Farmers Weekly NZ May 11 2020 by AgriHQ

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ALL SMILES: Annabelle Guscott, 11, Ella Hansen, 7 months, and Ben Guscott, 8, with some of the feed being collected in Wairarapa destined for Hawke’s Bay farmers in need.

Rural folk rally round Colin Williscroft colin.williscroft@globalhq.co.nz

URAL communities are banding together to help Hawke’s Bay farmers dealing with drought and a feed

shortage. Wairarapa farmers Daniel and Sophie Hansen are gathering feed in their region to send to their northern neighbours. They hope if farmers there have a bale or two of hay or balage they can do without then, despite it being a small amount individually, combined it could provide a real lifeline to Hawke’s Bay farmers. Initially, the Hansens aimed to get every farmer on their road to

either give or sell one or two bales to make a unit load but the idea has grown. Now they have support from transport operators, stock agents and farm consultants and are discussing places where farmers can drop off feed. Daniel says it’s not as though there’s a surplus of feed in Wairarapa but most farmers can probably spare a little bit. “A bale or two is not likely to change their direction drastically. It won’t be the end of the world.” They were recently almost in a similar position. “We were staring down the barrel ourselves, only about 200mm of rain away from the same situation.” To make sure everything runs smoothly Sophie and a small team have been working on logistics.

That has involved talking to the Rural Support Trust and Beef + Lamb people in Hawke’s Bay to make sure feed goes where it can make the biggest difference. The plan is to set up a Facebook page in the next few days to help co-ordinate the feed drive. Farmers can email wairarapafeedrun@gmail.com. The Hansens hope farmers in other regions will follow suit. “When the chips are down it’s an easier battle when you know there’s people there willing to help,” Daniel says. Also doing all she can to help is 19-year-old Poppy Renton, who set up the Hawke’s Bay Drought Facebook page, which attracted about 2400 members in its first week. Renton, who lives on the family farm at Maraekakaho, west of

Hastings, set the page up after talking to her mum about how the lockdown restrictions have meant under pressure farmers cannot talk to their friends face-to-face. They decided to connect farmers and help them share experiences and advice about what they are doing to get through while also helping to facilitate feed sales. She had no idea just how quickly the page would take off. “It’s just crazy how popular it is. It shows it was definitely needed.” It’s not just Hawke’s Bay farmers who are taking part with contributors from all over the country. “The whole country is coming together to help and support each other. It’s exactly what we wanted.” One of Renton’s aims when she set up the page was to possibly

help save the life of someone who could not see a future. “I’ve had three people tell me I’ve done that. It almost makes me want to cry.” Though there is a national feed shortage, farmers who need it and transport operators are still moving it into Hawke’s Bay from wherever they can find it. Matthew Brown from Reporora’s company MB Haulage recently had six loads of hay and balage in Timaru and Christchurch ready to be trucked to Hawke’s Bay His biggest challenge has not been finding sellers and buyers but finding loads to take south so he can bring the feed back north. He’s been using his own truck and another belonging to a friend. “It’s certainly keeping the trucks busy. I’ll keep going for as long as I can.”

LET’S HAVE A CHAT AT THE KITCHEN TABLE.

WE’LL BE AT OUR PLACE, YOU’LL BE AT YOURS. We might not be able to come to your place in person yet, but we can do the next best thing with plenty of ways to talk. We’re well set up to keep in touch with you during Covid-19 in whatever way you prefer. To see all the options, go to fmg.co.nz/covid19-information.

We’re here for the good of the country.

NEWS

14 Kiwifruit sales up on last year With the complications of social distancing sorted at most kiwifruit packhouses the market prospects are also looking promising for Zespri as the industry passes through its peak harvest week.

REGULARS Newsmaker �� 22 New Thinking �� 23 Editorial �� 24

22 Accidental farmer now a winner

Pulpit �� 25

Dairy farmer Ash-Leigh Campbell has come a long way in a short time and now wants to encourage young people into the dairy sector.

Opinion �� 26 World �� 29 Real Estate �� 31-35 Employment �� 36 Classifieds �� 36-37 Livestock �� 38-43 Weather �� 45 Markets �� 44-46

5 Grain ships heading for Napier 10 Dairy demand down for some With no green feed available drought-stricken farmers will feed grain to their livestock, Mid Canterbury Rural Support Trust chairman and livestock grazier Peter Reveley says.

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Food service demand for dairy products will be a long time recovering from covid-19, dairy analysts believe.

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News

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – May 11, 2020

Meat export sales soaring Neal Wallace neal.wallace@globalhq.co.nz MONTHLY meat exports broke the $1 billion mark for the first time in March as exporters successfully diverted trade away from China while it dealt with covid-19. Meat Industry Association data show total red meat exports for March were worth $1.1b, 12% higher than for March last year. Sheep meat export volumes for the month were 4% higher and up 13% in value compared to March 2019 while beef exports rose 3% in volume and 14% in value. Sheep meat export volumes to China in March were down 11% compared to a year earlier but sales to most other key markets rose. Association chief executive Sirma Karapeeva says the results came despite disruption to the supply chain from covid-19 and the shutdown of food service, especially in China. “Processing and exporting companies have been agile enough to pivot to other markets and other segments such as

AGAINST THE ODDS: Meat export volume and values have increased despite the covid-19 drop in demand in China.

retail and online channels.” Sales to China were still low in March but at 25,000 tonnes were nearly double those of February when the Chinese economy was in lockdown. Sheep meat exports to the United States were also lower than a year earlier but offset by a 131%

increase in sales to Malaysia at 3310 tonnes. China was once again the only major market to experience a decrease in beef exports in March though sales were double those of February at 13,408 tonnes. Beef exports to Australia rose to 1230 tonnes.

Karapeeva says the March sales helped underpin an 11% increase in red meat exports by value for the first quarter of 2020 despite a 10% decline in exports to China. Sheep meat volumes exported from January to March were down 5% on the back of a 23% drop to China but the value was 6% higher at $1.4b. A 13% drop in export value to China was offset by increases from Britain, up 25% to $184 million, Germany, up 15% to $102m, and Malaysia up 171% to $61m. Beef exports for the first quarter were up 4% by volume and 19% by value compared to 2019. Exports to China decreased but rose in nearly all other major markets by both volume and value. Indonesia was particularly strong, up 174% by volume to 2950 tonnes and 189% by value to $13m. Statistics NZ data comparing the week ended April 29 in both 2019 and 2020 show exports to China this year were 20% higher than last year and imports were up 4.5%.

Processing and exporting companies have been agile enough to pivot to other markets and other segments such as retail and online channels. Sirma Karapeeva Meat Industry Assn Total exports to all countries that week were up 3.3% but imports were down 28%. Data for trade with China from February 1 to April 29 show the significance of the covid-19 shutdown. Over that period the cumulative value of exports to China was $3.6b, $512m less than for the corresponding period in 2019. But forestry exports, of which about half goes to China, were worth $747m, about $662m less than for the corresponding period in 2019.

More help for drought-hit farmers THE Government has allocated new drought funding and hired two feed co-ordinators to help farmers. Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor says the $500,000 will help farmers and growers prepare their businesses to recover from drought as the economy gets moving again. It will provide advisory services that usually cost $5000 to equip rural businesses with professional and technical advice to help them recover from and better prepare for drought. “The fund will address the longer-term issues but there are also ongoing, acute issues that need to be addressed with urgency.

“Access to feed is the biggest acute issue so two feed coordinators are in place as of today, one in the North Island and another in the South to make sure available feed gets from where it is to where it’s most needed. “So far this year the Government has invested $17 million to help drought-stricken regions recover from what many are saying is the worst drought in living memory. “It has affected all of the North Island and a good portion of the South. O’Connor says recent rain is a start but it will take steady rain at the right time to get grass growing again. “The flow-on effects of water

shortages and low feed availability take a long time to fully recover from and some farmers will be dealing with the effects of this drought for a year or more. “We know that with climate change we can expect more acute weather events so it’s important we help farmers and growers get their businesses ready for future drought. “Key to recovery is making good decisions based on sound advice. The purpose of this new fund is to ensure our farmers and growers can tap into this advice. “The primary sector has shown time and again it has the strength, resilience and ability to recover

SUPPORT: The Government has hired two feed co-ordinators to help drought-hit farmers.

from tough times and come back stronger than ever. I have every

faith that with this support they’ll get through this too.”

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News

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – May 11, 2020

Green Northland still faces deficits Hugh Stringleman hugh.stringleman@globalhq.co.nz RAIN in Northland has got the grass moving again but not resolved the underlying soil moisture or groundwater deficits, Federated Farmers provincial president John Blackwell says. “My soils are wet down to 50mm and grass growth is faster now than at any time this year. “But there has been no run-off so, therefore, no recharging of bores or dams. “We would need 900mm to 1m of rain between now and October to restore soil, groundwater and reservoir levels and that’s a really big ask.” Northland farmers and local officials have described each of a handful of 10-20mm falls of rain over the past two months, quite variable around the province, as being good for a week’s worth of growth or municipal water needs. While days are still warm kikuyu pasture growth has responded quickly, greening up the landscape and putting some

welcome feed in front of livestock. However, farmers are still seriously short of feed and many need to reduce stock numbers to get through winter, Blackwell says.

No run-off so, therefore, no recharging of bores or dams. John Blackwell Federated Farmers Split-herd dairy farmer Stuart Abercrombie said the accumulated rain deficit on his farm at Waipu is 500mm over the past year and 800mm over two years. “The winters seem to be reasonably consistent but the regular heavy falls expected in the rest of the year haven’t happened.” Pasture covers are well down and the daily growth rates are 25-30kg/ha DM so more supplementary feeding

will be needed to get through winter while he can afford it, Abercrombie said. Budgeting for the new season with a $4 advance rate brings management changes like reducing cow numbers into consideration. Award-winning dairy-beef cattle and sheep farmer Dennis O’Callaghan, at Taipa in the Far North, said paddocks have greened up but nutrition levels in the grass are low. “Cattle are eating the pastures down to the bare boards and then you realise the covers look better than they actually are. “I am putting on urea and trying to build a feed wedge for the winter and I am pleased with the density of ryegrass coming through after kikuyu mulching. “However, the dams are the lowest I have ever seen, soil cracks remain and while the springs have started moving again there isn’t any reliable flow.” O’Callaghan is carrying as many cattle as previous years to take advantage of improved feed

CONCERNING: Far North farmer Dennis O’Callaghan says cattle are eating down to the bare boards.

conditions should they happen but all animals will be an average of 30kg lighter. Northland west coast dairy farmer Allister McCahon said his cows have been dry for two months and only about 100mm of rain has fallen on Te Kopuru since Christmas. “Winter feed is pretty low and much of the supplements used up already so it is hand-to-mouth stuff at present.” Trials of alternative pasture species like cocksfoot are very promising and McCahon believes a strong case has been made for expanding the forage value index to include pastures fit for purpose in different locations.

Northland Rural Support Trust has learned a lot from a comprehensive drought survey, including districts where the greatest concerns are, trust co-ordinator Julie Jonker said. Good responses have been received from drystock farmers who had not participated in previous surveys. “Over half of farmers are concerned about their water supplies and 75% about their livestock feed levels immediately or over the short-term.” Jonker is stepping down from her role this month after a decade and her replacement is Nicola Deveraux, of Mangawhai.

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FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – May 11, 2020

Grain ships heading for Napier Annette Scott annette.scott@globalhq.co.nz WITH no green feed available drought-stricken farmers will feed grain to their livestock, Mid Canterbury Rural Support Trust chairman and livestock grazier Peter Reveley says. Grazing, balage and silage right across the South Island is all taken up, leaving grain pretty much the only option, Reveley said. “From the top of the south to the bottom and from the North Island too, both personally and from an RST view we’re getting inquiry coming from virtually everywhere but we just can’t help with green feed. “We are hearing from some pretty desperate farmers but the reality is there is no green grazing left. The South Island is not completely out but farmers here have to make sure they get to the other end of the season too.” Grain is available and is a good option to sacrifice paddocks, Reveley said. “I am full up with my usual quota of cattle for the winter but I am taking another 1000 cows yet and to do that I am feeding grain.” Speaking to other graziers and agents Reveley said everyone is doing everything they can to help, including helping to find people to buy animals to get them away for desperate farmers. “There is plenty of grain available and feeding in conjunction with the feed you have got doubles the time for pasture growth, saving feed and allowing the grass to grow. “That’s what we are doing and weighing every fortnight. “I’ve got cattle here that have gone from pretty average to gaining 1.4 kilograms a day and we’re making grass and fodder beet last twice as long,” Reveley said. In South Canterbury AgMatch,

an online farmers’ trading community, has pulled together a viable operation to get locally grown grain to drought-stricken Hawke’s Bay farmers. “There’s desperate need and we had grain available so it just made good sense to make it happen,” AgMatch director Ken Algie said. Algie put together a group that includes grain growers, transport and seed companies, a coastal shipping operation and a bulk storage-distribution facility in Napier. From the grower to the end destination Algie has facilitated a process making it viable to ship the grain to the North Island. “Everybody has stood up and supported it, in fact been bloody fantastic. “It’s all being done in a fair and reasonable means. It has to be. If anybody is greedy it’s not going to work.” The grain is shipped in bulk to Napier though it can be bagged before shipping but the bagging process is easier and more efficient in Napier. “We have managed to organise a competitive option for shipping the grain from Timaru to Napier. The first shipment has been completed so the system is proven. It landed on budget and in good condition.” Barley at $380 a tonne plus GST ex farm will cost about $480 plus GST landed in Napier ex store in bulk bags for distribution. Bulk grain is cheaper. The first shipment of rolled wheat cost $500 plus GST ex storage in Napier. Algie doesn’t expected the prices to move significantly. “But it always remains a possibility as feed pricing is pretty volatile at present but our growers have a responsible attitude to pricing and want to make this work.” Other feeds are available in that price range but all feeds must be ordered before shipping.

GRAIN GAIN: Peter Reveley is feeding grain in conjunction with grazing and cattle are gaining 1.4 kilograms a day while the grass and fodder beet crops are lasting twice as long. Photo: Annette Scott

The next shipment will head north in the first week of June and depending on demand a second shipment is likely in mid June. A drought block is also available. Formulated in Australia to boost drought-affected animals it is an option that has proved effective there. The Primary Industries Ministry has hired two feed coordinators, one in each island, to take inquires from farmers who need feed or have feed to sell. The co-ordinators will assess the scale of the feed shortage and work quickly to connect farmers with available sources. MPI urges farmers to do feed budgets through to spring, do them once, do them right and do them long-term.

www.agmatch.com or Ken Algie, 021 337 626 Feed co-ordinators Dry stock sector, 0800 233 352 Dairy sector, 0800 4 324 7969

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Grain must be fed properly FEEDING grain needs to be carefully managed and firsttime farmers are encouraged to seek advice from a specialist consultant or veterinarian. Some basic guidelines are offered here from Macfarlane Rural consultants Jeremy Savage and Jamie Gordon. Grain has one of the higher energy levels of any feed and fits well into an intensive feeding system. It can complement dairy cows very well but the challenge in feeding to lactating cows is that it needs to be rolled and is best mixed with palm kernel where it is a good option to keep the fat evaluation index to acceptable levels. The best-case economics scenario feeding grain to dairy cows is a break-even result. Feeding grain to any cattle risks wastage so is best fed on silage or dampened straw and in that way can be fed from a wagon.

Sheep and cattle must be introduced gradually over 10 days. Grain should not be fed on an empty stomach so ideally feed roughage or grass first. Sheep are much easier to feed. The grain doesn’t need to be crushed and with smaller mouths they can pick it up more easily and waste less. It is critical to feed out a long line of grain to ensure the dominant eaters don’t overfeed while others miss out. Acidosis is a risk in all grain feeding but as long as farmers heed advice it should not present major issues. “So long as farmers go in with their eyes open, seek advice initially and manage feeding carefully, grain is a good-value feed and most likely better than a lot of silage or hay that may be still around on the market at the moment,” they say.

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News

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – May 11, 2020

Busy week for virtual stock sales THE virtual livestock selling world was a busy place last week with online auctions held from Tuesday to Friday. There appeared to be more optimism for older steers, at least, which was reflected in a firmer market for R2 steers at Frankton. The news of the week came from the Bidr Carnmor Jersey complete dispersal sale on Thursday when lot 170, Carnmor Stars Trixie, sold for $22,200 after spirited bidding from three parties. On Tuesday Peter Walsh and Associates’ LiveBId held an in-calf cow and heifer sale, hosted by Snow Buckley and a new face to the bunker in Hamish Zuppicich. The paucity of grass available in the South Island along with the processor backlog meant viewers were hesitant to bid despite the chance to buy good genetic lines from proven herds. One station put forward an entire mob of capital stock Angus that were low in condition but with their good reputation most attracted bids. The top cut were third and fourth calving cows, estimated at 440kg, that earned $900-$925 while fifth and sixth calving cows, also 440kg, made $850. The expiry of a farm lease forced another collection of capital stock to market and 34 mixed-age Angus cows, 590kg, traded at $1025. A line of 520kg in-calf R3 heifers from the same farm topped the day at $1275. Close to 600 cattle were penned at the New Zealand Farmers Livestock livestream auction at Frankton on Wednesday. Quality sold well in the mixed yarding and vendors were happy to meet the market on lesser types. Fourteen R2 Angus steers, 370kg, held value at $2.43/kg and top-quality Hereford-Friesian, 408kg, lifted 20c/kg to $2.50/kg. A consignment of Gallowaycross steers, 280-456kg, returned $2.22-$2.31/kg. R2 Charolais-cross heifers, 280-303kg, topped their section at $2.48-$2.50/kg. Beefdairy heifers, 261-330kg, traded from $1.70/kg to $1.91/kg while six Hereford-Friesian, 395kg,

SOLD: This mob was part of a consignment of 140 R2 Friesian bulls, 380kg, from Akaroa, which sold in three lots from $1.89/kg to $2.24/kg.

The news of the week came from the Bidr Carnmor Jersey complete dispersal sale on Thursday when lot 170, Carnmor Stars Trixie, sold for $22,200 after spirited bidding from three parties.

improved to $2.25/kg. All weaner steers, 189-219kg, earned $480-$510. Fourteen Angus heifers, 208kg, fetched $540, with Hereford-Friesian, 175-217kg, at $450-$505. Weaner Friesian bulls, 193-233kg, fetched $2.19-$2.25/kg while a quality line

SHEDS

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at 160kg pushed to $2.75/kg. A small prime section was dominated by boner cows with Friesian, 446-585kg, steady at $1.30-$1.31/kg while Jersey-cross, 445-528kg, improved to $1.29$1.33/kg. Taranaki followed with the same system last Thursday and put most of the 265 store and 57 boner cattle in new homes. It was a positive day and R3 steers strengthened slightly as HerefordFriesian, 576kg, earned $2.40/kg. R2 steers had good demand and most sold in a range of $2.37/kg to $2.48/kg with Hereford-Friesian, 362kg, reaching $2.51/kg while the bottom end typically made $2.28$2.37/kg. R2 heifers were more challenging and vendors met the market with only a small portion

BRIDGES

able to make it over $2/kg. Weaner steers, 188-251kg, traded at $620-$650 with lighter weights $480 and below. Heifers were mostly good-quality ownerbred lines that traded at $450-$540 while owner-bred, big-framed Friesian bulls, 278kg, were very good buying at $550. A small number of prime steers, 715kg, sold for $2.47/kg while the heaviest empty boner cows made the same money as in-calf cows at $1.30-$1.36/kg. Bidr had mixed results as North Island auctions felt the pressure of limited demand but the South Island equivalent was more successful. At a King Country in-calf sale on Wednesday three lots sold – 19 R3 Angus heifers, vetted-in-calf to an Angus bull, fetched $1150 while

two lots of Simmental-Hereford cows, vetted-in-calf to a Hereford bull, traded at $1000-$1100. The South Island auction on Thursday featured a good coverage of the island and 500 mainly two-year cattle were entered. R2 Hereford-Friesian steers, 455kg, made the top price at $2.24/kg and two lots of Speckle Park, 410-420kg, varied from $1.96/kg to $2.18/kg. The top line of R2 heifers was Angus and Angus-Hereford, 440kg, which sold for $2.20/kg while Hereford-Friesian, 458kg, returned $2.15/kg. A big collection of 140 R2 Friesian bulls, 380kg, all from hill country near Akaroa, were drafted into three lots and went under the hammer for $1.89/kg, $2.01/kg and $2.07/kg respectively.

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FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – May 11, 2020

Ag show falls victim to covid-19 Annette Scott annette.scott@globalhq.co.nz

NO SHOW: Youngsters won’t be able to get the hang of shearing at the New Zealand Agricultural Show this year.

VOTE FOR

YOUR FUTURE All dairy farmers, including sharemilkers and dairy farm leaseholders, are urged to have their say in the milksolids levy vote now underway.

DAIRYNZ: DELIVERING A BETTER FUTURE 1. DEVELOPING BETTER SOLUTIONS THROUGH SCIENCE 2. SHAPING A BETTER FUTURE FOR THE SECTOR 3. SUPPORTING BETTER FARMING LOCALLY

FINANCIAL uncertainty prompting the risk of bankruptcy has forced the Canterbury A&P Association to can the running of this year’s New Zealand Agricultural Show. The three-day show will not go ahead in November because of financial uncertainty created by covid-19. It is the first time the event has been cancelled since World War II. While thanking members for being guardians of the show for 157 years the association said the decision was made in the best interest of the show in the future. “If we continued to prepare for the show and find out the month before we are unable to run then the association would be bankrupted. “It is with this in mind that the event management team, general committee and the board had to finalise a decision, sacrificing this year’s show to shore up its future,” the association said in a statement. The association said its first objective as a charity is to protect its financial position at all costs to ensure the show can continue well into the future. It has reduced event management fees by over 75% and scaled back the operation to ensure it avoids bankruptcy but that has not been enough. “Unfortunately, this does not

We have now completed three live tests, which all went well.

VOTE ONLINE OR BY POST BY 30 MAY This is an important vote – and every vote counts IS NOW

2020 17 APRIL - 30 MAY

YOUR LEVY, YOUR FUTURE

If we continued to prepare for the show and find out the month before we are unable to run then the association would be bankrupted.

“The future of the show is not out of the woods yet and with a significantly reduced show team we are launching a Show Saviour campaign to our sponsors, trade exhibitors and the public.” The association also hosts several other events throughout the year including a spring equestrian show and a prime cattle sale. “It is our intention, Government guidelines permitting, that we will be able to host these smaller events this year and potentially even some new events too. “We are discussing the way in which these events may have to adapt to survive.”

Carrfields and AuctionsPlus partner ANOTHER online trading platform has been added to the growing list of options for farmers though this one is a household name in Australia.

VOTING OPEN

insulate us from the significant loss we have already experienced due to the fact we will not have a revenue from a 2020 show to cover the work done between December 2019 and May 2020.” The association is asking for financial support through its Show Saviour campaign.

Keep an eye out for your voting pack in the mail. For more information on where your levy goes, visit dairynz.co.nz/vote

YOUR LEVY, YOUR FUTURE

Carrfields and AuctionsPlus have partnered to bring the online selling platform across the Tasman. It will focus on on-farm bull sales and dairy-herd dispersals. It has been in the pipeline for

some time though covid-19 has brought it forward, Carrfields livestock general manager Donald Baines said. “We have been in talks with AuctionPlus for some time but recent events did push it more into the spotlight. “Rural broadband has also improved to a level that can operate systems such as these without too many issues and we are confident now that the AuctionPlus system of online video and audio streaming can be run. “We have now completed three live tests, which all went well.” The first sales will be on-farm two-year bull sales towards the end of May.

News

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – May 11, 2020

Climate aims for covid-19 projects THE Climate Change Commission has given the Government six principles to use when considering which shovel-ready projects to back to help deliver an economic recovery that also keeps New Zealand on track to achieve its climate change goals. Commission committee member and agricultural greenhouse gas expert Dr Harry Clark says the principles are deliberately nonspecific because generic ones can be applied across all sectors of the economy, including agriculture. It hopes for a win/win approach that helps employment and economic growth while addressing climate change. There will be no shortage projects and it will be difficult for the Government to prioritise which ones to invest in. Agriculture sector proposals will likely fall into two broad categories around water quality and quantity like native plantings and fencing that have environmental benefits and others focused on coping with the effects of climate change, such as water storage. The commission is still in the process of being set up as an independent Crown entity including deciding how it will engage with the public and with interested and affected parties, including the agriculture sector. It is due to report to Parliament with recommendations on the first of three carbon budgets that will form NZ’s first emissions reduction plan, out to 2035, by February 1, which is a challenging timeframe because it must write the report and do public consultation before making the recommendations, he said. Climate Change Minister James Shaw has also asked the commission to decide whether what NZ is doing is consistent with the Paris Agreement goal of limiting global warming to 1.5C above preindustrial levels. Shaw also wants advice on the potential reduction in biogenic methane, which might eventually NZ might have to do under the Paris Agreement. That advice is to focus on longer-term biogenic methane targets than those in the Zero Carbon Act, which specify a 10% reduction by 2030 and a reduction of 24-47% by 2050. DairyNZ and Beef + Lamb have urged the commission to have a closer look at the science the methane targets in the Act are based on, with DairyNZ calling for NZ’s international targets to

Six principles for investment THE Climate Change Commission’s six principles are: • Consider how stimulus investments can deliver long-term climate benefits; • Bring forward transformational climate change investments that need to happen anyway; • Prepare workers for the jobs of tomorrow, including investment in education and retraining; • Work in partnership with iwi; • Maintain incentives to reduce emissions and adapt to climate change and; • Change how we measure the success of economic recovery from traditional economic indicators.

be brought into line with domestic targets in the Act. Clark says the commission does not have an opinion on whether the two should be aligned but it will gather evidence and consult widely before reporting to Parliament. Public input on the commission’s recommendations will be called for later this year but stakeholders will be involved well before that.

DIFFICULT: Climate Commission member Dr Harry Clark says deciding which shovelready projects to invest in will not be easy.

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News

10 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – May 11, 2020

Dairy demand will be down for some time Hugh Stringleman hugh.stringleman@globalhq.co.nz

LONG HAUL: It will take years for demand from the food service sector to return to normal, NZX dairy analyst Amy Castleton says.

FOOD service demand for dairy products will be a long time recovering from covid-19, dairy analysts believe. Widespread lockdowns and a second wave of coronavirus outbreaks will keep restaurants shut and customers at home. The analysts took part in a dairy supply and demand update by video conference, organised by the NZX, concerned with derivatives and data insights.

Sending animals off to grazing?

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The movement must be recorded in NAIT

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• Farmer must create the sending movement • Grazier must confirm the movement (or create a receiving movement).* Need help? Call 0800 482 463 or contact your information provider.

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NAIT is an OSPRI programme

HighGround Dairy, Chicago, operations director Alyssa Badger said it is difficult to be optimistic of a full recovery in out-of-home eating before the end of 2020. Sporting events, outdoor gatherings, concerts and eating out during business travel are not going to recover until a vaccine is available. Intl FCStone, Ireland, European Union dairy consulting head John Lancaster said social distancing will continue to depress restaurants. “In Ireland they are saying we won’t be able to go to the pub again until after summer and they will be lucky to get back 80% patronage by next year.” NZX dairy analyst Amy Castleton said food service trading won’t return to 100% for years. Looming depression is going to reduce dairy demand and the NZX 2021 milk price forecast is just above $6/kg, she said. The analysts pointed out the lack of flexibility and product optionality in United States and EU processing plants. Milk is being dumped because domestic demand for liquid products, butter and cheese has fallen. “Switching to more storable products like milk powders are obvious choices but many plants can’t make the change,” Lancaster said.

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Storage for dairy products is going to become an issue in the US as it already is for meat, Badger said. “March was a record month for milk production and butter inventories are already high. “Processors have asked for 10% voluntary reductions in milk supply to try and ease the inventory build-up.” Ireland doesn’t have a processing problem though staff absences because of the disease might become an issue, Lancaster said. The EU has relaxed laws prevening farmers and processors from getting together to agree on milk production reductions. “France is trying to subsidise reduced production although there is limited funding for special treatment. “At least no-one is getting incentivised to produce milk right now.” Castleton thinks NZ milk production will revert to normal in the early months of the new season despite the impact of drought. “More cows have been carried over because slaughtering has been hard to get and farmers have fed out their winter fodder early but I expect them to recover to normal production in the new season.”

News

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – May 11, 2020

NZ dairy hangs on to premium prices Hugh Stringleman hugh.stringleman@globalhq.co.nz THE latest Global Dairy Trade numbers do not provide much ammunition for analysts trying to forecast the 2021 season opening milk price. GDT prices for the first May auction were steady-as-it-goes, being minus 0.8% for the overall index, plus 0.1% for whole and skim milk powders, minus 5.8% for butter and minus 6.8% for cheddar.

Fonterra’s products are bringing premium prices: butter, SMP, WMP and cheddar 56%, 27%, 13% and 46%, respectively, above the combined average European Union and US prices. Butter and cheddar are now in oversupply around the world as covid-lockdown customers cut their budgets and the margin between fat and protein dairy products has closed significantly. But Rabobank dairy analyst

Tom Bailey, based in the United States, identified what he calls an alarming margin between dairy prices in Oceania (read New Zealand) and the rest of the international market. Fonterra’s products are bringing premium prices: butter, SMP, WMP and cheddar 56%, 27%, 13% and 46%, respectively, above the combined average European Union and US prices reported by the US Department of Agriculture. Bailey contrasted them with the 2019 equivalents: -3%, 12%, -5%, and 7% respectively. He cited NZ provenance, grassfed cows, low somatic cell count milk and end-product labelling with NZ origin as a selling point among the reasons for the premiums. But NZ premiums have been declining recently, he said. European and US processors had lifted their quality and marketed more aggressively as their regional surpluses grow. Perhaps, the extraordinary gaps were a function of end of the NZ season shortages versus the peak season northern hemisphere volumes, he wondered. Given that Fonterra’s chief executive Miles Hurrell has built a company strategy on NZ-made he will not find the present gaps alarming but how long they

LESS INFLUENCE: ANZ economist Susan Kilsby has downgraded the influence dairy futures prices have on the farmgate milk price.

will last is more pertinent. Less than 10 days before Fonterra releases its first informed take on next season’s farmgate milk price there is almost $1 between the analysts’predictions. The lower ones are Rabobank at $5.60/kg and ANZ at $5.75, having just dropped their prediction by 70c without factoring in the latest GDT results. The higher ones are ASB at $6.50 and Westpac at $6.30 while

NZX is in the middle at $6.05. ANZ senior dairy analyst Susan Kilsby, who used to run the NZX model, said she has de-weighted the contribution of dairy futures in her forecasts. “Historically, the derivatives are a risk management tool for industry players and are not designed for price forecasting. “We have put more weight on global data and the expectation that depression must lead to a

major correction in commodity prices and we don’t think dairy will be immune.” Kilsby also commented on the big margins between NZ dairy prices and the rest of the world. “Demand in our markets, principally China and southeast Asia, is potentially better than those developed markets for richer products like cheese and cream, the food service products that are suffering right now.”

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News

12 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – May 11, 2020

Wednesdays with a difference farmstrong.co.nz

WHEN the world went into lockdown the overseas staff on Canterbury dairy farm Waikirikiri were a long way from home. So Angela and Steve Reed decided it was time to step up and help. Wednesdays might never be the same again. The Reeds employ four people on their 830-cow farm near Darfield. Angela says the business has always made sure staff have a good work/life balance. In the past they’ve headed out on bike rides or iconic local tramps or gone skiing, even during busy times like calving, to do something different and shake it up. Unfortunately, the covid-19 lockdown ended all that. “Not only couldn’t we get off farm any more but our staff didn’t have their family close, their countries were responding to a crisis and they were worried about what was happening at home. It was really a difficult thing to deal with emotionally for them.” The Reeds decided some form of team-building, stress-relieving activity was essential. So the family got busy and created an onfarm duathalon course using their beautifully mown and nativeplanted roadside as a race track. “Our kids were doing duathlon training so I thought maybe we should use that as a starting point to do something that got our people away from work and other stresses.” Now, every Wednesday at 9am, staff line up for a 2km run, a 7km bike ride then race to the cowshed to have morning tea and a staff meeting. It’s made a noticeable difference to their ability to cope with such uncertain times, Angela says. “We’ve just made the duathalon part of our normal weekly work routine and people really look forward to it. Our kids have made a finish line at the end and they have chocolate and treats so it’s become something that the whole crew be involved 265Wcan X 100H MM in.

MIXTURE: Farm staff, from left, Jonathan, Camilo, Dion and Gonzalo are from New Zealand and South America.

The lockdown has really reinforced the fact that as an employer on the farm you also take on the role of the parent as well. Angela Reed Farmer “The team have told me ‘It’s such a good thing to chat to each other and talk about something different and get to know each other more’.” The duathalon has been the start of something bigger too. Angela got in touch with Farmstrong and started using its resources to begin discussions about recognising and managing stress in team meetings.

“The lockdown has really reinforced the fact that as an employer on the farm you also take on the role of the parent as well. “We feel a responsibility to make sure that we’re looking after our staff in the best possible way. We’ve changed our whole staff meeting as a result. We used to start with health and safety. Now we start the conversation with ‘how are you?’ “This is an unprecedented time for people to be working in. It’s important to ask people how they’re feeling, to look out for signs of stress and fatigue and help them understand that it’s okay to talk about these things. Everyone has times when they are feeling overwhelmed. It’s nothing to feel afraid of. The important thing is to ask for help if you need it. “So, we’ve started having those conversations and people are

being far more open. Farmstrong has given us a platform to do that.” Angela says trying to run a business as well as juggling kids learning online was challenging at first but they’ve adapted. It’s made them appreciate what they’ve got. “Although we are looking forward to getting out into New Zealand’s great outdoors again this lockdown has taught us valuable lessons – to slow down and be grateful for the little things, to realise you can only control the controllables and to make the most of this opportunity to really connect as a family and a team.” She says focusing on staff wellbeing over the years has strengthened their business. “Everyone talks about production and profitability but sometimes we forget to mention the importance of a team that is engaged and performs at the top of their game.

“If people’s lives have balance and they’ve done something they’re passionate about in the weekends they come back to work with renewed energy for learning and doing a great job. “After all, we are asking a lot of people, getting up at 4.30am for the bulk of the season. They are big hours. So it’s only fair that we show that we appreciate what they are putting in. “As dairy farmers we’ve always believed that we’re in the business of enhancing wellbeing. “If each family consumes say an average of 6.4 litres of milk per week in various dairy products then our farm helps nourish close to 12,000 families in NZ and beyond. “To make sure it can keep doing that sustainably we have to nourish our people too.”

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14 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – May 11, 2020

Kiwifruit sales up on last year Richard Rennie richard.rennie@globalhq.co.nz WITH the complications of social distancing sorted at most kiwifruit packhouses the market prospects are also looking promising for Zespri as the industry passes through its peak harvest week. In his latest industry update Zespri chief executive Dan Mathieson is upbeat about the prospects. “There remains strong demand in our markets for fresh fruit with high vitamin C and a protective skin like kiwifruit,” he said. As the sector enters week 18 Zespri reports the delivery of 10.6 million trays to consumers, 2.7m up on the corresponding point last year and 5m trays up on the year before. Chief grower and alliances officer Dave Courtney said the sector has enjoyed a good run of kind weather and early-ripening fruit, making harvesting and processing flow smoothly despite covid-19 constraints. “But behind the scenes there has been more complexity and cost, of course, as a result of covid-19.” Processors have also credited the decision to drop the taste test sampling this year from the

LOOKING GOOD: Zespri’s chief grower and alliances officer David Courtney says the marketer has had a strong start to the selling season in all markets.

process with helping fruit flow. That happened when testing company Eurofins Bay of Plenty opted out of the process, leaving the sector without a sampling company this year. However, the taste profile will be reinstated next season and a conversation has begun on how that will happen, Courtney said.

“We all agree that taste is a critical factor for consumer repeat purchases and we will just have to reassess how we get it right for what consumers want and having a process that works.” Sales volumes are also looking promising with initial SunGold first week sales into Europe reported as the biggest ever at 1m

trays, up on previous record levels of 800,000 to 900,000 trays in a week. Despite the impact of covid-19 on food supply chains in some countries distribution has proved to be relatively normal. Japan has also enjoyed a strong start. Courtney said China is going according to plan but there is some disruption in some supply chains and a degree of disruption in wholesale supplies. The loss of sales to the hospitality and food service sectors is a concern and could be disruptive in some markets in coming months. However, there is also a strong level of retail consumer interest in buying healthy, high vitamin C fruit given health concerns. Zespri expects to deliver 21m trays by mid May, putting the industry 4m trays ahead of the corresponding time last year and a whopping 9m trays up on 2018. It noticed a trend noticed in February as the full impact of the covid crisis started to hit China where consumers boosted their online delivery orders over conventional retail sales. Growers have, however, been cautioned there are indications of lower prices that could influence

Zespri fruit positioning in coming months and there is variability in China’s recovery, based on patchy distribution between cities and regions. Predictions for fruit values remain solid in the meantime with orchard gate returns for Green put at $5 to $6.50 a tray and SunGold at $9.50 to $11 a tray compared to the $11.71 a tray estimate for the 2019 year. Market supply has been met with solid packhouse numbers over the peak demand period. Apata chief executive Stu Weston said his company is packing out at 100% capacity on all shifts with the SunGold harvest now nearing its end. Meantime, the chance to tender for the latest tranche of 750ha of SunGold fruit closed on May 8. Last year’s licence round resulted in an average price of $285,000 a hectare. Red fruit is also up for its first licence tender and Zespri has been careful not to overplay its potential, pointing to reduced storage quality and smaller fruit size. “We have the Red fruit in local markets, Singapore and Japan and Singapore, in particular, is going well with good consumer feedback,” Courtney said.

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News

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – May 11, 2020

Bad image endangers valuable tool For more than 40 years glyphosate has been an invaluable chemical weapon in farmers’ arsenal as a low-residue, safe and simple weed control enabling greater flexibility and less soil disturbance. Canterbury arable farmer Hamish Marr devoted his Nuffield Scholarship to examining how glyphosate fell from grace in the public eye and what farmers can to do to preserve it as an invaluable crop treatment. Richard Rennie reports. AFTER a year studying glyphosate use and the tendency by some broadacre farmers to use it as a blackboard duster Hamish Marr concluded some behaviour might have to change but the chemical’s value in enabling farmers to grow quality, low-residue food means it has to remain available. That also comes with the condition consumers are better educated about the economic and environmental value it plays in modern farm systems. “In some respects glyphosate has become a victim of circumstance. “It became tangled up with the genetically modified organism debate in the mid nineties when Roundup-ready GM seed for canola, corn and soybeans was released by Monsanto. “The scientists involved with that technology really believed they would be doing the world a favour,” Marr said. Roundup ready seed meant the crop could be sprayed with glyphosate to eliminate weeds without damaging the crop itself. It reduced the amount and types of other potentially more toxic sprays like atrazine that might otherwise be used. With the GM debate starting to gain traction the link with Monsanto’s Roundup provided the fuel for opposition to glyphosate’s use that continues today.

“The real irony is that Roundup was close to being off patent when it was included in GMO crops and it is the generic companies that have benefited,” Marr said. That opposition has only grown since on the back of claims it causes cancer, prompts a decline in bee populations and has dangerous residue levels. “All the countries I travelled through with the exception of Japan and Indonesia are facing the same challenges around glyphosate and how to respond to claims about its effects.” But the guarded response of governments about banning glyphosate outright suggests an appreciation modern farming cannot operate economically without it. That is shared by all governments with the exception of Germany and France, which have agreed to ban glyphosate by 2023 despite vigorous arguments from farmers, industry and scientists about its essential role. The French and German decisions also came despite European Union regulations preventing individual countries making such rules. Clouding the issue even more a World Health Organisation report in 2015 initially found glyphosate was probably carcinogenic to humans. But that was contradicted a year later by

WEED FREE: Hamish Marr’s Nuffield work found farming without glyphosate would seriously affect production but changes in use are possible.

We are fortunate in New Zealand that politics is largely left out of this discussion and it is up to the industry to do the right thing. Hamish Marr Nuffield Scholar another report from the same organisation stating it is unlikely to be a cancer risk. Researchers point to safe maximum residue level or the highest amount allowed in food and doses required to be toxic. The industry’s experience with glyphosate is also symbolic of a broader gap between farmers and consumers over how chemicals are used in modern agriculture. “And one of the challenges I identified was how do we correct that with some sort of information loop back to consumers to better inform them?”

It could involve an educative website explaining the science and practice behind the herbicide. It could also highlight the quality of the food glyphosate has played a role in growing and how much more expensive that food would be without it. In NZ the use of glyphosate is significantly lower than in broadacre cropping countries, simply because NZ is smaller and more pastoral dominant, Marr said. The challenge for farmers is to treat glyphosate as a specialist tool and identify where in their cropping and pasture rotations it is the most important. “We are fortunate in NZ that politics is largely left out of this discussion and it is up to the industry to do the right thing. If we were in Europe the decision would be made for us. “On our farm we have reduced our use by no longer using glyphosate in pre-harvest weed control and many other farmers now are the same.” NZ is so far ahead of the world in these types of issues because it

generally includes grazing animals in cropping systems. “We are in the main already doing what other countries are discovering and recommending.” Marr estimates the chemical’s value to NZ agriculture at $300m to $500m a year across about 12,000ha a year treated with it. While in Denmark he had an insight to the impact its removal could have on the seed industry he supplies. “They are farming under the assumption it is going to go. As a result, their seed industry is moving offshore.” The irony that NZ’s seed industry could benefit from that has not been lost on him. Marr said the ethos of a Nuffield Scholarship is linking agriculture and food through people, delivering a greater understanding of farming and food production. “Glyphosate should be looked at as a specialist tool that is critical in some aspects of agriculture and not the duster on the blackboard. “It is up to agriculture to explain its why to the people.”

Prepare for winter grazing to minimise negative impacts • Exclude stock from waterways and critical source areas • Graze strategically downhill or towards waterways • Create a feed plan for your animals • Place troughs and supplementary feed prior to grazing • Provide suitable lying surface for stock For more information and useful resources visit: www.beeflambnz.com/wintergrazing

News

16 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – May 11, 2020

Head shows DairyNZ has changed Hugh Stringleman hugh.stringleman@globalhq.co.nz

DAIRYNZ has cut its cloth to address the primary representational needs of dairy farmers and live within its means when milk production is not rising, chairman Jim van der Poel says. After a few years of spending above income the industrygood organisation is seeking farmer approval to extend the 3.6c/kg milksolids levy. Van der Poel said spending was up around 4c/kg for the past three years and deficits have been funded from the balance sheet. Since formation 12 years ago DairyNZ’s mandate has evolved from what was mainly research and extension into more advocacy, environmental, industry promotion and employment matters. “Now we have to live within our means and we have surveyed farmers to confirm our priorities, being what is most important to them. “In addition, we found out there was nothing that we are doing that they didn’t say was important.” Three major work areas, farm systems and resilience, research and development and biosecurity (TBfree), account for 76% of levy expenditure. Nonetheless, DairyNZ has heard a steady stream of complaints in two categories: first, that levies on milk increased considerably last September and, second, that work areas overlap with other agencies or are not in the best interests of farmers. Van der Poel said the Biosecurity Response Levy for the dairy industry’s input to try to eradicate Mycoplasma bovis was collectively decided by DairyNZ, the Dairy Companies Association, Federated Farmers, Fonterra and Beef + Lamb. Once approved as a

government-industry agreement it was left to DairyNZ to action. That levy was initially set at 2.9c/kg and has been reduced for the 2021 season to 2.4c. DairyNZ is responsible for collecting the levy, via the dairy companies, but the money goes to the Ministry for Primary Industries. “Dairy farmers had to be represented in that process and we had to step into that space,” van der Poel said.

Our advocacy role is sciencebased and backed by economics, coming up with solutions not just reactions. Jim van der Poel DairyNZ “It ensures dairy farmers have a voice and DairyNZ sits at the decision-making table to ensure the money is well spent. “But the introduction of that second levy does come with an element of confusion and we accept that.” To dairy farmers who complained of duplicate services he said Federated Farmers is a broad organisation representing all types of farming and can take more extreme positions. “Our advocacy role is science-based and backed by economics, coming up with solutions not just reactions. “We have to ensure that new government policies are sensible and then we help farmers implement those policy decisions.” An example is the changes the dairy industry achieved in the Zero Carbon legislation to avoid agriculture being

included in the Emissions Trading Scheme and levies being imposed at all sites of processing. “We were able to negotiate on behalf of farmers and split out methane as a separate greenhouse gas and get an agreed pathway called He waka eke noa – that was huge for farmers.” “It is not always understood by dairy farmers the range of activities that DairyNZ carries out on their behalf although we do try to explain at every opportunity. “For instance, they don’t know the depth of our water quality work or the effective advocacy we do on behalf of the industry. “Also, some farmers have strong views on the right ways to farm, which DairyNZ should be promoting, but that is often confined to their farm system and inputs.” DairyNZ has to provide advice to all farmers and its farm systems track begins with pasture first. “We are not the regulator and nor do we want to monitor compliance.” Regarding areas of overlap and therefore doubling of costs, he said independent studies have shown $15 of benefit for every $1 of levy spending. Van der Poel doesn’t welcome the apparent standstill of the Parliamentary processes around Essential Freshwater or the suggestion nothing will progress until after the next election. “If we can get the right outcome then it should be put to bed, otherwise is it going to keep coming back. “Uncertainties create issues for farmers. “We are all committed to improving water quality in a rational and scientific way. “As long as we get policies that support those objectives then we support going on with legislation to create more certainty for farmers.”

MORE UNDERSTANDING: DairyNZ chairman Jim van der Poel says an evolving organisation has checks and balances.

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AginED Ag ED

FOR E FUTURIA G R R S! U PR EN E

Volume Six I May 11 2020 I email: agined@globalHQ.co.nz I www.farmersweekly.co.nz

Photo of the week: King of the Firewood

In your paper: 1 If you could farm/keep any animal what would if be and why? 2 Send us a picture of your home’s contribution towards your food consumption, ie vege garden, homekill stock, herb gardens, glasshouses etc, with a caption. 3 Share them on our Facebook page or email to agined@globalhq.co.nz

STRETCH YOURSELF: 1 What do you think is the most pressing problem/ concern for farmers in NZ currently? 2 Can you think of anything that could help alleviate/ resolve or moderate these dilemma’s?.

Charlie Pemberton, helping Dad over lockdown.

3 Send us your response to agined@globalhq.co.nz 1 Go to www.farmersweekly.co.nz

Have a go:

2 Find and watch the OnFarmStory “A day without laughter is a day wasted” and read the accompanying article. 3 Who helped grow Mihaka’s love of Dairy farming?

STRETCH YOURSELF: 1

What programme did Mihaka take part in at highschool?

2 While working for the Gibsons, Mihaka has undertaken more study. What courses is he taking? 3 In 2008 the Gibsons won the Central plateau sharemilkers of the year award and a commendation for something, what was this? 4 What are they currently doing on farm to focus on environmental management?

1 Go to the AgriHQ Market Snapshot page. 2 What is this week’s North Island Steer price? 3 Is this better or worse than last week? NZ lamb exports to the US

4 How does it compare to last year?

STRETCH YOURSELF:

Thousand Tonne

1 Look at the ‘Lamb exports to the US’ graph

FILL YA BOOTS: 1 Have a look at the employment section, what job would you most like to apply for? 2 Read ‘across the rails’ on the market pages or on www.agrihq.co.nz, under ‘analyst intel’, what is one key point from this article?

2 Around how many thousand tonne of NZ lamb was exported to the US in March this year? 3 February and March exports were significantly less than the previous year. What do you think has been the main driver of this reduced demand?

Share your AginEd photos on our Farmers Weekly facebook page Remember to use the hashtag #AginEd Letters to: agined@globalhq.co.nz

We may choose your letter to feature in Ewe said!

Ewe said: Edwin Will a year 13 student, has written an interesting piece on red meat marketing strategies. There has been a lot of concern within the Sheep and Beef industry regarding veganism, alternative meat sources and anti-meat stances from consumers. This could be viewed as a threat, but I believe it could also be an opportunity. There are many reasons people are eating less meat, including animal welfare, environmental concerns and health concerns. The question arises, why is New Zealand meat receiving the same negative attention, as overseas intensively farmed grain-fed meat. Why are we not differentiating ourselves? I have personally noticed that within European supermarkets, our high-quality meat that is grass-fed, free-range and naturally reared, is marketed no different to the intensively farmed, grain-fed meat from countries within the European union. After looking through what the consumers are concerned about, such as animal welfare, environmental issues and health concerns you soon realise, that our meat fits the majority of the societal expectations and standards. New Zealand has a golden opportunity to capitalize on this, and to sell our products for a premium price. Hence, if we market our products properly, the societal trends T hanks Edwin! Your opposing meat, could work in GlobalHQ mug is on its way! our favour.

Word Scramble

☞ Harvesting

Find as many words as you can with 3 letters or mores using the letters of ‘harvesting’. Here are a couple of examples to get you started: gates, shiver. There are a few 7 letter words that can be made from this word, can you make any? To access useful resources, get answers to our crosswords and quiz’s and find prior editions of AginED join our Google Classroom. AginEd 2020; code usl6dce

News

18 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – May 11, 2020

Burger run shows up food plan folly McDonald’s sold 300,000 burgers, double the number for the corresponding day last year. “The key point is that McDonald’s didn’t have enough lettuce. McDonald’s ran out of lettuce.”

Annette Scott annette.scott@globalhq.co.nz THE plan for a food security policy is long overdue with the McDonalds lettuce shortage highlighting its need more than ever, Horticulture New Zealand chief executive Mike Chapman says. It is a warning that should not be ignored. “Vegetable shortages will become a more frequent occurrence unless we get serious about ensuring we have enough food to feed NZ. “Like a dog howling at the moon HortNZ has been on about the need for NZ to have a food security policy and plan. “Now is the time to develop and implement that food security policy and plan before it’s too late.” While pre-covid-19 the proposal to develop such a plan gained no traction facts emerged when tens of thousands of Kiwis flocked to takeaways.

This shortage is just one example of why we, as a country, need a food security and supply policy. Mike Chapman Horticulture NZ With it taking about 90 days in summer and about 150 days in winter for lettuce to grow from seed and get it delivered to McDonald’s and food retailers, growers need time to produce it. While food outlets were closed growers had nowhere to sell

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produce so many decided not to replant. Chapman said HortNZ has continually argued, unsuccessfully, for independent fruit and vegetable retailers to be open to give the growers somewhere to sell their produce. “As a result, some may have already gone out of business or chosen to exit growing.” Now there are places for them to sell their produce some planting might start again but moving into winter it will take some time for the supply chain to produce the lettuces for the likes of McDonalds. A shortage of lettuces and other fresh produce will mean there is less fresh and healthy food to feed NZ, Chapman said. “This shortage is just one example of why we, as a country, need a food security and supply policy. “It takes a long time to grow the produce we need.” NZ also needs need to plan for climate events.

WHERE’S THE PLAN: A lettuce shortage shows why New Zealand needs a food security policy, Horticulture NZ chief executive Mike Chapman says.

“Many of our growing regions are still in severe drought. “This situation is limiting production as a lack of water inhibits plant growth.” Reliance is being put on growing areas not suffering from drought to provide fresh food. “We also need to grow fresh and healthy food close to our main population centres.

“Turning productive land into houses and lifestyle blocks reduces land for growing food and limits the ability to spread growing out around the country to combat climatic and other events.” NZ also needs reliable water. “We need water storage projects urgently but that is another topic,” Chapman said.

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News

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – May 11, 2020

Cheese wins big over lockdown Richard Rennie richard.rennie@globalhq.co.nz THREE winners were, for the first time, selected at this year’s Champions of Cheese awards, recognising the growth and variety in the domestic cheese-producing sector. Fonterra picked up the commercial cheese award with its Kapiti Awa Blue, Meyer Cheese won with its goats’ milk gouda and the boutique cheese award went to Drunken Nanny’s black-tie cheese. Both Meyer and Kapiti have shared supreme awards in the past. The Drunken Nanny brand is produced by the Goodman family near Martinborough from a select herd of dairy goats, with the fresh cheese coated in a sprinkling of black ash from burnt grape vines imported from France. Judging was overseen by Australian cheese guru Russell Smith working with 25 specialist judges.

Cheese sales have rocketed during the covid-19 lockdown with Nielsen supermarket scanning data indicating sales in the six weeks to April 5 were up 26% on the corresponding period a year ago as New Zealanders munched through $68.2 million worth of it.

This year’s awards included for the first time a Chefs Choice category, matching 30 cheeses for flavour and suitability and uses for cooking.

That spend put cheese among the top six items by value, with wine being the highest at $107m, up 13% on a year ago. Despite the sales surge,

Happy Valley plans 2022 start Gerald Piddock gerald.piddock@globalhq.co.nz

artisan cheese producers have been hit hard by the loss of their usual outlets, particularly farmers’ markets. Specialist Cheesemakers Association chairman Neil William said as pleasing as the supermarket sales are he urges people to show their support for buying locally made cheese as the lockdown eases. Last year Castello, made by international diary giant Arla of Denmark claimed the top selling spot for speciality cheese in NZ. Imported cheeses account for 25% of all sales. This year’s awards included for the first time a Chefs Choice category, matching 30 cheeses for flavour and suitability and uses for cooking. Mercer Cheese from Waikato won with the Mercer Fifty Fifty, a blend of cow and sheep milk, the first of its type made in NZ. All results are on the Specialist Cheesemakers website:nzsca.org.nz/ cheese-awards/

HELP FIND OUR UNSUNG HEROES

HAPPY Valley Nutrition has reviewed its opening date for its Otorohanga dairy factory in the wake of covid-19. In a statement to the Australian Stock Exchange it said it will continue to work towards the factory running by July 2022. It has also created a revised plan to begin operations by July 2023 in the event covid-19 causes a delay. “Whilst there is currently no direct impact of covid-19 on the company’s timelines, many of the company’s suppliers and potential offtake partners are affected by covid-19 and this amongst other things may cause delays which could impact the company achieving its anticipated project development timeline,” it said. The company’s chief executive Greg Wood said “Whilst covid-19 is causing some inevitable delays we are well-equipped to manage these and the fundamentals of Happy Valley’s underlying value proposition have not changed.” Wood declined to add to the statement. The $280 million milk processing plant will make infant formula and ingredients primarily from A2 and organic milk, exporting to Asia.

Award nominations & entry deadlines extended

The firm has investors from New Zealand, Australia, Hong Kong and Singapore. It has adjusted its budget to allow for the revised timetable with remaining pre-project activity costs to be met out of existing cash resources over an extended period.

Whilst covid-19 is causing some inevitable delays we are wellequipped to manage.

“This does not include costs for site preparation works, which are scheduled to begin later this year. Happy Valley will assess various options to fund this separately over the coming months,” it said. In March it said it plans to buy three properties close to the factory to irrigate its wastewater. The three properties total 155 hectares and cost $6.475m. Settlement is due between late 2020-January 2022. All three purchases are subject to Overseas Investment Office approval, for which the company submitted its application last month.

NOMINATE A HERO TODAY NOMINATIONS CLOSE: 2 JUNE 2020 ENTRIES CLOSE: 9 JUNE 2020

Here at Zimmatic® we want to acknowledge the world-class leadership of New Zealand and Australia farmers with the introduction of the Trailblazer Sustainable Irrigation Awards. Simply tell us how someone you know is leading the way in sustainable water management, environmental stewardship, resource efficiency and waterway protection. The top three entries from each country will win a fantastic prize pack of agricultural services and products, in addition to the supreme winner receiving a trip for two to the USA.

Celebrate excellence. Nominate a hero today. Visit: irrigationtrailblazer.com

AWARDING EXCELLENCE WITH SUPPORT FROM

News

20 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – May 11, 2020

Customers look for food they can trust INTERNATIONAL customers will look post-covid for suppliers they can trust who link recovery to sustainability and the environment, Synlait chief executive Leon Clement says. And that has created a chance for New Zealand to reset its export model. “We have a chance to look at how the world and consumer behaviour might change around this and, if anything, I think we will see a flight to trusted goods that potentially have a link to sustainability or environmental thinking,” he said. “A lot of those trends play to where the primary sector has been heading and where Synlait’s sweet spots are,” he said. He notes NZ has a really coordinated approach to marketing tourism and NZ offshore, something the primary sector could replicate. “You can’t let a good crisis go to waste. “You have to both manage risk and plan for the opportunities that emerge out of it,” he said. So far, Synlait Milk hasn’t taken an operational hit from covid-19 but not without a heck of a lot of effort, he said. “We certainly saw risk coming and we got pretty close to the bone on a few things but by and large we found our way through those.” There were issues with inward container availability, ships that were cancelled and some initial supply challenges from China as it shut down.

“Then, as we worked on contingencies in Europe the whole thing flipped on us and we suddenly had challenges getting product out of Europe and had to flip back to China contingencies.” Synliat’s leadership mindset was on adaptability from the outset.

I think we will see a flight to trusted goods that potentially have a link to sustainability or environmental thinking. Leon Clement Synliat “We need to be agile, we need to be resilient and responsive,” he said. “There has been a heck of a lot of effort to just keep the flow of goods running.” He expects disruption for some time because the impacts of covid-19 are yet to be fully understood. “All we know is they will be big, so whatever lies ahead we just have to be focused on being ready to adapt,” he said. There have been no cases of covid-19 at Synlait. But Clement said the company did not relax its already conservative protocols after

NZ loosened the lockdown restrictions. “Level three almost represents more risk to our business than level four because there is a lot more interaction out there in the communities,” he said. The level three lockdown did allow more flexibility for key projects across its supply chain and as it moved into maintenance at the tail end of the milk season. However, that involved letting external parties onto sites. “We are already learning we just need to reinforce and continuously improve our protocols and education for people coming on the sites,” he said. Staff who worked onsite through alert level four had become used to social distancing. “You can see the people who have been living in their bubbles for the past four weeks are not used to coming back to work and physical distancing,” he said. Clement said the company’s purchase of Canterbury’s Dairyworks, which was completed on April 1, is a positive. It had increased demand as people stayed home. Dairyworks is based in Hornby, Christchurch, about 37km from Synlait’s Dunsandel site. It specialises in processing, packaging and marketing dairy products including cheese, butter, ice cream and milk powder. Synlait says it supplies nearly half of NZ’s cheese and a quarter of its butter. It has a 9% market

DO IT BETTER: Companies that want to keep selling goods to the world have a chance to reset New Zealand’s export model, Sylait chief executive Leon Clement says.

share in ice cream and a 19% market share in milk powder. Its brands include Dairyworks, Rolling Meadow and Alpine. “I’m really pleased that we did it because it’s actually diversified our business and we are always trying to create value and address risk at the same time,” Clement said. He is sanguine about Synlait’s debt, even in the current climate. Net debt increased $159.7 million to $447.4m in the six months to January 31 as the company made significant investments in projects such as the manufacturing facility in Pokeno and the advanced

dairy liquid packaging facility in Dunsandel. “I’d perhaps be more concerned if we were significantly disrupted,” he said. He also said work is continuing to develop new customer relationships despite covid-19. “Some of the more important strategic opportunities still remain in our frame,” he said. The company has a manufacturing and supply agreement with A2 Milk, which holds 17.4% of Synlait, its secondbiggest shareholder behind Chinabased Bright Dairy, with 39%. – BusinessDesk

NZ Pork eyes Singapore exports Gerald Piddock gerald.piddock@globalhq.co.nz NEW efforts are being made by the pork industry to establish a permanent export market in Singapore. The industry has had a sporadic presence there for nearly 20 years but has never established a permanent foothold as it struggled to compete in price with Australian pork despite frequent expressions of interest by Singapore to buy New Zealand pork. According to Trade and Enterprise, Singapore is one of NZ’s largest trading partners and the seventh largest export market. It is one of NZ’s largest markets for food and beverages. NZ Pork chief executive David Baines said the covid-19 pandemic has put more urgency on Singaporean authorities to establish a supply chain with the NZ pork industry. “The supply of food for their population has been put under pressure and my understanding is that they produce only 10% of the food that they require.”

The NZ industry is looking to develop a longer-term supply agreement into the high-end market on the back of that, he said. To succeed will require collaboration with all parties including the Primary Industries Ministry, buyers and sellers.

The development of an alternative market is something we have had on our wishlist continually for a very long time. David Baines NZ Pork ‘We’re both working as hard as we can to clear the way for the buyers and the sellers to meet in the middle and get a good outcome.” Baines said it is also an MPI priority to make it happen. Singapore has revised

its overseas market access requirements (OMAR) to make its market more accessible to pork processors. That should make it easier for NZ producers to fulfil their regulatory obligations to be able to export. “Most of them only operate domestically and they don’t operate under an export meat licence so now that OMAR has been refined to where it’s almost at the point where it’s almost acceptable for the equivalents of the NZ market to be acceptable in that market.” It is almost at the stage now where willing sellers and buyers could enter a commercial arrangement facilitated by NZ Pork, he said. “The opportunity exists now for product to flow. It’s just a question of whether it would be acceptable from a commercial standpoint.” This could be either frozen or fresh products. It is too early to know what volume Singapore might take. Supply chain links are largely already established within Singapore to ensure it is sold in

NEW MARKET: Singaporeans might soon be tasting New Zealand pork as the industry hopes to establish a permanent export market in that country.

the high-end market thanks to that 20-year relationship. Baines said the pig farmers he has spoken to have been encouraged by the progress. “They’re hopeful it will eventuate because we have seen that the continued operation in a closed market really isn’t a smart long-term situation to be in and you need to have alternatives when one market is full. “The development of an alternative market is something

we have had on our wishlist continually for a very long time.” The vast majority of NZ pork is produced for the domestic market with a small amount exported to Australia and the Pacific Islands. “Everyone is motivated to try and make this work. That’s both the industry and Government and if it was established it would remove one of the immediate pressures for us which is the oversupply, which has arisen because of the covid scenario.”

News

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – May 11, 2020

Go easy on Chinese, SFF says Neal Wallace neal.wallace@globalhq.co.nz THE country’s largest meat company hopes the Government will be sympathetic in the position it takes on moves for a global investigation into the source of covid-19. Silver Fern Farms chief executive Simon Limmer, in response to a question at the annual meeting of Silver Fern Farms Co-op, said businesses have little influence over the decisions politicians make on such issues. “New Zealand has always been very good at navigating relationships in a sympathetic way and I hope they will engage that way when considering this.” Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters has joined Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison in calling for an inquiry into China’s role in the covid-19 pandemic. Peters has been reported as saying he is confident NZ will not suffer repercussions for taking that stance. Chinese company Shanghai Maling and SFF Co-op each own half of SFF. China is by far NZ’s largest market for meat and dairy products. Having reported its best financial result in a decade, SFF’s virtual annual meeting attracted more than 80 shareholders and was largely uneventful. Limmer was asked about financial prospects for the coming year and says markets are too volatile to say there will be a repeat of the 2019 result. The strategy of targeting grass-fed red meat at the world’s affluent is the correct one and he says Chinese consumers are already looking for it as their country awakens from its covid-19 lockdown. SFF co-chairman Rob Hewett says the 2019 result shows the benefit of the Shanghai Maling partnership, which freed it of debt

ASSET: Silver Fern Farms’ 2019 result shows the value of the partnership with Shanghai Maling, SFF co-chairman Rob Hewett says.

New Zealand has always been very good at navigating relationships in a sympathetic way. Simon Limmer Silver Fern Farms and provides a strong partner. “Having a Chinese partner can only be positive in this space. It gives us a golden opportunity.” Hewett said agriculture will lead NZ out of the global economic slump caused by covet-19 and SFF’s financial strength will

ensure it is at the forefront of that recovery. “Our strategy is the right one. We’re very well positioned.” SFF Co-op chairman Richard Young says a review of its strategy has redefined its purpose of being a leading, progressive food producer committed to a sustainable future. Its vision is for a proud collective of consumerfocused farmers innovating to meet the highest possible standards of sustainable farming practice. The redefinition reflected the co-op’s maturity and a better understanding of its role as an investor in SFF. Earlier the co-op reported a net profit after tax of $34.9 million

NEW MAN: Dairy expert Tim Gibson has been added to the Silver Fern Farms Co-op board.

for the year to December 31 as its share of SFF’s $70.7m net profit after tax. It has no debt and cash and investments of $17.7m. Shareholders’ equity is $303.8m and the return on equity was 12.2% “It was a strong and pleasing result for SFF Co-op and SFF and one more in line with what you would expect from a business of this scale,” Young said. Both shareholders have agreed to defer paying any dividend because of the global uncertainty and the reality that liquidity and cashflow will be crucial in coming months. The decision will be reviewed once the global economic

There are three ways you can read us: 1. Own a farm. If farming is your main income, you register with NZ Post to have Farmers Weekly delivered free to your mailbox. This is how around 80,000 farmers receive theirs. 2. Read the virtual paper online at farmersweekly.co.nz/topic/virtual-publication. Our online eNewsletters arrive before the paper hits mailboxes. You can sign up to receive them at farmersweekly.co.nz/e-newsletter. 3. Subscribe - a great gift for retired farmers and town dwellers. This is for people in town who want a hard copy of the paper each week. Farmers Weekly is just under $4 per issue ($16/month, $192 incl GST per year). and Dairy Farmer is $8.95 per issue ($98.45 incl GST / year). Pay by credit card or Farmlands card. Your copy will arrive on Thursdays (give or take a day). www.farmersweekly.co.nz/subscribe or freephone 0800 85 25 80

situation becomes clearer. Business consultant and company director Tim Gibson has been appointed to the board of SFF Co-op. Gibson, who sits on the boards of Miraka, Port Otago and Livestock Improvement, has had an extensive career in the dairy industry. He replaces Trevor Burt who is retiring after 10 years. Gibson is managing director of Tuhana Consulting in Auckland and has extensive experience in the dairy industry, including roles as managing director of Anchor (UK) and Dairy Board north Asia managing director, North Asia and global strategy director.

Newsmaker

22 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – May 11, 2020

Accidental farmer now a winner Dairy farmer Ash-Leigh Campbell has come a long way in a short time and now wants to encourage young people into the dairy sector and do what she can locally while travel restrictions limit what she can do with the $20,000 prize she took home as the Fonterra Dairy Woman of the Year. Gerald Piddock reports.

SH-LEIGH Campbell didn’t set out to have a career in dairying. Instead, she stumbled into the industry, starting out relief milking for a local farmer to earn extra cash for her first car while still at high school in Canterbury. She was an accidental dairy farmer, she says. Ten years on the 29-year-old has had a meteoritic rise, capped off by being the youngest person to become Fonterra Dairy Woman of the Year at the Dairy Women’s Network Awards. Hours after she said she had a quiet reflection on what she had achieved over the past decade. “I remember thinking wow. Who knew that I could get here. “You do it because you love it and you work day in, day out and as New Zealanders we don’t really sit back and reflect on our achievements. “I’m actually proud of what I’ve done and If I can do it, anyone can. “I’ve been involved for 10 years now and I’ve had various roles and various opportunities and it just shows how widespread the sector is and the opportunities that are there for us to uptake.” Her journey from viewing dairying as just a money earner to a career occurred after she finished high school and went to university but then dropped out after a year. Campbell returned to the milking shed full time. “That’s where my passion for the industry started. I remember thinking in my early 20s that I really like what I do. “I enjoyed doing what I was doing – getting out there in the environment working with Mother Nature and with animals. That’s what started my passion.” In her mid 20s she returned to her studies at Lincoln University to get the qualifications to further her career. “I knew practically I could do the job. I wanted to get some paperwork behind me to give me another reason to prove that I can do it. “I was there for the right reasons second time round,” she said. She completed diplomas in agriculture and farm management and a commerce degree majoring in agriculture. At the same time she got involved with Dairy Women’s Network, becoming a regional

leader and the driving force behind the network’s Lincoln group, which has now merged into Selwyn. She is a long-standing Young Farmers member and now chairs the organisation. Being involved with the two organisations let her to connect with other farmers and influential industry people. “Having my foot in both doors is awesome. I get to throw the net wider and meet and connect with more people.” She said there are a multitude of people and groups who have helped her on her journey over the past 10 years including friends, family and her involvement with organisations including Young Farmers and the Dairy Women’s Network. Former Pamu chairwoman Traci Houpapa has also been highly influential as a mentor. “Especially from a Maori perspective in regards to farming. I’ve gone on a journey of selfdiscovery as well in my 20s around connecting with my Ngai Tahu heritage.” After graduating she did a summer internship at Ngai Tahu Farming then became its technical farm manager, a position she’s held for the past three and a half years. Over the same time she switched from full time study to part time study to complete her qualifications. At Ngai Tahu Campbell helps run eight dairy and dairy support farms with 8000 cows. A big part of her role is ensuring the farms are doing their best on environmental auditing. “I’m pretty proud to say our farms were the first in the Waimakariri catchment to receive A-grade audits.” That was a result of hard work by everyone across the team, she said. “It’s a dual effort. It comes from working with the regional council, educating our farmers, it comes with educating the community so we can all upskill and be stewards of our land.” Campbell says she is incredibly fortunate to work for Ngai Tahu Farming. The iwi takes a holistic approach to farming and environmental protection and there is a big focus on ensuring it is protected for the next generation along with its people. “It’s such a unique and special

HIGH ACHIEVER: At 29 Ash-Leigh Campbell is the youngest person to become Fonterra Dairy Woman of the Year.

You do it because you love it and you work day in, day out and as New Zealanders we don’t really sit back and reflect on our achievements. Ash-Leigh Campbell Dairy Woman of the Year lens they put over stewardship and environmental. Sometimes there can often be tensions between environmental and farming and I’ve seen how we can work together to bridge that and bring everyone together on that journey. “Often you hear business plans for companies where they’re looking 12 months ahead or

looking two years ahead. “Working for Ngai Tahu Farming we’re looking forward 50-100 years because what we are doing in today’s environment to look after the land, it’s going to impact tomorrow’s generation so we need to look after it today so we can reap the rewards of the future.” Campbell wants to use the platform the award gives her to advocate to get more young people into the dairy industry while unemployment and displacement are growing. Her advice for anyone in that position was simple. “Please join us”. “There’s a lot of unsettlement right now with covid-19 going on and what implications it’s going to have but also what opportunities it’s going to have.” “We are in a unique position right now where we can showcase everything that we are doing to grab not only women but men as well.

“We have the opportunity to inspire them, to excite them and bring them on the journey with us. I hope I can bring some people along the journey as well.” Winning Dairy Woman of the Year means Campbell gets up to $20,000 for a professional business development programme, sponsored by Fonterra. One of her long-standing ambitions is to understand where NZ dairy sits on the global stage and she hopes to eventually use the scholarship to further that knowledge once overseas travel restrictions are lifted. In the meantime she will focus her energy to see what she can do in conjunction with Fonterra and the network to advocate for the industry locally. The other finalists were Auckland microbiologist and biochemist Natasha Maguire and West Coast dairy farmer Heather McKay.

New thinking

THE NZ FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – May 11, 2020

Bicentenary of an agtech breakthrough New technology has been part of New Zealand’s farming landscape from the days before the Treaty of Waitangi as Maori gardens expanded to supply the growing settlements and passing ships. Hugh Stringleman recounts the story of the introduction of ploughing. The 1820 plough was brought to NZ to improve vegetable and cereal growing and to teach Maori agricultural techniques to expand their already productive gardens and grow exportable surpluses for passing ships and the much larger colony of New South Wales. Though the plough had been in NZ as much as six months before it was used, suitable draught animals were not available until March 1820. In January 1820 Butler’s diary records the employment of 30 Maori in breaking up the ground in Kerikeri for the planting of wheat, paid by rations of potatoes and pork. John Gare Butler, aged 38 at the time, was the first ordained clergyman to live in NZ, arriving on August 12, 1819, on the ship General Gates with his wife and their son Samuel (not Samuel Butler the author). He was accompanied by mission founder Samuel Marsden, from Parramatta, NSW, on his second visit to NZ. Butler had been appointed superintendent of the NZ Mission, recently moved from Rangihoua Bay to Kerikeri under the protection of Hongi Hika. Butler walked into considerable strife among the Europeans already in the Bay of Islands, especially Thomas Kendall. His short period in charge ended in 1823 when Marsden suspended him after accusations

TECHNOLOGY: 200 years ago the simple plough was used for the first time in New Zealand agriculture. Photo: Heritage New Zealand Pouhere Taonga from the Kerikeri Stone Store

I trust that this auspicious day will be remembered with gratitude and its anniversary kept by ages yet unborn. Rev John Butler Missionary of drunkenness and Mr and Mrs Butler returned to England. Their son stayed in Northland as a flax trader, only to drown at Hokianga several years later. An 1819 deed is the first legal document recording a transfer of land in NZ. It shows land at Kerikeri was sold to the missionaries in return for 48 large axes. The deed is signed by Thomas Kendall and John Butler of the Church Missionary Society and with the moko (facial tattoos) of Ngapuhi chiefs Hongi Hika and Rewa.

Kemp House, built shortly after the establishment of the settlement at Kerikeri, apparently as a residence for Butler, is NZ’s oldest existing European building. The 1832 Stone Store is alongside on the Kerikeri Basin and the cropping and horticultural land was further to the northwest, on the southern bank of the Kerikeri River, upstream of the former road crossing and causeway, now removed. The Stone Store contains an example of the single-bladed plough from the time (see photograph) but not the one used by Butler, which was lost or destroyed. Marsden returned to the Bay of Islands in February 1820 on the ship Dromedary, along with six bullocks from NSW and the harnesses that enabled them to pull the plough. The cattle had to be ferried from the ship to the shore in Kerikeri inlet by barge, powered by oars, which was a hazardous exercise for man and beast. The primary purpose of the bullock importation was to haul kauri logs from the bush to the

shore in Whangaroa Harbour, where Dromedary was tasked to collect spars for the British Navy. An agricultural pioneer both in NSW and NZ, Marsden was present to instruct when on May 3 the plough was used for the first time. Butler recorded in his journal that, after several days of ploughing, “We have five acres of wheat in the ground”, adding that “the plough will go remarkably well, after the ground is once broken”. On May 16 he noted with satisfaction that six acres of wheat had been planted. It was also around that time, a mid-September spring day in 1819, when the NZ wine industry was born, with the planting of a single grape vine by Marsden at the Kerikeri mission. Thanks to his foresight the first wine was made and bottled some 20 years before the Treaty of Waitangi was signed. Perhaps Butler overindulged though he protested his innocence after falling out with the rather dictatorial Marsden.

1 n Better /Robotics Automation Dairy Sheds/

Have you read Dairy Farmer yet? The latest Dairy Farmer hit letterboxes on May 4 Our on farm story this month features West Coast farmers Aaron Silcock and Sarah Gibson who are growing hemp in order to diversify their farm operation. Dairy sheds/robotics/technology We take a look at some recent dairy shed builds that have plenty of bells and whistles to make milking quick and efficient as well as other technology and robotics systems used on farms. Better bulls better calves We check out the top beef breeds from breeding companies to help farmers make the right purchasing decisions for their herd.

Calves Bulls Better

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May 2020

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EW thinking in agriculture came to the people of New Zealand on May 3, 1820, when the first plough was used to break ground for wheat in the Bay of Islands. Within sight of Kororipo Pa at Kerikeri, one of Ngapuhi chief Hongi Hika’s strongholds, a singlebladed plough was drawn behind six bullocks. The introduction of the simple plough was recorded in the diary of the Kerikeri mission superintendent Reverend John Butler. “On the morning of Wednesday the 3rd of May, 1820, the agricultural plough was for the first time put into the land of New Zealand at the Kiddi Kiddi (Kerikeri) and I felt much pleasure in holding it, after a team of six bullocks – brought down by the Dromedary. “I trust that this auspicious day will be remembered with gratitude and its anniversary kept by ages yet unborn. “Every heart seemed to rejoice on the occasion – I hope it will still continue to increase and in a short time produce an abundant harvest.” Local Maori were wellacquainted with wheat from as far back as 1812 but they were more familiar with the edible parts of plants being beneath the soil surface and until 1815 they didn’t have a mill to get flour from grain.

Opinion

24 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – May 11, 2020

EDITORIAL

Farmers must build own disaster relief

HE devastating drought enveloping a lot of the country is sparking debate over the Government’s role in helping mitigate farmers’ losses. Drought declarations are made by the agriculture minister on the advice of the Primary Industries Ministry. But the ministry consults farming industry groups, regional councils, rural support trusts and others before forming an opinion. Government aid usually comes in the form of funds for the Rural Support Trust and advice for farmers on feed budgeting and farm management strategies. Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor says that’s how it should be. When asked on Sarah’s Country whether the Government should step in to help farmers he was adament he doesn’t have a pot of money to hand out to farmers to pay for feed but MPI is working on logistics and has appointed two feed coordinators to get feed where it needs to be. But that isn’t good enough for National’s agriculture spokesman Todd Muller who said most farmers already know what is needed to help their business recover and it is insulting for the Government to tell them they simply need to seek more advice to get through the drought. He’s calling for a halt to be put on pending regulation of freshwater and biodiversity. It’s true there will be cost for farmers to meet the new rules. What’s debatable are the returns to the industry in value created by trading on its sustainability credentials. Just last week Sir Peter Gluckman told farmers it is more important than ever to do the work on freshwater and land management in a world that will be craving the best food available more than ever. Most farmers don’t want a handout. They’ve adapted and flourished since subsidies were scrapped in the 1980s and are the types to stand on their own two feet. But perhaps it’s time to build more resilience into the system, so when disaster strikes there’s a network that kicks in and gets feed and resources where it needs to be quickly and efficiently. And for an industry that likes to control its own destiny, perhaps it should be built from the ground up. Bryan Gibson

LETTERS

Free stuff better than DairyNZ DAIRY farmers pay a levy from each milk payment to DairyNZ. This 3.6 cents a kilogram of milksolids funds DairyNZ to carry out industrygood activities. Every six years dairy farmers vote in a referendum. This is happening now. This referendum determines the level of support from dairy farmers to renew the levy to continue to fund the activities of Dairy NZ. In effect, dairy farmers are deciding the future of DairyNZ. So what does DairyNZ do for dairy farmers? Its purpose is to secure and enhance the profitability, sustainability and competitiveness of New Zealand dairy farming through research and development, promoting careers in dairying and advocating for farmers

with central and regional government. The above paragraph is a cut and paste from the website and it sounds good but what value trickles down to the average farmer? There is no way to measure the value of DairyNZ. So how do dairy farmers decide if what DairyNZ is offering is worth our money? Does DairyNZ provide us with information no one else can? Maybe I want to know what my Friesian heifers should weigh at six months. I know DairyNZ has this information but I don’t have to go to the DairyNZ website. I can just type in the keywords and I will get a plethora of information on Friesian heifer weights and, here’s the kicker, it’s free. Not only is most information on the DairyNZ website

repeated free on the internet, we can also go to other suppliers, say fertiliser reps, for up-to-date, local information. DairyNZ promotes careers in dairy farming but there are other agencies doing that. DairyNZ advocates for dairy farmers but so do other groups, like Federated Farmers. It seems to me farmers pay over and over again for the same thing. There are a lot of people wanting a share of our dollar. A levy takes away choice. For example, we pay for farm consultants through our levy but we don’t want the farm consultant offered for our region, we prefer someone else who is better suited to us so we pay for one privately. We can ask will the dairy industry’s productivity and sustainability decline if

DairyNZ disappears? I think the answer will be no. As with farm consultants, private suppliers will appear to fill the gap and dairy farmers will be able to choose providers rather than having a levy foisted on them. We need to take back control of our business and our dollar and decide who we pay, for what and when. I’m voting no to DairyNZ. Beth Parker Whangarei

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Opinion

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – May 11, 2020

EASY AS: Single wire breaks can control sheep grazing.

Regenerative ag is yet to mature John King

VER tried managing sheep behind a single strand of polywire? Many sheep farmers think that impossible but its achievement testifies how new thinking challenging what is known to be true is inspiring farmers to be curious about what’s practical. So, if joining the Single Strand Shepherd Society sounds new and refreshing to you then the world of regenerative farming might also be of interest. Farmers credit such crazy ideas as rejuvenating their enthusiasm for farming. Of course, bubbly enthusiasm expressed for regenerative farming whips industry professionals into reminding farmers if a single wire worked it would already be commonplace and until there is definitive proof such ideas are a sign of insanity. Thank goodness there is so much debate about regenerative farming. Ever notice how we love to celebrate successful farmers who’ve done something different? Often that is long after industry cynicism glorifies their isolation from neighbours at a time when they’re at their most vulnerable and trying something new. No wonder regenerative farmers around the global have set up their own farmer-to-farmer support networks. Can anyone recall what policies the Rural Support Trust and Farmstrong have to reign in industry bullying?

The

Pulpit

Of course, despite all the best intentions and advice about regenerative methods, farmers do experience failures – summer crops get frosted, others germinate and burn off because of a lack of moisture or seeds scour from their beds in a downpour. One of the most refreshing perspectives the regenerative crowd brings is an aversion to recipes. Farmers learn principles and work it out for themselves using trial and error. The last thing farmers want is a recipe yet every industry advertisement promises its technologies will let farmers sleep at night. Conventional advice loves recipes, that way nobody has to think and farmers can sit back and reap rewards. What failure looks like is never discussed. Unlearning this culture is the hardest thing

farmers experience changing practice. Therefore, much of the chatter on regenerative social media is no different to chatter elsewhere. The majority is tractor porn – very short term tasks around cultivation, spraying, sowing, harvesting, grazing, animal health and so on. Regenerative farmers are like farmers everywhere clambering for silver bullets because so much of their prior training and experience involves an industry telling them what to do and think. The problem with a profession as complex as farming is relationships between cause and effect are often realised in hindsight. Packaged solutions increase risk, particularly over time because they assume situations stay static. This legacy is what those joining the regen movement bring with them. Therefore, as in all industry platforms, what is struggling to emerge is a maturity linking observation to deliberate decision-making. For example, while farmers scramble for crop and pasture mixes few are asking what role each plant plays to improve soil health and even fewer are asking how such solutions address root causes of their problems in first place. Craving for simple solutions without deeper understanding is how farmers open themselves up to exploitation by professionals. Production economics has received little attention in New Zealand over the last 40 years because of how science

is managed. But because of the precarious nature of their agriculture Australians have continued investing here. Australian research points to factors strengthening the case for regenerative techniques. Farmers at the top of their regenerative game have a deep understanding of how their business practices create consistent profits.

Craving for simple solutions without deeper understanding is how farmers open themselves up to exploitation by professionals.

These regenerative farmers are seldom interested in maximising profits or production – the continual message driven by industry professionals to create dependency. The reason is clear every time a climatic or market event occurs – both significantly lift debt and risk. In other words, these regenerative farmers know how much profit is enough and that stretching their business crushes quality of life. Instead, creating intentional profit is one skill these regenerative farmers master. It starts by dropping the fatal, traditional accounting equation of income minus expenses equals profit to a new practice of income

minus profit equals expenses. Mastering this skill forces farmers to look beyond chasing quick fixes and settle on what they actually need. But it requires a discipline many farmers are allergic to: selfreflection. Changing the equation reduces boom-bust bubbles common with input-reliant farm businesses. Profits don’t soar as high in good times compared to normal neighbours yet recovery from difficult times is faster because losses are less and businesses stay in profit for more years. So while the promise of regenerative solutions is tempting, true success comes from learning self-control. All farmers can learn from such techniques but barriers to overcoming personal bias are significant. While simple ideas such as the Single Strand Shepherd Society inspire and bring fun to change, regenerative farming will require more from its farmers for it to advance.

Who am I? John King specialises in regenerative and holistic farming and facilitates Red Meat Profit Partnership groups throughout New Zealand. Contact him on 027 6737 885 or john@ succession.co.nz

Your View Got a view on some aspect of farming you would like to get across? The Pulpit offers readers the chance to have their say. farmers.weekly@globalhq.co.nz Phone 06 323 1519

Opinion

26 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – May 11, 2020

Leaders making the right calls Alternative View

Alan Emerson

IT’S been a tough autumn on the farm with covid-19 and the drought. The drought has affected different parts of the country in different ways. We were really bad here but had a let-off in late March. Mates further north are still suffering. The drought has highlighted the desperate need for water storage. If we are going to farm our way out of the crisis, and that’s our only hope as a country, then we’ve got to have water. The good news is that’s finally been recognised and commitments have already been made to increase water storage. With covid-19 I’ve become increasingly frustrated with some of the supposed expert analysis. We’ve had much commentary on the fact that New Zealand wasn’t prepared for a pandemic with Auckland University Professor Des Gorman leading the charge. I can’t comment on our planning but I believe we’ve done a good job of containing the virus, which makes the level of

preparedness less relevant. Then we were quoted statistics – how NZ is 35th out of 195 countries in the Global Health Security Index. So what. The most prepared country using that index is the United States. I prefer NZ at 35. The news was dominated for a few days by the story the Ministry of Health had recommended we shut our borders to returning Kiwis with the Government ignoring the advice. That shows me the system is working.

Call me an optimist but even in these troubled times I’m confident about the future of food production in NZ.

It was the ministry’s job to give the Government what it believed was the best advice, which it did. The Government then assessed that advice and made its call. In my view the right call. To me that was, simply, democracy working. I also felt sorry for Opposition Leader Simon Bridges. While he made a few calls in the early days I wouldn’t have I believe he’s done a good job. He’s there to call the Government to account, which he has. I think he’s done

it well and effectively while not being pointlessly destructive. Mind you, if he calls John Key his friend he doesn’t need enemies. In the middle of the media attacks on Bridges, Key came out effusively supporting ex-Air NZ head Christopher Luxon as a future leader. My response to that is Bridges has been in Parliament for 12 years and held different ministerial posts. He has a track record. Luxon doesn’t. Further, I don’t accept the argument that chief executives of large corporates make good political leaders. The US is witness to that. I believe we’re fortunate in NZ with democracy working the way it should. I’m pleased with the way the Government has responded to the crisis and I believe the Opposition in the form of Bridges has properly held it to account. In addition, it’s all done openly with live television. We’re fortunate. There was some commentary saying the government overreacted by moving to level four when it did. I reject that. The Bluff wedding and the Waikato stag party are witness to the fact it takes only one person in a gathering to infect up to 100 and be fatal. There was also claims we should have gone from level four to level two, which I also reject. The

Government made the right call. Going forward isn’t going to be easy but I believe we can do it. When Finance Minister Grant Robertson announced his support package over a month ago he made the point that companies with a strong balance sheet at the end of 2019 should be able to recover from the crisis. The reaction from some companies has me wondering about the real state of their books at the end of last year. I also wonder at the morality of some. I find it iniquitous that gold-plated, big-city law firms with gilded offices should reach for the taxpayer-funded begging bowl with indecent haste. Were they imprudent by operating without reserves or just greedy? Fish and Game’s begging bowl also beggars belief. It is a compulsory union with guaranteed funding, covid-19 or not. I also believe some used the crisis to justify actions that would have taken place anyway and the closure of the magazines owned by the German multi-media conglomerate Bauer was an example of that. But I’m really positive about farming. Prices for some products will be subdued for a while, markets will be more volatile than they have been and the supply of imported products will become less reliable and more expensive. The flip side of that is the country will support food-

WATCH OUT: With friends like John Key the Opposition leader Simon Bridges doesn’t need enemies.

producing farmers, the decisionmakers will want to work with us not against us and farming will be seen as a career of choice. Call me an optimist but even in these troubled times I’m confident about the future of food production in NZ.

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

Straight from the mouth of a stable genius From the Ridge

Steve Wyn-Harris

FROM The Ridge (FTR): President Trump, thank you for agreeing to talk to me again, particularly in these trying times when I know you must be busy. President Trump (PT): No problem at all. I like talking to my friends in Noo Zealand. How’s Cindy? We are terrific friends. Looks like she’s doing a tremendous job down there with this China virus thing. FTR: She’s good, I think. Yes, it appears that she and her Government have done a decent job on containing the spread of the virus but they have put in some strict measures to be able to do that. Naturally, a big lockdown for the last five or six weeks has had a large impact on businesses, people’s jobs, their lives and on the economy. Of course, because we have had just 1500 cases and 21 elderly folk die to date some are saying we have overreacted but this is exactly because of the control measures taken so it’s

a bit of a Catch 22 situation. PT: That was a great movie but I never really figured out what they were getting at. We are on top of this thing as well. My leadership has made sure of that. I’ve acted swiftly and if it hadn’t been for China, none of this would have happened. I’ve been tremendous and it’s all working out and because of that we have had just 60,000 people die and they said it would be hundreds of thousands. Maybe millions. We are stopping people getting sick, we are stopping them dying, we are getting back to work and we are going to make America great again. FTR; That doesn’t appear to be the narrative we are seeing, even out of your own administration. You have just had over 1.2 million cases and they are saying because of the limited testing regime it is likely to be much higher. They say you have actually had 75,000 deaths to date which is a third of all deaths worldwide and one of your own confidential reports now forecasts 135,000 deaths by July because you are loosening up the restrictions too soon. PT: My administration doesn’t know everything, they don’t know everything I know. I don’t even tell Pence. Just between you and me, he creeps me out. Always standing behind me with a slight smile like he’s waiting for something to

VICTIM: The media keeps picking on this man.

happen. He was lucky he never got close to my valet who tested positive for the virus the other day. I’m a very stable genius. I’ll tell you something else, the media treats me worse than they treated Abe Lincoln. Look at that fuss over the disinfectant. The media knew I was being sarcastic but they went ahead and reported that I suggested injecting disinfectant into the body or somehow getting ultraviolet light inside to kill the virus as if I really thought it was a good idea. I bet the media were

behind that mask factory I toured the other day blaring out Live and Let Die on the loudspeaker. It was so loud, no one could hear me talking. I don’t even like Guns and Roses. Now they are feeding fake news out just because one day I announced I was going to close down my coronavirus task force and then because I had new information I announced the next day I wasn’t. They don’t seem to understand that I need to be able to change my decisions very rapidly. That’s how I work. What do they think of me down in Noo Zealand? FTR: Mr President, I don’t know how to answer that. PT: I want you to be honest. I sack my own people when they lie to me. I sack them when they tell the truth as well, especially when it’s what I know is not the truth. They love me down there don’t they? FTR: Well, I do meet the odd person who thinks you are doing okay. They often write after one of our chats. The rest of us spend a lot of time on You Tube watching parodies of you. There are so many. I wouldn’t be surprised if you go down as the most parodied person in history. They are very funny. They have helped me get through lockdown way better than I expected. I just read a piece in the Irish Times by a fellow called Fintan O’Toole. He wrote

that Americans are locked down with a malignant narcissist who, instead of protecting his people from covid-19, has amplified its lethality. He went on to say your daily briefings are meant to be demonstrative of national unity but instead sow confusion and division. He reckons the actions of you and your Republican governors are not mere ignorance but deliberate and homicidal stupidity.

She and her Government have done a decent job on containing the spread of the virus.

PT: That’s just typical of the media. They use words no one can understand. I went to Ireland last year. They loved me. You know they have a border there that would work really well if they built a wall? Which reminds me, I’ve got other stuff to do so thanks for the call.

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 11, 2020

Every dollar counts in covid-19 recovery Off the Cuff

Andrew Stewart

HUMAN behaviour is becoming more apparent as this lockdown drags on from days and weeks into months. Initially, we had total compliance, installed in us by fear of a huge death toll if we did not listen. Next came the herd mentality, witnessed outside supermarkets and other essential services as we humans waited in lines like lambs to the slaughter. There have also been many examples of kindness with neighbours helping those in need, offers of donations and charity and even smiles and conversations with complete strangers. Like all true tests of character this lockdown also shows us the frailties of our human behaviour. One example of this is the sudden and widespread flocking of the masses to stuff some fast food into their mouths as soon as level four was lifted. Seeing a line of cars outside McDonalds extending halfway to Timbuctoo during a visit to Whanganui made me realise how

sad some of our population’s lives are. They were willing to spend half their afternoon stuck in a car waiting for a soggy burger and some salty fries just to satisfy a craving. But the most shameful behaviour, in my opinion, has come from our farming industry. I have read quite a lot of negative sentiment from farmers towards others, particularly the tourism industry. To have your entire industry virtually wiped out overnight is for some Kiwis gut-wrenching at best and life-destroying at worst. Tourism is arguably the hardest hit but there are many thousands of other businesses facing ruin. And I know exactly what that feels like. My wife Kylie and I have been involved in tourism since 2008 when we started Rangitikei Farmstay. It started with some old farm buildings and a dream and over the next 12 years has evolved in ways we could never have dreamed of. The road was not easy, with thousands of hours of work and a significant financial investment. We could not have done it alone and have relied on help from all four corners of the globe. We have also had the privilege of hosting people from all over the world and they have enriched our lives with memories and friendships. Just before the lockdown was announced we reached a milestone that took over a decade of blood, sweat and tears. Our

little farmstay had just secured a bus contract with an international tour company for next summer, where visitors would experience a slice of Kiwi farming during their inbound tours. Kylie, who is the driving force behind the farmstay, had realised a dream she worked bloody hard to achieve. We knew and agreed with the concept of the total lockdown but it was not until we were living it that reality began to set in. Virtually overnight our bookings flatlined, our bus contract was left in limbo and the future of an industry left in turmoil. And for us as business owners it was heartbreaking. But we are some of the lucky ones. Even though the farmstay is a significant contributor to our business we have a sheep and beef farm and other revenue streams to keep us afloat. Many others do not have this luxury as the economic fallout from this virus becomes reality. Many businesses will shut their doors permanently, many will face years of struggle just to keep afloat and thousands of workers will lose their jobs. There has been a lot of commentary about how the primary industries are going to be the shining white horse the country will ride out of this crisis. While it is true we will play a part there are many other industries equally as important. We farmers work and operate with privilege many would kill for so we need to justify that privilege

THE BACKBONE: Andrew and Kylie Stewart with Hannah, 8, left, and Charlotte, 5. Kylie is the driving force behind the tourism venture.

with our behaviour and not say “I told you so”. Collaboration across all industries is vital for our country’s economy to survive. We have a vital role to play in rebuilding our economy and not just by carrying on producing the best meat and fibre in the world. We need to reach out well past our farm gates and into our communities to help those who are struggling. It might be initiating a project you have been thinking about but have been waiting for a rainy day to start. It might be expanding or

diversifying to try to future proof a farming business. Or it might be something as simple as becoming a more regular client at your local coffee shop. Better still, don’t have a favourite and share your custom as far and wide as you can. The only certainty I know that will come from this lockdown is brutally simple. Every dollar will count.

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

Making headway on M bovis John Roche I’M DELIGHTED to say all the indicators suggest we’re doing very well in our fight against Mycoplasma bovis. But how do we know? The M bovis Programme has several measures in place that tell us how we’re going. One key benchmark is the Estimated Dissemination Rate (EDR). The EDR is the number of herds that become infected in a three-month period divided by the number of herds that were infected in the three months before that. From this number we get a very strong indication of whether we’re winning the war. If the EDR is greater than one the disease is growing. If it’s below one we’re shrinking it. The EDR is well below one at 0.4, down from over two at the start of the outbreak. I know people get concerned the number of confirmed cases is increasing. However, what’s important is that we’re finding fewer infected herds despite looking harder. For example, we now check milk samples through bulk tank milk

surveillance and we’ve launched a national beef survey. What else gives us confidence? We continue to analyse the genetics of M bovis from confirmed cases. Only one strain has been identified. That tells us we’ve had only one incursion. All infected properties are linked to the single source of the outbreak.

We’re finding fewer infected herds despite looking harder.

The measures give us confidence the disease is not widespread in the cattle population. Another question asked recently is why we’ve gone beyond the original estimate of culling 150,000 cattle, now 153,546. As the first country to do this we didn’t have a blueprint we could work from. The original number was the best estimate at the time. It’s also useful to put that

number in context – 150,000 animals over three years is about 1% of the cattle that would be culled from the national herd as part of routine dairy culling and meat processing. That is not meant to diminish the trauma and stress individual farmers go through. As the son of a dairy farmer who built his herd from scratch I feel for them. However, as someone who’s dealt with this disease overseas I’ve seen first-hand what happens in an outbreak – incurable mastitis and seemingly healthy calves dying overnight – and I wouldn’t want NZ farmers having to deal with that. So what’s next? Launched in 2018 as an industry-Government partnership this is a phased, 10-year programme to eradicate M bovis from NZ, reduce the effects on farmers and to leave a stronger biosecurity system. The focus is on finding and eliminating the disease. The delimiting phase is expected to end in 2021. After that, background surveillance testing will continue for about seven years.

International epidemiology experts Ausvet recently analysed our surveillance programme and found that following delimiting the surveillance elements we have in place will provide the building blocks to give assurance M bovis is absent from our country. The programme’s ELISA and PCR testing regime is really good for this stage of the eradication but it will be further strengthened by new diagnostics research we’ve commissioned. Following a request for proposals that went out around the world multiple diagnostic research projects are also in the pipeline. They will look to improve our ability to detect M bovis when the disease is less prevalent. Overall, up to $30 million has been set aside for priority science to help accelerate eradication of M bovis and prevent another incursion. We’re investing that money in areas identified as priorities by experts including vets, scientists, industry and government. The research includes projects to better understand how the disease spreads under different farming systems and the social and economic impacts of the

WINNING: Primary Industries Ministry chief science adviser Dr John Roche says progress is being made in the fight against Mycoplasma bovis.

eradication on farmers and rural communities. Being first isn’t always easy. However, I want to assure you we’re confronting the challenge of being the first country in the world to eradicate M bovis with the best science and people – and we are winning.

Who am I? Dr John Roche is the Chief Science Adviser for the Ministry for Primary Industries

Opinion

28 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – May 11, 2020

Non Chinese markets not easy The Braided Trail

Keith Woodford

LOW northeast Asian birth rates are leading to population declines that create market development challenges for New Zealand as it seeks an alternative to China. In a recent article I explained the what, how and why of China becoming dominant as NZ’s key trading partner. Primarily, it was about the emergence in China of new consumers with increasing spending power and an increased desire for high-protein, animalbased food with the consequent trade facilitated by a free-trade agreement. In that article I acknowledged an increasing wave of public opinion saying NZ needs to diversify away from China. I also suggested finding alternative markets will be more than a little challenging but I did not analyse any of those alternatives. I left that for this article. The topic of new market opportunities is huge so this is just a start, just scratching the surface and focusing on just one region. The focus here is northeast Asia – Japan, Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong – because it is there, where incomes are higher than most other parts of Asia.

Northeast Asia is also where NZ has developed trade relationships over a long period. Last year these places came fourth, fifth, seventh and eighth in terms of export importance to NZ. However, their combined importance to NZ at about 13% of exports compares to 31% for China. Equally, if not more important, China has been on a continually rising trajectory of export importance, with a 22% increase over the previous year, but these other locations have shown stagnant growth as export destinations, with collectively 0.2% growth over the previous year. In searching for insights on why these contrasts are occurring and also future prospects a good place to start is by looking at the demographics of the various countries, including NZ. Looking at NZ’s own demographics identifies the need for increased exports in the coming decades. There are two reasons for this. First, unlike the countries of northeast Asia, NZ has a rapidly increasing population. Second, NZ is well-endowed in some natural resources but lacking in others. Lifestyles are built on an export-led economy providing income for items that, as a small country in the South Pacific, NZ will always struggle to produce. Some people might be surprised by the statement that NZ has a much higher birth rate than the countries of northeast Asia. Thirty years ago that was not the case but now it is. Sitting alongside the birth-rate data are

2018 economic growth rates from the World Bank. The assumptions for most of the northeast Asian countries are that birth rates will actually increase a little over time as countries adopt policies to encourage more children. If they don’t increase then the population declines by 2050 will be even greater. In the case of NZ the assumption is that birth rates will remain much as they are now. There is also an assumption for NZ there will be ongoing net immigration of 12,500 people a year. Even if there is no net migration to NZ the population will increase until the 2040s when deaths will catch up with births. Alternatively, if net migration returns to a level of say 50,000 people a year then the NZ population will be well over seven million by 2050. It is evident all northeast Asian countries will have declining populations. For Japan that decline started close to 10 years ago with another 17% reduction likely by 2050. In Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong the decline is about to start. China will reach its maximum population in the second half of this decade then go into inexorable decline. Some aspects of the changing demographics are best illustrated with so-called population pyramids. With birth rates above 2.1 a woman the pyramid term is appropriate. However, as birth rates decline below 2.1 a woman they reconfigure, first like a misshapen brick wall then they invert.

Comparing demographics of North-East Asia and New Zealand Country

GDP growth 2018 (%)

Current birth rate (lifetime births per woman)

Population 2020 (estimated, millions)

2050 population (projected, millions)

New Zealand

2.8

1.90

4.8

5.6

South Korea

2.7

1.11

51.3

46.8

Taiwan

2.0

1.16

23.7

21.6

Hong Kong

3.0

1.33

7.5

8.0

Japan

0.8

1.37

126.5

105.8

China

6.6

1.69

1439.0

1402.0

Population pyraminds for NZ [UN data]

SEARCH: If New Zealand wants to reduce export reliance on China it will have to find other markets but that won’t be easy.

Looking at NZ’s own demographics identifies the need for increased exports in the coming decades. Here, I compare NZ and Korea using visualisation software available from www. populationpyramid.net. In NZ the traditional pyramid has already turned into a misshapen brick wall up to the age of around 60. That shape reflects the baby boom after World War II and reached a maximum around 1960. The older age cohorts are still pyramid shaped. By 2050 the NZ pyramid is expected to have a small bulge in the middle combined with a bigger pyramid at the top caused by a higher proportion of older people than now. However, if migration occurs at recent precovid levels then the cohorts below 60 years will look somewhat fatter than shown here. In contrast, Korea already has an inverted pyramid though to about age 50 then a standard pyramid from about age 60. Alternatively described, it resembles a pear-shaped human with a rather large bulge in the middle.

By 2050 the Korean bulge will have moved upwards and the human shape will have morphed into an equally misshapen icecream cone. The lopsided shape arises from the big difference between male and female longevity in Korea. Alternatively, it can also be described as evolving to a very unstable inverted pyramid. The key message from all of this is economic growth rates that were already stagnating pre-covid combined with low birth rates that have already caused declining population to be baked in plus changing age structures create a situation where developing new markets in northeast Asian markets will be challenging. The other marketing message to be drawn from the population pyramids is that as the pyramids become more inverted consumer demands also change. It is not only food requirements and quantities that change. Taking Japan as an example, for quite some years the market demand for adult diapers has exceeded the demand for baby diapers. That will also now occur in other countries. None of the above should be taken as implying Japan, Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong lack relevance to NZ’s search for market diversification. But it does mean NZ will be swimming against a demographic tide. Accordingly, if NZ is going to diversify significantly away from China it will have to search in other places. That is a story for another day. Somewhere in the background there is also another issue that is highly controversial but cannot be avoided forever. As NZ looks to the future and the challenges that lie ahead what is the ideal population for NZ? Citizens will make their own individual decisions that will collectively determine the natural rate of increase. The only lever governments control is immigration.

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

World

THE NZ FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – May 11, 2020

Plant-based meat sees a sales surge A SURGE in sales of plant-based meat substitutes in the United States in March and April was prompted by the covid-19 crisis, consumer data specialist Nielsen says. Real meat sales were also up significantly as a result of panic buying but nowhere near as much a synthetic meats. Sales of plant-based meat products jumped 200% in the week ending April 18, compared to the corresponding week in 2019. Over eight weeks they rose by 265% compared with a rise of 39% for fresh meat sales over the same period. There was also a massive rise in demand for plant-based milks, most notably oat milk, which saw a 476% increase in the value of sales in the week ending March 14 compared with the corresponding week a year ago. However, the increases need to be put into context – over the whole of 2019 plant-based meat sales in the US accounted for just 2% of retail packaged meat sales. The figures come at a time when the US meat industry is suffering from a number of significant plant

closures, which look to threaten supplies on supermarket shelves over the coming weeks. One of the latest closures is Tyson Foods’ plant at Pasco in Washington state, which produces enough beef in one day to feed four million people. Last week the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union, America’s largest meat packing and food processing union, said 13 plants have closed in the past two months. The plant closures have resulted in a 25% reduction in pork slaughter capacity and a 10% reduction in beef slaughter capacity. In a letter to US Vice-president Mike Pence the union warned “The loss of such production, which is a direct result of workers getting sick and exposed, will inevitably lead to food shortages across this nation.” British Meat Processors Association chief executive Nick Allen said about a dozen smaller United Kingdom abattoirs have closed because of coronavirus and some have scaled back to three days a week.

Meat plants told to stay open UNITED states meat processing plants have been ordered to stay open by president Donald Trump amid intensifying concerns in the country about food availability. US pork analysts estimate 36% of the country’s pig slaughter capacity was not in operation last Monday, raising fears up to 700,000 pigs a day would have to be killed on farms, leading to a shortage of food. Those and abattoirs in other sectors have shut in recent weeks after they were identified as coronavirus hotspots, with the disease spreading rapidly among the tightly packed workforce. The presidential executive order, which compels companies to stay open for national security reasons, might protect companies from being legally liable for workforce safety if they are found to have exposed staff to the coronavirus but unions have said serious concerns remain about how to prevent the spread of disease in factories. However, National

Chicken Council president Mike Brown said companies are doing everything they can to keep people safe. “Companies began weeks ago enacting additional measures to keep workers safe, such as increased cleaning and sanitation of the plants, temperature checks before entering facilities, social distancing measures, installing plastic dividers between work stations, paid leave for sick or atrisk employees and issuing masks and other personal protective gear. “While doing everything we can to keep employees safe and healthy, the biggest challenge has been inconsistencies among the states and many localities in enforcing Centre for Disease Control guidelines in plants that add to confusion and can lead to unnecessary shutdowns.” Four political leaders from Iowa – the biggest pig producing state – wrote to vice-president Mike Pence to ask for financial aid for any animals killed on farms as well as assistance with disposal costs. UK Farmers Weekly

But none of the closures was on a large scale and compared to the US, the UK’s meat processing sector is in good place. The sector is pushing for an amendment to the Job Retention Scheme to allow plants to furlough staff for some but not all of their working week. That would particularly help plants focused on the food service sector, which needed to rationalise. “The current furloughing scheme is an all-or-nothing measure. Staff can either work 100% of the time or they have to cease work entirely. “For many businesses this is proving to be a blunt instrument because reducing production isn’t as simple as chopping out half a workforce. Maintaining operations requires a broad range of staff but for less time.” The other major challenge facing the sector is dealing with the carcase imbalance problem caused by the closure of the food service sector, he said. British levy bodies have sought to respond to the challenges facing the UK meat sector as a

PRECAUTIONS: Though it is taking precautions Tyson Foods has shut its plant at Pasco in Washington. The beef plant can produce enough to feed four million people a day.

result of coronavirus by launching consumer-facing campaigns. While there has been a surge in retail demand for some convenient and cheaper cuts such as minced beef the near complete closure of the multi-billion-pound food service sector has caused carcase balance problems and major instability in market prices. In response, Hybu Cig Cymru (Meat Promotion Wales) is planning a surge of activity, initially based around social media advertising that will include advice to shoppers on how to cook with larger cuts of Welsh beef and lamb and to create a restaurant experience at home. Meanwhile, the Agriculture and Horticulture Development

Board is running a six-week pulled pork campaign to promote consumption of pork shoulder in homes. Sales of shoulders have been hit by the loss of food service outlets, which usually account for 14% of all pork volume sales in the UK. It follows the launch of the board’s #Makeitsteak and #steaknight drive, which seeks to plug the gap left by the closure of restaurants by encouraging more people to eat steak at home. It is estimated that beef consumed in food service outlets normally accounts for 21% of beef volumes, with steak being one of the most popular choices when eating out.

Supermarkets back British beef campaign MEAT levy bodies in England, Scotland and Wales are launching a £1.2m national advertising campaign, now backed by supermarket promotions, to encourage consumers to use more high-end cuts of beef. The Make it with Beef campaign will run for 12 weeks with television, video, radio and social media content. It aims to inspire consumers to create restaurant-style meals in the comfort of their own homes using a variety of high-quality hindquarter cuts. Since the coronavirus lockdown at the end of March and the closure of restaurants and pubs there has been a sharp downturn in sales of steaks and roasting joints and an uplift in cheaper products such as mince. To meet demand for mince processors are having to use highervalue hindquarter and steak cuts, which leads to a drop in the overall retail value of the carcase and a subsequent drop in potential returns to farmers. “This is a unique joint effort by the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board, Quality Meat Scotland and Hybu Cig

Cymru, which we hope will drive an uptake in steak and roasting joint sales in the run-up to barbecue season,” they said. The campaign is being funded from the £3.5m pot of AHDB red meat levies ring-fenced for collaborative projects, which is managed by the three levy bodies. This fund is an interim arrangement while a longterm solution is sought on the issue of levies being collected at point of slaughter in England for animals that have been reared in Scotland or Wales. The campaign will be supported with how-to videos and cooking tips and influencer-driven content. It aims to reach 85% of British households. Board meat marketing head Liam Byrne said “We have seen a fantastic response from retailers to help bring some balance to the meat supply chain, with a number of supermarkets bringing steak and other hindquarter cuts to the fore. “It is key that we give consumers the confidence and inspiration to cook with steak and other beef cuts. “This is the base of the

HOME HELP: Morrisons supermarket chain in Britain is selling beef cuts at half price to support the United Kingdom’s farmers.

industry’s most recent social media campaign #makeitsteak with a #steaknight, which aims to rally the meat industry and chefs to engage with consumers and show them just how easy it is to enjoy restaurant-quality steaks in the comfort of their own homes.” The board has welcomed supermarket promotions on steak products to help beef farmers deal with the loss of the food service market. Farmers are struggling because of a drop in demand for more premium cuts, which has caused the

value of beef to fall by as much as 15% across the market. But supermarkets have stepped up promotions to support British farmers, who are working hard to feed the nation during the coronavirus pandemic. Waitrose has responded with its biggest-yet promotional push on steak products, which includes offers on selected prepacked and meat counter steaks in April, May and June, including sirloin, rib, rump and tomahawk cuts. Morrisons is selling steaks and seafood for half price at its new in-store steak and barbecue bars with fillet, sirloin, ribeye and rump all on offer. Chief executive David Potts said the new steak bars will help provide a home for some of the topquality meat produced by British farmers. Marks and Spencer has launched a 100% British meat food box, which includes Aberdeen Angus casserole steak and rump steak. The retailer said it is increasing promotions on steaks to help farmers deal with carcase balancing. Lidl and Aldi have also increased promotions on steak products. UK Farmers Weekly

World

30 THE NZ FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – May 11, 2020

Grass-fed meat demand rockets THE coronavirus pandemic has rocked food supply chains with British beef and sheep farmers facing disruption caused by irrational buying in supermarkets and the loss of the food service market. But business has increased for many farmers who can sell directly to consumers at farm shops and through online delivery as shoppers turn to local produce in response to empty supermarket shelves and the most vulnerable being forced to self-isolate. Their eagerness to buy British meat, produced locally is proving a big boost for the Pasture-Fed Livestock Association (PFLA), a group of British farmers passionate about raising animals purely on grass while improving biodiversity and capturing carbon on their land. “It is an exciting experience to buy something direct and it is way more fun and rewarding than going to a supermarket,” PFLA consumer and supply chain head Jimmy Woodrow said. “I hope that is what will make people continue these new relationships they have built up.” The PFLA, established in 2009, has grown to 585 members, 80% of them farmers with the rest being butchers and independent retailers. Its main aim is to increase the supply and market for 100% grass-fed meat. Woodrow is confident that despite the inevitable dip in sales once the pandemic subsides and supply chains steady, new customers will see the benefits of continuing to buy the produce locally. “I think there will be a new, heightened normal of sales in these channels,” he says. “There is no loyalty with the supermarket and people should be saying ‘we were together in the bad times so we are together in the good times’ – not least when you taste what you are eating. It is a different product.” With debates raging in the news and on social media about climate change and red meat consumption the PFLA is helping its members market their meat by educating consumers about the low-input methods used to

GOOD WORK: Farmer Anna Blumfield promotes grass-fed meat as part of the Ladies in Beef group and a member of the Pasture-Fed Livestock Association. Her sales have quadrupled during the British lockdown.

produce it as well as highlighting the nutritional benefits. The PFLA points to increasing scientific evidence, including Newcastle University work, that meat and milk from animals that have only ever eaten grass and pasture is different in nutritional quality – lower in saturated fat, a much healthier ratio of Omega-3 to Omega-6 fatty acids and more vitamins and minerals.

It is an exciting time. It feels like there is real purpose behind what we are doing. Jimmy Woodrow Pasture-Fed Livestock Assn “The issue that we’ve always faced is how do we get more people to become aware of what we are doing because, generally, when they do it just makes sense. “The role for me is about creating an environment and a structure within which enterprising farmers can succeed.”

POPULAR: Demand for grass-fed meat from these cattle on Deersbrook Farm in Essex has increased significantly since covid-19 arrived.

That includes plans to create an online livestock marketplace where certified PFLA farmers can trade animals, a project that has been accelerated because of the pandemic. “Farmers who have predominantly had restaurants as their sale outlet have struggled so we are trying to divert those animals into other channels,” he said. “You’ve got finishing farms who can’t access store cattle and then you’ve got suckler herds who don’t have an outlet for their store cattle so we are trying to connect some of these dots.” A forum lets farmers, butchers and retailers connect and share ideas and advice and certification allows farmers to use the Pasture for Life (PFL) mark, which tells consumers the meat is 100% grass-fed. Butchers and retailers can also be certified, which gives them access to joint marketing initiatives and promotional schemes. A research group of PFLA members has been formed to look at climate change, tasked with collecting data on the positive work farmers are doing around carbon sequestration and biodiversity. Peer-reviewed data is crucial in helping prove some livestock farmers are part of the solution to the climate crisis, not part of the problem, Woodrow said. “We are looking to take more data on all our farms so that we can start proving we are potentially carbon neutral already. “I want to get as many of our farms recording data so we can present something that is representative of the PFLA. But even on a single farm, if you have data to show your customers, I think that is also powerful. “We have a very motivated and energised membership who are looking to prove these points.” Anna Blumfield, a PFL-certified farmer at Deersbrook Farm in Essex, sells grass-fed beef in her farm shop and butchery, which opened in December 2018. She has 150 Sussex cows and five bulls because the breed is

perfect for the 100% grass diet. “The breeding is really important. They absolutely thrive on pasture alone. “A lot of the other breeds, the continentals, need that grain to finish properly, whereas the native breeds finish beautifully on grass.” They take longer to finish – between 24 and 30 months – but it is worth it to unlock the full flavour and potential of the meat. “They may take a little longer, which is why some people don’t continue with it,” she said. “There is also increased cost on the slaughter for animals over 30 months, for testing and removing the spine. “You do get the extra cost, so you add that slight premium on for the customer.” Blumfield says that her PFLcertified beef carcases achieve an 8% premium. But there are other benefits. “It makes sense because of the environment. We want the soil to be as healthy as it can be because better soil means better food for the cattle and their digestive system.

current circumstances so people realise how we can help the global climate change situation and not to re-open all the airports as they were and to restrict traffic levels.” The PFLA is encouraged by the emergence of regional groups within the association, with farmers and butchers in an area talking among themselves. Acting chairwoman Fidelity Weston, a beef and sheep farmer at Sevenoaks, Kent, says the engagement with the butchers, who are the link to the consumers at the counter, could be the start of strong, local supply chains that are mirrored across the country. “There are enough of us now from Kent, Surrey and Sussex who want to start telling butchers why they should buy PFL meat.” There are more than 40 butchers signed up to the PFLA and the association wants to empower its farmers to speak to others, which will help grow the market for 100% grass-fed beef. “Farmers are busy enough as it is and we end up being masters of so many different tasks but we hope we can give members the

INFORM: A key part of promoting grass-fed produce is explaining why the premium on the meat is worth paying, Pasture-Fed Livestock Association acting chairwoman and farmer Fidelity Weston says.

“That fantastic nutrition and energy passes on through the meat to the consumer, it follows on the whole path to produce the highest-quality meat.” Sales have quadrupled since the coronavirus pandemic, with four staff working flat out in the shop to keep up with demand. “People are eating local and seeing the benefits of it and the farmers who produce it,” Blumfield said. “My husband Phil was out on his tractor and people were waving at him as he went down the high street. Normally, he might get tooted or cursed at.” The farm is under a Standstead Airport flight path and with nearly all flights grounded Blumfield has noticed the difference in air quality, which makes her question whether farmers are shouldering an unfair amount of blame for the climate crisis. “I really hope there is research through organisations such as Greenpeace and the Soil Association looking at the benefit to the air and soil condition in the

confidence and right information to develop these relationships.” A key part of this is explaining why the premium on the meat is worth paying, Weston says. “To understand the health and environmental benefits as well as the high animal welfare standards we need to get these people out onto our farms so they can see.” Woodrow says while regional groups are no silver bullet, maintaining the strong sense of community that has carried the PFLA through its first 10 years is vital for future success. “On our forum, for example, when ideas are being discussed, most people know each other, which means they talk freely. “It is far easier to get your neighbour involved in the PFLA than it is for someone centrally. It makes sense for local farmers to talk and trade and that is going to cause a growth of certification and membership. “It is an exciting time. It feels like there is real purpose behind what we are doing.” UK Farmers Weekly

STRATEGICALLY-FARMED FRANKLIN LAND

Prime cropping land in the heart of the productive Pukekohe area, has been released to the market for sale. Four lots of highly-productive rural-zoned land totalling 108.7990ha (more or less). Held in multiple titles, to be sold as individual lots, or as a portfolio. Lot 8 includes a portion of residential-zoned land forming part of the strategically-accumulated TA Reynolds portfolio. This release contains irrigated cropping land yielding a very credible average harvest of 60 tonnes of onions and potatoes per hectare.

Boundary lines are indicative only

LOT 6 McMiken Block 470 Harrisville Road, Buckland • Zoned rural – one title • 23.2700ha (more or less) cropping block • Easy contour – friable soils • Groundwater consent 6” bore 1,600m3 per day (max take 160,000m3 per annum) • 4” bore 250m3 per day • Storage shed space approx. 1,260m2 bayleys.co.nz/1971210

Boundary lines are indicative only

LOT 7 Buckland Farm 1949 and 1999 Buckland Road, Buckland, Pukekohe • Zoned rural – two titles • 13.6650ha and 50.0776ha (more or less) • Predominantly easy contoured, well drained cropping land with some surplus grazing • Planted riparian waterways • Partly setup for pivot irrigation - main water line with hydrants across 85% of the farm • Groundwater consent for up to 2,400m3 per day • Surface take consent lodged for 500m3 per day from the stream bayleys.co.nz/1971208

Boundary lines are indicative only

LOT 8 La Folley Block 2339A Buckland Road, Tuakau and 47 Jellicoe Avenue, Tuakau • Zoned rural - two titles and zoned residential - one title • 28.8260ha, 6.2350ha and 1.851ha (more or less) • Two rural-zoned titles identified as future urban in the Waikato District Plan • East-west watercourse dammed for surface take of 277m3 per day • Irrigation from 10,000m3 approx. reservoir bayleys.co.nz/1971202

LOT 13 Cruickshank Block River Road, Tuakau • Zoned rural – five titles • 1.5140ha, 0.7360ha, 2.5368ha, 2.0967ha, 1.2595ha (more or less) • Easy contour • Groundwater consent for up to 1,400m3 per day • Excellent rural town fringe property bayleys.co.nz/1971200

CONTACT SOLE AGENTS Ben Jameson +64 21 568 800 ben.jameson@bayleys.co.nz

FOR SALE BY TENDER (UNLESS SOLD PRIOR)

BAYLEYS REAL ESTATE LIMITED, PUKEKOHE, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008

Shane Snijder +64 21 730 488 shane.snijder@bayleys.co.nz BAYLEYS REAL ESTATE LIMITED, PUKEKOHE, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008

Duncan Ross +64 21 663 567 duncan.ross@bayleys.co.nz BAYLEYS REAL ESTATE LIMITED, AUCKLAND CENTRAL, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008

Closing 3pm, Friday 5th June 2020 Selling ‘all or parts’ of the portfolio Bayleys Pukekohe, 8 Massey Avenue, Pukekohe, Auckland For more information visit

tareynoldsportfolio.co.nz

FINAL NOTICE

Whangara 1542 Panikau Road

Panikau Station - an East Coast icon

Panikau Station is a sheep and beef operation situated in the renowned Whangara farming district. Renowned for its superb coastal climate and contour, the 1,093ha station property has been proudly held by the same family since the 1880s. The farm conservatively carries 6,800SU across approximately 750 effective hectares. The picturesque property has nationally significant plantings of exotic and native trees including a central park. Superb natural water sources including several springs and the adjoining Pakarae River provide further potential sources to increase production. Significant farming infrastructure includes a seven stand woolshed, laneways, cattle and sheep yards, as well as an attractive, architecturally designed homestead. The five bedroom home sits amongst celebrated landscape gardens designed by Alfred Buxton. Start your legacy, call today.

Tender (unless sold prior) Closing 4pm, Tue 16 Jun 2020 10 Reads Quay, Gisborne View by appointment James Bolton-Riley 027 739 1011 Simon Bousfield 027 665 8778

MACPHERSON MORICE LTD, BAYLEYS, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008

bayleys.co.nz/2751664

NEW LISTING

Hororata 2143 Bealey Road

“Arbourlea” - 72.33 hectares

Location, productivity and a wonderful environment is what sets “Arbourlea” apart from the rest. Situated on the outskirts of Hororata Village, this wonderful location provides fantastic access to all the things outdoor enthusiasts dream about - within a short drive to the rivers, lakes and mountains, yet only 40 minutes to Christchurch. Beautifully established gardens with mature specimen trees surround the extremely attractive home with a wrap-around veranda. With renovations and refurbishments throughout, this fantastic home has large living and entertaining areas. Irrigated via Central Plains Irrigation, this very-well-setup, simple operation, is designed for both ease of management and the ability to extract the best out of cashflow. With excellent soil types and effective use of water within the CPW catchment.

Deadline Sale (unless sold prior) 12pm, Thu 28 May 2020 3 Deans Avenue, Christchurch View by appointment Ben Turner 027 530 1400 ben.turner@bayleys.co.nz Craig Blackburn 027 489 7225 craig.blackburn@bayleys.co.nz

bayleys.co.nz/5512019

bayleys.co.nz

WHALAN AND PARTNERS LTD, BAYLEYS, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008

Real Estate

farmersweekly.co.nz/realestate 0800 85 25 80

N EW

LIS TI N G

FARMERS WEEKLY â&#x20AC;&#x201C; May 11, 2020

ATTRACTIVE UNIT WITH POTENTIAL "Woodhurst", 338 Tinui Valley Road, Tinui, Masterton Woodhurst is a well balanced smaller farm with its own unique ecosystem. Around 175ha effective; 31ha alluvial flats, 15ha terraces, 47ha easy hill, 55ha steeper + 50ha of scrub grazing. Opportunities exist for hunting in the remaining 178ha of native bush, pines & scrub. 3 bedroom cottage, 3 stand wool shed & support buildings. Over the last few years the farm has not been run intensively and is currently well understocked, offering an immediate source of feed from the June settlement.

376 hectares Tender

nzr.nz/RX2332941 Blair Stevens AREINZ 027 527 7007 | blair@nzr.nz Dave Hutchison 027 286 9034 | dave@nzr.nz NZR Real Estate Limited | Licensed REAA 2008

Tender Closes 4pm, Thu 4 June 2020, 16 Perry St, Masterton.

Carterton 287B Millars Road Opportunities abound Conveniently located 138ha (approx) farm 15-20 minutes from most towns in the Wairarapa. Easy commute to Wellington via road or rail, the farm has an incredibly attractive landscape with views to the Tararua ranges. Medium hill country leading to arable rolling terraces currently used for cattle farming, running a herd of 200 Angus cows with all progeny being sold as weaners. Excellent water systems reticulated to all paddocks, good conventional fencing supported by electric maximising grazing potential. Well tracked with central laneway; large well sited six bay shed; substantial cattle yards with excellent load out facilities plus easily accessible quarry. Substantial home on its own title, also available for purchase separately. A rare find.

bayleys.co.nz/3150873

Auction (unless sold prior) 11am, Wed 27 May 2020 Auction date subject to change Lindsay Watts 027 246 2542 lindsay.watts@bayleys.co.nz Andrew Smith 027 760 8208 a.smith@bayleys.co.nz EASTERN REALTY (WAIRARAPA) LTD, BAYLEYS, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008

Your destination For Rural real Estate

Get in touch with your agent today

farmersweekly.co.nz/realestate

RURAL rural@pb.co.nz 0800 FOR LAND

Property Brokers Limited Licensed under the Real Estate Agents Act 2008

Vendor instructions are clear!

Exciting opportunity with irrigation

DEADLINE SALE

WEB ID OMR75319 OAMARU 266 Eastern Road, Otekaieke View By Appointment DEADLINE SALE closes Friday 22nd May, 2020 at 4.00pm, Offers over $30,000 plus GST per hectare will be (unless sold prior) considered. Large scale dairy farm, location, soils, reliable water, modern infrastructure, all provide for a very efficient low input dairy unit. Return on investment will impress. • 423 hectares located at Otekaieke, Waitaki Valley North Otago. • Five-year production average of 619,000 kgMS or 1,518 milk solids per hectare effective Price plus GST(if any) Deadline Sale closing at 4pm Friday 22nd May 2020 or Ross Robertson other date TBA subject to Covid 19 restrictions being Mobile 021 023 27220 rossr@pb.co.nz lifted (all prior offers will be considered)

DEADLINE SALE

Investment potential plus!

WEB ID OMR72871 BY NEGOTIATION MAHENO 39 Whartons Road View By Appointment Buyer enquiry over $3,000,000 plus GST will be given serious consideration for this exciting opportunity with irrigation. Property Brokers is proudly presenting to the market this high production irrigated fattening property located in the fertile Kakanui Valley of the North Otago Region. • 152.1329 hectares • Fertile soils achieving high production dry matter. • 78 hectares of irrigation utilising two centre pivots. • Primary water consent via Kakanui River (33 ltr/sec) in combination with reliable NOIC (North Otago Irrigation Ross Robertson Company at 30 ltr/sec). Price plus GST (if any). Mobile 021 023 27220

3 2 2

rossr@pb.co.nz

Kaihiku Gorge

DEADLINE SALE

TENDER

WEB ID OMR72668 HILLEND 17 Tongue Road View By Appointment Offers over $4 million + GST will be considered. Property DEADLINE SALE closes Friday 22nd May, 2020 at 4.00pm, (unless sold prior) Brokers are proud and privileged to present this 352.7058 hectare dairy farm to the market as sole agent. The farm is well situated in strong & fertile country in the hinterland of South Otago with an RV $4,630,000. The property has a history of sound Ross Robertson production at lower cost meaning potentially higher Mobile 021 023 27220 returns. Plus GST(if any.) Deadline Sale closing at 4pm rossr@pb.co.nz Friday 22nd May 2020 or other date TBA subject to 4 Covid 19 restrictions being lifted (all prior offers will be considered) Andy Kelleher

DEADLINE SALE

Mobile 027 666 6811 andyk@pb.co.nz

pb.co.nz

+ GST (IF ANY)

WEB ID BAR75708 SOUTH OTAGO 638 Glenfalloch Road In the Kaihiku Ranges of South Otago is this productive 1,263 ha property that has a good balance of tussock hill and rolling/hilly contour, renowned as healthy sheep and beef grazing/finishing country. A superb four bedroom brick home compliments the property plus a three bedroom cottage. Support buildings include a four-stand woolshed with covered yards, several implement sheds, new covered super bin and cattle yards. Current stock numbers are 60:40, sheep to cattle ratio. Known as summer safe country. Inspection highly recommended.

TENDER View By Appointment TENDER closes Thursday 4th June, 2020 at 12.00pm, (no prior offers) at the office of Property Brokers, 23 Baxter Street, Balclutha

4 Patrick Bowden

Mobile 027 436 5161 patrick.bowden@pb.co.nz

RURAL rural@pb.co.nz 0800 FOR LAND

Property Brokers Limited Licensed under the Real Estate Agents Act 2008

Bellmack Farm - 469 ha

TENDER WEB ID PR75495

DANNEVIRKE Fairbrother, Baker and Kumeti Roads Three separate properties which has been run in conjunction for more than 50 years in a renowned summersafe environment which is located minutes from Dannevirke township. All three properties which share common boundaries feature favourable contour with flat to rolling downs rising to some steeper faces against the Ruahine Ranges. Bellmack Farm features a good level of improvements with two woolsheds, sheep yards, cattle yards and a comfortable four bedroom home completing a well sought after package.

Available individually or a combination of any, these properties are sure to cater to sheep, beef, dairy grazing or a summersafe add on to an existing business. Fairbrother - 103.3966 ha Baker - 156.7702 ha Kumeti - 209.0736 ha

TENDER

VIEW By Appointment TENDER closes Thursday 11th June, 2020 at 2.00pm, to be submitted to Lloyd Dodson and Pringle, C/murray@ldp.co.nz or delivered to 9 Ward Street, Dannevirke

Jared Brock

Mobile 027 449 5496 Office 06 376 4823 Home 06 376 6341 jared@pb.co.nz

John Arends

Mobile 027 444 7380 Office 06 376 4364 johna@pb.co.nz

Glenfarg/Tahuna

A real change in real estate.

DEADLINE SALE

The Property Brokers and Farmlands partnership means great things for provincial real estate WEB ID TMR75525 FAIRLIE 207 Tondros Road View By Appointment DEADLINE SALE closes Thursday 28th May, 2020 at 4.00pm, This is a very well balanced 515.3046 hectare property (unless sold prior) with a comfortable 4 bedroom home and the ability to run all stock types. A large portion of the property is deer fenced to a high standard, gullies and rougher Michael Richardson Mobile 027 228 7027 areas will be planted into trees (approximately 57 ha) Office 03 687 7145 and these will be in the Emission Trading Scheme. Home 027 228 7027 Conveniently located 6 km from Fairlie and a short drive michael@pb.co.nz 4 to the recreation areas of the Mackenzie Country. Price plus GST (if any) Hamish Lane 2 Michael Richardson Deadline Sale closing at 4pm Thursday 28th May 2020 Mobile 027 027 228 685 7027 6204 Mobile or other date TBA subject to Covid 19 restrictions being Office 03 687 1227 Office 03 687 7145 lifted (unless sold prior) hamish.lane@bayleys.co.nz Home 027 228 7027

DEADLINE SALE

Whalan and Partners Ltd Licensed REAA 2008 michael@pb.co.nz

pb.co.nz

Together our combined strengths complement each other to create bigger networks, more buyers and better results. For more information call 0800 367 5263 or visit pb.co.nz/together

Proud to be together

Agri Job Board

FARMERS WEEKLY – May 11, 2020

0101788

Farm Manager – Maraetai

farmersweeklyjobs.co.nz

63.57x120

JOBS BOARD FW Jobs Board

The Marion Ross Memorial Trust is seeking a Farm Manager to run their small farm near Maraetai, East Auckland, only 25km from central Manukau.

LIVESTOCK FINISHING UNIT MANAGER Mt Alford Station 2015 Limited

The manager is the sole employee on the farm, and is responsible for all day-to-day aspects of the running of the farm. This includes all aspects of stock management and handling, including sale and purchase decisions, machinery operation, fence and water system maintenance etc. Spraying and weed control is also a large component of the role.

Mt Alford Station is about to establish a cattle and lamb finishing unit on a newly purchased property. The finishing operation will complement the existing cattle and sheep breeding of Angus cows and Perendale ewes and the raising of Fresian bulls and lift overall carrying capacity to 20,000 stock units. Located 10 minutes from the Mid-Canterbury town of Methven, a motivated and progressive livestock manager is being sought to assist the owner in establishing the finishing unit and managing the future operations.

A tidy 3-bedroom house with stunning views toward Waiheke Island is available as part of the remuneration package. Salary and hours may be negotiable.

This is a great opportunity for a forward thinking and energetic person who is ambitious and ready to contribute to take the business to the next level.

A working dog would be required.

You’re reading the Farmers Weekly and so are the people you want to employ. LK0102300©

GET IN TOUCH

Debbie 06 323 0765, classifieds@globalhq.co.nz

Noticeboard

Water Filter Systems

POWER CABLE

ANIMAL HEALTH

www.drench.co.nz SPECIAL OFFER: Mectin Pour-On Abamectin • Town or Tank Water

Ideally the location will be central to northern Waikato and will be in the scale of 100ha or larger. Ideally a decommissioned dairy farm, but established maize blocks would be suitable.

Cattle / Dairy **Nil Milk **

• No Expensive Cartridges • Installer Network

• Chlorine Removal

12.5 L PROMO PACK 10L Red fuel can + 2.5L Back Pack + Pour on gun $450 25 L PROMO PACK 20L Yellow fuel can + 5L

LK0102240©

SHOP ONLINE

For further details. Please email admin@total-ag.com or phone Rob Macnab on 027 320 3185

Ph 09 376 0860 www.jder-cintropur.co.nz

Back Pack + Pour on gun $750

We could save you hundreds of $$

HOMES FARM SHEDS SUBDIVISIONS PUMPS Prices include delivery to your door!

Dose 1ml – 20kg Meat withhold = 35 days

LK0102231©

• Whole House

For friendly & professional advice CALL 0800 843 0987 Fax: 07 843 0992 Email: power@thecableshop.co.nz THE CABLE SHOP WAIKATO www.thecableshop.co.nz

Phone 0800 4 DRENCH (0800 437 362) Farmer owned, very competitive prices LK0099618©

Our clients are looking to diversify their large Agribusiness enterprise and are seeking land to lease suitable for Maize growing and fattening lambs.

They are well resourced and willing to meet the market. Looking for security, they envision a 3-year plus lease working for both parties.

Contact Debbie Brown 06 323 0765 or email classifieds@globalhq.co.nz

WE ARE THE SOLUTION

All applications must include a covering letter and CV including at least two referees to:

Lease Land Wanted

*conditions apply

A full job description for this position is available on request.

We offer an attractive salary with additional benefits, as well as ongoing training and personal development.

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

*FREE upload to Farmers Weekly jobs: farmersweeklyjobs.co.nz

Please send your CV and cover letter to Paul Keeling at paul_keeling@xtra.co.nz to apply.

Attractive employment and living conditions are offered, including: • A warm 4-bedroom house with a fully fenced section • School bus pick up close to the house to Methven Primary School and Mt Hutt College • Hunting, fishing and lifestyle opportunities on the doorstep with every second weekend rostered off.

Applications close on 29 May 2020

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The successful applicant will have: • Competence in sheep and beef stock management, animal health etc. • Ability to think ahead and plan work and farm decisions in advance • Experience of fencing and handling agrichemicals • Strong awareness of health and safety in the workplace • Be well organised, self-motivated, and able to work alone

The right candidate will have: • proven experience in livestock and pasture management on an intensive farmed property • positive attitude with sound communication skills • sound planning skills and ability to implement agreed systems • interest in new farming technologies and a willingness to learn further technical skills • initiative in monitoring and observing animal behaviour and production • ability to work as part of a team • a strong work ethic and pride in work and the farm environment.

Graeme Harrison Managing Director Mt Alford Station 2015 Limited 143 Forest Drive Methven 7730 Email: graeme.mountalfordstation@gmail.com Phone: 0275 737521

Assistant Manager Assistant Production Manager Contract Milker Dairy Support Manager Farm Assistant Farm Manager Fencer / General Herd Manager Livestock Finishing Unit Manager Livestock Representative Manager Stud Stock Manager

The property comprises roughly 200ha of steep to medium coastal land, with some bush. It has a relatively low carrying capacity, and has typically wintered around 300 breeding ewes, and 150 R2 steers.

LK0100828©

LK0101902©

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

Under Woolshed/Covered Yards Cleaning Specialist www.underthewoolshed.kiwi

✁

SCOTTY’S CONTRACTORS We also clean out and remetal cattle yards – Call Us!

K! BAC N

FROM THIS

’REORKINGA I E W W AP R

1 x 6 foot bale 2m diameter 15 feed positions 15 - 30 animals

$ 120+G0 ST

0800 104 404 | www.stockfeeders.co.nz

New Zealand’s proven stock feeder for 24 years | 100% New Zealand Tensile Steel

Nominate a school on booking and we’ll donate $100 on payment of your account.

✁

100% New Zealand Made Quality Stockfeeders

0 $ 85 +GST

3 x 4 foot bales 2 x 6 foot bales 24 feed positions 24 - 48 animals 4m long

Phone Scott Newman Freephone 0800 2SCOTTY (0800 27 26 88) Mobile 027 26 26 27 2 New Zealand’s Number 1 service provider for under woolshed and covered yard cleaning since 2004

TO THAT

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• • • •

OVAL FEEDER (S2 Pinned) • • • • •

LK0101513©

STANDARD FEEDER (C6 Pinned)

IRA NOW WA

LK0101448©

Heavy duty long lasting Ph 021 047 9299

Noticeboard

ANIMAL HANDLING

DOGS FOR SALE

ANIMAL AND HUMAN healer, now doing absent healing. For more information phone Ron Wilson 027 435 3089.

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

SELLING AND BUYING. Delivering May 30th. Trial. www.youtube.com/user/ mikehughesworkingdog/ videos 07 315 5553.

DOLOMITE NZ’s finest BioGro certified Mg fertiliser For a delivered price call ....

0800 436 566

ATTENTION FARMERS FAST GRASS www.gibb-gro.co.nz GROWTH PROMOTANT Only $6.00 per hectare + GST delivered Brian Mace 0274 389 822 brianmace@xtra.co.nz

BRIDLES

[For farmers and hunters]

FARM MAPPING SIMPLE AND CLEAR farm maps with paddock sizes will help you achieve your daily goals. Get a free quote from farmmapping. co.nz

GOATS WANTED GOATS WANTED. All weights. All breeds. Prompt service. Payment on pick up. My on farm prices will not be beaten. Phone David Hutchings 07 895 8845 or 0274 519 249. Feral goats mustered on a 50/50 share basis.

CONTRACTORS GORSE SPRAYING SCRUB CUTTING. 30 years experience. Blowers, gun and hose. No job too big. Camp out teams. Travel anywhere if job big enough. Phone Dave 06 375 8032.

udly NZ Made Pro Since 1975

021 441 180 (JC) LK0102306©

frigidair@xtra.co.nz

When only the best will do!

FO SALR E

SOMETHING? 0800 85 25 80

12 MONTHS TO 5½-yearold Heading dogs and Huntaways wanted. Phone 022 698 8195.

STATION TYPES. Heavy NZ leather. Hand sown. Breast plate. Leg straps. Hobbles. Crupper, etc. Phone Otairi Station. 06 322 8433.

CHILLERS & FREEZERS

SELLING

DOGS WANTED

LEASE LAND WANTED

NORTH ISLAND. Gisborne or Wairoa area preferred. Beef cattle or sheep. Excellent rates paid. Flexible time-frame. Phone 021 228 4238 or 06 873 3696.

SHEEP / BEEF, breeding or finishing. Experienced operators. Guaranteed regular income from a trusted company who will add value to your property. Phone 021 228 4238 or 06 873 3696.

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 BOOK AN AD. For only $2.10 + gst per word you can book a word only ad in Farmers Weekly Classifieds section. Phone Debbie Brown on 0800 85 25 80 to book in or email classifieds@ globalhq.co.nz

HUNTING ACCESS WANTED

NAKI GOATS. Trucking goats to the works every week throughout the NI. Phone Michael and Clarice. 027 643 0403.

MID NORTH ISLAND. Retired farmer looking for somewhere to hunt at rear of farm/station bordering bush. Would consider buying part of it. Contact Warren 022 687 3164.

2 YEAR WARRANTY. NZ ASSEMBLED. ELECTRIC START & QUALITY YOU CAN RELY ON 13.5HP. Briggs & Stratton Motor. Electric start. 1.2m cut

TOWABLE TOPPING MOWER

TOWABLE FLAIL MOWER GST $4400 INCLUSIVE

12Hp Diesel. Electric Start

11.5HP Briggs & Stratton Motor. Industrial. Electric start. GST $4200 INCLUSIVE

GST $4200 INCLUSIVE

To find out more visit www.moamaster.co.nz

REACH EVERY FARMER IN NZ FROM MONDAY $2.10 + GST per word - Please print clearly

LIVESTOCK FOR SALE

Advertise in the Farmers Weekly

WILTSHIRES-ARVIDSON. Self shearing sheep. No1 for Facial Eczema. David 027 2771 556. FOR ONLY $2.10 + gst per word you can book a word only ad in Classifieds section. Phone Debbie on 0800 85 25 80.

Name: Phone: Address: Email:

PERSONAL

Heading:

Country Lady Looking For Love

Advert to read:

A slim petite lady, with brown hair and hazel eyes, who loves living off the land, horse riding, camping, cooking and trying new adventures. She is looking for a genuine gentleman to share her life with. To meet, please call 0800 446 332 Quote code 53

SHEEP SCANNING AVAILABLE

50 TON WOOD SPLITTER

Phone 027 367 6247 • Email: info@moamaster.co.nz

NOTICEBOARD

www.countrycompanionship.co.nz

LK0102193©

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

GRAZING WANTED

SERVICING SOUTH WAIKATO, King Country, Ruapehu, Taihape areas. Eight years experience, NZ & UK. Fully Pneumatic, 3 Way drafting, EID available. No mob too big or small. Wet/dry to Triplet and foetal ageing. Phone for prices and availability 027 479 4918.

Return this form either by fax to 06 323 7101 attention Debbie Brown Post to Farmers Weekly Classifieds, PO Box 529, Feilding 4740 - by 12pm Wednesday or Freephone 0800 85 25 80

FO SALR E

SELLING

SOMETHING? 0800 85 25 80

ALL OF MAY SPECIALS ONLINE ORDERS 027 823 6728

Merino Mid Socks

$57.00 3 pair same size pack

Sizes 3-5 6-8 8-10 11-13 14-15

Townies

$37.50 2 pair same size pack

Sizes 3-5 6-8 8-10 11-13 14-15

Singlets & Tshirts

$39 each

Sizes Sm Med L XL 2XL 3XL 4XL 5XL

Tunics

$39 each

Sizes Sm Med L XL 2XL 3XL 4XL 5XL

The World’s number 1 sawmill Over 100,000 Machines Sold

thesocklady@xtra.co.nz Postal orders to: Sock Lady 26 Westminster Drive Rotorua 3010 With product, sizes, postal address and payment.

LK0102295©

www.thesocklady.co.nz

LK0102307©

ANIMAL HANDLING

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

Wood-Mizer® sawmills: ✓ Use the latest in thin kerf technology. ✓ Produce more timber from fewer trees. ✓ Are adaptable to all sawing situations. ✓ Are flexible in operation. ✓ Have low operating costs. Personal to Professional sawmills Recover your own timber or mill for others. Contact: Paul Marshall (B.For.Sc., M.Sc., M.N.Z.I.F.) Director Wood-Mizer NZ Ltd. Mobile: 021 331 838 EMail: P_Marshall@xtra.co.nz

LK0102224©

FARMERS WEEKLY – May 11, 2020

www.woodmizer.com

50 TON WOOD SPLITTER

Information packs now available for 2020/21 season

12HP, Diesel, Electric Start

Heavy duty construction for serious wood splitting. Towable.

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING – FOREST GROWERS LEVY TRUST INC The Annual General Meeting of the Forest Growers Levy Trust Inc is scheduled for 1.00pm on Tuesday 26 May at Level 9, 93 The Terrace, Wellington.

info@nzadventures.co.nz Ph: 03 218 8569 027 550 6727 or 027 435 4267

www.nzadventures.co.nz

GST Special Price $4200 INCLUSIVE Very limited stock

The business of the Annual General Meeting will include receiving the Annual Report and Financial Statements of FGLT, and any other business appropriate for an AGM.

www.fglt.org.nz

To find out more visit

LK0102194©

Notice of attendance must be received by 12 noon, Friday 22 May.

www.moamaster.co.nz LK0102270©

For more information please visit our website or contact us

LK0102217©

If you paid a levy in 2019 and wish to attend, go to: http://fglt.org.nz/about-us/agm-and-timetable

Phone 027 367 6247 Email: info@moamaster.co.nz

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

Est. 1981

Livestock Noticeboard

Auahi Charolais Pio Pio

FARMERS WEEKLY – May 11, 2020

www.kahaspecklepark.co.nz

LIVESTOCK ADVERTISING Have you got a bull sale coming up? Advertise in Farmers Weekly

Henderson Partners

Sale date 29th May 2020

Offering 31 good quality polled & horned Bulls LK0102244©

To advertise Phone HANNAH GUDSELL 0800 85 25 80 or email livestock@globalhq.co.nz

Private Treaty by appointment Pure breed bulls for sale, 3/4 bred bulls 7/8 bred bulls Purebred Heifers and Cows scanned in-calf

RANUI BULL SALE

Contact: PGG Wrightson Agent Karl Swanson 027 202 0865 or John Henderson 07 873 8477 / 027 633 1776

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B.V.D tested clear & vaccinated twice Open for inspection to suit Sale criteria to be finalised

JOIN US FOR OUR

40TH SALE

ON THURSDAY 4TH JUNE* • "Maximising your return through personal livestock management"

Bull viewing available for the month of May - by appointment only. •

Sale e-books available now

Contact Lindsay or Maria Johnstone today 027 445 3211 or 027 610 5348

ranuiangus.co.nz

JERSEY PRIDE • • • • •

12th May – 1pm on Bidr 2 MT proven Bull Dams up to gBW 366 1 cow, sons in AI and interest in more. 5 incalf heifers gBW to 315 3 High BW yearling heifers 15 straws Lynbrook Terrific semen.

WAIKATO INVITATION SALE 14th May – 1pm on Bidr • 26 Jersey incalf heifers ave BW 220 up to BW 270.

KOHITIATA JERSEY EDENMORE HOLSTEIN-FRIESIAN AND AYRSHIRE SALE 18th May – 12pm Dannevirke • 34 Jersey, 10 Holstein-Friesian +4 Ayrshire incalf heifers. 20 Cows. Wanted: Jersey, J8 +HF yearling heifers for export. Good Jersey + Xbred cows. For sale: Yearling + incalf heifers, Surplus cows. Contact: Ross Riddell 0272 111 112 Grant Aiken Northland 0272 458 821 Karen Fitzgerald Manawatu 0274 080 098

Linking buyers and sellers

NEED TO MOOOVE SOME STOCK? Advertise your stock sales in Farmers Weekly _______________________________ byllivestock.co.nz

07 823 4559

byllivestock

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

BULL SALE RESULTS 2020

Farmers Weekly will be sending the autumn bull sale results e-newsletter from May 2020. Contact Hannah on 06 323 0761, 027 602 4925 or livestock@globalhq.co.nz to sign up or include your sale results and receive weekly updates.

GET IN TOUCH TODAY. farmersweekly.co.nz

LK0102011©

FARMERS WEEKLY – May 11, 2020

Livestock Noticeboard

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

Contract Winter Lamb Finishing Sale Day - 2nd June

Otapawa will be hosting Open Paddock Sales this year, due to Covid restrictions. We welcome you to view and purchase the Bulls direct from the Paddock. Bulls are available for viewing and purchase anytime.

Stuart 027 8484408

Douglas 027 9197150

Or your Agent

Our Client has secured a contract to provide heavy weight lambs to the market during MayOctober 2020.

Hewitt_BB_2300x750@20%.indd 1

1/11/19 11:44 AM

SALE TALK

This contract has a multi-year term, so is looking to grow relationships with farmers to provide lambs during the winter months.

A wife was making a breakfast of fried eggs for her husband. Suddenly, her husband burst into the kitchen.

They are willing to provide very competitive prices per kg LWT as well as provide lambs for farmers to grow out. Well established NZ company, with solid supply chain arrangements.

“Careful,” he said, “CAREFUL! Put in some more butter! Turn them! TURN THEM NOW! We need more butter. Oh my gosh! I said be CAREFUL! You NEVER listen to me when you’re cooking! Never! Turn them! Hurry up! Are you CRAZY? Have you LOST your mind? The wife stared at him. “What in the world is wrong with you? You don’t think I know how to fry a couple of eggs?” The husband calmly replied, “I just wanted to show you what it feels like when I’m driving.”

LK0102243©

For further detail please express interest to admin@total-ag.com where further details will be provided Hill Country Cattle Thriving in any Environment

otapawa@xtra.co.nz

www.otapawa.co.nz

Looking for a Beef Shorthorn?

Check them out Raupuha

4-Year-Old Herd Sire: Woodleigh Aragorn 30 years intensive selection for early growth produces this:

Mahoenui Bulls - Private Sales Incalf Heifer Sale Bidr, 29th May 07 877 8977 - Russell

Paddock sales rising 2-year-old bulls until 30 June

Lochburn

Taupiri Private Sales 07 824 6751 - Kelvin

Aubrey

Waitomo Private Sale 07 873 6968 - Ron

Carnegie

Waiuku Private Sales 021 031 3091

Roscliff

Te Awamutu Private Sales 027 211 1112 - Ross

Stratford Private Sales 06 765 7269 - Jack

Colvend

Ongarue Sale 26th May, 3.30 07 894 6030 - Alan

Hiwiroa Sale

Woodcall

Hinewaka Sale

Takaka Private Sales 021 556 806 - Bill

Masterton Sale June 3rd, 3pm 06 372 7615 - David

Turiwhate

Waikari Private Sales 027 233 3678 - Chris

Glenbrook Station

Carriganes Cattle

Omarama Private Sales 021 285 9303 - Simon

Tuatapere Private Sales 03 226 6713 - Anita

Glenfern

Tokanui Private Sales 06 327 8185 - Alan

Waipukurau Sale to be announced 06 858 5369 - Jim 06 855 4737 - Nick

Dunblane

Kumara Private Sales 027 379 8167 - Chris

Westwood

Katikati Bull and Incalf Heifer Sale Private Sales 07 552 0815 - Ken 021 520 244 - Craig

Browns

Mangaotuku

Marton Private Sales 06 327 8185 - Alan

Orena

Morrinsville Private Sales 07 889 5965 - Hamish

Te Kohanui

Catalogue at www.belgianblues.co.nz Lockwood Smith 022 458 0515 or lock@xtra.co.nz

Red, White & Roans of our world

Glenrossie

Whangarei Heads Sale June 28th, 1pm 09 434 0987 - David 09 434 0718 -Will

Waitara Private Sales 06 754 6699 - Roger Whangamomona Private Sales 06 762 3520 - Aaron

You get paid for carcass weight. Woodleigh genetics produce it.

Kerikeri Bull and Incalf Heifer Sale 22nd May, 11.30 09 401 9633 - Shane & Dot

Bullock Creek

Mill Valley

Woodleigh cow with 7-month calf (404kgs)

Longview

Dunsandel Private Sales 022 470 2447 - Sarah

Rough Ridge

Ranfurly Sale May 15th, 11am 03 444 9277 - Malcolm

Maerewhenua

Oamaru Private Sales 03 431 2871 - Norman

Using a n bull in Shorthor ing ss-breed your cro l increase wil program ne up to bottom li 20%

Glendhu

Heriot Sale May 19th, 11am 027 497 8104 - Fraser

Renowned for great marbling producing top quality meat Keep an eye out on our facebook and website for updates

Bulls for sale by Private Treaty Online Incalf Heifer sale: Bidr - 29th May 2020 www.bidr.co.nz

Contact Russell Proffit

Enquiries inspection always welcome email:and rnmwproffit@xtra.co.nz

2033 State Highway 3, RD Mahoenui, 3978 phone: 07 877 8977 or 027 355 2927 www.raupuhastud.co.nz Raupuha Stud

w w w.short horn. co. nz

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

Livestock Noticeboard

FARMERS WEEKLY – May 11, 2020

LIVESTOCK ADVERTISING

For over 80yrs Hingaia bulls have been standing up to the demands of the industry

PETER & CAROLINE FOSS

495 Potaka Road, RD 1, Aria, King Country Ph/Fax: (07) 877 7881 Email: pcfossy@xtra.co.nz

with Farmers Weekly

WILTSHIRE RAMS AVAILABLE

Sound well fleshed sires, Excellent temperament 200 Fully breedplan recorded cows 25 Bulls Catalogued

> Genuine full shed sheep > No shearing > No dagging

HINGAIA OFFER:

HINGAIA ANGUS

PHONE HANNAH GUDSELL 0800 85 25 80

Yearling bulls are also available in September

26TH ANNUAL SALE THURSDAY 4TH JUNE, 1PM, TE KUITI SALE YARDS

See for yourself the quality of bull we sell at Hingaia

On Farm Sale Monday, 18th May 2020 - 1.30pm

“A balanced breeding programme for all environments” Annual Bull Sale Wednesday 27th May 2020 147 Hingaia Road, Te Awamutu - 4.00pm

KAIMOA

LIVESTOCK ADVERTISING

COVID-19 ALTERNATIVE DATE: JUNE 15TH AT 2PM

Are you looking in the right direction? INSPECTION AND VISITORS ALWAYS WELCOME Richard Jolly 147 Hingaia Road, RD4, Te Awamutu 3874, Mobile: 027 499 7159 Email: jollyr@no8wireless.co.nz Andrew Jolly Mobile: 027 562 7740

Call HANNAH

Andy Transom, PGG Wrightson Ltd Mobile: 0275 965 142

0800 85 25 80

BULL OPEN DAY • ALL ENQUIRIES WELCOME WEDNESDAY 27TH MAY 1-5 PM

1775 MANGAONE VALLEY ROAD EKETAHUNA

Mark, Anthony and Di Eagle ‘Chessfield’ 1775 Mangaone Valley Rd Eketahuna p: 06 376 8256 e: eagleeketahuna@xtra.co.nz

livestock@globalhq.co.nz

www.hingaiaangus.co.nz

OREGON angus

Kaimoa South Devons have pleasure in putting forward 22 Bulls in 2020 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.

34 BULLS

Hillcroft Angus

Tuesday 2nd June 2020 – 3pm

OREGON DYNAMITE

AT MORLAND 1464 MASTERTON STRONVAR ROAD KEITH & GAE HIGGINS 06 372 2782

OPEN DAY WEDNESDAY 20TH MAY, FROM 12PM

LK0102117©

Hill Country Specialists

Est. 1960

LOT 2, LOT 5, LOT 8

Annual June Sale – Tuesday 2 June 10am Top 20 rising 2-year-old bulls • BVD clear & twice vaccinated

Online auction: bidr.co.nz – Catalogue on bidr website Please ring for pre-sale inspection

Malcolm 07 828 5709 Fraser 07 828 5755 0272 85 95 87

www.hillcroftangus.co.nz

LK0102253©

Proven Genetics Constitution Fertility Longevity Soundness Balanced EBVs

> No dipping

A personalised purchasing arrangement to suit your needs

GLENDHU SHORTHORNS 2nd Bull Sale

Storth Oaks Angus “Genetics still available”

Tuesday 19th May 2020 at 11am on farm 147 Kempthorne Rd Heriot, West Otago

2020 on farm & bidr simultaniously streamed Annual Sale NOTE: We hope to have a normal on-farm auction which will be run simultaniously on Bidr for those that cant/wont travel but if we are still in stage 4 it would be all electronic.

facebook.com/storthoaksangus

storthoaks

twitter@storthoaksangus

SELECTION INDEX VALUES Market target

Glendhu 2020 sale bulls average

Breed average

Self Replacing Index ($)

+$77

+$57

Dairy Index ($)

+$55

+$29

Fraser Fletcher Ph 027 497 8104 or fraserfletcher@gmail.com

LK0102189©

Tim & Kelly Brittain 524 Paewhenua Rd,RD 2, Otorohanga. 3972 Phone: 07 873 2816 Mob: 02756 935 387 Email: tim@storthoaks.co.nz www.storthoaks.co.nz

LOT 4

Free delivery in the South Island

Livestock Noticeboard

CAPITAL ROMNEY FLOCK DISPERSAL

KAIRURU POLLED HEREFORDS

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

SINCE 1979

IN-CALF DAIRY HERD AND HEIFER AUCTION

300 SIL Ewes & hoggets from a 30 year Romney project with the last 11 years breeding from ‘Multiple Only’ genetics.

ON FARM SALE ON-FARM

29TH ANNUAL SALE

a/c D B Orchard Partnership Address: Matamata Sale Yards

26th March at 1:00pm with BIDR

LOT 2

Or phone Kelso & Jane Rushton 06 374 2815

28 R2YR BULLS

KEVIN & JANE MCDONALD (REPOROA) 07 333 8068 • 027 451 0640 JEFF & NICOLA McDONALD 021 510 351 • kairuruNZ@gmail.com

0800 85 25 80

22 RISING 2 YEAR OLD BULLS

10am Tuesday 26 May 2020 th

Due to Covid 19 restrictions sale will be held online via www.bidr.co.nz (registrations necessary)

View by appointment only - Beaumont Township, 1910 State Highway 8 Contact: Justin Wallis (Stud Master) 027 225 8330 or Clayton Peters 027 222 4421 PMS – PMS 445 C

PMS – n/a

RGB – 241, 90, 41

RGB – 60, 76, 64

RGB – 255, 255, 255

CMYK – 0, 80, 95, 0

CMYK – 50, 28, 24, 65

CMYK – 0, 0, 0, 0

HTML – f15a29

HTML – 3c4c54

1910 State Highway 8, Beaumont, RD1 Lawrence 9591, Otago Phone 03 446 6030, 027 225 8330 or 027 222 4421 Carrfields LIVESTOCK

PGG WRIGHTSON LIVESTOCK

Roger Keach 027 417 8641 Callum Dunnett 027 587 0131 Callum McDonald 027 433 6443 Chris Swale 027 442 5032 Donald Baines 027 328 8781 Brent Taylor 027 333 2421 Paul Pearce 027 478 5761 Andrew Holt (South Island Livestock Manager) 027 496 3311

13 in-calf R2yr heifers 13 heifer calves

• All cows 2-4yrs old, Herd tested 323kg/ms • 60,000 avge som cell, rolling farm contour

25 Thumping JsyX I/C Hfrs BW163 PW181 DTC 15/7 to Jsy bulls out 20/12. $1400 Kelly Higgins 027 600 2374 Ref: DH1830

• TBC10, Lepto vacc, BVD tested, Bovis clear

26 Jsy/FsnX I/C Hfrs BW179 PW198 DTC 1/8, capital stock, yrs of AB. $1200 Andrew Gordon 027 487 2044 Ref: DR1784

owned 3 years and genuinely well farmed by

194 Jsy/Xbred Herd BW59 PW93 RA85% DTC 8/7 to Nom LIC, System 3, farm sold Very good condition, HB shed. $1400 John Price 027 594 2544 Ref: DR1822

AB cows with tight calving spread

Auctioneers note: Young dairy cows that have been leased out by young owner – been lessee. Good opportunity to buy well farmed young

Payment date: 27/05/2020. Please

If you are considering selling, contact your local Carrfields Agent for results

KEVIN & JANE McDONALD

LINDSAY JONES

0274 528 603

auction

date

available by appointment only with Stewart Cruickshank. Enquiries to: Carrfields Agent:

www.carrfieldslivestock.co.nz

Registered Speckle Parks

This

Covid-19 regulations. Pre-sale inspections

Visit our Website for the best selection available

7 heifer calves 7 bull calves

note:

scheduled subject to any changes due to

450 Large Xbred Herd BW99 PW122 DTC 10/7 to LIC 4.5wks, system 2 feeding Hilly rolling farm, very nice herd. $1550 Richard Baird 027 407 0562 Ref: DR949

Registered Polled Herefords

07 333 8068

Comprising: 157 Fsn/FsnX in-calf cows – BW77 PW92

• Herd mated to CRV Fsn AB, System 2

115 Fsn/FsnX Herd NZMI 50 490ms/cow DTC 22/7 to WWS, CRV, LIC, System 2 HB shed, rolling farm, H tested. $1300 Mike McKenzie 027 674 1149 Ref: DR1814 LK0102116©

PETERS ANGUS

PMS – PMS 173 C

– light luncheon

Details:

Great Buying Opportunities

11th Annual Bull Sale

To be conducted undercover

• Herd & Hfrs calv from 15/7, Bulls out 12/12

DAIRIES FOR SALE

in conjunction with

On Friday 15th May 2020 at 11.30am

26 Xbred in-calf hfrs – BW107 PW136

LIVESTOCK ADVERTISING

LK0101441©

LK0102093©

LK0102310©

Refer to Trademe #2612545535, at Kairuru,in conjunction Reporoa (midway Rotorua – Taupo)#2612613829, #2612838599, #2612864962, #2612943534

SALE

Stewart Cruickshank 027 270 5288 or stewart.cruickshank@carrfields.co.nz

LK0102269©

FARMERS WEEKLY – May 11, 2020

Visit our website for catalogue and photos

www.carrfieldslivestock.co.nz

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

KAIKOURA LIVESTOCK LTD

Livestock Noticeboard STOCK FOR SALE

120 R2YR ANG STEERS 420kg 250 R2YR FRSN/HERE STEERS 350-480kg Lines of FRSN BULLS 300-400kg 130 R2YR ANG HEIFERS 385kg Various Lines of: R3YR Steers R2YR Heifers Steers Bulls STEERS - HEIFERS - BULL CALVES

Jersey/Jersey X 268 MA cows BW144 PW 157 Doing 360/cow until end of April. Calving 04/08/2020 $1650 Jersey/Friesian X 226 MA cows BW115 PW 141 Calving 04/8/2020 $1650

CHANGE OF FORMAT & CHANGE OF DATE TO

BULL OPEN DAY - WEDNESDAY 20TH MAY 2020

Check Out Our Website

Both MA mobs 4.7 Condition Score Jersey/Jersey X 44 In-calf R2 Heifers BW190 PW202 Calving 01/08/2020 $1400

Ross Dyer 0274 333 381 LK0102274©

The following Angus Studs will be open for viewing of Bulls in the morning between

The following Angus Studs will be open for viewing of Bulls in the afternoon between

9.30am and 12.30 noon

12.30pm and 4.00pm

Tapiri Stud

KayJay Stud

Te Whanga Stud

Oregon Stud

Rob & Lucy Thorneycroft & Julie McLachlan

www.dyerlivestock.co.nz

X-bred 69 In-calf Heifers BW158 PW 175 Calving 18/08/2020 $1400

A Financing Solution For Your Farm E info@rdlfinance.co.nz

Glanworth Stud

Pinebank

Totaranui Stud

PGG Wrightson Steve Wilkinson 0275 94 5110

MORRINSVILLE DAIRY PAVILION

ome

All welc

John Griffith & Co Ltd John Griffith 0274 83 6679

Thursday 14th May 2020 Start 11.30AM

Daimien Reynolds & Tally Jackson

Carrfields Chris McBride 0275 65 1145

CR Nelson Ltd Craig Nelson 021 457 127

NB: NZFL are privileged to offer the complete small herd of mainly Jersey Dairy Incalf Cows, and a small portion of Frsn X to Black Cows for Auction. Due to the sale of their farm of 13 years ownership.

35 R2Yr VIC Angus Heifers 21 R3Yr VIC Angus Heifers 83 M/A VIC Angus Cows 6 M/A Angus Herd Sires

Ambreed bred for many years. Production

Waigroup bulls are backed with a rigorous guarantee. CALL US TODAY

over 300ms per cow on a System One operation. Somatic’s 160, during Spring. They are all vetted incalf, Lepto inoculated,

Auctioneers Note: The Cows are honestly bred for soundness and type. The temperament of this herd is impeccable and we encourage anyone looking to extend their herd or start an Angus Stud to attend this sale.

TB Tested clear. TB C10 last test. Great value opportunity to capitalise on Winter milk payments This is an unrecorded Herd, they will be drafted in ages and type.

Please note: Due to Covid restrictions we are only allowed to grant physical access to our sales to those farmers/buyers intending to bid/purchase. We cannot admit viewers only or members of the public.

DTC 5th June, 5 weeks AB Ambreed. Tailed Hfd and Jsy X Bulls. (Bulls out 15th December 2019) Approx: 85 Vetted Incalf Jsy/Jsy X/Frsn X

The sale will be live streamed through our website: www.mylivestock.co.nz

Dairy Cows

Pinebank Sales: 2-Year bulls by private treaty through June Glanworth On-Farm Auctions: 2-year Bulls June 25th at 2:30pm

Further enquiries to:

It is recommended that you log on to the website 24 hours prior to the sale to register.

NZFL Agent: Steve Emile 027 224 3880

For further information contact the Vendors: Alistair & Pat Sharpe 07 863 7954 or 021 0547 862

NB. Strict Covid 19 Procedures/ Guidelines apply

View listing on: mylivestock.co.nz WAI82604

www.anguswaigroup.co.nz LK0102250©

LK0102239©

to the sale.

VISITORS & ENQUIRIES WELCOME

PINEBANK Established 1919 – Willie Falloon Ph: (06) 372 7041 E: falloon@xtra.co.nz GLANWORTH Established 1952 – Shaun Fouhy Ph: (06) 376 8869 E: glanworthfarm@gmail.com

Online Auction on www.mylivestock.co.nz Please register online 24 hours prior

Video available

Carrfields Livestock Bruce Orr 027 492 2122

LIVESTOCK ADVERTISING Advertise your stock sales in Farmers Weekly

farmersweekly.co.nz

The bull sales specialists Breeding Better Business If you’re looking for a planned approach to success, get in touch with your local PGG Wrightson Genetics Specialist to find out when and how these sales are being held, or to schedule your sale.

Upcoming bull sales

Kiwi Livestock Ltd Ray Spencer 021 544 791

ARE YOU GETTING TOO MANY BULL BREAKDOWNS?

On A/c Client: JR & RM De Wys

On Farm at 249 Franklin Road, Waihi Friday 22nd May 2020 – 12 Noon

Joe & Lea, Shaun & Fi Fouhy

Angus & Trish Thomson

Willie & Angela Falloon

PEDIGREE ANGUS HERD SALE

Keith & Gae Higgins

Dandaloo Stud Waigroup Stud

WAITAWHETA ANGUS STUD

Neil, Joan, Rod & Sam Kjestrup

Jason Coffey, Rob, Paddy & Sarah Borthwick

Contact Liam Harnett 027 221 8813 For more information and photos go to https://kaikouralivestock.co.nz/

NZ Farmers Livestock Brent Bougen 027 2104 698

FARMERS WEEKLY – May 11, 2020

30 R3YR Top ANG HFRS VIC ANG Due Aug 1

Capital line established in 1958, split into two MA lines and two heifer lines for buyer convenience or buy as one herd

Jersey X/Friesian X Carry over cows 24 BW145 PW 184 $1400 54 BW133 PW 158 $1400

www.pggwrightson.co.nz/bullsales

Or to view the upcoming sales go to

www.bidr.co.nz

LK0102291©

FARMERS WEEKLY – May 11, 2020

Livestock Noticeboard

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

OKAHU

Polled Herefords

GENUINE AUTUMN IN MILK HERD

50th ANNUAL BULL SALE Thursday 14 May 2020, 3pm Online Auction – bidr.co.nz Contact us to arrange pre-sale inspection

Closed Herd No trading cattle

Thursday 28th May 10am

Approximately 30 two-year old bulls BVD clear & vaccinated – TB status C10 Semen tested – 2 x Covexin 10

Alert Level 2: On farm auction under strict C19 guidelines

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

Alert Level 3: Live auction via internet and phone eBook catalogues available on ngakoukaherefords.co.nz and herefords.co.nz

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.

Phone to book your individual viewing time now.

Ngakouka Herefords are fleshy, reliable and ‘good-doers’.

Tuesday 19th May 11.30 Start 884 Victoria Road, Hautapu A/C Thuraway Farm Comprising: • 200 Frsn/Frsn X/Jsy X In Milk Cows • BW 52 PW 72 RA 70% Farm sold, herd started calving 10th March. Currently producing 1.8 m/s 18 & per cow SCC 136 on all grass. Great age breakdown 140 cows 5yr & younger, breeding background, LIC, Ambreed, Samen. TB C10, EBL Free, Lepto Vacc, Herringbone Shed. Sale date and method may change due to COVID-19. PGW has no liability for any costs/loss caused by any change. Please confirm with PGW first. Strict COVID-19 procedures/guidelines will apply on sale day.

Catalogues available on Agonline. Contact: Dean Evans 0272 431 092.

OKAHU – Over 100 years of breeding Herefords

All bulls lepto & BVD vaccinated, semen tested and structurally assessed Helping grow the country

Bruce and Chrissina Donald 1877 Weber Rd, RD 10, Dannevirke 4970 P: 06 374 2939 E: bruce.chrissina@xtra.co.nz W: ngakoukaherefords.co.nz

LIVESTOCK ADVERTISING

PHONE HANNAH GUDSELL 0800 85 25 80

2020 BULL SALES BULL WALK

A great chance to see around 1100 R2 Bulls over four days that will be auctioned this season. Subject to Covid 19 restrictions Bull Walks will be held. Prior viewing would be available by arrangement with Vendors or the Agents listed below.

Martin & Mary Taylor 06 8555322 Emma & Andy Martin 06 8555348 E: taylors@glenbraestud.co.nz View Online: www.glenbraestud.co.nz

Lot 5 Lot Lot162

Lot 2

2020 AVERAGE OF GLENBRAE SALE BULLS ‘VS’ BREED AVERAGE

The Bull Sale will be held online if the Covid-19 lockdown Continues.

Glenbrae Annual Bull Sale 1019 Mangaorapa Rd, Porangahau. Thursday 2pm. 28th May 2020

NZ’s Virtual Saleyard WEEKLY AUCTIONS Wednesday night – North Island Thursday night – South Island

FEATURE AUCTIONS Tuesday, 12 May 2020 1.00 pm Link Livestock Jersey Pride Wednesday, 13 May 2020 1.00 pm PGG Wrightson Online Angus Bull Sale Thursday, 14 May 2020 12.00 pm Ruaview Angus & Simmental 1.00 pm Link Livestock Waikato Invitation Heifer Sale 2.00 pm Glenwood Angus Bull & Loch Lomond South Devon 3.00 pm Okahu Hereford Friday, 15 May 2020 11.00 am Waikite Simmentals For further information go to bidr.co.nz or contact the team on 0800 TO BIDR

SOUTH & MID CANTERBURY Tuesday 19th May, 1pm to 4pm Kakahu Angus & Charolais, Geraldine Stern Angus, Pleasant Point Tuesday 19th May, 10am to 4pm Meadowslea Angus, Fairlie Merrylea Hereford, Cave Orari Gorge Hereford, Geraldine Okawa Hereford, Mayfield Matatoki Hereford, Cave

Tom Hargreaves James Fraser

03 6974979 03 6147080

David Giddings James McKerchar Robert Peacock Nick France Paul Scott

03 6858027 03 6143332 03 6922893 03 3039749 03 6129962

CENTRAL CANTERBURY Wednesday 20th May, 12pm to 4pm Sudeley Angus, Irwell Silverstream Charolais & Hereford, Greenpark Burtergill South Devon, West Melton

Andrew Laing Brent Fisher Richard Van Asch

03 3291709 0272 514 791 021 191 5584

MARLBOROUGH BULL WALK Friday 22nd May, 10am to 4pm Matariki Herefords, Clarence Bridge Woodbank Angus, Clarence Bridge Taimate Angus, Ward Waterfall Angus, Awatere Brackenfield Angus, Awatere Leefield Station Angus, Waihopai Valley

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

James Murray Johnny Murray Paul Hickman Charles Waddy Angus Peter Greg Crombie

027 486 6699 027 731 9430 021 575 155 03 575 7388 022 428 7906 027 551 1011

ST ARNAUD, WAKEFIELD & RAI VALLEY BULL WALK Friday 22nd 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 5716271

Further Enquiries John McKone, PGG Wrightson Simon Eddington, PGG Wrightson Anthony Cox, Rural Livestock

027 529 9375 027 590 8612 027 208 3071

NORTH CANTERBURY Thursday 21st 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 Beechwood, Richon and Woodburn Hereford, Amberley

MARKET SNAPSHOT

Market Snapshot brought to you by the AgriHQ analysts.

Suz Bremner

Mel Croad

Nicola Dennis

Cattle

Reece Brick

Graham Johnson

Caitlin Pemberton

Sheep

BEEF

William Hickson

Deer

SHEEP MEAT

VENISON

Last week

Prior week

Last year

NI Steer (300kg)

4.85

5.45

NI lamb (17kg)

6.50

7.35

NI Stag (60kg)

7.00

9.00

NI Bull (300kg)

4.85

5.15

NI mutton (20kg)

4.50

5.05

SI Stag (60kg)

7.00

9.00

NI Cow (200kg)

3.25

4.00

SI lamb (17kg)

6.30

7.00

SI Steer (300kg)

4.40

5.05

SI mutton (20kg)

4.00

4.85

SI Bull (300kg)

4.35

4.90

Export markets (NZ$/kg)

SI Cow (200kg)

2.90

3.40

UK CKT lamb leg

US imported 95CL bull

8.94

8.27

7.86

US domestic 90CL cow

9.97

9.28

7.45

Slaughter price (NZ$/kg)

$/kg CW

6.00

5.0

10.5

$/kg CW Apr

$/kg CW

5-yr ave

Jun

2018-19

Dairy

Aug 2019-20

Oct

Feb

Apr 2018-19

Jun

6.25

Prior week

Last year

2.96

Last price*

400

Jun-19

Aug-19

Oct-19

Dec-19

Feb-20

Apr-20

410

SMP

2500

2380

400

AMF

4100

4050

4200

Milk Price

7.20

7.22

$/tonne

2660

3825

390 380 370

Apr-19

* price as at close of business on Thursday

WMP FUTURES - VS FOUR WEEKS AGO 2750

Jun-19

Aug-19

Oct-19

Dec-19

Feb-20

Apr-20

$/tonne

2550 2500 Aug

Sep 4 weeks ago

Oct

833

Company

YTD High

Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Corporation Ltd

29.39

32.22

21.1

The a2 Milk Company Limited

19.74

20.33

13.8

YTD Low

Meridian Energy Limited (NS)

4.6

5.8

3.61

Auckland International Airport Limited

5.7

9.21

4.26

Spark New Zealand Limited

4.49

4.93

3.445

Mercury NZ Limited (NS)

4.64

5.62

3.595

Ryman Healthcare Limited

12.18

17.18

6.61

Port of Tauranga Limited

6.88

8.08

4.9

Contact Energy Limited

6.21

7.74

4.54

Mainfreight Limited

36.6

43.99

5pm, close of market, Thursday

Company

YTD High

YTD Low

The a2 Milk Company Limited

19.74

20.33

13.8

Comvita Limited

3.77

3.78

1.66

Delegat Group Limited

9.7

12.1

6.39

Fonterra Shareholders' Fund (NS)

3.65

4.06

3.61

Foley Wines Limited

1.65

1.91

1.35

Livestock Improvement Corporation Ltd (NS)

0.7

0.82

0.7

Marlborough Wine Estates Group Limited

0.2

0.21

0.191 1.29

2.3

PGG Wrightson Limited

2.71

2.74

1.55

Sanford Limited (NS)

7.03

8.2

5.55

Scales Corporation Limited

4.92

5.17

3.3

SeaDragon Limited

0.046

0.205

0.001

4.5

4.74

3.4

9.1

4.36

Seeka Limited T&G Global Limited

2.65

2.93

2.35

16299

16941

12699

400

S&P/NZX Primary Sector Equity Index S&P/NZX 50 Index

10649

12073

8499

300

S&P/NZX 10 Index

11179

12096

9100

200 100

Jun Jul Latest price

787

Synlait Milk Limited (NS)

500

2700 2600

787

New Zealand King Salmon Investments Ltd

WAIKATO PALM KERNEL

2650

321

Listed Agri Shares

420

2525

4175

625

314

Top 10 by Market Cap

410

2560

4175

567

314

DAP

vs 4 weeks ago

Butter

567

CANTERBURY FEED BARLEY Prior week

Aug 2019-20

Urea

Apr-19

Jun

Last year

380

Apr 2018-19

Prior week

30 micron lamb

Apr-20

Feb

Last week

390 Feb-20 Sept. 2021

NZ average (NZ$/t)

WMP

2450 May

Last week

$/tonne

6.75

Nearby contract

Dec

FERTILISER

37 micron ewe

420

Dec-19

Oct

Fertiliser

Aug 2019-20

Super

7.25

DAIRY FUTURES (US$/T)

US$/t

Dec 5-yr ave

CANTERBURY FEED WHEAT

Aug-19 Oct-19 Sept. 2020

8.5

5-yr ave

430

Jun-19

9.5

6.5

7.0

7.75

5.75

South Island stag slaughter price

7.5

8.0

Grain

Data provided by

MILK PRICE FUTURES

$/kg MS

South Island lamb slaughter price

Coarse xbred ind. Feb

$/kg CW

11.5

(NZ$/kg)

4.50 Dec

8.5

6.5

WOOL

5.00

Oct

9.5

6.0

5.0

5.50

4.00

10.5

7.0

6.00

Last year

North Island stag slaughter price

6.0

South Island steer slaughter price

6.50

9.91

Last week Prior week

7.5

9.0

4.50

Slaughter price (NZ$/kg)

8.0

5.50 5.00

10.36

North Island lamb slaughter price

9.0 $/kg CW

North Island steer slaughter price

Last year

11.5 10.38

Export markets (NZ$/kg)

6.50

Last week Prior week

$/kg CW

Slaughter price (NZ$/kg)

Ingrid Usherwood

Apr-19

S&P/FW PRIMARY SECTOR EQUITY

Jun-19

Aug-19

Oct-19

Dec-19

Feb-20

Apr-20

16299

S&P/NZX 50 INDEX

10649

S&P/NZX 10 INDEX

11179

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – May 11, 2020 SI SLAUGHTER BULL ( $/KG)

NI SLAUGHTER STEER ( $/KG)

SI SLAUGHTER COW ( $/KG)

4.35

4.85

2.90

PULSE REECE BRICK

Log prices shoot to an all-time high

T’S a strange world we live in and nothing sums that up more than log markets over the past few months. All commodities rely on the big-picture world economic situation to some extent but logs and timber are especially sensitive. How businesses or people view the future heavily influences whether they are willing to commit to new construction. Bar the minor dip log prices benefitted from the stable world economy from early 2016 to early 2019, slowly rising to the point where they were at levels not seen for decades, about $140/m3 at the wharfgate for an A-grade log. The stability in prices was especially welcomed by the industry. Then the cracks began to show. An ongoing glut of wood supplies in Asia was reported about the time governments were publishing mediocre economic data. Eventually, pressure grew until the log price bubble popped mid last year to $100/ m3. The following months were somewhat positive, gradually finding a happy medium between the sky-high peaks and the lows of the crash. But, of course, covid-19 threw a spanner in the works. Our dependence

on China for log sales was exposed as we were left with little option but to sell at big discounts once again or, simply, not sell at all. The rollercoaster hasn’t finished yet, however. As China moved into recovery mode the rest of the world shut up shop. Chinese mills began using logs again but with shipments all but ceased the log inventories there swung from massive oversupply to massive undersupply – from more than eight million tonnes on ports down to a measly 1m tonnes. Combine that with a low NZD:USD and shipping rates falling through the floor and you have a recipe for the all-time record log export prices being achieved today, about $155o-$160/m3. Prices have almost moved more in the past three months than the last eight years. The big question is whether these prices are sustainable and the short answer is probably not. With New Zealand and the world slowly reopening, wood supplies and shipping rates will move out of NZ’s favour. In the same vein, it is hard to see a scenario where global demand for timber or other processed wood will be near the levels reached in the past few years.

WEATHER Soil Moisture

Overview Sub-tropical winds and northerlies start the week with milder-than-usual weather and building rain clouds in the north and west. By Wednesday a small sub-tropical low or area of rain will form just north of New Zealand. The jury is out on whether it will sink far enough south to bring wet weather into all drought zones (Check the latest rain accumulation maps at farmersweekly.co.nz/weather. They are updated daily). The eastern South Island, Canterbury for example, continues to be much drier than normal. The weather is incredibly slow-moving for the time of year. The weekend might see another weak low in the Tasman Sea.

07/05/2020

Source: NIWA Data

Highlights

Highlights/ Extremes

Temperature

Wind

Mild winds from the north this week might turn more easterly for northern NZ. Otherwise winds this week are fairly light and variable for most.

It is warmer than average to begin and then much of the week is normal to warmer than normal. Nights might be still be cold, especially further south where skies are clearer and winds are lighter.

14-day outlook

There are no big highlights or alerts. Seven-day rainfall accumulation maps are updated daily at farmersweekly.co.nz/ weather with special North Island and South Island focused rain maps.

7-day rainfall 7-DAY RAINforecast MAP

National A-grade log price (NZ$/JASm3) 155

The weather this week is dominated by a front moving onto the West Coast then helping spark a sub-tropical low or some sort of rainmaker, a trough maybe, north of NZ. Either way, it’s a borderline rain event for drought zones. Beyond that another weak low this weekend or early next might make a similar hit-and-miss attempt. Beyond that we might see more high pressure expand out of Australia, which has been stuck under huge highs again lately.

145 135 125 115 105 95

Jan

Ma r 5yr ave

Ma y 2018

Jul

Sep 2019

Nov 2020

STOCK NEED STOCK FEED... List your supplementary feed for sale on AgriHQ’s Feed Noticeboard

Feed conditions are tight across many regions. AgriHQ is helping match the feed with the need. We’re connecting buyers with sellers here so if you have: • Supplementary feed • Grazing options

Head to agrihq.co.nz/feed-noticeboard

Rain will fall on the West Coast on Monday then on Tuesday or Wednesday sub-tropical rain brushes the north of the country. It looks patchy. Many places look dry in the South Island after Monday or Tuesday. By the weekend a weak low in the Tasman Sea might brush northern NZ but the weather is fairly fickle this week. There is not much oomph to create rainmakers unless the northern lows deepen further than expected.

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Markets

46 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – May 11, 2020 NI SLAUGHTER LAMB

NI SLAUGHTER COW

SI SLAUGHTER STEER

($/KG)

R2 BEEF-FRIESIAN STEERS, 375KG AVERAGE, AT TARANAKI

($/KG)

($/KG LW)

6.50

3.25

4.40

2.37

Wool sales to restart

OOL sales are set to resume, albeit with some nervousness as the industry gets back

on his feet. PGG Wrightson wool general manager Grant Edwards said the covid-19 lockdown has necessitated a careful return to auctions. “Covid-19 has brought the industry closer together as we navigate through these new times. “From an industry perspective it’s been right to shut down auctions when we did and work as an industry to be responsible when we open up again,” Edwards said. “Getting back up and running with wool auctions has required strategic and responsible thinking and everyone has come together to ensure we get this right for the industry, from the growers to the exporters to the market,” Edwards said. The challenges associated with exporting and overseas customers have meant prudently structuring the right plan. Brokers have been working with overseas markets and keeping closely aligned with worldwide activity in terms of volume and demand. “We have all been really focused on what’s the best time to kick auction sales off again. “With Europe and India still shut down and China restricted to a degree it has meant we need to fully understand global market demand as we get the timing right here. “But we do need to get wool back in the pipeline to meet contractual arrangements already in place precovid.” Growers’ and businesses’ cashflows have also been a big factor among the challenges carefully considered in the timing of the restart. “For the short term in terms of volume and demand we need to align with the market forces and be prudent about how we manage that.” The first auction on May 21 at Napier will offer 7000 bales with a

BACK IN ACTION: PGG Wrightson wool general manager Grant Edwards says getting wool back in the pipeline has been a key focus to meet pre-covid contracts. Photo: Annette Scott South Island auction on May 28 also aiming for just 7000 bales. While there is an element of nervousness it is a carefully strategised restart, he said. “We believe we have it right as best we can given all the indicators we have factored in but we will just have to wait now and see what result we get.” Low volumes have tested the natural fibre exchange in the past couple of weeks, giving only a vague indicator, but prices have decreased for lines that have sold. In the longer-term the industry is more upbeat. “The long-term future is looking positive as the world is turning back to natural products and wool stands well in that respect. “The world and consumers are showing strong demand around traceability and knowing where their products come from. “Just when that will gain real traction we don’t know just yet but meantime wool has got to be flowing through the supply chain,” Edwards said.

Getting back up and running with wool auctions has required strategic and responsible thinking and everyone has come together to ensure we get this right. Grant Edwards PGG Wrightson British reports suggest sheep farmers are likely to get less money for wool there this year after the marketing board admitted a slump in demand had left one-third of the 2019 clip unsold. Disruption to the supply chain linked to the coronavirus pandemic has seen prices plummet this year at the farmer-owned co-operative’s fortnightly online auctions with low clearance rates at normally busy spring sales.

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high $2.48-$2.50/kg $2.24/kg cut of 140 R2 lights R2 Charolais-cross Top Friesian bulls, 380kg, heifers, 280-303kg, at on Bidr South Island Frankton

ACROSS THE RAILS SUZ BREMNER

Another online trading platform to add to the pot SINCE the beginning of lockdown the world has slowed but for New Zealand online livestock trading it has been a fast-moving environment and last week another platform was added to the pot. Carrfields Livestock partnered with AuctionsPlus, Australia’s main livestock marketplace. The platform is no stranger to the online environment, having been around since 1986 and is a household name in rural Australia. Here it will initially focus on on-farm bull sales and dairy-herd dispersals. Carrfields livestock general manager Donald Baines says it has been in the pipeline for some time though covid-19 increased the urgency and has brought it forward. “We have been in talks with AuctionsPlus for some time but recent events did push it more into the spotlight. Rural broadband has also improved to a level that it can operate systems such as these without too many issues and we are confident now that the AuctionsPlus system of online video and audio streaming can be run.” A simple system of setting up cameras and computers on location has opened the door for streaming on-farm sales with buyers and interested parties logging onto the AuctionsPlus website to participate. Carrfields has been on location at some of its stud bull breeders’ properties to test connectivity and capability. Baines said a dummy auction was a success. “We had around 30 farmers who traditionally buy bulls log in and we ran a dummy auction where they were able to observe and place bids. It went well with only a few minor glitches to iron out.” Stud bull sales will be the first focus for the new partnership and as long as the nation moves to alert level two next week most will be able to hold their sales on their calendared day. “Essentially, our clients will still hold their annual bull sale on their property with buyers in attendance but alert level two protocols around social distancing and hygiene adhered to. However, buyers will also have the option of bidding online through AuctionsPlus”. The online auction space is now feeling quite crowded and with sale yards set to reopen in level two, one does wonder if all will be able to hold enough market share to keep going. suz.bremner@globalhq.co.nz

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