Farmers Weekly NZ May 10 2021

4 Report highlights farms at risk Vol 19 No 18, May 10, 2021

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Fonterra floats deep reform

F

Hugh Stringleman hugh.stringleman@globalhq.co.nz

ONTERRA may be reformed with farmeronly shares of lower value and a share standard reduced by one-for-four in the preferred new capital structure.

Six months of consultation have begun on options to change the structure to give farmers greater financial flexibility.

If a general agreement emerges, shareholders could vote on a new structure at the November annual meeting where 75% majority approval would be required.

The Fonterra Shareholders’ Fund (FSF), the mirror market which sets the value of supply shares, has been temporarily capped in size and may disappear in the future.

The preferred option contains a buy-back and termination of the fund, or a permanent cap and a gradual shrinkage.

Fonterra’s big public announcement on capital restructuring contained bombshells:

Fonterra’s board will really need to work hard to ensure it communicates this whole issue to get farmer support on it.

Stu King Farmer

PROPOSAL: Fonterra has entered a consultation process on its capital structure, which could result in greater financial flexibility for farmers.

•Milk supply will decline 100 million to 250m kgms of milksolids in the next decade.

•Dry shares could blow out FSF twice its present size.

•After a decade of TAF, FSF would be a cuckoo in the nest at 16%-20% shareholding, threatening farmer ownership and control.

•The $525m fund (at $5/unit) could grow to $1.2 billion before a potential buy-back.

•Exchange of dry shares for units in the fund has been suspended.

Fonterra has also placed on hold the share standard compliance obligations for the new season because of the uncertainty now surrounding capital structure.

Chief financial officer Marc Rivers would not be surprised to see FSF units behave differently to Fonterra supply shares (FCG) in the short-term, until any new capital structure is agreed.

Nothing in the discussion documents or preferred proposal addresses the holders of 107m FSF units directly.

They have not done well financially during the time that Trading Among Farmers (TAF) eliminated redemption risk for the co-operative and set market prices for units and supply shares.

After reaching a peak over $8, FSF units fell as low as $3.50 and now sit at $4.60.

Fonterra now believes the unit

market is the tail wagging the supply share price dog.

“Because of the changed context, it is important to have discussion with the owners of the co-operative,” Rivers said.

The preferred option leans towards buying back the fund sooner rather than later “but not at any cost”.

Buying back is subject to an offer being made and 75% of fund unitholders accepting that offer.

Chair Peter McBride says the capital structure committee considered as many as 100 different types of producer co-operatives around the world and in different industries, especially the hybrid types that

Fonterra has become.

Alternatives included the traditional nominal share price, an unshared supply, a split cooperative with a value-add entity and outside investors, and dual A and B share model.

He says they failed the test of farmer ownership or financial sustainability.

Only the reduced share standard model, with or without the fund, ticked all the boxes.

However, a farmer-only share market would come with a “restricted market discount” of 20-25% compared with prices that would be expected for a listed share with good fungibility.

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Continued page 3

NEWS

12 Nadine Tunley takes top hort role

Nadine Tunley is Horticulture New Zealand’s new chief executive.

REGULARS Newsmaker ��������������������������������������������������� 18 New Thinking ����������������������������������������������� 19

18 Covid brings a career rollercoaster

Editorial ������������������������������������������������������� 20

Amy Luckhurst was on her OE operating rollercoasters in England when the covid-19 pandemic struck. Never in her wildest dreams did she see herself working on a dairy farm back home in New Zealand.

Pulpit ������������������������������������������������������������� 21 Opinion ��������������������������������������������������������� 22 Real Estate ���������������������������������������������� 24-27 Tech n Toys ���������������������������������������������������� 28 Employment ������������������������������������������� 28-29 Classifieds ����������������������������������������������� 29-30 Livestock ������������������������������������������������� 31-35 Weather ��������������������������������������������������������� 37

7 Opportunity in emerging

proteins

The potential for New Zealand to add high-value emerging protein products to its list of international export success stories requires nationwide collaboration, according to a new report.

11 Concern over immigration review

Primary sector leaders are hoping they will not be short-changed for staffing options once the Productivity Commission reviews the Government’s long-term immigration settings in coming months.

Markets ���������������������������������������������������� 36-40 GlobalHQ is a farming family owned business that donates 1% of all advertising revenue in Farmers Weekly and Dairy Farmer to farmer health and well-being initiatives. Thank you for your prompt payment.

News

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – May 10, 2021

3

McBride leads with the heart Hugh Stringleman hugh.stringleman@globalhq.co.nz FONTERRA chair Peter McBride has jumped into the biggest job of his considerable co-operative governance life – changing the giant dairy processor’s capital structure to suit the times.

“The issues raised through this review need to be addressed early,” McBride said.

“We have a misalignment of investor profiles and we have to avoid a slippery slope towards corporatisation.

“Waiting for the problem to be at our feet will limit our options and likely increase the cost of addressing them, at the expense of future opportunities for us.”

Declining milk production, due to land-use changes and environmental requirements, means redemption risk is set to reappear in a different form.

The numbers of dry shares will increase considerably and under the present rules those can be converted into Fonterra Shareholders’ Fund units, which could grow as big as 16% of total share capital.

That threat to farmer ownership and control of Fonterra is not acceptable, McBride says.

Continued from page 1 In circumstances where more farmers wished to sell rather than buy, such as milk supply decline, low prices or drought, there would be sell-side pressure on price.

Because some aspects of the capital structure are reflected in the Dairy Industry Restructuring Act, some changes to legislation would be necessary.

McBride says a strong, farmerowned dairy co-operative with a viable capital structure was firmly in the national interest.

Hauraki Plains farmer Stu King says Fonterra’s review of its capital structure comes down to necessity,

He admits that the big reduction in share standard and a farmeronly share market would trim the balance sheets of farmers in the short-term.

“But an unsustainable cooperative will affect their balance sheet a lot more,” he said.

“We have a choice to make – deal with this issue now or pay much more for it in the long run.”

Fonterra is asking farmers for feedback on all aspects of the possible changes in structure.

McBride says two valuable suggestions were received from farmers during the first consultation round and were included in the current proposal.

“No one owns a good idea,” he said.

He wants to achieve greater

flexibility for all types of dairy farmers, young and starting out, through to those seeking to retire and extract their capital.

“A maximum share price and an inter-generational co-op just don’t go together,” he said.

“We are showing leadership by recommending a reduced share standard because we believe it aligns best with our co-operative principles.”

These changes could impact the price at which shares are traded and may reduce liquidity in the market.

“Ultimately the price for farmers’ shares would be determined by the performance of the company and trading among farmers,” he said.

“Our rigid compulsory capital makes it difficult for new farmers to join and is a key factor in decisions to leave.

“We will seek to cater for the diversity within the shareholder base, but we will all need to be pragmatic if we are to find a way forward together.”

McBride says farmers as investors had longer-term drivers, including farm succession.

To achieve a change in capital structure he needed to convince their hearts as well as their minds.

VALUES: Fonterra chair Peter McBride says Trading Among Farmers worked, but falling milk production dictates a change in capital structure.

and a need to ensure it can continue to secure strong, solid milk supply under a considerably more competitive environment than when TAF was established.

“We need to compete strongly, and cannot afford to lose any farmers. We need an ownership structure that will encourage farmers to want to come and join the co-operative,” King said.

However, he says he struggled to see how the non-voting shares in the fund could influence the farmer share portion, but acknowledged that it could signal a shift in share-holding portions.

“Fonterra’s board will really need to work hard to ensure it

communicates this whole issue to get farmer support on it,” he said.

Mid Canterbury dairy farmer Frank Peters is “bit mixed at the moment” with his thoughts on Fonterra’s capital structure change proposals.

“I’d like to see more information attached to the ideas they are putting forward. I can’t wait for the consultation and the clarification on how they think it will work,” Peters said.

“The biggest question is if we go in-house, do the rules still stand because we are not in the open market? A lot of people have spent a lot of money on shares, I will hate to see that value lost and

there’s a feeling Fonterra wants to retreat more.

“Yes, it’s getting back to our knitting, but we have got to stay on track and not end up being devalued.”

Waikato Federated Farmers dairy chair Ben Moore says the proposals released by Fonterra were the start of an important conversation that would lay a platform within the co-operative for the next 10-20 years.

He encouraged farmers to get engaged in the process and take their time to read the proposals.

“It’s great to see Fonterra put out some direction of thinking, however, there’s still plenty of

Our rigid compulsory capital makes it difficult for new farmers to join and is a key factor in decisions to leave.

Peter McBride Fonterra

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room for discussion and input,” Moore said.

The board’s preferred option around a ‘Reduced Share Standard with either No Fund or a Capped Fund’ pleased him because it showed Fonterra was looking to resolve intergenerational ownership of the co-operative by making it easier for younger farmers to buy into it.

“I’m pleased to see Fonterra is front footing the issues around future milk supply, farm successions and flexibility in maintaining and strengthening our ownership and control. From a young person’s point of view, this is awesome,” he said.

4

News

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – May 10, 2021

Report highlights dairy’s loan risk Nigel Stirling nigel.g.stirling@gmail.com NEW modelling by the Reserve Bank has revealed cashflow on a third of all dairy farms would turn negative in the event of a sustained but moderate fall in milk prices.

The central bank modelled the impact on dairy farm loans of a milk payout of $5.50 per kg of milksolids for five years.

The exercise conducted with the help of the Ministry for Primary Industries was revealed in the Reserve Bank’s latest twice-yearly health-check of the banking system.

While some way short of Fonterra’s final payout prediction for the current season of $7.90/ kg MS, the figure used is only moderately below the cooperative’s average payout of the last five years of $6.04/kg MS. The scenario it was calculated would result in a third of dairy farms facing negative cashflow

and of those half would require some form of debt restructuring.

“The draft results indicate that while the sector overall has been gradually deleveraging, dairy debt is highly concentrated and pockets of vulnerability to a milk price downturn or a drought remain,” the bank’s May Financial Stability Report said.

A Reserve Bank spokesperson says the analysis was carried out earlier this year and the full results would be released separately later this year.

Elsewhere in the Financial Stability Report the bank noted China’s rapid recovery from the pandemic had underpinned demand for New Zealand’s main primary exports.

International dairy commodity prices were now above their prepandemic highs, and commodity pricing strength had spread to forestry and meat exports.

“Banks have continued to diversify their loan portfolios away

from dairy in favour of sheep and beef farming and horticulture, lessening the financial system’s exposure to sector-specific risks,” the bank said.

“While dairy’s share of banks’ agricultural sector lending remains considerable, it has declined from 69% to 63% in recent years.

“Banks are encouraging farmers to take advantage of the current milk prices and low interest rates to pay down existing debt.

“In addition, the number of dairy farms identified by banks as being stressed has continued to decline.”

Figures included in the report show “potentially” stressed dairy loans, to which trading banks’ own internal risk models assign a sub-investment grade credit rating but are not yet in default, fell to 7.2%, the lowest level since at least 2016.

At the same time dairy farm borrowers paying interest plus principal was nearly 20%, the

FORECAST: The Reserve Bank’s latest report forecasts a third of dairy farms would have a negative cashflow if there was a moderate drop in milk prices. highest since at least 2016 when just 5% of dairy borrowers were on similar repayment terms.

“These trends are helping to build resilience in the dairy sector,” the central bank said.

In the meantime, the Reserve Bank says vulnerabilities remained, including increasingly volatile weather patterns as climate change intensified and the eventual full entry of agriculture into the Emissions Trading

Scheme (ETS) in 2025, which would increase farm costs and dent profitability.

“Further potential risks such as surplus overseas milk production, the growth of milk alternatives, bovine and crop disease outbreaks, heavily concentrated export markets, and geopolitical trade tensions have the potential to undermine commodity prices and sector prosperity,” the bank said.

New Zealand holds firm on UK-EU meat quotas Nigel Stirling nigel.g.stirling@gmail.com

ONGOING: According to a Wellington insider, just NZ and Russia are still in trade quota negotiations with the EU and the UK.

NEW Zealand and Russia are the remaining hold-outs in a dispute over the post-Brexit division of European agricultural import quotas.

At the start of this year, following the United Kingdom’s final break from the European Union, both the UK and the EU reapportioned longstanding import quotas, which give third countries preferential access to their markets for agricultural goods.

NZ opposed the changes since the EU and the UK first came up with the proposal in 2017 to split the quotas based on trade flows to their respective markets during the previous three years.

NZ trade officials led a chorus of criticism of the quota-splitting proposal at the World Trade Organisation (WTO) last November.

NZ’s comments were endorsed by Russia, the United States, Canada, India, Australia, Mexico, Paraguay

and Uruguay, who all agreed splitting the quotas in the manner proposed by the EU and the UK undermined existing market access.

The countries also claimed the EU and the UK had failed to consult with them properly about the changes But since then most of those countries have cut deals, and according to a Wellington insider just NZ and Russia are still in negotiations with the EU and the UK at the WTO in Geneva.

The quota split has the potential to be most damaging to NZ sheepmeat exporters, which have seen their tariff-free quota to the UK and the remaining EU member states halved from 228,000 tonnes prior to Brexit to 114,000t for each of the UK and the EU markets on January 1.

Meat exporters say the split illegally takes from them the flexibility to export up to 228,000t of sheepmeat annually to either market without incurring tariffs and negotiated in previous trade agreements.

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While increasing sheepmeat exports to China has meant the preBrexit EU quota had not come close to being fully utilised for a number of years, the NZ meat industry is reluctant to see it diminished in case it were needed again if the trade with China were to fall away.

The EU-UK proposal also watered down NZ’s 74,000t EU butter quota.

Dairy Companies Association executive director Kimberly Crewther says she understood negotiations were ongoing.

“Our quotas were pretty significant … so it is reassuring that NZ officials are continuing to engage,” Crewther said.

Smaller beef quotas are also affected.

If it is unable to get a satisfactory settlement from the EU and the UK, the NZ government could sue them at the WTO for compensation although so far it has given no indication that it is getting ready to take a case.

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News

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – May 10, 2021

5

Dry weather is set to continue Richard Rennie richard.rennie@globalhq.co.nz FARMERS and growers around New Zealand looking for rain should dig in for an extended dry period, with little prospect of a shift in weather patterns on the horizon.

NIWA meteorologist Ben Noll says the agency has been fielding many calls from people over the past 12 months wanting to understand what is behind the ongoing dry conditions that now extend along much of the east coast of both islands.

He says the reasons are a complex jigsaw of climate pieces, one that stretches well beyond NZ to the Indian Ocean.

“In late 2019, the Indian Ocean Dipole became highly positive, which meant ocean temperatures to the north and west of Australia became very cool,” Noll said.

The dipole is an irregular “seesaw” oscillation of sea surface temperatures in the Indian Ocean that brings cooler temperatures to the northern and western Pacific Ocean as it moves into positive values.

As a result, the atmospheric rivers of moisture that usually pass from the tropics and down over NZ dried up.

“The dipole shift basically turned off the tap,” he said.

Accompanying this was a positive Southern Annular Mode (SAM), meaning high pressure systems tended to sit higher up across more of NZ than usual, often blocking low pressure systems.

The final piece of the puzzle has been a complex interplay of El Nino and La Nina-like conditions over the past two summers, with events that have not behaved like historic El Nino/La Nina systems.

This has meant ocean temperature extremes usually experienced with those events in the eastern Pacific have moved west, or closer to NZ’s location.

“That apparently little change has an impact on our ocean and weather patterns, and a climate change handprint is all over the things we have observed,” he said.

ONGOING: WeatherWatch chief executive Phil Duncan says high pressure systems will dominate well into autumn, bringing little prospect of rain for dry east coast regions almost the length of the country.

To break the dry here would require a major climatic event to spark a shift.

“Right now, we are not seeing that spark of change, an object in motion likes to stay in motion,” he said.

That “spark” could be a major El Nino event as witnessed in 2015.

This rippled through 2016 and 2017, ultimately delivering major precipitation for NZ. “But we are now in no-man’s land with El Nino and La Nina. We are in a country almost entirely covered with below average precipitation,” he said.

But we are now in no-man’s land, with El Nino and La Nina.

We are in a country almost entirely covered with below average precipitation.

Ben Noll NIWA

In his WeatherWatch outlook for May, chief executive and forecaster Philip Duncan has highlighted the continuing dominance of high pressure systems well into autumn, bringing little prospect of rain for dry east coast regions almost the length of the country.

Predictions at WeatherWatch are for Northern Southland, Otago, Canterbury, Marlborough, Nelson, and all the North Island east coast to receive only .2-15mm of rainfall for the first half of May, and only in isolated patches.

High pressure systems are forecast to continue to keep a tight grip on the ability of any rainmaking events to penetrate across NZ, either from the northeast or west.

“This pattern has become well established over the past two years and for some regions they are entering their third dry year, dominated by some unusually large and intense high pressure systems,” Duncan said.

He says summertime had experienced high pressure systems reaching 1040hPa, intensities more common over colder winter months and accompanied by still, frosty weather.

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“We are seeing a weather pattern that is similar to New South Wales for much of NZ’s east coast now, being consistently drier than average and warmer than average over the past two years,” he said.

Across the Tasman, New South Wales and Queensland farmers are scrambling to secure high-value livestock to meet grass growth boosted by regular rainfall events.

In the meantime, farmers in along much of the east coast in NZ are hesitant about their winter stock levels after low autumn growth, and breeding stock productivity is threatened by their second hard autumn.

MetService meteorologist Jake Cope confirmed the extent of the dry weather experienced along the east coast of both islands over the past two years.

Tauranga had averaged 400mm of rainfall a year above average in 2017 and 2018, only to now be over 1000mm behind in total for the past two-and-a-half years.

Similarly, Hawke’s Bay was 100mm a year above the average for 2017 and 2018, only to be to now be 550mm behind in total for the past two-and-a-half years.

MetService’s long-range

forecast over the coming two weeks reinforces WeatherWatch’s prediction of continuing dry weather over coming weeks.

Cope says the current high pressure system is set to remain until about May 10, with some northerly showers possible.

He says part of the reason for the extended dry period over the past two years along the east coast has been a positive SAM index, with most high pressure systems sitting higher across the upper South Island and North Island.

“Coming into this summer all eyes were on La Nina where it’s more common to see more low pressure through the Tasman and north-easterly patterns with rainfall,” Cope said.

“But we have not seen much out of this La Nina. The lows have been a bit higher up the country, the boundary has pretty much been the Kaipara Harbour.”

While Bay of Plenty and Gisborne would benefit from northerlies, dry Wairarapa and Hawke’s Bay could benefit from southerly showers, something a more negative SAM index could deliver if lows from the Tasman cross at the same time.

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News

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – May 10, 2021

7

Opportunity in emerging proteins Colin Williscroft colin.williscroft@globalhq.co.nz THE potential for New Zealand to add high-value emerging protein products to its list of international export success stories requires nationwide collaboration, according to a new report.

The report, Emerging Proteins in Aotearoa New Zealand: What will it take for the sector to thrive?, was prepared by FoodHQ and released as part of NZ AgriFood Week.

It was the culmination of a three-month project in late 2020 to gather insights and perspectives from more than 185 people across the emerging protein sector.

Recent surveys in NZ have indicated more than 30% of consumers are changing their eating patterns in response to health and environmental concerns.

In the US, the market value for plant protein was estimated at $US10.3 billion in 2020. There has been 68% growth during the past five years in US launches of products with a plant-based claim.

The report identifies significant and diverse activity throughout NZ, particularly with plant-based food development.

Report co-author Dr Abby Thompson says while all those operating in the sector are universally passionate about the potential to meet global demand

While our dairy products, meat, wine, apples and kiwifruit will underpin NZ’s food exports for many years to come, we must explore the opportunities to continue adding diversity to our food product offering in order to meet global demand.

GROWING: FoodHQ chief executive Abby Thompson says emerging proteins are an opportunity for diversification that could complement New Zealand’s traditional animalbased protein sectors.

for emerging proteins, there are significant challenges.

“These innovative – and brave – entrepreneurs often have a low profile and many are not yet working at a scale that enables their products to be easily accessible for the general public,” Thompson said.

The report recommends a suite of NZ-Inc initiatives to drive the sector ahead, faster. These include:

Dr Abby Thompson FoodHQ •Forming collaborative syndicates of companies working in similar areas to speed up business development and commercialisation; •Establishing a talent attraction package that brings the smartest international experts and entrepreneurs to NZ to accelerate capability and value creation; •Government funding for a collaborative, independent national network that brings industry, researchers, investors and government together.

Late last year FoodHQ

established Emerging Proteins NZ, a network open to all individuals and businesses involved in the alternative protein sector from growers and producers through to manufacturers, retailers and exporters.

Thompson says there is evidence of a marked increase in sales of plant-based foods since covid 19.

“US retail sales data released last month showed that grocery sales of plant-based foods that directly replace animal products have grown 27% in the past year to $US7b,” she said.

“That is twice the growth of overall food sales.”

She describes emerging proteins as a diversification opportunity that could complement NZ’s traditional animal-based protein sectors.

“NZ has a proud history of pioneering new technologies to produce food that the world wants,” she said.

“While our dairy products, meat, wine, apples and kiwifruit will underpin NZ’s food exports for many years to come, we must explore the opportunities to continue adding diversity to our food product offering in order to meet global demand.”

The report emphasises that diversification does not mean replacing all of NZ’s traditional agricultural systems and products.

It says traditional meat and dairy remain strong export sectors

for NZ and demand for these products is still growing rather than slowing.

However, it says there is an increasingly broad range of possibilities for future food production being developed by some of the world’s smartest thinkers.

“It doesn’t benefit our existing industry to deny the potential for serious disruption, nor is it necessary to abandon traditional proteins in order to take advantage of emerging ones,” she said.

“The sooner this becomes an ‘and/both’ discussion rather than an ‘either/or’, then the sooner we can work together to identify how NZ can best move forward.”

Although there is much interest and activity in emerging proteins within NZ, it is important to put this into an international context.

Many of the more advanced international economies we tend to compare ourselves with – the Netherlands, Singapore and Israel – are investing significantly more, moving much more rapidly and doing it at scale.

They have deep engagement between industry, government (especially regulators) and research providers, and ambitious targets for the role that emerging proteins will play in their future agri-food sectors.

The report warns that at the moment, NZ is being left behind by its peers within this increasingly competitive sector.

Assurance programme a big opportunity Annette Scott annette.scott@globalhq.co.nz A NEW national standard for wool will support increased differentiation and demand for New Zealand wool in the global marketplace.

The development of a unified NZ wool assurance standard has been established under the NZ Farm Assurance Programme (NZFAP), with 15 wool companies signing up to the programme.

The NZFAP provides assurances to customers and consumers about the integrity, traceability, biosecurity, food safety, environmental sustainability, and animal health and welfare of NZ’s primary sector products.

The 15 wool companies are joining the 17 red meat processors, one other wool company, a sheep milk company, Beef + Lamb NZ and Deer Industry NZ already in the programme.

The collaboration enables the wool industry members to adopt the NZFAP as a NZ National Standard for wool.

There are currently about 8000 NZFAP-certified sheep, beef and deer farmers, with about 6500 farming sheep.

Membership of the NZFAP means that all registered wool companies will immediately have access to farm-assured wool from these 6500 properties.

For farmers there is no change, as the wool standards are already included in the NZFAP audits.

NZ Farm Assurance Incorporated (NZFAI), which owns the NZFAP, and the National Council of NZ Wool Interests (NCNZWI) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding, which paved the way for membership.

NCNZWI chair Craig Smith hails it as a great opportunity for the wool industry to leverage off the NZFAP foundation.

He says the development of a unified NZ wool assurance standard will support increased differentiation and demand for NZ wool in the global marketplace.

“This provides the value-chain assurances we need around land management, origin, traceability, animal health and welfare, and gives us the ability to work with the red meat sector to make this happen,” Smith said.

We’re all telling the same origin and assurance story, which the wool exporters can now share with their discerning manufacturers and retail brand owners.

Nick Beeby NZFAI

“Initially we have 15 of the largest wool companies across key points in the supply chain signed up to the programme, with the expectation that more will follow.

“The wool sector has been underperforming in what has been a challenging consumer market, but this move creates a unique and compelling value proposition for NZ wool by leveraging on the provenance and world-leading practices that occur here.”

Smith acknowledged the NZFAI’s determination and effort to make this happen and for the initial funding contribution made by Strong Wool Action Group Ltd (SWAG) and the Ministry for Primary Industries’ Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures Fund (SFFF) that covers the establishment of the NZFAP programme for wool and the first year of farm audits.

NZFAI chair Nick Beeby says extending the NZFAP certification to wool companies galvanises the primary industry’s collaborative power into a single and robust NZ assurance story.

“We’re all telling the same origin and assurance story, which the wool exporters can now share with their discerning manufacturers and retail brand owners,” Beeby said.

“This initiative creates a single multi-sector assurance standard, eliminates duplication and further reduces cost, which have

OPPORTUNITY: NCNZWI chair Craig Smith says the wool sector has been underperforming in what has been a challenging consumer market, but this move creates a unique and compelling value proposition for NZ wool.

been NZFAI priorities from the beginning.”

The adoption of the NZFAP as a national standard for wool will also help to drive consistency in grower standards and provide a platform for the standardisation of NZ wool, which can command a price premium for the benefit of growers and accredited companies in the value chain.

Beeby says it represents an opportunity for greater penetration and recognition internationally, not only for the red meat sector but also for the NZ wool industry.

With its focus on helping to lift the NZ strong wool sector out of a prolonged period of low prices, SWAG chair Rob Hewett welcomes the wool quality assurance programme.

He says most sheep farmers are

familiar with the quality assurance programme for meat that has been running for many years.

“Adding wool to that programme is quite frankly a no-brainer,” Hewett said.

“We are very happy to support this addition to the NZFAP initiative, as well as the whole NZFAP programme in general, and look forward to seeing the programme advance into years two and three with support and financing from NCNZWI.” The NZFAP is a national farm assurance programme originally developed under the Red Meat Profit Partnership (RMPP), a joint Primary Growth Partnership initiative between the NZ red meat sector and the NZ Ministry for Primary Industries, but now owned and managed by NZFAI.

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News

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – May 10, 2021

Golden glow after Zespri licence round Richard Rennie richard.rennie@globalhq.co.nz INTENDING Zespri SunGold kiwifruit growers have proven they are prepared to stump up over half a million dollars a hectare to secure a licence to grow the highvalue fruit.

This year’s plant licencing tender round has brought record shattering prices across the SunGold and new red fruit portfolio, with the average tender price for SunGold making $550,000 a hectare.

This is streaks ahead of last year’s record setting $400,000/ ha value, with the 750ha of SunGold licence offered also oversubscribed by 2:1 on average across the organic and conventional areas on offer.

Zespri’s chief innovation and sustainability officer Carol Ward says growers were demonstrating a high level of confidence in the fruit, with tenders including about 200ha of vines to be grafted from Green to SunGold, and 400ha of new orchard plantings.

The nature of about 100ha of plantings is yet to be determined.

The 750ha of SunGold put up for tender included 50ha of SunGold Organic variety, and this was oversubscribed by almost three to one.

Even the red variety, still in its early stages of crop and market development has experienced a significant lift from last year’s $62,000 a hectare value. It tendered at an average of $75,000 a hectare for the 350ha on offer, up from 150ha last year.

Again, this offer was oversubscribed 2:1.

Zespri has acknowledged the challenges in developing red, with shelf life and size being an issue.

But Ward says early consumer feedback indicates the berry-like flavour is popular, and the taste profile is retained even as the fruit softens.

Zespri launched Red in China in late April with 20,000 cartons expected to be marketed there this year.

Ward says Zespri was not overly concerned about the loss of about 200ha of green crop grafting over to SunGold affecting the portfolio mix.

“We are continuing to see strong consumer demand for SunGold.

We are well aware SunGold is attractive for Green growers to change to. But a lot of green growers are also happy growing green fruit,” she said.

Areas tendered for include both smaller (less than 2ha) and larger new conversion areas, greater than 10ha.

Last estimates for orchard gate returns for this season are similar to last year’s with green guidance range of $6-$7.30 a tray and orchard gate returns of $75,000 a hectare. SunGold are estimated to be worth $10-$12.60 a tray and generate an average of about $170,000/ha.

The licence tender process has proved to be a windfall for Zespri’s bottom line and shareholders. This year’s licence income is estimated to be between $430 million and $435 million, compared to last year’s $305 million.

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EXPAND: Locals are angry NZ Carbon Farming has bought land adjacent to its existing Fairview carbon farm in North Otago to be planted as a carbon farm.

Carbon farm sale upsets Otago locals Neal Wallace neal.wallace@globalhq.co.nz LOCAL authorities say they cannot prevent the conversion of a 2600ha livestock farm in the headwaters of North Otago’s Kakanui River into a carbon farm.

Local farmers, environmentalists and political leaders are opposed to the proposal by New Zealand Carbon Farming (NZCF), with 120 attending a meeting in Oamaru last week, to air their concerns about the conversion of the property known as Hazeldean.

NZCF already own and operate Fairview, a property adjacent to Hazeldean, as a carbon farm, but locals say the new forest’s proximity at the head of the Kakanui River threatens its water yield and flow.

In addition to the economic and social impacts, the North Otago community also fears conversion to a carbon forest will destroy tussock grasslands and biodiversity.

Waitaki District Council Mayor Gary Kircher says the conversion is a permitted activity and his council is powerless to influence the project other than earth moving or clearing of indigenous vegetation that exceeds a certain area.

He says rural and provincial communities are paying the environmental and social cost of greenhouse gas emitters offsetting their emissions.

“The irony is that something being planted on the basis that it is for the environment is going to potentially be quite detrimental to the environment and the social health of our community,” Gircher said.

Otago Regional Council manager of strategy, policy and science Gwyneth Elsum says the council’s regional plan does

not require consent for land-use change to carbon farming, but that could change.

“Our Regional Plan: Water was amended in 2018 to ensure alignment with the National Environment Standards for Plantation Forestry (NES-PF), however, carbon farms where there is no commercial activity and harvesting, would not be expected to meet the definition of land-use that is governed by the NES-PF.” She says the council’s partially operative regional policy statement, due to be notified in June, will restrict the extension of forestry in water short catchments.

Planting at Hazeldean starts this month and new controls will be too late.

Local farmer Jane Smith says the Government’s billion trees policy provides a free pass for carbon farmers at a time when new rules restrict what other landowners can do.

Smith says a fire broke out in the Fairview block last year and she says local district and regional council politicians were shocked at the unkept state of forest when they visited recently.

There were no fire breaks and no apparent weed and pest control, she says.

Retired North Otago farmer Bruce McNab disputes claims by NZCF that it actively manages its exotic forests to encourage the regeneration of native forests.

McNab, a former farm forester, says that is not possible given the land is sprayed with a strong herbicide before planting and the densely planted pinus radiata crowds out any regrowth.

Department of Conservation senior ranger of community Craig Wilson says the Kakanui River and its riparian areas provide habitat to several threatened or at risk fish species, including the lowland long jaw galaxias, which is classified

as ‘Threatened – Nationally Critical’.

Wilson says exotic forestry can reduce water yields, which will impact the river habitat, and the planting of radiata pine or Douglas fir may also introduce wilding pines into the catchment.

Despite the potential adverse effects, Wilson says NZCF has a constructive relationship with the Waitaki District Council which provides legislative controls.

Farmers Weekly sought an interview with NZCF and supplied a series of questions based on the concerns raised by locals.

NZCF replied with a statement which did not answer those questions.

The company states that it is a significant contributor to NZ’s climate goals and over the past decade its trees have sequestered more than 20 million tonnes of carbon dioxide.

“Our trees are never harvested,” they said.

“Instead, they are actively managed to return, over time, to a 100% indigenous and biodiverse conservation estate – providing a rich habitat for Aotearoa’s unique native flora and fauna.”

This is done using a “sciencebacked approach of using appropriate exotic species to create a protective nurse crop for native trees,” while also capturing carbon.

More than 95% of the company’s 66.7 million trees under management are planted on marginal land, grade 6 and above, “often in steep and erosion prone areas.”

“We also carefully manage all of our forests, employing local people to work year-round on tree and estate management, pest control and enhanced native tree growth.”

News

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – May 10, 2021

Ag training provider expands

COMING SOON: Ag Technology Group managing director Andre Syben says he expects the new indoor assessment course for motorbike, ATV and side-by-side drivers to be completed in May.

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ONGOING demand for skilled farm workers has seen the Ag Technology Group expand beyond giving practical training for tractor driving.

The Cambridge-based business is now offering two-day ATV, two-wheel and side-by-side vehicle courses alongside their existing tractor training programme through its company Ag Drive.

The programme continues to attract people looking for a career change either through loss of employment because of covid, through MSD referrals or because they want to work in agriculture.

The group is made up of several businesses, including agricultural contracting. It established the training last year after it became clear there would be a farm machinery worker shortage in New Zealand because of covid-19-induced international border closures.

Last month, Ag Drive signed a contract with education provider Primary ITO. This meant Primary ITO will send its students to Ag Drive as completion of the courses counted as unit standards for the students’ qualification.

Ag Drive managing director Andre Syben says the farming industry will continue to need staff because it is highly unlikely borders will be reopened and foreign workers will be allowed back in.

“We need to make sure that people in the primary industries are well trained and that they continue their training. We’re going to have to look after the people we have got and upskill them,” Syben said.

“A lot has been happening. We’ve trained 150 people since we started since our tractor driving course and about half have been placed in employment.”

Last month, the company won two awards at the Waipa Network Business Awards – the Excellence in New/Emerging Business award and the Innovation and Adaptation award.

“I’m pretty proud of what we’ve won. The business awards are judged by Waikato University Business School and the comments from the judges, that meant more to me than winning the award itself,” he said.

Syben says the success of the training courses surprised him.

“I didn’t think this was going to be a long-term proposition. We did it to keep our existing staff employed because they couldn’t travel. There’s strong demand there for training,” he said.

The company is close to completing an indoor assessment course for motorbikes, side-by-side vehicles and ATVs. The course, in a converted warehouse, will have common hazards a driver could face such as a cattlestop, a bank near a waterway, angled slopes and different surfaces such as sand, riverstone and gravel.

“These people coming in from Primary ITO are not new to motorbikes. It’s to assess their capability and do the required unit standards,” he said These new courses are due to start on May 20.

The 10-day tractor driving course is continuing, with the entire course, including classwork, driver simulation and field instruction conducted at its Matangi base.

An additional five-day tractor training course has been added for Primary ITO students, which will count for their unit standards. This course will begin on May 10.

He believes there are other training options he could still explore around other farm skills, such as fencing once the current expansion is complete.

9

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News

10 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – May 10, 2021

Strong Wool Action Group looks to future Annette Scott annette.scott@globalhq.co.nz THE Government has awarded the Strong Wool Action Group (SWAG) $2.8 million in support of its work to establish initiatives that will lift the industry out of the doldrums.

The funding, from the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) Sustainable Foods and Fibres Fund (SFFF), along with $750,000 contributed by industry, will propel SWAG to deliver its vision as the catalyst for change in the sector, group chief executive Andy Caughey says.

“It demonstrates industry and government support in the work we are doing, resulting in a total of $3.5m to invest in the future of a strong wool sector for New Zealand,” Caughey said.

Independent investment analyst and corporate finance practitioner Michael O’Connor has been appointed to the group to advise on commercialisation strategies to support businesses to accelerate ambitions in strong wool products and markets.

O’Connor has a broad knowledge from agribusiness to luxury goods and in building robust cases for investment.

In the meantime, San Franciscobased design thinking company IDEO has completed its research, providing compelling reasons to invest in the US market and revealing consumer insights that surfaced because of the pandemic.

Caughey says it is critically important to get the roll-out of the IDEO report “dead right”.

“This is an integral part of the work to the overall strategy of SWAG, and we are very conscious of who, and how, we target our approach,” he said.

“We want to engage with industry, but execute strategy in

the best way possible to ensure we are successful in establishing enduring industry structures for the future.”

IDEO was briefed to produce business cases that have global potential and able to shift volumes of strong wool and importantly, increase returns to growers.

The net result from IDEO’s research is a growing desire to invest in sustainable materials to create a warm, safe and functional environment.

“This is a ripe opportunity for repositioning our strong wool industry,” he said.

“Using consumer and market insights, IDEO has created some novel business cases with supporting pitch decks, to help inform organisations that can and want to go direct to consumers.”

While we know our industry is practicing high standards, we are intent on becoming a consumer-led and demand-driven industry, and these initiatives will give consumers the confidence to buy our products.

Andy Caughey SWAG Next month SWAG will share the research findings in greater detail and outline the process it will follow to connect these business opportunities with organisations that could execute them well.

“It is critical we get this right,” he said.

NEXT STEPS: SWAG chief executive Andy Caughey says it is critically important to get the roll-out of the IDEO report dead right.

SWAG is also planning support to accelerate growth for existing wool industry players through the commercial experience embedded in the group together with business case modelling and advisory assistance to secure development investment funds to help grow business that could scale globally.

Caughey says initiatives to develop capabilities that ensure the industry is ready for new opportunities, such as those outlined by IDEO, remains the focus.

“Conversations have been focused on the need for training and accreditation, research and development, data collection and reporting, so NZ suppliers are able to present their fibre and products to the market in response to consumer demand,” he said.

An example of this is the need for sustainable brands that offer traceability back to the source that maintain high animal welfare standards and careful land management.

“While we know our industry is practicing high standards, we are intent on becoming a consumerled and demand-driven industry, and these initiatives will give consumers the confidence to buy our products,” he said.

In a bid to develop an industry talent pipeline, SWAG is communicating with local universities to re-establish a new and dedicated wool industry course that will cover topics from growing and selecting wool to understanding global markets.

The plan is to look to the private sector for the seed funding of this new wool course.

Caughey says to date SWAG has been developing strategy and building knowledge and understanding of the issues facing the wool industry.

“As this work progresses, we can start thinking about potential industry structures that will continue SWAG’s work in the future,” he said.

The Wool Research Organisation of NZ (WRONZ) is collaborating with SWAG on a new framework to deliver highly innovative products to the market.

WRONZ is bringing its worldleading R&D around new and novel uses for wool, which will be supported by SWAG’s commercial and marketing expertise.

A joint announcement is expected on this collaboration in the coming weeks.

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News

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – May 10, 2021

11

Sector wary of immigration review Richard Rennie richard.rennie@globalhq.co.nz PRIMARY sector leaders are hoping they will not be shortchanged for staffing options once the Productivity Commission reviews the Government’s longterm immigration settings in coming months.

Headed by new chair Dr Ganesh Nana, the commission has been tasked with capitalising on the pause in immigration inflicted by the pandemic to review the industries, regions, firms and skillsets most reliant and affected by immigration.

The review comes after an earlier commission report released late last year called for a setting revisit.

But Federated Farmers immigration spokesperson Chris Lewis says he is concerned Immigration Minister Chris Faafoi was hinting at the primary sector when he spoke about a review that would better understand the economic and other impacts of New Zealand’s immigration system.

NZ needs to get its head out of the immigration sand and open our borders up to the workers we need, and we need to do this really soon.

Mike Chapman HortNZ Concerns exist in government over reliance on migrant staff putting downward pressure on wages and large increases in net migration still not addressing skills shortages in some industries.

Lewis maintains NZ’s agricultural evolution has been based on successive waves of migrant workers, most recently including the likes of Filipino workers in the dairy sector.

“And in the last three months

BOOSTED: Dairy farmers have taken big steps to improve the appeal of farm work in recent years, Federated Farmers immigration spokesperson Chris Lewis says. there has been a lot of upward pressure on wages. Farmers are spending more on staff including housing, pay and conditions,” Lewis said.

His claim is supported by last year’s Federated FarmersRabobank remuneration report that showed dairy farm workers had received on average a pay rise of 9.7% over the year, putting them on a mean salary of $57,125, and dry-stock staff on an average of $57,125, up 7.6%.

This compared to the national average salary based on a 40-hour week of $53,040, up 4.3% last year.

“And there is still a shortage across the board of staff,” he said.

“Typically, a few years ago Farmsource might have had 300-400 adverts for staff on it. It now has 1100 consistently. And

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farmers have upped their game in terms of their pay and quality of job they are offering.”

The skilled migrant visa category is also up for a separate review.

Lewis says the hardest area to source staff from locally was lower-level farm assistants who were reliable and hard working.

“The various sectors have done what they can to encourage more New Zealanders to work on farms, including training and recruitment initiatives and increases in wages, but some roles and regions remain critically short on suitable staff,” he said.

“We just encourage the Government to work with the right people before they go and announce any changes from such a review.”

The horticultural sector is also looking warily at the review process as it grapples with record-breaking crops in a tight labour market, also constrained by limited Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) staff.

Faafoi has maintained the review is not targeting the RSE scheme. He told Radio NZ the Government remains committed to the programme.

HortNZ chief executive Mike Chapman says it is reassuring that the Government remains committed to the RSE scheme, but the organisation would be resubmitting to the commission about how critical the scheme is.

“I am not so sure the commission is as understanding of the dynamics of harvest and how important the scheme is,”

Chapman said.

He referred to the earlier commission report that attempted to identify “frontier firms” that receive priority in immigration settings.

“But instead of investing in mythical and untested ‘frontier firms’, NZ needs to be investing in what works today,” he said.

“In health and education NZ, like many countries, is desperately short of skilled workers and that is where our focus should be, on attracting nurses, doctors, teachers and the skilled workers required for the primary sector, as well as seasonal workers.

“NZ needs to get its head out of the immigration sand and open our borders up to the workers we need, and we need to do this really soon.”

News

12 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – May 10, 2021

Changing landscape may hit bull sales Hugh Stringleman hugh.stringleman@globalhq.co.nz THE 2021 bull sale season begins in May with breeders and vendors expecting good demand and prices that reward their efforts on genetics, selection and farm management.

But that expectation is getting harder to achieve, rural servicing company agents say.

Sale catalogues are getting longer, more bulls offered and the number of commercial beef and dairy cattle farms is shrinking because of land-use changes.

“The steady reduction of cow numbers makes bull selling very competitive,” PGG Wrightson national genetics manager Callum Stewart said.

“Good quality bulls will sell, but we may see prices in the top flight, $15,000 to $20,000, come back a bit.”

PGG Wrightson’s northern North Island auctioneer Cam Heggie says the change in landuse was a major factor in demand for bulls and there was not a region of the country untouched by that dynamic.

Stewart and Heggie said that growing conditions over spring and summer have been good for most regions and where feed shortages were pinching now, the vendors would make sure bulls presented in good order.

Canterbury-based Carrfields stud stock agent Callum Dunnett agreed that sale bulls were in good order and because weaner calves sold well this year, he

expected demand for bulls would be strong.

“Sheep are positive too and they say that good lamb income sells bulls,” Dunnett said.

After dairy herd clearances and service bull auctions, the beef bull season would kick off with a bull walk at the end of May. NZ Farmers Livestock is the agency for the large BullsEye service bull sale at Huntly on May 10 and general manager Bill Sweeney says there would be a limited number of autumncalving dairy farmers wanting sires at this time.

Online listing on MyLivestock. co.nz would help reach that autumn bull demand throughout the country.

BullsEye vendors David and Fiona MacKenzie put up 230 bulls in total, mixing two-year and three-year Herefords and Angus.

Bulls bought can be held on the vendor’s farm until late May or late June with notice.

“That delayed delivery option really helps those farms mating cows in June, because they don’t want bulls around heifers and cows too early,” Sweeney said.

Good quality bulls will sell, but we may see prices in the top flight, $15,000 to $20,000, come back a bit.

Callum Stewart PGW

RECORD BOOKS: Turiroa 18P224 sold last year for $102,000, believed to be an on-farm bull sale record price.

He expected that the big BullsEye autumn offering would set the market tone for service bulls right through the selling season.

Top dairy genetics were in demand at the Autumn Harvest Sale in Cambridge in late April, when the top price of $12,500 was paid for a four-year-old Ayrshire cow.

Kiteroa Cream Burdette was bought by the Baxter family from Tirau and sold by the Kite family of Ohaupo, marketed by Dean Malcolm of Bluechip Marketing, the sale organiser.

Nadine Tunley to take top hort role NADINE Tunley is Horticulture New Zealand’s new chief executive.

“We are very pleased to have been able to appoint a candidate of Nadine’s calibre, with her level of horticulture and wider food and fibre sector experience. This was after an extensive recruitment process,” HortNZ president Barry O’Neil said.

“Nadine will lead HortNZ into new territory, as horticulture adapts to covid-19 and the operation of industry changes.

Over the next decade, climate adaption, freshwater quality improvements, and increased use of technology and automation will result in significant change to the way fruit and vegetables are grown in New Zealand.”

Tunley says she is really looking forward to starting in the role.

“I have always had a very strong connection with the food and fibre sector, having grown up in rural NZ,” Tunley said.

“Our primary industries are in yet another period of change and challenge, be it covid, climate, labour, environmental, or logistics-related. All of these factors are having a significant impact on the way we grow and

farm, and our social licence to operate.

“I am really delighted to be able to assist NZ’s strong and vibrant horticultural sector to forge through this next period of change.

“My role will be to facilitate and advocate on growers’ behalf for policies and regulatory frameworks that will not only enable better outcomes but in doing so, keep all the horticulture industry at the forefront of continued success.”

Tunley says she is also looking forward to having the opportunity to work collaboratively with the industry bodies, product groups and district associations that make up the horticulture sector.

“I have worked well with these teams before. There are some incredibly talented and capable people in our sector, and I can’t wait for us to work together again,” she said.

Tunley starts on June 14.

Mike Chapman will stay at HortNZ until June 25 to assist with the handover.

“Mike has led HortNZ and the horticulture industry through some very challenging times,” O’Neil said.

“Over the past five years, Mike

Second top price was $12,000 paid for a Jersey two-year-old cow, Fynreath Joel Dutchess, purchased by Frank and Diane Borba of the United States.

The sale had 60 lots consisting of cows, heifers, embryo and semen packages from five dairy cattle breeds and the overall sale average was $6013.

The averages by breed were Holstein $6338, Jersey $5571, Ayrshire $6062, Brown Swiss $4312, and Milking Shorthorn $4500.

The 2020 beef bull season saw top prices of $104,000 for

Turiroa Angus and $92,000 for Cricklewood Angus, excellent averages of $12,839 (59 sold) for Kaharau Angus and $12,560 (50) for Turiroa.

Herefords topped out at $42,000 for Matariki at Kaikoura followed by $40,000 for Maungahina at Masterton, which also had the best breed average of $10,907 (27).

Silverstream Charolais had a top price of $35,000 and an average of $9519 (52).

Simmentals reached $18,000 for Kerrah at Wairoa and the average was $7613 (80).

Meat collaboration benefits the industry Hugh Stringleman hugh.stringleman@globalhq.co.nz

EXCITED: New HortNZ chief executive Nadine Tunley says her role will be to facilitate and advocate on growers’ behalf for policies and regulatory frameworks that will keep all the horticulture industry at the forefront of continued success. has led the advocacy that has enabled tremendous growth in the industry, at the same time as it has started to change in response to new environmental and customer requirements.

“Mike’s leadership of the horticulture industry through covid was outstanding. He brought the industry and government together to immediately find practical solutions to the challenges that covid posed. This ensured that growers, packhouses and the rest of the industry could continue to operate and get food on New Zealanders’ tables, as well as to export.”

RESILIENCE and collaboration within the red meat industry underpinned the response to covid-19 and managing drought issues across much of the country, according to the latest Red Meat Report.

It is the second in a series by Beef + Lamb New Zealand and the Meat Industry Association, after the first was published last August.

Respective chief executives Sam McIvor and Sirma Karapeeva said collaboration had never been stronger and the recently renewed sector strategy was a strong platform to maximise the contribution to the New Zealand economy.

The report contains sections on the Red Meat Profit Partnership, Mycoplasma bovis, global trade worth $9.2 billion in 2020, free-trade agreements, the Taste Pure Nature origin brand, industry efforts in the environment, innovation and research and the 90,000-strong workforce.

Policy reforms in the environment and sustainability

needed a breathing space, to allow implementation of new rules and support for the great work farmers are doing, they said.

Collaboration on climate change across the agricultural sector had convinced the Government not to bring agriculture into the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS).

Neither was a tax applied at processor level and the Government was persuaded to rethink the winter grazing reforms.

The meat organisations are working together to update the social licence strategy, communicate better with members of the public and continue to grow their trust.

“We have a great natural product the world wants,” McIvor and Karapeeva said.

“We have farmers, processors and exporters who have shown they are world class in successfully responding to change.”

More MIA/Publications/Meat Report May 2021

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News

14 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – May 10, 2021

Consumers moving sustainability dial More with less

Neal Wallace neal.wallace@globalhq.co.nz THERE appears to be little consumer appetite for buying carbon-neutral red meat, but a researcher says that could change and New Zealand must be ready to respond.

This is the conclusion of research by Kellogg’s scholar Siobhan O’Malley, who in 2018 monitored social media to assess consumer interest in buying verified carbon-neutral red meat.

She found consumers were interested in products claiming carbon neutrality alongside attributes such as being grassfed, free of genetic engineering, antibiotics and growth hormones.

“Luckily, these are relatively easy to achieve in a NZ farming production system, but would need to be carefully marketed in order to maximise the premium price achievable,” O’Malley said.

It was a similar result domestically, with some traction on social media for carbon neutral meat.

The trend was confirmed from a study of international literature, including one from Beef + Lamb NZ, which assessed the merits of creating and marketing a carbon neutral red meat.

“This research highlighted that while a segment of consumers are interested in buying carbonneutral or low-carbon food, they may not be interested enough

to spend more to buy it, and also that on its own, the carbonneutral attribute does not meet enough consumer needs to be an attractive offering and needs to be combined with other attributes that consumers are demanding.”

Exporters would need to create a clear, easily understood label and clarify what carbon neutral status meant, she concluded.

While these findings were applicable three years ago when she did her study, O’Malley stressed consumer reaction could change and recommended further market testing to gauge when consumers are ready to buy carbon neutral products.

“NZ needs to make sure that our companies are adopting internationally recognised standards for determining carbon neutrality,” she said.

“As this awareness matures, it could quickly affect our access to overseas markets.”

Climate Change Minister James Shaw described the marketing of premium-price earning carbonneutral NZ products to global consumers as the “holy grail”.

But O’Malley says her research shows little interest for

carbon-neutral food, and some concerning views of red meat.

“Consumers were more likely to link red meat to climate change in a negative association, than to be seeking out products that could be carbon-neutral,” she said.

Consumers’ views were enhanced by information on social media accessed through smartphones to test or verify product claims.

“Social media gives greater voice to consumers, producers and special interest groups,” she said.

O’Malley says following the introduction of the Climate Change Act (2008) in the United Kingdom, the term carbon neutrality was defined.

In NZ, Enviro-Mark Solutions, wholly owned by Landcare Research, have developed the carboNZero verification and logo which can be used by clients, such as on Yealands wine.

Suppliers are audited at least once a year by an external verifier and even though an entity may have met the carboNZero standard the year before, they are required to show they are continuously reducing their footprint, such as reducing petrol and diesel use, switching to more solar power or planting forest.

In addition to the external carboNZero audit, farmer suppliers have criteria they must meet, such as grass-fed or restrictions on use of particular

NOT YET: Siobhan O’Malley says there’s little interest for carbon-neutral food, and some concerning views of red meat.

sprays, for which they can receive a premium payment.

“This premium is important as the brand is asking for more than the ordinary amount of mandated recording and information, and that it be supplied in a timely manner,” she said.

Synlait’s Lead With Pride programme is an example, encompassing environmental practice, social aspects and quality product.

“Lead With Pride qualifying suppliers are paid a premium on their milk price for maintaining their adherence to a particular standard, set in consultation with Synlait’s customers,” she said.

This research highlighted that while a segment of consumers are interested in buying carbon-neutral or lowcarbon food, they may not be interested enough to spend more to buy it.

Siobhan O’Malley Farmer

Commercial bull work moves at pace More with less

Richard Rennie richard.rennie@globalhq.co.nz

In ADDITION to the prospect of methane inhibiting feed additives and the distant promise of an anti-methane vaccine, breeding is also likely to be a contributor in delivering lower methaneemitting dairy Tuesday 11/05/2021 – Wednesday 12/05/2021 cows.

The Boma NZ Agri Summit A joint research The must-attend agri event of the year, designed project between to transform the future of our food and fibre artificial breeding companies sectors. Two days of future-focused international LIC and CRV and national speakers, workshops, networking

Agrievents

and more.

Time: 9am to 5pm Venue: Christchurch Town Hall 86 Kilmore St, Christchurch Central City, Christchurch More: ChristchurchNZ.com

Should your event be listed here?

Phone 0800 85 25 80 or email adcopy@globalhq.co.nz

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Wednesday 16/06/2021 – Saturday 19/06/2021 National Agricultural Fieldays 2021 Time: Gates open daily Wednesday to Friday 8am to 5pm and Saturday 8am to 4pm.

Tickets on sale now.

For the latest information regarding COVID-19 and our event please see our venue site https:// mysterycreek.co.nz/covid-19/

RESEARCH: LIC research assistant Gemma Worth, left, and LIC senior scientist Lorna McNaughton are working on a project to identify sires carrying genetic traits that may contribute to lower-methane herds in years to come.

Ambreed is working to identify sires carrying genetic traits that may contribute to lower-methane herds in years to come. The trial is funded by the New Zealand Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research Centre (NZAGRC).

“Genetic selection is permanent and cumulative, but it doesn’t happen overnight. This is a long-term project but it has the potential to deliver real benefits to farmers in the future by providing another tool to reduce their farm emissions,” LIC senior scientist Lorna McNaughton said.

The common practice of artificial insemination in the dairy industry means that genetics can be quickly disseminated, with LIC

and CRV bulls siring around 90% of NZ’s dairy herd.

Most economically important dairy traits can only be measured on females, for example, milk production. But methane is a trait that can be measured on the bull itself.

Measurements can be made on young bulls, so methane production can be considered before any semen is collected and used across herds via artificial breeding.

Initial results from the pilot trial, which uses a hooded gas capturing device known as a Greenfeed to measure methane from the bulls’ burps, have been positive.

The next step in the project is a full trial, which will measure methane emissions from 300 yearling bulls from both companies’ progeny testing schemes.

“Offspring from the bulls that are being tested this year will be born next year and be lactating in 2024. We can test those daughters for their high/low methane status to make sure it’s representative of their father’s status,” she said.

“The overall aim of the project is to create a methane breeding value and apply this across all of our artificial breeding bulls, allowing farmers to select bulls who will produce low methaneemitting cows.”

News

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – May 10, 2021

15

Govt to work through differences with China THE tension between New Zealand and China on human rights and other issues of principles “need not derail” relations between the two countries but “there can be no guarantees”, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says.

Speaking to the seventh annual China Business Summit in Auckland, with the Chinese ambassador to NZ Wu Xi in the audience, Ardern delivered a clear message of expectation about China’s behaviour as an emerging, significant world power.

“As China’s role in the world grows and changes, the differences between our systems – and the interests and values that shape those systems – are becoming harder to reconcile,” Ardern said.

“This is a challenge that we, and many other countries across the Indo Pacific region, but also in Europe and other regions, are also grappling with.”

In an apparent nod to China’s trade retaliation against recent Australian criticisms of Beijing, Ardern said “the way that China treats its partners is important for us”.

The Prime Minister’s China Summit comes a fortnight after Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta gave the most comprehensive outline of the way the Government’s approach to China is shifting as the country’s largest trading partner becomes more authoritarian.

Both Ardern and Trade Minister Damien O’Connor trod a careful line, welcoming the potential for travel between China and NZ reopening at some time over the next year, but also stressing the

need not to become overly reliant on a single trading partner.

“As minister Mahuta observed in her speech to the NZ China Council, different perspectives can underpin cultural exchange and learning,” Ardern said.

“But some differences challenge NZ’s interests and values.”

Accordingly, she added a caveat to the way the relationship would develop, saying “managing the relationship is not always going to be easy and there can be no guarantees”.

“Given our two countries’ different histories, worldviews and political and legal systems, NZ and China are going to take different perspectives on some important issues,” she said.

“We will continue to work through these in a consistent manner, as we have always done.

“But as minister Mahuta said last month, we need to acknowledge that there are some things on which China and NZ do not, cannot, and will not agree – this need not derail our relationship, it is simply a reality.”

The Prime Minister did not specifically mention the use of the Five Eyes global intelligence network as a platform for sending joint messages to China but stressed that a variety of forums were available and would be used.

She reiterated “grave concerns” about human rights abuses in Xinjiang and “continued negative developments with regard to the rights, freedoms and autonomy of the people of Hong Kong”.

That drew a formal rebuke from ambassador Wu, who used her speech to say these were internal Chinese matters that should not be interfered with “to maintain

sound development of our bilateral relations”.

Wu says claims of forced labour and genocide in Xinjiang were “lies and rumours” spread by those seeking to stunt China’s progress.

She warned that politicising issues and attempting to “impose ideologies on others will only poison international cooperation and may push to confrontation”, which would “lead us nowhere”.

Ardern says NZ would continue to choose whether to speak privately or publicly on issues consistent with the country’s culture as an “an open, pluralistic, democracy, with a focus on transparency and the rule of law”.

“We have shown this quite clearly over the past year by deliberately choosing when we make public statements on issues of concern, and with whom,” Ardern said.

She says areas of difference “need not define a relationship”.

“But equally, they are part and parcel of NZ staying true to who we are as a nation,” she said.

“We hope that China too sees it in its own core interests to act in the world in ways that are consistent with its responsibilities as a growing power, including as a permanent member of the UN Security Council.”

Former prime minister John Key says issues such as Hong Kong, Xinjiang, Tibet and the future of Taiwan were “not new”, would exist in the future and that NZ had for many years agreed to a ‘one China’ policy.

He says tens of thousands of NZ jobs and thousands of NZ businesses depended on the China trading relationship.

BALANCE: Speaking at the China Summit, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern trod a careful line, welcoming the potential for travel between China and NZ reopening at some time over the next year, but also stressing the need not to become overly reliant on a single trading partner.

“I would not throw that away because some people around the world are taking a slightly different perspective,” Key said.

Helen Clark, the Labour prime minister who initiated the China free trade agreement, told the summit the claim that NZ was abandoning old allies for the sake of the China trade was a “slur that should be renounced”.

She strongly criticised the way the Five Eyes alliance had gone from being a secret, intelligencegathering arrangement when she was prime minister to a diplomatic tool.

“It is a huge leap to go from that

(secrecy) to coordination of policy across the Five Eyes,” she said, and it represented a threat to NZ’s sovereignty and independence.

Likening the deteriorating relationship between the US and China to being “not unlike a new Cold War”, Clark says that was unlikely to improve much under the new US president Joe Biden, and urged NZ to stay out of the “jousting and jostling”.

NZ’s traditional allies were “very important” and the relationship with China was “huge, strategic and very valuable, in which we must keep space to voice areas of difference.”

Dairy industry urged to maintain momentum Gerald Piddock gerald.piddock@globalhq.co.nz CLIMATE Change Minister James Shaw has challenged dairy farmers to continue their progress towards creating a more sustainable future at the DairyNZ’s Farmers Forum in Hamilton.

Shaw opened the forum and acknowledged the sector’s economic contribution and its progress in attempting to lower its emissions profile.

“We know that New Zealand’s dairy farmers have amongst the lowest carbon footprint per unit of production in the world,” Shaw said.

“That is something for us to build on, to bend the curve on our

We know from history we are incredibly innovative and productive.

James Shaw Climate Change Minister

total emissions output, because it is our total emissions that cause climate change.”

Shaw says developments within the sector are changing the way things are being done on the farm.

“These are making significant impacts for the farmers adopting them, reducing their emissions, while at the same time increasing their profitability. Our task now is to roll out these innovations and changes in farm practice right across the country,” he said.

“There is a lot of work to be done, but if we get it right, there will be a cleaner and more productive country.

“We know that per unit of production, we’re doing really well.

We also know that we are getting productivity gains that are historic within NZ, but also that other countries around the world are making a move on as well.”

Between 2010 and 2017, per unit of production gains had fallen from 0.88kg-0.75 of CO2/kg of product.

“That’s a gain of 12-15%. That’s pretty significant to have done that in only seven years,” he said.

Shaw says that it was a myth that this was as good as it gets in terms of gains for the dairy sector.

“We know from history we are incredibly innovative and productive,” he said.

In the past few years, the sector had shown its commitment by reducing emissions through climate change ambassadors and He Waka Eke Noa. The bad news was that while emissions per unit of production had fallen, sector expansion meant it still had a high emissions profile.

Despite that, Shaw believed the industry’s per unit of production fall showed the industry was on the right path to change that profile.

Shaw says he wants to focus on the contribution the sector can make to the world beyond just exporting food.

“Because New Zealanders are leaders in high productivity, low emissions per unit agriculture, there is a role we can continue to play and should play in assisting the world to produce more food than it already does to feed a growing population in a way that

is economic and helps reduce emissions,” he said.

He Waka Eke Noa also allowed farmers to come up with a tailored solution to reducing emissions at an individual farm level.

“We want to put power in the hands of farmers, as much as possible,” he said.

“It’s not easy and if we do it, we will be the first country in the world to do that.”

If NZ managed to get He Waka Eke Noa right, it will be something the sector can be proud of.

He says the concept could also be exported to other countries to help them lower their emissions.

“All of those things create a virtuous circle where what is good for us and what is good for the planet also happens to be good for the rest of the world as well,” he said.

CONSISTENCY: Climate Change Minister James Shaw says the dairy industry needs to build on its progress around reducing its emissions.

News

16 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – May 10, 2021

There is always a way through When Mycoplasma bovis hit Geoff Spark’s dairy farm a few years back, it had a huge impact on his life and livelihood. But it also taught him how to cope in a crisis.

TEAMWORK: Dairy farmer Geoff Spark says working as a team and sharing the stress was key to managing an M bovis outbreak on his farm.

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TOGETHER with his sharemilkers Theo and Martin Sneek and their staff, Geoff Spark runs a 460ha dairy operation near Oxford. He’s a thirdgeneration farmer and grew up on the family farm in Rangiora, which the family’s still farming after 55 years.

“Farming is just something I love.

I love the challenge of it, and I love the way it’s a real family lifestyle. It’s just a great way to be working,” Spark said.

But two years ago, disaster struck.

Spark’s sharemilkers discovered they had bought some stock infected with M bovis. Long story short, as part of the biosecurity response they had to cull 2300 animals and then rebuild the herd from scratch, worrying about cashflow along the way; by mid-2020, more than 250 properties had been affected and 160,000 animals culled. That harrowing experience taught him a lot about himself and the value of teamwork.

“That was certainly the biggest challenge we’ve faced in farming, but our mindset from the outset was that as negative as the whole thing was, let’s try and stay as positive as we can. Let’s work as a team to find a solution. So, we didn’t hide from the problem, we embraced it and went along to every meeting and were part of every discussion,” he said.

“One of the proudest things for me as a farmer is that having gone through all that, we are still together with our sharemilkers. We found a way through as a team.

“We also tried to remove the emotion from our decision-making and just focus on the business. After all, losing any animal is a very tough thing.

I would’ve hated to go through that on my own, so sharing the load was a huge help.

Geoff Spark Farmer

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“I would’ve hated to go through that on my own, so sharing the load was a huge help.” Spark says he and his sharemilkers were able to share the stress and decisions, and talk them through as a group.

“That kept us strong. There was real pressure, but we pulled it back on track as a team,” he said.

“It taught me that there is always a way through tough situations.

It might involve a compromise, it might not be perfect, but there’s always a way through.”

These days Spark is back to managing the usual challenges of farming.

“You’ve got day-to-day stuff like the weather and also keeping your team motivated and focused on producing quality product day after day and consistently maintaining those standards,” he said.

He’s decided the key to running a profitable, sustainable business is focusing on the people who work in it, not just the pasture and the stock.

“We all work well as a team. I work closely with my sharemilkers each day. And they have daily meetings with their staff. We also have regular get-togethers as a whole business to socialise. At the end of a season we’ll celebrate what we’ve achieved as a group,” he said.

How has he created such an effective team?

Spark says it’s about valuing people and providing a calm, friendly, approachable work environment.

“That’s why we make time to chat with staff regularly and just ask them that question – ‘how’s everything going for you?’ It’s about taking that time to catch up with people, whether it’s your team or your neighbours. And it doesn’t take much, does it? A few minutes here or there,” he said.

“Sometimes I think we underestimate just how valuable it is to that person showing that we care and want to have a yarn to see how they’re doing. It is important to take the lead and keep those connections going.”

Spark believes attitudes towards managing staff are changing in the industry.

“I think most people realise nowadays that people are critical to the success of your business, and if you have good people around you, then do your best to look after them,” he said.

“I definitely think there’s been a shift. I’ve certainly learnt that if you give the people in your business a chance to enjoy their work and grow, then they are much more likely to stay with you and then you can both grow together.”

Spark tries to lead by example.

To recharge during his downtime, he likes to get out on his bike a few times a week with mates and keep fit.

“During summer we have a local Oxford farmers group so we can get together and go for a ride and have a yarn on a Monday night. That’s something that keeps me going,” he said.

“Also, my family, that’s probably my biggest motivation and influence on my wellbeing, just being involved in their lives and supporting them.

I make sure I keep that balance.

Yes, the farm’s important and the business is important, but our business’ values are that family is number one. That’s always my priority. That’s why I’m a firm believer in Farmstrong. I love the idea of ‘live well, farm well’ and the notion that if you’ve got your life in balance, then the farm is just naturally going to go well. That makes a lot of sense to me.”

More Farmstrong is an award-winning rural wellbeing programme that helps farmers and farming families live well to farm well. To find out what works for you and lock it in, check out our farmerto-farmer videos, stories and tips on www.farmstrong.co.nz

AginED Ag ED

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

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Volume 55 I May 10, 2021 I email: agined@globalHQ.co.nz I w w w.farmersweekly.co.nz

This table shows a selection of data from the first Coalgate high country calf sale in April.

STRETCH YOURSELF: 1

What sorts of roles do the people who are not directly employed on the property do that are so important to the farm?

2 What is the land typography of Grassendale? What kinds of weather issues are predominant on the farm?

3 At Grassendale they are focused on continually challenging and consolidating their high performance genetic package in the harsher conditions of their property. What things do they monitor in their recorded flock?

Have a go: 1

Go to www.farmersweekly.co.nz

2 Find and watch the OnFarm Story of George and Luce Williams “The journey we’re all going on “ and read the article “Partnerships build success “ 3 Where in NZ do the Williams farm?

4 George believes that modern-day-farming requires a wide range of people to work in a collaborative fashion for a successful thriving farm, how many people does he estimate this to be on average?

4 Late winter and early spring storms are fairly common on their farm. In the past how have they used what was seemingly a devastating spring storm, with a high loss of lambs, as an opportunity to refine their genetics?

5 They also run some Simmental/Angus on their property.

What is the primary role of the cattle? e Wiliams believe in utilising the land in the best way 6 The possible. How do they do that on Grassendale? (ie different uses of areas throughout the farm).

Have a go: 1 In what region are the Coalgate sale yards located?

2 Identify which line of Angus made the highest per head value.

3 Identify which line of Charolais-cross made the highest per head value.

STRETCH YOURSELF: 1 Why do you think the highest priced Angus and Charolais-cross were so desirable? What can you see from the table that stands out for these lines.

2 Work out the per kilo value for lines missing these.

3 Which line has the highest per kilo value?

4 Have a go at being an analyst. For the Angus lines shown, give per head price ranges for ‘heavy’ calves, ‘medium’ calves and ‘lighter’ calves.

Reduced Methane Sheep

how good is your

Rumen Adaptation Consortium Flock Coalgate Angus

Genomic Bacteria Scientist Simmental Grassendale Wairarapa

Production Emissions Genetics Charolais Methane Typography

O P L W C D Y Y G U E L M W L H G H D G Y J S D

B E Y I W K T N N O U M Z C A C V B I A E U M A

Z J H M U P D O D V W S H A H C B D B G G J G B

I P P O U O R P N O R E P A T L Y L G N Q U S Y

R Q A C G I F B P O V U R L Z Y I I A L W R N F

M C R J R E T T V A C O D A M Q Z T K Q C S Z R

P K G S S U B R T P L B S A D A P T A T I O N U

C Q O I F N N E O A W D H E E T G A B Z S V S U

C J P K C S C F I S T G J N B F U E P O X F B F

L A Y Z C J E S G S N Q K A B W F N N C U A B W

C G T P R O D U C T I O N H T F Y C T E P Z Y K

Q G T U V P L L R H V U C T M U Z D C A T J X X

W T Q G R E K F M M V A A E U W V J R D J I W S

H S Z G G R G K E R Y I A M S O V A A I U Y C L

S I O P C B U H O M R Q D M F A R P Y L M D E S

M T G Q O B S G W E I F T T U I R Y X V F Q O G

E N E S A P O D T A Q S L O A P F P T Q U X B D

Y E N R L R O C T N R S S W D U D L J M N D U E

J I O P G S A G Z Q K G F I B R U M E N S Z T T

A C M C A B W D R Q J D K M O Y R Q Q Q L D Q Q

H S I P T L F V V H D D I S C N H F B R O Y W W

B F C O E L A D N E S S A R G O S I P F T B R H

N M P E A E R J O K L A T N E M M I S A T B X S

U R S F W A S V Y U E C G R B M Z S P D M H M R

Head to https://farmersweekly.co.nz/section/ sheep-2/view/sheep-lead-methane-research and read the article "Sheep lead methane research"

• How many years has it taken NZ scientists to reach this point in the research of methane production of sheep?

• Why has it taken them this long to get to this point? (what has been done up to now) • What are the main differences between the low methane emitting sheep and “normal” sheep?

• From the profiling of low methane ewe’s milk what differences have been found compared to standard ewes? What differences are there in high methane producers' milk?

• What other farmed animals could this research be used for? What would be the benefits (if any) of this?

• Why is lowering Methane production in farm animals something that scientists are very keen to do?

Newsmaker

18 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – May 10, 2021

BETTER WORK STORIES: Coming from the hospitality industry, Amy Luckhurst now realises she put up with a lot when working with people that she doesn’t have to when dealing with cows.

Photo: Annette Scott

Covid brings a career rollercoaster Amy Luckhurst was on her OE operating rollercoasters in England when the covid-19 pandemic struck.

Never in her wildest dreams did she see herself working on a dairy farm back home in New Zealand. She talked with Annette Scott about her turnaround.

A

my Luckhurst had her OE cut short by covid-19 and arriving home to New Zealand with little prospect of finding a job was daunting.

“I was eight months into my OE, I had toured 26 countries in Europe and was in England operating rollercoasters when my Dad got me home,” she says.

“The UK media seemed to be a lot lower-key about covid than what Dad was telling me and sending me from NZ. “He just said get on a plane and get home. I did.”

Arriving home to no job and little prospect of finding one was daunting.

“I had no job, no car, I had nothing. I went into full on panic.

“I was applying for 50 jobs a day and I received only one rejection letter, people just didn’t even bother to respond to my applications.

“It was absolutely soul destroying.”

Feeling anxious about her prospects Luckhurst was

watching television at a friend’s place and saw an expo on Seven Sharp about work in the primary industries.

“I started searching online for the course when I came across Agri Training’s rural retraining programme.”

Coming from a career in hospitality and with a degree majoring in botany and minoring in physical geography, she did not hold much hope of getting a look in but was blown away.

“I thought nothing can harm me by trying for it.

“I was amazed to get a phone call from them in 24 hours about the training.”

Two days of online Zooms earned Luckhurst a face-to-face interview and her placement in the first iteration of the Mid Canterbury-based Agri Training’s 13-day rural re-training class.

“Talk about thrown in the deep end, I had accommodation and keep sorted for me and it was two weeks of full-on learning.

“I vaguely knew dairy farming, read a few books at uni, but that was about it as farming was farthest from my mind.”

Luckhurst was hoping the training may lead to work in the high country or orchard work that would make use of her botany degree.

“The only industry I wasn’t interested in working in was dairy, what shocked me was how wrong I was.

“Before I knew it, I had all these potential jobs I could go to, and you know what, I took a job on a dairy farm.”

For the past nine months Luckhurst has been working for Tony and Elle Williams and their family farming company, Willdo, at Leeston.

The 363-hectare property runs 1450 cows over three herds.

“I started in August, straight into calving, it was sink or swim.”

Luckhurst swam well.

“I have always worked with people in hospitality, but I realised you put up with a lot when working with people which you don’t have to when dealing with cows.

The only industry I wasn’t interested in working in was dairy, what shocked me was how wrong I was.

Amy Luckhurst “Each (cow) has their own personality, I have one that licks the back of my legs to get attention, another that gently knocks me over when she needs noticing and a couple that won’t come in for milking until they get a cuddle.”

Working through Primary ITO modules Luckhurst is excited to have now secured a full-time three-year apprenticeship.

“Going from living in a terrace house (in England) to this is just not comparable.

“My boss is a full-on champ,

very patient and very kind, they took me on knowing I had never even put cups on a cow.

“I have a house, couple of cats for company, a massive vege garden and some chickens.”

Best of all she loves the work.

“I have been here almost 10 months and I am loving it.”

Luckhurst has been impressed to learn how much farmers are doing to mitigate the environmental impact dairy is having and the love they have for their animals.

“The owner and team I work with have so much knowledge and enthusiasm for the industry it would be hard not to be passionate,” Luckhurst says.

Agri Training project manager Trina Moore says Luckhurst’s self-confessed initial negative perception of dairying is one case in many that are emerging from the rural re-train programme.

Preconceived ideas and misconceptions are making people shy away from dairy farming as a career.

Reports of herd mismanagement, negative effects of dairying on the environment and a move to plant-based milk products to support animal welfare and lessen the impacts of farming on the environment are creating negative attitudes towards farming, Moore said.

But they are misconceptions she has seen change in trainees of the Agri Training rural retrain programme.

“We set up the programme when covid-19 hit and we saw restrictions on the borders

constraining workers coming from overseas.

“We knew the primary sectors were struggling for workers.”

The programme is designed to introduce people to the primary industries, beginning with an online webinar introducing a mix of information on the primary sector and a handful of soft skills like interview techniques and CV writing.

“Our aim is to get people through the training and out into work.

“We have worked with career changes, school leavers and unemployed people and what has surprised us is that a large group of people are coming through with preconceived ideas and misconceptions about working in the dairy industry.”

“It’s not that we talk it up, it’s that we keep it honest.

“We get people on farm, introduce them to experts and farmers within the different sectors and ask them to roll their sleeves up and give it a try,” Moore said.

The programme includes one year of pastoral care once trainees are placed into work.

The success from the programme speaks for itself.

“Of 257 attendees over our eight rural retrain online webinars and from the 78 people who completed our 13-day live-in rural retrain programme, we have a 96% success rate for finding employment for people who want it.

“The results speak volumes,” Moore says.

New thinking

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – May 10, 2021

19

Research into ‘kombucha effluent’ Usually the preferred beverage for urban hipsters, kombucha may have a new use on the farm, with AgResearch scientists discovering its fermentable properties lend themselves to making dairy effluent less toxic, if not drinkable. Richard Rennie reports.

T

HANKS to an internal AgResearch “curiosity fund”, Dr Seth Laurenson and his colleagues gained some funding to explore the possibility of turning kombucha SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast) into a bioplastic product.

The SCOBY is the active fermented culture often found sitting snot-like in a bottle of commercial tea-brewed kombucha.

The researchers figured that if a kombucha type SCOBY could be grown to a reasonable size, it could then be dried and moulded into a bioplastic application.

“We grew them in big tubs of nutrient broth, to the point you could pick it up and hold it in your hands and shake it, not unlike a towel,” Laurenson said.

The researchers were looking at the potential the resulting bioplastic, while crude, may have for an application where lowgrade plastics are used, such as for baleage wrap.

They achieved what they set out to do, creating a bioplastic, moulded protective guard out of the SCOBY. But they also found further work was needed to ensure it was impermeable to moisture, which tended to cause it to soften.

“But we also found that in the tubs, the pH dropped to four (acid) quite quickly when the SCOBYs were introduced, often within a day or so,” he said.

“We figured that could be enough to kill any microbial population, so a logical step was to see what effect it would have on killing bacteria in effluent.”

Growing a SCOBY in farm fresh

dairy effluent resulted in E.coli bacteria levels dropping within 48 hours, along with the decline in pH. Initially the researchers figured the drop in pH the SCOBY was causing was prompting bacteria to die as their environment became more acid.

But comparing E.coli numbers in the SCOBY tubs against E.coli numbers in effluent, with its pH lowered by dosing with added acid, soon had the scientists looking at other possibilities for SCOBY’s bacteria-killing effectiveness.

“The SCOBY tubs experienced a more effective bacteria kill, suggesting there is something more complex going on than just a change in pH with the SCOBY there,” he said.

After eight days they could not detect any E.coli bacteria in the SCOBY treated effluent.

Revisiting some of the literature on SCOBY science, the researchers believe it may be alcohol produced by the SCOBY fermentation that is adding to its bacteria cleansing ability.

Commercial kombucha is often sold with the note that it contains about 1% alcohol, due to the natural fermentation process that uses tea, rather than effluent.

“The big elephant in the room though was that we were left with this treated effluent that had a low pH (4) and was not suitable to put onto paddocks,” he said.

If the work were to be taken further in the future this could be countered, possibly by combining treated and untreated effluent to buffer the pH back up, making it suitable for application.

Laurenson attributes the curiosity fund to helping the

FINDINGS: Dr Seth Laurenson and his team have found SCOBYs are proving adept at helping make effluent less damaging by removing E.coli populations from it.

We figured that could be enough to kill any microbial population, so a logical step was to see what effect it would have on killing bacteria in effluent.

Seth Laurenson AgResearch researchers explore a little known or understood area of research, and the opportunity to enable some good scientific minds to “blue sky” their research options.

The same fund has provided Laurenson and his team the opportunity to trial 3D printing soil, with one eye on how to emulate the key properties of a growing medium that could be applied in less than ideal growing situations, including Mars.

“The challenge has been to try and maintain biological life within the manufactured soil, which is proving quite hard,” he said.

In the meantime, the learnings about SCOBY application have been valuable.

“We were extremely surprised to learn that if you put a SCOBY into effluent, we thought the effluent bacteria would overpower the SCOBY and kill it off, but that was not the case,” he said.

“Literature suggests the

Have you read Dairy Farmer yet?

The latest Dairy Farmer hit letterboxes on May 3.

Our OnFarmStory this month features Taranaki farmers Matt Thomas and Sophie Parker who left their established careers in agriculture to go dairy farming.

We also catch up with the Kiwi who was recently appointed president of the World Holstein Friesian Federation and take a look at bull breeds that will produce valuable calves for dairy farmers.

farmersweekly.co.nz 0800 85 25 80

SCOBY can actually protect the biome community within the environment, it has a competitive advantage.”

They also learnt how quickly the SCOBY adjusts to the environment it is placed in.

“We thought it would be four days, but it was biologically active almost immediately,” he said.

Laurenson says the team was pleased to have a proof of concept, with the potential now there for parties to pick it up and look at practical applications onfarm.

“We were looking at a microcircular system on-farm, where you could produce the SCOBY, provide a treatment to the effluent and produce a bio-plastic, all in one place,” he said.

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Opinion

20 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – May 10, 2021

EDITORIAL

Sector jobs need more appeal

N

EWS of a review of New Zealand’s immigration policy has some in the primary sector a little nervous.

The sector relies heavily on migrant labour, especially when it comes to picking fruit and milking cows.

Industry leaders understand that the Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme will be safe, but this government has shown a strong preference for all employers to look for home-grown talent to fill any roles they may have.

There’s a lot to think about when weighing any change to immigration settings.

The primary industries have made pretty good returns in recent years and one could argue that it’s time to lessen the dependence on migrant labour.

But with unemployment down below 5%, it’s difficult to see where the workers would come from to fill the gaps.

And, the RSE scheme plays a vital role in the economic wellbeing of many Pacific families.

There have been some fantastic initiatives in the past year that have brought new blood into the primary industries. This week’s newsmaker (P18) Amy Luckhurst is one of many people who, when faced with an uncertain future, found job security and a community in the dairy sector.

We need more of these stories.

But the food production industry is growing quickly. There have been big calls made in recent years about how we’ll find the tens of thousands of workers needed to make the wheels turn.

Yet despite the talk, employers are still struggling to fill roles.

One simple thing we can do is this: we can make sure the jobs offered are attractive – financially and socially.

Whoever does the work, it’s important they’re paid a dignified wage and have conditions that the employer and industry are happy to promote as part of their brand story.

Other industries have stumbled over after having untoward employment practices uncovered.

That’s something food producers can and should avoid.

Bryan Gibson

LETTERS

NZ is already ahead of the curve IT IS refreshing to see a leading scientist at last centering on the conventional solutions available today and not lobbying the Government for changing the genetic engineering (GE) regulatory oversight.

The GE technologies of transgenics have failed New Zealand and the world.

The extreme use of herbicides and insecticides used throughout the GE plants growing season have created resistant weeds and insects that are destroying US farmers’ incomes and infesting fields.

New GE plants are being engineered to withstand up to six herbicides and four insecticides, leaving toxic residues in the foods.

For many years the scientists at Massey have been running

research on different feed pastures and found that mixed forages of legumes and grasses have reduced methane emissions.

Seed companies like Germinal have bred pasture seeds of high-quality persistence and digestibility.

It is pleasing to read the advances NZ has made in conventional breeding of sheep with lower methane traits.

NZ is ahead of the curve in its willingness to look at conventional options and embracing the regenerative organic vision.

The NZ regenerative organic science model is being implemented in the US and has had amazing results for protecting and building the soil, as well as reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

To paraphrase Dr. Hickford, let’s concentrate on the conventional expertise we have and signaling to our trading partners the quality farmers we have using non-GE solutions.

Claire Bleakley Wairarapa

Focus on what NZ does best NICKY White is quite right (Farmers Weekly, April 26), it makes absolutely no sense for New Zealand, the world’s most greenhouse gas (GHG) efficient farmers, to decrease stock numbers or agricultural production.

The MPI’s forestry carbon credits and carbon trading auction scheme is an absolute cockup that will leave many foresters who have claimed

and sold credits bankrupt come harvest time.

The Government should cease the flawed carbon trading scheme altogether.

Lease 5% of the unused rabbit-infested Government wasteland of the lower South Island that is growing nothing but thyme for perpetual pine tree production.

This would neatly and cost effectively solve all NZ problems, provide a future source of timber log export production, cheap biofuels for industry to move away from coal, and material for another plywood, chipwood or custom wood plant.

Keep it really simple, Sam – a win-win for all, and let’s all get back to doing what we do well.

Dave Stanton Geraldine

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Opinion

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – May 10, 2021

21

Balance the argument Jess Cochrane

The

Pulpit

food at our level of quality or efficiency, with as little carbon emissions as we currently do? It is my hope, and I am choosing to believe, that Jules doesn’t intend it to come off this way, but the regen argument against feeding the world comes off as ignorant at best, and xenophobic at worst, and thus should be critically examined and challenged.

Other points that require their own clarification are the points about “chemical-based and acid-based fertiliser use” due to the implication that chemicals and fertilisers result in negative outcomes.

The entire world, and our own bodies are made up of chemicals.

To define some chemicals as bad and others as good is blatant misrepresentation of facts and shows a clear misunderstanding of how chemicals function in the world.

Any chemical has the potential to cause harm, when used at concentrations high enough to cause toxicity. A great example of this is water, the most essential chemical in the world, is toxic to our bodies if we consume over three to four litres in a short period of time.

Yet water would never be considered a bad chemical, despite its potential for harm. To leave chemophobia unchecked in your articles is to directly support the interests of certain groups, and to take a direct stance against well accepted and researched science.

TWO SIDES: Jess Cochrane weighs in on the regen debate, and says while it is important to share opinions, she stresses the importance of providing a counter argument.

The other claim that definitely requires disputing is the one around acid-based fertilisers, and making negative generalisations about them when it is a far more complex and nuanced situation.

As explained above, any chemical has the potential for harm when used at a dose or concentration higher than what is deemed a safe usage limit.

Of more concern is the specific mention of acid-based, It is well established in the agricultural science community – over many decades of research – that some fertilisers have the potential to acidify the soil. I will not dispute this. However, it must be strongly noted that for decades, soil scientists have known about this risk to soil health and have thus recommended soil tests, and then the subsequent liming of paddocks.

Liming of paddocks reverses the effects of these fertilisers and raises the pH of the soil back to optimal levels. I can attest to the longevity of this knowledge, my family farm’s earliest soil test – with pH test included – was conducted in 1984, nearly four decades ago. To suggest we have an acid-based fertiliser problem in this country is blatant

misrepresentation of the truth and should come with a fact-check attached.

Overall, I agree with many aspects of the regen movement and particularly with Jules about needing to work together. I would therefore remind Jules and Farmers Weekly that good communication is a two-way street. It is hard to have an open dialogue with someone who is telling you that everything you are doing is destroying the environment – a factually incorrect statement – and then also fails to give you the right of reply so that very valid concerns can be addressed.

How can consensus and collaboration happen if the regen movement disregards all the hard work our industry has done to do better? Finally, I would state that I agree with Jules that courage is needed, but not in the way she speaks of. It will take courage to fact check emotive statements to see how they align with very basic scientific principles, so that scientific literacy in this country can be restored.

The regen movement must commit to recognising and respecting the scientific approach that has worked to guide progress

within this industry. If the regen movement wants to see truly transformative change, then factual and scientific approaches must lead the conversation, and good communication between scientists, farmers, industry leaders, and regen folks must be prioritised.

If we could harness the passion of regen educators for people’s wellbeing and the environment and combine their message with the fantastic science that has been done over the years, and continues to be done, then New Zealand ag really could be on the path to something special.

Who am I? Jess Cochrane is a farmer from Waimate, South Canterbury.

She works on their family farm Crystal Brook, and has a passion for agriculture and environmental sustainability. She has a BSc in Geology and a BA in History and appreciates a robust scientific approach to new information.

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

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

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AM writing regarding the ‘Regen will take courage’ article you published on April 23.

Like many, I was compelled to read the article, believing it to be about collaboration between conventional and regenerative farming leaders.

It had many positive points, including the acknowledgment of past environmental degradation, the need for good biodiversity, livestock care, and the care of our people. Unfortunately, it also contained a large collection of uncritically evaluated or factchecked Jules Matthews quotes.

While it is important to share opinions, there is a point – when these opinions are voiced as truth – that these opinions should be fact-checked or expanded upon further.

There are many disingenuous claims that need to be addressed in this article, but her comments on production and productivity are of particular concern and it was remiss of Farmers Weekly not to challenge them or at least provide some form of critique.

The quote “we keep being told that it’s our job to feed the world but that’s not our job” is by far the most dangerous suggestion to leave unquestioned. Yes, it can be fully acknowledged that the pursuit of production and productivity has caused environmental issues in the past that are still being dealt with today, but that does not make the whole concept an inherently negative one.

To pursue reduced production and productivity, and to give up on feeding the world requires an incredible recognition of privilege.

Privilege in the form of no or low financial burdens, which in turn allow the reduced income, which results from the conversion to regen.

It also requires the privilege of living in a country that can feed itself more than four times over, even with reduced production. To suggest that “feeding the world ... is not our job” is ignorant to these privileges, but also reeks of an insular us versus them standpoint.

Should we not help supply food to countries that cannot produce

Opinion

22 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – May 10, 2021

NZ rejects the herd mentality Alternative View

Alan Emerson

LAST week saw a high-level conference on our relationship with China. It is in my view a special relationship that goes back to the early 1970s, when the then Labour Government invited China to have an embassy here. It was the first in the so-called free world.

That relationship has grown since to the extent we were the first country to have a Free Trade Agreement with China.

The conference was interesting in that it was frank and honest while not being sabre rattling.

Our position with China has upset a few of our ‘friends’.

My position is simple. I am extremely proud of the fact we are an independent democracy.

We have stood independently on many issues from nuclear ship visits to nuclear tests in the Pacific, extolling free trade, advocating for arms control and having a strong and independent voice at the United Nations.

That independent stance has made the other members of the Five Eyes spy network, Australia, Canada, the US and the UK apoplectic.

The issue is that Five Eyes is a spy agency that wants to get into issues such as human rights. Anything it would seem to embarrass China.

Five Eyes started as a joint intelligence agency between the US and UK back in 1941 when we were fighting Hitler. In 1946, Winston Churchill expanded it when he talked about “the special relationship between the British Commonwealth and Empire and the USA”. A lot of things have changed since 1946, including there not being a British Empire.

It was set up to “monitor the Soviet Union and the Eastern Bloc”. The Soviet Union doesn’t exist as such, and we trade with both Russia and members of the Eastern Bloc.

Then in the late 1990s word finally got out that it actually existed. Until then, for the previous 50 years it had been totally behind closed doors. It was described as a “super national intelligence organisation that doesn’t answer to the laws of its own countries”.

A simple example is Five Eyes spying on another country’s citizens to circumvent the laws of that country.

It’s never been the subject of parliamentary scrutiny in New Zealand or anywhere else.

Logic would suggest that while the security interests with the Five Eyes countries could align, the social commentary certainly doesn’t. Just think of America and ex-President Trump. I even have a problem with Boris Johnson.

Australia – need I say more?

NZ, to its credit, has said that while it is a member of the Five Eyes security network, it won’t extend it beyond intelligence gathering. In a major speech late last month Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta set out the

Government’s objections to Five Eyes proposed social commentary.

I totally agree with that position.

The issue was that Five Eyes, minus NZ, admonished China for its treatment of the Uyghur people.

We were criticised roundly for that position. I was offended by one pompous, rounded vowelled and chinless British politician criticising us for our lack of commitment to Five Eyes.

The Australians waxed lyrically as you’d expect, even suggesting we were “free loading”. We weren’t.

Our position was merely to reject the herd mentality.

China is a major trading partner and a friend. To get involved in a slanging match with that country does us no favours.

I don’t believe trade is above politics.

What I do believe is that we should make our own decisions irrespective of international power plays, positioning and politics.

Just think of the international and trade implications.

The US, under the Biden administration, has said that China needs to be reined in. Why would we want to be part of that scenario?

Australian Defence Minister Peter Dutton said that conflict shouldn’t be discounted with

FRIENDS WITH BENEFITS: Alan Emerson believes getting involved in a slanging match China will do us no favours.

China. I thought it was an amazing statement and he should concentrate on taking the trash out but again, do we want to be part of that debate? Not to be outdone, the UK has accused us of cosying up to China’s communist rulers. They must still think the empire is alive and well.

Australia brashly criticised China and is paying for it with trade sanctions. Do we want to try and win a debating point and substantially lose trade as Australia has?

We then had a colossal own goal by the ACT Party who want Parliament to debate a motion declaring China’s oppression of the Uyghur people an act of genocide.

I’m not supporting the treatment of the Uyghur people, but the world is a nasty place.

According to Wikipedia, we’ve had eight acts of genocide in the last short while and there has been little commentary from anyone.

So why would ACT put petty politics above common sense?

Why would it put political point scoring above our country’s wealth?

As I said at the start, I’m proud of NZ’s independent foreign policy.

I don’t believe trade is above politics. What I do believe is that we should make our own decisions irrespective of international power plays, positioning and politics.

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

Parliament needs some introspection From the Ridge

Steve Wyn-Harris

WHAT’S going on in Parliament?

I suspect a combination of frustration, leadership anxiety,

RISKY MOVE: ACT party leader David Seymour. ACT tried to get Parliament to pass a motion that China is engaged in genocide, which Steve WynHarris believes could potentially damage trade relations with NZ. Photo: @dbseymour/Twitter

leadership ambition, a majority complacency and just the usual carry on.

Let’s start with ACT first. Why the hell is David Seymour and company so determined to piss off our biggest trading partner? I know it’s the view of an exporter but that’s what I am. If it were the Green’s pushing this, I wouldn’t be surprised.

ACT tried to get Parliament to pass a motion that China is engaged in genocide in the north west in the Xinjiang province.

The Labour government resisted using the term genocide, which to date has only applied to Nazi Germany, Cambodia and Rwanda, and had it watered down to ‘severe human rights abuses’ are occurring there.

Yes, we all know that what China is doing to the Uighurs is not good as there is credible evidence of human rights abuse, but our Parliament passing any sort of worded motion censuring and lecturing China is not going to make one iota of difference to the Uighurs situation.

If ACT genuinely wanted to make a difference to these people, why are they not calling for large numbers to be offered sanctuary here, or sums of money and aid to be sent to them?

They are doing it to embarrass the Government and thus score political points, but in the process putting our trade and exports in jeopardy. China may not need us greatly but for better or worse, we have hitched ourselves to their economy and rely heavily on it.

I know that I’m putting pragmatism in front of principle, but if prodding China only antagonises rather than forces a behavioural change, why bother?

Use more effective measures

to force change rather than proposing ineffectual words and a whole lot of hot air.

I’ve checked out the ACT website and their mission is all about public policy and their 16 principles are all focused onshore – and not a single mention of this nation being the world’s conscience.

Only a few months ago, they were calling for the abolition of NZ’s own Human Rights Commission.

And why stop at China?

Myanmar has been appalling with their ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya; the Central African Republic, Iran, Syria, North Korea, Afghanistan and South Sudan are all countries committing gross human rights abuses right now.

Perhaps they will be their next causes if this is the new focus of that party.

Now, let’s have a crack at Trevor Mallard, the speaker of the house.

He was never well-suited to this role, as he’s been a bovver boy all his political career. He even had a fight with Tau Henare in Parliament back in 2007.

He’s shown bad judgement in his public utterances over the sexual complaints from parliamentary staff and it cost us, the taxpayer,

$300,000 in a defamation case.

Again, he went too far last week and showed a complete lack of judgement. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern gave him a public dressing down and said his conduct was “totally inappropriate”. If he doesn’t leave Parliament in the next two years, it’s hard to see his political career extending another term. His time is up.

There is no love lost between him and National’s Chris Bishop, since Bishop took Mallard’s seat off him for a term. Bishop also went too far in his determination to get a political scalp and has politicised what must be an exceedingly difficult situation for the complainant in this matter. It’s no wonder women are reluctant to complain or press charges in these cases and the way our politicians are behaving, only makes it more difficult and less likely.

Politicians do a tough job on our behalf and it is important that we have a robust democracy.

But civility is important too, and let’s hope there is more of that in our Parliament in the future.

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

Opinion

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – May 10, 2021

23

Sheep and beef changes vast

CHANGING: Keith Woodford says sheep and beef farming has changed enormously over the last 50 years.

The Braided Trail

Keith Woodford

I DECIDED recently that it was time to take a closer look at what is happening on sheep and beef farms.

The underlying motive is that I have been giving thought as to what the sheep and beef industry, which contributes around $7 billion of export income each year, might look like in another 10 or 20 years.

But before getting too immersed in that future, I needed to make sure I understood the present and how we got to where we are now.

When I left school a very long time ago, I had in mind that I wanted to be a sheep farmer myself.

As a school boy, I used to peruse the advertisements each weekend in Saturday’s newspaper and figure out what a farm for 1000 ewes plus young stock and a few beef cows would cost.

The land cost was around 20,000 New Zealand pounds, with this converting subsequently in 1967 to around $40,000.

The figure now is about 30 times that, perhaps more, before taking into account that 1000 ewes would no longer be anywhere near enough for a living.

For a range of reasons, I never became a sheep farmer. Other passions such as mountaineering together with economic realities meant that it did not happen.

But I did work on sheep farms in various parts of the country.

Then, when I left university and joined the Ministry of Agriculture, I also worked with sheep farmers for a while before heading in other directions.

Although I still find myself often visiting sheep farms and also sometimes getting drawn into research projects, in the main it has been as an outsider looking in.

One thing I know for sure is that sheep and beef farming has changed enormously over the last 50 years.

I decided the place to start some research for this article was to go to the Beef + Lamb (BLNZ) website. If it’s data that you want, then there is a veritable trove of it to be found there. It’s just that some of it takes some finding.

It was about 1982 that sheep numbers in New Zealand reached a peak of around 70 million, linked to a poorly structured livestock-incentive scheme.

By 1990, numbers were back to 57 million and now they are down to about 27 million.

However, the sheep that remain are a great deal more productive than those of former times.

Carcase weights have increased from around 12 kg to more than 18 kg. Lambing percentages, which by 1990 were still only nudging 100%, have regularly exceeded 125% in recent years.

Back in the 1970s, 1980s and even later, beef cattle were run not because they were particularly profitable, but because they were needed both for management of pastures and managing the health of the sheep. The cattle would hoover up the rough grass and also help to break the life-cycle of intestinal worms.

In those days, the beef industry was based on specialist beef breeds. This meant most farmers who considered themselves sheep farmers also had a herd of beef

cows. Ideas of crossbreeding a beef sire over dairy cows, or farming Friesian bulls for hamburger meat, were still in their infancy. This was linked to the hamburger itself also being in relative infancy in world markets.

The other big change has been wool. Synthetics started to make a mark in the late 1960s and it has been downhill since in terms of market share of wool.

The only exception has been fine-wooled merinos, but merinos struggle with lack of health resilience outside of dry climates.

This year has to be the worst year ever for wool. BLNZ estimates for the current year are that on the average sheep farm, shearing costs exceed the gross value of the wool. Strong wool has indeed become a weed.

The good news of the last 20 years has been that both sheep meats and beef have risen considerably in value, albeit with fluctuations.

For a long time, New Zealand was highly dependent on Britain for lamb markets and the USA for beef, but the rise of China has changed all that.

The irony now is that it is China on which New Zealand is so dependent. This is particularly the case for ewe mutton.

Some of my old-time sheepfarmer mates can recall occasions back in the 1980s when the killing charges for old ewes exceeded the carcass value. Good quality ewes destined for the mutton chain now have a similar value to a lamb. That change is all about China.

The big increases in the value of lamb were early in this century.

For the last 10 years, they have still been drifting up but more slowly, and also bouncing around.

On the cost side, insurances and rates in particular have been climbing inexorably in recent

years, although lower interest rates have compensated.

The big issue is competing land uses. This is where things get complex. Conventional wisdom says that sheep have been squeezed out by dairy and forestry, but that is only part of the story.

According to BLNZ, between 1990-91 and 2017-18 the area of dairy increased by 935,000 ha, the area of forestry increased by 352 000 ha, and the area of horticulture increased by 39,000 ha.

The good news of the last 20 years has been that both sheep meats and beef have risen considerably in value, albeit with fluctuations.

These figures total around 1.3 million ha. However, the area in sheep and beef, once again according to BLNZ, declined by 4.1 million ha from 12.1 million ha to 8.0 million ha. What happened to the remaining 2.8 million hectares of land?

Well, we know that close to 500,000 ha has entered the conservation estate through the tenure review process. We also know that some land has reverted to scrub and that much of this will eventually self-revert to forest.

By my thinking, we still have some way to go before we get close to the total 4.1 million hectares supposedly lost from sheep and beef.

I suspect that somewhere along the journey there has been

a reclassification within the pastoral land category to exclude rural land that was never in grazing but was always in some form of native vegetation, or had reverted long before 1990.

I think the BLNZ figure of around 8 million ha or perhaps a little less will be close to the correct figure of effective grazing land, but that the 12 million ha in 1990 was an over-estimate.

Another figure that can be confusing is that BLNZ says there are now approximately 9200 commercial sheep and beef farmers, declining from 19,600 in 1990.

But elsewhere in their Farm Facts Compendium they say that there are 23,000 sheep and beef farmers. Presumably many of these are considered lifestylers. I have yet to get clarification from BLNZ as to how they define a commercial farmer.

When I started writing this article, I thought I would within one article be able to tell the story of where the industry is currently and then move on to looking at the future. Yet so far, I have only scratched the surface of the current situation. BLNZ has eight major categories of sheep and beef farm defined largely by topography and climate, both of which greatly influence the specific systems. I foresee another article looking at some of those specifics before I can move on to pondering about the future.

I will be back.

Your View Keith Woodford was Professor of farm management and agribusiness at Lincoln University for 15 years to 2015. He is now principal consultant at AgriFood Systems. He can be contacted at kbwoodford@gmail.com

Katikati 114 Busby Road Tender

A compelling reason to explore the options 234 ha self-contained dairy unit with approximately 70 ha of suitable horticulture land in five titles provides options.

385 cows have produced up to 146,000 kgMS with a low input farming system. The property has a good infrastructure level with a modern 40 ASHB dairy shed, two homes and a single man's quarters, calf sheds and implement sheds.

An ideal property to convert the front of the farm to horticulture whilst retaining the balance as a dairy unit or pursue the reconfiguration of titles to create lifestyle blocks with spectacular views across the Katikati estuary Motiti Island and Mount Maunganui.

To be sold on a walk-in walk-out basis with livestock, plant and machinery available.

Tender closes Wednesday 9th June, 2021 at 2.00pm, (unless sold prior), Farmlands Te Puna View Tue 11 May 11.00 - 1.00pm Sun 16 May 11.00 - 1.00pm Web pb.co.nz/TNR86272 Eddie McDermott M 027 488 8154 E eddie.mcdermott@pb.co.nz Ian Morgan M 027 492 5878 E ian.morgan@pb.co.nz Sienna Coombes M 020 404 50456 E sienna.coombes@pb.co.nz

A real change in real estate.

The Property Brokers and Farmlands partnership means great things for provincial real estate Together our combined strengths complement each other to create a unique offering: - A nationwide network from Northland to Southland - Over 750 staff across 75 locations dedicated to real estate - A deep understanding of the land with market-leading expertise in property sales and marketing Bigger networks, more buyers, better results.

For more information call 0800 367 5263 or visit pb.co.nz/together

Proud to be together

Property Brokers Ltd Licensed REAA 2008

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

Proud to be here

Real Estate

FARMERS WEEKLY – May 10, 2021

farmersweekly.co.nz/realestate 0800 85 25 80

25

Do you want your farm SOLD? With over 22 years collective experience in rural sales in New Zealand and Australia specialising in dairy farms, Les could have the solution for the sale of your farm.

ARE YOU LOOKING FOR ANSWERS?

We sell all sized farms so call LES

Sallan Realty

• What about my herd and stock?

• What has been sold lately?

• What will it cost me?

CAIN ON 0800 LES CAIN to discuss your options Google ‘Sallan Realty’ Your Farm Sales Specialist

LES CAIN 0274 420 582

Your destination for rural real estate Market your property to an audience that counts

Add another touchpoint to your campaign on the website built for farmers.

Align your brand with content farmers read: • Geo and agri sector targeting options available • Post campaign analysis of your adverts performance • Advertise on our Real Estate page alongside relevant editorial content • Enrich your print ad - Click through to your property videos or websites from the virtual edition.

Contact your agent to advertise today!

0800 85 25 80 farmersweekly.co.nz/realestate

LK0107046©

• What is my farm worth?

• How should I sell it?

• Are there any buyers out there?

Licensed Agent REAA 2008

26

farmersweekly.co.nz/realestate 0800 85 25 80

Real Estate

FARMERS WEEKLY – May 10, 2021

ATHLIAM DAIRY FARM

FOR SALE

5571 - 5575 State Highway 1 Tokoroa - Waikato

FREEHOLD GOING CONCERN OR LAND ONLY + + + + +

373ha of versatile land 292ha* milking platform Milking 730 cows Averaging 260,000kg* milk solids Flexible Settlement Date

+ 50 bail rotary shed with attached

open feed yard + 38ha* of near mature Pinus Radiata + Located just 12km* south of Tokoroa

Deadline Offers:

Thursday 27 May 2021 at 4pm (NZST) *Approximately

Chan Singh +64 27 767 7113 Jeremy Keating +64 21 461 210 Wyatt Johnston +64 27 815 1303

Arotahi Agribusiness Limited, Licensed Real Estate Agent (REAA 2008)

Farm ‘Dress Circle’ - 412.6354 hectares (1019.62 acres)

242 & 245 Lagoon Road, Rangiwahia • 4 bedroom home • 5 stand woolshed (1600 NP) • Well tracked with central laneway • Excellent fertilizer history • A great opportunity to own a strong hill country farm with a good balance of contour in the renowned Rangiwahia farming district 4

2

1

2

Property ID RAL840 ruralandlifestylesales.com

‘Fox’s Block’ - 279.63 hectares (690 acres)

Auction

1338 Ruahine Road, Rangiwahia

Auction: 2.00pm Wednesday 26th May at Rural and Lifestyle Sales Ltd 56 Stafford Street, Feilding

• 3 bedroom home

Call Richard or Robert for more infomation or to arrange a time to view

• Excellent fertilizer history

Richard Anderson 027 543 1610 richard@rals.co.nz Robert Dabb 027 255 3992 robert@rals.co.nz

• 4 stand woolshed (800 NP) • 63 hectares of productive flats • A great opportunity to own good clean hill country with a good balance of finishing country in the renowned Rangiwahia farming district 3

1

1

2

Property ID RAL841

Auction Auction: 2.00pm Wednesday 26th May at Rural and Lifestyle Sales Ltd 56 Stafford Street, Feilding Call Richard or Robert for more information or to arrange a time to view Richard Anderson 027 543 1610 richard@rals.co.nz Robert Dabb 027 255 3992 robert@rals.co.nz Rural and Lifestyle Sales.com Ltd Licensed REAA 2008

Real Estate

farmersweekly.co.nz/realestate 0800 85 25 80

27

FIN AL

N O TI CE

FARMERS WEEKLY – May 10, 2021

PRESTIGIOUS ONGAHA - MULTI ENTERPRISE BUSINESS WITH PURCHASE OPTIONS Te Maire Road, Kahutara, Featherston, South Wairarapa

583.10 hectares Video on website

nzr.nz/RX2806397

With a proud history, tracing from the early Wairarapa farming pioneers, historic Ongaha is located just a 10 minute drive west of Martinborough. This prestigious 583ha property (182ha irrigated via 162 litre/second consent with no low flow restrictions) is multi-faceted and includes an irrigated dairy unit, a partly irrigated finishing block and the home grazing block that includes the magnificent Ongaha Homestead. With around 430ha of flats to easy rolling hills and other land in easy/ medium hill country, Ongaha has superb balance supporting, sheep and cattle breeding & finishing, dairying and feed crop production. Built in 1914, the Homestead features 5 bedrooms, formal and informal living rooms and stunning grounds with pool and tennis court. On farm infrastructure is significant with 4 other houses, quality fencing and access, a strong balance of soil types and fertility levels and 5 pivot irrigators. Purchase options include (STFS); The 583ha whole property; the Homestead Block 205ha, the Finishing Block 217ha and the Dairy Unit 161ha. This is a rare opportunity - Ongaha has been innovatively farmed for generations and is waiting for a new owner(s) to add to its undoubted potential. Inspection strictly by appointment only. Detailed Property Report available upon request.

Tender Closes 4pm, Tue 18 May 2021. NZR, Level 1, 16 Perry Street, Masterton 5810. See separate Listing for Lifestyle Options nzr.nz/RX2806491

Blair Stevens AREINZ 027 527 7007 | blair@nzr.nz Dave Hutchison 027 286 9034 | dave@nzr.nz NZR Real Estate Limited | Licensed REAA 2008

RURAL | LIFESTYLE | RESIDENTIAL

TAUMARUNUI, KING COUNTRY 117 Cemetery Road - Otangiwai Station 1562 hectares (more or less). Magnificently contoured farm - extensive flats and easy hill to strong Matiere hills. Excellent fencing and lane-ways throughout the property. Strong fertiliser and top water supply. Vendors have run cattle only in the past - over 3000 cattle wintered.

4

1

2

$20M

Plus GST (if any)

VIEW By Appointment Only

Opportunity to purchase a top class farm with fertility, infrastructure and scale rarely come to the market. This is the opportunity of a lifetime. Please contact Peter for an appointment to view.

Peter Wylie M 027 473 5855 | B 07 878 0265 E pwylie@pggwrightson.co.nz pggwre.co.nz/TEK33634 PGG Wrightson Real Estate Limited, licensed under REAA 2008

Helping grow the country

28

farmersweekly.co.nz/advertising 0800 85 25 80

Tech & Toys

FARMERS WEEKLY – May 10, 2021

E R O M NEED

N O I T C A TR HE FARM?

16”

$1499

ON T

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Get the NEW Terrafirma errafirma 50/50 Rugged Terrain Wheel & Tyre Package CALL US TODAY!

0800 453 373

Terms & Conditions Apply

Primary Pathways – Jobs, Education & Training

Associate Director

Senior Shepherd General

Time to take the leap in your governance journey

Associate Director Vacancy

We are currently looking for an experienced Farm Manager who has a passion for being on the land and has great leadership skills to support our farm team.

We are offering a development opportunity for a passionate individual who wants to grow their knowledge and experience in one of New Zealand’s leading primary sector organisations.

The Ōtakanini Tōpū (the Tōpū) is a Māori incorporated farm, located on the South Kaipara Peninsula, with a total land area of 2,674ha. The Tōpū is mostly pastoral, sheep, cattle and with some forestry. The Topu currently runs approximately 6500 ewe flock plus replacements and approximately 1200 head of cattle, comprising of an Angus breeding herd, their progeny, and Friesian bulls.

We are inviting applications for an Associate Director to join our Ballance Board of Directors for a 15-month term.

For our shareholders and the wider South Kaipara Ngāti Whātua community, the Tōpū is not only an economic and material resource, but an important living cultural landscape linked to our tribal history and identity.

The Opportunity

Waipapa Station is 1100 hectares running 4500 breeding ewes, 200 breeding cows, 600 fattening cattle and 120 dairy grazers.

You will need • Three good working dogs • Be able to keep accurate records • Communicate and work well with farm staff

As a New Zealand farmer-owned co-operative we love the land as much as you do.

We are committed to farming more productively, profitably and sustainably and to working alongside our customers and communities to create a strong sustainable future for all New Zealanders. We’re committed to working alongside our communities and customers to create a strong, sustainable future for all New Zealanders.

A recently redecorated 3 bedroom house is available 28km from Taupo.

For further information phone: Denys Gayton 0274 309 514 evenings Send CV with phone references to: waipapa.stn@ruralinzone.net or Waipapa Station 2712 Poihipi Road, RD, Mangakino 3492

As a Ballance shareholder, this role offers a launching pad to begin your career in primary sector governance. You will contribute equally in all Board discussions but will hold no voting rights on Board decisions. The position is voluntary (unpaid) however travel and accommodation for Board meetings is provided.

As we are the largest Māori Farming Operation in the Auckland region, we are on a journey to explore potential diversification opportunities for the Tōpū that will provide a good return to our shareholders and our future generations. We require a Farm Manager who has experience in running a profitable farming operation and who is up for the challenge of contributing to our strategic direction.

We offer a supportive environment and are focused on helping you grow your knowledge and understanding of good governance practice. We provide a full induction into the role, along with training and coaching to support you to achieve your career objectives.

Candidates are expected to have a strong interest in governance and be looking to kick start their directorship journey.

Key attributes of the Farm Manager and responsibilities required include: • Delivery of the farm business plan, budget, regular reporting and proven ability to meet farm performance targets • Demonstration of effective leadership, communication and time management skills • Demonstrated ability to manage a high-performing farm team including rostering, leave management, work hours and supporting staff training and development • Demonstrated ability to run a high-performance farming system and ability to adapt to change and to learn new technologies as farming systems evolve • Demonstrated experience in stock, feed, pasture management and a consistent record of increasing and maintaining stock performance • Strong computer skills and a proven ability in performance and recording based farming technology programs • Excellent animal welfare values and practises • Demonstrated ability in health and safety leadership, culture and compliance • Ability to contribute to the strategic direction of the Tōpū

We are looking for the following attributes: • An active Ballance shareholder • A team player with the ability to disseminate a wide range of views • An independent thinker who actively contributes ideas • Excellent relationship building skills

TIROA E TRUST

• Demonstrated experience in community leadership or active involvement in their community

(Tiroa Station) Tiroa Station is a 3,200ha effective property situated near Benneydale, 35 minutes from Te Kuiti and part of the Tiroa Te Hape group of farms covering 7,300ha. The station winters 32,000 stock units made up of a high performing breeding ewe flock and breeding cow herd.

• Governance training is preferred, but not essential If you are motivated and enthusiastic, and have a vision for a successful and progressive rural sector, come and make your place with us - "Together, creating the best soil and feed on Earth". It’s a big ambition, but we can't think of a better one for the good of our customers and our country.

Your CV and cover letter should be submitted to the email address below no later than 23 May 2021.

Directors@Ballance.co.nz

We have a vacancy for the following:

SHEPHERD

0800 222 090 www.ballance.co.nz

The successful applicant would require 2-3 sound working dogs and have sound stock and pasture management skills.

We require you to be an excellent communicator, a strong team player and must be improvement and solutions focused, but above all else we are seeking someone energetic and keen to progress themselves in the industry.

JOBS BOARD farmersweeklyjobs.co.nz

Associate Director Aviation Farm Manager General Hand Great Opportunities - Australia Head of Farming Roles - Pāmu

How to apply Please email your CV and Cover Letter to rmrecruitmentnz@gmail.com by 5pm, 19th May 2021.

To find out more about the Otakanini Tōpū and to access a copy of the job description, please go to our website: http://www.otakaninitopu.co.nz/

Applicants for this position must have NZ residency or a valid NZ work visa and will be required to have a clear pre-employment drug test.

*FREE upload to Farmers Weekly jobs: farmersweeklyjobs.co.nz *conditions apply

Contact Debbie Brown 06 323 0765 or email classifieds@globalhq.co.nz LK0106998©

This position comes with competitive remuneration, a great work environment and good housing.

Labourer Regional Livestock Manager Senior Shepherd General Shepherd Training Opportunities

LK0105354©

If you think you’ve got what it takes, are ready for a new challenge and are willing to work hard to manage farm operating priorities, we offer a supportive Governance team who are committed to the wellbeing of our people.

For further information please contact Wayne Fraser (07) 878 4815, or email your CV to sharon@tiroatehape.maori.nz Applications close: Friday 21 May 2021, 5pm.

LK0107018©

For the successful candidate there is a competitive remuneration package, including accommodation and development opportunities. The location of Ōtakanini Tōpū offers superb lifestyle opportunities including the Kaipara Harbour on your doorstep, east and west coast beaches within an hour’s drive and within close proximity of the vibrant CBD of Tāmaki Makaurau and Northland.

Please note: It is a requirement that you must already hold a NZ Passport or valid working visa to apply for this role.

We are looking for someone who is interested in farming as a career and wants to work in our team.

JW107030©

Farm Manager

If you have any questions regarding the role, please contact Michelle Hill on 027 491 3265

Waipapa Station, Taupo

As a cooperative owned by 18,000 farming families we feel we have a responsibility to play our part in nurturing and growing future leaders for the primary sector. As such we are introducing an associate director role to assist in this leadership development.

Travel & Tourism

FARMERS WEEKLY – May 10, 2021

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

29

HIGH COUNTRY JOURNEYS

4X4 TAGALONG TOURS Adventures - 4WD Tours

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

Information packs are available for the 2022 season

TWO STUNNING 4WD SELF DRIVE OPTIONS

Bring your own 4X4 on a guided tour to discover more of the South Island.

South Island High Country Grand Slam Self drive your own 4WD from Blenheim to Cardona in Central Otago through a network of high country tracks including Molesworth on this 7 day 8 night tour.

Molesworth Station, St James and Rainbow Stations

LK0106930©

Other dates available for groups of 6 or more people on request

www.nzadventures.co.nz

Both these tours are; Fully guided with radio contact; Fully catered and stay in very comfortable lodge and farmstays; Made up of smaller tour groups (7-9 vehicles) and travel at a quieter pace.

Ph: 0274 351 955 Email info@southislandtoursnz.com www.southislandtoursnz.com

NOW TAKING BOOKINGS FOR 2022/23 SEASON Contact John Mullholland Phone 027 228 8152 • RANFURLY info@highcountryjourneys.co.nz

www.highcountryjourneys.co.nz

LK0106607©

info@nzadventures.co.nz Ph: 03 218 8569 027 550 6727 or 027 435 4267

The Great Explorer Self drive from Lake Ohau to Cardrona through the majestic high country and Tussockslands of the Mackenzie Basin, Central Otago and Northern Southland with this 5 day 6 night tour.

LK0106835©

Dates 2022: Jan 9-12; Feb 5-8, 20-23, March 13-16, 20-23, 27-30; April 3-6, 24-27

We’re Jimmy and Jase, owner operators of Take It Easy Tours. We’re local kiwi lads who know New Zealand like the back of our hand and felt guilty about keeping such a treasure to ourselves.

EXCLUSIVE OFFER!

Take It Easy Tours deliver stress free, enjoyable tours where everything is taken care of. We know that once you’ve been on one tour you’ll be back, and we can’t wait to welcome you with open arms into our Take it Easy family.

Farmers Weekly Customers

$100 OFF FIRST BOOKING

NEW CUSTOMERS ONLY

Why choose us?

Unique itineraries Crafted by qualified tourism experts, taking you to places you can’t find on Google

Comfort in numbers Our tours are restricted to small groups to ensure a relaxing and enjoyable experience

Good Kiwi lads Owner/operators Jimmy and Jase, ensure every tour is memorable and will have you coming back for more

Fully escorted Door to door service with a friendly smile so you can sit back, relax and take it easy

Great Barrier Island: April 2021 Autumn in the South: May 2021 Southern Explorer: May 2021 Hawkes Bay: June 2021 South Island Rail Experience: July - August 2021 Fiordland: August 2021 South Island High Country: Late September 2021 Wild West Coast: October 2021 Waiheke Island: November 2021 North Island Late Spring Escape: November 2021 Marlborough Sounds Cruise: December 2021 Pitt and Chatham Islands: December 2021

Call in or visit www.takeiteasytours.nz to sign up and win!

VISIT OUR WEBSITE OR CONTACT US FOR FULL ITINERARIES AND PRICING

www.takeiteasytours.nz

Phone 06 344 7465 | Freephone 0508 482269

| Email info@takeiteasytours.nz

Travel further with Farmers Weekly Promote or find your next adventure in our Travel & Tourism section published monthly.

Next issue – June 14: Booking deadline Wednesday June 9 - 12 noon

To advertise your travel products and services contact: Debbie 06 323 0765 or email classifieds@globalhq.co.nz www.farmersweekly.co.nz

LK0106086© LK0106086©

Step Inside Our World of Adventure

30

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

Noticeboard

DOLOMITE NZ’s finest BioGro certified Mg fertiliser For a delivered price call ....

Lease land wanted to grow export hay.

South Island wide.

Large areas of lease land required. Dryland and irrigated. Would consider anything.

0800 436 566

LK0106110©

Please phone or text Andrew Quigley 027 436 9307 andrew.quigley@quigleyfeeds.co.nz

PLANTS FOR THE PLANET

SCOTTY’S CONTRACTORS NZ’s #1 Under Woolshed/Covered Yards Cleaning Specialist For Over A Decade WORKING KING COUNTRY AREA Book your shed now

LK0107004©

Good quality, well priced native plants

wetawoods.co.nz

Ph: Scott Newman 027 26 26 272 0800 27 26 88

LK107034©

Weta Woods Nursery

scottnewman101@gmail.com

We also clean out and remetal cattle yards – Call us!

ANIMAL HANDLING

DOGS WANTED

FORESTRY

FLY OR LICE problem?

Electrodip – the magic eye sheepjetter since 1989 with unique self adjusting sides.

Incredible chemical and time savings with proven effectiveness.

Phone 07 573 8512 w w w. e l e c t r o d i p . c o m

12 MONTHS TO 5½-yearold Heading dogs and Huntaways wanted. Phone 022 698 8195.

NATIVE FOREST FOR MILLING also Macrocarpa and Red Gum, New Zealand wide.

We can arrange permits and plans. Also after milled timber to purchase.

NEW ZEALAND NATIVE TIMBER SUPPLIERS (WGTN) LIMITED 04 293 2097 Richard.

WORD ONLY ADVERTISING. Phone Marie on 0800 85 25 80.

www.underthewoolshed.kiwi

CHILLERS & FREEZERS

See TradeME #2251190054 [For farmers and hunters]

CRAIGCO SHEEP JETTERS. Sensor Jet. Deal to fly and Lice now. Guaranteed performance.

Unbeatable pricing.

Phone 06 835 6863. www.craigcojetters.com

Phone Mark 0800 478 729 or Tracey 027 554 1841

021 441 180 (JC)

QUALITY Feeds You Can TRUST

frigidair@xtra.co.nz

Register at: mossburnrugby.co.nz MC for the weekend: Jamie McKay

Selling something?

Saturday: Kids games, photos, senior rugby game, evening function with dinner and band

Advertise in Farmers Weekly

Sunday: Brunch, Hinds game, and invitation game

Contact Debbie: 0800 85 25 80

More Info: Rachel rachel.pamela.naylor@gmail.com

LK0106965©

Friday night: Registrations and auction with guest speakers

NEW OWNER $500 REDUCTION - MAY ONLY SPECIAL -

TOWABLE FLAIL MOWER 13.5HP. Briggs & Stratton Motor.

Electric start. 1.2m cut GST $4400 INCLUSIVE

$3900

Got something to sell?

Advertise in Farmers Weekly Phone 0800 85 25 80 or email classifieds@globalhq.co.nz

LK0106798©

GST INCLUSIVE

To find out more visit www.moamaster.co.nz

WILTSHIRES-ARVIDSON. Self shearing sheep. No1 for Facial Eczema. David 027 2771 556.

RED DEVON BULLS. Waimouri stud, Feilding.

Phone 027 224 3838.

THE PRESSURE IS ON FARMERS. THE BEEF INDUSTRY NEEDS TO BE BETTER. WE DONT NEED LESS CATTLE WE JUST NEED BETTER PERFORMING AND MORE EFFICIENT CATTLE.USING CHAROLAIS WILL OUT PERFORM THE REST.

classifieds@globalhq.co.nz

Ph 028 461 5112 • Email: mowermasterltd@gmail.com

HAY FOR SALE 15 EQUIVALENT ROUNDS $75+gst; Shed stored squares $75+gst.

BALEAGE $75+gst. Unit loads available. Top quality.

Phone 021 455 787.

LIVESTOCK FOR SALE

WE NEED TO BREED BETTER AND FEED BETTER. START WITH A CHAROLAIS

When only the best will do!

Mossburn Rugby Club Centennial 4th-6thJune 2021

PROMOTES QUICK PASTURE growth. Only $6+gst per hectare delivered. 0508-GIBBGRO [0508 442 247] www. gibbgro.co.nz. “The Proven One.”

WORD ONLY ADVERTISING. Phone Marie on 0800 85 25 80.

BE GREEN GO WHITE!

LK0107055©

udly NZ Made Pro Since 1975

BUYING, SELLING DOGS NZ Wide. www. youtube.com/user/ mikehughesworkingdog/ videos email: mikehughesworkingdogs@ farmside.co.nz 07 315 5553

GIBB-GRO GROWTH PROMOTANT

GOATS WANTED. All weights. All breeds.

Prompt service. Payment on pick up. My on farm prices will not be beaten.

Phone David Hutchings 07 895 8845 or 0274 519 249. Feral goats mustered on a 50/50 share basis.

HORTICULTURE

NZ KELP. FRESH, wild ocean harvested giant kelp. The world’s richest source of natural iodine.

Dried and milled for use in agriculture and horticulture.

Growth promotant / stock health food. As seen on Country Calendar. Orders to: 03 322 6115 or info@nzkelp. co.nz

Look towards the future

LK0107006©

Available in Squares & Rounds

WORD ONLY ADVERTISING. For only $2.10 + gst per word you can book a word only ad in Farmers Weekly Classifieds.

Phone Marie on 0800 85 25 80.

WANTED

GOATS WANTED

Livestock Noticeboard

Become self-sufficient

BARLEY & WHEAT STRAW RYE GRASS STRAW MEADOW HAY LUCERNE & MEADOW BALEAGE

FARMERS WEEKLY – May 10, 2021

CHAROLAIS CROSS CATTLE WILL REACH THEIR TARGET WEIGHT AT A YOUNGER AGE AND YIELD HIGHER. STUDIES SHOW THE CATTLE THAT ARE GONE THE QUICKEST HAVE THE LEAST ENVIRONMENTAL FOOTPRINT.

THEY, • EAT LESS FEED • CONSUME LESS WATER • HAVE LOWER METHANE PRODUCTION • HAVE LOWER NITROGEN EXCRETION www.charolais.net.nz FB & INSTAGRAM@charolaisbreedersnz

Livestock Noticeboard

FARMERS WEEKLY – May 10, 2021

SALE TALK

BULL SALE THURSDAY 20th MAY 2021 54 YEARS of BREEDING SHORTHORNS

“Everything is big in Texas,” says the bellhop.

31

Auahi Charolais

MORTON SHORTHORNS

blind man visits Texas. When he gets to his hotel room, he feels the bed. “Wow, this bed is big!”

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

Henderson Partners

Pio Pio

Est. 1981

Sale date 27th May – 1pm On offer is 27 R2 Bulls 10 R3 IC heifers In calf to a proven easy calving sire

The man heads downstairs to the bar, settles into a huge barstool and orders a beer. A mug is placed between his hands.

“Wow these drinks are big!”

The bartender replies, “Everything is big in Texas.”

Come and see us at our sale on Thursday 20th May @ 1pm.

Any enquires contact Ken Morton • Ph: (07) 552 0815 Craig Morton • Ph: 021 520 244 Facebook.com/mortonshorthorns Email: mortons76@xtra.co.nz

The blind man heads for the bathroom but accidentally enters the third door, which leads to the swimming pool, and he falls in.

Popping his head up from under the water and flailing his arms, he shouts, “Don’t flush, don’t flush!”

Hemmingford Maximum

This is our first offering from our $27,000 bull Hemmingford Maximum – the perfect finishing sire.

KAIRURU

Here at Farmers Weekly we get some pretty funny contributions to our Sale Talk joke from you avid readers, and we’re keen to hear more!

LK0107015©

After downing a few, the blind man asks where the bathroom is. “Second door to the right,” says the bartender.

Enquiries phone John Henderson 027 633 1776

POLLED HEREFORDS

SINCE 1979

JUNE 9TH AT 1PM

30TH ANNUAL SALE

ON FARM SALE

at Kairuru, Reporoa (midway Rotorua – Taupo) BULL SALE - 8th JUNE 2021

26th March at 1:00pm

40 Performance Bulls - Auction Starts 12 Noon

LK0106591©

If you’ve got a joke you want to share with the Farming community (it must be something you’d share with your grandmother...) then email us at: saletalk@globalhq.co.nz with Sale Talk in the subject line and we’ll print it and credit it to you.

Commercially Farmed Herd in Tararua Hill Country - Focusing on Profit Driving Traits

28 R2YR BULLS FREE DELIVERY

KEVIN & JANE Mc McDONALD (REPOROA) 07 333 8068 • 027 451 0640 JEFF & NICOLA McDONALD McDONALD 021 510 351 • kairuruNZ@gmail.com

Conditions apply

Sons of Feature Sire

TH Frontier 174E Multi Trait Leading Low Birth High Growth

Lot 10

Livestock advertising?

Going Going Gone!

Contact Ella:

0800 85 25 80

livestock@globalhq.co.nz

Poll Hereford Bulls - Available for viewing anytime.

Stuart 027 8484408 Lot 16

Lot 5

Need to mooooove stock?

2021 AVERAGE OF GLENBRAE SALE BULLS ‘VS’ BREED AVERAGE EBV

Birth Wt.

200D Wt.

400D Wt.

600D Wt.

Milk

Scrotal Size

Carcase Wt.

EMA

Rib

Rump

Glenbrae sale bulls av

+4.8

+41

+70

+99

+19

+2.5

+67

+3.7

+0.7

+0.8

NZ Breed av.

+4.1

+33

+55

+78

+17

+2.1

+52

+3.6

+0.7

+0.8

30 Powerful Poll Hereford

Glenbrae Annual Bull Sale 1019 Mangaorapa Rd, Porangahau. Thursday 2pm. 3rd June 2021

705 Mangakaretu Road RD2, KeriKeri 0295 Shane & Dot Dromgool

Advertise your stock in Farmers Weekly.

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

Livestock Advertising?

Call Ella: 0800 85 25 80

13 in-calf ANNUAL ON-FARM AUCTION Friday 21 May 2021 – 1pm

Douglas 027 9197150

Or Your Agent

Mary Taylor PH: 06 8555322 Andy & Emma Martin PH: 068555348 E: taylors@glenbraestud.co.nz View Online: www.glenbraestud.co.nz

R2yr heifers 13 heifer calves

7 heifer calves 7 bull calves

Registered Polled Herefords Registered Speckle Parks Storth Oaks Angus

21 Perform a Bulls for A nce uction

“Genetics still available” 96 bulls sell: 96 average in top 5% of breed for AP index 96 average in top 10% for SR index 96 average +2.93 for IMF

LINDSAY JONES

KEVIN & JANE McDONALD LK0107054©

07 333 8068

Contact: Shane Dromgool 021 0295 2030 Email: s.d.dromgool@actrix.co.nz Neil Miller 027 497 3492 Carrfields Livestock

Cam Heggie 027 501 8182 PGG Wrightson

Bruce Orr 027 492 2122 Carrfields Livestock

www.longviewshorthorns.co.nz

0274 528 603

2021 on farm & bidr simultaneously streamed Annual Sale Wednesday 2nd June, 1 pm Tim & Kelly Brittain 524 Paewhenua Rd,RD 2, Otorohanga. 3972 Phone: 07 873 2816 Mob: 027 5935387 Email: tim@storthoaks.co.nz www.storthoaks.co.nz facebook.com/storthoaksangus

storthoaks

twitter@storthoaksangus

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

Livestock Noticeboard

FARMERS WEEKLY – May 10, 2021

ARE YOU GETTING TOO MANY BULL BREAKDOWNS?

LK0106999©

32

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

Waigroup bulls are backed with a rigorous guarantee. CALL US TODAY

41 ST

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

THURSDAY 10TH JUNE 2021

WANTED Store Lambs 25-30kg

C

Beef Bulls 420kg +

RS

Dairy X Steers 300kg

RS

Beef Heifers 200kg

RS

FOR SALE C

400 Autumn born wnr Frs bulls.

Available for contract, end Aug/Sept delivery.

RS

Richard Seavill Chris Smith Chris yle Jason Roberts Bryce oung

VISITORS & ENQUIRIES WELCOME PINEBANK Established 1919 Willie Falloon Ph: (06) 372 7041 E: falloon@xtra.co.nz

021 169 8276 027 96 7 1 # |

06 7 6 8968

027 96 7 12

07 88 7 12

|

027 707 1271 027 96 7 11

07 823 4559

LK0106833©

Ready to talk some Bull?

OPAWA SIMMENTALS

byllivestock

“Some of the finest bulls in the south.”

“Better Bulls, Better Profit”

Structurally sound with real depth, genuine thickness, top temperaments.

Bulls sold on Bidr online 26th May 2021

Contact Ella: 0800 85 25 80 or email livestock@globalhq.co.nz

All bulls independently tested for fertility, soundness & BVD.

20 Bulls and 50 In Calf Commercial Heifers

Friday 21st May 2021

BULL OPEN DAY

Friday 14th May 12pm to 5pm 64 Alec Robins Road, Queenstown

1.30pm at 260 Rutherford Rd, Albury, South Canterbury

DAVID & JAYNE TIMPERLEY

76 WILFRED ROAD, RD 14, Cave 7984 Ph: 03 685 5785 | Mob: 0274 375 881 Email: opawadowns@gmail.com

LK0107047©

www.anguswaigroup.co.nz

RS

Frs X Steers 380kg

_______________________________

All bulls i50k and structurally assessed.

GLANWORTH Established 1952 Shaun Fouhy Ph: (06) 376 8869 E: glanworthfarm@gmail.com

100 In-calf Ang/Frs Heifers 380kg

Contact Mike Smith 021 975 269 mike@kangus.co.nz www.kcangus.co.nz Inspection & enquiries welcome

At

Carrfields Roger Keach 027 417 8641 PGG Wrightson Craig Knight 027 590 1331 Rural Livestock Paul Mavor 027 473 0100

MYLIVESTOCK STUD SALES MAY TO JULY 2021

ELITE IN CALF PEDIGREE HEIFER AUCTION

200 x FRSN/FRSN X IN MILK COWS

A/c: LOCHBURN SHORTHORN STUD

BW’s up to 200 PW’s up to 528

Kelvin Stokes,

A/c: D & J SCOTT TRUST

Cnr Speedy & Driver Roads,

TUESDAY 18TH MAY 2021 12 NOON

Horsham Downs, Taupiri

739 Oreipunga Road, Horahora

Wednesday 19th May 2021 • 3pm

Fonterra 73992

Selling 8 Lots of exceptional VIC Heifers

Due to the loss of a lease our vendors are offering their

Purchase your pick Heifer

entire autumn calved herd.

out of the 2 in the ring

The focus has been to breed a capacious cow that can really

Hybrid Auction Sale streamed live via

produce, using CRV for the past 25 years.

MyLiveStock

Last seasons production – 495ms/per cow. Avg SCC 156.

MyLivestock bidding platform

Calving commenced 15th March (8 weeks) currently

available

producing 1.8ms – on track for 2.1ms.

Please register at mylivestock.co.nz

These genuine cows will be offered in great condition.

24 hours prior to the sale or phone

For all enquiries contact:

0800 695 483

Vendor: Duncan Scott 027 500 2374

For all enquiries contact:

Catalogues available on MyLivestock.co.nz Hybrid Auction Sale streamed live via MyLivesStock

LK0106938©

NZFLL Agent: Stu Wells 027 282 8204 JW107014©

GUIDE TO USING OUR ONLINE LIVE AUCTION PLATFORM Getting Started - how to get verified to participate in an Auction.

Create an account with MyLiveStock. Login to MyLiveStock.

Once you have created an account you can go to the Live Auction and be a viewer only user.

If you wish to bid on the Live Auction portal, submit your NZFL Account Number/Code (8 digit numerical account code found on an invoice or credit note on the top right hand side).

We will allocate a unique online Permanent Bidder ID number. You will be notified of this by email once complete.

If you are not a current NZFL account holder you are required to apply and complete the necessary documentation and credit checks. If you cannot remember your NZFL Account Number/Code or Permanent Bidder Number phone 0800 695 483 and we will get you set up and verified. You can now access the Live Auction page.

You must agree to the Terms & conditions to enable bidding and before each auction begins.

IN MILK AUTUMN HERD

Vendor: Kelvin Stokes 0274 844 672 Agent: Brent Bougen 0272 104 698 NZFL Stud Stock Agent

LK0107005©

ONLINE PLATFORM OPERATING 19th May Kelvin Stokes, Shorthorn Female Sale 3pm Horsham Downs 1st June Tarangower Angus Rockend Hereford 11.30am Mahoenui 2nd June Hingaia Angus 4.30pm Te Awamutu 3rd June Shian Angus 11am Taumarunui Blackridge Angus 2pm Taumarunui Puke-Nui 4.30pm Taumarunui 4th June Limousin Sale 12 Noon Matamata 9th June Riverlee Hereford Stud 1.30pm Kimbolton 10th June Ipurua South Devon 1pm Te Kuiti Saleyards 11th June Rolling Rock Angus 10am Te Akau 17th June Waitawheta Angus 1pm Paeroa 5th July Te Puna Hereford Kerikeri

Livestock Noticeboard STOCK FOR SALE

On Farm Sale Monday, 24th May 2021 - 1.30pm

Lines R2YR FRSN BULLS 340 360 up to 480kgs

1775 MANGAONE VALLEY ROAD EKETAHUNA

66 M/A COWS ANG H X 15th Nov Sim

NATIONWIDE DAIRY SPECIALISTS

80 ANG H X M/A COWS Sim Bull due Sept

Go to: www.carrfieldslivestock.co.nz Register your requirements and be informed when new listings arrive

80 SOUTH

80 1YR

DEVON COWS 1/11 CS

CHAROLAIS HEIFERS 270kgs

Many other lines of Steers, Bulls Heifers

Mark, Anthony and Di Eagle ‘Chessfield’ 1775 Mangaone Valley Rd Eketahuna p: 06 376 8256 e: eagleeketahuna@xtra.co.nz

SELECTION OF LISTINGS:

Full details on our website

• DR2226 - 23x Frsn in-calf cows BW112 PW59, R/A 100% - DTC 15/7, Frsn content of 2nd calvers Big herd, 80% i/c to AB $1550 Call: Ben 027 702 4196

STOCK REQUIRED

2000 EARLY LAMBING EWES

• DH2235 - 70x Frsn/FrsnX herd BW126 PW145 R/A 97%, 500ms, DTC 15/7, total herd, $2000 Call: Brent 027 551 3660

www.dyerlivestock.co.nz

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

Kaimoa South Devons have pleasure in putting forward 22 Bulls in 2021 We are committed to producing meaty bulls with good frame, constitution and temperament.

With clients’ needs in mind we have sourced new genetics from overseas to maintain the highest qualities in our bulls.

PMS – n/a

RGB – 255, 255, 255

CMYK – 50, 28, 24, 65

CMYK – 0, 0, 0, 0

HTML – 3c4c54

ENQUIRIES TO: Cam Waugh 027 480 0898

LK0106966©

PETERS ANGUS

1910 State Highway 8, Beaumont, RD1 Lawrence 9591, Otago www.petersgenetics.co.nz

MACHINERY: • John Deere 6115R & JD340 Loader 3465hrs • Honda TRX 500 & quid top year 2012 27,000km, 3790hrs just had service • 2017 Kinghitter post driver three rams 227kg weight • International 445 baler 1 owner 60,000 bales • 2010 Robertson super combi, joystick control, tilting elevator • Duncan Renovator c/w disc openers 19 run single box • 2013 Pottinger Hit 540 tedder 4 rotor • 2001 Sam 4.75 ton tandem axle fert spreader • PZ HS 360 hay rake (late model) • 2014 Pottinger Novadisc 265 mower • Paddon 10-reel V rake hyd lift (as new) • Hooper 2400 off set disc 3.1m (560mm-25”) A/c Noel Luckman • Giltrap RF13 feed out wagon (5yrs old, new condition) • John Deere 6125M (approx. 2800hrs, 5yrs old)

Winners of the Steak of Origin 2018 1447 Hereheretau Rd, RD 6, WAIROA 4196 www.kerrahsimmentals.co.nz

SIXTH ANNUAL ON-FARM AUCTION

Tangiwai Station, Wairoa • 1PM, Tuesday, 25 May 2021 th

Jon Knauf

80+

POLLED PERF BULLS FO ORMANCE R AUCTIO N

“Where Performance Meats Phenotype” Jon Knauf 06 838 6793 E: jsknauf@gisborne.net.nz

Phil Transom 0274 420 060 PGG Wrightson

AUCTIONEERS NOTE: A large array of quality farm machinery and sundries.

Terms strictly cash on day of sale unless purchaser has a current Carrfields Livestock account. Eftpos available.

Quality outside entries welcome.

Ross Mitchell 0274 048 965 Fergus Rural

Beef up your bull knowledge

Enquiries to Carrfields Agent: Alf Kinzett 027 241 8919 Refer to our website for full listings:

www.carrfieldslivestock.co.nz

COMPRISING: • 340 Frsn/FrsnX & Jsy X Herd BW82 PW115 R/A 83% • 46 Frsn/FrsnX I/C Heifers BW118 PW135 R/A 100% DETAILS: • Milked on a OAD system for 2 seasons, producing 400kg/ms • Bulk seasonal cell count of 158,000 – verified by factory statements • HB shed, system 3, TB C10, Lepto Vacc • Herd DTC 15/7 – 6 wks AB to LIC Friesian, vetted to dates • Herd T/O with easy Calve beef X bulls.

Bulls out 24/12 • Blanket dry cow with Cepravin on 25/4 • I/C Hfrs DTC from 22/7 to Jsy. Removed 22/12 • This relocated herd & heifers from Northland sold with a 3 week I/C warranty from auction day.

AUCTIONEERS NOTE: Due to unforeseen circumstances, property is being sold and this established wellconditioned herd and replacements are offered for sale. BBQ lunch supplied.

Delivery can be taken immediately or by the 31st May. No trucking day of sale.

PAYMENT TERMS: Delayed payment is due on 20th September 2021.

ENQUIRIES TO:

Stock sale coming up?

LK0107071©

Subscribe to our bull sale results eNewsletter to receive up to date results and commentary from sales across the nation. farmersweekly.co.nz/enewsletters

LAST CHANCE HERD AUCTION

A/c Lombardy Farms Ltd Managed by Jaiden & Hannah Drought On Thursday 20th May 2021 at 191 Mangawhero Road Auroa, Taranaki Start time: 10:30am D/N 41597

CLEARING SALE

A/c Hunter Farms Limited 37 Matakitaki Road Six Mile, Murchison Tuesday 18th May at 11:00am

Contact: Justin Wallis (Stud Master) 027 225 8330 or Clayton Peters 027 222 4421

Contact your local agent or call: Trevor Hancock 027 283 8389 or Paul Kane: 027 286 9279

Established for 30yrs Friesian & Friesian X & Jersey X Herd

JW107048©

PMS – PMS 445 C RGB – 60, 76, 64

CMYK – 0, 80, 95, 0 HTML – f15a29

LK0106996©

AUCTIONEERS NOTE: Taumata’s weaners have been weaned over a month on coastal hill country. Sired by Kakahu South Island Bulls. The sires are all A+ Angus Pure index, which puts them in the top 25% of the total Angus breed.

Very renowned for their shifting ability.

ONLINE 11am Tuesday 1st June 2021 AUCTION Auction to be held at Beaumont Pub Inspections welcome from 9.30am Prior viewing by appointment only - Beaumont Township, 1910 State Highway 8 Open day: Friday 14th May, Beaumont Township PMS – PMS 173 C

• DH2014 - 250x OAD Jrsy herd BW133, PW144, R/A 85%, DTC 20/7, AB 3wks, hard farm, $1475 Call: Andrew 027 449 1228

COMPRISING: • 300 Weaner Angus Steers • 160 Weaner Angus Heifers

26 RISING 2 YEAR OLD BULLS

CONTACT: for catalogue

• DR2091 - 117x Pred. Frsn herd BW59 PW-4, R/A 97%, DTC 8/7, Farm sold, 90% to AB, $1500 Call: Andrew 027 487 2044

on 14/5/21 at Te Kuiti Saleyards A/c Taumata Moana Stn, Te Anga

12th Annual Bull Sale

PROFIT-A-BULL EXCELLENCE

• DH2233 - 49x Xbred R1yr hfrs BW201 PW210, G3 profiled Capital line. Top notch. $1000 Call: Brent 027 551 3660

TE KUITI SALE

in conjunction with

RGB – 241, 90, 41

33

LK0105993©

KAIMOA

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

Give Ella a bell: 0800 85 25 80

Carrfields Livestock Agent: Colin Dent 027 646 8908 or colin.dent@carrfields.co.nz

LK0106899©

FARMERS WEEKLY – May 10, 2021

Vendors: Jaiden & Hannah Drought 027 464 5200 Dave & Trish Dent 027 425 5016 Or your local Carrfields Representative View our Catalogue at

www.carrfieldslivestock.co.nz

34

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

Livestock Noticeboard

FARMERS WEEKLY – May 10, 2021

POSTPONED

WAGYU PUREBRED NEW ZEALAND LTD

Complete dispersal sale of NZ foundation purebred Wagyu herd.

Advertise your livestock in the Farmers Weekly.

It’s no bull.

Acc Client: McCool Family NEW Sale date: 23rd June, 2021 Wellsford Saleyards. Sale starts 11am Comprising of: Rising 1 Year 60 x Heifers 45 x Steers 58 x Bulls Rising 2 Year 92 x VIC Heifers 80 x Steers Mixed Age 365 x VIC Cows (tally subject to VIC) 13 x Sire Bulls Approximate Tallies BVD Free.

Contact PGG Wrightson Agent: Richard Healey 027 972 7372 rich.healey@pggwrightson.co.nz

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

Going Going Gone!

Key: Dairy

FEILDING COW SALE Thursday 20th May, 11.30am Feilding Saleyards Complex A/C Siberia Stn Turakina Valley 195 R3yr Hereford Hfrs VIC Ang Bull 1/12 Hfrs sourced from Beaumont Stn, Maniototo as Ylgs every year.

Farmed on Steep Hill Country Great Shifting Cattle.

Further Enquiries: Maurice Stewart 0272 469 255

FEILDING COW SALE Thursday 20th May, 11.30am

Cattle

Sheep

Other

MANAWATU/RANGITIKEI ANGUS BREEDERS INSPECTION DAYS The following breeders will be having bull inspections by appointment only over the following 3 days: Monday 17th May Tuesday 18th May Wednesday 19th May Atahua | Alan Dalziell 06 328 9784 Merchiston | Richard Rowe 06 322 8608 Pine Park | Ed Sherriff 06 327 6591 Ranui | Lindsay Johnstone 06 342 9795 To make an appointment please contact the breeder(s).

For any further information contact: Ryan Shannon 0275 650 979

Feilding Saleyards Complex A/C H & C Blackburn Ltd. Ohakune 130 4 - 8yr Ang + Ang/Hfd Cows VIC Angus + Hereford 18/12 Capital Stock Change in farming policy Further enquiries: Maurice Stewart 0272 469 255

CANCELLED WAIROA COW & CATTLE SALE Thursday 13th May 2021, 11am Enquiries to: Ian Rissetto 0274 449 347 06 838 8604 Mason Birrell 0274 967 253 06 838 7091 Jamie Hayward 0274 347 586

Call Ella:

0800 85 25 80 Helping grow the country

OKAHU

Polled Herefords

51st ANNUAL BULL SALE Thursday 20 May 2021, 3pm Closed Herd No trading cattle Approximately 25 two-year old bulls to be sold on property BVD clear & vaccinated – TB status C10 Semen tested – 2 x Covexin 10 Contact: Kelly O’Neill 06 385 4558 Callum Stewart, National Genetics Manager, PGG Wrightson 027 280 2688 Ken Roberts, PGG Wrightson Livestock Representative 0275 918 042 Okahu Herefords are run under natural conditions at an altitude of 2000 feet and over, near Mt Ruapehu. Our aim is to breed hardy, heavy muscled, good hindquartered cattle for the beef market, which can compete with sheep on the hills.

Kelly O’Neill – 7425 Valley Road, RD6, Raetihi 4696

OKAHU – Over 100 years of breeding Herefords

The Clearing Sale specialists

Need to mooooove stock?

Contact your local rep today.

Freephone 0800 10 22 76 | www.pggwrightson.co.nz

.co.nz 0800 TO BIDR (0800 86 2437)

Helping grow the country

Call Ella: 0800 85 25 80

Bid online Bid on farm

Livestock Noticeboard

FARMERS WEEKLY – May 10, 2021

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

35

NZ’s Virtual Saleyard UPCOMING AUCTIONS

BULL WALK - Thursday 20th May 2021 9.00-9.30am

Tapiri Stud Rob & Lucy Thorneycroft

9.55-10.25am

Te Whanga Stud

11.25-11.55am

Pinebank Stud Willie & Angela Falloon

12.05-12.35pm

Light lunch provided Jason Coffey, at Gladstone Inn Paddy, Sarah & Rob Borthwick Gladstone Inn – If intending

10.40-11.10am

Dandaloo Stud Angus & Trish Thomson

having lunch phone: Joan 06 3722838 or email: centralwaiangus@xtra.co.nz

1.10-1.40pm

Monday, 10 May 2021 7.00pm Kauri Gold First Annual Female Sale

3.05-3.35pm

KayJay Stud Glanworth Neil, Joan, Rod & Sam Kjestrup Stud

Tuesday, 11 May 2021 10.00am NZ Herefords National Seed Stock Sale **LIVESTREAM ONLY**

Joe & Lea, Shaun & Fi Fouhy

1.50-2.20pm

Oregon Stud Keith & Gae Higgins

Thursday, 13 May 2021 7.00pm Lindsay Park Reduction Sale

OR CONTACT YOUR LOCAL LIVESTOCK AGENT

Tuesday, 18 May 2021 7.00pm Thornton Park Ayrshire Sale

e

com l e w l l A

PGG Wrightson John Griffith & Co Ltd Carrfields CR Nelson Ltd Kiwi Livestock Ltd Ed Wallace Livestock Absolute Livestock Steve Wilkinson John Griffith Chris McBride Craig Nelson Ray Spencer Ed Wallace Brian Grant 0275 94 5110 0274 83 6679 0275 65 1145 021 457 127 021 544 791 027 272 2843 027 4315 348

Wednesday, 19 May 2021 1.00pm Aniwaniwa Speckle Park Bull Sale For more information go to bidr.co.nz or contact the team on 0800 TO BIDR

Livestock Advertising? Call Ella: 0800 85 25 80 2021 BULL SALES BULL WALK

A great chance to see around 1100 R2 Bulls over four days that will be auctioned this season.

Prior viewing would be available by arrangement with Vendors, or the Agents listed below.

SOUTH & MID CANTERBURY Tuesday 25th May 10am to 4pm Meadowslea Angus, Fairlie Merrylea Hereford, Cave Orari Gorge Hereford, Geraldine Okawa Hereford, Mayfield Matatoki Hereford, Cave Mt Possession Angus, Mt Somers Tuesday 25th May 1pm to 4pm Kakahu Angus & Charolais, Geraldine Stern Angus, Pleasant Point

David Giddings James McKerchar Robert Peacock Nick France Paul Scott Ryan Hussey

03 685 8027 03 614 3332 03 692 2893 03 303 9749 03 612 9962 03 303 9867

Tom Hargreaves James Fraser

03 697 4979 03 614 7080

CENTRAL CANTERBURY Wednesday 26th May 12pm to 4pm Sudeley Angus, Irwell Silverstream Charolais & Hereford, Greenpark Burtergill South Devon, West Melton

Andrew Laing Brent Fisher Richard Van Asch

03 329 1709 0272 514 791 021 191 5584

NORTH CANTERBURY Thursday 27th May 10am to 4pm Red Oak Angus, Weka Pass Grampians Angus, Culverden Hemingford Charolais, Culverden Kaiwara Angus, Culverden Grassmere Hereford & Riverlands Angus, Cheviot Capethorne Hereford, Cheviot Te Mania Angus, Conway Flat Richon Hereford, Amberley Beechwood Hereford, Amberley Woodburn Hereford, Amberley

Rick Orr Jono Reed Sam Holland George Johns Chris Jeffries Greg Chamberlain Will Wilding Rob Stokes Rob Burrows Helen Molloy

0272 457 751 0272 580 732 0211 814 868 0221 983 599 0274 608 849 021 549 229 027 826 4015 027 757 1673 027 263 3582 0274 994 079

MARLBOROUGH BULL WALK Friday 28th May 10am to 4pm Matariki Herefords, Clarence Bridge Woodbank Angus, Clarence Bridge Taimate Angus, Ward Okiwi Angus, Queen Charlotte Brackenfield Angus, Awatere Leefield Station Angus, Waihopai Valley

James Murray Johnny Murray Paul Hickman George MacPherson Angus Peter Greg Crombie

027 486 6699 027 731 9430 021 575 155 03 574 1009 022 428 7906 0275 511 011

ST ARNAUD, WAKEFIELD & RAI VALLEY BULL WALK Friday 28th May 10am to 4pm Lake Herefords, St Arnaud Martin Farming Hereford & Angus, Wakefield Blacknight Angus, Rai Valley

Malcolm McConochie 021 251 0078 Richard Martin 027 230 3098 Ben Maisey 03 571 6271

Further Enquiries John McKone, PGG Wrightson Simon Eddington, PGG Wrightson Anthony Cox, Rural Livestock Callum Dunnett, Carrfields

027 529 9375 027 590 8612 027 208 3071 027 587 0131

Growing, Growing, GONE! PGG Wrightson Genetics Bull Sales are being held online NOW! You grow them, we sell them - contact your local PGG Wrightson Genetics Specialist today to find out how you can schedule your sale.

Bull Sales are being held online on bidr, find the list of confirmed sales here.

Go to: www.pggwrightson.co.nz/bullsales Or to view the upcoming sales go to:

www.bidr.co.nz

MARKET SNAPSHOT

36

Market Snapshot brought to you by the AgriHQ analysts.

Mel Croad

Suz Bremner

Reece Brick

Nicola Dennis

Sarah Friel

Caitlin Pemberton

Deer

Sheep

Cattle BEEF

SHEEP MEAT

VENISON

Last week

Prior week

Last year

NI Steer (300kg)

5.25

5.25

4.85

NI lamb (17kg)

7.25

7.00

6.50

NI Stag (60kg)

5.20

5.20

7.00

NI Bull (300kg)

5.15

5.15

4.85

NI mutton (20kg)

5.60

5.50

4.50

SI Stag (60kg)

5.35

5.35

7.00

NI Cow (200kg)

3.50

3.50

3.25

SI lamb (17kg)

6.90

6.70

6.30

SI Steer (300kg)

4.65

4.65

4.40

SI mutton (20kg)

5.40

5.25

4.00

SI Bull (300kg)

4.60

4.60

4.35

Export markets (NZ$/kg)

SI Cow (200kg)

3.20

3.15

2.90

UK CKT lamb leg

Slaughter price (NZ$/kg)

Last week Prior week

Last year

11.30

11.25

8.91

US domestic 90CL cow

8.19

7.40

9.93

North Island steer slaughter price 6.50

$/kg CW

9.0

5.50

5.0

$/kg CW

South Island steer slaughter price

6.50 $/kg CW

10.0 South Island lamb slaughter price

Oct

WOOL (NZ$/kg)

5-yr ave

Jun

2019-20

Dairy

Aug 2020-21

Feb

Apr 2019-20

Jun

Last week

Prior week

Last year

2.34

2.36

2.49

$/tonne

WMP

4250

4140

4030

SMP

2835

2830

2825

Apr-20

4140

4100

4050

Butter

3500

3460

3430

Milk Price

7.70

7.72

7.64

Jun-20

Aug-20

Oct-20

Dec-20

Feb-21

Apr-21

400

5.46

9.94

5.04

Auckland International Airport Limited

7.57

7.99

6.65

Mercury NZ Limited (NS)

6.9

7.6

5.79

Spark New Zealand Limited

4.56

4.97

4.37

Mainfreight Limited

76.4

77

64.85

Ryman Healthcare Limited

14.35

15.99

13.86

Fletcher Building Limited

7.28

7.55

5.67

Contact Energy Limited

7.72

11.16

6.6

The a2 Milk Company Limited

7.72

12.5

7.06

Listed Agri Shares

5pm, close of market, Thursday

Company

Close

YTD High

YTD Low

ArborGen Holdings Limited

0.177

0.195

0.161

The a2 Milk Company Limited

7.72

12.5

7.06

Comvita Limited

3.4

3.6

3.06

15.4

13.75

5.15

4.34

Foley Wines Limited

1.75

2.07

1.68

390

Livestock Improvement Corporation Ltd (NS)

1.17

1.17

0.81

385

Marlborough Wine Estates Group Limited

0.275

0.65

0.25

New Zealand King Salmon Investments Ltd

1.67

1.72

1.43

PGG Wrightson Limited

3.3

3.65

3.11

Rua Bioscience Limited

0.45

0.61

0.37

Sanford Limited (NS)

4.65

5.23

4.3

Scales Corporation Limited

4.57

5.09

4.22

395

Jun-20

Aug-20

Oct-20

Dec-20

Feb-21

Apr-21

Seeka Limited

5.4

5.68

4.66

Synlait Milk Limited (NS)

3.4

5.24

3.25

T&G Global Limited

350 $/tonne

27.1

Meridian Energy Limited (NS)

300

2.9

3

2.88

S&P/NZX Primary Sector Equity Index

13967

15491

13852

S&P/NZX 50 Index

12752

13558

12085

S&P/NZX 10 Index

12631

13978

11776

250 3000 May

Jun Jul Latest price

Aug

Sep 4 weeks ago

Oct

YTD Low

4.6

400

3500

36.55

14.9

WAIKATO PALM KERNEL

4000

YTD High

33.8

Delegat Group Limited

Apr-20

4500

Close

Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Corporation Ltd

Fonterra Shareholders' Fund (NS)

380

* price as at close of business on Thursday

WMP FUTURES - VS FOUR WEEKS AGO

787

Company

405

$/tonne

AMF

990

Top 10 by Market Cap

390

380

…

vs 4 weeks ago

990

DAP

M

…

M

J…

N …

S

…

J…

…

M

Prior week

314

-

CANTERBURY FEED BARLEY

Last price*

567

319

2.30

385

DAIRY FUTURES (US$/T)

672

319

2.20

6.00

Sept. 2022

672

30 micron lamb

395

Aug 2020-21

Urea

-

7.00

Jun

Last year

2.10

400

Apr 2019-20

Prior week

-

7.50

Feb

Last week

37 micron ewe

405

6.50

NZ average (NZ$/t)

Super

8.00

Nearby contract

Dec

FERTILISER

CANTERBURY FEED WHEAT

Sept. 2021

Oct

Fertiliser

Aug 2020-21

Grain

Data provided by

MILK PRICE FUTURES

5.50

Dec 5-yr ave

Coarse xbred ind.

Apr

7.0

5-yr ave

4.50 Feb

8.0

5.0

5.00

Dec

9.0

6.0

7.0

5.0

Oct

South Island stag slaughter price

11.0

8.0

5.50

4.00

$/kg MS

5.0

6.0

6.00

US$/t

6.0

9.0

4.00

7.0

7.0 6.0

4.50

8.0

8.0

6.00

5.00

9.0

$/kg CW

8.13

$/kg CW

8.19

Last year

10.0

10.33

North Island lamb slaughter price

Last week Prior week

North Island stag slaughter price

11.0

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

Slaughter price (NZ$/kg)

$/kg CW

Slaughter price (NZ$/kg)

William Hickson

Ingrid Usherwood

200

Apr-20

S&P/FW PRIMARY SECTOR EQUITY

Jun-20

Aug-20

Oct-20

Dec-20

Feb-21

Apr-21

13967

S&P/NZX 50 INDEX

12752

S&P/NZX 10 INDEX

12631

37

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – May 10, 2021

Pulse

WEATHER Soil Moisture

Overview It’s the battle between high pressure and low pressure as we continue through the month of May. One key change is we’re getting more lows between the highs now; a more consistent series of lows each week.

However, the increased high air pressure in the New Zealand area means these rainmakers are being broken up as they move in, especially for northern and eastern sides of both main islands.

We do have some relief this week – that’s the positive take away for those needing rain. However, for the most up-to-date and most accurate rain forecast totals in NZ, please take a look at your local forecast at www.RuralWeather. co.nz.

Wood markets back to booming

06/05/2021

Source: NIWA Data

Highlights

Temperature

Wind

It’s been a remarkably calm start to May for the most part, now we see a more traditional autumn pattern kicking in with high pressure more likely north of NZ, and that placement encourages windier westerlies down over the rest of NZ.

Highlights/ Extremes

With windier westerlies on the way that should mean milder overnight weather (less chances of frosts) and in the east, like Hawke’s Bay, a bump in daytime highs, with low to mid-20s possible – not ideal for keeping moisture in the soil.

14-day outlook

High pressure is still the main feature in the NZ area (as it has been for a few years now) but we are seeing an uptick in rainmakers. Put short, the next couple of weeks ahead will be less settled with more autumn-like windy westerlies. This westerly setup will encourage bigger rainfall totals in the west, but still leaning drier than normal in the east and the north of NZ.

Drier than average in the east of NZ and the very north of NZ. Windier westerlies kick back in this week and next. Nothing too severe on the radar, other than further heavy rain for the West Coast.

7-day rainfall forecast

0

5

10

20

30

40

50

60

80

100

200

400

A few rainmakers will try to penetrate into dry parts of NZ over the coming two weeks but not all will be successful. High pressure just east of the North Island means any cold fronts trying to move up NZ will fall apart as they head north. This happens twice this week, but some spillover is briefly possible. Check your local rainfall chances and totals at www.RuralWeather.co.nz. Much of the incoming rain chances are coming from the west/ Tasman Sea area.

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

T

Reece Brick reece.brick@globalhq.co.nz

HE wider log market has returned to form following what was a volatile and unsavoury spell last year. Like with a lot of commodities, it is China leading the market, though sales within New Zealand are going gangbusters too.

The export market has been snaking its way upwards for nine consecutive months, but it’s only since the new year that the market really got into its groove again. In that time wharf gate prices for A-grade logs have lifted from an average of $115/JASm3 to almost $150/JASm3.

The second half of 2020 saw a glut of softwood logs (pine and similar variants) sent into China from all countries – an average of 3.8 million tonnes per month – all while the world economy was scraping by. Understandably, this was keeping log prices muted. However, business confidence and activity has been on the rise in China since Q4 2020. Combine this with log supplies into China coming off their peak, mills receiving more cash for timber, a few logistical challenges and the awareness that NZ harvesting slows as winter approaches, and you have a recipe for strong buying from China.

Some of these lower log supplies into China are seasonal – shipments typically fall away around Chinese New Year, and through colder months in Europe. But Australia being effectively banned from China, and Russia focusing on processed wood rather than log sales, has freed up market space for NZ logs.

There is understandably some resistance to further price increases, but it is doubtful we’ll see any significant change in the market short-term. Port-level log stocks are continuing to decline, even with both North America and South America starting to send a few extra shipments to make the most of the current market.

It’s not all plain sailing though. Getting product to international markets remains a bit of a battle, much like with other commodities leaving NZ. Last month average shipping costs were more than

double what was being paid at the end of last year, reaching the highest levels since 2010. Backlogs at ports globally are restricting the availability of shipping capacity, causing transport companies to prioritise main shipping routes, of which NZ is nowhere near. This is even more noticeable through the South Island, given the extra travel distance and smaller loads collected at each port.

If both shipping and exchange rates were around the same level as winter last year, it’s likely that A-grade export logs would be making $50/JASm3 more than was being paid last month.

Almost all sectors of the domestic market are going strong too, mainly due to the very fiery housing market pushing greater new home builds and renovation work. The only exception is the paper industry, where newsprint production is only a third of what it was in late-2019.

Residential building consents through Q1 ballooned out to 1.63 million m2, a little more than 300,000 m2 above the five-year average, which was already well above historic levels. About two-thirds of this growth came from central/upper North Island regions.

Mills have largely battled to meet the number of orders coming in and are often looking to expand capacity where possible.

This is causing a lift in the cost of wood products across the board in NZ. Domestic log prices have yet to move significantly though, as small woodlots expand harvesting to capitalise on the stronger market, toning down the competitive tension between mills to secure supplies.

Red Stag is due to open a new processing plant soon, which is expected to boost NZ wood production by 5%.

38

SALE YARD WRAP

Dry regions seek outside buyers Regions facing drought are having to rely on outside buyers to support their store markets, as local buying power diminishes with every day that passes under a clear blue sky. And the power is there if the sales offer up enough cattle or lambs to make the travel time worthwhile, but the real pinch is felt on the week’s where there are low numbers and/or lesser quality yardings.

NORTHLAND Wellsford store cattle • R2 Angus-cross steers, 419kg, pushed to $2.64/kg • R2 Angus heifers, 316-338kg, manged $2.40-$2.44/kg • Weaner Hereford-Friesian steers, 195-230kg, topped their section at $600-$700, $3.04-$3.08/kg Throughput grew to 976 head at WELLSFORD last Monday as winter temperatures start to make themselves felt. Better R2 traditional and exotic steers, 434-448kg, realised $2.52-$2.58/kg with the balance of beef steers, 270397kg, at $2.39-$2.47/kg. Murray Grey-Friesian, 283-288kg, varied from $2.33/kg to $2.53/kg. Hereford-Friesian heifers, 348-498kg, returned $2.37-$2.44/kg with Angus-Friesian, 357-425kg, at $2.17-$2.26/kg. Traditional weaner steers, 156-240kg, earned $400-$515 while Angus-cross heifers, 155-213kg, realised $390-$470. Autumn-born HerefordFriesian heifers, 242-258kg, fetched $665-$690. Read more in your LivestockEye.

AUCKLAND Pukekohe cattle • Better medium R2 store steers earned $2.80/kg • Autumn-born yearling heifers made $2.11/kg to $2.22/kg • Boner cows eased to $1.23/kg to $1.55/kg Prime cattle continued to sell well at PUKEKOHE. Steers made $2.63-$2.70/kg and light heifers $2.46-$2.55/kg.

Weaner steers sold to $240-$440 and heifers, $340-$440.

COUNTIES Tuakau sales • Angus steers, 434kg, made $2.96/kg • Heavy prime heifers reached $2.75/kg • Top prime ewes sold at $156-$196 Thursday’s store cattle sale at TUAKAU featured quality lines of cattle, PGG Wrightson agent Craig Reiche reported.

The 710-head yarding included 480kg Angus steers, which made $2.84/kg, with 424kg at $2.95/kg. Simmental-cross steers, 257kg, managed $730 and 255kg Hereford-Friesian, $720. Lighter Hereford-Friesian, 131kg, fetched $530.

Bidding was subdued in the heifer section. HerefordFriesian heifers, 439kg, earned $2.43/kg and 400kg Angus, $2.66/kg. Hereford-Friesian, 305kg, and Simmental-cross, 238kg, managed $700. Heavy prime steers returned $2.65$2.74/kg on Wednesday and medium $2.55-$2.65/kg. Prime heifers sold at similar values. Heavy Friesian cows returned $1.60/kg to $1.85/kg, medium boners made $1.45-$1.60/ kg and light, $1.10/kg to $1.45/kg. Top prime lambs fetched $150-$169 on Monday and light-medium, $117-$150. A handful of store lambs earned $80-$110 with medium ewes at $120-$156 and light, $80-$120.

WAIKATO Frankton cattle 4.5 • R2 Angus-Friesian steers, 432-464kg, firmed to $2.49-$2.55/kg • R2 Hereford-Friesian steers, 377-401kg, improved to $2.39-$2.46/ kg • Autumn-born yearling Hereford-Friesian steers, 233-296kg, returned $620-$790, $2.65-$2.70/kg PGG Wrightson penned an increased yarding of 987 cattle at FRANKTON last Tuesday and the larger number meant that the market softened for some. The balance of R2 Hereford-Friesian steers, 332-507kg, eased to $2.44-$2.59/ kg. Traditional heifers, 305-341kg realised $2.39-$2.46/kg.

Beef-dairy, 290-386kg, softened to $2.32-$2.41/kg while Simmental-cross reached $2.56/kg. Nine autumn-born yearling Hereford-Friesian, 234kg, topped the heifers at $630, $2.69/kg and Friesian bulls, 218-265kg, earned $540-$570. Weaner heifers, 173-184kg, traded at $450$470. Hereford-Friesian bulls, 166kg, managed $505 while Friesian, 156kg, improved to $475. Prime Hereford-Friesian steers, 461-566kg, traded at $2.54-$2.63/kg. Boner Friesian cows, 470-471kg, improved to $1.48-$1.53/kg. Read more in your LivestockEye. Frankton cattle 5.5 • R2 Hereford-Friesian steers, 418-469kg, firmed to $2.58-$2.62/kg

• Nine R2 Limousin heifers, 358kg, topped their section at $1000, $2.79/kg • Weaner Hereford steers, 99-143kg, earned $360-$525 A mixed quality yarding of 540 store cattle was penned

by New Zealand Farmers Livestock at FRANKTON last Wednesday and all traded in line with quality. R2 beef-cross steers, 365-377kg, firmed to $2.16-$2.26/kg. Hereford-dairy, 414kg, improved to $2.57-$2.67/kg. Hereford-Friesian heifers, 266-326kg, strengthened to $2.35-$2.45/kg with Angus-Friesian, 342-361, at $2.19-$2.22/kg. Weaners made up over half the store offering. Angus steers, 232kg, realised $690. Angus heifers, 162kg, lifted to $420 with HerefordFriesian, 131-136kg, at $350-$405. Friesian bulls, 144-170kg, realised $300-$425. Prime throughput increased to 86 head.

Hereford-dairy steers, 535-538kg, held at $2.53-$2.54/kg. All heifers, 396-481kg, managed $2.44-$2.57/kg. Boner Friesian and Friesian-cross cows, 460-655kg, traded at $1.32-$1.41/ kg. Read more in your LivestockEye.

KING COUNTRY Te Kuiti sale • VIC Autumn-born 2yr heifers made $1200-$1390 • VIC R2 heifers mostly made $1000-$1150 • Better VIC 2.5yr heifers earned $1220-$1310, with the next cut $1020-$1120 • Store ewe lambs sold to $114.50 • Capital stock South Devon cows achieved $1.79-$1.86/kg There was a good yarding of sheep at TE KUITI. Heavy prime lambs earned $180-$196, with medium $130-$149 and light $120-$113. Store lambs lifted with the top end of ram lambs $133.50 and the next cut $128. About 550 heifers were presented at the RWB heifer fair on Thursday.

The top line of VIC R3 Speckle Park heifers at TE KUITI achieved $1530, with the next cut $1200-$1320 and the tail-end $1000-$1100. Heifers with calves-at-foot traded to $760. A RWB cow fair was held on Friday with at least 800 head offered to a good bench of buyers from Taumaranui to Taihape. Heavy Angus VIC to an Angus and Charolais bulls made $1220-$1310 and capital stock Hereford realised $1300.

BAY OF PLENTY Rangiuru cattle and sheep • Prime beef-cross steers, 653kg, traded at $2.79/kg • Prime Speckle Park bulls, 640kg, were close behind at $2.77/kg • Prime Hereford-Friesian heifers, 564kg, returned $2.62/kg • R2 Angus and Hereford-Friesian steers, 377-386kg, sold for $2.66$2.67/kg • R2 traditional heifers, 370-416kg, fetched $2.43-$2.52/kg Quality in the store pens was often mixed at RANGIURU last Tuesday but there were some good lines for buyers.

Stabilisers provided the main highlight of the weaner pens as 213kg heifers managed $600, closely followed by a 197kg line of Hereford-Friesian at $590. Good numbers of Hereford bulls and heifers, 121-164kg, traded at $390$515. A much bigger yarding of dairy cows sold with varied results, but a decent number achieved $1.43/kg to $1.61/kg with second cuts $1.29/kg to $1.40/kg. Lambs had a solid day and a good portion of the tally made $124-$155. Read more in your LivestockEye.

POVERTY BAY Matawhero cattle fair • R3 Angus steers improved to $2.70/kg • Later-born R2 Charolais heifers earned $2.60/kg • Better weaner exotic steers achieved $685-$725 • Weaner exotic bulls, 330kg, made $810 • Heavier traditional cows vetted-in-calf to Angus were secured for $1080 Just over 1700 head was offered at the MATAWHERO cattle fair last Tuesday. R2 steers sold in a wide range. Half of the yarding was more resilient at $2.86-$2.91/kg, with the next cut $2.64-$2.65/kg. The top end of weaner traditional steers traded at $765-$810, with the next cut $650-$705.

Heavier weaner Angus and Charolais-cross heifers, 230295kg, typically realised $600-$680, and medium types around 190-200kg earned $300-$482. Traditional cows

above 500kg and run with an Angus bull traded at $1170$1255.

Matawhero sheep • Prime ewes earned $151-$155 • Prime wethers fetched $118-$160.50 • Top ewe lambs made $94-$112, medium $70-$87 and light $50$64 • Better ram lambs traded to $115 The top end of the prime lambs firmed to $201 at MATAWHERO last Friday with medium $170 and light $91$105. In the store pens, the top end of male lambs made $119-$138, medium $101-$116.50 and light mostly $85-$99.

Read more in your LivestockEye.

TARANAKI Taranaki cattle • Better dairy-beef weaner steers made $530-$630 • Quality traditional and Hereford weaner heifers achieved $720$725 • The top end of R2 steers made $2.64-$2.68/kg • R2 heifers, 392-487kg, earned $2.41-$2.48/kg Most categories were covered at TARANAKI last Wednesday. The top end of beef weaner steers consisted of special entry Speckle Park-beef, 275-305kg, which realised $845-$880 with the next cut at $650-$770. The bulk of boner cows sold around $1.40/kg, though the top end of heavy types achieved $1.79-$1.83/kg. Better in-calf cows reached $1.80-$1.90/kg. Read more in your LivestockEye.

HAWKE’S BAY Stortford Lodge prime cattle and sheep • Top mixed-age ewes held at $190.50-$194 • Very good ewes also held at $152-$165.50 • A handful of heavy two-tooth ewes improved to $186 Ewe numbers increased to 567 head last Monday at STORTFORD LODGE. Most ewes were of good quality and a few returning buyers freshened competition. Heavy mixed-age ewes firmed to $181. Good ewes held at $149 and the top end of medium types improved to $138-$140 while lighter types held value at $56-$112. Just under 400 lambs were presented with all heavy to very heavy types.

Males traded at $136-$167.50. Heavy mixed-sex earned $129-$140.50 with very heavy at $144-$173. No cattle were penned. Read more in your LivestockEye. Stortford Lodge store cattle and sheep • Mixed-age Angus cows, 512-619kg, and vetted-in-calf to Angus, sold for $992-$1135 • R2 Angus steers, 421-457kg, made $2.77-$2.87/kg • R2 Angus and Angus-Hereford heifers, 340-388kg, returned $2.37-$2.43/kg • Heavy wether lambs sold for $132-$133 • Light to medium ewe lambs lifted to $95-$113 A small vetted-in-calf cow section led the cattle sale at STORTFORD LODGE last Wednesday. Hereford cows, 465523kg and vetted-in-calf to a Hereford bull, sold for $785$960. A bigger total yarding of 700 cattle drew in outside buyers and the market showed a marked improvement on the previous week, though breed and quality were also better. Hereford-dairy heifers made up the majority of the R3 section and at 432-462kg returned $2.28-$2.34/kg. One pen of R2 Charolais-beef steers, 365kg, sold for $2.88/kg though the balance of the section were lesser lines and off that pace. This was repeated in the heifer pens. Outside buying power firmed the store lamb market for most types.

Medium males returned $115-$122 and good also fell in that range though stretched to $130. Good ewe lambs made $110-$119 and one line of very heavy $137. Mixed-sex sold from $86 to $111. Read more in your LivestockEye.

MANAWATU Feilding prime cattle and sheep, feeder calves • Charolais-cross cows, 460-560kg, traded at $1.80-$1.91/kg • Angus cows, 643-740kg, fetched $1.67-$1.75/kg • Dairy-beef cows, 478-573kg, earned $1.55-$1.61/kg Buyers attention at FEILDING was focused on the lamb

39

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – May 10, 2021

• Angus cows, 458kg and run with an Angus bull, returned $1.50/ kg • Over 2000 store lambs managed $100-$123 with most others $70-$99 • One very heavy prime wether earned $305 Throughput lifted at COALGATE last Thursday. Most R2 dairy-beef steers made $1.84/kg to $2.00/kg. This was largely matched by the better heifers, but the remainder of the section were generally purchased from $1.56/kg to $1.82/kg. Interest for weaners was limited and a few traditional steers and heifers over 150kg reached $280-$400 to be the best-selling. Ten percent of the ewe yarding were very heavy types that achieved $200-$251 while mid-range ewes managed $120-$195 and lesser types $70-$119. Heavy prime lambs made $170-$215 with the biggest portion of the tally medium types that mostly ranged from $110-$167.

Read more in your LivestockEye.

SOUTH-CANTERBURY

ANY TAKERS? Clear blue autumn skies over Hawke’s Bay are doing more harm than good, reducing local buying power to a trickle for store stock. pens last Monday. Quality was high and just over 20% were very heavy that sold within a tight range of $180-$190.

Heavy lines traded at $138-$179 with the lion’s share at the top end of that range. Ewe numbers were minimal and just four main lines sold for $137-$157. Dairy cows filled out the cattle section although beef cows played a supporting role. Most Friesian were of lesser condition and traded at $1.24-$1.32/kg while a handful of medium types made $1.34-$1.39/kg. Just over 100 calves were penned, and good Hereford-Friesian bulls earned $200-$215 with medium pens $150-$170. Read more in your LivestockEye. Feilding store sale • Capital stock VIC mixed-age traditional cows, 595-630kg, were $1305-$1380 • R2 traditional steers, 445-640kg, sold for $2.70-$2.80/kg • Weaner Hereford-Friesian steers, 185-205kg, made $520-$545 • Store lamb males averaged $132.50 • Store ewe lambs averaged $109 Around 250 in-calf cows and heifers were sold at FEILDING. Excluding capital stock lines, beef cows were mainly $1090-$1180, with 435-485kg R3 Hereford-Friesian heifers at $1105-$1210. Clean-marked R2 Hereford-Friesian steers were mostly $2.40-$2.60/kg but weakened as the sale progressed. Some 425-460kg R2 Friesian bulls were $2.30$2.40/kg. Light R2 heifers, 270-350kg, frequently made $1.90-$2.10/kg. The sale was yet to finish at the time of writing. A little under 18,000 store lambs were sold. Heavy male lambs were $150-$160, followed by good lines at $135$145, mediums $120-$130 and $105-$115 for lights. Two pens of ewe lambs were either side of $140, but $120-$130 covered the bulk of the better lines. Medium ewe lambs were $105-$115 and $85-$100 for lights. Good-quality fiveyear Romney ewes, SIL 172-180%, made $200-$201. Read more in your LivestockEye. Rongotea cattle • Better R2 steers above 500kg made $2.35-$2.45/kg • R2 Hereford and Angus bulls, 475-499kg, earned $2.51-$2.55/kg • In-calf crossbred heifers fetched $715-$1110 Throughput lifted at RONGOTEA last Tuesday, New Zealand Farmers Livestock agent Darryl Harwood reported.

Autumn-born 1-year Simmental-cross steers, 303-350kg, made $2.13/kg to $2.31/kg and Autumn-born Friesian bulls,

209-214kg, $2.66/kg to $2.90/kg. Weaner Limousin-cross steers, 255kg, sold well at $705, and same breed heifers, 244kg, $700.

CANTERBURY Canterbury Park prime cattle and all sheep • Belgian Blue and Limousin-cross steers, 610-635kg, achieved $2.50-$2.55/kg • Angus and dairy-beef steers over 500kg often fetched $2.25$2.35/kg • Traditional and dairy-beef heifers, 470-655kg, earned $2.06-$2.15/ kg Throughput in all sections was up at CANTERBURY PARK last Tuesday. There was plenty of confidence amongst the sheep buying bench and increased enquiry resulted in very heavy lambs attracting bids of $180-$205 while medium types largely sold for $120-$153. A large proportion of the ewes were at the top end of the weight scale and were expensive shopping at $246-$298. Aside from a handful of other heavy types at $185-$222, most other lines earned $119-$176. Heavier and medium sized store lambs could not be faulted as buyers focussed on quality. The best made $119-$126 with $85-$114 common for the mid-range lines.

Read more in your LivestockEye. Canterbury Park high country calf sale • Angus steers, 250-293kg, generally earned $725-$815 • Angus steers, 200-250kg, traded at $605-$700 • Hereford steers, 200-257kg, managed $515-$660 • Hereford heifers, 179-190kg, fetched $495-$525 Over 1700 calves were auctioned at the Canterbury Park high country calf sale last Thursday. Stock were drawn in from all over the Canterbury region with Methven and the West Coast yarded alongside the local cattle. Angus and Angus-Hereford steers made up half of the yarding with the highest price on a $/kg basis achieved by one 250kg pen of Angus that stretched to $3.22/kg. The core of the heifer offering was 170-316kg Angus that were purchased for $400-$700. Read more in your LivestockEye. Coalgate cattle and sheep • Prime steers and heifers over 500kg sold for $2.20-$2.30/kg • R2 Angus steers, 396kg, made $2.45/kg

Temuka prime cattle and all sheep • Steers over 550kg often made $2.40-$2.49/kg • Hereford heifers, 574-635kg, fetched $2.30-$2.36/kg • Very heavy prime ewes managed $190-$236 and the balance $90-$187 There was a noticeable reduction in dairy cows at TEMUKA last Monday. They largely made $1.10/kg to $1.26/kg. The reduced volume was offset by an increased contribution of steers and prime cows. Steers, 500-549kg, largely made $2.20/kg to $2.32/kg while the prime cows were traditional types that sold for a consistent $1.30/kg to $1.43/kg across a wide weight range. Many of the heifers were lighter types that were selectively bought. Mixed-sex dominated the store lambs with heavy lines $102-$119 and medium pens $77-$100. The upper end of the prime lambs made $160-$178 while the majority earned $130-$159. Read more in your LivestockEye. Temuka beef in-calf cow and heifer sale • R2 Angus and Angus-Hereford heifers, 534-536kg and in-calf to an Angus bull, made $1326-$1375 • R2 Angus-Hereford heifers, 464-494kg and in-calf to a Hereford bull, earned $1000-$1100 • R2 Angus heifers, 410kg and in-calf to an Angus bull, sold for $990 TEMUKA’s beef in-calf cow and heifer auction last Thursday mainly fell in-line with pre-sale expectations due to the shortage of feed in the wider Canterbury region. This affected both the condition of the stock yarded as well as enthusiasm to take them on and prices were underpinned by processors. One pen of capital stock Hereford, 466kg and in-calf to a Hereford bull, outperformed the rest of the cows at $900, $1.93/kg. The next step down were half-a-dozen better pens that included Angus, Hereford and Murray Grey-Friesian that managed $1.45-$1.57/kg. The rest of the tally were quite mixed in terms of price and a level of $1.34$1.44/kg covered the best half. On a per head basis the top cows made $800-$940, and the balance $610-$750. Read more in your LivestockEye.

SOUTHLAND Lorneville sale • Better boner cows made $1.00-$1.12/kg • Better weaner steers sold to $450 • Weaner Friesian bulls, 235kg, fetched $400 • Prime two-tooths earned $146-$159 • Top store lambs realised $95-$105, medium $80-$90 and light $70-$75 A medium yarding of cattle was penned at LORNEVILLE last Tuesday. Steers sold to $2.20-$2.30/kg and heifers $2.18-$2.29/kg. In the store pens, R2 Hereford-cross steers, 446kg, made $1.91/kg, and 340kg heifers $1.68/kg. Prime lambs improved with the top end up to $136-$156, medium $117-$128 and light $100-$116. Heavy prime ewes lifted to $150-$180, medium $126-$146 and light $100-$116.

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Markets

40 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – May 10, 2021 SI PRIME

SI COW

NI LAMB

($/KG)

($/KG)

($/KG)

4.65

3.20

7.25

TOP PRICED PRIME EWES AT CANTERBURY PARK ($/HD)

$246-$298

Powder prices give milk price promise Hugh Stringleman hugh.stringleman@globalhq.co.nz

M

ILKFAT and butter prices dragged the Global Dairy Trade (GDT) market downwards in the first May auction, but demand stayed high for milk powders.

The GDT index dropped 0.7% – butter fell by 12.1%, anhydrous milk fat by 4.2%, cheddar down 4.5% and lactose 2%.

On the credit side, whole milk powder (WMP) was up 0.7% and skim milk powder (SMP) by 2%.

The continued strength in milk powder prices gave dairy analysts reason for continued optimism on milk payouts this season and the next.

Westpac senior agri-economist Nathan Penny says the average WMP price across all contract periods of US$4115/tonne suggests a farm gate milk price in the $7.90 to $8/kg milksolids range.

The sideways trend of the past two months continued with WMP and the overall market index moving no more than 1% either up or down.

“These results have cemented in the bumper gains from early March,” Penny said.

But the two milkfat products are behaving differently, apparently with auction offerings well in excess of demand right now.

Both butter and AMF enjoyed a strong run of six months, totalling 50% gains in price until mid-March.

They have since dropped 13.5% and 7.5% respectively.

“It seems the added volumes of butter have saturated the market, with sold volumes falling well below maximum offer volumes,” NZX dairy analyst Stuart Davison said.

He thought that might signal the end of strong retail butter demand that had

DROP: Both butter and anhydrous milk fat enjoyed a strong run of six months, totalling 50% gains in price until mid-March. appeared during covid-19 lockdowns and a surge in home cooking.

ANZ agricultural economist Susan Kilsby says that during April dairy prices had plateaued at elevated levels and WMP were 40% higher than a year ago.

“Strong global demand, which includes some rebuilding of stocks, combined with modest supply growth is currently supporting strong prices for milk powders and milkfat products,” Kilsby said.

The ANZ Commodity Prices meat and fibre index rose 6.6% during April and lamb contributed 8% increase, beef 6%.

The forestry index gained another 3.5% and now sits at an all-time high.

In total, the world price index rose 2.3% during the month to extend its record high.

In New Zealand dollar terms, the gain was 2.2% and that index is 7%

higher than April 2020.

Compared with the 100 starting point in 1986, the world index is now 3.5 times higher and the NZD index 2.6 times higher.

NZ is enjoying an across-the-board commodities price boom, driving the recovery from covid-19 and boosting our export earnings.

It seems the added volumes of butter have saturated the market, with sold volumes falling well below maximum offer volumes.

Stuart Davison NZX

$200-$201 high $992-$1135 Good Romney Mixed-age Angus cows, lights 510-620kg, VIC to an Angus ewes, five-year SIL 172-180%, at bull, at Stortford Lodge

Feilding

ACROSS THE RAILS SUZ BREMNER

Prime sheep markets are on the rise WHILE store markets battle the challenges that the climate is providing, the prime sheep markets have recently switched up a gear.

Lamb and mutton schedules for both islands have shown upward movement in the past few weeks and as lamb supply continues to reduce and space is filled with ewes, that is expected to continue. The mutton schedule already rests at the highest level in five years and mutters of $6.00/kg carcass weight in the North Island have been heard but are yet to come to fruition.

The flow-on price effect at the yards has been obvious, though more so in the South Island, which tends to have a stronger prime sheep market as regular buyers battle it out for limited stock.

At Canterbury Park, nearly half of the prime mixed-age ewe section sold upwards of $185 on Tuesday and levels well into the $200-$300 range were once again back on the books. Results were similar at Temuka and Coalgate. In the North Island, top ewes at Stortford Lodge did reach $181-$194 and the balance also sold on a firm market.

The downside to the strengthening prime ewe market is that given the dry conditions, farmers may opt to dig deeper into capital stock flocks, further reducing the national flock size and therefore fewer breeding ewes in the system to produce lambs.

Early scanning is also under way in the North Island and from next week scanned-in-lamb ewes will be offered at Stortford Lodge.

Outside buyers will be needed to out-bid the processors as local farmers would not have the feed to take them on, but processor buyers are working on bigger budgets that may well mean that the processor value wins at the end of the day.

A small supply of prime lambs is also selling on a strong market and Canterbury Park hit $205 for a line of 35 ewe lambs. These ewe lambs currently hold the top price spot for prime lambs in 2021, though will likely be surpassed in the near future as the market and lamb size increases.

South Island prime lambs at auction have largely been trading at $120-$180. Very few prime lambs are available in Hawke’s Bay, but there was no shortage of supply at Feilding recently and most sold for $138-$188. suz.bremner@globalhq.co.nz

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Vol 19 No 18, May 10, 2021

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“I use the best of New Zealand produce when I cook.

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DearDear farmers, farmers, growers, growers, sharemilkers sharemilkers andand primary primary producers producers of New of New Zealand, Zealand, Over the last year I’ve been privileged to meet and interview past winners of the Ballance Farm Environment Awards. I’ve seen amazing landscapes and tasted unforgettable food produced by passionate, environmentally focused farmers and growers who are positively contributing to their whanau, communities and the industry as a whole.

These are stories that I believe need to be shared with all New Zealanders. And that’s why I’d love you to enter this year’s Awards.

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Cheers,

Al Brown Ballance Farm Environment Awards Ambassador

Meet some past BFEA winners Find out more about the BFEA journey they’ve been on at nzfeatrust.org.nz/farm-table

The Oakley Family, Southbridge 2020 Ballance Farm Environment Awards Category Winners

The Templeton Family, Strath Taieri 2019 Ballance Farm Environment Awards Regional Supreme Winners

The White Family, Opotoki 2018 Ballance Farm Environment Awards National Ambassadors

The Ball Family, Tirau 2019 Ballance Farm Environment Awards National Ambassadors

The de Jong Family, Matamata 2015 Ballance Farm Environment Awards Regional Supreme Winners

The King Family, Motu 2017 Ballance Farm Environment Awards Category Winners

Enter this year’s awards at nzfeatrust.org.nz

Andrew Hardie and Helen Long, Dannevirke 2018 Ballance Farm Environment Awards Regional Supreme Winners