Farmers Weekly August 9 2021 by AgriHQ

18 Milling wheat planting uncertainty Vol 19 No 31, August 9, 2021

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Call to cap carbon farms Neal Wallace neal.wallace@globalhq.co.nz

OMPETITION from carbon farming is driving up land prices and pushing firstfarm buyers out of the market, says Beef + Lamb New Zealand. Chief executive Sam McIvor says a commissioned report compiled by BakerAg calculates carbon farmers bought an estimated 31,000ha in the four years since 2017, 34% of the 92,118ha of the sheep and beef farms purchased for conversion to forestry. “One of the interesting aspects which is parallel with housing, is the fact that carbon farming is driving land prices up, which is putting farms out of reach of young people,” McIvor said.

That means any government restrictions on afforestation will risk New Zealand not meeting its carbon targets. Phil Taylor Forest Owners Association While timber prices have boosted demand for land, the report attributes a significant reason to climate change policies making revenue from a combination of forestry production and carbon, or

carbon-only, more attractive. “We anticipate this trend will continue as the carbon price continues to increase,” he said. Carbon prices are currently around $46 per tonne, but McIvor says with the Climate Change Commission (CCC) forecasting prices hitting $140/t in 2030 and $250/t in 2050, competition is only going to get more intense, evident by increased activity this year. Forestry is a legitimate land use and has a role in climate change, but McIvor says carbon farming locks up land forever, allowing carbon emitters to offset their emissions without reducing the source of those emissions. The report calculates the conversion of farmland to forestry and carbon farming meant the loss of 700,000 stock units from 2017 to 2020. Included in the 92,118ha being converted, was 14,300ha for mānuka honey production. Between 2018 and 2020, an additional 47,382ha was planted under the billion trees programme or Crown Forestry joint venture, of which three-quarters was for exotic trees and the balance native. B+LNZ disputes claims the land going into trees is unproductive, saying while 90% is classed 6 or 7, 64% is of low to moderate erosion susceptibility and primarily used for lamb and calf breeding. McIvor says he has been meeting with ministers and the forestry sector to air their concerns, particularly at the scale and pace of whole farm purchases and its impact on rural communities. B+LNZ wants limits on the volume of offsets available to participants in the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), such as

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OPTIONS: Dean Cook of Matamata on the look out for a good deal at the Raglan spring cattle fair at Kauroa on Thursday. Photo: Chris Hillock in California where it is 8%, and restrictions on the quantity of New Zealand Units (NZUs) issued to forestry participants for post-1989 forests for carbon sequestration. The Forest Owners Association says the report asks more questions than it answers and lacks sufficient rigour for the Government to impose restrictions. President Phil Taylor says the current forestry estate is still 162,000ha less than it was 18 years ago.

“Our concern on current figures would be that the CCC’s reliance on an expansion of the exotic forest area by another 380,000ha by 2035, to meet the 2050 greenhouse gas target, is going to fall well-short,” Taylor said. “On top of that, the CCC anticipates there will need to be more use made of wood in construction and its extensive utilisation in biofuels to replace fossil fuel.” “That means any government

restrictions on afforestation will risk New Zealand not meeting its carbon targets. “By the time that shortfall becomes clear it will be too late to fix it.” Taylor adds that it is wrong to assume that farming will always be a better and more productive land use than forestry. “On the tougher hill country, B+LNZ are now demanding that even if livestock can barely survive on that land, then tree planting should still be restricted,” he said.

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26 Looking at the big picture Wanaka deer farmer Mandy Bell has had a lifelong association with deer, attending New Zealand’s firstever live deer auction on industry stalwart Sir Tim Wallis’ property as a child in the late 1970s before working with fallow deer as a vet student.

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AgFirst’s annual financial survey has painted a rosy outlook for Waikato and Bay of Plenty dairy farmers, despite escalating on-farm costs creating future headwinds for the sector.

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7 GDT slump impacts 2021-22

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Eight consecutive falls of the Global Dairy Trade (GDT) price index have all but wiped out the extraordinary 15% rise in the market at the beginning of March.

24 Fastest kiwi farmer found The inaugural Anchor Milk cycle race recently took place near Oamaru. Among the 77 competitors were 28 farmers vying to be recognised as ‘NZ’s Fastest Farmer’.

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FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – August 9, 2021

Wool market strengthening Annette Scott annette.scott@globalhq.co.nz STRONG wool prices are creeping up as action in the industry begins to rebuild confidence. The first wool sale of the 2021-22 season opened strongly following the same positive trend from the end of season sale, with crossbred wool lifting 5% across the board. PGG Wrightson South Island auction manager Dave Burridge says the standout types for the season opener were the early prelamb shorn styles from all breeds typically showing good colour, style and good tensile length. This was followed by an excellent offering of pre-lamb shorn wools last week that saw the market continue to strengthen for all breeds. “The well-prepared clips were clearly sought-after by buyers procuring premium styles for processing into Asian and European markets,” Burridge said. Further lifts in value of 4-5% across the board were realised with good style crossbred fleece selling at $3.35/kg, average style at $3.00 and poorer $2.50. Good style crossbred, second shear of 75-100mm length fetched $3.15, 50-100mm $3.00 and 5075mm $2.95. Federated Farmers meat and wool chair William Beetham says there are some positive developments happening on strong wool collaboration, innovation and consumer-focus fronts signalling an exciting new era for New Zealand’s wool industry. “We’re really pleased to see industry players work together to end fragmentation and concentrate on driving extra value from the superior attributes we all know that strong wool entails,” Beetham said. He highlighted recent initiatives, including a proposed

We’re really pleased to see industry players work together to end fragmentation and concentrate on driving extra value. William Beetham Federated Farmers

VISION: SWAG chief executive Andy Caughey says the group’s role in establishing an entity that will take the industry forward will be influenced by activities that will underpin the opportunities identified. Photo: Annette Scott

merger of two main farmerowned co-operatives – Wools of NZ incorporating 730 farmers and Primary Wool Co-operative, 1400 farmers, with the aim of an integrated supply chain. The Wool Research Organisation of NZ (WRONZ) has announced a world-class research initiative with the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) and development of unique wool particles, powders and pigments, with global export potential. A joined-up farm assurance programme backed by 23 wool companies is under way; the aim being to build systems to

ensure a standard of supply and traceability that meets market expectations. “We’re moving beyond selling our clip as a raw product as we look for high-value, branded consumer products that capitalise on strong wool’s natural, sustainable credentials,” he said. These initiatives come on the back of companies such as Cavalier-Bremworth, Big Save Furniture and Merino NZ championing strong wool and the push into US markets, with branded wool product opportunities by the Strong Wool Action Group (SWAG). “I’m really buoyed by this

determination to lift our game, tell the exceptional story of our wool’s provenance, and get better returns for NZ farmers,” he said. “There’s a long road ahead to get to where everyone wants the strong wool industry to be and part of that is a commitment by farmers to meet assurance standards. “Farmers may also need to further invest in their industry, but when we get there the potential rewards are huge.” Meanwhile, finding entrepreneurs and companies either in NZ or offshore to spearhead branded product campaigns in the US is ongoing

in SWAG’s action plan to get NZ’s strong wool industry match-fit to take advantage of new market-led opportunities. As SWAG passes the halfway point of its works, SWAG chief executive Andy Caughey says it is becoming clear that the strong wool industry will need to develop approaches that can evolve over time. “This means meeting the needs of the sector today, but also adapting to what may be required in the future in response to consumer demand growth,” Caughey said. “This will include drawing on programmes and services within the broader food and fibre sector that the strong wool industry can plug in to.” In a major milestone for the industry, Big Save Furniture has committed to rewarding farmers their fair share, paying a premium of $4.50 a kilogram for good quality strong wool. With government funding for SWAG finishing at the end of December, Caughey says the group’s vital role to identify a structure that will take the industry forward remains key. “The shape of that entity, or entities, will be influenced by efforts to bolster onshore activities required in the development of strong wool fibres to pursue and underpin the opportunities identified,” he said.

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FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – August 9, 2021

Positive outlook for dairy sector Gerald Piddock gerald.piddock@globalhq.co.nz AGFIRST’S annual financial survey has painted a rosy outlook for Waikato and Bay of Plenty dairy farmers, despite escalating on-farm costs creating future headwinds for the sector. Farm profit after tax jumped 31% in 2020-21 thanks to a buoyant dairy payout, however, countering this was an 8% increase in farm working expenses compared to the previous year. AgFirst economist Phil Journeaux predicted farm profit before tax to lift 4% on the previous year to $330,400 for the current season, while expenses will increase by 5% over the season. The survey creates a dairy farm model and budget based on information drawn from 26 surveyed dairy farms across the two regions from 2020-21 season, as well as discussions from agribusiness representatives. That model is a family-run dairy farm of 133ha, wintering 381 cows and targeting 140,666kg MS for the 2021-22 season. Looking back at last season, Journeaux says the farms surveyed produced 2% more milk and the regions had an exceptionally good maize growing season, with yields up two tonnes on average. “All things being equal, our farm came out of last season in very good financial condition,” Journeaux said. Looking ahead at the current season, the kind winter has resulted in excellent grass growth and cows in good condition. The model was expecting an $8/ kg MS dairy payout, which should result in a healthy farm surplus for reinvestment. But rising costs had pushed the season’s breakeven payout to $6.94/kg MS, up from $6.54/kg MS in the season before. This is what the payout needed to be for the model farm to be able to pay essential expenditure. While

PROMISING: Farmers can expect a profitable season, despite challenges around on-farm costs and labour shortages, AgFirst economist Phil Journeaux says.

The feel-good factor is coming back. The offside of this is the issues around labour. Phil Journeaux AgFirst the average breakeven payout between 2014-15 and 2020-21 is $5.98/kg MS, over the past three years, that figure has crept up from 6.13/kg MS to just under $7/ kg MS. “The breakeven payout is slowly but steadily creeping up year by year,” he said. Likewise, farm working

expenses had also trended upwards. Feed costs made up the biggest portion of these expenses, followed by labour, fertiliser and overheads. He says the rate of increase in those expenses was greater than farm income when the two are compared. “In the long-term that’s unsustainable. The good news is that at the moment in absolute terms the income is greater than our farm working expenses, but if this keeps trucking, somewhere along the line, they’re going to catch each other,” he said. The industry-wide labour shortage was the most common issue among the surveyed farmers. All had difficulties in finding staff. There was also growing interest around new labour saving technologies such as electronic

cup removers and electronic collars. Farmers are also shifting to more flexible milking systems and work hours for staff. On environmental issues, there was widespread uncertainty around regional council plans with Plan Change 1 in the Environment Court and no sign yet of a plan change for eastern Waikato. In the Bay of Plenty, he says its water quality plan – Plan Change 9 – had yet to resurface. By 2024, all farms are meant to have plans in place to reduce greenhouse gases and the following year, he says farmers will be paying a carbon tax of some type. “My feeling is that at this stage, the GHG issue is going to have a far bigger impact on farming systems than the water quality side of things,” he said.

For the average dairy farmer, that could cost them around $3500-$4000 a year and $6000 for drystock farmers, starting in 2025. “When I talk to farmers and ask them, ‘What are you going to do?’ Almost all of them say ‘I’ll just write a cheque, Phil’. I think that’s probably the most economically sensible thing they can do,” he said. He suspected they will keep doing that in the hope that an inhibitor is eventually made available that allows farmers to reduce their emissions. Despite the issues, farmer morale is generally good thanks to the high payout, good seasonal conditions and low interest rates. “The feel-good factor is coming back. The offside of this is the issues around labour,” he said.

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FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – August 9, 2021

Commerce report brings opportunity Gerald Piddock gerald.piddock@globalhq.co.nz THE Commerce Commission’s draft report into supermarket competition is a chance for growers to reset its relationship with retailers, food industry leaders say. It could be the springboard for a fairer and more transparent partnership, Food and Grocery Council chief executive Katherine Rich and former Horticulture New Zealand chief executive Mike Chapman told growers and industry representatives at Horticulture NZ’s annual conference at Mystery Creek. The wide-ranging report recommended creating a code of conduct between suppliers and the supermarkets to restore the power imbalance tipped in favour of supermarkets when it came to bargaining, which both Rich and Chapman supported. Chapman says the report’s findings are not about apportioning blame and it was unfortunate retailers had been cast as villains in media coverage of the report. “This isn’t about villains and good guys. This is about how we move forward to create a system that is fair and share margins fairly,” Chapman said. The Government initiated the report because it believed people pay too much for their groceries. However, he says some growers may feel that consumers do not pay enough for the produce. If a new partnership could be created between retailer,

distributor and supplier, it would create greater transparency so consumers understood how produce was priced. “It’s saying, ‘Can we do better business to ensure local industry flourishes and that we can manufacture and derive normal profits?’” he said. Rich says if suppliers already had good relationships with supermarkets – and many do – that will continue; all the code of conduct will do is provide a few more rules and greater transparency. A code of conduct does not just change laws, but it also changes behaviours. “It’s the opportunity to lift everyone’s game and have a few more rules,” Rich said.

I’ve waited 50 years for this day to see something like this come up and I think every grower in this room should be making a submission to the Commerce Commission. Howe Young Grower She says the code should cover bullying, coercive behaviour by supermarkets, including

CLEAN SLATE: The Commerce Commission’s report into supermarkets is a chance for growers to forge a better relationship with retailers, Food and Grocery Council chief executive Katherine Rich and former Horticulture New Zealand chief executive Mike Chapman said.

supermarkets’ demanding payments from suppliers for shelf space, waste or unwanted promotions. “To go back to the theme of the last 20 years, it’s the shift of cost backwards to suppliers, it’s the shift of risk backwards and the margins go the other way,” she said. It should also include making payments to suppliers made to be fair, timely and reasonable. She implored growers to work with them to determine what the code could look like. “The commission’s put up some pretty broad principles, but it’s up to us as suppliers with the next submission process to furnish them with ideas,” she said. South Auckland grower Howe Young says the report was the one and only chance for growers to get a code of conduct in place and make change for the better. Since he started in the industry in 1966, Young says he had seen

growers’ rights “trampled in the mud” with previous attempts to get a code of conduct in place rejected. Young claimed his company was blacklisted for five years by one of the supermarkets after he spoke out about growers’ rights being eroded. “I’ve waited 50 years for this day to see something like this come up and I think every grower in this room should be making a submission to the Commerce Commission. It doesn’t matter if it’s good, bad, whatever; tell them your experiences and the pressure you have come under,” Young said. Chapman says he was surprised by the commission’s suggestion of collective bargaining by suppliers separate to a code of conduct. He was interested in growers’ views of this and wanted feedback from them before the deadline of the next submission process at the end of August.

“This idea of having a special exemption for suppliers to collectively bargain with supermarkets or distributors is a very interesting concept and one that I think we should explore just a little bit more,” Chapman said. He questioned the commission’s suggestion of changes or breaking up to the supermarket’s duopoly. “New Zealand is a small country. It’s a long country and the concept of having more than two retailers selling groceries may not be practical,” he said. If that was the case, it might be better to focus on making the existing system work better. He also questioned the commission’s suggestion of breaking up retailers’ wholesale arm from its retail business. “That would not work in our view, because you would be taking away the ability to service the market as efficiently as they do,” he said.

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FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – August 9, 2021

More homes for calves are needed Hugh Stringleman hugh.stringleman@globalhq.co.nz THE best and biggest whiteface and Friesian bull calves are selling at prices up to $300 in the North Island sale yards, but a long tail of lesser types is proving hard to shift. AgriHQ livestock senior analyst Suz Bremner says calf rearers were bidding up for the good beefcross bull calves because there is going to be a demand for them as weaners and rising one-year cattle. But there are disconnections developing in the supply chain as medium-scale calf rearers quit the business (Farmers Weekly, July 26). Top of their reasons is the lack of certainty that weaned calves and rising one-years will find a farmer who will pay a worthwhile margin for the effort of rearing. “Further down the supply chain, finishers will want 350-450kg LW cattle, but we seem to be losing people who farm the younger stock after rearers,” Bremner said. “The changing climate and back-to-back dry and drought conditions is likely having an impact as farmers look to reduce the volume of stock on-farm through those high-risk times. “The consequences are showing in limited demand for medium and small feeder calves and the steep drop-off in sale yard prices from the better end of the calves

to the smaller types at present.” Calves that sold at upset prices, such as $10, would not be covering their yarding costs. PGG Wrightson dairy coordinator for Manawatū Peter Forrest says bigger and higherquality Friesian bulls sold well at the Manfeild Park calf sale and well-marked, big beef-cross calves also sold well. In the August 2 sale, the best whiteface bull calves were $250$300, whiteface heifers were $180$200 and the best Friesian bull calves $120-$145. But the demand for medium and small calves dropped right away, reflected in the lower prices. Manfeild did see some good prices for the exotic crossbreds: Belgian Blue bulls $420; Simmental-cross bulls $170; Speckle Park heifers $180-$215; and Simmental-cross heifers $170. Prices for better types held up on August 5, but good beef-cross heifers were available at $70 to $100 and small calves of all types were cheap. PGG Wrightson’s Waikato sale yards operations manager Neil Lyons says feeder calf numbers in his province were coming through in greater numbers than last season following good calving conditions and earlier matings. The best Friesian bulls are bringing $130-$175 and the best Hereford-cross $260-$300. The best whiteface heifers are

ASSESSMENT: PGG Wrightson agent Andrew Leggett about to sell pens of good whiteface calves at Manfeild Park, Feilding, while the buyers make their selections.

$170-$230 and the best Anguscross heifers $100-$145. It was still early in the season for quality dairy-beef cross calves as they tended to be born from later cycling cows. Lyons is concerned that the numbers of calf buyers have dropped off because in 12 to 24 months’ time there will be a shortage of cattle.

The August 3 Tirau calf sale saw the best whiteface bull calves in a range of $225-$285 and the best heifers $200-$260. Good Friesian bull calves were $100-$150, mediums $30-$90 and small, only $10-$30. NZ Farmers Livestock agent Stu Wells says the average price across all feeder calves at Frankton on August 4 was $96 and that was $20

better than the week before. Buyer numbers were building up and the quality of the calves being yarded was high. The best whiteface bull calves were up to $260 and the best Friesian $160, while heifers got to $190 for whitefaces, followed by $135 for Angus-cross and $120$130 for the other dairy-beef crosses.

GDT slump drags down 2021-22 milk price forecasts Hugh Stringleman hugh.stringleman@globalhq.co.nz EIGHT consecutive falls of the Global Dairy Trade (GDT) price index have all but wiped out the extraordinary 15% rise in the market at the beginning of March. In the five months since, nine out of 10 fortnightly actions have been downward moves in the

market and the GDT price index has dropped 13.2%. In the first auction for August, whole milk powder (WMP) prices fell by 3.8% and have now fallen 19% since March. The GDT index lost 1%, as the fall in WMP was balanced somewhat by butter increasing 3.8%, anhydrous milk fat (AMF) by 1.3% and skim milk powder

(SMP) by 1.5%. Senior agri-economist Nathan Penny says Westpac has taken 25c out of its prediction, now $7.75/kg milksolids. “Fundamental developments over recent months have been negative for our milk price forecast,” Penny said. “New Zealand milk production over the autumn was 10% stronger

than the previous year. “Farmers certainly made hay while the sun was still shining, eking out as much production as they could to cash in on the very high milk price on offer. “Given the sheer magnitude of the extra milk in-market, it’s not altogether surprising that whole milk powder prices have yet to find a bottom.”

Rabobank dairy analyst Emma Higgins pointed to strong milk production in China, up 8.5% in Q1 2021, plus strong imports leading to high inventories. “While it is very difficult to obtain full clarity, we anticipate the growth of imports and production combined are outpacing domestic consumption growth, adding to overall stock levels,” Higgins said.

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FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – August 9, 2021

Govt reforms ‘absolutely punishing’ Neal Wallace neal.wallace@globalhq.co.nz LOCAL authorities and industry groups warn they are being driven to breaking point by the volume and pace of Government legislation reforms. One described the pace and scale as “absolutely punishing” and warned “it has the potential, unless managed very carefully, to break the system”. Karen Williams, a former planner and current Federated Farmers vice president, says that pace shows no letting up, with parties given just one month to comment on the exposure draft of the first of three documents to replace the Resource Management Act (RMA). “The RMA is 30 years old, so you don’t start looking at its replacement with one month of submissions,” Williams said. “Where are the workshops, where is the engagement?” Others spoken to have commented the exposure draft is more notable for what is not in it than what is in. The impact of the pace and scale of reform on farmers and rural communities was one reason for the recent nationwide Groundswell protests. The Ministry for the Environment (MfE) is driving policy on climate change, the RMA, Essential Freshwater and indigenous biodiversity and the Department of Internal Affairs Three Waters and pending changes to local government. In addition, the Government is centralising health and polytechnic administration. There is consensus among those spoken to that some laws need changing, but interest groups say they are struggling to keep up with a government emboldened with a Parliamentary majority and a one in 30-year opportunity to drive its reform agenda. Comment was made that the Government appears to consider it easier to fix legislation once passed, as happened with water quality rules for fencing and

COLLABORATE: Beef + Lamb NZ chief executive Sam McIvor says producer groups have been talking about working together to tackle the legislative workload.

intensive winter grazing. Williams says all lobby groups are overwhelmed by the space and volume of change.

Everyone is under pressure to keep up with this comprehensive and far-reaching legislation. Karen Williams Federated Farmers “Everyone is under pressure to keep up with this comprehensive and far-reaching legislation,” she said. A spokesperson for Local

Government NZ (LGNZ) says councils are also struggling and there is real concern at the impact on staff health and wellbeing. “Councils really are suffering from change and reform fatigue,” the spokesperson said. That pressure has been accentuated by the MfE and private firms recruiting skilled planners from local authorities. Environment Minister David Parker was asked twice to respond to concerns about the pace and speed of change and the pressure on lobby groups, but he declined. Environmental Defence Society executive director Gary Taylor acknowledges the increased workload on lobby groups, but says the reforms proposed for the primary sector have been well forecast. He also says some claims made during the Groundswell protests

were false and spread fear among farmers. “There is a bit happening, but I don’t think it is anything like the position Groundswell is advocating,” Taylor said. Beef + Lamb NZ chief executive Sam McIvor says producer groups have been talking about working together to tackle the legislative workload. McIvor says scale and pace were issues, but so was style – how the Government was implementing its reforms. “Look at the water issue around how the policy was initially developed,” McIvor said. “The failing of the Government was to sit down with industry early and share what the big picture is and the ideas of achieving that.” Instead, the final policy lacked scientific rigour, was impractical

and is still being amended 18 months later. “One thing the Government could do is to take time to listen and develop solutions where it takes a more co-design and solution approach with industry,” he said. McIvor attributes the Government’s rush to wanting to leave a legacy of addressing issues such as water quality. Associate Professor Hamish Rennie from Lincoln University’s Department of Environmental Management warns not to expect instant improvement from the new RMA legislation. He questions the merits of replacing the legislation as new definitions and concepts will need to be determined through the courts before it starts to work. “I can see a lot of litigation coming that will delay its implementation for some time,” Rennie said. Innovative tools and national policy standards enabled the current RMA to function. Ministry staff are working in regional offices or from home, which Rennie says should ensure policy is not developed with a Wellington-centric perspective. “By being based around NZ it is more likely to have a sense of the variety of the country and issues should be better understood,” he said. Farmlands chair Rob Hewett says the co-operative has regularly raised farmer-concerns directly with ministers and officials. The reality is that consumers’ demands have changed since they were forced into lockdown by the pandemic. “These changes are coming. All the Government is doing is reflecting that consumer sentiment,” Hewett said. “It is the volume and pace which people are talking about, what people are angry about.” Hewett says Farmlands is sympathetic with the concerns of farmers. “We are supportive but we are engaging in a different way,” he said.

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FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – August 9, 2021

Concern over ‘rushed reforms’ Neal Wallace neal.wallace@globalhq.co.nz THE hectic pace of Governmentinitiated reform will result in poorly drafted legislation that will create a windfall for lawyers, warns National Party Environment spokesperson Scott Simpson. Replacement draft legislation, such as for the Resource Management Act (RMA), lacks detail or an understanding of unintended consequences, he says, which will be determined by litigation. “Either way the legislative changes coming at us like a steam train do not have that detail,” Simpson said.

Government departments and agencies tasked with doing the fine detail are hugely under-resourced and are trying to catchup and keep up, which is leading to mistakes.

The Ministry for the Environment (MfE) acknowledges it has a heavy workload developing policy to reform the RMA, climate change, indigenous biodiversity and water. Simpson says the Government appears to be taking the approach of passing legislation then fixing it later. “Government departments and agencies tasked with doing the fine detail are hugely under-resourced and are trying to catch-up and keep up, which is leading to mistakes,” he said. Data provided by the MfE reveals an almost doubling in staff and its operational budget in the last five years. In 2016-17 it employed 340.9 people, rising to 491.8 in 2019-20 and 648 in 2020-21. Its operating budget has also almost doubled in five years, from $64 million in 201617 to $95.5m four years later and

$123.5m in the last financial year. “We expect staff numbers to increase again this financial year, as the Ministry continues to recruit to support its work programme,” a spokesperson said. Some examples of the Ministry’s current workload include RMA reform, which is at the stage of consulting on an early draft of the Natural and Built Environments Act (NBA), the first of three laws to replace the RMA. The Essential Freshwater package took effect last September, but finer details are still being discussed and changed. The National Policy Statement on Indigenous Biodiversity (NPSIB) will give councils clear direction of their responsibilities and an exposure draft will be released in the coming months subject to Cabinet approval. On climate change, the Ministry is consulting on a governance framework and reform of the industrial allocation for the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) and it will soon consult on New Zealand’s first emissions reduction plan. Environment Minister David Parker says the RMA is being reformed after widespread dissatisfaction and after a review initiated by the previous government. “It is expected the NBE, and the companion law the Strategic Planning Act, will be passed in this term,” Parker said in a statement. The freshwater reforms are designed to stop the degradation. “There is strong public support for these aims,” he said. “Improvements in water quality and ecosystem health over time are required in both urban and rural areas.” Parker says concessions in the Essential Freshwater policy have been made to farming, including delays to the introduction of the intensive winter grazing regulations until May 2022, and he expects this year to see the quality of winter grazing practices improve and the quantity reduced.

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BAND AID SOLUTIONS: National Party environment spokesperson Scott Simpson says the Government appears to be taking the approach of passing legislation then fixing it later.

New policies in the pipeline The Resource Management Act (RMA) The RMA will be replaced by three acts: the Natural and Built Environments Act (NBA); the Strategic Planning Act (SPA); and the Climate Adaption Act (CAA). The NBA aims to protect and restore the environment, the SPA provides strategic and long-term planning for land and the coastal marine area, while the CAA will address complex issues in dealing with climate change. It is proposed the new Bill will be introduced to Parliament early next year, but the public will have two opportunities to give feedback through a select committee inquiry and a second select committee process when the full Bill is introduced to Parliament early in 2022. Indigenous Biodiversity The National Policy

Climate Change Policies are designed so NZ can adapt to climate change and contribute to an international response to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Statement for Indigenous Biodiversity (NPSIB) is to be gazetted at the end of the year, giving direction to councils on their responsibilities for identifying, protecting, managing and restoring indigenous biodiversity. Essential Freshwater The Essential Freshwater package came into force last September, introducing new rules and regulations to stop degradation of New Zealand’s freshwater resources and improve water quality within five years, and waterways and ecosystems to a healthy state within a generation. Changes are still being made.

Three Waters Reforms are being run by the Department of Internal Affairs. The three-year programme to reform local Government administration and delivery of drinking, wastewater and stormwater services will see the Government expropriate the assets and services delivered by 67 councils and replace them with four public-owned entities to be operational by 2024. Vocational training The Government intends to dismantle 16 institutes of technology and polytechnics and replace it with a single national campus network.

Health The Government intends to dismantle District Health Boards and centralise administration.

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10 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – August 9, 2021

NZ hopes to sweeten UK deal Eric Frykberg

PRESSURE: The Government is under pressure to win an FTA with Britain after Australia landed a good deal. Trade Minister Damien O’Connor recently visited the UK and Europe to fast-track negotiations.

To achieve that, New Zealand is going to have to offer the UK a good deal on services and investment, probably by easing the rules. Charles Finny Trade veteran we have done now,” they said. Another trade veteran Charles Finny says NZ was surprised and very pleased at what Australia had been offered by Britain. While there was no guarantee

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that NZ would get an identical deal, something similar to it appeared to be a prospect for this country. And it would not be acceptable for the NZ government to accept something substantially less than Canberra got. “To achieve that, New Zealand is going to have to offer the UK a good deal on services and investment, probably by easing the rules,” Finny said. “If you look at other FTAs, there have been agreements on thresholds that apply before the Overseas Investment Office became involved (in foreign investments).” This would be the main way for NZ to be able offer concessions to the British, since tariffs

on imported goods, such as machinery, were already low or non-existent. Another trade expert Stephen Jacobi says an FTA with Britain would be very important. “They are an important market for New Zealand. There is a lot of potential to grow the market further if barriers to some of our more traditional exports were removed,” Jacobi said. “For that to happen, we need a meaningful market access outcome.” One issue hovering in the background is Britain’s wish to join the CPTPP. For that to happen there needs to be consensus among existing members to allow the British to come in.

Potentially, that means NZ could use its position to block British access unless a highquality FTA is signed first. Many trade experts doubt that NZ would go too far on this matter, for fear of alienating other, more powerful CPTPP states that want to have Britain inside the tent. But they say NZ’s potential veto could still be a distant threat, hovering in the background, that everyone wants to avoid. This would match the so-called pocket veto at the United Nations, where the permanent members of the Security Council have a veto but don’t often use it, because other countries know it exists and so avoid conflict in the first place.

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THE Government is considering making it easier for British investors to acquire New Zealand assets in a bid to push a free trade deal with London over the line. A source close to the negotiations says Cabinet will on Monday consider a paper proposing lighter investment rules, including easier thresholds for transactions which are examined by the Overseas Investment Office (OIO). In return, NZ would stand a better chance of getting improved dairy access into Britain, and other commodities could also benefit. The issue is being dealt with as time ticks towards an end-ofAugust deadline for substantive progress on a NZ-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA). The NZ government is under pressure to win an FTA with Britain after Australia landed a surprisingly good deal, which was agreed to in-principle in June. The British government is also under pressure from its trade sector to come up with deals to fill a post-Brexit vacuum. Although London’s main goal is to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Trans Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), bilateral deals such as an FTA with NZ are also part of the mix. Monday’s cabinet debate will follow months of disappointment with two offers of market access to Britain which were deemed derisory. But a far improved offer has since come through in the wake of the Australian deal. While details are being kept under wraps, it is understood dairy products from NZ could get similar treatment to dairy products from Australia, which will enjoy a five-year wind-down of tariffs. One veteran trade expert, speaking anonymously, was very pleased with progress so far. “If you had spoken to me a year ago, I would never have said we would have gotten as far as

News

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – August 9, 2021

SFF outlines regen ag requirements assurances across things like climate change,” McSkimming said. Reaction from SFF suppliers has varied from ‘about time’ to reluctance, but McSkimming says MOST livestock suppliers will satisfy Silver Fern Farms’ (SFF) regenerative agriculture requirements greater regulation and compliance was imminent for farmers, which will take most well on the way to by recording and monitoring their farm activities. meeting the company’s regenerative requirements. There will be no need to plant a seed SFF is helping that process by launching a pilot smorgasbord pasture, as adopted by some regen programme with a small number of suppliers to systems, but meeting the requirements of the pending Farm Assurance Programme-Plus (NZFAP- measure greenhouse gas emissions. Once the proof of concept has been made, the Plus) production assurance standards will suffice process will be expanded. for most suppliers. SFF chief customer officer David Courtney says NZFAP-Plus is being launched on October 1, but the transition to meet those standards does not need to be immediate but phased in over a period. “It’s all about setting the direction of travel,” Courtney said. NZFAP-Plus provides assurance of integrity, traceability, biosecurity, food safety, environmental sustainability and animal health, welfare, farm environment and people. Courtney says some subtle changes may be required, but he estimated 60% of farming practices already met those standards, with the remaining 40% requiring measurement and recording. The requirements will also include elements with the pending He Waka Eke Noa, the industrywide agreement to measure and address agricultural greenhouse gas emissions along with biodiversity. “You bring that back to regenerative agricultural definitions,” he said. Courtney says the company’s move to regenerative farming systems mirrors changing consumer demands. “Consumers are saying they like regenerative agriculture, what it stands for, that it is kind on the environment, leaves land in better condition and they see it as the future of farming,” he said. The European Union and UK are both signalling that they intend including environmental stewardship clauses in free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations under way with NZ. SFF describes regenerative agriculture as a broad range of land-use practices which focus on regenerating topsoil, while also improving water quality, building plant biodiversity and respecting animal welfare. SFF has adopted eight principles: reducing a farm’s carbon footprint; improving soil health; improving plant and insect biodiversity; improving water quality; conserving and restoring natural water bodies; improving the health and productivity of farm eco-systems; having the highest standards of animal welfare; and ensuring farmers and rural communities are nurtured, developed and sustained. Prior to committing to the regenerative programme, suppliers were surveyed on the practicality of those farming systems and standards without using the word regenerative. 25,000MM “The vast majority accept these as part of the current farming system,” he said. “What we have done is packaged, or described it, 100% WATERPROOF HIGH FREQUENCY a bit differently.” WATERPROOF RATING WELDED SEAMS SFF will work with the US-based Savory Institute’s Land to Market Accreditation, a leading accreditation body for regenerative agriculture. It is not a case of applying US farming systems, he says, but both parties learning how to apply the philosophy to NZ. “We’ve decided that rather than wait for the perfect answer, we’re just going to get on and do it,” Our hardworking 360 workwear has been tried and he said. tested on New Zealand dairy farms, and it will cope with While qualifying products could earn premium prices, SFF agribusiness strategic solutions whatever your day throws at you. manager Greg McSkimming says just as importantly those claims will help NZ meat keep pace with consumer demand and help pricing stay AVAILABLE EXCLUSIVELY AT FARM SOURCE at the premium end of the market. He says it will also add to the existing promises made in the SFF-branded product. “There is no doubt consumer’s thinking has changed about what they are eating; they want Neal Wallace neal.wallace@globalhq.co.nz

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PHASED IN: Silver Fern Farms chief customer officer David Courtney says NZFAP-Plus is being launched on October 1, but the transition to meet those standards does not need to be immediate.

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12 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – August 9, 2021

Spotlight on right to repair Richard Rennie richard.rennie@globalhq.co.nz ACTION by US President Joe Biden to free up farmers’ access to farm equipment technology and software has won some strong support among New Zealand operators. Biden recently signed an executive order that included the “right to repair” action aimed specifically at agricultural machinery. The order is intended to promote greater competition in the US economy. The right to repair action asks the Federal Trade Commission to curtail “unfair anti-competitive restrictions on third party repair or self-repair of items, including restrictions imposed to prevent farmers from repairing their own equipment”. A large movement among US farmers, the right to repair stance has grown as farm equipment has become increasingly computerised and run by proprietary software, requiring specific dealer-only diagnostics and parts to be repaired. Earlier this year, over half the US’ states introduced the right to repair legislation and the presidential executive order has been hailed for boosting its strength. It aims to allow both farmers and independent farm machinery service staff to get under the hood of machines without risking voiding warranties or being unable to access the machine’s technology. Canterbury contractor and farmer Jeremy Talbot says any pressure on machinery manufacturers to free up farmers’ ability to make repairs to equipment was not before time, and the same issues affecting US farmers applied here. “New Zealand can be just as bad for getting information and repairs done. I can go back 10-15 years when you could access parts CDs, but now they often have a lot of parts information removed from them, if you can

REPAIRED: TAMA president Kyle Baxter says the right to repair can be problematic if it extends to software modification of farm machinery.

You have no choice, you can’t go anywhere else, and you can’t argue about a dealer’s charge out rate to diagnose a problem. Jeremy Talbot Talbot Contracting get hold of them,” Talbot said. Mechanical issues he had with a tractor soon revealed the machine had not received 23 upgrades its equivalent in the United Kingdom would have received. Talbot says warranty conditions here were often on a “fix on failure” condition, rather than receiving new parts based on manufacturer recalls. “You have no choice, you can’t

OBLIGED: Canterbury contractor and farmer Jeremy Talbot says operators are beholden to dealerships when it comes to repairing complex farm equipment.

go anywhere else and you can’t argue about a dealer’s charge out rate to diagnose a problem,” he said. “The (executive) order is a good thing. At present everyone is held to ransom.” He contrasted farm machinery diagnostics to the car industry where car owners were now able to plug in off the shelf diagnostic computers to assess their machine’s problems. “It could be the same for tractors. But if I replace one part of the hydraulics you cannot recalibrate the computer, you have to get a guy in to do it. You are then limited by the dealership, when they are open and when staff are around to come and do it,” he said. Whakatāne grain contractor Garry Bryson trained as a mechanic and says he found the modern limitations to farmer repair frustrating and expensive. “We had trouble with our

crawler tractor. But the issue was an auto electrician only has so much ability to get any diagnostics out of it,” Bryson said. “So we were looking at $180 an hour just to plug a dealer’s diagnostics in and it turned out the problem was a tiny sensor they charged $2000 for. We ended up getting it on Ebay for $75 and it was here in three days.” Both Talbot and Bryson noted the complexity of modern tractors was making them expensive to maintain. They said being beholden to proprietary diagnostics and parts did little to change that. However, Talbot also appreciated some of the productivity gains the proprietary technology had delivered in recent years. “There are some good toys in there. My John Deere combine can ‘talk’ to the tractor alongside it, steering it and, taking a step further, it can control the auger

to fill the trailer evenly and shuts off when the trailer is full; it saves your neck over harvest time. JD claims a gain of 30% in productivity, and I could vouch for that,” Talbot said. But pre-computerised tractors older than late-80s models are surging in values in the US at present, bid up by farmers accustomed to fixing the relatively simple, ‘bulletproof’ machines themselves. One 1979 John Deere 4640 sold last year for US$61,000, double what such a model would normally fetch, but still half the price of its modern equivalent. Tractor and Machinery Association (TAMA) president Kyle Baxter says the association was aware of the US issue, but maintained the issue was not major here in NZ yet. “At the same time, it may come onto our radar in three to five years. In the meantime, we sell a significant amount of parts to farmers and contractors who perform their own repairs. It is, however, a different issue when people may want to modify machines,” Baxter said. Andrew Cooke, head of Hamilton software company Rezare, says the issue was at a similar stage to where cars were 10-15 years ago. “Then people reverse engineered it and published information, and now you can buy diagnostic equipment to do it yourself,” Cooke said. “There are essentially three aspects to this issue: diagnostics, data and software access.” He maintained farmers should have diagnostic access. The huge amount of data machines like combines are capable of literally harvesting should also remain in their ownership, and if passed on to third parties, farmers should be informed of this. “But software modification, that becomes a liability issue; companies work hard to ensure software is reliable and safe and naturally they will want to defend that,” he said.

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14 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – August 9, 2021

Split views on climate advice Colin Williscroft colin.williscroft@globalhq.co.nz RURAL groups generally wanted the Climate Change Commission (CCC) to pull back on some of its recommendations to the Government on New Zealand’s greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions targets, while many in urban areas thought the targets were not ambitious enough. The commission received more than 15,400 submissions on the draft advice it released in February, with less than 40 made in hard copy format. About 900 of the total number of submissions, which were recently made public, were from organisations, with just under 40 from iwi/Māori and the remainder from individuals. Four organisations provided template submissions sent to the commission’s email address, with members of those groups sending in templated submissions multiple times. They were the Green Party (1276 submissions), Forest and Bird (3038), Safe (65) and the Taxpayers Union (6197). DairyNZ’s submission said that it was committed to dairy farming playing its part in transitioning to a low-emissions economy, alongside the rest of NZ, but it was concerned that the commission’s proposed draft carbon budgets shifted the goalposts for farmers. “The draft carbon budgets increase the level of reduction required beyond that contained in the Climate Change Response (Zero Carbon) Act,” its submission said. “We do not consider this is justified based on the mandate, nor the science, economic or farm systems assessments.” Beef + Lamb NZ (B+LNZ) agreed. Its submission said the commission’s recommendation that the Government implement measures that would lead to a 13.2% reduction of biogenic methane emissions on 2017 levels, which it did not support. “This represents a 32% increase

FIGURES: About 900 of the total number of submissions to the Climate Change Commission, which were recently made public, were from organisations, with just under 40 from iwi/Māori and the remainder from individuals.

This proposed shift in the goal posts is not acceptable, particularly at a time when the agriculture sector is consolidating its actions to reduce emissions through processes such as He Waka Eke Noa. B+LNZ

in the level of ambition compared to the 2030 biogenic methane target contained in the Zero Carbon Act, which is to reduce methane emissions to 10% below 2017 levels by 2030,” B+LNZ said in its submission. “This proposed shift in the goal posts is not acceptable, particularly at a time when the agriculture sector is consolidating

its actions to reduce emissions through processes such as He Waka Eke Noa.” In contrast, the Aucklandbased NZ Climate Change Action Network (NZCCAN) submitted that the commission’s draft recommendations, if implemented, would be a major step forward from NZ’s response to climate change so far, but it said the recommendations were not strong enough. Its submission said the commission’s targets for biogenic methane reductions are in keeping with the Climate Change Response Amendment Act’s 2030 targets but the Act’s 2050 target is much more challenging. “There are various steps that could be taken, starting immediately, to reduce these emissions, probably at a significantly faster rate than has been budgeted for in the (commission’s) draft advice report,” NZCCAN said. “We recommend that these possible steps be further reviewed and the appropriate ones taken

to gain a faster reduction in emissions.” Opinions were also split across councils. The Hurunui District Council submitted that focusing on a percentage in emissions reduction per sector is not an equitable approach. “It is a red herring to argue that agriculture is 48% of our carbon equivalent emissions – of course it is, it is our biggest economic activity (bearing in mind carbon emissions from international air travel are not counted),” the council said. “As we shift to renewable energy sources and decarbonise transport, agriculture is likely to become a larger percentage of our emissions. Something will always be 48% of our emissions – it is not the percentage which is important but the gross number that agriculture or another activity forms 48% of.” The neighbouring Waimakariri District Council said that it does not support the package of actions for agriculture as they

are too general and boil down to platitudes about improving on-farm efficiency, development of new technologies and creating options for alternative farming practices. It said a more concrete and realistic pathway is required to assist the agriculture sector if it is to achieve biogenic methane reductions of 10% below 2017 levels by 2030, and between 24% and 47% by 2050. Auckland Council said the proposed emissions budgets and recommendations represent a positive step towards reducing emissions, but it recommended more ambitious emissions budgets and recommendations to align with NZ delivering on its commitment to the Paris Agreement. It said the emissions reductions targets for gross long-lived gases and biogenic methane were not ambitious enough. The Government has until the end of the year to consider the commission’s advice and come up with its own plan.

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farmersweekly.co.nz – August 9, 2021

HONEST, HARDWORKING, NZ MADE LEGENDS

WORKERS WANTED: T&G Global operations director Craig Betty says although its new, permanent roles will provide support at the peak of the apple season, T&G will still need to recruit thousands of people nationwide for the upcoming season.

T&G looks to the future LISTED horticultural company T&G Global took a number of hits in the first six months of this year resulting in 2.9% reduction in revenue and a 44% fall in operating profit. Reporting its interim results for the six months to June 30, the company cited disrupted shipping channels and the need for some ship chartering, along with the hail storm in Nelson province and shortages of skilled pickers. Chief executive Gareth Edgecombe said the first had been challenging, with ongoing uncertainty and volatility. World demand for fresh produce and the growth in premium brands were impacted by the international supply chain challenges. T&G worked with other businesses and industries to charter some vessels but its financial performance felt the consequences. Total revenue was $652 million, of which apples accounted for $425m, down 15.5% from the previous corresponding period. The adverse weather in Nelson hit the company’s own crop and that of its growers, and apples also ripened early, creating a race to get them off the trees with a shortage of skilled workers. “We worked hard to address the shortage of skilled and experienced workers, hiring more than 950 New Zealanders throughout the season. “We also invested heavily in automation, welcoming eight new state-of-the-art automated picking platforms to increase productivity on our Hawke’s Bay orchards, while also assisting in reducing injuries. “Despite these efforts, at the peak of the season we were still short around 300 people a day.” T&G has announced 150 new

permanent positions in its apple division, open to people new to the industry. The new roles are being advertised internally amongst the company’s casual and contracted seasonal workforce, as well as externally in the local community. These will have time in harvest and post-harvest aspects, along with the new 2D structures to enable automated picking.

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Gareth Edgecombe T&G Global Operations director Craig Betty says although the roles will provide support at the peak of the apple season, T&G will still need to recruit thousands of people nationwide for the upcoming season. “With these new positions, we expect our productivity to increase as we build our skills and capabilities, however we’ll still require additional seasonal team members to join us throughout the harvest.” T&G Global is 74% owned by the BayWa AG company of Germany and 20% by Wo Yang fruit distributor in China. New chair Benedikt Mangold says despite the financial performance, T&G’s underlying financial strength, combined with its strategy and capabilities, means it is well positioned to maximise future global growth. During the six months the company’s share price remained between $2.90 and $3.

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FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – August 9, 2021

Hort welcomes RSE decision Richard Rennie richard.rennie@globalhq.co.nz THE horticultural sector is pinning its hopes on seeing a return to the many thousands of Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) workers this season, with the Government announcing they can arrive without having to go through managed isolation. After a harvest that resulted in the apple sector writing off tens of millions of dollars’ worth of crop due to labour shortages, there has been a collective sigh of relief that the risk of similar losses next harvest will be eased. Pipfruit NZ chief executive Alan Pollard says the timing of the announcement in early August was timely, providing employers time to line-up staff for the pipfruits’ first peak, OctoberNovember thinning. “We will be able to start bringing in workers in September, and we are hopeful we can get back closer to the RSE cap, of about 12,500 workers,” Pollard said. He estimated the pipfruit sector alone had a shortfall of 7000-8000 workers and was also sorely missing the thousands of backpackers who also played a big part in harvest workforces. The announcement excludes covid-struck Fiji, and also Solomon Islands, but includes key staff sources of Tonga, Samoa and Vanuatu. Until now, workers have had to undergo quarantine for two weeks, paid for by employers, who were also paying them on full pay while in quarantine. “We had always argued that moving them from a covid-free

TIMELY: Pipfruit NZ chief executive Alan Pollard says the timing of the RSE announcement was good, giving growers time to get workers here for fruit thinning.

island to NZ and putting them in quarantine here just made no sense,” he said. Richard Bibby, of the NZ Master Contractors who often employ RSE staff on orchards and vineyards, says until now the cost of bringing in RSE workers was about $5000 a staff member, by the time MIQ and wages during MIQ were covered. “And their visas are only for seven months, and two weeks in MIQ is counted as part of that employment period, so you only have them for 6.5 months. The

announcement is welcome, but the Government has not exactly made it that easy for the industry,” Bibby said. He says to add to cost and complication, those RSE workers still in NZ were now required to complete a completely new set of visa paperwork, at considerable time and cost to employers. Bibby regularly employs 700 RSE workers and says it was likely there would be bottlenecks in the system that could still stall their arrival here in NZ. The Government

announcement specified workers arriving here would have to have a pre-departure covid test, and another one when they landed here. However, on returning home they would be required to undergo MIQ, and the islands all had limited capacity for isolating incoming workers. “We have also lost a number of these workers to Australia where the measures have been easier, they have not been required to undergo MIQ there,” he said. However, he was looking forward to the first arrivals, including 40 he had coming in September, originally booked under the earlier requirement they undergo MIQ. “Hopefully that will not be the case now,” he said. HortNZ chief executive Nadine Tunley says while New Zealanders would remain the sector’s first priority for employment, additional help was still required or the ability of the sector to continue to grow would be at risk. Pollard says he knew of growers who had opted to walk away from their orchards after last season’s harvest that left tonnes of fruit unpicked and mental health had been a major concern for the sector. Summerfruit NZ chief executive Kate Hellstrom says there were still details to be gone through for bringing the staff in. “But having some certainty about not needing MIQ is a relief. As sectors, viticulture and horticulture have been working very collaboratively. There is a lot of overlap between sectors for staff demand, there is certainly

work there for all RSE workers,” Hellstrom said. She noted the absence of backpackers was a big issue for southern summerfruit growers, something unlikely to change until greater vaccination coverage was achieved and travel restrictions were eased.

The announcement is welcome, but the Government has not exactly made it that easy for the industry. Richard Bibby NZ Master Contractors Estimates are that about 5000 backpackers remain in NZ, and are still capable of working thanks to the Government extending visas and enabling workers to work across different sectors. NZ Kiwifruit Growers chief executive Colin Bond also welcomed the announcement. “While New Zealanders remain the first priority in employment in the kiwifruit industry, the availability of New Zealanders as well as other people stranded in NZ are well short of seasonal worker requirements, meaning there is a deficit,” Bond said. The kiwifruit sector estimates it has managed to recruit about 3500 new local workers in the past three seasons as a result of a concerted locally-focused recruitment campaign.

Feds back Nats’ view on migrants Richard Rennie richard.rennie@globalhq.co.nz NATIONAL’S proposal for a clean out of New Zealand’s daunting migrant visa application backlog has been given a thumbs up from dairy farmers still grappling with labour shortages. National party leader Judith Collins has proposed Immigration NZ be required to clear the backlog of skilled migrant workers already here and seeking residency status. These are estimated to be over 30,000 and include vets and dairy farm herd managers. National has also proposed a “de-coupling” of skilled migrant staff from specific employers, instead making them tied to a sector or a region.

Earlier this month the Government announced plans to allow Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) workers back into NZ for the coming harvest season without having to undergo MIQ isolation, given they were from covid-free countries of Tonga, Samoa and Vanuatu. However, plans for a broader migration policy are still in the pipeline, with Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern indicating earlier this week the stalled policy is next on the government’s to-do list. Workers here on temporary visas have had them extended, with those who were here seeking residency due for a decision in short order. Federated Farmers employment spokesman Chris Lewis welcomed National’s suggestion.

PROGRESS: Federated Farmers employment spokesman Chris Lewis says there are still 1000 positions that need filling in dairying and a need for families to be re-united.

“There are still 1000 positions that need filling in dairying and a need for families to be re-united. In a lot of cases the Dad may be here working, but the family can’t get in. I know of a Fijian couple who are working here, but their three kids in Fiji can’t get in here.” He cautioned NZ needed to

move more quickly on arriving at a decision for migrants, with Australia and Canada competing vigorously for skilled staff and making conditions of entry far easier for workers’ families to also accompany them. He also agreed with the decoupling of worker-employer

visas, enabling greater flexibility, particularly within regions. “A lot of regions desperately need these staff. “But we also need to know what the bigger plan is for longer term policy, especially if we are going to continue to see record low unemployment.”

News

18 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – August 9, 2021

Milling wheat plantings hit by uncertainty Annette Scott annette.scott@globalhq.co.nz CHANGES to wheat procurement contracts has led to a 27% reduction in milling wheat sown for the 2022 harvest. In the July Arable Industry Marketing Initiative (AIMI) New Zealand survey of cereal areas and volumes it is clear growers are unhappy with contracts introduced over the past year. There are also reports of milling wheat being sown, but growers are holding back on signing contracts before harvest, when feed wheat may provide a better return.

We are potentially looking at a positive for NZ from the global climatic situation. Brian Leadley Federated Farmers From the flour mills, there are reports that Kiwi growers are getting things right, when it comes to growing top quality milling wheat. This is a result of breeding and management resulting in consistent results, compared to Australian product, which has been reported as not having such consistent results. Another significant insight in the report is that more growers than normal are undecided about their sowing intentions for spring. Federated Farmers grains vice

chairman Brian Leadley says there are reasonable options looming that farmers are considering for spring planting. These include competition for vegetable brassicas, peas, and land for ryegrass and other herbage seeds. “Farmers are weighing up options and looking at gross margins on spring options, that while the contracts are not out yet, are potentially looking to be good options.” Leadley says it’s not just the procurement and contract pricing that has growers shying away from milling wheat. “As milling wheat seeps into confusion and the procurement challenges impact on pricing contracts, increased cost of production such as fertiliser is a big factor too when doing the sums on gross margins,” he says. Global production has been under pressure with floods and heatwaves and how that plays out for NZ is also a factor. “We are potentially looking at a positive for NZ from the global climatic situation in terms of viable options for spring plantings and some farmers are holding off on decisions on those last few paddocks meantime.” The AIMI cereal survey takes respondent’s data and scales this information up to the national level, to form an idea of the local grain market. This data is compared to the data from the equivalent survey the year prior. Key highlights in July report final 2021 harvest data showing yields were down by 3% over all cereal crops compared to last

CHOICES: Federated Farmers grains vice chairman Brian Leadley says there are reasonable options looming that farmers are considering for spring planting.

season, the net result being a 6% decrease in total tonnage compared to last season. Unsold stocks of feed wheat are down 36,500 tonnes compared to this time last year, and unsold feed barley stocks are down 41,200t on last year, but unsold stocks of milling oats are up on last year. Sowings and intentions for milling wheat are down 27% on last season, while feed wheat is up 14%. Sowings and intentions for malting barley are down 13%, feed barley is up 5%, milling oats up 10% and feed oats down 13%.

The report highlights that demand for feed wheat and barley remains high, with many growers reporting empty silos. This factor is creating an expectation that prices will stay higher for longer. Of note though is the damage caused by the Canterbury flooding and the expectation that this will change the dynamic of the market come harvest time. There has been uncertainty around the actual damage as some growers wait to see if a replant is required. Dairy farm demand continues

to drive the feed wheat and barley market, with prices buoyant into winter. This strong demand has resulted in more area being sown in feed wheat and barley, both winter and spring intentions. Over the two-year period 20202022 harvest area for feed wheat is predicted to increase by 10% and the harvest area for feed barley decrease by 3%. The harvest area for malting barley is predicted to decrease by 47% while milling oats faces a 37% increase and feed oats a of 42% increase.

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News

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – August 9, 2021

Dairy farm profits on the rise Gerald Piddock gerald.piddock@globalhq.co.nz NEW Zealand’s dairy sector had an extremely profitable and positive 2019-20 season despite facing the challenges of covid-19, drought and expenditure increases. The DairyNZ 2019-20 Economic Survey showed that average operating profit jumped 28% on the previous season to $2750 a hectare, while milk solids per cow and hectare were at their highest level to date. The annual survey analyses a representative sample of farmers, surveying 326 owner-operators and 124 50:50 sharemilking farms across New Zealand. DairyNZ chief economist Graeme Doole said the increase was a result of the milk price increase combined with historically high levels of milk production. “We are producing more than we ever have – the [milk] price is high and it’s been even higher this year. “This on-farm success results in a strong contribution to the New Zealand economy, delivering around $20 billion in export value, while employing around 50,000 people on and off farm.”

LUCRATIVE: Operating profit on New Zealand dairy farms jumped 28% to $2750 a hectare in the 2019-20 season, according to DairyNZ’s annual economic survey.

The survey period covered the time when the country went into lockdown due to covid-19. The financial result showed the importance of the role the dairy sector played over that period, he said. “It played a very important role in the economy but also the regional community. We know that for every dollar of profit on a dairy farm, we know there’s another $1.50 added on to the

local community.” The high milk production was caused in part by a high level of supplements used, making up the largest portion of farm expenditure at 27.2%. PKE imports, however, decreased nearly 4% from 1.89 million tonnes to 1.82m tonnes in the year to June 2020. Operating expenses increased 21 cents to $5.31/kg MS, which is above the previous high of

$5.17 reported in 2013-14. The increase in costs was not enough to erode operating profit because of farmers’ spending efficiency, Doole said. “Farmers did spend more but they still did so efficiently, given that the milk price was higher. “You have a milk price that is 60c higher than the season before, plus farmers have spent 4c less per dollar to produce a dollar of revenue. Even though they have spent more, there’s been an efficiency gain for that year.” The survey’s operating profit margin - which shows how many cents profit is earned per dollar of revenue - was 26c for 2018-2019 and 30c for 2019-20. “They were more efficient plus there was a higher pay out, plus they produced more, 50kg MS/ ha. Those three things together were enough to make an excellent operating profit.” Operating expenses over the past four seasons have lifted by $1400 a hectare or 27%, but profits have more than matched those increases, he said. However, that profit is going to come under increasing pressure as milk prices ease, GHG emission legislation kicks in and nitrogen fertiliser limits start to take effect. “They’re really going to put

pressure on that profit signal. That’s going to be the challenge.” Sharemilkers also experienced a good year, recording a 35% increase in operating profit on the previous season to $1050 per hectare, while faced with similar cost changes, price volatility and weather conditions.

Farmers did spend more but they still did so efficiently. Graeme Doole DairyNZ Looking ahead, all indications are that the 2020-21 season was looking even more positive, Doole said. Milk production was up by 2% and the average milk price was 25c higher. Doole is predicting average milk solids per hectare to be higher than this farm survey and operating profit per hectare to be $500 higher. Operating expenses are predicted to be similar to the numbers in the survey and the higher milk price will push up that operating profit, he said.

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IT’S NOT ONLY FEEDING KIWI COWS

News

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – August 9, 2021

Bobby calf prices show resurgence Hugh Stringleman hugh.stringleman@globalhq.co.nz THE bobby calf processing season has begun with promise for dairy farmers because meat companies have increased their schedule prices compared with last winter. Early reports are encouraging for a livestock class supposedly under threat from social activism and declining demand for the limited range of products in few markets. Silver Fern Farms (SFF) is paying $1.30 for 9kg-13.4kg CW calves, $2 for the medium weight range of 13.5kg-18.4kg and $2.10 for 18.5kg and heavier. If the farmer also supplies dairy cows for culling to SFF, a cow-calf bonus is payable between 25 cents and 40c/kg on each calf. SFF spokesperson Ben Thomas says the main market for veal is North America, where foodservice demand is returning for racks, short loins and bone-in shanks. The other markets are China and countries in the Middle East. Higher-value specialist coproducts such as blood serum and rennet are also in demand. SFF recognised the future of bobby calf processing was limited based on the growing risk to the reputation of the dairy industry and was collaborating on ways to reduce the numbers needing processing in future. “We expect a significant reduction in bobby calf processing in the next five to 10 years, and Silver Fern is committed to playing a key role in achieving this outcome,” Thomas said. Affco livestock manager Tom Young says the company is paying about 20c/kg CW more this year because of higher margins in calf skins and competition between processors. The markets are for frozen

MARKET FORCES: Affco livestock manager Tom Young says the company is paying more for bobby calves this year because of higher margins in calf skins and competition between processors.

carcases and cuts in China and the United States and specialised byproducts demand for vells for making rennet and calf bloods. Young says, when thawed and deboned, the veal was used in smallgoods and infant foods due to its capacity to carry flavours and provide protein. In the North Island, Affco is paying $1.45/kg CW for the lighter grade, 9-13.4kg, then $2.05 for the 13.5-18.4kg weight range and $2.25 for heavy calves over 18.5kg. The season average is expected to be 15-16kg CW and the national tally is about 1.8 million. “We do say to farmers that if you want us to take bobby calves we need your cull cows also,” he said. The early season kill total to mid-July was up 20% on last

winter, being just over 100,000 in the North Island. Young has participated in several discussions about the future of bobby calf collection and processing and he always emphasises the employment aspects. “Calves keep the workforce occupied in the winter months before the spring processing demands,” he said. “Without that continuity we couldn’t staff up to the spring peak levels required, as people would have gone away from the industry and found other work.” At least half of the calves born to dairy cows, especially Jersey and Kiwicross mothers, were not suitable for rearing for beef production.

“They are truly a byproduct of dairying because they are not good enough genetically to rear, process and return an adequate beef yield and grade,” he said. Affco ran trials to take weaners up to 130-140kg CW before slaughter, but the yields and returns were not economic. Regulations covering bobby calves are stronger and breaches are not numerous, judging by the tiny mortality rates on trucks and in plants pre-slaughter. “Where are the alternatives; do we want on-farm euthanasia of two million calves annually – how would that look?” he asked. Greenlea principal Tony Egan says he is paying more this year for bobby calves but schedule prices are not disclosed publicly. Carcases are all broken down and premium cuts deboned and prepared for restaurant sales. Egan says the meat industry was providing support to the dairy industry and the calf product markets were sustainable. Alliance Group is paying up to $2.20/kg for the heaviest bobby calves and general manager, livestock and shareholder services Danny Hailes says it is early in the season in the south. Peak processing will be from the second week of August onwards and bookings are ahead of last year. Schedule prices will be regularly reviewed and prices are ahead of last year. Professional calf rearer and former meat industry employer Mark Bocock, of Te Awamutu, thinks bobby calves will run into problems in only five years if Labour remains in government. The pushback will come from the overseas markets for veal and the animal rights activists here. “That will create problems for

Where are the alternatives; do we want on-farm euthanasia of two million calves annually – how would that look? Tom Young Affco disposal of calves on the farm, along with opportunities to breed specifically for efficient rearing and manufacturing beef production,” Bocock said. Selected beef sires through AI over dairy cows should produce premium genetics for low birth weights, faster growth and superior carcase characteristics. “That is a niche market at present, but I can see it becoming stronger and leading to better rewards for rearers, yearling farmers and finishers,” he said. “Put a beef sire across Friesian cows and you will get an acceptable calf. “But with the lower half of dairy cows, including Jerseys, you must be very specific with the breeding.” Bocock says the loss of good farmland to trees would also squeeze the options for more finishing of large numbers of dairy-beef cattle. LIC chair Murray King says sexed semen over dairy cows had huge potential to lift the quality of herd replacement heifer calves and reduce the overall numbers of bobby calves. After reporting the sale of 110,000 straws of sexed semen in the 2021 financial year, three times the previous year, he said that tally would almost double this year.

Newton Slinkskins offer reduced service in Southland Gerald Piddock gerald.piddock@globalhq.co.nz MASSIVE changes to the casualty stock business have forced Newton Slinkskins to offer a reduced service to Southland farmers this season. Starting September 1, the business will be offering pickups for dead lambs to farmers around the greater Southland region. It will not be collecting dead cows or calves. Newtons Slinkskins director Trevor Newton says last season his business picked up around 140,000 lambs and 25,000 calves. This season, he estimates he might collect 50,000-70,000 lambs. He is also employing fewer staff – from 35 last year, down to 10-12. Newton’s pickup is limited to what can be on-sold via supply contracts and the changes within the industry over the past 15

months, and forced the company to cut its costs to what it can sell. Newton says they had worked hard to secure supply contracts for its casualty stock business over the past 15 months and were supplying a North Island company. “In the 43 years that we have been involved in this industry we have never seen the casualty stock business go through such radical change,” Newton said. “Markets affected by the covid pandemic, slink operators going into receivership, change of ownership within the major players of the casualty stock industry, resulting in factories closing and collection services being affected. “It’s just been a dismantling of the whole industry.” In the South Island, WG Ltd Partnership are the only other business still running after Slink

Skins went into receivership last year and the Lowe Corporation pulled out of the casualty operation in the South Island. Newton says it was frustrating it could not offer their services to the areas it usually collected from. “It’s not good really. I’m absolutely gutted because I’m not going to be able to offer our services to some of our clients. We’ve always been proud of the fact that we offer the same level of service whether it’s two or 2000 lambs,” he said. “To not be able to pick up from some pretty loyal clients is heartbreaking.” Newton said they will continue to work hard to be able to offer their services for the upcoming season. “We are still actively campaigning to secure more supply contracts with our usual exporter,” he said.

DOWNSIZED: Southland-based Newton Slinkskins has had to scale back its business because of the lack of available contracts.

News

22 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – August 9, 2021

Records a common labour breach to the Employment Relations Authority (ERA), the most serious category of breaches. MBIE’s labour inspectorate THE Ministry of Business, manager Callum McMillan says Innovation and Employment’s poor record-keeping by farmers (MBIE) labour inspectorate was the most common breach investigated 35 New Zealand found. farms last season, finding various “It continues to be an issue,” levels of breaches on 24 of these McMillan said. businesses. On-farm inspections are both The inspectorate handed out unannounced and made after 14 enforceable undertakings, complaints to the MBIE. one improvement notice, three While the small number of infringement notices and six farms inspected is not sufficient to farms had self-resolutions. make inferences about the whole Enforceable undertakings sector, he says it showed that the are where breaches are found labour inspectorate continued and the inspectorate works to take a strong approach with the employer to establish to breaches of employment a timeline to resolve the issues. standards in the dairy-agricultural Improvement notices are issued sector. without input from the employer “While dairy/agricultural and infringement notices are spot investigations remained largely fines. the same, since lockdown last year, Employers issued with more inspectors and employers infringement notices are also have worked together to enter issued with stand-down notices, into enforceable undertakings preventing them from sponsoring to remedy breaches rather than migrant workers. having these addressed through Self-resolutions are where self-resolution,” he said. breaches have occurred The heaviest fine handed down throughout the course of the to a farm owner was $99,012 and farming season and the employer another farm owner was ordered has resolved to fix them prior to to pay $60,000. the inspection. McMillan says there is a one to None of the farms were referred two-year backlog of cases waiting to be heard by the ERA and the fines are not necessarily related to investigations completed in the same year. Know Your Mindset. Grow your influence In another case Gerald Piddock gerald.piddock@globalhq.co.nz

Agrievents

Programme run across two sessions: Module 1: Online Zoom • Invercargill (1) - Southland Monday 6 September, 7.00-8.30pm • Invercargill (2) - Southland Monday 6 September, 7.00-8.30pm • Lake Karapiro (1) - Waikato/Bay of Plenty Wednesday 22 September, 7.00-8.30pm • Lake Karapiro (2) - Waikato/Bay of Plenty Wednesday 22 September, 7.00-8.30pm Module 2: In person • Pahiatua - Tararua/Wairarapa Wednesday 11 August, 12.00-2.30pm • Invercargill (1) - Southland Tuesday 21 September, 12.00-2.30pm • Invercargill (2) - Southland Tuesday 21 September, 6.00-8.30pm • Lake Karapiro (1) - Waikato/Bay of Plenty Wednesday 29 September, 9.00-11.30am • Lake Karapiro (2) - Waikato/Bay of Plenty Wednesday 29 September, 12.30-3.00pm Light refreshments (lunch or supper) will be provided at the face-to-face workshops. Cost: $30 per person, covering both sessions To register: https://www.awdt.org.nz/applying/

in March this year, Southland dairy farmer Christoph Kenel was ordered to pay $30,000 in penalties for failing to comply with the Employment Relations Act and Holidays Act. Kenel was investigated in 2019 after receiving a complaint from a former employee about not receiving a written employment agreement and being paid less than the statutory minimum wage. Kenel did not keep holiday and leave records for any of his employees, and three employees did not receive final holiday pay on termination of their employment. At least one employee did not get paid time-and-a-half or receive an alternative holiday for

working on a public holiday. Due to inadequate holiday and leave records it was not possible to know the extent to which other employees did not receive their holiday and leave entitlements. Of the seventeen people Kenel employed between September 2018 and September 2019, only one had an employment agreement, which they had supplied themselves. The wages and time records lacked sufficient detail, which made it impossible to tell whether workers had been paid at least the minimum wage. The ERA determined the breaches were intentional and Kenel “took no steps throughout his history as an employer in New

Zealand to familiarise himself with his legal obligations” and was “wilfully blind”. Regarding this case, McMillan says employers have a responsibility to get the basics right no matter how long they’ve been operating. “The industry has taken some steps over the last few years, by setting expectations and establishing assurance systems and has support readily available for farmers on matters of employment,” he said. “This makes it even more disappointing that there are still dairy farmers who are failing to get the minimum requirements right and raises a question around the due diligence the industry has in place.”

Charity match for flood-hit farmers Annette Scott annette.scott@globalhq.co.nz A RUGBY game to help floodaffected South Island farmers has pulled together the big guns of the game. In a brainstorm of ideas to raise money and support farmers impacted by recent flooding, Fonterra challenged the Parliamentary rugby team to a charity rugby match.

We will be presenting the Rural Support Trust with a big cheque at the end of the match.

Saturday 06/11/2021 – Sunday 07/11/2021 Marlborough A&P Show Horse classes, Livestock, Animal Nursery, Childrens Entertainment, Trade Exhibits. Town and Country Together Venue: A & P Park Blenheim For more infomation, phone 03 578 5822 www.marlboroughshow.co.nz Email: marlborough.show@xtra.co.nz

Stacey Martin Fonterra

LK0107420©

Should your event be listed here? Phone 0800 85 25 80 or email adcopy@globalhq.co.nz

IMPROVEMENT NEEDED: Poor record-keeping among farm employers was the most common breach found by labour inspectors during farm investigations last season.

Fonterra farmers’ events manager Stacey Martin says the suggestion came up and it was agreed it would be a good family-friendly way to help farmers. Financially supported by Fonterra and Parliament,

the “floodraiser” is aiming to gather up $50,000. “It’s really hard to know how it will go, we just wanted to do something in a family-friendly event to raise money for communities affected by the flooding in the South Island and $50,000 seemed a realistic figure to target,” Martin says. “We’re pulling together the big guns with the legendary Crusaders coach, Scott (Razor) Robertson, volunteering his time and confirmed as the Fonterra Good Together team coach.” Scotty Stevenson will MC the event with few former All Blacks and rugby celebrities running on to the field in each team. The rugby match, being hosted by the Mid Canterbury Rugby Union at the Ashburton Showgrounds, will kick off at 12.30pm on Sunday August 15. Martin says there is no cost for people to attend with generous vendors, local businesses and amazing supporters donating products, services, and experience in support of the cause.

GOOD SPORTS: Fonterra has challenged the Parliamentary rugby team to a charity rugby match to help flood-affected South Island farmers.

All proceeds will go to the Rural Support Trust. “We just want to put on a fun family day to get people out enjoying themselves. “Sponsors have been amazing, and we have a crazy amount of giveaways, incredible spot prizes, and a free barbeque. “So, if you are in the Ashburton area on Sunday August 15, we’d love to see you at the game to show your support for the players, and community.

“We will be presenting the Rural Support Trust with a big cheque at the end of the match,” Martin says. If you can’t make the game, you can still contribute to the cause through the Trade Me floodraiser auction, by searching #floodraiser, where you can bid on some outstanding items from a Super 12 corporate hosting package to luxury accommodation. The auction closes on Monday August 9 at 7pm.

News

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – August 9, 2021

Whanganui going green with kiwifruit Richard Rennie richard.rennie@globalhq.co.nz WHANGANUI’S tiny portion of the national kiwifruit crop is poised to surge as post-harvest processor Apata assesses new orchard sites for investment in the region. Apata chief executive Stu Weston says quality volcanic soils, good micro-climate and simple economics all dictate that the region deserves a larger slice of the orchard estate than the 70ha currently grown there. The total orchard area nationally is 13,500ha, with over 80% of that in Bay of Plenty (BoP). Weston says the company has had a long association with the region, with about 35ha of the 70ha area supplying the company for decades. “A grower asked me ‘when were we coming down here to grow more kiwifruit?’. We took a look at the soil which is very good quality volcanic soil, there is plenty of water down here and the labour needs fit in well with the local

labour supply,” Weston said. However, the number of suitable properties available for sale has proven limited, and as a first option Weston says Apata was keen to work with local farming families who may wish to diversify into horticulture, without quitting their farm entirely.

We are thinking let’s not get caught up in the gold rush, let’s look at developing here. Stu Weston Apata “One landowner wanted to be part of it so we set up a company with them, along with other local investors. We also have a massive push of interest from investors with money in the Bay of Plenty who can’t get into orchards there,” he said. Weston described the BoP

orchard market as “pretty peaky”, with Green orchards now fetching $700,000 a hectare, and SunGold well over $1 million a canopy hectare. Land and establishment costs in Whanganui were around $300,000 a canopy hectare for green fruit, with the same value as BoP crops, but generating an internal rate of return of between 12-14%. “We are thinking ‘let’s not get caught up in the gold rush, let’s look at developing here’. The vines we have planted here are coming away equal to the best in the BoP,” he said. The company has already developed 60ha between Whanganui and Waverley, and another area with vines was the Mangamahu Valley, where some established orchards already exist. The move south also holds strategic value for Apata’s longerterm crop portfolio. The rush to SunGold fruit has seen a loss of 30% of green crop to SunGold and more marginal areas around BoP heading into SunGold.

GOING GREEN: Apata chief executive Stu Weston believes Whanganui, the birthplace of kiwifruit in New Zealand, has significant potential as a kiwifruit growing region..

Land supply around Western BoP is also tight, with greater pressure for subdivision to meet significant urban growth. Weston says 200ha of crop planting would provide a valuable critical mass to ensure skilled staff, infrastructure and economies of scale could be achieved. He discounted any possibility, however, of the company investing in packhouse facilities in the region. “When you already have so much capital that has been committed up here (BoP) then it makes more sense to truck the fruit north for grading and packing,” he said.

While SunGold has garnered much of the attention as the poster crop for the sector, Weston says green fits well in the “food as medicine” fruit category, particularly given it is the only fruit with a verified health claim, relating to bowel function. He says, ironically, Whanganui is the birthplace of kiwifruit in New Zealand. In 1904 Whanganui Girls’ College headmistress Isabel Fraser brought kiwifruit seeds back to NZ from her sister’s mission station in China. The first fruits were recorded the following year.

News

24 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – August 9, 2021

Fastest kiwi farmer found The inaugural Anchor Milk cycle race recently took place near Oamaru. Among the 77 competitors were 28 farmers vying to be recognised as ‘NZ’s Fastest Farmer’. We caught up with the winners. THE 66.6km (808.5 metre total climb) group handicap road race sent riders round the Devil’s Bridge Circuit in Weston, a suburb of Oamaru. While the race was open to all road riders, it had a special section for farmers to highlight the work of rural wellbeing programme Farmstrong, which was a major sponsor. Farmstrong encourages farmers to treat themselves, their families and their team as the farm’s number one asset. The race also had a fun side; a quest to find the ‘fastest’ male and female farmer in New Zealand. The winners were Avril Lane, a 50:50 sharemilker from Waimate and potato grower Kyle Gray from Rakaia. Avril and her husband have been sharemilking for 11 years and look after 880 cows. “We joined the race because we like the whole idea of Farmstrong and promoting rural wellbeing,” Avril said. Farmstrong’s about developing habits that increase wellbeing – things like keeping active, trying new things and connecting with mates. Avril says the race embodied all those. “Just getting off-farm for events like this is great. It helps you destress. Even though you might come back a little more tired than you were, it still gives you that boost of energy,” she said.

farmstrong.co.nz

“For me it was the last day of freedom before calving. You’ve got to make the most of these opportunities when you can. “I also enjoyed meeting the different people and other farmers. There was a great sense of camaraderie. You didn’t need to be a great cyclist either, you could just come along and have a go. So, I didn’t train for it, I just went in cold turkey and got behind it because it was supporting Farmstrong. It was a heap of fun. I hope it’s an annual event.” Avril says she thinks she averaged 27km an hour, but “it felt faster on the downhills”. “I ended up in a group with a farmer and a lady who wasn’t a farmer, so we had really good banter going, which made the hills more bearable,” she said. Kyle Gray, a mixed arable farmer, was already keen on his cycling. He says he took it up a year ago. “I’ve found cycling a great way to let go of a bit of competitive steam and get off the farm. It’s been really good. Cycling with a competitive element is a good off-farm activity because you have to find time to train so that you can be competitive and improve,” Kyle said.

BOOT UP: Farmers took their gumboots off-farm to participate in the inaugural Anchor Milk cycle race.

For me it was the last day of freedom before calving. You’ve got to make the most of these opportunities when you can. Avril Lane Farmer “For example, through the summer I made myself available on Sunday afternoons for my local club race. It’s motivating. “So, I ride to challenge myself and while I’m doing that for however long the race lasts – one or two hours – I’m thinking about nothing else but the race. It just freshens you up mentally.

“I travelled down with another three farmers who were new to cycling. “I caught up with other farmers from Southland and Oamaru too, which was great. I thought it was a fantastic course. All the cycling around where I live is very flat, so to ride a few rollers was very enjoyable. Kyle says while he enjoys his job producing food, it’s also important to get the balance right. “For me, the main stress is ensuring that the result of a year’s work means we are delivering a quality product. Took me a few years to get the balance right, but I’m starting to learn it now and cycling’s been a big part of that,’ he said. “So, when I saw there was a farmers section in the race advertised at my local bike shop

I decided to enter. The general consensus was that everyone had a very good day.” One of the event organisers Michelle Carson comes from a farming background (sheep and beef ) and sums up the value of the event nicely. “Farming can be an allconsuming job, with hardships that make it mentally taxing too. Sometimes you just need reasons to get off the farm and do something different,” Carson said. “The uniqueness of this event was that it was not only giving farmers something to do outside of farming but also helping them to keep physically and mentally fit to deal with its challenges.”

is the official media partner of Farmstrong

June red meat exports close to $1b

BIG BUYER: MIA chief executive Sirma Karapeeva says China was once again the largest overall market, with exports worth $377 million.

OVERALL red meat exports reached $937 million in June, up 16% year-on-year, according to the latest analysis from the Meat Industry Association (MIA). Sheepmeat exports increased by 15% to $345m compared with June 2020, beef exports rose 8% to $411m and co-products by 40% to $181m. There was also an increase in the value of all categories of co-products, with the largest two categories – prepared meat products and edible offals – increasing by 88% and 30% respectively. MIA chief executive Sirma Karapeeva says China was once again the largest overall market in June with exports worth $377m, an increase of 37%compared with the same period last year. “We saw a very significant increase in beef exports to China during June, with a 60% increase year-on-year

to $156m,” Karapeeva said. “China’s domestic pork production continues to be affected by African swine fever, resulting in demand for high volumes of imported meat.

Overall, over the past 12 months, New Zealand has exported red meat and co-products worth $9.1b. While this is 3% lower than 2020, it is still historically very high. “New Zealand has also benefited from reduced supply from other major beef exporters such as Australia, which is rebuilding its herd, and

Argentina, where the government has imposed restrictions on beef exports. “Overall, over the past 12 months, New Zealand has exported red meat and coproducts worth $9.1b. While this is 3% lower than 2020, it is still historically very high.” While global meat prices remained high in 2020-21, they were slightly down on the levels seen in 2019-20, and the value of the NZ dollar has also increased against major currencies like the US dollar over the last year. China was the largest market for the year with a total of $3.6bn, followed by the United States with $1.9bn and the United Kingdom with $419m. In total, over the past 12 months, NZ has exported 53,946 tonnes of chilled sheepmeat and 352,632t of frozen, and 38,437t of chilled beef and 442,181t of frozen.

AginED Ag ED

FOR E FUTURIA G R R S! U E N E R P

Volume 68 I August 9th, 2021 I email: agined@globalHQ.co.nz I www.farmersweekly.co.nz/agined WeatherWatch with Phil

STRETCH YOURSELF: 1 Having worked in highly pressured environments previously both Ben and Libby understand the importance of having a positive mindset. What do they mean by this and how do they use it to benefit their farming? 2 After being caught short in an extended dry period in 2013 Ben decided to diversify their system by adding what? What does this do for their farming system?

Have a go:

3 Birch Hill sells as many lambs as possible off their ewes before Christmas? What are their reasons for this?

1 Go to https://farmersweekly.co.nz/section/other4 What is their sheep breed of choice? Why do sectors/on-farm-story/learning-from-experience they choose this breed? Watch the Onfarm Story of Ben and Libby Tosswill 5 Ben and Libby are working with the Hawke’s Bay “People, Planet & Production and read the Regional Council on a pole-planting programme. accompanying article “Learning from experience” What is this, how does it work and what are the 2 Where in New Zealand do Ben and Libby farm? benefits? 3 What do they produce on their farm? 6 Libby has a passion for biodiversity and Birch 4 Prior to returning to NZ to farm where were Ben and Libby based and what industry did they work in?

Hill is home to a significant block of native bush which is fenced separately from the rest of the farm. They have a predator control programme in place. What types of predators would they need to control and why?

7 They have also diversified with a glamping spot on the farm. They believe that with visitors invariably being from urban lifestyles, staying on the farm can give them a better perspective of the primary sector, including how and where their food comes from. Do you think that this would be effective in helping build knowledge for urban based people? How else could we start to build this understanding and knowledge of what farming and agriculture do in NZ for those outside of a rural setting?

This graph from Stats NZ shows land use over the past 20 years for the agricultural sector.

STOP PRESSURING ME!! We have written a few pieces in AginEd about air pressure (what we call barometric pressure) but in today's update we want you to see if there's any connection between low pressure and wetter/windier weather and high pressure and calmer/drier conditions. High pressure systems don't always equal calm - but at some point as the air pressure grows the central part of the system does become quite settled. We measure air pressure in hectoPascals (hPa). Average air pressure is 1013hPa but 1020 to 1050 is considered high pressure in NZ. For lows/storms the air pressure tends to be 990 and below (usually 960 to 995 for the lows passing near NZ… and most are around 990). Your challenge is to head to www.RuralWeather.co.nz and halfway down the page you will see ‘Detailed Data’. In this tab you can check out Air Pressure (it’s on the right hand side of the Detailed Data column) and it covers every hour for 10 days out in every single hyper-local part of NZ. Perhaps find four locations to choose from in northern NZ, southern NZ, and the east and west, to see if you can find: 1

How LOW does the air pressure go in the four forecasts you checked?

2 What's the HIGHEST barometric air pressure you can find in the forecasts? 3 Can you find any connections between low pressure/ high pressure and the forecasts around that time?

Have a go: 1 What sector uses the most land in New Zealand? 2 What sector uses the smallest amount of land?

Farm land use area in new Zealand, 2002-2019

3 What sector has had the biggest change in land use over the past 20 years? 4 What could you expect the total land use for forestry to do over the next few years?

STRETCH YOURSELF: 1 Head to www.stats.govt.nz/ indicators/agricultural-andhorticultural-land-use 2 On the interactive graph, compare the change in land use by region for beef cattle. How has the total hectares used for beef cattle changed in your area from 2002 to 2019? Has it increased or decreased? 3 What are the results for dairy cattle and sheep?

Beff Cattle

Grain

Dairy Cattle

Horticultural

Forestry

Sheep

4 Sheep farming decreased 1.7 million hectares (29 percent) and beef farming decreased 1.3 million hectares (32 percent) between 2002 and 2019. Meanwhile, dairy farming increased 991,000 hectares (81 percent). What do you think has driven this? 5 In the next 20 plus years, how do you think total land use for agriculture will change in New Zealand?

Got your own question about how the weather works? Ask Phil! Email phil@ruralweather.co.nz with your question and he could answer it on the Weather Together podcast!

In 1984, economic reforms by the government changed New Zealand farming forever in the era of ‘Rogernomics’. Do some research on this and how farming was affected.

Newsmaker

26 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – August 9, 2021

Looking at the big picture As well as grappling with the significant regulatory changes all farmers and growers are facing, deer farmers are also faced with historically low venison schedule prices. Despite those challenges newly appointed Deer Industry New Zealand board member Mandy Bell told Colin Williscroft that she is optimistic about the industry’s future, while not forgetting the people in rural communities who are having a tough time.

ANAKA deer farmer Mandy Bell has had a lifelong association with deer, attending New Zealand’s first-ever live deer auction on industry stalwart Sir Tim Wallis’ property as a child in the late 1970s before working with fallow deer as a vet student. These days Bell and husband Jerry farm Criffel Station, which they bought from Jerry’s father Hector Bell in the early 1990s and converted the then high country sheep station into a deer farm. Since then, they have evolved the deer farming business to also include agri-tourism and an events venue, while also playing significant roles in their growing local community. Bell has been involved in a range of governance roles in the primary sector, including previously chairing the Passion2Profit primary growth partnership that aims to grow and capture the full value available for farm-raised venison by positioning it as a premium, non-seasonal meat, and by better aligning supply with demand. Currently she is New Zealand (DINZ) director. As co-founder and chair of WAI Wanaka, which is in effect a large catchment group for the Upper Clutha, Bell is involved in a number of land and water sustainability programmes. “We have tourism, urban and rural people all working together to look after alpine waterways and the whole of the environment.” That big picture approach extends to the farm, which is run holistically under what Bell calls a “one health” approach. “That’s looking at things as a whole. Healthy water, healthy environment, healthy animals, healthy people. “As a veterinarian my background in the early days was working with farm production and the health of animals. And to have a healthy, productive herd, you need to be looking after the environment and have good clean water in the system. Along with her extensive farming knowledge, Bell says one of the qualities she will bring

to the boardroom table is her experience in practice change and adaptation, which will be an asset in the current period of regulatory change. She says practice change is a focus for Passion2Profit but her experience goes deeper than that with her DINZ and WAI Wanaka work. In 2020 Criffel Station was one of 30 farms that piloted the NZ Farm Assurance Plan Plus framework, which effectively sets farming standards to support production in a sustainable way, while adding to the value of agricultural products. She says that involved taking a close look at farm systems, realising changes for the better were necessary and considering how they can be achieved. “Asking how can we make it easier, how can we enable and support farmers to have carbon plans, biodiversity plans and water plans, because it’s a lot, and it’s complex.” Bell says there are advantages in applying a wholeof-farm approach to on-farm regulatory change. “Let’s look at the whole of what we’re being asked to consider, what we should be doing and what we need to be doing, then individually we can make our own calls as to where we are along that pathway of where we need to be heading. “Whether we think about soil health this year, or water or whatever’s the most critical in our own system, it must be part of the bigger picture.” That approach ties in with the Primary Sector Council’s Taiao ora and Tangata ora Fit for a Better World strategy, which was released last year. “What we need are frameworks to support us as farmers and producers to head towards that vision,” Bell says. “We’ve got to break it down. “The ideal for farmers is a seamless flow of information from the deer shed to the office. We are running our businesses lean, we have to make a profit but we’ve got an awful lot of asks of us. “It’s important that we scaffold the change, we phase it, prioritise, and these frameworks are invaluable for doing that.”

ASSET: Mandy Bell says one of the qualities she will bring to the DINZ board is her experience in practice change and adaptation.

We have tourism, urban and rural people all working together to look after alpine waterways and the whole of the environment. Mandy Bell Deer Industry New Zealand She says some of the challenges the deer industry faces are shared with its dairy and beef and lamb counterparts, and there is already collaboration on those, such as He Waka Eke Noa. There are also obstacles that it does not have in common with other primary industries.

“In the deer industry, one of the key challenges at the moment is the (venison) schedule. “We’ve got a premium product, it’s a quality product, but with what is happening overseas at the moment in the restaurant trade, it’s obvious as to why it’s not where it needs to be for us to have sustainable businesses. “But I’m pretty encouraged with the people we have in the deer industry particularly with the structure of the DINZ board to help us work through that challenge – and it’s a critical one, given all the other pressures on the farming sector.” Passion2Profit is one of the programmes that provides encouragement. She says P2P workstreams provide strength and solutions in the way the industry looks at the market and animal health, genetics and nutrition specifics on-farm.

She says as an increasing number of people overseas get vaccinated, we would expect the restaurant trades to increase and venison schedule prices will improve. “As things start to open up, there is the potential for a more positive schedule in spring. “There are also some initiatives being developed by DINZ for the medium term.” However, she says in the near future looking after people in rural communities has to be a priority. “With all the changes farmers are being asked to make – and we do need to be going there – let’s integrate our solutions, integrate policies and make sure we have good consultation. “And to also realise a lot of us are doing tremendous work out in the paddocks and on the ground and there’s some great changes already happening.”

New thinking

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – August 9, 2021

Psa laid low by bio-pesticide Taking care of diseases using microorganisms is the simple basis of bio-control crop treatments and one that has earned Plant & Food Research, Zespri and UPL a finals spot in this year’s KiwiNet Research Commercialisation awards. Plant & Food Research commercialisation manager Greg Pringle spoke to Richard Rennie about the emerging field of bio-control and its potential.

ORN out of the postPsa flurry of research, the bio-control product AureoGold has provided a winwin outcome for the industry and growers as a means to control the insidious creep of the disease. The conception of the biocontrol product came as the kiwifruit industry and Plant & Food Research threw intense resources into helping stave off a disease that threatened to wipe out the country’s highest value horticultural crop in late 2010. “We had a lot going on, it was all hands on deck across the research sector, we needed a range of options to control Psa,” Plant & Food Research commercialisation manager Greg Pringle says. While there were conventional synthetic crop treatments on the market that had some success in Psa control, there were issues with residues that would be problematic for maintaining NZ’s reputation for high quality, low residue kiwifruit. “Generally one of the benefits of a bio-control product is that you are not as limited by residues.” Researchers looked early on at bio-control approaches, or treatments that at their core have a living organism whose actions control the targeted disease. “As a sector bio-controls are experiencing significant global growth, as much as four times the growth rate of conventional crop treatments. All major agrichemical companies are now devoting significant research to this field,” Pringle says.

But in looking for a biological answer to a biological problem, scientists have a number of hurdles to clear. “The final product has to be capable of being ‘grown’ in commercial quantities to be used, it has to have compatibility with other treatments, it has to be capable of being mixed, sprayed and applied to the surface of the crop and to still ultimately do what you wanted it to do.” In casting around for biological answers to Psa, Plant & Food Research plant pathologists sifted through numerous fungi and bacteria from its extensive library of beneficial microorganisms. “Ultimately our team at Ruakura found an Otago apricot fungi that occurred naturally on the plant and did not cause any harm, was the best candidate for dealing with Psa.” The yeast-like fungi was found to populate the leaf surface of kiwifruit and effectively out-compete the Psa bacteria, disrupting the Psa cells on the leaf and affecting its ability to colonise the plant’s stomata. Partnering up with commercial partners Zespri and UPL provided the horsepower to translate the discovery into a commercial format, including manufacturing in a major biofermentation processing plant for the production of the beneficial microorganism. Now produced in a commercial form and sold as AureoGold, the spray has proven to also act as an elicitor that activates a kiwifruit plant’s host defence genes, allowing the plant to react quicker

CONTROL: George Follas of UPL New Zealand and Plant & Food Research commercialisation manager Greg Pringle have developed and marketed AureoGold, a bio-control for Psa.

to Psa attack, and with greater vigour. Now approaching its third year on the market and enjoying good commercial success, Pringle says researchers are engaged with trials around the world to determine what other diseases AureoGold may prove adept at controlling. “Kiwifruit is obviously a vital crop here in NZ, but globally it forms a very small part of the horticulture sector, so there is a lot of excitement in the trials running right now in a number of countries across a wide range of fruit and vegetables to see what else it can control.” The commercialisation of the treatment is not the first win for the Plant & Food Research team, whose portfolio of biocontrols include Botry-Zen for

controlling botrytis in grapes and BlossomBless for fireblight control in apples. They are among the first treatments of their type developed for horticulture in NZ. “And there is no shortage of candidates for other targeted treatments.” Bio-control also includes the likes of pheromone treatments such as those developed to successfully control codling moths in apple crops. Cutting edge work is also taking place in the emerging field of biotremology, which uses the mechanical production of insect vibrational signals to disrupt their mating behaviour. Pringle is currently in the process of completing a Kellogg leadership programme on biocontrol’s potential. “There are a few roadblocks

Have you read Dairy Farmer yet? The latest Dairy Farmer hit letterboxes on August 2. Our OnFarmStory this month features West Coast farmers Anna Emmerson and John Marshall who have stacked several businesses onto their dairy farm. We also catch up with the Waikato farmer who enjoys a career in the corporate world alongside working the farm. We also check out the South Island Dairy Event and chat with the Dairy Women’s Network Regional Leader of the Year.

farmersweekly.co.nz 0800 85 25 80

As a sector bio-controls are experiencing significant global growth, as much as four times the growth rate of conventional crop treatments. Greg Pringle Plant & Food Research here in NZ to a sector that has a lot of potential. We are not short of talent and AureoGold highlights the value of being able to bring commercial and research parties together to commercialise the science.”

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Opinion

28 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – August 9, 2021

EDITORIAL

Risk in pace and scale of change

NDERPINNING the anger vented by thousands of rural New Zealanders at last month’s Groundswell protests was the scale and pace of Government

reforms. Roundly criticised for inaction in its first term, now emboldened with an outright majority, the Ardern government has turned on the reform afterburners. But as we report this week, the scale and pace of the Government’s programme is swamping interest and producer groups wanting input into reform of some of the country’s most fundamental and crucial policies. The reform package is extensive: climate change, the Resource Management Act, freshwater, biodiversity, three waters, local government and centralisation of administration for health and vocational training. Councils and interest groups say they are struggling to keep up, creating a risk this will lead to unworkable law. Just one month’s consultation has been allowed on the exposure draft of the first of three pieces of legislation replacing the RMA, while transferring council-owned water assets to four publicly-owned entities is scheduled for completion in just two years. All governments implement difficult policy early in their term so it is bedded in and forgotten about before the election season begins, and that seems to be this administration’s philosophy. The pace of reform creates a risk little more than lip service will be given to community input. Questions have been asked about the absence of workshops or engagement with the RMA reforms prior to the release of policy documents and claims made that the Government has been reluctant to share with industry its big picture ideas and solutions. Local Government NZ is concerned about the pressure the reforms are having on staff. The Groundswell protest reveals growing anger at inadequate consultation and the Government’s laxed approach to democracy. Unless it changes, reforms to the RMA, Three Waters and the future of local Government could provoke a much larger backlash.

Neal Wallace

LETTERS

Government listening but not responding “WE are listening, PM tells farmers” (Farmers Weekly, July 26) confirms the hollow reliance of Ardern’s government on relentless but meaningless communications to underpin the passage of their increasingly reckless policy agenda. In the case of Ardern’s response to the Howl of a Protest rallies, it is revealing how empty this strategy really is. Asserting that the “...Government is listening and responding to concerns raised by rural New Zealand, but will not back down from their legislative programme or the pace of change (emphasis added)...” is at best saying she is listening but certainly not responding. Ardern says “the most important point is that some of the issues raised we

have absolutely heard, we understand and appreciate”. Heard? Perhaps. Understand and appreciate? Unlikely. However, Ardern “... promised to continue to listen … but will not alter the volume, scope and cost of new regulations (emphasis added)...” Unfortunately, it appears that the future holds more relentless but meaningless communications from the PM. Ian McIntosh Te Horo

Farmers on a climate march IF NEW Zealand farmers are to regain credibility around the world after the Howl of a Protest debacle we need to march again, but with a different message to the

Government this time. It would be a call to action against climate change. Our demands would include increased EV and solar power subsidies, more protection for SNAs and waterways and more help to reduce methane emissions. We would call for a cap on nitrogen and phosphorus and a halt to importing PKE. Our placards would read: “Declaring a climate emergency isn’t enough”; “Act now!” and “Protect the environment. Protect SNAs”. Not forgetting, “Jacinda Do More” because farmers on this march believe the climate scientists. Farmers on a climate march will be front-footing the climate crisis by complying with regulations, reducing stock numbers, planting trees

and recreating wetlands to offset our emissions. We don’t want another internal combustion engine ute and we don’t want Howl of a Protest farmers who don’t support climate initiatives to speak on behalf of all NZ farmers. They don’t. Trish Hosking Bay of Plenty

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Opinion

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – August 9, 2021

A good time for reflection Melissa Slattery

EFLECTING on the Groundswell farmer protest, it was positive to see our industry come together to support one another and express a need for change. I also loved hearing farmers were dropping into foodbanks on their travels and donating some farmer goodness; that’s just such great stuff to hear and a great outcome for the day. There’s no doubt the protest arose out of frustration. Many farmers are feeling overwhelmed by too many regulations, coming in too fast. There is a lot to consider and often the timeframes are too short to allow meaningful consultation. As farmers, we’d rather not get bogged in politics. We’d much rather look ahead at what we can do to continue running progressive, environmentally sustainable and successful businesses into the future. We’re working to solve some of the key challenges now, so our children won’t have to face them in the future. That’s every parent’s wish. I know I want the best for my children, who are two, four and

seven years old. They are our future. A big challenge we want to get right is climate change. The urgency is there. I get that. The world has set targets and the climate is changing. We know it’s hugely important we play our part alongside other Kiwis.

As farmers, we all take accountability and responsibility very seriously and we know some bottom lines are needed, but too many changes all at once are impossible for anyone to live up to.

Like other farmers, my husband Justin and I are working on adapting how we farm to reduce emissions. We are working hard on water quality initiatives to achieve the outcomes ahead of bottom limits and to meet our own aspirations. We know it’s not only our family who will benefit but also our neighbours, our industry and

ultimately New Zealand if we get this right. As farmers, we all take accountability and responsibility very seriously and we know some bottom lines are needed, but too many changes all at once are impossible for anyone to live up to. It’s also frustrating that the solutions or technology to help meet some targets aren’t here yet. This adds to our uncertainty. So, this is how many are feeling right now – we want to do the right thing for the environment but we need the rules to be practical and achievable and we want certainty. It’s also clear we need more recognition for the work we’re already doing. We are the world’s lowest emission producer per unit of milk and we’re known for being sustainable. We are working hard on farms nationwide to look after the environment by planting millions of trees, reducing fertiliser use and creating farm environment plans (FEPs) to support positive environmental management. So, let’s all stick together, work together and prosper together. But let’s also keep the rules sensible and ensure there aren’t too many changes that are impossible to meet and too

NEEDED: Mellisa Slattery says that while farmers want to do the right thing for the environment, the rules need to be practical, achievable and ensure certainty.

many moving goalposts. We can reach the environmental outcomes we all want without driving farmers to nationwide protests and, even more importantly, without driving farmers to walk off the land.

The

Pulpit

Who am I? Melissa Slattery is DairyNZ’s Dairy Environment Leaders chair and owns a dairy farm with Justin at Te Aroha in Waikato.

Māori farms show growth potential Bob Cottrell

WELL RUN: Bob Cottrell says the productivity of the largest and most successful Māori farms - typically those run by incorporations and trusts - ranks very highly compared with sector averages.

agribusinesses. The productivity of the largest and most successful Māori farms - typically those run by incorporations and trusts - ranks very highly compared

the high importance Māori place on land, not just as a capital asset from which revenue is gained, but as a living and enduring body with intrinsic cultural and social values. It is important that the sector talks to the right people and recognises that land is not owned by iwi but by hapū and whanau, and it’s critical skilled and talented Māori people are recruited to organisations’ staff and governance bodies. Working to seek connections via respected Māori entities and people who know the relevant areas and local whakapapa are essential in engaging with the sector. The report emphasises that such processes must not be rushed and will require understanding the importance of mana whenua – historical and territorial rights to land. Considerable time and effort, potentially years, will be required to get to know, understand and gain the trust and respect of

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 people and organisations and to navigate multiple layers of decision makers. It’s also vital the sector works hard to attract Māori youth to Māori farming and provides more opportunities for high quality training for them.

Who am I?

Bob Cottrell is an independent director of the Red Meat Profit Partnership and a farm advisor to Māori trusts.

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BUILDING stronger engagement between the red meat industry and Māori farmers to support extension activities could provide a major boost to productivity in the sector. Research by the now-concluded Red Meat Profit Partnership (RMPP) highlighted the significant scale of the Māori sheep and beef sector and the high standards of farming on many farms but also the potential to significantly lift productivity by providing targeted extension opportunities. The research, which included interviews with those involved across a range of Māori farming operations, also made clear the importance of understanding and appreciating the strengths and challenges unique to the Māori pastoral livestock sector. On average, sheep and beef farms operated by Māori agribusiness entities are about 4.5 times larger than non-Māori

with sector averages. These are often on lower quality land than other farms, so reflect the impact of high quality governance and management. A ‘middle tier’ of Māori farms was identified as providing significant potential for productivity growth. Many of these are on land blocks returned to Māori in the mid-1980s. While a number of the middletier farms have gone on to become successful, many struggle to develop their businesses. This is because they often face constraints through the demands of multiple ownership, land quality, securing effective governance with suitable farming experience and difficulties securing finance for development. The report concluded that this land could become more productive with the support of investment, new technologies and enhanced management skills. A key recommendation in the report is the need to understand

Opinion

30 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – August 9, 2021

Carbon prices drive land-use change From the Ridge

Steve Wyn-Harris

LAST week BakerAg released its report commissioned by Beef + Lamb NZ. It had a good look into sheep and beef farmland being converted into forestry and confirmed what many of us within the sector have been claiming in recent years. It is a significant amount of land that is going into forestry and the carbon market is driving this landuse change. It’s not surprising because it is a compelling business case. And it becomes more compelling as the price of carbon increases. But as we know, particularly those areas that are seeing it happen within their own districts, it is having a profound impact upon the social fabric of these communities and on a wider scale will reduce our sector’s foodproducing ability. The Paris Accord explicitly emphasised that actions in “response to the threat of climate

change” do not threaten food production. This is for good reason. The global population is forecast to rise by more than two billion people by 2050. Food producers everywhere will need to produce more food in the next 50 years than we produced in the previous 500 years. For most of us, the ETS is complex and bloody difficult to understand. It also keeps changing; it continues to be tweaked, as in each version it hasn’t necessarily driven the objective of reducing emissions.

The Paris Accord explicitly emphasised that actions in “response to the threat of climate change” do not threaten food production. This is for good reason. Until the reforms in 2020, emitters could buy NZ Units from the Government at a fixed price of $25, so instead of capping emissions it merely acted as a carbon tax on those emissions. That fixed price of $25 also

meant that those sequestering carbon by growing trees weren’t getting anymore than this amount should they choose to sell their units. It was $25 per tonne in April last year before the reforms came in and the auction system began, then $39/t in April this year and currently sits at $48/t. A land valuer has told me that that first increase of $10/t in the price of carbon meant that companies contemplating land purchases on suitable forestry land were paying up to $3000/ha more. That might indicate a massive ability to continue to pay far more than farming can compete as the carbon price increases. Good if you are the seller but not good if you are trying to keep a community intact or wishing to grow quality food to feed discerning diners. These are the drivers of what the report has highlighted in terms of land-use change. In 2017, 4000ha of whole sheep and beef farms went into forestry; in 2018 there was 20,000ha; 2019 37,000ha; and 2020 17,000ha, which may have dropped because of the covid-19 disruptions. And there is plenty more in the pipeline being planted right now and still to be planted. The report found that about two-thirds of these plantings are on reasonable

SPOTLIGHT: BakerAg’s latest report highlights the pace and scale that is seeing whole farms suddenly change to forestry.

quality farmland. This 78,000ha of whole farms being planted into forestry doesn’t include the areas that our sector is rightly planting on the more unproductive parts of our farms. This is a more preferable and sensible approach to sequestering carbon for offsetting to meet our commitments than wide-scale planting across productive land. The report shows that in the same period, 47,000ha has been planted on farms under various schemes and there will be much more being done by individuals not picked up by the data. B+LNZ estimates that this area planted on total farm conversions already will see a drop of 700,000 stock units, which also sees processing companies and supplying services affected. This report highlights the pace

and scale that is seeing whole farms suddenly change to forestry. The Government, as a result of the inevitable fall in the polls from historic heights and pushback from many quarters at the pace of change, is showing healthy signs of listening and maybe considering more pragmatic ways of moving forward. This independent report gives B+LNZ and others some factual proof about what is happening out there and helps build an argument to find solutions that help us meet our commitments without gutting the sheep and beef sector. Let’s hope so.

Your View Steve Wyn-Harris is a Central Hawke’s Bay sheep and beef farmer. swyn@xtra.co.nz

Unnecessary war of words Alternative View

Alan Emerson

I FOUND the statement by Māori Council chair Matthew Tukaki that “Fonterra should stick to milking cows instead of milking Māori” offensive. We all know what milking cows is about but milking a situation is quite different and is not a proper way to describe anything or anyone in my book. The definition of milking is “exploiting or defrauding by taking small amounts of money over a period of time”. The Cambridge Dictionary describes the term as “getting as much money or information out of someone as possible, often in an unfair or dishonest way”. For the record, I don’t believe it is remotely credible to accuse Fonterra of milking anything except cows. The issue was all about Fonterra wanting to register several Māori language words for its Kapiti cheese range. My view is that it is a good and proper thing to do and it reflects well on New Zealand as a whole.

Looking at the big picture, we are going to have to change a lot of the names we use to describe our cheeses. The European Union wants to ban us from using names like feta, mozzarella, parmesan and gorgonzola, to name a few. It makes good sense to me to use uniquely NZ names, including Te Reo. Obviously not from Tukaki’s view. The storm has developed over the attempt by Fonterra to register 12 names for its cheeses. These are names that have been around for ages, including Kikorangi, Kowhai and Kapiti. I remain unaware of Māori being “milked” by Fonterra owning those brands. Fonterra’s director of inclusion and Māori strategy Tiaki Hunia was both measured and dignified in his rebuttal of the ‘milking’ accusation. “It’s been a move to ensure the correct use of Te Reo on our Kapitibased products”, Hunia said. “It will not impinge on the wider use of those words”. The problem has been that Kapiti has been used as a brand since 1998, but without the macron. Fonterra was simply correcting a mistake and good on it for doing that. Hunia made the further point that the word Kowhai had been trademarked 12 times already on products from paint to cosmetics. He believed there could be an

element of “picking on Fonterra” from Tukaki’s rhetoric. I believe he had a valid point. I must confess I hadn’t heard of Hunia before the milking incident, but he comes across as an impressive, effective and low-key kind of operator. His hope is that “as Fonterra’s relationship with iwi strengthens the co-operative will get access to a broader range of people who have the potential to become directors”. Hardly Fonterra milking Māori in my view. I found Tukaki’s use of language unnecessarily inflammatory. “I think all Māori would agree with me that a corporate entity sure as hell does not own the use of Māori words and phrases,” Tukaki said. Fonterra’s response was that if the trademarks were granted they would only relate to use on milk and milk products. Tukaki also accused Fonterra of “pure arrogance” to think it has the right to even attempt to lay claim to Māori words and phrases. I didn’t think it was Fonterra being arrogant. Fonterra’s response was to say the words would only be trademarked for the narrow product categories they operated in. Tukaki wants to give a “good talking to” to whoever signed off on it. Spare me. While Tukaki claims that all

PERSPECTIVE: Alan Emerson weighs in on the Māori Council chair taking issue about Fonterra wanting to register several Māori language words for its Kapiti cheese range.

Māori agree with him, it is also interesting to note that between 70% and 75% of Māori-owned dairy farms supply Fonterra. That indicates they must be more than satisfied with the behaviour and performance of the co-operative. Fonterra has 19,593 employees, many of them Māori. It would be interesting to survey them to find out if any were feeling milked. I could go on but if Tukaki wants me to take him and the Māori Council seriously, he could temper his language and approach. Sticking to facts would help as well. There are several additional points. The first is that the Māori Advisory Committee, an independent body, makes the decision on the appropriate use of Māori language. The second is that Fonterra’s

choice of brand is descriptive. For example, the proposed kakato brand means delicious. Pakari means firm and kirimi means cream. To me that is logical and doesn’t milk anyone or anything. Fonterra’s response is that they’re not owning the words they’re owning how they are used in the context of cheese. What’s wrong with that? I suppose an alternative would be to just use the Queen’s English and describe a firm cheese as firm and a delicious cheese as delicious. I’m sure the Queen wouldn’t accuse Fonterra of milking her subjects.

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

Opinion

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – August 9, 2021

Looking to the future Meaty Matters

Allan Barber

THE Red Meat Sector Conference held in Rotorua last month was a combination of celebrations, opportunities and challenges. It was the first such conference since pre-covid days and, although some of the themes of 2019 received more emphasis like the importance of China and telling a compelling story to engage with today’s consumers, others had emerged from further back in the queue. The conference theme was Looking to the Future. Issues that have risen to the top of the pile since then are regulation, becoming carbon neutral or positive, food sustainability, the opportunity to capture the regenerative space and the importance of developing performance measures to substantiate claims in all these areas. Another area of note was more about operations than aspirations: celebration of the way the meat industry adjusted to the challenges of production, processing and global marketing and distribution during lockdown. But after that success has come the persistent difficulty of meeting delivery programmes because of disruption to shipping schedules and access to containers. The first speaker was Geoff Ross, best known as an entrepreneur

with a successful background in developing and selling brands like Ecoya and Trilogy, although his investment in craft brewer Moa was less impressive. Now the owner of Lake Hawea Station, Ross challenged the red (or as he proposed Nutrient Rich) meat sector to attack the largest opportunity since the first refrigerated lamb shipment instead of defending the problem. In his opinion climate change is the biggest event in recorded history and provides New Zealand with a strong tailwind, because it has a massive head start on competing countries, with its carbon positive plant growing capability. His challenge to farming in NZ is to become carbon positive and to seize the position as the world’s Climate Positive Farm, capitalising on a groundswell of public opinion in support of regenerative agriculture, of which more in a moment. With the commitment of He Waka Eke Noa for all farms to be able to calculate their carbon balance by the end of 2022, he strongly urges the sector to use the Beef + Lamb NZ calculator to apply farms’ carbon positive balance to their meat and wool production. This will not only provide the basis for meeting the sector’s commitment to comply with the Government’s regulatory objectives, but more importantly will enable it to tell a compelling story to the world’s high-value consumers about how the country’s meat is produced. Mike Lee, chief executive of a New York-based food innovation company, is currently working with B+LNZ and NZ Winegrowers

on the potential for regenerative agriculture, a concept which is gaining popularity among a growing consumer segment, but is proving hard to define. As part of the study, a market scan has been conducted in the US, UK and Germany showing regen ag is a grassroots movement, which has also been taken up by large corporate brands. The concept is growing much faster than organics with the producer as the main focal point, although the lack of a certified definition means it is essentially different in each country. The opportunity exists for NZ farming to develop a unified producer narrative, which will give assurance to consumers. Lee pointed to the importance of “terroir” as a means of connecting the taste experience to the characteristics of the soil, a concept already well known in wine production and marketing. There are two distinctive aspects to the challenge: one is for B+LNZ to lead a sufficiently meaningful proportion of sheep and beef producers to the belief they can achieve their farming outcomes while meeting an agreed definition of regenerative farming; the other is to ensure the definition of regen ag being applied is meaningful and acceptable to the consumers they wish to attract. Although Lee’s study produced anecdotal evidence some consumers would pay more for food produced regeneratively, this conclusion is far from guaranteed. MPI director of international policy Phil Houlding came at the opportunity from the different angle of food sustainability and

INSIGHTS: Alan Barber shares his takeaways from the 2021 Red Meat Sector Conference.

identifying how this can help to achieve sustainable development goals. Key elements of MPI’s work, in cooperation with other agencies, are trade and market access, environmental rules and engagement, and primary sector diplomacy. The promotion of free trade remains a major focus because the removal of trade barriers contributes to higher global prices and market returns for all, not just income gain from lower tariffs. He referred to NZ’s approach to the United Nations Food Systems Summit later this year, which is to promote the importance of agricultural efficiency in improving environmental performance using evidence-based data; he also pointed to our ability to help other countries develop the methodology to measure their food capability, noting 140 countries do not already perform this measurement. Knowing the numbers is a big advantage to NZ, as according to Houlding, the sustainability challenge is not just about what you know, but what you can prove and who is willing to be convinced by it.

At the conference, there was a definite sense of the world having changed forever as a result of covid, climate change and the new generation of consumers. NZX head of insight Julia Jones emphasised the importance of creating a digital connection with overseas customers, being prepared to disrupt and be challenged by outside ideas and planning a whole range of scenarios, none of which would necessarily come to fruition. But this type of planning process would keep organisations far more agile than the traditional three, five and 10-year strategic plans. It was a stimulating conference, although it would have been good to see more farmers there, as they represent the largest number of businesses affected by the changing environment, but hopefully they will be willing to listen to their representative organisations like B+LNZ.

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

Labour’s own mission to the moon Off the Cuff

Andrew Stewart

FRIDAY, the 16th of July 2021, will be forever remembered in New Zealand as the day Kiwi farmers found their voice. What we witnessed throughout NZ was nothing short of extraordinary. I feel incredibly privileged and honored to have been in a room of like-minded farmers when Bryce McKenzie of Groundswell NZ first spoke of the Howl of a Protest. None of us, including Bryce, could have ever dreamed of such a huge showing of unity. Equally as humbling was the reaction from the general public to the protest with many lining routes clapping, tooting horns and showing their support for farmers. A question that has been asked by many is, what exactly was the protest about? The particular points are clearly

articulated by Groundswell and I would encourage anyone who is unsure to read them on their website. But I thought I would also provide a more colourful historical comparison to help explain the current situation. Just over 50 years ago, three astronauts from Apollo 11 set foot on the moon and forever changed history. Their effort was incredible in a time before widespread technology, computing superpowers and the many other modern conveniences we take for granted. But this landing on the moon was spawned by US president Kennedy’s administration some eight years previously. As part of a global space race, the US government agreed to invest billions of dollars and whatever it took to become the first to the moon. The space program caused huge divisions in a country where many couldn’t understand how so much resources should be allocated to a quest to reach the moon, when there were so many needs of a country back on earth. Nevertheless, Kennedy and his space programme pushed on with countless setbacks and a number of accidents and even

RACE: Andrew Stewart weighs in on the Government fast-paced policy rollouts, likening it to the race to the moon in an effort to be first. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

deaths. Their single-minded determination, and some argued “dictatorial” approach, to be world leaders came at an incredible cost both financially and in human lives. It was like they had made up their minds and once that had happened, they would do anything, spend anything and not accept anything other than being first on the moon.

This may sound familiar to the average New Zealander living in 2021. No, our government is not aiming for the moon but their desperate quest to be recognised on the world stage has a lot of similarities. If we as a country pursue Labour’s quest to be world leaders in reforms to freshwater standards, climate change, indigenous biodiversity, significant natural areas and resource management it will come with incredible costs both financially and in human lives. Financially, the primary sector is the engine room of our economy. Adding the many varied proposed legislations, or let’s be honest and call them taxes, will drag our economy from being a powerhouse to the proverbial outhouse. And in terms of the human cost, we are already hearing heartbreaking stories of farmers killing themselves because the pressures on them are too much to bear. One can not deny what an achievement it was to put a man on the moon all those years ago. Neil Armstrong himself acknowledged in an interview in 2001 that “hundreds of thousands” of people helped make the

project a success. Millions if not billions of incredibly complicated calculations, assumptions and sometimes even guesses all came together in one moment that has never since been replicated in the same way. And no one in our farming sector thinks that we should rest on our laurels and not continue to push boundaries and strive to be the best. Legislation needs to be fit for purpose, openly consulted on and based on perfectly accurate science and calculations. But the question has to be asked if making comparisons with Labour’s own quest, what happens if just one of those calculations is wrong? The answer is brutally frightening but shockingly simple. You simply miss the “moon” and end up in the vast void that is space for the rest of eternity. Or you nail everything and end up in the place you intended, but no one else thinks it’s important enough to follow you there.

Your View Andrew Stewart is the RangitikeiManawatu Federated Farmers meat and wool chairman and a sheep and beef farmer in Rangitikei.

farmersweekly.co.nz/realestate 0800 85 25 80

Real Estate

Hororata Substation Road

FARMERS WEEKLY – August 9, 2021

Taumarunui 102 Valley Road New Listing

Open Day

Arable property with options

Sitting pretty!

Well located 79 ha dryland mixed cropping property located in the favoured Hororata area of Central Canterbury, this bareland property has been well farmed under the certified BioGro organic farming system in recent years. Good mix of free draining versatile soils, currently held in three titles with easy access off two sealed roads. Exceptional mountain views on offer from a multitude of potential building sites on the property. This property offers an excellent first farm option or a strategic add on to a larger enterprise located in central location only 40 minutes from Christchurch City.

Tender closes Monday 30th August, 2021 at 4.00pm, (unless sold prior) View By appointment Web pb.co.nz/DFR87717

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

Gareth Cox M 021 250 9714 Matt Collier M 027 205 6626

For Sale Buyers $850,000+ This beautiful farm house has been lovingly restored and sits on View Sun 15 Aug 1.00 - 2.00pm 16.69 ha (more or less) of farm land. There are three generous Sun 22 Aug 1.00 - 2.00pm bedrooms, a large open plan kitchen, living and dining area. The Web pb.co.nz/TUL86278 home is easily heated by the big woodsman fire and its sunny aspect. Multiple french doors open out to an impressive wide covered verandah, ideal outdoor living any time of the year! The land is tidy and well fenced with some recently replaced conventional fences and gates. There is a large three bay garage at the house to store all your goodies and it is only a five minute drive from Taumarunui. There are so many boxes to tick here, renovated Katie Walker home, large land size and handy location. M 027 757 7477 Property Brokers Ltd Licensed REAA 2008 | pb.co.nz

FARMLAND WANTED

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We have clients wanting a variety of Pastoral Farms and Forestry Land to purchase or lease

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Stuart Pescini 027 442 7945 stuart.pescini@ harcourts.co.nz

All enquiries please email: takapaufarm@gmail.com

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Rural

Travel & Tourism

FARMERS WEEKLY – August 9, 2021

classifieds@globalhq.co.nz – 0800 85 25 80

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Promote or find your next adventure in our Travel & Tourism section published monthly. Next issue – September 13 Booking deadline: Wednesday September 8– 12 noon

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Sharemilking opportunity wanted We are a driven and qualified brother farming duo and were recently 2021 New Zealand Share Farmers of the Year. We are great grass farmers and strive to set a benchmark of excellence within the industry. We are seeking a larger scale 50:50 role +1,000 cows for next season (FY2023). Key attributes: • Top performers TFI/ha, good cost control • Strong relationships – come with glowing reports from current and past employers and employees • Good grass-based farmers • Strong health and safety culture • Positive attitude • History of enhancing the properties we work on • Ability to attract and retain staff/connections to quality workers

Contact Manoj Kumar and Sumit Kamboj 027 721 85544 mirokfarm.kamboj@gmail.com

GlobalHQ is an innovative multimedia agri-information hub and digital community. We invest in great people to create best-in-class products that include daily newsletter Pulse, flagship newspaper Farmers Weekly, online community www.agripreneur.com, the AgriHQ suite of data and analysis products, leading weather forecaster WeatherWatch and specialist site www.ruralweather.co.nz, Dairy Farmer magazine, the On Farm Story video series, vocational training system Agricademy and AginED, a wide range of podcasts, education and information resources, and various social and website destinations.

See Page 34

Notice of Election - DairyNZ Board of Directors - DairyNZ Directors Remuneration Invitation for 2021 candidate nominations – two positions available In October, two elections will take place for one farmer-elected director for the Board of DairyNZ Incorporated and a second election for one member of DairyNZ’s Directors Remuneration Committee.

We have an exciting new role for someone with great communication skills, relationship-building abilities, and an innate talent for creating and developing new business opportunities.

Registered levy-paying dairy farmers are invited to nominate candidates to fill these two positions.

You will bring a passion for the agricultural industry, and already have a good understanding of the new media, social, and digital spaces. Be prepared to learn, grow and lead by example, among a team that is driven by a strong sense of social purpose and a determination to share knowledge and build a successful, connected, agripreneur community.

All farmers paying a levy on milksolids to DairyNZ are eligible to stand for either election. An information pack outlining desired criteria and nomination requirements for the position can be obtained from the Returning Officer. Nominations must be received by the Returning Officer by 12 noon on Friday, 3 September 2021. Elections If more than one candidate is nominated an election will be carried out by internet voting using the STV (single transferable vote) voting method. Votes will be weighted by annual milksolids production. Voting credentials will be emailed to all registered DairyNZ levy payers on 20 September 2021, with voting closing at 12 noon on Tuesday, 19 October 2021.

Your base will be at our head office in Feilding and your remuneration will reflect your skills and experience. We look forward to your application, sharing our vision, and getting to know you. Please request a job description and application form by emailing Cushla: hr@globalhq.co.nz

The DairyNZ Annual General Meeting will be held in Hawera on Wednesday, 20 October 2021. Election results will be announced at the meeting. For further details contact the Returning Officer below.

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Livestock Noticeboard

ANIMAL HANDLING

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GIBB-GRO GROWTH PROMOTANT

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WANTED TO BUY SAWN SHED TIMBER including Black Maire. Matai, Totara and Rimu etc. Also buying salvaged native logs. Phone Richard Uren. NZ Native Timber Supplies. Phone 027 688 2954.

UPCOMING AUCTIONS Monday, 9 August 2021 7.00pm Brock Deer 6th Annual Winter Hind and Weaner Sale

Friday, 13 August 2021 11.30am Feilding Saleyard - Store Cattle Sale

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Tuesday, 10 August 2021 7.00pm Foveran Deer Park 38th Annual Elite Hind and Weaner Sale

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Tuesday, 17 August 2021 7.00pm Gloriavale Deer Hind Sale SPRING BULL SALES dates coming soon For more information go to bidr.co.nz or contact the team on 0800 TO BIDR

DAIRY

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BULL PLAN

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PASSION got us started… COMMITMENT keeps us going. SINCE 1983

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.

SADDLERY BRIDLES THREE TYPES. Heavy leather. Breastplates two types. Hobbles. Leg straps. Cruppers etc. Phone Otairi Station. 06 322 8433.

LK0107929©

WOOL

Independent wool brokers

Passionate about your wool and committed to its future p.06 835 6174 e.office@kellswool.co.nz

www.kellswool.co.nz

Livestock Noticeboard

DON’T SETTLE FOR AVERAGE WEANING WEIGHTS Weaning weight - 447kg (68% of cow weight)

FLEXIBLE FINANCE SOLUTION • Buy bulls now and pay nothing up front, with the balance due 20 Feb 2022 • Fixed administration fee of $60+gst/head payable on settlement • Ability to sell your cull cows or other livestock to offset the balance due

SERVICE BULL AUCTIONS / PADDOCK SALES • Purchase your bulls in the paddock or at one of our service bull auctions

Contact the One Stock team or your local Carrfields Livestock Representative

CHECK OUT MCFADZEAN MEAT MAKER YEARLING BULLS Open day - 25th August 1pm Sale - 9th September 2pm 216 Wiltons Road, Carterton

Johnie McFadzean 0274295777 Andrew Jennings PGG Wrightsons 0275946820 www.mcfadzeancattlecompany.co.nz

0800 223 070

www.carrfieldslivestock.co.nz

Subject to Dairy Bull Plan Terms and Conditions

Livestock Advertising? Call Ella: 0800 85 25 80

Livestock Noticeboard

BYLLIVESTOCK.CO.NZ "Maximising your return through personal livestock management"

WANTED RS

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R2 Jersey Bulls 3 0 - 4 0kg

FOR SALE 300 x 100kg Autumn born wnr Frs bulls 63 x 160 - 170kg R1 Ang/Frs, Here/Frs Heifers 100 x 240kg Ang/Frs Heifers Spring calf contracts avail. on Friesian Bulls

C C RS/C C

_______________________________ Richar! Seavill Chris Smith Chris yle Jason Roberts Bryce Young

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R1 Friesian Bulls 180 - 240kg

Please Contact

Colin Old

027 870 4434

www.progressivelivestock.co.nz

CASTLEROCK YEARLING CATTLE SALE Northern Southland Friday 13th August Commencing 10.30 am Various Station Vendors will offer Approx 750 mainly Angus and Hereford quality Steers and Heifers. A recommended line up. Barry McAlister 027 441 6432

North Island – South of Auckland Payment options to meet your requirements. Register your interest now.

Everybody got off the plane except one lady who was blind. A man had noticed her as she walked by and could tell she was blind because her guide dog lay quietly underneath the seat in front of her throughout the flight. He could also tell she had flown this very flight before because the pilot approached her and called her by her name, “Kathy, we are in Sacramento from almost an hour, would you like to get off and stretch your legs?” The blind lady said, “”No thanks, but maybe Buddy would like to stretch his legs”.

Docile • Hardy • Fertile www.reddevoncattle.co.nz

STOCK REQUIRED

STORE LAMBS 34-45kg R1 YR FRSN BULLS 180-250kg R1 YR BEEF BULLS 220-280kg R1YR ANGUS HEIFERS +250kg R1YR ANGUS HEIFERS 160-220kg R2 YR BULLS 420-480kg R2 & 3YR STEERS 450-600kg www.dyerlivestock.co.nz

Ross Dyer 0274 333 381 A Financing Solution For Your Farm E info@rdlfinance.co.nz

Livestock Advertising?

Call Ella: 0800 85 25 80

TE KUITI YEARLING CATTLE FAIR

Contact: Nick Dromgool 027 857 7305 Email: Nick Dromgool nick.dromgool@geneticdevelopment.co.nz or Genetic Development NZ 07 843 7577 Email: PurchasesHFM PurchasesHFM@geneticdevelopment.co.nz

Friday August 13th Start 12:00 noon

NATIONWIDE

Recorded Heifers by Recorded Sires F12 + with Friesian sire 100kg plus J12 + with Jersey sire 80kg plus

Online sale at

890 Cattle Comprising: • 200 1yr Angus Steers • 140 1yr Exotic Steers • 150 1yr Hfd/Frsn & Ang/Frsn X Steers • 16 1yr Hereford Bulls • 10 Aut Born Frsn X Steers • 170 1yr Ang & Hfd Heifers • 90 1yr Exotic & Exotic X Heifers • 60 1yr Hfd/Frsn & Ang/Frsn X Heifers • 10 Aut Born Frsn X Heifers

Kokonga iPod 6003

PGG WRIGHTSONS: Kevin Mortensen 027 473 5858

Contact: Barry Ward 027 413 0687 Email: Barry Ward barry.ward@geneticdevelopment.co.nz or Genetic Development NZ 07 843 7577 Email: PurchasesHFM PurchasesHFM@geneticdevelopment.co.nz

NZ FARMERS: Brett Wallbank 027 488 1299 CARRFIELDS LIVESTOCK Andrew Jardine 027 397 7005

379 Kokonga East Road RD5 Tuakau (end of road by woolshed)

Need an Angus bull

LK0107894©

Contact Ella: 06 323 0761 / 027 602 4925 livestock@globalhq.co.nz farmersweekly.co.nz

A woman was flying from Seattle to San Francisco. Unexpectedly, the plane was diverted to Sacramento along the way. The flight attendant explained that there would be a delay, and if the passengers wanted to get off the aircraft the plane would be reboard in 50 minutes.

People Scattered. They not only tried to change planes but airlines!

WEANER HEIFERS WANTED

Advertise your livestock in the Farmers Weekly. It’s no bull.

SALE TALK

All the people in the gate area came to a complete stop when they looked up and saw the pilot walk off the plane with a guide dog for the blind! Even worse, the pilot was wearing sunglasses.

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Helping grow the country

GRAZING WANTED

ving and Specialising in Ease of Cal

CONSIDER THIS . . . Fully Registered 300 cow herd

Heather Dell Angus focuses on Low Birth Weight, High Growth Rate and Docility.

Specialising in ease of calving and heifer mating All our best bulls offered at our annual yearling sale

Bull Walk – Monday 23 August 2021 at 11am Sale – Friday 10 September 2021 at 11am – Viewing from 9am 801A Paradise Valley Road, RD 2, Rotorua

Full EBVs on all animals

AngusGS 72K SNP tested Excellent Temperament

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Yearling bulls available by GAR Ashland, SS Brickyard, Schiefelbein Attractive 4565 and Varilek Geddes 7068 Neil Heather 027 421 4050 – Jon & Nerida Evans 027 490 7783 PGG Wrightsons – Finn Kamphorst 027 493 4484

Our complete program (all 300 cows) is focused on ease of calving and heifer mating Good selection of bulls with growth and carcass attributes without compromising ease of calving

Heifer mating

WHO ELSE IN NZ TICKS ALL THOSE BOXES?

FERTILITY Calve as 2 yr old Only 43 days mating - cows Only 30 days mating - heifers Cull everything that doesn’t rear a calf

Chris & Karren Biddles, RD1, Te Kopuru, Northland P: 09 439 1589 | m: 021 795 929 e: chris@teatarangi.co.nz

100 Yearling Angus bulls On Farm Sale and Hybrid bidr Auction

1st Sept 2021, 12.30pm

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Check out Poll Dorset NZ on Facebook

livestock@globalhq.co.nz – 0800 85 25 80

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FARMERS WEEKLY – August 9, 2021

MARKET SNAPSHOT

Market Snapshot brought to you by the AgriHQ analysts.

Mel Croad

Suz Bremner

Reece Brick

Nicola Dennis

Sarah Friel

Caitlin Pemberton

Deer

Sheep

Cattle BEEF

SHEEP MEAT

VENISON

Last week

Prior week

Last year

NI Steer (300kg)

6.10

5.55

NI lamb (17kg)

9.10

9.05

7.25

NI Stag (60kg)

6.10

5.70

6.10

NI Bull (300kg)

6.00

5.50

NI mutton (20kg)

6.50

4.95

SI Stag (60kg)

5.90

5.70

6.10

NI Cow (200kg)

4.50

4.15

SI lamb (17kg)

8.95

8.80

7.00

SI Steer (300kg)

5.85

5.75

4.90

SI mutton (20kg)

6.70

6.60

4.55

SI Bull (300kg)

5.80

5.65

4.90

Export markets (NZ$/kg)

SI Cow (200kg)

4.70

4.60

3.80

UK CKT lamb leg

Slaughter price (NZ$/kg)

8.03

US domestic 90CL cow

8.92

8.66

7.45

North Island steer slaughter price

$/kg CW

6.50

5.50

5.0

$/kg CW

4.00 South Island steer slaughter price

6.50 $/kg CW

Dairy

Jun

Aug 2020-21

Oct

Dec 5-yr ave

2.80

1.95

37 micron ewe

2.80

2.10

30 micron lamb

$/tonne

7.00 6.50

Apr

Jun

Aug

2019-20

2020-21

Last week

Prior week

Last year

Urea

821

799

572

1.95

Super

339

294

DAP

1103

1055

750

400

Company

YTD High

Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Corporation Ltd

32.91

36.55

YTD Low 27.1

Meridian Energy Limited (NS)

5.29

9.94

5.04 6.65

Auckland International Airport Limited

7.2

7.99

Mercury NZ Limited (NS)

6.84

7.6

5.79

Spark New Zealand Limited

4.75

4.97

4.37

Mainfreight Limited

85.35

85.51

64.85

Ryman Healthcare Limited

13.34

15.99

12.46

390

Contact Energy Limited

8.28

11.16

6.6

380

Fletcher Building Limited

7.64

7.99

5.67

Infratil Limited

7.5

7.9

6.74

Jul-20

DAIRY FUTURES (US$/T)

NZ average (NZ$/t)

Top 10 by Market Cap

410

370

…

Sept. 2022

… A

J…

6.00 F…

Feb

FERTILISER

2.83

7.50

D …

Dec

Fertiliser

Aug 2020-21

Coarse xbred ind.

420

O …

Jun

Last year

8.00

…

Apr 2019-20

Prior week

430

Feb

Last week

8.50

Nearby contract

Oct

5-yr ave

CANTERBURY FEED WHEAT

Sept. 2021

7.0

Grain

Data provided by

MILK PRICE FUTURES

5.50

8.0

5.0

(NZ$/kg)

2019-20

9.0

6.0

8.0

WOOL

5-yr ave

$/kg MS

South Island lamb slaughter price

4.50 Apr

South Island stag slaughter price

10.0

5.00

Feb

7.0

11.0

5.50

Dec

8.0

5.0

Oct

9.0

6.0

6.00

4.00

Last year

6.0

9.0

4.50

9.57

7.0 6.0

Last week Prior week

North Island stag slaughter price

11.0

8.0

6.00

5.00

12.12

North Island lamb slaughter price

9.0

Slaughter price (NZ$/kg)

$/kg CW

8.97

$/kg CW

8.92

Last year

10.0 12.08

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

Last week Prior week

$/kg CW

Slaughter price (NZ$/kg)

William Hickson

Ingrid Usherwood

Sep-20

Nov-20

Jan-21

Mar-21

May-21

Jul-21

CANTERBURY FEED BARLEY

Listed Agri Shares

5pm, close of market, Thursday

Company

YTD High

YTD Low

ArborGen Holdings Limited

0.325

0.335

0.161

The a2 Milk Company Limited

6.34

12.5

5.42

Comvita Limited

3.22

3.6

3.06

Last price*

Prior week

vs 4 weeks ago

WMP

3605

3790

3765

410

Delegat Group Limited

13.1

15.5

13.1

SMP

2835

2830

2825

400

Fonterra Shareholders' Fund (NS)

3.74

5.15

3.61

Foley Wines Limited

1.62

2.07

1.58

390

Livestock Improvement Corporation Ltd (NS)

1.3

1.35

0.81

380

Marlborough Wine Estates Group Limited

0.255

0.65

0.24

New Zealand King Salmon Investments Ltd

1.45

1.72

1.39

PGG Wrightson Limited

3.48

3.65

3.11

Rua Bioscience Limited

0.415

0.61

0.37

Sanford Limited (NS)

4.95

5.23

4.3

Scales Corporation Limited

4.55

5.09

4.22

Seeka Limited

5.05

5.68

4.66

Synlait Milk Limited (NS)

3.7

5.24

2.85

4140

4100

4050

Butter

3500

3460

3430

Milk Price

7.61

$/tonne

AMF

420

7.61

370

Jul-20

* price as at close of business on Thursday

3800

400

3700

350

3600 3500 3400

Nov-20

Jan-21

Mar-21

May-21

Jul-21

WAIKATO PALM KERNEL

$/tonne

US$/t

WMP FUTURES - VS FOUR WEEKS AGO

Sep-20

T&G Global Limited

300

2.85

S&P/NZX Primary Sector Equity Index

13513

15491

12865

S&P/NZX 50 Index

12754

13558

12085

S&P/NZX 10 Index

12567

13978

11776

250 Aug

Sep Oct Latest price

Nov

Dec 4 weeks ago

Jan

200

Jul-20

S&P/FW PRIMARY SECTOR EQUITY

Sep-20

Nov-20

Jan-21

Mar-21

May-21

Jul-21

13513

S&P/NZX 50 INDEX

12754

S&P/NZX 10 INDEX

12567

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – August 9, 2021

Analyst intel

WEATHER

Overview Winter may be leaning warmer than average but this week kicks off quite the opposite, with a strong winter southerly dominating the entire nation and dragging down temperatures significantly – at least for Monday. As the gale southerlies (severe gale in some coastal areas in central and northern New Zealand) moves through on Monday, a westerly change will be quickly moving in behind it. This means southern NZ will start to ‘warm up’ as early as Tuesday, with mild weather back again by Wednesday. In fact, after snow flurries in Southland the high on Wednesday is +14degC. A powerful high pressure belt from Australia will move in and dominate northern NZ later this week and that placement brings milder W to NW winds further south.

14-day outlook Messy. We’re in the depths of winter and while this week kicks off cold, it shifts back to windy and warmer again mid-week ( it may seem a bit like an early spring pattern for some regions). The next week or two ahead looks quite changeable, with windy, mild and sunny days, along with wet, cloudy and cold ones. High pressure is north of NZ this week, windy and unsettled this weekend, with more windy westerlies next week and then another low late next week.

Highlights

Soil Moisture 05/08/2021

Wind

Winter southerlies for Monday turn spring-like westerly this week, then back to wintry sou’westers again at the weekend for some. The unsettled pattern sees blustery westerly quarter winds off and on for the next week or two.

Source: NIWA Data

After Monday’s wet and snowy change moves through, the week ahead returns to westerly showers, which will turn to heavy rain on the West Coast by Thursday. As we head into the weekend, a classic cold front moves into the western North Island and next week, more West Coast rain. A potential low moving over the North Island and deepening, may bring a burst of rain and wind.

Temperature It may feel spring-like for some this week as we transition out of the wintry change that kicks off Monday and into a milder nor’west flow by Wednesday. The next couple of weeks will swing up and down with temperatures.

7-day rainfall forecast

Prime cattle kill high Sarah Friel sarah.friel@globalhq.co.nz

HE stream of prime cattle to processors has been thick and fast this season. As of week 40, the New Zealand seasonal prime kill had hit 988,999, a 14% lift against 2020 throughput and 18% up on the five-year average. The higher North Island slaughter rates accounted for 69% of national prime cattle kill to week 40 of the export season. Winter typically signals a decline in the prime kill, therefore, it would be reasonable to expect throughput to drop like a stone. However, reports from processors and agents last week suggested the flow of prime cattle to plants recently has surpassed expectations in the North Island and at this stage, supply is still very comfortable. South Island prime was harder to come by, indicating the downside this season could be localised to the South Island. Based on mid-season industry projections, this season’s prime kill was expected to be seriously impacted by a drop in heifer numbers. This was an expected consequence of a heightened kill over the 2020 drought severely impacting key breeding areas and subsequent retention of heifers for breeding postdrought. Processors have been sweating bullets, waiting for supply to fall off the prophesied cliff. The 2020 season to week 40 cow kill was more severe than this season’s throughput.

As of week 40, the past season’s throughput was ahead by 3%, or 29,700. However, the 2020 cow kill to week 40 shows minimal deviation from the five-year average. Additionally, low dairy price confidence last year would have encouraged a stronger offload from dairy farmers, inflating the overall cow kill. While the heifer kill was high throughout the first half of the 2020 season compared to the five-year average, 2021 throughput has exceeded the 2020 weekly kill in many instances. This represents a quick reaction to another severe east coast drought. Two years of an above-average heifer kill could have significant impacts for traders and processors down the line, limiting the number of replacement stock next season and onward. Expectations of a lower prime kill this season seem to have underestimated the level of growth in the beef herd in 2019, when cow numbers lifted by 70,000 to 1.1 million. An increase in 2019 breeding cow numbers paired with a 41,000 drop in bobby calf kill, because of increased rearing of dairy beef cattle supports estimates of 2020 weaner calf numbers lifting by 78,000. These cattle will now be R2 stock and in areas where conditions have been kind, will be supporting a strong kill this season. When considering the factors above, it is reasonable to suggest this season’s prime kill could exceed initial expectations. However, given that 2021 was also marred by drought throughout eastern areas, as well as severe flooding in the South Island, the cliff may have shifted from this season to next.

Highlights/ Extremes

100

200

400

Monday’s winter blast will bring -15degC windchill at night into the South Island mountains and as low as -3degC for eastern coastal areas. But conditions warm up this week. Over the next couple weeks, a series of windy, fast-moving lows are forecast to move across NZ.

Weather brought to you in partnership with WeatherWatch.co.nz

UNEXPECTED: An above-average number of steer and heifers have been processed this season, despite projections to the contrary.

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SALE YARD WRAP

Gold medal for prime cattle A lack of supply coupled with very strong demand pushed prime cattle prices to new heights at Canterbury Park. Prices were already riding a silver medal high but pushed to gold medal status as processor buyers from both islands upped the ante. PGG Wrightson regional manager Grant Nordstrom expects the strong competition to continue. “The market took off. We put a very good line-up in front of the buyers and regular vendors were well-rewarded through the auction system. It is always a supply and demand market and this time demand won out,” Nordstrom said. He hopes that the high prices will bring a few more out to the market, if they are out there. NORTHLAND Kaikohe cattle • A limited number of R1 steers fetched $2.80/kg to $3.00/kg • R1 beef-cross bulls achieved $2.50/kg to $2.70/kg • R1 heifers mostly traded to $2.50-$2.60/kg • Heavier boner cows made $1.80-$1.90/kg and lighter types $1.60$1.70/kg Demand for the 300 head offering eased with the market in winter mode at KAIKOHE, PGG Wrightson agent Vaughan Vujcich reported. R2 beef-cross bulls fetched $2.40/kg, though heifers were more resilient to $2.65/kg. Vetted-incalf and run-with-bull cows sold in a range of $1.90/kg to $2.10/kg Wellsford grown cattle fair • Good R2 purebred Hereford bulls, 411-521kg, made $1250-$1550, $2.98-$3.06/kg • Better R2 heifers achieved $2.70-$2.77/kg and the next cut $2.57/ kg to $2.68/kg There was just under 840 head at the WELLSFORD grown cattle fair last Monday. There was better quality offered across the board which combined with settled weather over the last week kept the market ticking along. Heavier R3 traditional and Hereford-Friesian above 580kg achieved $2.94-$3.04/kg. The R2 dairy-beef average firmed one cent to $2.80/kg. The top end was able to strengthen to $2.90$2.99/kg with the next cut $2.80-$2.90/kg. Read more in your LivestockEye.

AUCKLAND Pukekohe cattle • Light to medium prime steers made $2.76/kg to $2.93/kg, $1500$1625 • Boner cows sold in a wide range of $2.17/kg to $2.60/kg, $910$1850 • Medium crossbred 15-month heifers sold to $2.45-$2.49/kg, $682-$810 • Small R1 heifers earned $2.94/kg to $3.24/kg, $400-$530 Prime heifers sold very well at PUKEKOHE on Saturday 31st at $2.82/kg to $3.07/kg, $1425-$1800. The market remained a little sticky for store cattle. Light R2 steers fetched $2.77-$2.80/kg, $1150-$1240 with later-born crossbreds up to $2.93/kg, $740. Weaner steers traded from $3.51/kg to $3.89/kg, $340-$520 and heifers $2.73/kg to $4.02/kg, $337-$390.

COUNTIES Tuakau sales • Hereford-Friesian steers, 309kg, made $980 • Heavy prime ewes reached $258 • Empty Friesian cows, 575kg, earned $2.24/kg Around 350 store cattle were yarded at TUAKAU last Thursday, Carrfields Livestock agent Karl Chitham reported. Hereford-dairy steers, 470-530kg, managed $2.60/ kg to $2.79/kg, with 430kg Hereford-Friesian heifers at $2.68/kg and 363kg Shorthorn-cross, $2.61/kg. Shorthorn weaner heifers, 183kg, fetched $470. Wednesday’s prime market was firm. Heavy steers, 670-730kg, realised $3.01$3.06/kg and medium, 550-630kg, $2.93-$2.99/kg. Prime heifers, 450-540kg, traded at $2.79/kg to $2.99/kg and medium boners, 480-520kg, $1.93 to $2.09/kg. Heavy prime lambs returned $213-$241 on Monday and medium-good, $167-$203. Medium-good ewes sold at $169-$203.

WAIKATO Frankton cattle 3.8 • R2 Angus-cross steers, 476-535kg, firmed to $2.93-$2.95/kg • R1 Angus-cross steers, 130-228kg, returned a consistent $3.04$3.07/kg • R1 Friesian bulls, 232-256kg, improved to $2.97-$3.03/kg PGG Wrightson penned 430 store cattle at FRANKTON last Tuesday where R1 cattle accounted for over 60% of the yarding. R2 Hereford-dairy steers, 332-333kg, sold well at $2.88-$2.95/kg and better beef-cross and Hereford-Friesian

heifers, 385-403kg, realised $2.75-$2.83/kg. R1 Belgian Blue-cross steers, 231-232kg, returned $2.72-$2.73/kg. Autumn-born weaner Friesian bulls, 120-124kg, reached $545. Prime throughput lifted to 126 head and steers, 551655kg, improved to $3.10-$3.16/kg. Heifers, 438-580kg, were consistent at $2.84-$2.96/kg. Better boner Friesian cows, 528-551kg, pushed to $2.09-$2.11/kg with the balance of Friesian and Friesian-cross, 425-531kg, steady at $1.79$1.93/kg. Read more in your LivestockEye. Frankton cattle 4.8 • Five R2 red Hereford-Friesian steers, 555kg, topped their section at $3.05/kg • R2 Hereford-Friesian heifers, 373-405kg, also improved to $2.81$2.88/kg • R1 Hereford-Friesian steers, 252kg, strengthened to $3.02/kg Store throughput eased to 178 cattle for New Zealand Farmers Livestock at FRANKTON last Wednesday. R2 Angus-Friesian steers, 524kg, firmed to $3.01/kg with the remainder, 466-500kg, mainly steady at $2.90-$3.00/kg. Angus-Friesian heifers, 395kg, firmed to $2.91/kg while Hereford-Friesian, 328-359kg, held at $2.63-$2.67/kg. R1 Hereford bulls, 205kg, earned $3.17/kg. Autumn-born weaner beef-dairy steers and heifers above 200kg traded at $465-$485 and smaller bulls, 177kg, $350. Prime steers, 596643kg, traded at a slightly softer $2.92-$2.97/kg. Beef-cross heifers, 520kg, reached $2.95/kg and boner Friesian cows, 458-546kg, firmed to $2.00-$2.13/kg. Read more in your LivestockEye.

KING COUNTRY Te Kuiti sale • Prime 2-tooth ewes fetched $208-$219 and medium $160-$169 • Heavy prime lambs firmed to $218-$221, medium $160-$168 and light $150-$156 • A small number of mixed age scanned-in-lamb ewes earned $134 • 3-year heifers with calves-at-foot traded to $1870 • R2 Hereford-Friesian heifers, 450-480kg, made $3.11-$3.18/kg, $1310-$1430 Heavy male store lambs sold to $193 at TE KUITI last Wednesday with the next cut at $173. The best of the ewe lambs achieved $182 and longer-term types $135-$149. Around 400 heifers were presented on Wednesday with buyers from Manawatu, Taumarunui and local. R3 Angus, 435kg, fetched $3.00/kg and 512kg Simmental-cross to $3.20/kg. Lighter R2 Angus, 286-312kg, sold to $2.72-$2.86/ kg. There was a great line-up of R3 steers on Friday. The best was 613-704kg Angus which realised $3.20-$3.22/kg, and 615kg Hereford-Friesian $3.08/kg. R2 Hereford-Friesian and beef steers, 613-615kg, were secured for $3.08-$3.13/kg. Please note this stale was still going at the time of writing.

BAY OF PLENTY Rangiuru cattle and sheep • R2 Simmental-cross steers, 406kg and 500kg, earned $3.17/kg and $2.96/kg • R2 Hereford-Friesian steers, 318-461kg, returned $2.90-$2.99/kg • The top prime lambs fetched $200-$230 while the balance earned $173-$198 Prime cattle sold well at RANGIURU last Tuesday and the decent tally mostly traded within three distinct groups. The largest was a collection of Hereford-Friesian steers, 637-723kg, that achieved $3.18-$3.23/kg while same breed heifers, along with a few Angus, 488-515kg, returned $3.00$3.08/kg range. Friesian cows mostly earned $1.89-$1.92/ kg. In the leadup to spring there was only a small yarding of store cattle. R1 Hereford-Friesian provided a big proportion and there was plenty of interest for the heaviest steers that made $840-$1000 and 180-235kg heifers that were $690$705. Read more in your LivestockEye.

POVERTY BAY Matawhero cattle • R2 Saler-cross steers, 405-445kg, made $3.25-$3.30/kg

• R2 traditional heifers, 320-455kg, earned $2.81-$2.89kg • Better R1 traditional and exotic bulls realised $800-$880 Around 1130 cattle were at the MATAWHERO fair last Tuesday. Older cattle in good condition sold well and strengthened compared to the previous sale. In the R2 steer pens, 500kg traditional lines met strong demand to reach $3.22-$3.27/kg with the bottom end steady at $3.06-$3.16/kg. The R2 traditional heifer average improved to $2.78/kg. Only a small portion of R1 steers exceeded 200kg and traded at $720-$810, $3.33/kg to $3.47/kg and 185-190kg, $660-$720. R1 heifers were in light condition with the majority around $280-$380. Read more in your LivestockEye. Matawhero sheep • Heavy prime ewes held at $196-$200 with medium $184 and light $150-$162 • Top male store lambs eased to $156, medium $129-$133 and light $100 • Top mixed-sex store lambs achieved $154-$160, medium $131 and light $108-$110 • Store ewes mostly sold to $130-$150.0 with the bottom end $105-$110 Heavy prime lambs sold to $186-$220 at MATAWHERO last Friday with medium $161-$171 and light $120-$152. Top ewe lambs softened to $170 with medium $120-$150 and the tail end $80-$104. Better scanned-in-lamb ewes traded to $200 with the next cut $176 and lighter types $138. Read more in your LivestockEye.

TARANAKI Taranaki cattle • R2 Hereford-Friesian heifers, 360-378kg, made $3.06-$3.07/kg • Owner bred R1 heifers, 167-181kg, traded to $2.96/kg to $3.09/kg, $505-$560 • First draft autumn-born weaner Belgian Blue-cross heifers, 115kg, were sought after to reach $595 • R3 Friesian cows vetted-in-calf to a purebred Hereford made good money at $1700 • The top end of boner cows earned $1.90-$2.00/kg There were around 250 head at TARANAKI last Wednesday. R2 steers, 551kg, sold well to $3.16/kg with 412kg on par with the previous sale at $2.99-$3.03/kg. R1 steers were mainly steady with Angus-Friesian, 134-178kg, at $530-$640, $3.60/kg to $3.96/kg and heavy ¾ HerefordFriesian sold well at $980, $3.31/kg. First draft autumnborn weaner calves were well received with most heifers $400-$430. Steers mostly achieved $450-$470, though one nice line of Hereford-Friesian sold to $550.

HAWKE’S BAY Stortford Lodge prime cattle and sheep • Top mixed-age ewes pushed to $237-$249 • Light-medium mixed-age ewes firmed to $134.50-$138.50 • Top male and mixed-sex lambs improved to $223-$237 • Medium to good two to 4-tooth ewes traded at $140-$143 A slightly smaller yarding of 550 sheep was presented at STORTFORD LODGE last Monday. Ewe throughput eased to 376 head and were quickly absorbed. The balance of mixed-age heavy to very heavy ewes held at $191-$220, as did good to very good types at $154-$178. Lamb volume increased to 172 head. Top ram lambs firmed to $200-$230. The balance of all classes were mostly very good types and earned $165-$189 with a pen of medium good ewe lambs the only exception at $140. No cattle were penned. Read more in your LivestockEye. Stortford Lodge store cattle and sheep • Mixed-age Coopdale ewes, scanned twins to Poll Dorset, sold for $203-$240 • Four very heavy pens of male and ewe lambs achieved $203$222 • Top male lambs held at $164-$181 • Good ewe lambs eased to average $135-$152 • Good mixed-sex varied from $116 to $140 Sheep were the focus at STORTFORD LODGE last

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – August 9, 2021

Wednesday as just seven cattle were penned. Breeding ewes made respectable returns and a pen of capital stock Romney 2-tooths that were smaller types, woolly and scanned 140% to Romney made $170. Lambs totalled 6300 and varied from prime types to lambs with good frame but lesser condition. Bidding was selective and results mixed. Medium cryptorchid varied from $108 to $168 and similar weighted ewe lambs also sold over a wide range at $111 to $152. Read more in your LivestockEye.

MANAWATU Feilding prime cattle and sheep • Hereford-Friesian heifers, 483kg, fetched $2.99/kg • Angus cows, 498kg, earned $2.49/kg • Friesian cows, 470-567kg, made $2.47-$2.58/kg High values continued at a smaller FEILDING sale last Monday. Two-thirds of the lamb section were male and very heavy lines earned $218-$246, closely followed by heavy at $196-$206. The bulk of the ewe lambs were priced at $215-$227 while mixed-sex were generally heavy pens that traded at $196-$212. Heavy and very good ewes sold on a firm market at $189-$229 while mid-range types typically achieved $150-$180. Read more in your LivestockEye. Feilding store cattle and sheep • R3 traditional steers, 550-630kg, were $3.30-$3.40/kg • R2 Friesian bulls, 485-535kg, made $3.00-$3.10/kg • R1 Hereford-Friesian heifers, 160-205kg, sold at $2.75-$2.85/kg • Store male lambs averaged $144 • Store ewe lambs averaged $131 In-calf beef cows, 485-565kg, were $2.45/kg. R2 traditional steers, 440-520kg, were consistently $3.30/ kg, with 400-450kg dairy-cross types at $2.90-$2.95/kg. R2 Angus heifers, 355-390kg, were $2.90-$3.00/kg. R1 Hereford-Friesian steers, 155-185kg, made $3.55-$3.75/ kg. Autumn-born 125-145kg weaner Friesian bulls sold for $515. A little over 5000 store lambs sold to a mixed market. Heavy males were $190-$195, good types $165-$180, and mediums $135-$150. Ewe lambs maxed out at $195-$210, good lines $150-$175, and mediums $120-$150. Light lambs of all sexes were usually $70-$90. Mid-range mixed-age and five-year ewes, SIL triplets, were $201-$226. Other mediumtype in-lamb ewes were $172-$198, with the lighter-end $137-$161. A small number of mixed-bred ewes with lambs-at-foot made $112.50-$116 all counted. Read more in your LivestockEye. Rongotea cattle • Friesian bull feeder calves fetched $30-$125 • R2 Hereford-Friesian steers, 300kg, sold at $2.20/kg to $2.76/kg • R2 Hereford-Friesian heifers, 545kg, achieved $3.01/kg • Friesian boner cows made $1.77-$1.82/kg • In-calf Friesian heifers traded at $800-$1180 and Jersey $790$800 Calf pens were almost full to capacity at RONGOTEA last Tuesday, where better beef bulls sold to $260, with medium around $125-$190 and smaller types below $100. The top end of beef heifers achieved $195-$205, and medium $105$155. R1 Hereford-Friesian heifers, 155-265kg, varied from $2.11/kg to $3.26/kg and 103-106kg Angus-cross $2.80/kg. Autumn-born weaner heifers made $350-$480.

CANTERBURY Canterbury Park cattle and sheep • Prime Angus-Hereford steers, 539-623kg, achieved $3.34-$3.38/kg • Prime Charolais heifers, 472-595kg, made $3.33-$3.39/kg • R2 Angus and Angus-Hereford steers, 211kg, made $3.43/kg • Two prime lambs pushed to $274 and older wethers, $346-$350 • Prime ewes reached $300-$334 with $200-$250 common for very heavy pens There was plenty for buyers to sink their teeth into at CANTERBURY PARK last Tuesday. Prime cattle prices soared, and one-third of the steers managed $3.29-$3.39/ kg while a further third made $3.18-$3.28/kg. The heifer market also lifted and 469-532kg Hereford-Friesian

managed $3.20-$3.29/kg. Short-term cattle did well in the store pens. R3 steers were mostly Hereford-Jersey, 411447kg, that earned $2.93-$3.04/kg while R2 steers over 300kg generally exceeded $3/kg. Plenty of very heavy lambs made $180-$256 and much of the offering was centred around $160-$179. Forward store lambs made $132-$146. Read more in your LivestockEye. Coalgate cattle and sheep • Prime Charolais-cross steers, 505kg and 745kg, fetched $3.34/kg and $3.32/kg • Prime Angus-Friesian heifers, 495kg and 610kg, returned $3.27/ kg • 140 ewes with 170 lambs traded at $115-$125 all counted A quarter of the prime steers at COALGATE last Thursday were 408-580kg Angus that achieved $3.22-$3.31/kg while Hereford-Friesian, 448-745kg, consistently managed $3.22-$3.29/kg. The heaviest lines of store cattle were R2 traditional heifers, 376-401kg, that made $2.74-$2.85/kg although the most $/kg was earned by one of the only pens of steers: Angus and Angus-Hereford, 294kg, that traded at $2.93/kg. The best prime lambs managed $272 followed by the balance at $165-$258. A pair of heavy ewes earned $338 but the rest sold across a wide range. Store lambs mostly made $116-$141. Read more in your LivestockEye.

SOUTHLAND Lorneville cattle and sheep • R2 Hereford-cross steers, 439-468kg, fetched $2.87/kg to $2.97/kg • Heavy prime ewes firmed to $210-$240 • Local trade rams achieved $60-$100 • Mixed-age Coopworth-cross scanned-in-lamb ewes fetched $225 There was a small yarding of prime heifers at LORNEVILLE last Tuesday. Heavier types sold up to $2.96/ kg with lighter types $2.50/kg to $2.64/kg. The store pens mostly consisted of R1 cattle with better Hereford-cross steers to $2.85-$2.89/kg and heifers $2.50/kg. Heavy prime lambs lifted to $190-$230 with medium at $170-$183 and light $140-$165. Store lambs were on par to the previous sale and the top end earned $135-$140, medium $110-$120 and light $90-$1. Charlton sheep • Store lambs firmed with the top end to $152, medium $130-$140 and light $100 Prime lambs were mostly steady at CHARLTON last Thursday with the top end to $225, medium $170-$190 and light $154. Heavy prime ewes fetched $220 and medium $130-$165. There was strong demand for in-lamb ewes. Annual draft ewes traded to $220-$243 and the next cut $185-$20

SOUTH-CANTERBURY Temuka prime cattle and all sheep • Hereford steers, 631kg, achieved $3.25/kg • Angus-Hereford steers, 520-523kg, returned $3.17-$3.20/kg • Friesian and Kiwicross cows, 480-735kg, fetched $2.25-$2.35/kg • Top prime lambs managed $219-$271 with the balance $146 to $215 Prime cattle sold on a very buoyant market at TEMUKA last Monday. Half the steers were priced at $3.19-$3.20/kg while second cuts made $3.00-$3.09/kg. The heifer market also fired. Traditional breeds earned $3.05-$3.15/kg and Murray Grey and Hereford-Friesian, 510-545kg, $3.00$3.05/kg. Store lamb quality improved and one pen reached $199. Many mixed-sex pens included a high proportion of males and traded at $146-$170 while ewe pens were often $140$153. The best prime ewes made $336 and plenty earned $200-$318. Most of the rest made at least $120. Read more in your LivestockEye. Temuka store cattle • R2 Angus, Angus-Hereford and Charolais-cross steers, 426kg, earned $3.20/kg • R2 Angus and Angus-Hereford mixed-sex, 422kg, traded at $3.27/ kg • R2 Friesian bulls, 444kg, managed $2.98/kg • R1 Hereford steers, 322kg, made $1010 The store auction at TEMUKA last Thursday mostly featured a mix of beef-Friesian with a supporting cast of traditional breeds. Just over 180 R2 heifers were topped by Angus, 354-459kg, that sold from $2.97/kg to $3.10/kg. Hereford-Friesian, 369-398kg, earned $2.76/kg to $2.90/kg while 401-447kg were priced at $2.97-$3.07/kg. A collection of Angus and Angus-Hereford mixed-sex, 422kg, topped the whole section at $3.27/kg whilst Friesian bulls performed above expectations. A pen of R1 Simmental-cross steers, 271kg, made $870 while their 273kg sisters topped the heifer section at $705. Read more in your LivestockEye

OTAGO Balclutha sheep • Heavy prime ewes firmed to $170-$215, medium $140-$160 and light $110-$130 • Store lambs held with heavy at $130, medium $80-$100 and light $50-$60 A small number of prime lambs sold well with heavy types to $170-$220 and medium $100-$150. In-lamb ewes were well received with younger ewes at $200-$220 and the next cut $170-$200.

Feeder calf sales The feeder calf section at TEMUKA last Monday featured a high proportion of Murray Grey-cross calves that mostly made $80 in the bull pens and $50 in the heifer pens. A few Friesian bulls managed $90. The number of calves penned across the Monday and Thursday MANFEILD PARK calf sales was just short of 1000 head and a good group of buyers was present at both sales. Well-marked calves sold particularly well, such as good Friesian bull calves that managed $120-$165 and HerefordFriesian that traded at $250-$300. Medium pens of these breeds earned $80-$105 and $150-$200 respectively. Heifers sold particularly well last Thursday as good Hereford-Friesian earned $180-$200 and Speckle Park-cross $180-$230. Waikato feeder calf numbers continued at good levels last week with over 1500 penned at the two FRANKTON sales. Friesian bulls held with medium to good calves at $70-$175 and smaller types $30-$50. Good Hereford-Friesian improved to $260-$320 and small to medium,

$30-$210. Angus-cross bulls traded at $110$220 while same breed heifers earned $90-$145. Hereford-Friesian heifers firmed and medium to good calves reached $120-$230 with smaller types at $40-$80. Just over 560 calves were penned at TIRAU. Friesian bulls eased to $10-$150 while HerefordFriesian improved and medium to good types firmed to $150-$285 and small $30-$100. Same breed heifers traded at steady to improved levels of $90-$260 for medium to good calves and smaller types $25-$80. 45 calves were offered at MANGATAINOKA last Wednesday. Friesian bulls were consistently priced at $65-$90 and Hereford-cross heifers returned $50-$80. A total of 480 calves were yarded at the REPOROA calf sale last Thursday. The top Friesian bull calves consistently earned $130-$145 with medium pens $85-$115. The best HerefordFriesian often fetched $195-$220 whereas Angus-cross managed $150-$165. Heifers were mostly Hereford-Friesian that ranged from $50 to $150.

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Markets

40 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – August 9, 2021 NI STEER

SI BULL

SI MUTTON

($/KG)

6.10

5.80

6.70

PRIME TRADITIONAL STEERS, 480KG AVERAGE, AT CANTERBURY PARK ($/KG)

3.26

$1010-$1130 high $135-$160 store ewe lambs at Top R1 Angus steers at lights Good Kauroa spring sale Stortford Lodge

ACROSS THE RAILS

Cattle sales get a jump on spring defined boundary lines farm to it. Most of the cattle are yearlings and the sale features a large Suz Bremner suz.bremner@globalhq.co.nz number of homebred annual draft Angus, while trade cattle make up much of the balance. HE North Island is Volume grew to one of the well and truly into the largest total tallies at 1200, as twoswing of spring cattle years of very strong prices meant sales, even though more buyers wanted a piece of the official start of the the action. However, according season is a few weeks away yet. to both PGG Wrightson’s Vaughn But a mild winter has confused Larsen and New Zealand Farmers even the daffodils and it is typical Livestock’s Brent Bougen, the high for some of the yards on earlier prices of the past few years put off country to get into these sales at the beginning of August, to spread some buyers and the market was much more realistic in the current out the amount of cattle that hit environment. the spring markets and to clear “Last year’s sale was an absolute the decks for lambing and calving. ripper and that actually put some The sentiment at each sale of the regular buyers off. We had was clear – demand for older, buyers from Manawatū, Bay of well-bred short-term cattle was Plenty, King Country, Thames strong as they rode on the back Valley and local, but most were of low supplies in this class, but new faces. It was challenging for yearlings it was a fraction too enough but went okay within the early as buyers hold off for grass current market,” Bougen said. growth. For some annual draft lines, the price correction was up to $200, though Bougen says in some cases We had the volume the third cuts sold better than the to attract the buyers and tops. “Last year the top cut of a we tried to get a bit of consignment made $1150 and horsepower, but people this year $950. But the second are on top of their grass cut made $925 and then the third $940,” he said. still, so it was just a bit The cattle are sold in their too early. pens and Larsen says it was an impressive sight to see the yards so full. Vaughn Larsen “They were full to the gunnels and it was a bit of a logistical PGG Wrightson challenge to find pens for everything, but we got there,” Larsen said. It was a big day on the calendar He agreed that it was a at the Kauroa sale yards in challenge to get buyers to come Waikato, as the spring cattle fair forward this year. held on Thursday was one of just “We had the volume to attract three events at the yards this year. the buyers and we tried to get a bit Anticipation builds to this sale, of horsepower, but people are on always held in the first week of top of their grass still, so it was just August, and farmers within well-

CHOCK-A-BLOCK: Off to a wet start, the spring cattle fair held on Thursday was a big day on the calendar at the Kauroa sale yards in Waikato. Photo: Chris Hillock

a bit too early,” he said. “Some years the early sale is fine, but last year we had a lot of interest from Manawatū, which was not there this year due to feed levels and high prices over the last few years. “Vendors, however, farm to this sale and most will take what is offered on the day, and prices were in-line with where they are at present.” A small R2 section started the sale in very wet conditions following solid rain in the leadup, though none fell during the

auction. Most were exotic-cross and sold well at $1735-$2100. Homebred Angus steers were the main feature in the R1 pens, and the auctioneers noted they were renowned for their shifting ability. The top pens made $1010-$1130 and second cuts, $890-$950. The balance returned $780-$840. One big pen of Charolais-cross was passed in, but two other pens had good weight and sold for $1130$1295. The balance of the steer section was dairy-beef and a low volume of good Hereford-Friesian made

$1035-$1105 and the remainder, $720-$950. Heifers were good buying, as Angus traded at $550-$730 and a pen of purebred Hereford reached $700. Wellsford started their spring cattle sales with a grown cattle fair and Matawhero also kicked off the season with a 1200-head sale. Reports on these sales can be found in the Sale Yard Wrap.

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