg, that earned $2.32/kg to $2.52/kg. Good quality traditional heifers over 350kg made up to $2.39-$2.42/ kg but most were 315-425kg and $2.18-$2.28/kg. The top cut of Hereford-Friesian heifers, 322-349kg, were often $2.15/kg to $2.31/kg, while Friesian maxed out at $1.75/ kg for a 405kg line. Friesian bulls were the main section of significance in the weaner pens where 130-175kg returned $310-$400 and 176kg and above $400-$480. Read more in your LivestockEye.

OTAGO Balclutha sheep • Heavy prime ewes mainly held at $130-$150, medium $120-$130 and light $70-$100

SOUTH-CANTERBURY Temuka prime cattle and all sheep

• Prime rams earned $70-$100 • Two-tooth Romney breeding ewes fetched $186-$192 A full yarding of prime lambs was penned at BALCLUTHA last Wednesday. Heavy lambs sold at steady to improved levels of $140-$150, medium types returned $110-$130, with light at $90-$100.

Around 1500 store lambs were penned and sold to mixeddemand with the top end at $90-$95, medium, $70-$80 and smaller lambs $40-$50.

SOUTHLAND Lorneville sheep and cattle • Heavy prime ewes mostly held at $134-$181 with medium at $100-$132 and light $84-$98 • Local trade rams held at $50-$60 • Two-tooth Perendale breeding ewes fetched $210 • Good dairy bred heifers above 480kg realised $2.10-$2.20/kg Heavy prime lambs improved to $120-$137 at LORNEVILLE last Tuesday with medium steady at $108$119 and light $91-$105. Top store lambs held at $90-$100, as did light to medium at $70-$85. The prime cattle offering was predominantly dairy bred heifers. Good types above 380kg managed $1.80/kg with 330-380kg at $1.60/kg. Good prime bulls above 700kg made $2.25/kg with 550-600kg at $2.15/kg. Medium to good cows earned $1.50/kg to $1.70/ kg.

Charlton sheep • Heavy prime ewes held at $150-$170 with medium at $125-$145 and light $100-$120 • Local trade rams made $60-$70 • Top store lambs fetched $105-$110, medium $95-$100 and light $80-$90 Prime sheep met with strong demand at CHARLTON last Thursday. Heavy prime lambs mainly held at $122-$128 with medium at $115-$120 and light $105-$112. Two-tooth to 4-shear Coopdale Texel-cross ewes realised $184-$209.

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Markets

50 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – March 8, 2021 NI SLAUGHTER STEER

SI SLAUGHTER STEER

SI SLAUGHTER LAMB

($/KG CW)

($/KG CW)

GOOD MIXED-SEX AND MALE STORE LAMBS AT TEMUKA

($/KG CW)

($/HD)

5.00

4.50

6.20

105-114

high $545-$590 Friesian bulls, lights Weaner 180-195kg, at Taupo

$840-$910 Traditional weaner steers, 250-280kg, at Stortford Lodge

ACROSS THE RAILS

First big week of weaner fairs

T

HE North Island weaner fair market booted back into life after a year’s hiatus.

The odd teaser sale had been held the week before, but a few significant yards last week has given everyone the much-awaited benchmark to crack on with trading.

The story at all sales was very similar, as low confidence in the wider market kept expectations muted. But results mainly exceeded expectations, the heavier exotic heifers potentially the strongest of the lot.

The Auckland lockdown, while a nuisance, hasn’t caused much damage to sales in the upperNorth Island. For instance, the Tuakau beef weaner fair was able to be relocated to the Frankton yards, and potential buyers were able to either bid online or sort the necessary paperwork ahead of time to travel in.

Frankton Beef Weaner Fair, March 1 A good quality yarding of 705 weaners were penned at Frankton last Monday. The local buying bench had good online competition from both South and North Auckland, with annual draft lines well-contested. Prices were solid on the heifers, though a market adjustment was made for most bulls and steers.

Good-sized lines of Angus steers, 200-235kg, sold for $625$695, and, while similar, 165190kg pens were $585-$600.

Herefords dominated the bull section and the large numbers meant vendors had to adjust their expectations and meet the market. The top end, 280-290kg, sold well enough at $1100-$1180, with 220-235kg making $710-$800 and 180-205kg, usually $635-$670.

Heifers sold at steadyto-improving levels. Heavy

Simmental-cross at 285-310kg sold for $750-$780, while 190220kg traditional types mainly sold for $585-$650. Two large lines of 170-175kg Angus received $530$545.

Stortford Weaner Steer Fair, March 2 Almost 1600 weaner steers were yarded at Stortford Lodge last Tuesday. Results were viewed as positive, though expectations were subdued going into the sale.

Around three-quarters of the yarding were traditionally bred.

Buyers appeared to work off per head buying bands for these – 250-280kg lines were $850-$900 and 220-245kg made $750-$800.

The lighter steers were quite strong selling as 190-210kg sold for $650-$720.

Top-end exotics sold well, but the medium-to-lighter end were discounted a little compared to the traditional options. Typically 265-290kg exotic steers made $890-$950, followed by 230-260kg at $780-$840, with all but one pen of 205-230kg going for $645-$720.

Stortford Weaner Heifer and Bull Fair, March 3 Just over 1110 weaner bulls and heifers were penned at Stortford Lodge last Wednesday, with plenty of quality throughout the offering.

Local buyers had competition from agents with orders from further north.

The sale started with a small selection of bulls. A single line of 37 Simmental-cross at 260kg accounted for almost half of these, selling for $905, or $3.45/kg.

Top exotic heifers, 275-290kg, sold for $840, with the mid-range types, 225-260kg, making $640$715. A few 195-210kg pens were $545-$580. The traditional heifers sold for quite even per head prices – for instance, basically all 200-255kg pens were $605-$650.

There’s no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing.

UNIQUE: A line of 40 Gelbvieh-cross steers, 281kg, off a Tutira property, sold for $920, $3.28/kg, at Stortford Lodge last week.

The lighter lines, 175-195kg, were $510-$575.

Colville Weaner Fair, March 3 Just over 500 cattle were penned at Colville last Wednesday, with a good turnout of buyers, as some new faces replaced regulars that could not make it due to current lockdown conditions. A successful day was completed with both vendors and buyers happy with the outcome from the family-owned sale yard that’s still servicing their rural area.

Top weaner bulls at 260-280kg returned $1200, with the 200260kg cut trading for $900-$1085.

The middle section, 180-210kg, were harder work at $675-$760.

Top weaner steers at 260-280kg fetched $930. There was plenty of quality in the heifer pens, with Herefords particularly wellcontested and all stayed in local hands. Weaner heifers earned $500-$790.

Southern Man 18-month Steer Sale, March 3

There were over 800 traditional steers on offer at the first day of the Southern Man 18-month steer sale at Lorneville last Wednesday.

Traditional steers in the 320-380kg weight range stuck close to the $2.60/kg price tag, although a couple of Hereford-based pens sold for as low at $2.42/kg.

The heavier 380-430kg steers were in the pricing sweet-spot, selling consistently at $2.702.80/kg, while steers over 430kg averaged $2.50/kg. There were 200 Charolais and Simmental steers too, these sold for $2.50-$2.70/kg, with no clear pattern across the 385-485kg weight range.

Tuakau Beef Weaner Fair, March 4 The temporary closure of the Tuakau yards meant the annual beef weaner fair was shifted down the road to Frankton last Thursday. The sale housed 1100 mainly straight-beef weaners. The market was solid throughout, the heifers viewed as the strongest selling section.

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A few of the heavier traditional steers, 245-270kg, sold for $770$830, but the majority were lighter weight. Those tipping the scales at 215-230kg made $650-$720, while the 160-195kg bracket were mostly $610-$640. The exotic steers were almost exclusively CharolaisAngus, the top-end of these were 305-325kg, making $1020. Others were good selling too, with 260300kg selling at $905-$930, and 235-260kg making $780-$845.

Exotic lines were the highlight of the heifers. A narrow band of $645-$705 covered the core of these, that is 205-260kg lines. A few 265-290kg pens were $750$800 and those 175-200kg made $560-$605. Traditional heifers were mostly 135-180kg, selling for $475-$580. A few 185-220kg pens received $580-$645.

Find out more about AgriHQ at agrihq.co.nz

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