Farmers Weekly NZ March 9 2020

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Big cost blowout warning HELLO: Hereford breeders from around the world are in New Zealand for a three-week tour and conference.

Gerald Piddock gerald.piddock@globalhq.co.nz

F

EDERATED Farmers is warning rural district councils could face cost blowouts in meeting the requirements of the Government’s National Policy Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity.

Councils will have to map all land classified as a significant natural area in five years.

They already have to protect and map those areas in district plans and many have already done so.

However, the new policy changes the criteria of for those areas, meaning some councils might have to redo their mapping, Federated Farmers regional policy analyst Paul Le Miere told about 20 farmers at a meeting in Te Awamutu.

Once mapped the areas will also have to be verified, he said.

“This is really expensive and for ground-proofing and working it out you need an ecologist and because potentially there’s no size limit to a significant natural area you can get thousands of them.”

A number of smaller, less wealthy rural district councils with large areas of biodiversity are concerned about that.

“It’s a massive undertaking for them to have to do.”

He also questioned whether there are enough ecologists to meet the five-year time frame.

It’s a massive undertaking for them to have to do.

Paul Le Miere Federated Farmers The Government recently released a draft of the policy for public submissions, which close on March 14. Le Miere urged farmers to make a submission.

The cost concern is echoed by Local Government New Zealand.

A spokesman said “We’re concerned about the lack of prioritisation in the proposed policy statement.

“First we must protect and then

Hereford breeders visit Neal Wallace neal.wallace@globalhq.co.nz MORE THAN 130 international Hereford breeders have been visiting seven North Island breeders as they start a threeweek conference and tour.

This week they head to the South Island with the conference being held in Queenstown followed by visits to nine studs and

we must restore. Trying to restore every area all at once isn’t going to work with the resource we’ve got.

“For example, it will potentially demand a blanket approach to mapping significant natural areas.

This will place a big burden on ratepayers in small places who will tend to have more areas of indigenous biodiversity.”

But the policy isn’t cost effective for them.

several prominent properties in Southland, Otago and Canterbury.

Technical papers will be presented at Queenstown on genetics, breeding, grazing management, scanning and carbon emissions, social media and the future of beef.

New Zealand Hereford Association manager Posy Moody says breeders have come from countries including Uruguay, Australia, Canada,

While it shares the Government’s aspirations the actions must be strategic and co-ordinated, not blanket and rushed, particularly, when the increased cost of the proposed policy is added to to the increased costs councils are facing through the essential freshwater programme.

It’s unclear how councils will be able to afford everything.

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Denmark, Mexico, Russia, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Switzerland and the United States.

The tours have enabled visitors to mix with local breeders, look at stock and discuss breeding and management.

Moody says an early topic of interest among the international guests is how breeders are targeting bulls with attributes such as ease of calving for the dairy industry.

“There hasn’t been any national-scale modeling of the costs.”

Some councils have a lot of potential significant areas and a trained ecologist ground-truthing each will be a long and expensive process.

For others, it will be a case of checking their existing schedule

Continued page 3

NEWS

WEATHER OVERVIEW Showers will affect northern drought zones this week and while the overall totals aren’t huge the fact we have at least three days with shower chances is a positive. The showers also come with a nationwide cool-down that grows over Tuesday and Wednesday as the warmer, sub-tropical, northerly quarter wind moves away. High pressure rolls back in again later this week bringing a dry end to the week and a dry start to the weekend. However, by Sunday a low might be forming near the West Coast and has the potential to send more showers to the North Island next week. Showers seem more likely for New Zealand’s driest regions than set-in rain.

5 Drought draws serious responses Drought responses dominated conversations between farmers and politicians on the first day of the Northland Field Days at Dargaville.

NZX PASTURE GROWTH INDEX – Next 15 days

Pasture Growth Index Above normal Near normal Below normal

7-DAY TRENDS

Wind

Rain There are some chances for isolated relief in the upper North Island from Monday to Wednesday in the form of showers. Rain this Sunday on the West Coast. Showers possible in the upper North Island early next week.

This week the cooler southerly quarter flow moves in again before fading mid to late week as high pressure rolls in with lighter, variable winds heading into the weekend.

Highlights/ Extremes Temperature

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Boost for farm advisory services..................................... 8 Organic law welcomed with a but ................................ 11 Public and media support dairying ............................. 16

This week has another autumnal cooldown as lower temperatures spread northwards to start the week. By the end of this week and into the weekend warmer airflows spread back across the country.

Positive to see some showery chances for northern NZ. Rainfall totals aren’t great but it’s still a silver lining after no rain being forecast for so long.

14-DAY OUTLOOK

With showers returning to dry regions we are likely to see some pasture growth but it really does depend on what grass types farmers have and how much life is still left in the pasture. With 5mm to 15mm of rain forecast in some drought zones, some might be lucky to double that, then we might start to see more greening. In a nutshell, NZ is mainly drier than average but with some growth likely.

SOIL MOISTURE INDEX – 05/03/2020

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REGULARS Real Estate �������������������������������������������������31-37 Employment ����������������������������������������������������38 Classifieds ��������������������������������������������������38-40 Livestock ����������������������������������������������������40-43 Markets �������������������������������������������������������44-48 GlobalHQ is a farming family owned business that donates 1% of all advertising revenue in Farmers Weekly and Dairy Farmer to farmer health and well-being initiatives. Thank you for your prompt payment.

Source: WeatherWatch.co.nz

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FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – March 9, 2020

3

Minister denies he failed to act Colin Williscroft colin.williscroft@globalhq.co.nz AGRICULTURE Minister Damien O’Connor has denied claims that he failed to protect farmer interests when the Action for Healthy Waterways discussion document was released last year.

National Party agriculture spokesman Todd Muller says documents recently released under the Official Information Act show O’Connor was warned the freshwater proposals would have considerable social and economic effects on farmers but he ignored that advice.

Ministry for Primary Industries briefings in June 2019 warned O’Connor the proposals could contribute to reduced production for milk and meat processors, increase the burden on the mental health and wellbeing of farmers and lower land values and profitability, which would likely reduce the borrowing capacity of farms, he said.

“Despite these valid concerns MPI did not conduct any economic or social modelling prior to the release of the

Continued from page 1 of significant areas is generally compliant with the requirements. The amount of work and costs will be highly variable between councils.

The federation’s policy advisor Hillary Walker said the logic behind the policy is the lack of understanding across the country of what NZ has in terms of its indigenous biodiversity.

“The reason for that is that each council has had 20-odd years of collecting data in a different and inconsistent way.”

Once all areas are properly mapped it will create a

CLEAR: Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor says the proposals are for discussion and it was made very clear comprehensive analysis is not done yet.

proposals, nor did the Agriculture Minister ask them to,” Muller says.

“It is Damien O’Connor’s responsibility to look after rural communities and make sure our farmers are not going to get hammered by his Government’s proposals.

“It is incomprehensible that he failed to act.”

phenomenal data base, she said.

“It’s a good goal but it’s a matter of who pays for it.”

The premise of the policy is one thing but the reality is another, she said.

“Local government doesn’t have the money, we don’t have the money. Where is it coming from?”

That point was reiterated by one of the farmers in the audience.

“This has been made by someone in Wellington and there is a massive disconnect between what’s happening in reality. There is not the money to support this.”

The federation is also

O’Connor says Action for Healthy Waterways is a discussion document and at the time of its release it was stated very clearly a comprehensive analysis had not been done but that it was under way.

“This package has been considered comprehensively and we’re very mindful of

concerned farmers might face restrictions on the buffer land bordering significant areas, Le Miere said.

“There’s some potential creep in areas that buffer around potential significant natural areas.”

The policy also puts restrictions around new farming activities in a significant area. Such activities are defined as an activity that increases land use intensity. Walker said they are worried those restrictions could be applied to the land surrounding the area, affecting the landowner’s ability to farm it.

trying to ensure that land use is sustainable, environmental impacts are minimised when necessary and that our farmers run profitable businesses.”

Land values have been fluctuating for a number of reasons.

“The long-term income capacity of farms should drive land values and in some areas people have claimed land values have become too high.

“That’s for people to decide when they are considering purchasing a property, not for the minister to decide.”

In terms of production the Government is focused on value not volume, he says.

“In the 1980s, when we had 70 million sheep, to now we’ve halved the number of animals and maintained our level of production.

“I expect we will continue to see that kind of innovation from New Zealand farmers as they face new challenges in the future.”

O’Connor says the Government is taking action to improve NZ’s mental health system and make sure everyone, including those in

Despite these valid concerns MPI did not conduct any economic or social modelling prior to the release of the proposals, nor did the Agriculture Minister ask them to.

Todd Muller National rural communities, can get help when they need it.

“My role as Minister of Agriculture is to ensure that farmers, not just today but well into the future, have every possibility of running profitable, sustainable business operations in rural NZ. “That includes ensuring that people want to live in rural NZ in an environment with clean water, good biodiversity and sound government services in education and health.”

TOUGH: The Government’s National Policy Statement on Indigenous Biodiversity requires all councils to map land classified as significant natural areas, which Federated Farmers says could be a huge undertaking for smaller, less wealthy, rural district councils.

4

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FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – March 9, 2020

Four more districts are in drought Colin Williscroft colin.williscroft@globalhq.co.nz DROUGHT conditions in the Gisborne, Manawatu, Rangitikei and Tararua districts have been classified as a medium-scale adverse event.

The classification, which follows previous announcements in Northland, Auckland and Waikato, unlocks Government recovery help for farmers and growers.

Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor says many parts of the country are doing it tough because of a substantial lack of rain and the classification means $150,000 will be available to coordinate support through local organisations like Rural Support Trust.

In extreme cases Rural Assistance Payments will be made available to farmers in severe hardship.

“It’s important to recognise that while farmers and growers in these parts of the country have experienced dry conditions before, the current situation is only getting more difficult,” O’Connor said.

In Tararua the extremely dry summer has affected river levels and particularly hit some areas near the Ruahine Ranges that normally receive better summer rain. Stock water, domestic and municipal water supplies have come under extreme pressure.

O’Connor says Ngatapa, Rere and north of Tolaga Bay have received little rain with dams dry,

feed availability low and farmers facing long delays in getting stock to the works.

“Farmers have been actively managing to meet the feed requirements of their stock and dairy herds are being milked less frequently and some are being dried off early.

“I’m continuing to keep an eye on several other regions, where extra help may also be needed,” he said.

Manawatu-Whanganui Regional Council (Horizons) environmental data manager Brent Watson says while there has been some recent rain it has resulted in only small increases in stream flows.

“Any increase in flow and lifting of restrictions is expected to be short-lived and restrictions may come back into place relatively quickly. Unfortunately, there has been little relief for the likes of the Tararua District who are currently operating on emergency consent conditions to maintain water supply to Dannevirke and Norsewood.”

Watson says there is a possibility of some more rain for parts of the region over the next week.

“However, once again this is likely to provide little relief and we expect water restrictions to continue to rise. Presently, 69 resource consents are subject to water restrictions with a further 49 nearing restriction with numbers changing daily and updated on our website.

“The majority of these restrictions apply to parts of the

Under the pump?

LOW FLOW: The Rangitikei River at Mangaweka on March 5, taken from a Manawatu-Whanganui Regional Council webcam.

Any increase in flow and lifting of restrictions is expected to be short-lived and restrictions may come back into place relatively quickly.

Brent Watson Manawatu-Whanganui Regional Council Manawatu and Rangitikei rivers and their tributaries. We continue to encourage consent holders to closely monitor their water use using Horizons My Meter page, store water where possible and continue to use water wisely.

“With some streams so low, such as the Tamaki, which is the lowest since records began in 1975, and the Hautapu, which hasn’t seen rain in over 100 days, it is really important that our systems perform accurately and deliver timely data and information.

“Water is still available for stock and domestic water supply.

However, consent holders need to check their conditions to determine how much they can take under this emergency provision and contact us if they are in doubt.

“There are also support networks available for those that are struggling and we’d like to remind landowners to reach out if they need it.”

Alliance manufacturing general manager Willie Wiese says it has temporarily reduced processing at its Dannevirke plant from five days to four while it’s also cut the amount of water used for washing livestock in the yards.

Wiese says farmers having problems with feed availability who want to send stock for processing can use Alliance’s free stock facilitation service to move lambs to other farmers’ properties for fattening.

“We are also relocating livestock to our other plants for processing, where appropriate.”

Hawke’s Bay Regional Council integrated catchment management group manager Iain

Maxwell says Hawke’s Bay is very dry but the Niwa Drought Monitor is not pointing to the region being in drought though the council is monitoring the conditions closely and working with MPI and the Rural Support Trust.

The difference this summer is the region has had very low rainfall in the Ruahine Ranges with February’s rain only about 10% of normal.

It is not unusual to have low rain across the Heretaunga and Ruataniwha Plains in summer but usually the region still gets rain in the back country.

Council climate scientist Kathleen Kozyniak says the Ruahines got only 5-20mm of rain in February.

Greater Wellington Regional Council’s Drought Check says late spring and summer weather patterns for the region, including Wairarapa, have brought strong winds, promoting evaporation and contributing to drying exposed soil.

February temperatures in central Wairarapa have been about 2C above average, further contributing to the dryness.

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FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – March 9, 2020

5

Drought draws serious responses Hugh Stringleman hugh.stringleman@globalhq.co.nz DROUGHT responses dominated conversations between farmers and politicians on the first day of the Northland Field Days at Dargaville.

National leader Simon Bridges promised a water infrastructure fund and support for community storage schemes.

“I have unfinished business in Northland and well before the election we will be clear on our infrastructure plans, ensuring Northland gets its fair share,” he said when opening the field days.

New Zealand’s competitive advantages include plentiful water and people want to see some action out of the next government.

“Regarding the seat of Northland, Shane Jones may win the headlines but we will do the hard work on the ground to deliver the four-lane highway from Auckland to Whangarei and water storages.”

Bridges had three rural Parliamentary colleagues along for the early election campaigning – local MP Matt King, agriculture spokesman Todd Muller and

Hawke’s Bay MP Laurence Yule.

Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor said the light rain falling as he spoke was not going to change the drought position overnight.

He met the Rural Support Trust to plan help for farmers, especially livestock owners who face severe feed shortages.

In response to Bridges he said the Government has already pledged support for community irrigation scheme proposals.

“A careful partnership approach must ensure that these do not become a burden on ratepayers.”

O’Connor was accompanied

by Northland list MP WillowJean Prime and NZ First coalition partner and Regional Development Minister Shane Jones attended the next day.

Trust co-ordinator Julie Jonker said surveys are being done to gauge the extent and seriousness of fodder shortages and where farms have run out of water.

On a provincial level there will be a 40% feed shortage through winter and early spring no matter what happens in the weather now.

Rural assistance payments are for basic needs like food and tend

to go to farm workers and herd managers with very few assets.

Northland’s two freezing works, Silver Fern Farms at Dargaville and Affco at Moerewa, can’t satisfy the demand for killing space, either because of water shortages or lack of workers.

Federated Farmers provincial vice-president Colin Hannah told Muller dairy and beef farmers are rapidly running out of local feed sources.

He is working on a plan to get 1000 tonnes of 500kg bales by ship from Timaru or Lyttleton to Port Whangarei at a cost to Northland farmers he hopes will be under $100 a bale.

“The minister has asked for a costed and risk-assessed proposal and he hasn’t said no.

“We are not looking for a handout but we need Government backing to plan on large-scale responses.”

Dairy farmers on the Fonterra site were wrestling with the ramifications of drying off early versus continued milking in the hope of a lasting break in the weather.

Evan Smeath, of Hukerenui, said 40mm of rain had fallen over the

SUSTENANCE: Northland Federated Farmers vice-president Colin Hannah discusses a fodder shipment with Opposition agriculture spokesman Todd Muller.

previous week and kick-started grass growth and firmed up his plan to keep milking till the end of April.

This was the worst drought in his lifetime because rainfall figures and ground water levels were already low last year and the absence of rain and high

temperatures had struck early in summer.

Fonterra area managers said many farmers have already chosen to heavily cull older milking cows or dry off very early.

The co-operative is doing all it can for its members and rural communities.

Rain welcome but it’s nowhere near enough Gerald Piddock gerald.piddock@globalhq.co.nz WIDESPREAD mid-week rain came as a relief for drought-hit Waikato farmers but more is needed to revitalise pastures heading into autumn.

Rain hit the region in the early hours of Wednesday and continued throughout the day.

Waikato Federated Farmers president Andrew McGiven got 5-6mm and others in Hauraki and Raglan had similar downpours.

While it was hugely welcome at least 30mm is needed to reduce

soil deficits across the region, he said.

“Soil moisture deficits are at 130mm plus so, ultimately, if we can get a good 25-30mm today and a follow-up of something similar in five or six days time it would be perfect.”

More showers are forecast for early next week.

The rain in Waikato Regional Council’s 23 gauges ranged from zero at Castle Rock on the Coromandel Peninsula to 10mm at Hauturu and 15mm at Waitanguru, west of Te Kuiti.

Another positive was the

rain coinciding with warm temperatures to help regrow pastures. And it was light enough to soak into dry, hard soil, he said.

The dry weather prompted Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor to declare an adverse event on February 28, unlocking $80,000 in Government support for farmers and growers. An adverse event was declared for Northland and North Auckland earlier that month. It has forced farmers to dive into winter reserves to bridge feed deficits and get through till the end of the milking season, McGiven said.

“A lot of the maize coming out was meant for winter and spring and they are getting straight into that. It could potentially be importing a problem forward a bit if we have a harsh winter and a harsh spring.

“The implication is that it could have an impact on next season’s production and next season’s cow condition. Instead of having a hole in the feed budget now there will be a hole in August-October, which will have a greater impact on next year’s season because it’s around the start of peak production.”

While the $7 milk payout has given farmers a useful buffer to buy feed, farmers have to balance that against debt repayments to banks, he said.

Many dairy farmers with spring calving systems are once-a-day milking and some are drying off some stock or culling where they can if killing space is available.

Others, including McGiven, who run split-calving systems are just about to begin autumn calving.

DairyNZ North Island team leader Sharon Morrell said farmers have to start thinking about the 2020-21 season.

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FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – March 9, 2020

7

Court to rule on M bovis compo Annette Scott annette.scott@globalhq.co.nz THE Mycoplasma bovis compensation battle has ramped up following a High Court ruling it is allowed to decide what farmers can be repaid for.

In October last year lawyer Grant Cameron sought a judicial review, on behalf of the van Leeuwen farming group, of the Ministry for Primary Industries’ compensation system.

The van Leeuwens, the first to have the cattle disease confirmed in New Zealand, claim they have been left $3million out of pocket.

MPI said it is not permitted to pay out for professional consultancy fees and finance charges.

Cameron said the reality is that in preparing very complicated claims and contesting them with MPI farmers are well and truly out of pocket.

He asked the High Court to decide if that money could be recovered under the compensation scheme.

Cameron said the ruling means the High Court has ruled it has jurisdiction but it has not yet determined the legal point of whether professional fees and bank charges are recoverable.

“It’s a very interesting position.

Legally it’s a novel decision and makes for an extremely good case so it’s good news,” Cameron said.

“If MPI don’t lodge an appeal the case could be resolved quite quickly as it only involves one day in court for legal academics to debate in front of a judge.

“When that can happen? I can’t estimate that now. It will be when we can get a day in the High Court.”

Cameron is confident of a good result for farmers.

“It’s looking pretty bleak for MPI in a number of ways in respect to whether or not the court will finally determine payment must

INFORMATION: Massey University will do a twoyear research project on the impact of Mycoplasma bovis on animals, herds and production, Primary Industries Ministry chief science adviser Dr John Roche says.

There’s been some assumption that this ruling means they will now be paid – we are not at that point just yet.

Grant Cameron be made of those professional fees and bank charges.

“We think there’s a very good prospect for farmers that these fees and charges will be recoverable.”

The problem for farmers meantime is the ongoing wait.

“There’s been some assumption that this ruling means they will now be paid – we are not at that point just yet.”

If the consequent hearing is

successful then all farmers who have had claims settled should ask for them to be re-opened and farmers who have not yet settled claims should amend their claims to include professional fees and bank charges.

“This will be the next argument with MPI.” MPI said it does not intend to appeal against the ruling.

“MPI does not intend to appeal the High Court decision in which the court found that it could consider the interpretation of section 162A of the Biosecurity Act, rather than referring it to arbitration,” an MPI spokesman said.

Cameron is preparing to hold meetings with farmers to discuss a class action plan.

“Class action will let farmers share the costs as acting in a unified way farmers will get a positive outcome more so than battling with MPI alone.”

When the decision to eradicate M bovis was made $566.3 million was budgeted across three years from July 2017 to June 2020. That included $213.3m for compensation.

The estimated total cost of the 10-year programme is $870m.

By March 2 $130.4m had been paid in compensation.

To date $263.3m has been spent on operational costs since the start of the response in July 2017.

That is all the programme’s operational costs including testing, on-farm operational costs, building leases, transport and capital expenditure, contractors including AsureQuality, staff salaries and technology and information systems.

It also includes $94.3m spent on the response before the decision to eradicate, which is also part of the budgeted $566.3m.

The M bovis Programme has

appointed Massey University to research the direct impacts of the cattle disease to help accelerate eradication.

Researchers will investigate the impact on individual animals and herds on farms known to be infected, MPI chief science adviser and M bovis strategic science advisory group chairman John Roche said.

“They will measure how M bovis affects infected animals and herds, including any physical signs, effects on milk yield and composition and the duration of these effects.

“The results of this project will contribute evidence to help in the detection of M bovis, improve our surveillance tools and increase our understanding of how the disease spreads under different NZ farming systems, which is key in terms of eradication.”

The study is expected to take up to two years.

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FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – March 9, 2020

Boost for farm advisory services FARMERS and growers will benefit from two new research projects aimed at helping them get the best possible professional advice to boost resilience and meet climate change and other challenges, Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor says.

The projects are part of a $5 million, four-year programme that kicked off late last year to strengthen the primary industry advisory sector.

The projects are part of the $122m Sustainable Land Use Programme designed to help the agriculture, food and fibres sectors transition to improved land practices.

The research will investigate how to improve the quality, relevance and accessibility of advisory services for farmers and growers.

“Our farmers and growers operate in an ever-changing environment, whether it’s dealing

BEEFING UP: The Government wants to increase the value farmers get from advisers.

Photo: Paul Sutherland

with floods, drought, global influences or market fluctuations,” O’Connor said.

“This can take a toll on their businesses, wellbeing and families

and highlights the importance of having access to the right information and support when they need it.

“Equally, we need to ensure

professional advisers have the right tools, knowledge and connections to help producers to be productive, profitable and sustainable now and over the long term,” he said.

One project will identify ways to boost levels of engagement between producers and advisory service providers. The other focuses on improving the capability and capacity of the advisory system and looks at training and qualification opportunities.

“Strengthening partnerships is a core part of the new programme.

“We know that quality and effective partnerships between producers, advisers and other industry members are an important part of the farm business.”

The programme also involves identifying and improving training and qualification paths for people who provide advice

We need to ensure professional advisers have the right tools, knowledge and connections to help producers to be productive, profitable and sustainable.

Damien O’Connor Agriculture Minister to farmers and growers, he said.

“This system-wide approach, from this research to training and through to delivery of advisory services and engagement, will help to ensure the programme delivers meaningful and helpful services to our farmers and growers.”

Award for irrigation innovation Annette Scott annette.scott@globalhq.co.nz FARMERS leading the way in responsible irrigation could win a trip to America.

Encouraging farmers to share their ideas for sustainable water management has motivated the launch of an award by agricultural irrigation systems company Zimmatic.

The Zimmatic Trailblazer Sustainable Irrigation Awards aim to celebrate excellence in sustainable irrigation. recognising farmers leading the way in responsible irrigation, innovative water management and environmental stewardship.

The supreme award winner will receive a trip for two to the USA and be invited to join

the Zimmatic team on a tour showcasing American irrigation advancements.

Zimmatic strategic adviser Stu Bradbury said uncertainty around Government policy and negative sentiment in national media has many New Zealand farmers questioning their farming future and social licence to operate.

“We want the awards to get people talking about smart practices and innovative technology options farmers can use to improve their irrigation and freshwater management.

“It’s also about promoting leadership across the primary sector,” Bradbury said.

“We’re looking for farmers who are in it boots and all when it comes to water management and giving them a platform from

which to share their stories with their peers and a wider audience.”

The judges will be looking for innovation in water management, steps taken to ensure sustainable water use on farms and an obvious passion for protecting one of NZ’s most precious natural resources.

The awards are a chance to demonstrate the difference responsible irrigation and water management can make to farm productivity, the environment and the prosperity of rural communities.

Looking at the bigger picture Bradbury said there’s a chance for innovative farming pioneers to influence future generations.

“These farmers have a role to play in strengthening the NZ success story as global leaders

in sustainable and profitable farming.

“These awards are an opportunity for our industry partners, our dealer network and the farming community to join us in recognising those who are making a difference,” Bradbury said.

IrrigationNZ chief executive Elizabeth Soal said irrigation isn’t just about turning on the tap.

“If farmers want to educate New Zealanders about the expertise involved in day-to-day farming practices they should step forward and share their stories.

“Everyone has different land, experiences and expertise and these awards are a great chance to demonstrate that.”

Soal encouraged farmers to nominate themselves or their

MORE TO IT: Irrigation isn’t just about turning on the tap, Irrigation NZ chief executive Elizabeth Soal says.

peers for the awards, open to all farmers and farming operations in NZ and Australia with an irrigation system used on their property or properties.

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10 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – March 9, 2020

Shearer is up for a challenge COLIN Watson-Paul shore sheep for 30 years.

Now he trains others, including seven women who recently learned to shear to raise funds for Farmstrong.

He says he got a real buzz out of teaching the novice shearers.

“Shearing’s easier said than done but they can all shear a sheep now. There’s been a lot of humour. They’re a great bunch of women, who will have you in stitches. Now when they go out they talk about sheep shearing, believe it or not.”

I don’t think those ladies appreciate quite how much good they’ve have done, not just raising money, but raising that awareness.

Colin Watson-Paul Shearer Watson-Paul employs up to 120 shearers at peak time and his crews work with a wide range of farmers each year. He constantly reminds his crews of the need to look after themselves to avoid injury and prolong their careers.

“Shearing’s a really physical job.

“Sometimes you’ll shear 30 or 40 days without a break and they are long days.

“But that’s when the guys make most of their money. It’s good money but it’s hard on the body.

It’s also hard to get your head around that amount of work. You don’t stop unless it rains so to keep going you have to be very resilient.

“Shearing and sport are similar that way.

“The body can take a lot but it’s the mind that often lets you down.

You ask any Iron Man competitor, they all say the only thing that gets them to the finish line is the mind.

It’s the same when our guys shear world records – like Dave Fagan once said, it’s all about the top two inches.”

His advice to anyone new to the game is take it a step at a time, eat well and do stretches.

“When you’re young you often think you’re bulletproof and that your body can take on all sorts of things but if you don’t stay in shape and prepare properly shearing soon catches up with you.

“It takes a lot of effort to do this job well seven days a week.

You’ve got to loosen yourself up to prepare for the day because it is pretty tough.

“Warm up properly. Do your stretches before work and after you finish as well. That’s how you look after your body so you can keep working and earning. Most of our younger guys are getting that now.

“There’s also a lot of mental pressure to meet targets. It all adds up. I tell the new guys ‘don’t try and break the world record, just shear within your capabilities’.

TOUGH JOB: Shearers must be physically and mentally fit for the intensity of their work, Colin Watson-Paul says.

Young guys often take off like roaring stags. They don’t picture the whole ride. I tell them to take it easy, don’t try to shear all of them on the first day. Ease into it.”

Eating well is absolutely essential for such a physically intensive job.

“If you’re shearing hundreds of sheep a day, going down to the service station for a pie and a doughnut is not going to get you through.

“That’s why I feed all my crews, because if I didn’t some of the young guys who come in wouldn’t last very long before the wheels come off.

“At least if I’m feeding them I know they have some decent fuel in them to get their shear on,” Watson-Paul says.

His crews are well placed to help farmers having tough times.

“Their wool isn’t worth much at the moment. We can soon tell how their season’s going when they get talking.”

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He’s noticed a far greater willingness among farmers to share their challenges and thinks Farmstrong is helping normalise those conversations.

“Farmstrong’s made farmers aware that if you’re under the pump you don’t have to keep it all hidden behind closed doors. The Women in Wool fundraiser really helped to spread that message throughout this community.

“I don’t think those ladies appreciate quite how much good they’ve have done, not just raising money, but raising that awareness.

“A lot of farmers have no one to talk to except themselves and everyone has a bad day from time to time. As an industry we’ve ignored that for far too long so it’s good to see something finally happening.”

Watson-Paul’s experience being involved in the Women for Wool fundraiser has also opened his eyes about the value of trying something different.

“It was a fresh challenge for me too.

“We’d been shearing for so long we never thought about it but we had to work out why we did certain things and pass that on to these ladies who normally do office work and move in completely different circles to us.

“That was great for us. It was two worlds coming together.

“Farmers don’t have to be on farm 24 hours a day, seven days a week. There are all sorts of things they could do out there to get them away from their environment, especially if it’s not going so well.

“Why not try something totally out of your comfort zone like these women did? Twelve months ago they’d never held a handpiece but they learnt to shear as a group and had a grand old time. I think many farmers would enjoy farming more if they could just get off farm regularly and try something new.”

News

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – March 9, 2020

11

Organic law welcomed with a but Richard Rennie richard.rennie@globalhq.co.nz DESPITE the Government passing new legislation to strengthen standards for organic food, concerns remain about the details of the process and costs faced by producers to gain certification under the Organic Products Bill.

The bill sets out the process businesses have to follow to make claims about food products being organic and sets national standards for production rules organic businesses must follow.

Food Safety Minister Damien O’Connor hailed the bill as not before time given New Zealand GET TOGETHER: The organic sector must be unified in its response to the draft has had no single set of standards Organic Products Bill, Buy Pure New Zealand director Brendan Hoare says. defining organic produce.

It was left to certification agencies like BioGro NZ and all certification decisions. for organics standards and AsureQuality to negotiate access Under the proposed NZ it appears NZ’s might depart with customer countries and to process MPI will oversee any somewhat from it. audit member producers seeking new application from an organic “Ministry for Primary Industries organic status. producer, requiring extra is preparing a model that is much “So, now there will be one explanatory paperwork for the different. standard. initial auditing process.

“It is one where the regulatory “These two organisations have Nordeng said BioGro will be agency makes the certification been part of the process but now making its position clear to the initially, rather than a certifying it will ultimately come under Government about allowing agency.” one government-sanctioned certifying companies to take on He compared that to his agency, standard.” the initial audit and approval role which is directly accredited But BioGro chief executive as they do in other countries. with Japanese and Canadian Donald Nordeng said 83 countries FARMERS WEEKLY HALF PAGE 265W X 200H MM “To date all certifiers have been government authorities to make use the highest regulatory model

working together on this so I think they will be with us on this.”

An MPI spokesman said “Third party agencies will have a crucial role in the new organic system by evaluating organic management plans, checking compliance to the new organic standard and making recommendations to the relevant ministry as well as ongoing verification.”

The ministry plans to publicly consult on proposed regulations when it enters the select committee stage and will be engaging with the sector on a new organic standard for food, beverages, plant and animal products.

“We anticipate when people submit to the consultations they will provide additional information that will help us further identify cost and other impacts.”

Buy Pure NZ director Brendan Hoare, an early instigator for an organic produce law welcomed the draft bill, accepting there will still be changes the industry might want.

They include what training will be required to manage the law and its regulations and the cost.

An Organic Aotearoa NZ working group he was on had also asked if there would be a national

logo and how existing certification agencies will engage with the national standard.

“The Government has done its best with this but we, as an organic sector, need to be gunning to offer world best practice on this.

“I am confident about the process towards an act but the organic sector needs to be organised and unified about presenting best practice in a constructive way.”

O’Connor said consumers have voiced concerns about questionable and confusing organic product claims for some time and now organics will be capable of being trusted by them and NZ’s international trading partners.

“This new bill also brings us more in line with the way our major trading partners regulate organics to help grow our organic export market.”

O’Connor said having the legislation in place will also deliver the extra benefit to organic exporters, with a level of diplomatic, trade and market support that sits behind such legislation.

“It has been a bit of an ad hoc approach in the past when it has come to negotiating access.”

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12 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – March 9, 2020

Once in a lifetime opportunity Gerald Piddock gerald.piddock@globalhq.co.nz IF YOU are not at the table then you’re on the menu.

For farmers, as they come under increasing regulatory pressure, being on the menu in the world of consumer engagement means risking the loss of capital value and ability to earn an on-farm income as greater controls are pushed on them by retailers and local and central government, Taupo farmer Mike Barton says.

Farmers risk losing access to their markets if they refuse to engage with those groups, the Onetai Station director said at the farm’s final field day after five years as a Beef + Lamb environmental focus farm.

The world’s major retailers control food value systems and drive the price farmers get so they must have valid, open conversations with consumers along with auditable evidence to back claims to give consumers confidence to buy their products.

“If we don’t have that then control will lie with the retailers and they will drive this issue into an access issue and they will only talk to us and buy our product if we look after waterways, if we manage greenhouse gas and if we manage biodiversity.

“We have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity in my view to change this. If we don’t get it right we will lose this opportunity to grab value from this action and we only have an opportunity of two or three years before that window closes.”

That message was later challenged when one farmer suggested following the example of the recent mass farmer protests seen in European countries.

“You see it all over in Europe where they are driving tractors down the road and telling the Government to get ... why don’t we do that?”

That is a recipe for failure, Barton said.

with the

GET INVOLVED: Onetai Station director Mike Barton says farmers put market access at risk if they don’t come to terms with the new regulatory environment.

We have a once in a lifetime opportunity in my view to change this.

Mike Barton Onetai Station His experience dealing with the nitrogen cap in Taupo 15 years ago is the process will just carry on without them.

While it is tempting, in doing so farmers risk losing the capital value and flexibility of their farm and ability to earn an income.

“Don’t, whatever you do, tell them that. You have to engage.

You might not like it but the hours you spend engaging will give you the greatest return on your investment than any form of farming itself. If you spend 100 hours a year on this sort of process the return you will get in the long term in terms of protecting your capital asset is the best return you’ll get from any activity you can perform on the farm.

“I’m not just saying that to be Pollyanna, I believe it.

“All farmers have to get involved. If we take the approach of slamming the gate we’ll wake up one day and think ‘what happened?’.”

The 15 years spent farming in Taupo under a nitrogen cap helped shape the environmental lessons learned at Onetai Station over the past five years.

“The lessons we have learned here at Onetai are that, yes, you can reduce your environmental footprint and there’s some simple things you can do like increasing your lambing percentage, which means you increase your income from the same environmental input.”

A higher lambing percentage reduced the farm’s environmental impact per kilogram of product.

If farmers are smart they can intensify to an acceptable limit, he says.

“Environmental legislation and consumer-driven environmental pressures are coming and we are going to have to take account of them.

“They do reduce your flexibility and they do reduce your profitability.”

At Onetai he learned over the course of the last five years to improve his environmental performance but it came at a cost.

Much of that cost will not be met from increasing production.

“The only way we can meet that cost is to grow the value of the product we produce, be it wool, meat, honey or whatever.”

The 1450-hectare, hill-country sheep and beef farm is near Awakino in Waikato’s west coast catchment, which comes under the Waikato Regional Council’s plan change 3.

While notification is still some years away Barton urged farmers to front foot it and challenge their processors on what they are doing to communicate with consumers.

“My father used to say that most people know the price of everything but the value of very little. People don’t understand the value of the produce leaving our farm and that’s our fault, we have never really talked about the value of it. We have shied away from it. We have tried to pretend we don’t damage the environment and that’s been our strategy. That will fail us if we don’t turn this around.”

Barton believes farmers can grow value.

To help create more consistency in its income derived from manuka honey, station owner Rafa Grozovsky helped develop a new honey and milk powder spreadable product called Onetai Milk and Manuka Honey.

It is similar to the dulce de leche milk caramel product sold in Latin America.

“He’s developed some technology that’s probably a world first that’s been able to bring together those two ingredients.”

A factory is being built in Taupo to process the product for exporting.

“It does involve courage, it does involve investment but you can do it.”

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FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – March 9, 2020

13

facing farmers under pressure Animal welfare is also increasingly becoming important, Grozovsky added.

“All the retailers are requiring traceability down to the farm.”

Farms need to be audited to prove they meet the standard required to supply meat to processors.

“It’s important that you get involved in this process otherwise someone else will come and will tell you what to do without knowing if its possible to do it or not,” he says.

The station’s greenhouse gas emissions were reduced from 2000kg of carbon dioxide equivalent per hectare to1860kg/ ha/year over the five-year programme.

Methane emissions from the drystock sector are strongly influenced by the amount of feed consumed. Further reducing emissions requires either changing the farm system by converting more land to forestry or having the stock not eat the pasture, AgResearch scientist Grant Rennie says.

For Onetai to be carbon neutral it would have to plant 94ha of pine forest in its first rotation for 30 years. The farm has 8-10ha in 50-year-old pines, which will not be sequestering more carbon.

The steep nature of the 500ha not used for grazing means there

are few options available on where they can plant these trees without giving up productive farmland.

Another option is having 410ha of native bush, which will sequester those emissions. The station has 220ha of bush and 212ha of manuka and kanuka scrub but much of it is pre-1990 forest and would require a law change if it was counted.

The station runs sheep and beef on its 891 effective hectares with the balance in manuka and kanuka scrub and bush.

Financially, the farm has made steady gains in profit with the main driver being improvements in the reproductive performance of the ewes and cows as well as income from manuka honey.

More recently several kilometres of new fences and stockyard infrastructure have been built to boost the farm’s production and fund future environmental work at Onetai.

A new water system for the south and western parts of the farm has been installed and in a few years time he hopes to have most of the farm in a reticulated water system.

The removal of 2500 feral goats earlier on in the focus farm programme also gave the farm more options around increasing sheep numbers while retaining its environmental footprint.

EMISSIONS DOWN: Onetai Station’s greenhouse gas emissions were reduced from 2000kg of carbon dioxide equivalent a hectare to 1860kg/ha/year over five years.

TOGETHER WE WILL ENDURE Farming is the backbone of a proud nation carved out by our early pioneers’ strength, determination and hard work. Resilience and an inherent belief in a better way forward still drive’s our farmers desire and need for perpetual innovation.

These same qualities are the foundation of Zimmatic. We are proud to lead the way in irrigation technology and to be part of the enduring legacy our farmers leave for future generations.

Image courtesy of Christchurch City Libraries

Zimmatic® is a registered trademark of the Lindsay Corporation. © 2020 Lindsay. All Rights Reserved

www.zimmaticanz.com

14 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – March 9, 2020

COMPETITOR: South Canterbury truck driver Bob Mehrtens, the New Zealand reversible ploughing champion, will be competing again this year.

News

Ploughing titles are on the line THIS year’s New Zealand Ploughing Championships mark 200 years since the first time a plough was used on agricultural land in NZ. The national event is being held at Takapau on April 4 and 5 – about a month short of the May 3 200th anniversary of the day missionary and farmer John Butler used a plough for the first time in NZ at Kerikeri, with a team of six bullocks.

Vintage (pre-1956) and horse-drawn are two of the classes to be held at Takapau, attracting seven and four competitors respectively.

Conventional ploughs turn the soil one way while reversible ploughs use the tractor’s hydraulics to turn the plough over at the end of a furrow so the soil is turned the other way.

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There will be 15 competitors in the conventional class and five competing in the reversible class.

Conventional ploughs turn the soil one way while reversible ploughs use the tractor’s hydraulics to turn the plough over at the end of a furrow so the soil is turned the other way.

Winners of the conventional and reversible classes qualify to compete at next year’s world championships in Ireland.

The national event is being held on the Nelson Rd property of Graham and Craig Anderson, which is just off State Highway 50.

There will be two days of practice before the competition starts so those from outside the area can get used to the conditions.

Organisers hope for rain in the next few weeks because Central Hawke’s Bay is very dry.

To make a no obligation appointment, visit customblend.co.nz or call us on 0800 424 743 PLOUGHING ON: Clinton farmer Scott McKenzie will compete in the conventional class at Takapau.

News

Watts is heading to contest grand final FORMER professional squash player Joseph Watts is the fourth to qualify year’s Young Farmer contest grand final.

The 29-year-old won the East Coast title for the second year in a row.

Watts has taken home $12,000 in prizes.

He said he is excited to get another shot at the final after coming runner-up to James Robertson in 2019 by just half a point.

Watts won two of the five categories, technology and food.

Greytown contract milker Hamish Hammond came second, also for the second year in a row.

Hammond said he’s disappointed to have come second.

“I like competing, I like learning and I like farming.

“It’s good to practice farming and I’m getting pretty good at it so I’d like to think I’d do well,” he said.

Veterinarian, Georgina Campbell was third.

A duo from Napier Boys’ High School won the Junior Young Farmer competition.

Year 12 students Guy Von Dadelszen and Tristan Peeti-Webber topped the points table.

Runner-up combo was Thomas Fountaine and Jock Bourke from Rathkeale College.

Both teams will compete in the final in Christchurch In the AgriKids competition first place went to the team of Alex McLeod, William Allomes and Sam Cresswell from Kumeroa School.

Second place went to a trio from Tikokino School and a team from Ruahine School came third.

The top three teams will compete at the final.

Three more regional finals will be held in the South Island over the next five weeks.

Winter grazing group named MEMBERS of an action group to implement recommendations to improve animal welfare in winter grazing systems have been named by Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor.

The Winter Grazing Action Group has 15 representatives of industry organisations, the Government, vets, farmers and other rural professionals.

The Winter Grazing Taskforce made 11 recommendations to help ensure animal welfare becomes a key part of all winter grazing decisions in the pastoral supply chain.

Members are independent chairman Lindsay Burton, Ash Keown, Veterinary Association, Caroline Murray, Dairy Companies Association, Helen Thoday, Dairy NZ, Tony Pearse, Deer Industry NZ, Julie Geange, Federated Farmers, Milton Munro, PGG Wrightson, Miranda Hunter, Roslin Consultancy, Peter Young, Farm Advisory Services, sheep and beef farmer Pania King, Tim Driscoll, Southern Dairy Development Trust, Will Halliday, B ­ eef + Lamb, Leonie Ward, Primary Industries Ministry, Penny TimmerArends, MPI, and Gray Harrison, MPI.

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – March 9, 2020

15

WINNER: Joseph Watts has won the East Coast Young Farmer title for the second year running.

News

16 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – March 9, 2020

Public and media support dairying Hugh Stringleman hugh.stringleman@globalhq.co.nz

GET INVOLVED: Dairy environment leader Earle Wright sponsors awards for school children to get involved in riparian planting.

MAINSTREAM media organisations are not anti-dairy farming or beating up on the industry, DairyNZ communications manager Lee Cowan says.

Media items about dairying, across all forms of media, have remained more than 90% positive or neutral over the past three years of analytics, she told Farmers Forums throughout the country

in the past month. Cowan said the problem is sensitivity bias among dairy farmers who are interested in articles about dairying and who therefore read or watch them and are more likely to have an opinion.

“Because we are likely to know more about dairy than the journalist we often have strong opinions about the way something is written or presented.”

DairyNZ actively corrects misinformation, builds relationships with journalists and pitches stories that might appeal.

It also runs public perception surveys with 57% of respondents in October/November 2019 saying they have a favourable or very favourable view of the dairy industry.

“We want it to be better, of course, and that number has declined from 71% in 2010.”

DairyNZ has worked to educate media, politicians and influencers on the facts of New Zealand dairying, including caring for people, animals and the environment.

But the best way to build trust is for dairy farmers to be authentic and proud of their farms, their animals and the industry.

Dairy environment leader Earle Wright, from Tapora in North Auckland, said his chairmanship of the Tapora Coastal Care Group and a flagship site for the Integrated Kaipara Harbour Management Group has opened doors and provided opportunities.

He sponsors awards for school children who get involved in riparian planting and wetland care.

“The kids love it and it involves the parents as well,” he said.

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FONTERRA Australia is selling its closed Dennington factory to ProviCo Australia for an undisclosed sum.

“Since we announced the factory’s closure in May we’ve been working with potential buyers to find a commercially viable and sustainable future for the site,” Fonterra Australia managing director Rene Dedoncker said.

“We’re pleased to be selling the factory to ProviCo with all of its operational capabilities and assets intact.”

The deal is expected to be completed by April 22.

ProviCo makes animal nutrition products including calf milk replacers and vitamin fortified goods.

The protracted drought across the Tasman has put pressure on the wider Australian dairy sector at a time when the weaknesses of supply arrangements were highlighted by the collapse of the Murray Goulburn cooperative.

Last May Fonterra said it was closing the site in southwest Victoria because of excess manufacturing capacity in Australian. It wrote down the Dennington assets by $50 million in the July 2019 financial year.

The closure was part of a wider strategic review to strengthen the co-operative’s balance sheet after it reported its first net loss, of $221 million in the July 2018 year.

In January Fonterra said it had completed the sale of its half share of DFE Pharma to CVC Strategic Opportunities II. Other asset sales have included Tip Top Ice Cream and the company might make an announcement about the future of the China Farms operation at its half-year result on March 18.

The more than 100-year old Dennington factory was acquired by Fonterra in 2005. At the time of closure it employed 98 people.

– BusinessDesk

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18 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – March 9, 2020

All water is not equally available

CALCULATION: Landcare Research soil scientist Veronica Penny measures the rate at which water infiltrates the soil.

Annette Scott annette.scott@globalhq.co.nz INCREASING soil water-holding capacity has potential to aid nutrient loss management but there are offsets farmers need to address.

An increase in water-holding capacity under irrigation is beneficial for farmers in terms of meeting nutrient loss regulatory requirements, Landcare Research soil scientist Veronica Penny

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said when presenting the findings of a Canterbury project on the effect of irrigation on soil waterholding properties at a workshop at Lincoln.

But while that capacity can increase under irrigation, soil compaction partially offsets some of the benefits by compressing the larger macropores, making it harder for plants to extract water from the soil.

The influence of reduced pore size is the amount of readily available water can be lower under irrigation than in dryland pastures while the semi-available component is greater, which is less efficient for plants’ use.

The decrease in readily-available water has practical on-farm implications as it is the soil water zone that farmers work in for their irrigation management.

“Less readily available water capacity means farmers are having to irrigate more frequently,” Penny said.

Benefits from the knowledge of increased water-holding capacity of soil include improved irrigation scheduling with more accurate environmental reporting reducing nutrient leaching.

“The evidence shows that soil physical attributes can improve under irrigation but currently this potential is not being fully realised.

“There is potential for greater benefits.”

The 48 paired sites sampled in the project included a range of soil types, irrigation durations and stock types.

Soils were sampled in 10cm increments down to 60cm, the depth relevant for Overseer and irrigation management.

All livestock grazing types were included and all sites had to have been under pasture for at least two years to reduce the influence of cultivation.

“It was about the intensity of management not management type – it wasn’t about dairy versus non-dairy.”

The next challenge is for farmers and scientists to work together to optimise farm management practices to reduce compaction under irrigation, Penny said.

“And irrigation companies need to be more diligent on what they are putting irrigation on.

“It’s not just plonking a pivot on. They need to consider more around the capabilities of different soil types aligning with the needs of farming systems.”

Former South Canterbury Federated Farmers president Ivon Hurst has chaired the Ministry for Primary Industries Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures-funded project over the past three years.

Based on daily on-farm experience working with soil, farmers across Canterbury have worked with scientists to comprehensively study how their soils are behaving under irrigation.

Over the past three years the project has worked to nail the understandings down with hard science and peer-reviewed data.

“Anecdotal evidence is not enough. It has to be scientifically validated and that’s the way forward for all future land management practices.

“With nutrient discharge and water quality rules the most glaring thing about it is that we are dealing with imperfect or unscientific assumptions all the time.

“We do not have enough hard science to come out and be able to say x will lead to y.”

“This is research that should have been done 30 years ago,” Hurst said.

The project is backed by Federated Farmers, Environment Canterbury and stakeholder farmer organisations including IrrigationNZ and a number of Canterbury irrigation schemes.

Have your say on this issue: farmersweekly.co.nz

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FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – March 9, 2020

19

Real meat still has big future Richard Rennie richard.rennie@globalhq.co.nz AS ASSORTED speakers call time for red meat and dairy proteins an Australian report predicts a continued and stable demand for traditional animal proteins but subject to greater social scrutiny.

The AgriFutures report on the changing landscape for protein production was released at this year’s evokeAg agritech conference, where both traditional and new protein companies vied for investors’ attention.

AgriFutures is a federally funded national research unit and think tank that examines issues affecting Australia’s farming future.

The authors noted while recent claims about non-animal protein have quantified the opportunities of rising alternative proteins there is a lack of information about their impact on traditional protein farmers.

“Generally, what the report did was try to cut through the hype of opportunity versus the reality,” AgriFutures business manager Jennifer Medway said.

“We have found 80% of the social media noise about alternative protein is generated by 5% of the people.

“What we have found, however, is that it is not an us-or-them

situation. There is plenty of opportunity to collaborate.”

The alternative protein market is hugely dominated by the United States, with its market three time larger than the next, the European Union.

The report maintains while protein is an essential part of human diets it is not the sole component and despite alternative proteins having more equivalent protein than animal sources, animal protein remains the best source for amino acids and for digestibility.

However, that has not stopped more Australian consumers switching to a mix of flexitarianism and becoming fully fledged vegetarians, with 12% identifying as meat reducers and 20% as flexitarians.

Like New Zealanders, Australians’ meat consumption of about 100kg a head a year has remained relatively static for the past 15 years but the type of meat eaten has shifted as chicken and, to a lesser extent, pork have displaced beef and sheep meat. Cost and health factors have largely driven those shifts, particularly since 2010.

The willingness of consumers to try plant-based meat replacements is determined by the products’ ability to mimic the taste of traditional meat,

TOO MUCH NOISE: Jennifer Medway says traditional protein demand growth remains strong despite the social media noise on alternatives. particularly for that part of the market identifying as meat reducers.

Perhaps surprisingly, the report shows international sales data confirms a product’s nutritional

profile rather than sustainability claims and animal welfare integrity can be a more significant driver of choice in some protein markets, including fresh milk.

Despite the hype around alternative proteins the amount of investment in companies producing the products remains disproportionately small compared to more traditional agri and food companies.

In 2018 the agri-tech and food tech sectors totalled $US10 billion for investment compared to cultured meat companies securing only 1% of that.

Citing previous research forecasts of a continuing rise of animal proteins, the report notes it will be impossible by 2050, using existing systems, to continue creating such proteins without even greater environmental impacts than today.

The opportunity exists for a cross-over between the plant and traditional protein industries, one where alternative proteins have potential not only for human consumption but also as feed for livestock, particularly poultry, pigs and fish.

Insect farming is identified as a key area, given the challenges of getting most westerners to eat them directly, offering the chance for them to be a high-protein feed source for animals.

An example in the report is Goterra, a big, automated insect farm providing low-cost feed for livestock and pets with household food waste collected and fed to maggots. The mature insects are used as a sustainable source of animal feed.

Plant protein production is also predicted to continue to increase but still at a mere percentage point of the total retail food market.

Protein fractionation of pulses is a rising opportunity. It involves using protein extracts extending beyond meat lookalikes to protein juices, protein bars and similar health type products.

While small the market is drawing more investment and its lower emissions and water footprint means it will become more appealing.

Israel is given as an example of a country advancing quickly on protein extraction.

Medway said there is ample opportunity to combine livestock and cropping options for farmers to capitalise on both types of protein sources and their product opportunities.

MORE:

The full report is at agrifutures.com. au/wp-content/uploads/2020/ 02/20-001.pdf

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News

20 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – March 9, 2020

Merck buys into FarmIQ venture

WE’RE IT: Investor MSD Animal Health sees FarmIQ as the only product delivering on the promise of using tech to revolutionise farm management, FarmIQ chief executive Darryn Pegram says.

BIG pharma is getting into local agri-tech with multinational Merck and Co buying a stake in farm-management software developer FarmIQ. The Kiwi company said MSD Animal Health, a Merck subsidiary, has become a minority shareholder, buying a 13.6% stake. The dollar value is in the multi-millions but MSD is keeping it confidential.

FarmIQ began as a government-sponsored research and development project in the nowdefunct Primary Growth Partnership.

1200 COWS. ONE TRUSTED MASTITIS PREVENTION.

It went commercial in 2017.

Chief executive Darryn Pegram said the money will be used to drive domestic growth and to invest in software.

Much of the new capital has been earmarked to strengthen the software developer’s dairy offering, working with partners such Synlait Milk and semen supplier CRV Ambreed.

The software, which was originally designed for red meat farming, acts as an information hub enabling comparisons and benchmarking of farm performance and supporting farm planning.

That’s at a time when farms are facing increased environmental reporting requirements.

Pegram said having an international investor hints at global ambitions but the company remains firmly focused on its domestic business plan.

“Our current shareholders are very fixed on New Zealand business and our business plan is to succeed in NZ,” he said.

“But you’d have to think with MSD being a truly multinational company they see the potential offshore.”

You’d have to think with MSD being a truly multinational company they see the potential offshore.

Darryn Pegram FarmIQ

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FarmIQ was born out of a government initiative to create a demand-driven integrated red meat supply chain to support industry growth. The Primary Growth Partnership fund, launched by the previous government, established the company in 2010 with Silver Fern Farms acting as the commercial partner.

The company was formally split from the PGP in 2016 and later began operating as a commercial business.

MSD Animal Health joins existing shareholders Farmlands, Silver Fern Farms, Pamu Farms and Veterinary Enterprises Group.

Pegram hopes FarmIQ supporters will back the new investment.

“We also believe it is a fantastic endorsement of the original FarmIQ Primary Growth Partnership partners who foresaw the value of individual animal records for productivity and traceability as well as creating value from provenance,” he said.

Pegram said MSD sees FarmIQ as the only product delivering on the promise of using tech to revolutionise farm management.

“That’s why they are investing. It is actually a great endorsement that this truly global multinational is coming to us and saying ‘you are the only guys who are doing this’.

“If anyone was to lead the world in this space we want it to be NZ because agriculture is so important to us,” he said.

– BusinessDesk

Your comment counts Add your voice to this story at farmersweekly.co.nz

Contact us Editor: Bryan Gibson Twitter: farmersweeklynz Email: farmers.weekly@globalhq.co.nz Free phone: 0800 85 25 80 DDI: 06 323 1519

News

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – March 9, 2020

Dairy levy goes to farmer vote Hugh Stringleman DAIRYNZ will seek a rollover of its 3.6c/kg milksolids commodity levy when dairy farmers are asked to vote in April and May. It will not propose an increase for the first year of the levy period, chief executive Dr Tim Mackle told the Northland Farmers Forum.

Under the Commodities Levy Act farmers vote every six years on a proposal to levy themselves.

Since 2008 the milk levy has been 3.6c/kg and the DairyNZ board has decided to maintain that for the 2020-21 season.

Mackle was asked if a case could be made for increasing the levy, given the lack of growth in milk production, good farmgate milk prices and the increasing need for industrygood spending.

Several farmers called out the Biosecurity Response Levy of 2.9c implemented in 2019 was an effective increase.

An increase was not proposed and the levy vote was about the mandate for DairyNZ and a period of collective engagement, he said.

Mackle said that in more

Allied eyes debt market

We have got to be both – protecting that image of pure and natural while underpinning it with technological advances at a time of growing world population.

hugh.stringleman@globalhq.co.nz

RANKING: Dairy farmers have prioritised DairyNZ spending in the run-up to a commodity levy vote.

than 30 meetings with dairy farmers the areas of spending

by DairyNZ were ranked in importance to farmers and priority for spending.

The two ranked most highly were farm systems research and development and the public perception of dairying.

Farmers also ranked policy advocacy very highly in the wake of the freshwater and zerocarbon legislative proposals.

DairyNZ will go into the voting period with a pitch to farmers based on a better future for the industry through science solutions and supporting better local farming.

NZ dairying has a very bright future, grounded in pure naturalness, Mackle said.

Consumers will continue to want real dairy foods even when synthetics are widely available.

The alternatives will be needed in future, from a humanitarian point of view, along with food security and the prevention of civil unrest.

But the NZ industry must continue to address and improve on some of the gnarly issues around animal care and the environmental impacts of dairying, which the synthetics claim they avoid.

The environmental claims

21

Dr Tim Mackle DairyNZ

ALLIED Farmers made an unaudited after-tax profit of $1.18 million for the six months to December 31, almost unchanged on the result in the previous corresponding period.

It boosted operating earnings 19% but incurred higher discretionary corporate expenses as it reviewed and improved corporate and governance structures.

Allied had a sound cashflow, enabling the payment of a 2c dividend in January from the 2019 financial year, which required $357,000.

During the reporting period the livestock agency business experienced a slow start but had a strong upturn to finish.

Revenue was $14.6m, up 10%.

The Mycoplasma bovis outbreak cast uncertainty over some parts of livestock trading but its effect is gradually reducing over time.

The start of the second half has been marked by dry conditions and coronavirus uncertainties and further guidance has been postponed until the operating environment becomes clearer.

The agency is keen on livestock financing now traditional lenders are showing less support for farmers.

“There are significant opportunities to grow and nurture an alternative lending organisation,” chairman Mark Benseman said.

are debatable, though, when it is known soy milk has twice the carbon footprint of dairy milk.

The future will be underpinned by technological knowhow, he said.

It is not either/or – pure and wholesome and low-tech versus high-tech and less natural.

“We have got to be both – protecting that image of pure and natural while underpinning it with technological advances at a time of growing world population.”

Mackle said one futurist predicts growth in demand for animal-derived protein of 70% by 2050.

Levy voting packs will be sent out in mid April.

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22 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – March 9, 2020

Pamu makes $68m profit Hugh Stringleman hugh.stringleman@globalhq.co.nz

TACTICS: Pamu’s strategy relies on increasing resilience of pastoral farming through innovation, chief executive Steve Carden says.

PAMU (Landcorp) has declared a net profit after tax of $68 million in its interim results for 2020 because of good operating earnings and positive revaluation of biological assets.

For comparison, net profit was $29m in the previous corresponding period.

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In the latest result revenue was $123m compared with $111m and expenses were $106m compared with $113m.

Chairman Warren Parker and chief executive Steven Carden said earnings before interest, tax, depreciation, amortisation and revaluations were $22m compared with a loss of $3m in the interim result for the 2019 financial year.

That is their preferred measure of results, which were pleasing and a result of positive trading conditions and a focus on operating costs.

After adjustments including a fair-value gain on biological assets the net profit before tax was $67m, plus a tax gain of $1m.

Pamu had an unaudited equity balance of just under $1.5 billion on December 31.

It is forecasting a full-year ebitda between $73m and $78m but warning of possible disruptions from coronavirus and very dry conditions in the north.

“Our strategy has focused on increasing the resilience of our pastoral farming operations through farm system innovation,” Carden said.

“We have also moved to shift to land uses tied to forestry and horticulture and this is helping to both improve profitability and lower the environmental impact of our operations.”

Pamu has maximised returns from livestock and dairy operations to take advantage of above longrun average commodity prices.

It has two dairy farms, one at Taupo and the other Foxton, fully certified organic and now receiving premium payments from Fonterra.

Three more dairy farms are going through the qualifying period.

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T&G Global achieved a small increase in operating profit to $16.5 million during the 2019 financial year, which was affected by reorganisation costs and a loss on fair value of biological assets.

The large horticultural trader said revenue was up 2% to $1216.4m and net assets rose to $474m after the sale of its Mt Wellington premises in Auckland for $65m.

T&G Global is seeking Commerce Commission approval for the $30m purchase of the Freshmax domestic fruit exporting and importing business.

The listed T&G Global is 74% overseas owned by BayWa of Germany and chairman of T&G is Klaus Josef Lutz. A further 20% is owned by Wo Yang, a Hong Kong fruit business.

Smaller institutional and private NZ investors hold 6% and the share value has been steady during the past year in the range $2.50 to $2.80.

No dividend will be paid from the 2019 result.

Despite a difficult year for some NZ fruits and vegetables the company’s international produce division increased revenue by 14% to $305m.

Chief executive Gareth Edgecombe said NZ apple orchards are being replanted in premium varieties and sales of the Envy variety rose by 43%.

“We will focus on delivering improved shareholder returns by harnessing our vertical model strengths from genetics and growing through to sales and marketing to strengthen our existing categories and develop our emerging categories of blueberries and grapes,” he said.

News

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – March 9, 2020

Aussie fires burn up Comvita profit Richard Rennie richard.rennie@globalhq.co.nz THE tendrils of Australian bush fires have strayed across the Tasman to hit honey producer Comvita in its December 2019 six-monthly results.

Despite increasing revenue from $78 million to $94m in the latest period the honey company reported a net loss after tax of $12.97m, well up on the $2.68m loss recorded a year earlier.

In announcing the result the company blamed the Australian bush fires for contributing $2.3m of a $5.8m non-operating loss through the loss of honey supply in native bush burned in the fire.

The rest of the non-operating cost came through a valuation adjustment after the company quit its Chinese joint venture and some revaluation to inventory.

Before allowing for that one-off loss the company actually increased its earnings before interest, tax and depreciation to $1.34m.

Chairman Brett Hewlett said Comvita has had a tough road rebuilding itself after a slide in performance two years ago and still has some way to go in reducing costs and streamlining the business.

SMOKED: Part of Comvita’s honey business in Australia was hit hard by the fires, Comvita chairman Brett Hewlett says.

impact from coronavirus with access to its warehouse in Shenzhen denied for two weeks after the Chinese New Year and issues around supply logistics.

While demand remains strong for Comvita products, shopper numbers are significantly reduced.

“Historically, we have seen a significant uplift in sales as consumers boost immunity following an outbreak of flu,” Hewlett said.

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“The loss of the Australian bush area for 3000 hives is not a huge one but we do have to account for the future income loss this will bring with it.”

The affected area is largely in New South Wales and southern Queensland.

The loss relates to Comvita’s venture in Australia with that country’s biggest honey company, Capilano.

The jelly bush honey collected is used in the company’s medicinal treatments, including bandages.

Comvita’s stake in honey collection has left it exposed at times in a harvest sector that can be wildly variable and high risk.

The raw honey supply business tripped it up badly in 2018 with an expected $4.5m profit turning into a $6.2m loss after an historically poor harvest.

However, this harvest season is proving to be one of the best in three years with strong honey flows reported across the country.

By April the company will have done a full assessment of its harvested manuka honey for its purity.

With Hewlett as chairman and newly appointed chief executive David Banfield installed in January the company intends to reduce debt this year by raising capital.

Hewlett acknowledged analysts had expressed concern at Comvita’s debt but it has been reduced in the past year from $104m to $93m.

Part of Banfield’s brief is to cut costs by $5m a year over the next three years.

A simplification of the corporate structure is intended to make the company more responsive and flexible to market needs and the risky area of honey harvest volumes.

In the short term the company is feeling an

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24 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – March 9, 2020

Eb uses his foot in both camps The primary sector sometimes faces unfair criticism from urban people. Agri-communications specialist Daniel Eb has built a platform to bring the urban and rural populations together. Riley Kennedy reports.

A

FTER years working overseas 32-yearold Daniel Eb has brought home an initiative to help people reconnect with where their food is made.

Last weekend 45 farms across the country opened their gates for 5500 visitors as part of the Open Farms day.

Eb grew up on the family farm in Northland and, after getting a psychology and management degree at the University of Auckland, travelled the world working in marketing and public relations for organisations such as Microsoft and Xbox.

He now runs his own communications business, Dirt Road Comms, but when he came home not knowing what to do the rural sector was where he wanted to go.

“When I came home from overseas I didn’t really know what I was going to do but it was quite clear the rural part of me was where I felt purpose,” he said.

Eb’s idea for the Open Farms initiative here came from a similar event, Open Farm Sunday, in Britain. It puts 300,000 visitors on 360 farms each year.

“When I was in the United Kingdom I was listening to the rural-urban divide talk back home and I felt like I had a foot in both camps, family farm here in New Zealand and an urban career.

“I was quite disappointed by what I was hearing and I came across this scheme and I thought this is what NZ needs.”

“We redeveloped the UK model by applying some new digital marketing tools, changed the branding and messaging to suit rural NZ.” Eb’s aim is to reconnect Kiwis with the land, food and farmers.

“We developed it as a solution to a problem not a feel-good exercise.

“That problem is the disconnection that urban NZ has with the land.

“We wanted to go back to the traditions of kids mucking around in the mud and enjoying the land.

“It is a sad reflection that we have to build platforms like open farms to make that stuff accessible to people these days.

“When we sit in a traffic jam in Auckland we shouldn’t care about that.

I was quite disappointed by what I was hearing and I came across this scheme and I thought this is what NZ needs.

“What we should care about is what our kids are eating and showing them where that food has come from.

“We all must share the same aspirations.”

Eb knew the sector needed to participate and get behind the initiative.

“The sector is facing more reputation problems than ever before and this was a way forward for them.

“I knew the sector needed to participate but we needed to make a model that worked for them.

“We must help urban Kiwis build a relationship with farmers and the countryside.

“This is very the first step. In the future we can start laying on other layers.

“This platform could be a tool for us to help with rural recruitment, for example.”

“In terms of achieving some of the objectives those conversations are still ongoing.”

He described Open Farms as an action platform saying the initiative makes those actions fun and assessable.

Getting farmers to open their gates was the hardest part.

“It was a shame it took farmers a while to come on board.

“I think timing wasn’t ideal. We are in one of the worst droughts we have ever had and it was a hard ask for farmers to take on something new.

“We built the system to make it easy for farmers.

“We did things like drop the minimum visitor numbers to 25.

That’s a pretty cruisey Sunday afternoon farm walk.

“We put the hard yards in this year but we have a list of 150-200 farmers who are keen for next year, so it paid off.”

Eb designed the initiative to talk to all urban demographics and built a platform so they will engage with it.

“Everyone had a part to play in the initiative.

ACTION: Daniel Eb saw an issue so used his communications and farming experiences to “We are so provide a solution. overloaded by content nowadays shows we are heading down the that talks to people.” and we identified that as a right track.”

The feedback from the first potential block from the start.

Open Farms will run again next Open Farms was positive.

“You get 0.3 of a second to year.

“The feedback I have seen get someone to engage in your “I’m hoping it will become an has been universally positive.

Facebook and that is a hard annual event and we can keep I haven’t seen any negative market to crack into. improving the experience year on comments through any channels, “We had to build real year,” Eb said. which is really encouraging and opportunities for participation

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New thinking

THE NZ FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – March 9, 2020

25

Future fails to make present The present has caught up with AgResearch’s Future Footprint plans which are now a thing of the past. It is now going it alone at Lincoln but collaborating with Massey University in Palmerston North and will keep its centres at Ruakura and Invermay.

Neal Wallace reports.

A

GRESEARCH has abandoned elements of its Future Footprint proposal begun eight years ago and will keep its four national campuses but expand two.

The original plan was to severely downsize its Invermay campus near Dunedin and Ruakura in Hamilton with the focus on centres at Lincoln and Palmerston North.

Acting chief executive Tony Hickmott says the plan now is to retain all four sites and construct new buildings at Palmerston North, which is under way, and Lincoln.

Palmerston North and Lincoln will be the major research, science, education and innovation centres with the head office at Lincoln.

Invermay with 65 staff and Ruakura with 150 will focus on regionally significant issues.

Ruakura will specialise in dairy systems and Invermay in genomics, reproduction, hillcountry sheep, beef and deer systems and will also be the national centre for deer research.

A new food science hub, Te Ohu Rangahau Kai (meaning a co-operative community of food researchers) being built on the Massey University campus is to open in April.

Hickmott says it will cater for about 90 AgResearch and 30 Massey or Riddet Institute science staff and have room for postgraduate students.

The Crown research institute has Government approval to build

IN CHARGE: AgResearch acting chief executive Tony Hickmott.

an 8000 square metres complex on land it has bought off Lincoln University. Construction will be funded by AgResearch.

Hickmott says it will house up to 300 staff and will be a centre for land-based activities and the head office.

Plans in 2016 to construct a joint facility with Lincoln University, funded by the Government, were shelved because of affordability and commercial challenges, but both entities are planning to build their own science facilities next to each other.

“Although it did not proceed, both organisations are progressing to realise the benefits of collaboration through colocation in separate facilities on

the Lincoln University campus,” the AgResearch business case states.

Hickmott says the next stage is to prepare an implementation case. If that is approved by the Government he expects work to start within a year.

The process of finding a new chief executive to replace Tom Richardson is under way and Hickmott says the AgResearch board should have a short list by early April.

AgResearch’s latest science plan says it wants to help grow food and beverage exports to more than $50 billion a year by 2030.

A 2018 report by consultants Coriolis for the Government calculated food and beverage exports were worth $29b in 2017-18 and account for 45% of NZ’s total exports of goods and services.

To achieve export receipts of $50b a year requires a shift in emphasis from commodity to value-add, AgResearch says.

“This will be achieved through influencing the behaviour of consumers by building trust that the product they purchase delivers the desired benefits via science-based verification systems.”

AgResearch has set itself two further challenges for 2030.

One is to develop technology and land-use systems to achieve net-zero losses of contaminants to waterways and net zero greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture.

“The challenge is to design land-use mixes and transition

NEARLY READY: The new food research complex being built by Massey University and AgResearch will open in April.

This will be achieved through influencing the behaviour of consumers by building trust that the product they purchase delivers the desired benefits via sciencebased verification systems.

Tony Hickmott AgResearch pathways to meet net zero losses and emissions targets while ensuring prosperous communities.”

Its final challenge is to enable

every NZ farm to be profitable and to contribute to regional growth.

It has set itself seven science objectives to minimise waste, create added-value foods and bio-based products, produce fitfor-purpose plants and animals, adapt to and mitigate climate change, develop sustainable agrifood production systems, help Maori agribusinesses to be vibrant and transform agri-food systems.

The goals and challenges evolve from addressing what the AgResearch document calls five global mega trends of growing population creating a hungrier world, globalisation and climate change reshaping agriculture’s risk profile, challenges from digital technology, genetic science and synthetics, consumers being more choosy and a growing middle class.

Opinion

26 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – March 9, 2020

EDITORIAL

Selling food about more than eating

M

IKE Barton knows a thing or two about farming within limits. Fifteen years of staying under a nitrogen cap in Taupo has given him some pretty good insights into how to grow profits on a shrinking footprint. And he says this worrying time for farmers, where Government regulations on freshwater, greenhouse gases and biodiversity are looming, is in fact the opportunity of a generation.

By engaging with the process and not kicking against it farmers can seize control of their destinies and grab the value for themselves.

A lot of the opposition to these regulations focuses on things that will be lost – production mainly and therefore profit. But what about what can be gained? Can a farming sector that reduces its footprint, becomes more sustainable and shows people how it got there thrive? Barton thinks so. In fact, he says it’s the only way to do so. Judging by the trends we see in Government regulation, in eating habits, in customers overseas and in the sentiment of other New Zealanders, he’s right.

Chasing production helped farming make NZ a rich nation. But sectors evolve and if farming doesn’t seize its Netflix moment it might find itself playing the role of Blockbuster Video.

Granted, people need to eat but they have choices about what they eat and the consumers NZ wants to target are demanding more.

NZ has maxed out the size of its food producing sector. Productivity gains will need to be made within the existing farm gates through innovation. But the future value of the sector is yet to be reached and the sky’s the limit. As Barton says, the best thing for farmers to do is to engage with the processes under way to evolve farming, make sound choices within the limits agreed on and communicate effectively with the global market.

If the sector communicates well then buyers will know the value of NZ food and be willing to pay that price.

Bryan Gibson

LETTERS

Ignorance cancels our future RECENTLY I heard an interview about willows that brought up the subject of introducing a parasitic wasp to kill the giant willow aphid. Arguing that such action be taken urgently the supporter claimed killing willows in rivers and tributaries would cause a massive loading of dead tree trash, which would cause problems during floods, and cause erosion – partially true.

My gray hair stood on end and I wondered, seriously, where these people come from.

So, do we continue down the road to Armageddon set in motion by the theory-driven policies of the mid 1980s or do we, finally, wake up to the simple fact that since the government annihilation of the catchment/conservation board model all watercourses have been quietly decaying

under the Resource Management Act, which put the responsibility in the hands of rate-gathering bureaucrats who wouldn’t know a gumboot let alone how willows spread.

Apparently farmers are to blame.

I have lived with about 4km of Weka Creek through the middle of the farm for 80-plus years so have seen its degradation and diminishing flow. The lower reaches are now dry.

Since the Act gave control to regional councils nothing has been done over 40 years to maintain let alone improve these once clean watercourses that have become willowweed-vermin (stoats, ferrets and townies’ dumped cats) occupied jungles ruining the once heavily populated nesting sites of gulls, stilts and dotterels, which are long gone, and we farmers are to blame?

Photographs from the 1960s show the watercourses once had year-round flows, now reduced to a trickle with the upper northern branch of the Weka a couple of puddles strangled by willows and oldman’s beard.

When another 1962 type flood happens, and it will, property damage and even the wiping out of the Waipara rail and road bridges is a distinct possibility.

It has become a willful neglect by governments.

Where there were once some willows there are now virtually impenetrable jungles and people expect farmers to clean up a government-sponsored mess?

The remedy creates a conundrum – do we harvest the willow timber and how?

If so, what use is it and who will pay? Or do we let the giant willow aphid kill these damn

weeds and have salvage teams extracting the dead limbs and poisoning the stumps? Again, who will pay?

Farmers didn’t create the problem. Successive governments and their collective environmental ignorance did.

Erosion protection replants should be limited to poplars.

Putting off the evil day for action is akin to cancelling the future.

John McCaskey Waipara

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Opinion

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – March 9, 2020

HOME: Nicky and Nick Dawson on their Patoka farm.

27

Photo: NZ Farm Environment Trust

Farm leader urges TB action unity Nick Dawson

I

T’S tough going for farmers in Hawke’s Bay and confirmation of a flare-up of bovine tuberculosis in the region is something we could all do without.

Infected wildlife from native forest bordering Waitara Valley has reintroduced TB to grazing livestock, with other pockets of infection detected in the region.

Eight herds are infected and a further 11 are under investigation.

On March 1 an expanded movement control area (MCA) took effect, meaning farmers moving stock from their farms or to sale must have a clear TB test of stock within 60 days of moving.

With drought starting to bite hard and autumn stock sales starting it’s a blow for farmers.

But the disease has returned.

Our goal now must be to eradicate it and return Hawke’s Bay to TBfree status.

Ospri, the agency responsible for controlling and eradicating TB, is pulling out all the stops to track infection and prevent it from spreading.

As well as stepping up possum control operations throughout the region, with the main focus on hitting the source of the problem in the back country, Ospri has accelerated TB testing and put the

The

Pulpit

expanded movement controls in place.

At farmer meetings Ospri’s response was rightly questioned by affected farmers.

We all wanted to know how the infection was able to return and the rationale for the timing and scope of the expanded movement controls.

Ospri has acknowledged the buffer zone on the edge of the existing movement control area, which has protected most of the region’s farms from TB for some time, has been breached, allowing the infection to spread.

As a result, possum control work using a range of operations is being stepped up. That’s vital work but the key right now to containing this disease is the expansion of the MCA. It’s a huge area affected with 572 farms now subject to movement restrictions.

Naturally, there’s concern from all the farmers affected.

But let’s remember one crucial thing: ridding Hawke’s Bay of TB benefits everyone. The timing of this would never be ideal but putting controls in place ahead of the autumn sales is vital if we are to reduce the risk of the disease spreading to other regions.

Here and now, unity rather than finger-pointing is what we need to tackle this infection and get back to the proper business of farming.

There’ll be time for asking some tough questions of those responsible for handling these issues but for now we need to work together on solutions.

As a farmer that means planning ahead and seeking the support, guidance and help you need, when you need it.

Consider what’s coming up in the coming days, weeks and months and be pro-active. If you’re planning to send stock to the autumn sales book a pre-movement test. Ospri and AsureQuality are prioritising pre-

movement testing to help farmers get the assurance and assistance they need to make crucial business decisions.

Even more crucially, let’s support each other.

Our goal now must be to eradicate it and return Hawke’s Bay to TB-free status.

The region’s tinder-dry and we’re all dealing with water supply and feed issues. Help is here if you or others need it. Don’t hesitate to seek out that help.

The extended MCA and the timing of its introduction ahead of the autumn sales might have you scratching your heads but, remember, this has been put in place so we and our sector nationwide can have some certainty and be safe rather than sorry.

As has always been the case in farming, together we’re stronger.

We’ll get through this together and make Hawke’s Bay TB-free again.

The programme has come so far in our region and nationally so it’s critical we continue towards the goal of eradicating the disease once and for all. The programme

has removed TB-infected wildlife from more than two million hectares in the past 10 years and reduced infected herds from 1700 to fewer than 30 today.

It’s working.

But we can do better and that’s what we all need to work toward.

Let’s support eradication work by making it easier to control possums in our areas, managing possum populations on our own land and making sure our Nait obligations to register animals and movements are fulfilled.

We can and will beat this disease – the eradication strategy has been proven – with a united approach. Stay strong, stay informed and keep supporting one another.

Keep in touch with news on disease management and local possum control operations via the Ospri website at ospri.co.nz/ Hawke’s-Bay.

Who am I? Nick Dawson is a Hawke’s Bay dairy farmer and Ospri committee chairman.

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

Opinion

28 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – March 9, 2020

Don’t fight climate, adapt to it Alternative View

Alan Emerson

THERE was a really interesting article in last week’s Farmers Weekly under the heading Climate measures need to speed up.

It reported the result of a joint research project by Our Land and Water and the Deep South Challenge.

The full report is on the internet and makes interesting reading.

It talks about mitigating the effects of climate change rather than trying to counter it.

With all the will in the world New Zealand isn’t going to change the climate. Our global footprint is infinitesimal compared with the United States, India and China.

It is also a small fraction of that of the American military and I can’t imagine that changing.

What we can do is mitigate the effects of that change and the research project makes a solid contribution towards that.

The effects of a changing climate are starkly obvious around NZ.

With extreme events we just need to look at the Southland floods, which were like nothing I’d seen.

Conversely, a large part of the country is in drought.

Here in Wairarapa it is as dry as we’ve seen it over 25 years. The dams are in a critical state and the feed is non-existent.

In Waikato, where you can expect lush grass at this time of year, it is as bad as we are.

Northland is really suffering as are Marlborough and North Canterbury.

That all tells me we need to do something. We need a strategy for the future.

Landcare Research priority leader Anne-Gaelle Ausseil hopes the research will encourage longterm strategic adaption such as diversifying cultivars, shifting sowing dates and planning more shade and shelter.

I certainly hope she is right.

The harsh reality is, however, any crop we grow now will have to be reassessed for its ability to cope with our changing climate.

It will also have a major effect on farming practices. For example, we have a premium for milk produced in winter because of the added cost of production.

In future could that premium apply for summer production?

There are a myriad of challenges ahead.

Our wine industry is one we’re

RIGHT IDEA: Landcare Research priority leader Anne-Gaelle Ausseil has it sussed – mitigate effects of climate change rather than trying to counter it.

justly proud of but that could be under threat because the climate will encourage vines to flower earlier. That will mean different varieties than we have now.

Maize for cows will need to be planted earlier and fertiliser patterns will need reassessment.

Where the report has good news is that it will be possible to have a viable food production sector under a changing climate and there’s the rub.

Farmers can and do change.

Consider farming systems 10, 20 and 50 years ago and they are quite different from the practices of today.

There’s the emergence of the deer and wine industries, the dairy boom and the kiwifruit expansion.

We’re a resilient lot and just as well.

The research also indicates some areas will be better off than others. For example, climate change could provide some benefits for Southland but could devastate Hawke’s Bay hill country.

In fact, hill country on the east coast of the North Island could find life difficult.

My issue is that it is great we’re doing the research that we are.

The Agriculture Greenhouse Gas Research Centre is also doing good work on the issue of farming under a changing climate.

Its work on methane mitigation, nitrous oxide, soil carbon and integrated farming systems makes really interesting reading.

It has a conference, Agricultural Climate Change, early next month.

There is a lot of interesting and valuable work being done around agriculture and climate change.

There is also a surprising degree of co-ordination among agencies, which is good to see.

As I said at the start, farmers are adaptable. Show us the science,

offer solutions and we’ll get on top of the situation and do it in a remarkably short time.

As Ausseil said, she hopes the research will encourage long-term strategic adaption.

I hope it does too but we need a far more level playing field than we have now.

For example, with those areas about to become drier we need water storage and, dare I say it, irrigation.

To develop resilient forage plants we need the tool that is genetic modification.

It’s used extensively overseas and I believe it has enormous potential here both to mitigate methane and provide droughtresistant plants.

And no, I don’t accept the bottom will fall out of our international markets if we have GM in NZ. Most of the products in our supermarket contain GM of some type as does the fake meat vegans love to talk about.

So, my wish for NZ Inc is to have a co-ordinated, sciencebased strategy for mitigating the effects of climate change for food production.

I’ll have the champagne in the fridge waiting.

Your View Alan Emerson is a semi-retired Wairarapa farmer and businessman: dath-emerson@wizbiz.net.nz

How to convince an unenthusiastic wife From the Ridge

Steve Wyn-Harris

“EVERY Kiwi should walk the Tongariro Alpine Crossing at least once in their lives,” I pronounced.

Jane gazed at me and looked unconvinced.

We had a wedding coming up in Turangi and I thought if there was a suitable weather window we should take an extra day and walk it.

Over 30 years earlier I had done it with my mate Richard, who, as it happened, was the father of the groom at said wedding.

We had decided to climb Mount Ngauruhoe and being good rural males did no due diligence at all.

We packed a lunch and plenty of fluids and set off early, thinking it would take much of the day.

We were surprised to find ourselves walking around the rim of the crater before mid morning.

After all, it looks pretty high from afar.

We even shuffled down into the volcano itself as this was well before we became aware of its eruptions, those at nearby Ruapehu a decade later and, of

course, the disaster on White Island last year.

We were even more surprised the jog down the steep scree slope took only 10 to 15 minutes and found ourselves back on the track at smoko time with an uneaten lunch.

Next thing a couple of tourists wandered along and we asked them where they had come from. They told us the Tongariro Crossing, which we had never heard of.

Such was their enthusiastic praise for what they said was the best tramp they’d ever done, we thought that would be a great way to use up our lunch and drinks.

We were mindful that our wives had told us not to be late for the booked dinner in Turangi that evening but with a very loose plan we didn’t think that would be an issue.

So, again without any due diligence, a sometimes overrated activity but, in my life experience, also something greatly missed at times, we set off in the direction our informants had come from.

It was a most satisfying physical exertion for an couple of young bucks and the scenery was amazing.

This being three decades ago there was hardly anyone else around.

We began discussing whether we should turn back for the car or keep going and take our chances on a lucky lift back to the vehicle.

We went for the latter option.

We eventually caught up with an Irish bloke heading down the northern slopes of Tongariro and were very interested to hear he had a car waiting for him.

Further inquiry indicated he was planning to drive north to Taupo.

We turned on the charm, fed him, carried his pack and eventually asked if he wouldn’t mind dropping us back around at the start of the track.

We had decided to climb Mount Ngauruhoe and being good rural males did no due diligence at all.

He wasn’t that keen but we assured him it was only 10 minutes or so.

When it transpired we had forced him to drive 40 minutes south only to have to drive another 40 minutes north to get back to the same spot we felt obliged to give him the rest of the sweeties and a few loose dollars from our car.

By the time we got to Turangi we thought we’d better call into the restaurant on the unlikely chance our wives weren’t organising search parties and fretting at home.

They were just finishing their

mains on the basis if they were now widows there was no reason to go hungry.

The guests and staff applauded our arrival and didn’t seem to object that we were in tramping gear and rather filthy.

Jane remained unenthusiastic during the wedding and I kept pointing at the brilliant weather forecast.

I suggested if we started from the not recommended northern end we would do the hard yards of climbing for a couple of hours and she could then decide whether she or both of us then beat a retreat.

The plan had the added benefit of saving us $70 in shuttle bus fees if I could get a southbound wedding guest to relocate our ute.

She agreed.

I hadn’t realised that to avoid the ute being towed away from the car park after four hours we would have to walk an extra 2km uphill to get to the start.

After a discussion at the go, no go spot it was determined we would both continue.

We had the walk through the beech forest to ourselves and it wasn’t until we were above the snow line we began meeting those who had been dropped early at the other end.

I knew there would be a lot so began counting and telling them what their place was as well as saying hello to each of them.

Shy of 300 I met a ranger. He told me because the track was closed the day before and this

was a fine Sunday up to 2000 were expected and all but us two were heading north.

I stopped counting but continued to greet the steady stream of trampers. I probably said hi to 1500 folk before I lost interest in that as well.

We walked past the Green then Emerald Lakes and up the steep scree to the highest point on the Red Crater at 1900 metres with that amazing panoramic view of Tongariro’s craters, Ngauruhoe and some of Ruapehu.

The crowds had gone but a lone Frenchman from the Basque region caught us up heading for his car at our finishing end as he had walked in from there.

Naturally, I became his best mate and was delighted to hear that he was heading to Taupo and would be happy to drop me off but I’d have to keep up as his fourhour parking would be up soon.

I left Jane to take her time and almost had to jog on tiring legs to stick with my taxi driver.

Consequently, I did complete the walk in six hours rather than the expected seven or more.

By the time I returned with the ute Jane had just arrived and though both tired and sore, we were both very pleased with ourselves on the drive home.

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 9, 2020

Virus major test for Government Meaty Matters

Allan Barber

HEADLINES driving panic buying in Auckland supermarkets suggest either we are all facing an existential threat or, more likely, a small percentage of the population is reacting like idiots, presumably stocking up large in case one covid-19 case so far means they will have to selfisolate.

The immediate effects of the virus are most obviously being felt by tourist centres, tourism operators and airlines, the education sector, exporters, transport operators and shipping companies.

Close behind them are importers from China, unable to source vital components and inventories because of the extended manufacturing closedown and slow return to work.

The impact is global and critical shortages will start to show up in all sorts of unexpected places though it might be only short-lived if the trend of new cases in China continues to decline and the rest of the world manages to contain covid-19.

The most immediate decisions

relate to public health, like travel bans imposed by individual governments on Chinese visitors flying to Australia and New Zealand or quarantining of arrivals from specific countries.

There is a stark choice between offending trading partners, particularly one as important as China, and taking a risk with domestic public health. When it involves a calculation of the relative balance between them a government will err on the side of caution with public health, especially in an election year, and keep fingers crossed trading partners will understand the dilemma.

Addressing a business audience at Finance 2020 Finance Minister Grant Robertson outlined three scenarios that could play out, as presented by a Treasuryled advisory group for the Government’s assessment – a short, sharp shock to the economy before exports return to normal in the second half of 2020, a more prolonged shock stretching out for the rest of this year or a global downturn or recession in the event of a world pandemic, which would last much longer.

Each scenario will demand a different and progressively stronger Government response ranging from targeted help for those industries most affected such as seafood, forestry and tourism through to immediate fiscal stimulus to support businesses and the economy as a whole.

Robertson made it clear while public health is the Government’s most important concern the impact on the economy is also front of mind and the Government’s books are strong enough to provide support through targeted investment.

A cynic would suggest the Provincial Growth Fund and the Government’s recently announced infrastructure spending package are already compelling examples of targeted investment and further promises will come perilously close to an election bribe.

The Government’s challenge is to identify those businesses and industries in need of support and design packages that will be seen as fair, particularly by those who don’t qualify for help.

It is also important to establish forms of relief that can be turned off when no longer needed.

There is general agreement among NZ economists, other than Don Brash, on the ineffectiveness of Reserve Bank intervention to lower an already historically low cash rate, saying it is the Government’s responsibility to do the heavy lifting in these circumstances.

Infrastructure spending won’t have any noticeable effect in the short term because of the lead time required to get new projects up and running.

So, the preferred options are limited to direct business or industry help and individual tax breaks or welfare payments, with

29

STRENGTH: The Government’s books are strong enough to provide support through targeted investment during the coronavirus outbreak, Finance Minister Grant Robertson told Finance 2020.

these last two certain to prove expensive and difficult to remove.

Help for the already embattled agricultural sector will probably take a similar form to drought relief payments, which usually seem to me to be too little too late.

For exporters the most positive by-product of the virus outbreak has been a steady fall in the exchange rate, now down to about US$0.62, 48.5p and €0.565, a more than 5% drop in the last month. But in the event of a global recession, already being picked by some international commentators, there aren’t many interventions by the Reserve Bank or the Government that will have more than a small, temporary effect.

Overseas there are calls for the United States Federal Reserve to lower interest rates, which it appears reluctant to do, but at least it still has some room to move, whereas the European Central Bank has no room at all with interest rates at minus 0.5% and negative sovereign bond yields.

In February the Chinese economy contracted at an annual rate of 25%, housing sales were

almost non-existent, two-thirds of migrant workers hadn’t returned to work, coal-powered factories were operating at half pace and car sales were down by more than three-quarters.

March will be a crucial month.

It will become clearer whether covid-19 can be contained. That one fact will determine whether the global economy can avoid recession and return to growth.

In the end economic activity will return to normal, tourists will resume travelling and goods will be available when needed.

But while NZ’s location and size might make it less susceptible to a serious virus outbreak, its dependence on trade with the rest of the world means it is more vulnerable than most to a severe global recession.

The competence and common sense of our Government in handling the situation will be sorely tested.

Your View Allan Barber is a meat industry commentator: allan@barberstrategic. co.nz, http://allanbarber.wordpress. com

Dry death by 1000 cuts hits farming communities Andrew Stewart

SUMMER safe. It used to be a short phrase everyone in the farming community could relate to.

Fortunate farmers lived in pockets of the country where summer rain rolled through regularly to keep grass growing, crops thriving and water stocks replenished.

There can be no argument our country is enduring an exceptionally dry summer.

Our little pocket of the normally summer safe Rangitikei is parched, brown and as dry as a bone.

Many areas are in much worse shape and as autumn is now officially with us the time for sitting back and waiting for rain has passed.

Action now might be difficult but is a far better option than reaction when the situation becomes worse.

All rural businesses affected by this dry summer need to have an action plan.

It might involve selling capital stock to reduce numbers, offloading weaners and lambs at lighter weights and light prices or harvesting crops at lower yields than one might have hoped for.

But hanging on and hoping should be the one thing every farmer needs to leave out of their plans.

Because we have been through a number of these increasingly dry summers there are some quality resources available to everyone.

One of the best is from Beef + Lamb and is freely available on it website beeflambnz.com/knowledge-hub/ PDF/extreme-dry-managementtoolkit.

But I want to focus on the most critical part of getting through an extremely dry summer.

People are the engine room of the farming community and in times of prolonged stress, such as we are in right now, they need to be the key focus.

We all know the feeling of looking at a 10-day forecast multiple times a day, hoping for the prospect of rain. We all know the sinking feeling when forecast rain does not appear over the horizon. And we all know the feeling of watching big black clouds delivering downpours to our neighbours while we watch on in frustration.

None of these feelings is positive and over a prolonged time they have a detrimental effect on even the most positive person.

It is like enduring a dry death by 1000 cuts with no idea when the agony is going to end.

Stress is a silent killer.

Everyone reacts differently to stress but there are some tell-tale signs you need to be aware of in both yourself and those around you.

You might experience a loss of energy, changes in sleeping patterns, anxiousness and irritability about little things, difficulty concentrating and a desire to avoid other people including loved ones and acquaintances. All of these behavioural patterns are indicators of stress and if they go unchecked can lead to greater problems.

The only way to address these issues starts with an honest assessment of exactly how you are feeling.

And then it is making a conscious decision to do something about it.

Opening up and discussing worries is a great start because a problem shared is often a problem halved. Listening to your body is also very important. Focus on good food, quality sleep and exercise away from the workplace. And, possibly most importantly, put some fun, laughter

and enjoyment in your life daily.

If you are worried about either yourself or someone you love there are some amazing resources available from people who can provide genuine help. And hearing advice and talking to a person outside the normal group of people you associate with is often a powerful tonic.

We all live in relatively isolated communities and in times such as these we need to look after each other.

Taking the time to talk to a friend or neighbour you suspect might be struggling might just be the medicine they need to keep going.

Look around your district as you travel around it and keep an eye out for any warning signs that someone might be in bad shape.

Don’t be afraid to either pick up the phone or roll up someone’s driveway even if it is just for a cuppa.

It’s these human interactions that have the most powerful positive effects on those in need.

An remember, the time for action is today.

Your View Andrew Stewart is a sheep and beef farmer and tourism operator in Rangitikei.

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Opinion

30 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – March 9, 2020

Give money to those that need it The Braided Trail

Keith Woodford

IT’S only 15 days since I wrote about the coronavirus black swan.

In that time both nothing and everything have changed.

There has been no scientific breakthrough of a treatment or vaccine.

Shockingly high transmission rates in the absence of strict quarantine were evident both then and now. Mortality rates have not changed greatly.

However, the outbreak has now progressed along its global path.

Consequently, the evidence is now much starker and closer to home.

Fifteen days ago I said we are understating the effects this covid-19 virus will have on daily life.

In part that was because many people were trying to compare the early-stage incidence of covid-19 with the all-year situations of common types of influenza. Also, there was a void between those who understood something of epidemiology and those who understood something of how economies work.

Quantitative economists have been caught like possums in the headlights. Their econometric models are unsuited to an event like this. The problem for these economists is that we have never in the past seen a similar disruption on which they can base their models.

In contrast, supply chain specialists are better skilled to see scenarios for supply chain disruption. However, transferring that knowledge to employment and economy-wide effects requires another skill-set that few if any people possess.

Fifteen days ago the coronavirus focus was on China. In the background, the cases of Hong Kong, Singapore and Japan were signposts to how things might or might not play out. I pointed to them in my article. At that time the remarkable success of China in reducing disease transmission was less evident than now.

Back then no-one was thinking about South Korea, Italy and Iran.

How could one predict it was in those specific countries the next coronavirus black swans would emerge?

The closing of schools across Japan, the cancellation of major sporting events in many countries plus the exponential growth of the epidemic in South Korea, Italy and Iran have all changed public perceptions in recent days.

There is increasing acceptance that a global mega-event is apparently bearing down upon us.

Increasingly, it looks like Germany, France, Spain and even the United States all have internal community transmission occurring with no clear backtraces to source. Where do we go from here?

There are still lots of unknowns.

Will this virus have the same exponential growth in tropical countries as in countries still coming out of winter? I see indications it does not transmit as freely in tropical countries – for example Vietnam, Malaysia and Singapore have not experienced the same exponential growth rates as Italy, South Korea and Iran or even Japan. But any hypothesis about winter versus summer transmission could be easily blown away in the coming days.

The key experiential message to date is that ultra-strict quarantine linked with diligent tracing of transmission paths from the outset is the only way to stop or at least slow down the pandemic.

Does that mean in New Zealand, for example, all international arrivals should be able to demonstrate support

NOT QUICK ENOUGH: It might already be too late for New Zealand to prepare for covid-19 and its health facilities will be overwhelmed.

networks to self-isolate? That would largely restrict arrivals to residents. How can any other approach hope to break the transmission path?

It now seems inevitable NZ as well as most of the world will head into recession.

The key issue becomes rapid support for those who lose their jobs. This is much more important than the specific number of the GDP decline.

There is considerable risk the Government and Reserve Bank will use the wrong macro tools.

Adjusting interest rates looks like the wrong medicine. The priority should be to get cash into the hands of those who live week-toweek.

The idea of bringing forward new infrastructure projects might sound great but such things cannot happen quickly.

A helicopter approach of getting cash directly into the hands of those who need it might well be the best approach.

Two weeks ago I anticipated the major agricultural industries would be more resilient than many other industries.

That was because I expected the exchange rate to drop and that has indeed been occurring. Also, as long as the coronavirus focus was on China, I was confident the Chinese government would keep food imports flowing. That

is still the case. I am advised dairy exports to China are indeed flowing but beer exports are stacked up. How that might now play out in other markets is less clear.

Though China has now passed the first hump of infection its path forward remains opaque.

My China networks tell me there are a lot more people out on the streets but the specifics vary by province and even county. In reality, China has always operated a decentralised system.

The problem in China is the likelihood of pockets of coronavirus just waiting to burst forth as soon as people start using public-transport systems. Also, many Chinese factory workers live in factory dormitories where there is minimal personal space. From today’s data it looks as if new cases might be starting to creep up again.

I now expect the forestry downturn in NZ will be for many months and might well go beyond this year. It is very hard to see a rapid bounce-back in Chinese demand for logs.

China has other options to radiata logs from NZ. European spruce that has died from bark beetle is now being logged. It fits the same formwork market niche as our radiata logs. It was disrupting the market even before coronavirus.

The NZ meat industry faces a real conundrum with complicated logistics. The meat companies lack the financial power to buy large quantities of stock without clear visibility as to where markets are going. They might well need bridging finance from the Government.

Many farmers are already stressed by the effects of drought and lack of feed.

In recent weeks the Chinese Government has advised its citizens they should consume the equivalent of 300ml of milk a day to help with their immune systems. If Chinese citizens try to do that there will be a huge shortage of dairy products, which neither China nor NZ could fill.

As for tourism, the effects for NZ look like being disastrous.

The notion from a few weeks back that new tourists could be sought from regions of the world other than China was always more than a little naive. Planning of overseas holidays by nearly all global citizens is now on hold. Perhaps some real Aussies might still come, as well as the deportees.

What we now need from our Government is clear communication of strategies and required behaviours if and when the epidemic should really strike here. At what point would schools be closed, sporting events cancelled and people asked to work from home?

Whatever is decided it might well be too late and our health facilities will be overwhelmed.

The global evidence is now very clear that health workers are particularly at risk.

It is all about the stitch in time.

That might be right now.

Your View Keith Woodford was Professor of farm management and agribusiness at Lincoln University for 15 years to 2015. He is now principal consultant at AgriFood Systems. He can be contacted at kbwoodford@gmail.com

DON’T LET SUCCESS OR FAILURE COME DOWN TO THE WIRE. Only fencing wire that carries the WIREMARK guarantee is 100% made and tested in New Zealand for this country’s harsh farming conditions. So make sure you ask for WIREMARK, the fencing wire that’s as tough and wiry as a local fencer. To find out more, visit wiremark.co.nz, call 0800 7227 8335 or email info@pacificsteel.co.nz

MADE TOUGH AND WIRY IN NEW ZEALAND

Real Estate

THE NZ FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – March 9, 2020

31

Rural resilience under pressure

V

OLATILITY continues to plague the rural real estate market.

Figures for the three months to January 31 show an improving trend but are still 16% below the corresponding period a year earlier and 9% below the equivalent period two years ago, Real Estate Institute rural spokesman Brian Peacocke says.

Median prices are volatile with increases in the finishing and horticulture sectors but falls in the grazing and dairy sectors, particularly the latter.

“Numerous issues continue to impact the rural sector with the well publicised restrictions emanating from some members of the banking sector now being trumped by market restrictions resulting from coronavirus to shortage of killing space at a critical time of the year to the onset of extraordinarily dry conditions bordering on drought throughout the North Island and the top of the South.

“The amazing contrast has been the heavy rain, cooler temperatures and flooding in the lower South Island.

“The resilience of the rural sector is being severely tested,” Peacocke said.

There were 57 fewer farm sales, a fall of 13.6%, for the three months to January 31 than for the three months to January 31 2019.

During the three months to January 31 there were 363 farm sales compared to 345 for the three months to December 31 (+5.2%), and 420 for the three months to January 31 2019.

There were 1277 farms sold in the year to January 31, 14% fewer than the corresponding period a year earlier with 40.3% fewer dairy farms, 3.9% fewer grazing farms, 28.4% fewer finishing farms and 9.8% fewer arable farms sold.

The median price per hectare for all farms sold in the three months to January 31 was $21,221 compared to $27,087 for three months ended January 31 2019, a fall of 21.7%.

The median price per hectare

DOWN: The median price per hectare for dairy farms fell 6.9% over the past year.

The resilience of the rural sector is being severely tested.

Brian Peacocke Real Estate Institute in January was 7.7% less than in December.

Five of the 14 regions had more farm sales for the three months to January 31 compared to the corresponding period a year earlier, including Auckland (+10) and Northland (+9).

Waikato had the biggest fall in sales (-32) followed by Taranaki (-13).

Eight regions had more sales compared to the three months to December 31, with Northland having the biggest increase (+13), followed by Waikato and Southland (both +5).

Grazing farms had the biggest number of sales with a 34% share of all sales over the three months to January 31, followed by finishing farms at 27%, dairy 12% and horticulture 7%.

The median sales price per hectare for dairy farms sold in the three months to January 31 was $35,967 (43 properties) compared to $38,152 (35 properties) for the three months to December 31 and $38,642 (69 properties) for the three months to January 31 2019.

The median price per hectare

for dairy farms fell 6.9% over the past year.

On a price per kilo of milksolids basis the median sales price was $38.72 for the three months to January 31 compared to $41.40 for the three months to December 31 (-6.5%) and $40.28 for the three months to January 31 2019 (-3.9%).

For finishing farms sold in the three months to January 31 the median sale price per hectare was $30,032 (98 properties) compared to $31,008 (90 properties) for the three months to December 31 and $29,587 (136 properties) for the three months to January 31 2019.

The median price per hectare for finishing farms rose 1.5% over the past year.

For grazing farms sold in the

three months to January 31 the median sales price per hectare was $9910 (125 properties) compared to $10,177 (119 properties) for the three months to December 31 and $10,295 (118 properties) for the three months to January 31 2019. The median price per hectare for grazing farms fell 3.7% over the past year.

The median sales price per hectare for horticulture farms sold in the three months to January 31 was $283,807 (24 properties) compared to $261,131 (31 properties) for the three months to December 31 and $160,618 (41 properties) for the three months to January 31 2019.

The median price per hectare for horticulture farms has risen 76.7% over the past year.

Ten Basic Fertiliser Facts You Must Know and Adopt to Meet 2025 Water Quality Limits: Dr Bert Quin

Fact 1. The overuse of soluble P fertiliser is by far the largest cause of P run-off and leaching, and therefore of the decline in the quality of Kiwi waterways.

Fact 2. Once you have Olsen P levels that are more than a third of the P retention (ASC), application of additional soluble P is very prone to loss to the environment.

Fact 3. If you want to build up your soil P in an environmentally-protective way, simply apply RPR. It does not get leached or lost directly in run-off, but releases P in a sustained fashion for plants.

Fact 4. There is nothing to lose and everything to gain. RPR-based fertilisers are even cheaper than super-based products as well! Added sulphur bentonite (sulphur 90) is far more efficient than the excess sulphate in super.

Fact 5. Following 1-4 above will greatly reduce P run-off and leaching. This should be done before anything else, and the situation reassessed before spending huge amounts of money!

Fact 6. It is nonsensical to give in to pressure to install expensive mitigations riparian strips, excessively large wetlands and ‘phosphorus walls’ when you have no idea of their long-term effectiveness and maintenance costs, and before you have established whether changing to sustained-release RPR is all you need to do!

Fact 7. in any case simple fenced-off 3-metre wide grass riparian strips are essentially as effective and vastly cheaper than more complex strips. Both reduce bacterial and sediment losses. Neither will have any significant long-term beneficial effect (on a whole -farm basis) on soluble P and nitrate-N loss. But grass strips can be harvested in summer to be fed out, to improve P and N cycling.

Fact 8. In a nutshell, for maintenance of P levels any genuine RPR (not an RPR/Boucraa mix please!) can be used. Just check the Cd content. For low fertility situations or low rainfall, use a blend of RPR and high-analysis soluble P. Fact 9. For N, rather than granular urea, use prilled urea, sprayed immediately prior to, or during, the spreading with urease inhibitor. Use of N can be literally cut in half with big savings.

Fact 10. Potash is more efficient, and must less likely to cause metabolic problems, if applied in small doses 4 times a year, adding up to 50-60% of the total annual amount you are using now. Easy to mix with your prilled urea. Leaching of anions like nitrate will be minimised as well.

For more info, email Bert Quin on bert.quin@quinfert.co.nz, or phone 021 427 572, or visit www.quinfert.co.nz

32

farmersweekly.co.nz/realestate 0800 85 25 80

Real Estate

FARMERS WEEKLY – March 9, 2020

Boundary lines are indicative only

Boundary lines are indicative only

Taupo Surrounds 552 Puaiti Road

Big in Waikite Valley

4

This property is made up of 777 hectares (more or less), currently being run as a Dairy Support block, located in the stunning Waikite Valley. The dwellings and farm buildings consist of one, four bedroom home with an inground swimming pool, plus a second three bedroom weatherboard home. 156 main paddocks are subdivided by conventional and electric fencing, the average paddock size is approximately 4.5 hectares. There is a breathtaking 52 hectare native bush that boundaries the property on three sides giving the property real aesthetic appeal. Rotorua is only a 35 kilometres drive away (approximately), alternatively Taupo is 55 kilometres. Seldom do opportunities like this arise, for one lucky purchaser to secure such a great block with scale, favourable contour and live and work in this vibrant community.

Tender (unless sold prior) Closing 2pm, Tue 7 Apr 2020 44 Roberts Street, Taupo View by appointment Stan Sickler 021 275 7826 stan.sickler@bayleys.co.nz

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WESTERMAN REALTY LTD, BAYLEYS, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008

bayleys.co.nz/2652014

RURAL | LIFESTYLE | RESIDENTIAL PGG Wrightson Real Estate Limited, licensed under REAA 2008

AUCTION

LOBURN, CANTERBURY

466 Loburn Kowai Road

Retiring Vendors - Market, Come Speak to Us! 80.2888ha of rolling country, has grown good winter crops, is ideal for winter finishing and regarded as summer safe. Troughs in paddocks, central lane and fully deer fenced. Upmarket four-bedroom home with views to die for from every window. Large shed with bathroom facilities. Deer yards. Self-contained cottage.

4

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AUCTION Plus GST (if any) (Unless Sold Prior) 2.00pm, Wednesday 8 April VIEW 1.00-2.00pm, Wed 11 March Paul Tapper | M 027 224 1300 Nick Rattanong | M 027 308 5280

pggwre.co.nz/RAN30460

Whakapirau 154 Mooney Road Iconic coastal station This iconic coastal station is offered to the market for the first time in three generations. Consisting of 324 hectares of rolling hill country, including three kilometers of coastline, opportunities like this do not present themselves every day. Location, contour and infrastructure only add to what is a stunning piece of New Zealand, steeped in heritage. Situated only one and a half hours from the Auckland CBD this property provides astute investors, farming families and the discerning buyers the opportunity of a lifetime, you must put this property on your list.

bayleys.co.nz/1020423

Tender (unless sold prior) Closing 2pm, Tue 31 Mar 2020 84 Walton St, Whangarei View by appointment Todd Skudder 027 439 1235 todd.skudder@bayleys.co.nz MACKYS REAL ESTATE LTD, BAYLEYS, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008

THE DESTINATION FOR RURAL REAL ESTATE

Land is the biggest asset to any farming business so it pays to stay up to date with the market.

Connect with the right audience at

farmersweekly.co.nz/realestate

3

FARMERS WEEKLY – March 9, 2020

Real Estate

farmersweekly.co.nz/realestate 0800 85 25 80

33

Accelerating success.

Reach more people - better results faster.

colliers.co.nz

RURAL rural@pb.co.nz 0800 FOR LAND

Property Brokers Limited Licensed under the Real Estate Agents Act 2008

Self contained dairy / beef unit

Ngawapurua Farm - 188 ha

OPEN DAY

TENDER

WEB ID TWR02614 TE AWAMUTU 546 Ngutunui Road VIEW 10 & 24 Mar 12.00 - 2.00pm DEADLINE SALE closes Wednesday 8th April, 2020 at Well located 157.34 ha unit situated 27 km from Te 4.00pm, (unless sold prior) Awamutu and 23 km from Otorohanga and handy to Pirongia. Currently run as a self-contained dairy/beef unit milking 280 cows; raising 300 calves on whole milk.

Quality infrastructure with a centrally located 31 ASHB, Howard Ashmore in-shed feeding, 30 x 16m calf rearing shed as well as Mobile 027 438 8556 other shedding. Executive 4 brm home plus a very tidy 3 Office 07 870 2112 brm second home. This farm has an enviable howarda@pb.co.nz environmental footprint with approx 20,000 native trees been planted over the past 6 years. With the introduction of My Milk, this may be the best time to Angela Quinn make the move.

Mobile 027 430 7939

DEADLINE SALE

angelaq@pb.co.nz

4 2

WEB ID PR74485 PAHIATUA 80922 State Highway 2 View By Appointment TENDER closes Tuesday 24th March, 2020 at 2.00pm, at Ngawapurua farm is well located being 6 km south of Property Brokers, 129 Main Street, Pahiatua Woodville and under 30 minutes drive to Palmerston North. Comprising 160 ha of flat superior soil types utilised as milking platform has resulted in excellent production history of a 5 year average around 162,000 Jared Brock kgMS peak milking 430 cows. The 30 ha easy hill Mobile 027 449 5496 Office 06 376 4823 country support unit adds an excellent complement to Home 06 376 6341 the dairy business which is utilised as young stock jared@pb.co.nz grazing. Infrastructure includes a 40 bail rotary shed, numerous shedding, excellent access and water supply.

John Arends Ngawapurua features 2 homes with the main home Mobile 027 444 7380 featuring 4 bedrooms.

Office 06 376 4364

TENDER

johna@pb.co.nz

Private valley living

TENDER OKOIA 345 Kaukatea Valley Road

WEB ID WGR74653

non-effective land. Farm infrastructure is well catered for VIEW By Appointment with a three bay implement shed, three stand wool shed TENDER closes Friday 20th March, 2020 at 2.00pm, with yards and adjoining nightpen, cattle yards, grain Property Brokers Situated down a no-exit road and only a leisurely 15 min silo and various other shedding.

51 Taupo Quay drive from the heart of Whanganui. The six bedroom Whanganui character homestead sits nestled amongst established If you want to take advantage of the many business trees with a private northerly aspect, taking advantage opportunities and recreational purposes this fantastic of the sun and stunning rural views. Land comprises of a property provides while enjoying quiet country living, mixture of flat to steep contour, with 25 effective ha of then your inspection is invited. grazing and 17 ha of forest made up of a mix of tree species at a variety of ages, with the balance being Tender offer to include "plus GST (if any)"

TENDER

Enjoy the quiet ambience of the Whanganui countryside on this 77.42 ha (more or less) lifestyle block.

pb.co.nz

6 Richard White

Mobile 027 442 6171 richardw@pb.co.nz

2

RURAL rural@pb.co.nz 0800 FOR LAND

Property Brokers Limited Licensed under the Real Estate Agents Act 2008

Coastal dairying - minutes from town

Complete first farm package

DEADLINE SALE

WEB ID HKR74606 AWATUNA 759 Kumara Junction Highway Quality improvements and great location combined with a sustainable farming system are just some of the outstanding features of this prime coastal dairy farm located only minutes from the thriving town of Hokitika.

The property consists of 108 hectares freehold, 13.8 hectares DOC lease and approximately 8 hectares of crown land providing effective area of 120 hectares, milking 200 cows on a genuine low cost pasture based system including wintering herd on farm. Boasting quality farm improvements including a modern 20 ASHB shed plus a full range of outbuildings.

DEADLINE SALE View By Appointment DEADLINE SALE closes Tuesday 7th April, 2020 at 4.00pm, (unless sold prior), at Property Brokers Hokitika, 22 Weld Street Hokitika

Gareth Cox

WEB ID HKR74637 KOWHITIRANGI 19 Cropp Road View By Appointment Our retiring vendors are committed to moving on, and willing to support the transfer of ownership of this property. On offer is a 114 hectare dairy platform situated in the Kokatahi / Kowhitirangi Valley, 20 min from Hokitika. Milk production averages 62,000 kgMS from 230 cows. Improvements include a 19 ASHB shed, 220 cow wintering herd home, and two homes. To complete the package our vendors offer their 20 hectare effective runoff for sale by negotiation. Stock and plant available at valuation.

$2,050,000 + GST (IF ANY)

Mobile 021 250 9714 Office 03 975 4506 gareth@pb.co.nz

Oxford foothills opportunity

2

Self contained, low cost dairy farm

DEADLINE SALE

DEADLINE SALE

WEB ID RR74886 COOPERS CREEK 121 Mountain Road View By Appointment DEADLINE SALE closes Thursday 26th March, 2020 at Nestled at the base of Mount Oxford sheltered by the sleeping giant, as it is known to locals - is a hidden gem, 2.00pm, (unless sold prior) a versatile 87.92 ha farm in a spectacular location featuring a good balance of flats combined with gently rolling to steeper contours, and captivating views of the Leigh Miller mountains and across the plains. With a generally higher Mobile 021 308 202 rainfall, and a combination of both grazing land and Office 03 310 6471 some regenerating native bush with an excellent mix of leighm@pb.co.nz flowering natives that boundary the Oxford Forest. This property presents many options, hunting, farming, Malcolm Garvan forestry, bees, a lifestyle hideaway or retreat.

Mobile 027 231 4425

DEADLINE SALE

pb.co.nz

1

Gareth Cox

Mobile 021 250 9714 Office 03 975 4506 gareth@pb.co.nz

Office 03 310 6471 malcolmg@pb.co.nz

3

WEB ID WMR74896 OTAIO 861 Woolshed Valley Road View By Appointment DEADLINE SALE closes Wednesday 8th April, 2020 at New to market in South Canterbury.

DEADLINE SALE

4.20pm, (unless sold prior)

2 1 3

Self contained with a total support block. Low cost, dairy farm on multi use soils. Irrigated. Consistent, proven production. Can be purchased as a going concerned.

Two substantial home on, irrigation via it's own well.

Multiple titles and 2 centre pivots. Balance K-Line.

Total area 341 ha in an excellent location only 6-8 km from main road on sealed road. High performing Friesian herd.

Tim Meehan

Mobile 027 222 9983 tim.meehan@pb.co.nz

Ian Moore

Mobile 027 539 8152 ian.moore@pb.co.nz

36

farmersweekly.co.nz/realestate 0800 85 25 80

NORTHERN MANAWATU - 242.8 HA 133 Mania Road, Rangiwahia, Manawatu Situated 7.5km north of Rangiwahia and 20km east of Mangaweka, this medium hill country property weaned 720 lambs at 17kg+ CW this year. Typically considered a summer reliable locality with its close to 1,400mm annual rainfall and its proximity to the ranges, a large portion of the dams spring fed.

Well tracked the solid fertiliser history should see this place bolt away with a bit more rain. The spacious four bedroom home was redecorated recently, with the four stand woolshed and livestock facilities located close-by. Livestock available at valuation from our retiring Vendor.

Real Estate

242.8 hectares Tender

nzr.nz/RX2239042 Tender Closes 1pm, Thu 2 April 2020, NZR, 20 Kimbolton Road, Feilding.

Peter Barnett AREINZ 027 482 6835 | peter@nzr.nz NZR Limited | Licensed REAA 2008

FARMERS WEEKLY – March 9, 2020

RURAL | LIFESTYLE | RESIDENTIAL

OPEN DAY

EXCLUSIVE

KAIMAI, BAY OF PLENTY 2722 SH 29 Kaimai Deer Farm A 70 hectare trophy deer farm with its own airstrip, amazing Bay of Plenty views and good contour.

Wake up to spectacular sunrises from the master suite of this remodelled Lockwood home.

Well maintained property with good water, pasture, fertility, fencing and deer handling facilities. The forest park boundary ensures ultimate summer grass growing conditions and a dense, clover rich sward.

Waterfalls and swimming holes, goldmines, bush clad valleys and lots of hay country - amazing property!

Ideal velveting, breeding, horses or beef unit.

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2

TENDER

(Unless Sold By Private Treaty) Closes 4.00pm, Thursday 2 April

VIEW 11.45-1.15pm

3

114ha Waikato Dairy Unit • •

Wednesday 11 & Sunday 15 March

•

Andrew Fowler M 027 275 2244 E afowler@pggwrightson.co.nz

• •

Good mix of contour – lovely aesthetic appeal 30 ASHB dairy, sound home with excellent farm infrastructure Additional 20ha of milking country available for lease Fully compliant with good farm records There’s lots to like about this well located farm

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PRICE ON APPLICATION Plus GST (if any)

Richard Thomson M 027 294 8625 E richard.thomson@pggwrightson.co.nz

Amanda Edwards M 027 463 3502 E amanda.edwards@pggwrightson.co.nz

pggwre.co.nz/TAR31918

pggwre.co.nz/HAM31271

TENDER

NEW LISTING

MANAKAU, HOROWHENUA Kristin Place Manakau Farm Land - 77.84ha (192 acres) Faithful, mostly level with some rolling contour, nononsense farmland on seaward side of SH1 and off Waikawa Beach Road.

Block runs north/south and blessed with strong sunshine hours. Own water supply being installed, new cattle yards being built.

Location is in high demand spot in southern Horowhenua and so, so suitable for land-banking for future subdivision and leasing out in the interim by the new owner, or use yourself. Recent nearby farm land sales suggest this block should also be sought after.

TENDER Plus GST (if any) (Unless Sold By Private Treaty) Closes 1.00pm, Wednesday 18 March VIEW By Appointment Only

Joe Havill M 027 437 0169 B 06 367 0835 E joe.havill@pggwrightson.co.nz

pggwre.co.nz/LEV31971

SALTWATER CREEK 1966 Main North Road 'Whispering Sands', What an Opportunity!

The decision has been made; Whispering Sands is on the market. Plan A is for outright purchase, Plan B is to lease it – there is no Plan C. Packed with potential this dairy farm is now ready to be taken to the next level – with a great central location it presents an opportunity for improvement, and not just for dairying.

The vendors are serious, talk to your bank or financial advisor now!

Your early inspection is recommended.

We welcome your enquiry.

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DEADLINE PRIVATE TREATY Plus GST (if any) (Unless Sold Prior) Closes 2.00pm, Thursday 2 April

VIEW 10.00am,

Tuesday 10, Wednesday 11 and Monday 16 March

Bruce Hoban M 027 588 8889 E bhoban@pggwrightson.co.nz

pggwre.co.nz/RAN31953

PGG Wrightson Real Estate Limited, licensed under REAA 2008

For more great rural listings, visit www.pggwre.co.nz www.pggwre.co.nz

KARAMU, WAIKATO

PGG Wrightson Real Estate Limited, licensed under the REAA 2008

Helping grow the country

NZ’s leading rural real estate company

Helping grow the country

Agri Job Board

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Apatu Farms operate a multi-dimensional Agribusiness throughout Hawke’s Bay.

The operation comprises of the cropping platform on the Heretaunga plains and pastoral properties all within close proximity of Hastings, providing an added attraction to live in Hawke’s Bay.

Applications close 20 March 2020

Part-time/Casual Pre-press Production Designer GlobalHQ is the country’s most innovative multimedia agriinformation hub. We work hard to create valuable content that informs, inspires and entertains.

We invest in great people and products, including the AgriHQ suite of data and analysis products, Farmers Weekly, On Farm Story and Dairy Farmer.

We require someone with the following skills: • • • • • •

Advanced knowledge of Creative Suite, particularly InDesign and Photoshop High level of grammar and spelling accuracy Excellence in customer service High level of attention to detail and accuracy Ability to work individually and in a team environment Ability to work to deadlines.

To request a job description and application form please email hr@globalhq.co.nz Applications close Monday 23 March, 2020

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We would prefer: • 2 years experience • 4 trained dogs • Horse experience

To apply please email CV to: office@glenaray.co.nz

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Farm Manager

2IC

Customers love Appleby Farms ice cream – we’re looking for an outstanding farm manager who wants to produce the milk that goes into the ice cream that people love.

Bull Farmer

Appleby Farms is the first step in the Appleby ice cream story.

Applicants will need to demonstrate a passion for producing top quality raw ingredients that are central to creating our premium awardwinning hand-crafted ice creams.

Farm Manager

For more on the Appleby story visit applebyfarms.co.nz

Home Based Telephone Interviewers

Fencer General

We are an intergenerational family farming business – we grow pasture, livestock and people. We truly care about the environment in which we live and operate and we’re looking for someone who wants to join our team.

Large Scale Farm Management Opportunities

The farm is 54ha plus associated support land on the outskirts of Nelson. We calve 200 cows, operate a well maintained 15 a-side herringbone and produce high quality A2 every day of the year.

Operations Manager

This kind of opportunity doesn’t come along every day

Pre-Press Production Designer

You will need to be experienced in all aspects of modern dairy farming and understand the importance of food safety, environmental and animal husbandry best practice. As well as being a skilled and competent pasture manager you will strive to be a proud ambassador for our cow to cone story. This is a hands-on role and requires a manager who has respect for cows, people and the environment. And you’ll need to be comfortable farming on the edge of town.

You’re reading the Farmers Weekly and so are the people you want to employ.

GET IN TOUCH

For all your employment ads Debbie 06 323 0765, classifieds@globalhq.co.nz

Appleby Farms provides a supportive work environment, competitive remuneration package and a three-bedroom home located close to town in an area with great climate and plenty of outdoor, recreational and social activities.

To apply

Shepherd Tractor/Truck/Machinery Operator Whanganui Sheep and Beef LK0101594©

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Phone Scott Newman Freephone 0800 2SCOTTY (0800 27 26 88) Mobile 027 26 26 27 2

Accommodation: Very comfortable single quarters. All food provided including cooked evening meal Monday to Friday and cooked winter lunches. SkyTV and internet. There is excellent hunting on the station and local rugby and squash clubs.

For more information please phone Mike O’Donoghue on 03 202 7720 evenings

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We have a vacancy for a shepherd to join our team at Glenaray Station, Southland, which runs 38,000 ewes, 1500 cows and 2500 hinds.

We have an opportunity for a casual/part-time position, based in our head office in Feilding, for a Pre-press Production Designer.

The Pre-press production/designer role position exists to provide support in the production process of advertisements and editorial layout for all GlobalHQ publications, including AgriHQ reports.

GST $4200 INCLUSIVE

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50 TON WOOD SPLITTER

LK0101640©

Please email a cover letter and C.V to jobs@apatugroup.com or phone Tim Agnew for a confidential chat on 021 320 598.

GST INCLUSIVE

To find out more visit www.moamaster.co.nz

LK0101508©

A house located within close proximity could be available if required.

$4200

GST INCLUSIVE

Phone 027 367 6247 • Email: info@moamaster.co.nz

Please email your CV to Emma Field & Administration Coordinator field@cinta.co.nz | www.cinta.co.nz

We are looking for a motivated person to be part of a small team to help achieve and exceed our livestock goals

This is a permanent position and remuneration will be dependent on skills and experience.

$4400

12Hp Diesel. Electric Start

11.5HP Briggs & Stratton Motor.

Industrial. Electric start.

TOWABLE FLAIL MOWER

If you have the following qualities: • Reliable and able to work to time deadlines unsupervised • Professional telephone manner • Clear and confident speaking voice • Conscientious approach to work • Remuneration is $19 per hour

Our Livestock division consists 450ha of finishing country which is supported by 900ha winter lamb finishing platform working in conjunction with strategic cropping programs. The business demands a high level of integration between systems.

TOWABLE TOPPING MOWER

✁

Experienced Shepherd

The following experience, responsibilities and skills required are: • Livestock handling experience, minimum of 4 years • 2-3 dogs capable of yard work and mustering small paddocks • Fencing, repairs and maintenance skills • Experience in operating farm machinery (vehicles/four wheelers/ motorbikes/tractors and other associated farm equipment) • Flexibility to work extended hours to meet the operational needs • Self-motivation and able to work autonomously to meet deadlines • Fit, active and able to work cooperatively with others • Full drivers license and able to pass a pre employment drug test

13.5HP. Briggs & Stratton Motor. Electric start.

1.2m cut

Cinta Research is looking for home-based telephone interviewers who wish to work on a casual temporary basis and able to work from home. It is preferable if you have an understanding of NZ farming or have a rural background.

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HOME-BASED FARM RELATED TELEPHONE INTERVIEWING

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38

Let us know why you’re the person for this role by sending your CV and cover letter to info@peoplemad.co.nz by Friday 20th March 2019.

Want to discuss first? Please contact Sarah Watson at PeopleMAD on 021 800 887.

*FREE upload to Farmers Weekly jobs: farmersweeklyjobs.co.nz

*conditions apply

Contact Debbie Brown 06 323 0765 or email classifieds@globalhq.co.nz

Noticeboard

FARMERS WEEKLY – March 9, 2020

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 CRAIGCO SHEEP JETTERS. Sensor Jet. Deal to fly and Lice now. Guaranteed performance.

Unbeatable pricing.

Phone 06 835 6863. www.craigcojetters.com

ANIMAL HEALTH www.drench.co.nz farmer owned, very competitive prices. Phone 0800 4 DRENCH (437 362).

ATTENTION FARMERS FAST GRASS www.gibb-gro.co.nz GROWTH PROMOTANT Only $6.00 per hectare + GST delivered Brian Mace 0274 389 822 brianmace@xtra.co.nz

ATTENTION FARMERS

DOGS WANTED

DAGS .25c PER KG. Replacement woolpacks.

PV Weber Wools.

Kawakawa Road, Feilding. Phone 06 323 9550.

LIVESTOCK FREEZEBRANDING. South Island wide. 027 842 6255.

CONTRACTORS GORSE SPRAYING SCRUB CUTTING. 30 years experience.

Blowers, gun and hose.

No job too big. Camp out teams.

Travel anywhere if job big enough. Phone Dave 06 375 8032.

DOGS FOR SALE ONE HUNTAWAY, suit cattle or bulls. ONE 10-MONTH-old Heading dog, ready to get going.

Phone 06 388 0212 or 027 243 8541.

SELLING AND BUYING dogs NZ wide since 2012.

Deliver, trial, guaranteed. www.youtube.com/user/ mikehughesworkingdog/ videos 07-315-5553

LEASE OPPORTUNITY

12 MONTHS TO 5½-yearold Heading dogs and Huntaways wanted. Phone 022 698 8195.

FARM MAPPING SIMPLE AND CLEAR farm maps with paddock sizes will help you achieve your daily goals. Get a free quote from farmmapping. co.nz

FORESTRY WANTED

NATIVE FOREST FOR MILLING also Macrocarpa and Red Gum, New Zealand wide.

We can arrange permits and plans. Also after milled timber to purchase.

NEW ZEALAND NATIVE TIMBER SUPPLIERS (WGTN) LIMITED 04 293 2097 Richard.

GOATS WANTED

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.

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. Phone Michael and Clarice.

027 643 0403.

BOOK A WORD only ad in Farmers Weekly Classifieds. Phone Debbie Brown on 0800 85 25 .

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

DOLOMITE NZ’s finest BioGro certified Mg fertiliser For a delivered price call ....

0800 436 566

w w w. e l e c t r o t e k . c o . n z

Thinking about retiring but don’t want to sell the family farm? We would be very interested hearing from you!

We are looking to expand our current drystock property. Northland drystock / finishing farms of 350ha or more preferred.

If bigger than 500ha then further away would be considered as well.

DE HORNER

EARMARKERS

Five year lease with option to extend to 10 years preferred.

For more enquiries ring Marty Vermeulen 09 439 0004

LK0101619©

Flexible starting date before July 1st 2020.

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

NOTICEBOARD ADVERTISING

Do you have something to sell?

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

Call Debbie

0800 85 25 80

classifieds@globalhq.co.nz

RIVER AND DRAINAGE ENGINEERING SCHEMES CATCHMENT COMMUNITY MEETINGS - 2020 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 2020-21 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:

• South East Ruahines Scheme: Wednesday, 18 March - 10.30am The Hub, Dannevirke Christian Fellowship, 23 Gordon Street, Dannevirke. Public Meeting • Upper Manawatū –Lower Mangahao Scheme: Wednesday, 18 March - 1.00pm Woodville Service Centre, Cnr Vogel (SH 2) and Tay Streets, Woodville. Public Meeting

• Ōhau-Manakau Scheme: Monday, 23 March - 3.00pm Ōhau Hall, Muhunoa West Road, Ōhau. Drop-in • Porewa Flood Control Scheme: Friday, 27 March - 11.00am Hunterville Hall, Bruce Street, Hunterville. Drop-in • Rangitīkei River Control Scheme: Friday, 27 March - 3.00pm Marton Service Centre, Hammond Street, Marton. Public Meeting

SOLID – PRACTICAL

• Moutoa – Whirokino Drainage Schemes: Monday, 30 March - 9.30am Te Awahou Nieuwe Stroom, 92 Main Street, Foxton. Public Meeting

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

• No Expensive Cartridges • Installer Network

• Himatangi Drainage Scheme: Monday, 30 March - 11.30am Te Awahou Nieuwe Stroom, 92 Main Street, Foxton. Drop-in • Koputaroa Drainage Scheme: Tuesday, 31 March - 9.00am Koputaroa Hall, 399 Koputaroa Road, Koputaroa. Public Meeting

LK0099618©

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

You’re invited to

B+LNZ LTD’S ANNUAL MEETING AND WESTERN NORTH ISLAND SHOWCASE Thursday 26 March 2020 | The Devon Hotel, New Plymouth

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• Makerua Drainage Scheme: Tuesday, 31 March - 1.00pm Tokomaru Community Hall, 761 Makerua Road, Tokomaru. Public Meeting

SHOP ONLINE

Ph 09 376 0860 www.jder-cintropur.co.nz

PUMPS

BOOK AN AD. For only $2.10 + gst per word you can book a word only ad in Farmers Weekly Classifieds section.

Phone Debbie Brown on 0800 85 25 80 to book in or email classifieds@ globalhq.co.nz

• Haunui Drainage Scheme: Wednesday, 1 April - 9.00am Whangaehu Hall, 19 Whangaehu Valley Road, Whangaehu. Drop-in • Whangaehu-Mangawhero & Turakina River Scheme: Wednesday, 1 April - 11.00am Whangaehu Hall, 19 Whangaehu Valley Road, Whangaehu. Public Meeting • Forest Road Drainage Scheme: Wednesday, 1 April - 3.00pm Cnr Parewanui & Forest Roads. Drop-in • Pohangina-Oroua River Control Scheme: Thursday, 2 April - 9.00am Pohangina Hall, 1269 Pohangina Road, Pohangina. Public Meeting • Tutaenui Flood Control Scheme: Thursday, 2 April - 3.00pm Marton Service Centre, Hammond Street, Marton. Public Meeting • Lower Manawatu Scheme: Friday, 3 April - 9.00am Kairanga Community Hall, 1103 Kairanga Bunnythorpe Road, Kairanga. Public Meeting • Te Kawau Drainage Scheme: Friday, 3 April - 1.00pm Kairanga Community Hall, 1103 Kairanga Bunnythorpe Road, Kairanga. Public Meeting • Manawatū Drainage Scheme: Friday, 3 April - 3.00pm Kairanga Community Hall, 1103 Kairanga Bunnythorpe Road, Kairanga. Public Meeting • Pakihi Flood Control Scheme: Tuesday, 14 April - 9.00am Te Pae Tata, The Hub Ohakune, 43a Ruapehu Road, Ohakune. Drop-in

Come along to discuss how we position the sector for the future. The full day programme will update farmers on market development, environment and changing policy. Day includes a visit to MataRata Downs. Join us in the evening to help fundraise for the Taranaki Rural Support Trust. Evening includes auction and keynote speaker Kevin Biggar.

Find out more and register at www.beeflambnz.com

39

FO SALR E

• Hōkio Drainage Scheme: Monday, 23 March- 11.00am Te Takere, Levin, 10 Bath Street, Levin. Drop-in

WELL INSULATED – AFFORDABLE

• Chlorine Removal

WILTSHIRE & SHIRE® Meat rams. Low input. www.wiltshire-rams.co.nz 03 225 5283.

• Mangatainoka River Scheme: Wednesday, 18 March- 3.00pm Woodville Service Centre, Cnr Vogel (SH 2) and Tay Streets, Woodville. Public Meeting

THIN K PRE BU IL T

NEW HOMES

• Town or Tank Water

RAMS. TERMINAL SIRES Southdowns and Suffolk/ Southdown X for heavy fast growing lambs. Suitable for Hogget mating. $250$550. Phone 06 357 7727 or 021 133 7533.

• Lower Kiwitea Scheme: Wednesday, 18 March - 9.00am Cheltenham Hotel, 1469 Kimbolton Road, Feilding. Public Meeting

Water Filter Systems

• Whole House

WILTSHIRES-ARVIDSON. Self shearing sheep. No1 for Facial Eczema. David 027 2771 556.

30 POLL DORSET ewe lambs. Capital stock, SIL recorded. Phone 06 378 0267 RED DEVON BULLS; Also in-calf cows + heifers, BVD vaccinated + weaners. Hill country stud. TB-C10 - 06 376 3966 2TH TEXEL RAMS for sale. Phone 027 484 2822 www.texel.co.nz RAMS. HILL COUNTRY Perendales. Easy care with good size and quality wool. $250-$550. Phone 06 376 4751 or 021 133 7533.

• Matarawa Flood Control Scheme: Monday, 16 March - 6.00pm Whanganui Girls’ College, 21 Jones Street, Whanganui East, Whanganui. Public Meeting

Phone: +64 6 357 2454 HOOF TRIMMER

RAMS FOR SALE

• Lower Whanganui River Management Scheme: Monday, 16 March - 3.00pm Whanganui Girls’ College, 21 Jones Street, Whanganui East, Whanganui. Public Meeting

ZON BIRDSCARER

electro-tek@xtra.co.nz

LIVESTOCK FOR SALE

• Makirikiri Flood Control Scheme: Monday, 16 March - 11.00am Richard Redmayne property. Drop-in

STOP BIRDS NOW!

P.O. Box 30, Palmerston North 4440, NZ

LIVESTOCK FOR SALE

• Ashhurst Drainage Scheme: Monday, 16 March - 1.00pm Ashhurst Village Valley Centre, Winchester & Guildford Streets, Ashhurst. Drop-in

LK0101431©

ANIMAL HANDLING

classifieds@globalhq.co.nz – 0800 85 25 80

• Ohakune Drainage Scheme: Tuesday, 14 April - 11.00am Te Pae Tata, The Hub Ohakune, 43a Ruapehu Road, Ohakune. Public Meeting • Upper Whanganui River Scheme: Tuesday, 14 April - 3.00pm War Memorial Hall, Taumarunui, 153 Hakiaha Street, Taumarunui. Public Meeting

horizons.govt.nz

40

classifieds@globalhq.co.nz – 0800 85 25 80

Central Districts Field Days

FARMERS WEEKLY – March 9, 2020

FOR SALE

HOMEOPATHY CENTRAL

DISTRICTS FIELD DAYS

Another tool to use for the health of all your farming livestock

TALK DIRECTLY TO THE EXPERTS

A full range with many features as standard.

19-21 March 2020

Central Districts Field Days feature

running in Farmers Weekly March 16 issue.

Booking and material deadline due by

CENTRAL DISTRICTS FIELD DAYS SITE NO. O38

Wednesday March 11 at 12 noon.

Farmers Weekly reaching every farmer on the people that matter to you. 77,024

HOMEOPATHIC FARM SERVICES info@farmservices.nz

copies every week.

LK0101639©

every farm. Let us help your business reach

Auto Catch Auto Reset Easy for one person

QUESTIONS? BOOKING? GET IN TOUCH Debbie 06 323 0765 classifieds@globalhq.co.nz

07 858 4233 farmservices.nz

t os le re m iab he s ar s ld v r i or ul e W erf lipp w c po ed e sp

handypiece ■ 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

le att C D n H ck! o i e l lab be qu i a o av 00 last s 0 2 s to $ stock 0 0 e 15 hil m $ nly w o r Safe f O ngs shes. i v Strong Sa Cru

Site O17-O19 @ Central Districts The original Combi Clamp.

Free call 0800 474 327

LK0101077©

0800 227 228 www.combiclamp.co.nz

South Island - Stuart 027 435 3062

™

Email: dave@handypiece.co.nz

livestock@globalhq.co.nz– 0800 85 25 80

SALE TALK A truck driver stopped at a roadside diner one day to grab some lunch. He ordered a cheeseburger, a coffee and a slice of apple pie.

Just as he was about to eat them, three big hairy bikers walked in.

The first biker grabbed the trucker’s cheeseburger and took a big bite from it.

The second biker picked up the trucker’s coffee and downed it in one gulp.

KIKI G197-14

The third biker ate the trucker’s apple pie.

SEMEN STILL AVAILABLE

2019 Spring born Friesian heifers - F12 and Above $1475 / head - F8 to F11 $1375 / head - F0-F7 $1175 / head

• • • •

From a proven sire which is second in NZ for worm resistance - a son of his is the top Also a top sire for FE tolerance with a number of sons having a nil reaction when dosed at 0.60mg/kg A strong constitutioned sheep with 50 year of breeding for structural soundness Many ram breeders purchased Kiki sires at our 2019 Annual Sale to beat the problems of FE and worms without compromising physical features

LK0101641©

LK0101580©

Interested?

Further information and photos please see our website www.kikitangeo.co.nz or contact Gordon Levet, email glevet5192@gmail.com or telephone 09 423 7034

Delivery Date – Approx 10th June 2020 • True to type Friesian Heifers

tj@dairylivestock.co.nz

LK0101545©

• Standard Chinese Protocol, heifers must have been on the property for a minimum of 6 months at the time of delivery.

Please phone TJ on 027 314 8833 for more information

The truck driver didn’t do anything or say a word as all this went on.

When they finished, he just paid the waitress and left.

The first biker said to the waitress, “He ain’t much of a man, is he?”

“He’s not much of a driver, either,” the waitress replied. “He’s just backed his 18-wheeler over three motorbikes.”

LIVESTOCK ADVERTISING

All prices are plus GST and less commission

classifieds@globalhq.co.nz

Livestock Noticeboard

Glenflora Hillender is a 25 micron stabilised dual purpose sheep bred in a non traditional fine wool environment for 9 years.

“Best ease of hogget lambing ever and surprisingly vigorous! Lambs continue to grow well.” – Hamish Bielski, Clinton

Call Debbie

0800 85 25 80

Still to come: Mystery Creek Fieldays

KIKITANGEO ROMNEY STUD

WANTED

Advertise in Farmers Weekly

Still versatile.

Field Days Special – receive an extra lithium battery

View in action go to www.handypiece.co.nz

Google - Micron Matters Facebook - Glenflora Hillender Or phone 027 280 5468 2th Rams available

Do you have something to sell?

Still reliable.

See us at CD Fieldays on AGBITS site G15A

Does Micron matter to you?

NOTICEBOARD ADVERTISING

Get in contact with Hannah today!

06 323 0761 or 027 602 4925

farmersweekly.co.nz

Here at Farmers Weekly we get some pretty funny contributions to our Sale Talk joke from you avid readers, and we’re keen to hear more!

If you’ve got a joke you want to share with the Farming community (it must be something you’d share with your grandmother...) then email us at: saletalk@globalhq.co.nz with Sale Talk in the subject line and we’ll print it and credit it to you.

Conditions apply

Livestock Noticeboard

FARMERS WEEKLY – March 9, 2020

WHITE DORPER RAM HOGGETS for sale

livestock@globalhq.co.nz – 0800 85 25 80

STOCK FOR SALE

The best breed for easy lambing and top survival. Rams have been scanned for eye muscle and skin thickness. SIL data.

420kg FRSN HERE & FRSN ANGX STEERS 1200 5YR ROM EWES (2YR Mouth) 70kg

"Maximising your return through personal livestock management"

230 HEREFORD BULLS 420kg Owner/Station Bred

Further details and photos on website sales page. ratapikodorpers.co.nz or phone Boyd on 06 756 9197

LK0101647©

STOCK REQUIRED STORE LAMBS

16MTH FRSN BULLS 380-420kg 16MTH ANG & ANGX STEERS 400kg 80 HERE M/A COWS Sept Calve

_______________________________

AUTUMN RAM SALE Friday March 20th, on-farm Fairlie 120 rams, 7 breeds

www.dyerlivestock.co.nz

Romney, Romdale, Perendale x Texel x Romney, Texel x Romney, kelso. Maternal, kelso. x Romney, kelso. Terminal Plus a selection of hogget mating options available for purchase or lease

Ross Dyer 0274 333 381

2nd ANNUAL CALF SALE

byllivestock.co.nz

GLEN ISLAY STN, C/- Roy Family 741 Waimea Valley Rd, Gore Thursday 26th March ON FARM at 2PM

07 823 4559

A Financing Solution For Your Farm E info@rdlfinance.co.nz

byllivestock

WANAKA SHOW

TE KUITI LIVESTOCK CENTRE

TE KUITI SELLING CENTRE

DAIRIES FOR SALE

These Calves also from Deloraine Stn, Clinton TB C10 Tussock born and bred.

LK0101612©

Calves sired by top breeding bulls, Herefords Limehills, Monymusk, Orari Gorge, Okawa.

Angus Bulls - Meadowslea

Visit us at our site right beside the sheep pens

IN - CALF FEMALE SALE Wednesday May 6th approx. 100 PTIC stud Angus females

Te Kuiti Run Beef Weaner Steers and Heifers

423 Fsn Herd BW74 PW83 RA98% DTC 15/7, 370ms, LIC 46yrs, system 2, Outstanding G3 profiled, herd $1850 Darrin Holm 027 242 2905 Ref: DH1401

R2, R3, R4 plus 10-year old AD capital stock cows David Giddings 027 2299760 George Giddings 027 656 3323 PGGW - Keith Willson 027 412 5766 Simon Eddington 027 590 8612 Carrfields - Callum Dunnett 027 587 0131 PWA - Hamish Zuppicich 027 403 3025 RLL - Anthony Cox 027 208 3071

Friday 13th March (one day only, not as calendared) 12pm start 1000 Weaners comprising of: 350 Ang strs 300 Ang hfrs 50 Hfd strs 100 Hfd hfrs 100 Exotic strs 100 Exotic hfrs

168 Fsn Herd BW74 PW83 RA99% DTC 26/7, 380ms, long estb herd, $1750 Andrew Gibson 027 444 0108 Ref: DH1440 71 Xbred Ylg Hfrs BW121 PW154 Complete replacement line, $750 Mike McKenzie 027 674 1149 Ref: DR1375

Breeding quality for 60 years LIVESTOCK ADVERTISING

Enquiries Kevin Mortensen (PGW) 027 473 5858 Alan Hiscox (NZ Farmers) 027 442 8434 Andrew Jardine (Carrfields) 027 397 7005

221 A2A2 Herd BW116 PW146 RA92% DTC 16/7, young Xbred 340ms, $1850 Ben Deroles 027 702 4196 Ref: DR1415

LK0101600©

260 Ang & AngX Strs 150 Ang & AngX Hfrs 53 Hfd Strs 54 Hfd Hfrs 35 HfdX/SimX Strs 25 HfdX/Sim Hfrs

All enquiries to Carrfields Agent: Callum Dunnett 027 587 0131 PGGW Agent: Greg Clearwater 027 591 8045 Manager: Rory McCall 027 333 9323

41

PHONE HANNAH GUDSELL 0800 85 25 80

300 Xbred Herd BW118 PW160, DTC 23/7 to LIC 380ms, quality well managed, $1750 Brent Espin 027 551 3660 Ref: DH1359

CLEARING SALE

27 Autumn Calv Fsn Hfrs BW49 PW49 RA88% DTC 3/3, Capital line, CRV bred $1880 Hamish Manthel 027 432 0298 Ref: DH1427

1.00pm TUESDAY 17th MARCH 2020

Visit our Website for the best selection available.

Terms strictly Cash/Cheque on day of sale unless purchaser has a current account with Carrfields Livestock Ltd

LK0101434©

A/c NM Rae 468 Ruanui Road RD1, Mataroa, Taihape

www.carrfieldslivestock.co.nz

LIVESTOCK ADVERTISING

DISPERSAL SALE

CALL HANNAH 0800 85 25 80

NB: NO EFTPOS FACILITY AVAILABLE

For Sale Pinnacles Wiltshire Rams

AA INSPECTED SALE CATALOGUE ONLINE

VIEWING BETWEEN 1pm - 4pm MONDAY 6 APRIL 2020 or BY APPOINTMENT ABOVE VETTED IN CALF

• No shearing • All born twins

TANGIHAU TOP GUN N436 NEW ZEALAND’S HIGHEST PRICE TWO YEAR OLD BULL 2019

200 1st cross Perendale/Wiltshire 2th ewes

Refer to our website for full listings:

www.carrfieldslivestock.co.nz

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram at @farmersweeklynz so you don’t miss a beat!

Tuesday 7 April 2020, 11am at COVENTRY STATION, MURIWAI GISBORNE

MANY TO

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Contact Carrfields Agent: Dan Warner 027 826 5768 or Vendor: Neil Rae – 06 388 7891

TOP GENETICS ON OFFER RISING 3yr OLD HEIFER AND MIXED AGE COW DISPERSAL SALE

Phone Dave on Ph 06 327 7843 or 027 416 8188

TANGIHAU TOP GUN

YEARLING & 2 yr OLD HEIFER DISPERSAL SALE MONDAY 28 SEPTEMBER 11am

400 Wiltshire ewe lambs

at COVENTRY STATION, MURIWAI GISBORNE VIEWING SUNDAY 27 SEPTEMBER LK0101632©

ASSORTED FARM EQUIPMENT & TOOLS Homekill Equipment Meat Bandsaw Dagging Plant Shearing Gear Honda Foreman 500 Quad (4779hrs) C-Dax Bike Sprayer C-Dax Weed Wiper New Holland 274 Conventional Baler John Deere 5093E with John Deere H420 FEL with Duals (1000hrs) • Fieldmaster HD70 Burst Cutter/Topper • Hustler Soft Hands • Hay Tedder • Ute/Trailer Stock Crates • Roller • Discs • Numerous other items • • • • • • • • •

between 1pm and 4pm or by appointment

Please contact us if you would like to view the cattle or receive a sale catalogue.

Charles & Susie Dowding

Alastair MacPherson

P: 06 862 3876 M: 027 4752 798 E: cdowding@xtra.co.nz

www.rangatiraangus.co.nz

P: 06 862 8077

Follow our journey As we hit the road for the final day of the Young Breeders Competition on March 13, followed by the World Hereford Conference Post Tour March 14 - 18, 2020.

42

livestock@globalhq.co.nz – 0800 85 25 80

GLENLOE DOHNE RAMS AVAILABLE 2th Rams available - Ewe Flock 20.5 micron, 150-160% lambing.

- Ram Hoggets EMA, Micron, Foot Test (Lincoln). Average 75kgs @ 11 months.

Ideal for Hogget mating, will increase your returns on your Crossbred Flock For further information: Peter Walsh & Associates Ltd John Harrison • 027 435 6243

Livestock Noticeboard

FARMERS WEEKLY – March 9, 2020

LIVESTOCK ADVERTISING Are you looking in the right direction?

farmersweekly.co.nz

Owner/Breeder Richard Loe • 027 208 5185

Check out Poll Dorset NZ on Facebook

farmers weekly hits 78,039 Rural letterboxes Farmers choose us first for news, opinion, analysis, market updates and even their own livestock advertising.

Weekly Auctions Wednesday night – North Island Thursday night – South Island

For more contact: Hannah Gudsell 06 323 0761 or 027 602 4925 livestock@globalhq.co.nz 2537FW BULL SALES

South Island Store Lamb Sale Thursday, 12 March 2020 at 7.00pm

NATIONAL TEAM. LOCAL KNOWLEDGE.

NORTH ISLAND HERDS & IN-CALF HEIFERS FOR SALE 175 M/A Friesian Cows BW 62

PW 58

$1,850+GST

•

RA 97% LIC Bred long established (66 years ) Tested Friesian Herd. Low Somatics, farmed on a Grass 2/3 System & wintered on the farm & InCalf to Friesian Sexed LIC Semen for 3 weeks.

Peter Forrest - 027 598 6153 Agonline ref: 5874

63 Top DNA’D F12 & X/Bred InCalf Heifers BW 153

PW 162

$1,650+GST

•

RA 100% X/Bred component of Capital Stock Line, G3 Profiled, well grown LIC Bred Heifers.

Mark Crooks - 027 590 1452 Andrew Leggett - 022 038 3216 Agonline ref: 5984

Freephone 0800 10 22 76 | www.pggwrightson.co.nz

Call HANNAH

For more information go to bidr.co.nz or contact the team on 0800 TO BIDR

0800 85 25 80 livestock@globalhq.co.nz

NZ’s Virtual Saleyard

Key: Dairy

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.

HAVE A SALE COMING UP?

FEATURE AUCTION

farmersweekly.co.nz/advertising

DAIRY HERDS & IN-CALF HEIFERS FOR SALE

LIVESTOCK ADVERTISING

FEILDING UPCOMING WEANER FAIRS 12 March - All Sexs CANCELLED 18 March - Str & Bulls 19 March - Hfrs 01 April - Str & Bulls 02 April - Hfrs 08 April - All Sexs 15 April - Str & Bulls 16 April - Hfrs 22 April - Sue Brothers - All Sexs 23 April - All Sexs 29 April - Str & Bulls 30 April - Hfrs 14 May - All Sexs For more information contact your local PGG Wrightson Livestock agent.

Cattle

Sheep

Other

MASTERTON WEANER FAIR Wednesday 11 March 11.00am • 1200 steers • 250 bulls • 600 heifers a/c Glenbrae P/ship 180 Simm X bulls a/c Onetai Trust 90 Simm X steers 40 Simm X heifers a/c Homoculus Trust 90 Angus steers 80 Angus heifers a/c Ngatahuna 100 Angus steers A quality line up of hill country calves For more info contact Steve Wilkinson 027 594 5110

Helping grow the country

World Spotlight on Herefords

craigmore

MAHUTA 4 HEIFER MATING Annual Yearling Bull Sale Friday 18th September 2020

polled herefords

Offering: 50 Hereford bulls & 10 Angus bulls

We’ve done the work for you!

BLNZ recommend specialist bulls for yearling heifer mating and trouble-free calving sets a heifer up to produce a good weaner.

• Polled gene tested • Sire verified

All bulls are ready to perform!

YEARLING BULL SALE – Monday 14th September 2020

These bulls are well grown [500kg], have high calving ease EBVs [top 5%] and many above average growth.

For further information or inspection, please contact: David 021 166 1389

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www.craigmoreherefords.co.nz

Contact: John Allen 09 233 3097 or 027 440 7504 jvmeallen@xtra.co.nz

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All bulls are: • Performance recorded • Genomics tested to improve accuracy of EBVs

GRASSMERE POLL HEREFORD & RIVERLANDS J ANGUS SALE: THURSDAY 4TH JUNE 2020, 2.30PM IN CONJUNCTION WITH: CAPETHORNE POLLED HEREFORDS

Chris & Amanda Jeffries - Benmore, 1412 Domett Road, RD2, Cheviot 7382 Ph/Fax: 03 319 8585 • Mobile: 027 460 8849 • Email: hawkridge@amuri.net

Contact Hannah today livestock@globalhq.co.nz 06 323 0761 Kokonga Ironside 5005

2nd June GISBORNE www.hain.co.nz

BULL SALE

30 Robust #HEREFORDS #HILLCOUNTRYBULLS

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HEREFORDS • ROMNEYS

MARKET SNAPSHOT

44

Market Snapshot brought to you by the AgriHQ analysts.

Suz Bremner

Mel Croad

Nicola Dennis

Cattle

Reece Brick

Graham Johnson

Caitlin Pemberton

Sheep

BEEF

William Hickson

Deer

SHEEP MEAT

VENISON

Last week

Prior week

Last year

NI Steer (300kg)

4.80

4.80

5.25

NI lamb (17kg)

6.90

6.90

7.00

NI Stag (60kg)

7.80

7.80

9.45

NI Bull (300kg)

4.80

4.80

4.85

NI mutton (20kg)

4.60

4.55

5.00

SI Stag (60kg)

7.80

7.80

9.45

NI Cow (200kg)

3.35

3.45

3.60

SI lamb (17kg)

6.80

6.80

6.60

SI Steer (300kg)

4.60

4.60

5.00

SI mutton (20kg)

4.10

4.20

4.80

SI Bull (300kg)

4.65

4.65

4.80

Export markets (NZ$/kg)

SI Cow (200kg)

3.20

3.20

3.60

UK CKT lamb leg

US imported 95CL bull

7.32

7.44

7.13

US domestic 90CL cow

7.87

7.90

6.95

Slaughter price (NZ$/kg)

10.5 South Island lamb slaughter price

$/kg CW

8.0

6.5

Oct

Dec 5-yr ave

Feb

Coarse xbred ind.

Jun

Aug 2019-20

Apr 2018-19

Jun

Last week

Prior week

Last year

-

-

2.98

Dec-19 Sept. 2020

WMP

Last price* 2805

2845 3070

2970

AMF

4750

4750

5175

Butter

4000

4000

4150

Milk Price

7.20

7.21

7.23

787

833

Top 10 by Market Cap

400 360 320

Jan-19

Mar-19

May-19

Jul-19

Sep-19

Nov-19

Jan-20

420 400 380 360 340 320

* price as at close of business on Thursday

Jan-19

WMP FUTURES - VS FOUR WEEKS AGO

787

DAP

2970

3060

321

-

vs 4 weeks ago

SMP

625

314

3.55

CANTERBURY FEED BARLEY Prior week

567

314

-

$/tonne

Nearby contract

567

30 micron lamb

Feb-20

DAIRY FUTURES (US$/T)

Urea

2.85

$/tonne

6.25

Last year

2.50

7.25

Oct-19

Aug 2019-20

Prior week

2.45

440

Jun-19 Aug-19 Sept. 2019

Jun

Last week

37 micron ewe

CANTERBURY FEED WHEAT

6.75

NZ average (NZ$/t)

Super

7.75

Apr-19

Apr 2018-19

Fertiliser

Aug 2019-20

Grain

Data provided by

MILK PRICE FUTURES

5.75

Feb

FERTILISER

(NZ$/kg)

5.0

Dairy

Dec 5-yr ave

WOOL

2018-19

Oct

6.0

5.5

5-yr ave

8.5 7.5

6.0

Apr

9.5

9.0

5.0

Feb

South Island stag slaughter price

11.5

$/kg CW

$/kg CW $/kg CW

6.5

7.0

South Island steer slaughter price

Dec

North Island stag slaughter price

8.5

8.0

10.0

Oct

Last year

9.5

7.5

5.5

4.5

Last week Prior week

10.5

9.0

5.0

6.5

$/kg MS

8.92

6.0

4.5

Slaughter price (NZ$/kg)

7.0

6.0

5.0

Mar-19

May-19

Jul-19

Sep-19

Nov-19

Jan-20

WAIKATO PALM KERNEL

3100

300

Company

Close

YTD High

Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Corporation Ltd

26.39

27.5

YTD Low 21.2

The a2 Milk Company Limited

17.36

17.5

14.2

Meridian Energy Limited (NS)

4.91

5.8

4.45

Auckland International Airport Limited

7.94

9.21

7.375

Spark New Zealand Limited

4.895

4.92

4.33

Ryman Healthcare Limited

15.73

17.18

14.15

Mercury NZ Limited (NS)

4.91

5.62

4.5

Contact Energy Limited

6.98

7.74

6.43

Port of Tauranga Limited

6.91

8.08

6.28

Fletcher Building Limited

5.19

5.7

4.92

Listed Agri Shares

5pm, close of market, Thursday

Company

Close

YTD High

YTD Low

The a2 Milk Company Limited

17.36

17.5

14.2

Comvita Limited

2.25

3.25

2.14

Delegat Group Limited

10.4

12.1

9.9

Fonterra Shareholders' Fund (NS)

3.89

4.06

3.85

Foley Wines Limited

1.7

1.91

1.7

Livestock Improvement Corporation Ltd (NS)

0.8

0.82

0.75

Marlborough Wine Estates Group Limited

0.194

0.197

0.193

New Zealand King Salmon Investments Ltd

2.01

2.3

1.78

PGG Wrightson Limited

2.32

2.47

2.24

Sanford Limited (NS)

7.1

8.2

6.8

Scales Corporation Limited

4.38

5.17

4

SeaDragon Limited

0.002

0.003

0.001

Seeka Limited

4.22

4.74

4.2

Synlait Milk Limited (NS)

5.72

9.1

5.31

T&G Global Limited

2.8

2.93

2.7

15204

16941

14631

3000

280

S&P/NZX Primary Sector Equity Index S&P/NZX 50 Index

11641

12073

11103

2900

260

S&P/NZX 10 Index

11726

12096

11211

$/tonne

US$/t

11.37

North Island lamb slaughter price

10.0 $/kg CW

North Island steer slaughter price

Last year

11.5 10.85

Export markets (NZ$/kg)

6.5

Last week Prior week

$/kg CW

Slaughter price (NZ$/kg)

Ingrid Usherwood

2800 2700

240 220

Mar

Apr May Latest price

Jun

Jul 4 weeks ago

Aug

200

Jan-19

S&P/FW PRIMARY SECTOR EQUITY

Mar-19

May-19

Jul-19

Sep-19

Nov-19

Jan-20

15204

S&P/NZX 50 INDEX

11641

S&P/NZX 10 INDEX

11726

45

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – March 9, 2020

3.35

SI SLAUGHTER MUTTON ( $/KG)

4.10

SI SLAUGHTER LAMB ( $/KG)

6.80

R3 ANGUS STEERS, 530KG AVERAGE, AT MATAWHERO ( $/KG LW)

2.66

Most places still too dry NORTH ISLAND

L

OCALISED downpours in Northland last week were not enough to relieve the drought.

Many farmers have used their winter feed and they’re looking at their options ahead – either buying in feed, offloading more cattle or finding grazing. They’re about half way through the sale of weaner cattle. Space at the works for cows and bulls is still tight but space for prime beef has freed up.

Temperatures were slightly lower last week around Pukekohe and 6mm of rain fell in some places. That’s not enough to maintain crop growth, which continues to rely on irrigation. There’s also concern about the possible adverse effects of covid-19 on the vegetable industry and it’s likely disruption to the fresh food supply chain.

Anyone under a rain cloud to get a good soaking in Waikato last week was lucky because most places got only 6mm to 10mm, which was enough for only the very top soil. It’s so dry it’s going gray.

Apple harvesting is going well and the heat means good colour fruit. One farmer posted a video of himself walking across the Waipa River showing how the water didn’t go into his gumboots. Normally it would be over his head.

Bay of Plenty got some helpful rain on Wednesday – enough to green the grass and keep it alive. Dairy farmers are culling poor-producing cows. The first red kiwifruit were picked last week and are heading for Singapore and Japan.

The gold and green orchards without irrigation have small fruit because they can’t size up in the dry but they should be sweet.

There’s a green tinge to pasture around Ruapehu with 15mm to 25mm of rain falling over most of the district on Wednesday. The cooler weather is keeping eczema at bay. With three cuts of silage after the good spring there’s enough feed.

In Taranaki rain that fell a few weeks back is propping the region up. The consultant we called says there is good coverage of pasture but if there is no rain soon farmers will have to start making tough calls about getting rid of stock.

Most farms are now on once-a-day or 16-hourly milking. Production is ahead of last year.

On the East Coast the rams are starting to go out. Our contact in Gisborne says the region is in the same boat as most of the North Island, dry. Good rain fell last week. It wet the ground but didn’t break the drought by any means. Farmers are tight on feed and water, which could have an impact on ewe tupping.

The grape harvest is well under way in Hawke’s Bay in what is a very early vintage this year. Our vineyard contact says fruit quality after the long, hot summer is exceptional with no rot to speak of. A farmer in Central Hawke’s Bay says 3mm to 4mm of rain fell in the area but was more of psychological benefit than anything else. It’s a sign the weather pattern’s changing and it does help soften the soil ready for the next rain. Everyone’s continuing to destock. He says you can still make good margins on store lambs.

A farmer in Manawatu says he had

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NOT WET ENOUGH: Visitors to the Northern Field Days got some rain last week but it wasn’t enough to relieve the drought.

some rain last week but not enough for the grass to punch away just yet. He attended a discussion day with other farmers who can see the light at the end of the tunnel as they cope with problems like the high cost of feed, a lack of water, stock getting stuck in dams, bottlenecks at the works and the effects of covid-19. A problem shared is a problem halved and it’s good to have a chat and a beer to chew over problems and strategies.

Wairarapa had a sniff of rain last week but it’s getting serious with dams drying up and a lack of pasture. A farmer says he’s feeding barley twice a day and balage in between. It costs time and money ... $150 a day to run the tractor. Farmers are in catch-up mode as they head into winter.

SOUTH ISLAND A fruit grower at Brightwater in the Nelson area says he’s in the thick of royal gala picking. Volume is down a bit but size and quality are excellent. The next cab off the rank in many orchards is ambrosia followed by lady in red and braeburn.

Golden queen peaches and pears are also being picked. Water restrictions are at 50% so fruit growers are having to manage their irrigation systems carefully.

Sauvignon blanc grapes in Marlborough have a brix or sugar level of 15 so by the time they’re harvested in three or four weeks they should be at 21. A grower near Blenheim says he thinks it’ll be an exceptional vintage.

Nets are going onto the vines and foliage spray applications continue. Pinot noir harvesting is already under way in some vineyards so the last thing growers need

now is rain. It’s a different story on hill county properties where farmers are desperate for moisture. The biggest challenge leading up to tupping is trying to keep ewe condition up for the ram because feed quality’s very low on the hills. Tonnes of high-protein balage is being fed out as a supplement for the sheep. People are also looking at weaning calves a month early because of the extremely dry conditions.

On the West Coast things are looking fine and beautiful after a week of rain.

One Hokitika dairy farmer says he has had flooding and 95mm in the gauge. The cows are enjoying being milked once a day.

Canterbury’s got bits and pieces of rain last week. Some areas had reasonable amounts, however, North Canterbury seems to have missed out. Grass growth under irrigation is good while dryland areas continue to struggle with the dry conditions. Harvest on arable farms is very slow because of the weather and they’re hoping it improves soon.

In south Otago lots of lambs are being shorn. The Balclutha sheep and beef farmer we spoke to says the mornings are cool but things are ticking along just nicely. Stock is looking in great condition but a shower of rain wouldn’t go amiss as pastures are starting to dry out. In Central Otago nectarine picking is well under way with quality looking fantastic as it heads to the shops. Plums are just starting.

Southland is in pretty good shape.

Our contact says pasture growth has slowed up in the last week after a few light ground frosts. Grain is starting to come off with yields in flood-affected areas down but in other places it’s looking strong.

Courtesy of Radio New Zealand Country Life You can listen to Country Life on RNZ at 9pm every Friday and 7am on Saturday or on podcast at rnz.co.nz/countrylife

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46

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – March 9, 2020

Rain limited but is a start at least A few millimetres in rain gauges was recorded through much of the North Island over the past week, dampening parched paddocks and bringing an air of optimism to store lamb sales.

Store lamb volume is starting to trend upwards at sale yards and along with it North Island demand to compete against the South Islanders.

While prices showed only a small improvement it appears they have at least bottomed out and will continue to firm as pastures and crops respond to more forecast rain.

NORTHLAND Wellsford weaner steer fair • Angus, 274-304kg, softened to $800-$865 • Angus-Hereford, 312-320kg, eased to $930-$935 • Charolais, 166-228kg, softened to $590-$670 • Hereford, 193-257kg, came back to $620-$730 • Hereford-Friesian, 172-176kg, eased to $600-$605 WELLSFORD yarded 542 steers last Monday, which equated to just 55% of 2019’s tally. Buyers came from a wide range of regions and helped to minimise discounts, though vendors still had to meet a market discounted by $50-$115.

Angus steers, 318kg, fetched $950, and 186-224kg came back to $580-$685. Top Angus and Angus-Hereford steers, 298-315kg, managed $855-$880, with 176-286kg down to $575-$790. Angus-Hereford, 242-280kg, traded at $680$780, and Charolais, 266kg, came back to $730-$785.

Hereford-Friesian, 220kg, eased to $670. Ten autumn-born Charolais steers, 350kg, improved to $1050, $3.00/kg, while all other pens, 343-367kg, traded at $900-$955 regardless of breed.

Kaikohe weaner sale • Better weaner beef-cross and dairy-beef calves traded at $520$600, and the balance at $440-$480 Around 1500 calves were presented at the KAIKOHE weaner steer sale last Wednesday, PGG Wrightson agent Vaughan Vujcich reported. Considering the dry conditions, the market performed above expectations with buyer

support from Whanganui, Waikato, King Country and local.

The average per kilo value was around the $3.00/kg mark, with very good calves able to reach up to $3.20-$3.40/kg.

The yarding was made up of mostly Charolais, Angus and Simmental, and the top end earned up to $1000-$1020, the middle $800-$950, and the bottom end $670-$780.

Kauri weaner steer fair A significantly smaller yarding met the buyers at the KAURI weaner steer fair last Tuesday. 500 weaners were on offer, down from the usual 1000, PGG Wrightson agent Ian Munro reported. The highest priced line was autumn-born Charolais steers at $990. Medium to good lines typically sold for $680-$750 and smaller calves achieved $480-$570.

AUCKLAND Pukekohe cattle sale • Prime heifers fetched $2.46-$2.55/kg • Medium R2 crossbred steers traded from $2.16/kg to $2.35/kg • Small weaner steers earned $400-$440 • Small weaner crossbred heifers made $370-$410 Despite another drop in schedules the prime market was helped by a good quality yarding of cattle at PUKEKOHE on Saturday 29th February. The top end strengthened, and prime steers fetched $2.50-$2.59/kg. Boner cows were light, and this market softened as the best of these returned $1.31/kg.

COUNTIES Tuakau sales • Hereford-Friesian weaner steers, 168kg, made $645 • Weaner heifers, 90-150kg, earned $300-$440 • Prime lambs sold to $140 Yardings remain very small with just 70-head of store cattle sale at TUAKAU last Thursday, Chris Elliott of PGG Wrightson reported. Steers, 480-546kg, traded at $2.45-$2.54/kg, with Friesian and crossbred weaner bulls, 90-150kg, made $370-$400. Steer prices eased by around 10c/kg at Wednesday’s prime sale. Well-finished, mostly-Friesian steers, 700-775kg, earned $2.22-$2.41/kg and a handful of heifers fetched $2.30-$2.40/kg. Boners averaged $1.24/kg, with the heavier cows selling to $1.37/ kg. Monday’s sheep sale drew a very small yarding. Prime lambs traded at $90-$140 and stores, $65-$80. The best of the ewes made $110 and lighter types sold down to $60.

WAIKATO Frankton beef weaner fair • Charolais-cross steers, 300-301kg, eased to $800-$860 • Angus-cross heifers, 302kg, softened to $805 • Most Hereford bulls, 275-280kg, realised $1000 • Hereford bulls, 217-263kg, came back to $800-$850 • Hereford bulls, 156kg, held at $725 Just 280 weaners were penned at FRANKTON last Monday, and bulls made up the majority at 214 head. Just a smattering of steers was presented and Angus-Hereford, 161kg, eased $50 to $530, while Speckle Park-Charolais cross, 306-365kg, softened to $780-$970. Five Hereford heifers, 177kg, improved to $710, while four Hereford-beef, 225kg, held at $700. Charolais-cross heifers, 335kg, softened to $850. Hereford dominated the bull pens, and most were discounted at $165-$350 on last year. Lighter 193-195kg eased to $770-$800, and 183kg, $730.

HELLO UP THERE: Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor paid a visit to Northern Field Days last week.

Frankton cattle • Weaner Hereford-Friesian steers, 160-170kg, lifted to $660-$670

• Weaner Hereford-dairy heifers, 135-137kg, also improved to $400-$460 • Weaner Angus-Friesian bulls, 132kg, strengthened to $510 • Five prime Hereford-dairy heifers, 429kg, returned $2.39/kg • Boner Friesian cows, 489-583kg, improved to $1.23-$1.33/kg Weaner cattle made up nearly 90% of the store tally last Wednesday at FRANKTON, and a full rostrum gave an air of positivity to the sale. Three R2 Hereford-dairy steers, 320kg, held at $2.42/kg, and Hereford-Friesian heifers, 330kg, sold well at $2.61/kg.

Nine weaner Hereford-Friesian steers, 238kg, reached $760, with 111kg at $570. Hereford-Friesian heifers, 116163kg, earned $490-$580. Weaner Wagyu-cross steers, 95-112kg, traded at $140-$170, while the better heifers, 103-117kg, were purchased as potential replacements at $300-$320. Boner Friesian-cross cows, 447-529kg, improved to a varied $1.13/kg to $1.28/kg.

BAY OF PLENTY Rangiuru cattle and sheep sale • R2 beef-dairy steers, 395-400kg, made $2.45/kg • Prime Hereford-dairy steers, 588kg, returned $2.50/kg • Boner Friesian cows, 530-587kg, improved to $1.42-$1.44/kg More usual numbers of prime cattle turned out at RANGIURU last Tuesday after the previous week’s record low tally. There was a hint of a lift through the boner cow market with the lion’s share Friesian and Friesian-cross in the 435-515kg range that consistently made $1.21-$1.31/ kg. In contrast the store section couldn’t even manage 20% of the usual headcount. Five pens of R2 steers provided variable results, with the bulk Hereford-Friesian, 402-413kg, that made $2.66-$2.67/kg.

POVERTY BAY Matawhero cattle fair • R3 traditional steers, 485-550kg, earned $2.65-$2.75/kg • R3 exotic steers, 500-550kg, sold for $2.61-$2.71/kg • R2 Charolais steers, 440kg, made $2.75/kg, while 480kg fetched $2.59/kg • R2 Angus and Angus-Hereford bulls, 470kg, sold for $1100, $2.34/kg • Exotic mixed-age cows, 455kg, traded at $1.34/kg There were over 1300 good-quality cattle on offer at the MATAWHERO cattle fair last Tuesday. As well as locals, buyers came from Manawatu, Tararua and Rangitikei.

Nearly 70% of the yarding was quality R3 steers and the average traditional weighed 530kg, and sold for $2.66/ kg. The average R2 traditional steer lifted by around 50kg, which strengthened the average per kilo value to $2.76/kg, while better types achieved $2.80-$2.82/kg. In the R2 heifer pens, Angus and Angus-Hereford, 340kg, made $2.49/kg, and the balance of traditional and Simmental-cross, 370420kg, earned $2.30-$2.32/kg.

Matawhero sheep • Heavy ewe lambs earned $106 • Mixed-sex store lambs fetched $86-$90 • A small number of prime wether lambs earned $177.50 There as just under 800 head of store lambs on offer at MATAWHERO last Friday. Much-needed rain improved confidence in buyers, and the average price lifted by $12/ head.

Over half of the store lamb yarding was made up of heavy rams, which earned $98-$111. Ewe lambs were of heavier weights compared to the previous sale, and the majority made $100, with the lightest at $87. Prime lambs were still fairly limited and mixed-sex earned $141.

TARANAKI Taranaki cattle sale • R2 Red Devon-cross and Hereford-Friesian heifers, 432-450kg, fetched $2.23-$2.27/kg • R2 Angus-Friesian steers, 222kg, made $2.25/kg, and 316kg, $1.96/kg There were just 75 head of store cattle at TARANAKI last Wednesday, with dairy heifers making up the bulk of the numbers. In the R2 heifer pens heavier Friesian, 390-442kg, traded at $2.04-$2.06/kg, with the lighter crossbred dairy animals below this. Boner cow numbers lifted and Friesian mostly sold in a range of $1.25-$1.35/kg, with a few pushing to $1.57-$1.68/kg.

HAWKE’S BAY Stortford Lodge prime cattle and sheep • Most heavy to very-heavy ewes held at $94-$110 • Good to very-good ewes also held at $85-$90.50 • Very-heavy ram lambs returned $162.50 • Top mixed-sex lambs fetched $164.50-$168 • Heavy mixed-sex lambs improved to $133-$153.50 An increased yarding of 807 sheep had greater competition at STORTFORD LODGE last Monday. Most

SALE YARD WRAP

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – March 9, 2020

47

Friesian bulls earned $85-$120, Hereford-Friesian, $230$315, and Speckle Park bulls were $135.

CANTERBURY Canterbury Park prime cattle and all sheep • R2 traditional steers, 365-400kg, improved to $2.64/kg • Prime traditional steers, 430-740kg, rose 5c/kg to $2.41/kg • Prime beef-dairy steers, 500-520kg, made $2.20-$2.30/kg • Short-term store lambs sold to good demand at $95-$119 A larger proportion of longer-term store lambs turned out at CANTERBURY PARK last Tuesday, but with few buyers in the dry prices notably eased and most earned $65-$99.

Several usual buyers were missing in the prime pens and prices dropped accordingly. Lambs mostly earned $96-$175 and ewes, $79-$155. Prime cattle firmed, largely propelled by a lack of numbers – though 73 was an improvement on the previous sale. Boner prices firmed and the heaviest, 505-580kg, averaged $1.45/kg whilst lighter pens were selectively purchased from $1.21/kg to $1.38/kg.

Coalgate cattle and sheep sale • Prime Hereford bulls, 675-708kg, earned $2.42-$2.46/kg • Prime Hereford-Friesian steers, 558-713kg, made $2.36-$2.44/kg • Prime Hereford-Friesian heifers, 580-675kg, traded for $2.30$2.39/kg • Weaner Hereford-Friesian bulls made $350, and heifers, $300 Cattle buyers were starved of options at COALGATE last Thursday, with the smallest March sale recorded. Barely 10% of the usual store entries were put forward and all were weaner cattle. Prime throughput was hardly better at 17% of normal levels. The sheep pens featured larger entries of store and prime lambs. Top store lambs sold for $110-$122, but most made $80-$109. Most medium to heavy prime lambs traded at $140-$166, with the balance $90-$138. Ewe numbers were on par with the previous sale but the market was softer, as heavy types sold for $125-$142, and good, $90-$118.

SOUTHERN STYLE: The Southern Man 18-month steer sale was held at Lorneville on Wednesday. A total of 1350 steers were offered, split between 800 traditional and the balance exotic.

ewes sold on a steady market, though a small top end strengthened to $121-$125, as did medium to mediumgood ewes up to $67-$75. Two-tooth ewes earned $103$116. Top rams managed $100, with very-good to heavy types at $55-$72.

Prime lambs improved between $4-$20 for most. Good to heavy ram lambs lifted to $124-$129. Mixed-sex lambs made up the bulk of the pens and good types improved to $112-$128. No cattle were penned.m aditium earions equiant, sin earum ad qui omnisqu Stortford Lodge weaner fairs • Traditional steers averaged 235kg and $745, $3.19/kg • Traditional heifers averaged 220kg and $590, $2.70/kg • Exotic steers averaged 250kg and $780, $3.11/kg • Exotic heifers averaged 235kg and $645, $2.76/kg • Charolais bulls, 254kg, sold for $820, $3.23/kg STORTFORD LODGE had the unenviable task of being the benchmark yard for traditional and exotic weaners, with steers sold last Tuesday and bulls and heifers on Wednesday. Prices were down on last year, though bettered 2015 and exceeded expectations. Steer volume was down on advertised levels and the best of the Angus steers, 220263kg, sold for $707-$835, $3.15/kg to $3.29/kg. Light lines, 155-209kg, earned $500-$685. Most Angus and AngusHereford weighed 190-248kg and fetched $625-$750, with $3.12-$3.22/kg common. Charolais-cross and Simmentalcross weighed 230-267kg and returned $692-$845, $2.93$3.04/kg, while 34 Gelbvieh, 287kg, pushed to $965, $3.36/ kg and Simmental, 301kg, $1035, $3.44/kg. A small bull yarding kicked off the Wednesday sale and traditional lines averaged 230kg and $725, $3.16/kg. Heifer volume was high at just over 1000 head and the majority sold for $2.60$2.90/kg. Angus, and Angus and Angus-Hereford largely made $510-$700, while in general Charolais-cross and Simmental-cross were heavier and traded at $575-$775. A standout line of 28 Simmental-cross, 289kg, reached $840.

Stortford Lodge store cattle and sheep sale • Good male lambs firmed to $87-$105.50 • Medium ram lambs made $81-$85.50 • Good ewe lambs sold for $89-$98 • Light-medium to medium ewe lambs eased to $64-$77 • Top two pens of mixed-sex blackface returned $101-$106 Rain was a welcome addition to the STORTFORD LODGE sale last Wednesday, where volume lifted to just over 3500 lambs. The ewe lambs came forward in better condition than the males, and top lines sold to the South Island, though Taupo and local buyers were also active throughout the sale. Medium-good ewe lambs sold well at $83.50-$89, and medium mixed-sex returned $72-$86.50.

MANAWATU Feilding prime cattle and sheep; feeder calves • Hereford-Friesian steers, 523kg, fetched $2.31/kg • Only two pens of ewes were entered and made $86 and $75 Fewer than ten main pens held any sheep at FEILDING last Monday. A third of the lambs were heavy types that made $149-$151, with the balance $117.50-$138. Cattle numbers crept up ever so slightly to 86 as more cull dairy cows come forward. Friesian, run-with-bull and 490kg, made a premium at $2.02/kg. Most other Friesian were 408-564kg that sold consistently from $0.90/kg to $1.05/kg.

The calf pens were in action a little earlier than usual due to demand from buyers. Nearly 90 were yarded with a third Friesian bulls at $90-$140, while the top pens of HerefordFriesian and Speckle Park bulls made $240-$265.

Feilding store sale • R2 Hereford-Friesian steers, 410-440kg, were $2.51-$2.57/kg • VIC traditional cows, 670kg, were $1300 • Three lines of two-tooths were $141-$164 • Male store lamb average lifted to $101.50 • Ewe store lamb average lifted to $88.50 Only 200 store cattle continued to move for steady prices at FEILDING. More than half the numbers were R2 steers with big lines of 430-455kg traditionals at $2.68-$2.73/kg and similar numbered 410-440kg Hereford-Friesian pens making $2.51-$2.57/kg. Some 345-480kg R2 Angus heifers were consistent per kilo at $2.51-$2.52/kg. A consignment of 32 VIC traditional cows, R4 and R5, were sold for $1300 or $1.94/kg at 670kg.

A selection of 13,000 store lambs were easily absorbed by the market, with all variations lifting at least $5 on the week earlier. A lot of the male lambs were medium or mediumgood quality, almost all trading at $100-$110, with the remainder usually spread between $88-$100. Two top cuts of male lambs were up at $116.50-$120. The good lines of ewe lambs were $100-$108, easing to $85-$95 through the medium types. Long-term lambs of all sexes were largely $50-$75.

Rongotea cattle sale • R3 Hereford bulls, 510kg, sold for $1290, $2.53/kg • Autumn calving Friesian cows, were bought for $830-$1010, and Ayrshire, $970 • Autumn-born, Hereford-Friesian heifer calves, traded at $215$275, with Angus-cross, $105 Older cattle were limited at RONGOTEA last Wednesday, New Zealand Farmers Livestock agent Darryl Harwood reported. R3 Hereford-Friesian steers, 457kg, made $2.39/ kg, while Ayrshire steers, 570kg, earned $2.20/kg. There was a good yarding of autumn-born calves which sold well,

SOUTH-CANTERBURY Temuka prime cattle and all sheep • Traditional bulls, 528-795kg, dropped 10-15c/kg to $2.42-$2.50/kg • Hereford-Friesian steers varied from $2.12/kg to $2.40/kg • Angus heifers, 545-631kg, made $2.36-$2.38/kg A highlight of the store lambs at TEMUKA last Monday was heavy lines that generally made $102-$116, while lighter lines were $78-$100. Prime lambs stayed on par with the previous sale and most traded at $105-$169. Ewes retained their value, and largely made $78-$168. Cattle volume was still low with 20% of the usual throughput.

Most were offloaded from dairy farms in the dry conditions with Friesian, 565-705kg, steady at $1.46/kg. Lighter lines did not fare as well and Friesian, 450-520kg, dropped 22c/ kg to average $1.20/kg.

SOUTHLAND Lorneville cattle and sheep sale • Heavy prime 2-tooth ewes fetched $120 • Heavy prime ewes made $100-$120, while the balance earned $30 to $98 • Heavy local trade rams sold for $88-$98 There was a small yarding of prime cattle at LORNEVILLE last Tuesday, where 345-388kg heifers traded at $1.40/kg, while light to medium boner cows were steady at $1.10$1.20/kg. Prime lambs softened at the top end and heavy lambs fetched $132-$138, medium $128-$129 and light $91$111. Top woolly store lambs lifted $5-$10 to $105-$110, and the balance of light to medium types sold for $70-$100.

Charlton sheep sale • Heavy local trade rams made $104, while mediums traded at $70-$80 • Medium store lambs fetched $100-$105, and light, $75 There was a small yarding of prime sheep at CHARLTON last Thursday, and this was met by limited demand. Heavy lambs sold for $140 and light to medium, $103-$130. Heavy prime ewes made similar money to the lambs, with top ewes at $140, medium, $110-$120 and light, $50-$70. There was increased demand for the small yarding of store lambs and the top end fetched $116.

Southern Man 18-month cattle fair • Most steers weighed 350-420kg and sold for $2.70/kg to $2.85/kg • A small portion over 450kg returned $2.55-$2.65/kg, and below 350kg made $2.75/kg to $2.95/kg Solid results were posted at the Southern Man 18-month cattle sale held at LORNEVILLE last Wednesday. A total of 1350 steers were offered, split between 800 traditional and the balance exotic. Most of the exotic steers were Simmental and Charolais, though Devon and Limousin featured to a smaller degree. There was no obvious preference for either breed types from the mainly local and Central Otago buyers and a full clearance was achieved.

Markets

48 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – March 9, 2020 NI SLAUGHTER LAMB

NI SLAUGHTER STEER

SI SLAUGHTER COW

($/KG)

($/KG)

($/KG)

4.80

6.90

WEANER EXOTIC-CROSS HEIFERS, 235KG AVERAGE, AT STORTFORD LODGE

3.20

($/HD LW)

645

high $707-$800/hdLW $2.70-$2.85/kgLW Most traditional and Angus steers, lights Weaner exotic steers, 350-420kg, 220-250kg, at Stortford Lodge

Beef demand will bounce Annette Scott annette.scott@globalhq.co.nz

D

ESPITE coronavirus disruption creating major dents in demand China remains in the front seat for 2020 beef imports.

A combination of higher domestic supply and weaker Chinese demand for beef as a result of coronavirus has pushed New Zealand cattle prices down since December, Rabobank sustainability analyst Blake Holgate said.

But a recovery in Chinese demand should be on the horizon once the virus disruption is resolved.

Despite the impacts of coronavirus China will again dominate beef imports in 2020, albeit at a far slower rate than the heady 60% increase in imported volume last year.

While it’s difficult to predict how long the coronavirus will disrupt the Chinese market, lower sales volumes and limited cashflows will delay a return to normal beef imports in the short term.

With a high inventory of frozen beef unconsumed over the Lunar New Year because of coronavirus restrictions and a significant percentage of Chinese people avoiding eating out entirely, China’s beef demand will be down, Holgate said.

Food service and tourism in China will remain disrupted until the virus is contained with decreased restaurant sales contributing to weaker beef demand in the first half of the year.

Chinese importers also face the extra challenge of limited cashflow from unsold stock at ports and financial losses.

Despite that it’s expected China’s beef imports will continue to grow in 2020 with a strong rebound in the second half of the year but import growth will be lower than seen in 2019.

The slide in cattle prices of 18% to 20% since November is attributed to multiple factors, including coronavirus, which was well in excess of the normal seasonal price decline.

“Weaker-than-expected Chinese

DIVERSION: Rabobank analyst Blake Holgate says the Chinese market aside, New Zealand processors can redirect volumes of manufacturing beef into the United States market where demand remains solid.

The exact timing and degree of this recovery will depend largely on how the spread of the coronavirus is managed.

Blake Holgate Rabobank import demand in December, after the peak buying period going into Lunar New Year, saw prices start to fall.

“Then prices dropped further in January as supply chain disruptions in China caused by coronavirus came at a time when NZ farmers were looking to offload an increasing number of cattle due to drying weather conditions, substantially increasing domestic supply levels.”

The price decline put North Island bull and steer prices at $4.80/kg carcase weight in mid February.

That leaves bull prices starting to fall behind where they were at this stage last

year and prime prices well below last year’s levels.

Holgate expects the longer-term underlying shortage of animal protein in China will ensure demand for NZ beef will recover once coronavirus supply chain disruptions have been resolved and the existing inventory in the country is distributed.

“The exact timing and degree of this recovery will depend largely on how the spread of the coronavirus is managed.”

The Chinese market aside, NZ processors can redirect volumes of manufacturing beef into the United States market where demand remains solid.

For prime cuts though, NZ exporters will have greater difficulty finding alternative markets to China, facing stiff competition from Australia and the US in potential options such as Japan and Korea.

The continuing impact of coronavirus and high levels of domestic cattle supplies because of low feed levels have potential to put further downward pressure on prices over the next month, Holgate said.

at the Southern Man Sale

ACROSS THE RAILS SUZ BREMNER

Benchmark finally set for beef weaner sales prices A TURBULENT start to the year means beef weaner fairs have been approached with much trepidation as the dry to drought conditions and factors affecting international markets have caused many sleepless nights. Entries on the books for some fairs have been so low agents have postponed them while others were held but volume was exceptionally low. At the Wellsford steer fair only 55% of the previous year’s yarding was penned while Frankton offered only a quarter of 2019 tallies. The task of setting benchmarks fell on Stortford Lodge last week where 1400 steers and 1000 heifers, traditional and exotic, were sold. Volume at these fairs was similar to previous years with vendors still targeting these early fairs despite the uncertainty.

Annual sellers Graeme and Sue Maxwell from Tutira said they went into the unknown but were happy and relieved with the results.

“Prices were back on the last few years but with the current conditions we couldn’t expect much more. We expected around the $3/ kg mark for steers so came out with a win as prices were above that.” The Maxwells’ traditional and exotic cattle have been a regular fixture at both the early steer and heifer fairs since 1984 though this year they sold a larger number because of the dry conditions.

Almost 99% of their steers and a large portion of heifers went to the fair last week.

The key take-home message from these fairs was that even though prices were not up to the past four years, given the current market environment the weaners exceeded expectations. Thoughts were that steers would average $2.80-$3/kg but managed $3.10-$3.30/ kg, which was an improvement on 2015 and all years preceding. Heifers largely ranged from $2.60-$2.80/kg with a few lines able to achieve $2.85-$2.90/kg and a handful just over $3/kg. On a per-head basis traditional and exotic steers made $680-$845 while traditional heifers largely sold for $510-$650 and heavierweighted exotics $620-$740. suz.bremner@globalhq.co.nz

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