Farmers Weekly NZ September 14 2020 by AgriHQ

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Vol 19 No 35, September 14, 2020

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Parker stands by rules Colin Williscroft

colin.williscroft@globalhq.co.nz

HE controversial mapping method that determines what are classified as low-slope paddocks in the new freshwater rules is set to change but Environment Minister David Parker stands by the new package of regulations, although he does not rule out further tweaks. Parker is confident the new package of freshwater rules is not only fit for purpose, it’s essential for New Zealand’s future – but modifications are possible if it can be shown that they are necessary. He says there have already been changes to a technical detail in respect of new pugging rules, while proposed dissolved inorganic nitrogen limits were not included in the final package. “We’ll always be able to improve details but some of the critics pick on little details like a scab and then try to say that the whole package is flawed because of their criticism of it. That’s just wrong,” he said. “We’re absolutely confident that this package overall is a very good package, and a necessary package given the problems that we’ve seen in our waterways and continue to see.” Farmers can expect to see changes to the mapping involved around the new low-slope rules and the need for fencing in certain areas. Parker agrees that the maps used at present need to be improved but they were the best

STATE OF THE ART: The latest technology will be used to produce new maps for aspects of the freshwater regulations. available at the time regulations were drafted. However, funding has now been put aside to utilise more accurate, state-of-the-art, Lidar (light detection and ranging) data. Lidar uses aerial 3D mapping to provide detailed computerised maps, showing varieties in slope that can be better used for management purposes by farmers and by regional councils. Parker and Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor recently met with Southland farming and regional council representatives, along with others from Fish &

Game, to discuss the new winter grazing rules and the reasons for them. He says discussions were constructive but changes to some farmers’ current practices will have to be made. “In Southland the number of cows has gone from 50,000 to 650,000 cows and what might have been okay with 50,000 cows, doesn’t work when you’ve got 650,000 cows,” he said. “We know that (in Southland) the estimated loss of topsoil to waterways and estuaries is about 150,000 tonnes per annum and

that done poorly, a single hectare of winter grazing left exposed in a rain event can lose tens of tonnes of sediment to waterways.” The National Environment Standard stipulates that done in a specified way to a specified scale it’s a permitted activity but beyond that it’s not and farmers will need to apply for approval to the regional council. “We’ve discussed why that’s necessary, and how that could be made practical,” Parker said. There were, however, some sticking points.

“Farmers said they don’t like having to apply for resource consents and that’s a position they stuck to,” he said. “And they don’t think the November 1 replanting date is practical.” On the plus side, he says the Southland representatives are embracing farm plans. “They are really buying into them, including audited farm plans, which is good,” he said. He does not buy into the theory that his role as Environment Minister advocating the Continued page 5

WHO’D HAVE THOUGHT SHOVING PLASTIC INTO A HOLE IN THE GROUND WAS PROGRESS. Turning plastic waste into fence posts is an ingenious idea. One that Jerome Wenzlick has turned into reality through dogged perseverance. Not only do his plastic posts outperform their wooden counterparts, they’re helping to solve a big environmental problem—each reusing around 400 plastic bottles and 1,500 plastic bags. When you do things differently, it’s great to know someone like FMG has got your back. To hear the full FuturePost story, go to fmg.co.nz/futurepost

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NEWS

4 ‘Laggard farmers’ most

affected by new rules

New freshwater rules are designed to lift the performance of laggards and should have little impact on those already meeting high environmental standards, a rural leader says.

REGULARS Newsmaker �� 34

Hybrid forage project under way

The increase in drought frequency across NZ is putting more seasonal pressure on farmers than ever.

New Thinking �� 35 Editorial �� 36 Pulpit �� 37 Opinion �� 38 Real Estate �� 41-43 Employment �� 44 Classifieds �� 45 Livestock �� 46-51 Weather �� 53 Markets �� 52-56

19 Collaboration key to sector’s

The beleaguered state of strong wool is not holding back all in the industry.

It has never been more important for different parts of the red meat sector to work together, a report says.

NZ wool’s cosy $10m market position

future

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News

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – September 14, 2020

Fonterra should be back in black Hugh Stringleman hugh.stringleman@globalhq.co.nz FONTERRA is expected to declare a return to profitability in its 2020 financial results on September 18, and a modest dividend on supply shares and investment units. Analysts expect Fonterra to produce earnings a share towards the upper end of its guidance of 15 to 25c from net profit around $430 million. Under the new dividend policy directors would pay 10-12c a share final dividend, thereby distributing half of the net profit. No interim dividend was paid. It would be the first return on capital since the interim in FY2018 and would be a road mark in the return to financial health for the co-operative after two turbulent, loss-making years.

Investors should wait for more detail from Fonterra on its capital structure plans. Arie Dekker Head of Research, Jarden Chief executive officer Miles Hurrell said in March that his key goals for 2020 were to achieve the earnings guidance, push gross margin over $3 billion, reduce debt to no more than 3.75 times earnings and keep capital expenditure below $500m. In a further update in May, he said the co-op had a strong balance sheet with good cash flow and was continuing to reduce debt. “Based on the first nine months we expect our full year underlying earnings to be at the top end of the 15-25c range,” Hurrell said.

“However, there are significant uncertainties in the last quarter – for example, how quickly the food service sector recovers, timing of shipments and how the broader economic downturn will impact our business.” Revenue for the full year will exceed $20bn and milk payments to farmers around $11bn on a farm gate price of $7.10-7.20/kg milksolids, the fourth highest in Fonterra’s 20-year history. Craigs Investment Partners has forecast earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (Ebitda) of $1.3bn, being the revenue less the cost of milk, processing, exporting and running the company. It predicted the net profit after tax will be $410m compared with a net loss of $605m in the previous financial year. Net debt at the balance date (July 31) will be $4.4bn, down $1.5bn from $5.9bn in July 2019 and comfortably below the 3.75 times multiple of earnings that Hurrell targeted. Craigs says Fonterra had disappointed with its recent results and had yet to deliver on its value-added strategy. “The company has now dealt with a number of major issues and the focus will now turn back to its ability to regain earnings momentum,” he said. Jarden’s head of research Arie Dekker says the interim results in March showed Fonterra’s balance sheet was on track for a substantial debt reduction and that a resumption of dividends in the second half looked likely. He reminded clients that Fonterra’s management planned to grow earnings back to 50c a share over the next five years but had provided no details of how that would be achieved. “We continue to view the path to get there as uncertain and believe investors should wait for more detail from Fonterra on its

REPORT CARD: Fonterra’s set to release its first full year results under Miles Hurrell’s leadership.

capital structure plans and the size and scope of the co-op.” While the financial results may be back in the black, constitutional matters such as Trading Among Farmers, investment units, the share standard and the role of the Shareholders’ Council remain under review. A small group of directors and senior managers have looked at capital structure and its alignment with the new company strategy but no clues have yet emerged. The heart of the matter is the retention of milk supply to fill the stainless steel amid the threats from competing processors, environmental needs and alternative land uses. Analysts and investors will also be keen to hear of further progress

on the portfolio review and noncore divestments like China Farms and Beingmate and any return to profitability of Australian and Chilean operations. Dekker said the company had to weigh up the need for offshore businesses against greater farmer capital flexibility and the generation of sustainable returns on capital. The 2020 results will be the first substantive report on Hurrell, appointed as interim chief executive two years back and formally installed 18 months ago. When he unveiled the new strategy last September, the threeyear business targets were an 8.5% return on capital, a 35% debt-todebt-plus-equity ratio and 40c a share in earnings. Only the debt ratio appears achievable in FY2020.

Forsyth Barr analysts say Fonterra may report numbers better than the consensus forecasts. They based that possibility on the stronger than anticipated recovery from covid-19 and the upside for Fonterra’s food service businesses in China and Southeast Asia. Fonterra’s supply share and investment unit prices on the NZX stock exchange returned recently to $4 after averaging around $3.75 for most of 2020. Some share brokers have advised their clients that the units could be worth buying if the FY2020 results are better than expected, that dairy markets have avoided covid-19 pitfalls and Fonterra makes sustainable changes to its capital structure.

Together, Creating the Best Soil and Feed on Earth

News

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – September 14, 2020

No avoiding more compliance and cost Neal Wallace neal.wallace@globalhq.co.nz NEW freshwater rules are designed to lift the performance of laggards and should have little impact on those already meeting high environmental standards, a rural leader says. John Penno, who chaired the Freshwater Leaders Group which was involved in the initial stages of the policy’s development, says poor performing farmers must be made to improve their performance. “People are very nervous about the way it is going to be policed and their ability to comply from a more rules-based system rather than an outcomes based system,” he said. “Where I sit on it, as long as the rules are set so farmers who are slower to change, slower to move are being forced to catch up to best practice, then it is calibrated at the right level.” Penno says regional and sector differences complicate the wider issue, but overall farmers are improving their practices, such as the fencing and planting

waterways on dairy farms. Winters in Southland and Otago makes stock grazing a challenge, but councils need a stick to make some farmers improve their compliance. “We still see examples of bad practice, fortunately there is less, but regional councils need the ability to manage those who really aren’t operating at best practice.” Penno says those farmers who are on the top of their game should have little to worry about with the new rules. “But when you move to a rulesbased system and when there is a strict interpretation of those rules, there will always be those unwittingly caught out or forced into applying for resource consent when it’s really not required,” he said. “I would call for people to get on and develop very good farm environment plans that identify the risks, looking for things they need to look for and work with regional councils to get ahead of any imposition of any rules they don’t think are fair and equitable. “These can be included in the

farm environment plans to show how they are managing the risk.” There was no way of avoiding the imposition of greater compliance and higher costs, but he hopes councils will find a sensible and pragmatic way to implement and manage those new rules. “I would like to think farmers will be able to apply for longterm consent that signs off good practice, follows an extremely straightforward process and they should be comfortable being audited against that process.” Most farmers are being let down by a few, and change has to happen. “If the farmers who are not following best practice don’t change now, it will cost all of us more in the future,” he said. “The cost of mitigating market responses and turning around damage done today, will fall on all parties.” Penno says poor performing farmers will only improve when confronted with a regulatory framework. These regulations have to be centrally managed and a downside

ALL GOOD: John Penno says those farmers who are on the top of their game should have little to worry about with the new rules. of that is that they are set in Wellington making them difficult to apply nationally. “That is where we are going to have to work within our communities and with individual councils as rules are rolled out and applied to ensure common sense prevails,” he said. Those doing the right things should not be fearful. “I am confident that the system will not see those people penalised unduly. The people who will be difficult will be those who have

not kept up or caught up with best practice,” he said. The freshwater changes do not single out farmers but also urban and forestry. “Our group argued, not enough to be fair, that the outcome of the rules should be the same if you are an urban environment managing a water course or whether you are a forestry company managing water,” he said. “It should not signal out any particular group.”

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Wednesday 7 October

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Thursday 8 October

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Monday 12 October

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Tuesday 13 October

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News

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – September 14, 2020

Group to advise on freshwater rules Colin Williscroft colin.williscroft@globalhq.co.nz A GOVERNANCE group that includes farming leaders has been established to interpret and help implement the new freshwater reforms. The group is made up of four representatives from regional councils (two chairs and two chief executives), DairyNZ, Beef + Lamb NZ and Horticulture NZ chief executives Tim Mackle, Sam McIvor and Mike Chapman, and representatives from the Maori Freshwater Forum Kahui Wai Maori. It also includes representatives from environmental NGOs, the Ministry for the Environment and the Ministry for Primary Industries. The group’s co-chair, Taranaki Regional Council chair David MacLeod, says its meeting

schedule is yet to be finalised as the group’s secretariat is at present determining the priority of work that needs to be undertaken. However, everyone involved understands the importance of getting up and running as soon as possible. MacLeod, a former Fonterra director and current management committee member of Taranaki’s largest farming business, Parininihi ki Waitotara, says the group’s terms of reference specifically state that it is not to consider policy changes to the Government’s Essential Freshwater package. Instead, it is tasked with ensuring the new rules can be consistently implemented across the country, although MacLeod says there will clearly be local aspects to regional plan developments.

Councils are the bodies that will have to enforce the new rules, which he says will come at a “significant” cost to them, as it’s highly likely additional staff will be needed to carry that role out. Many of those councils are currently in the process of preparing long-term plans to cover the next three years and MacLeod says their role enforcing the regulations will affect the budgets contained in those plans. He says the governance group has a big and important job ahead of it to ensure there is a clear vision as to how the regulations will be implemented. The group wants to be proactive in communicating clearly to farmers how this will be done and it plans to use a number of ways to achieve that, including utilising media channels like Farmers Weekly.

TEAM: The group is made up of four representatives from regional councils: DairyNZ, Beef + Lamb NZ and Horticulture NZ chief executives Tim Mackle (above), Sam McIvor (left) and Mike Chapman, and representatives from the Maori Freshwater Forum Kahui Wai Maori.

Continued from page 1 regulations with their potential increase in on-farm compliance costs, is at odds with his job as Trade Minister, with the primary sector a leading light keeping the country afloat economically. “It’s quite the reverse,” he said. He says our trade agreements all have provisions relating to sustainability that won’t change in future agreements. We’re negotiating a free trade agreement with Europe at the

moment and they’ve got a real focus on environmental outcomes. “They’ve got their own challenges with nitrates, for example. Germany and the Netherlands are under pressure from the European Commission to reduce the nitrate pollution of their waterways. And they are,” he said. “They expect us to be doing the same. And we are.” He says NZ primary exporters would be in a much more vulnerable position in negotiations with Europe if the

country was not addressing environmental problems. “It’s still a tough negotiation but we can stand there with hand on our heart saying that we are trying to do the right thing environmentally,” he said. “We’re not perfect but we’re better than most, and we’re constantly trying to improve rather than resting on our laurels. “It also flows through to price. NZ, for even our bulk commodities, we get a higher price than our competitors and that’s for reasons that go beyond food safety.

“It’s partly food safety and quality but it’s also partly our environmental reputation. “When you travel overseas and you see NZ products sold, it’s always with photos of our environment, with our beautiful green paddocks and our beautiful mountains and our waterways.” He says there is no doubt that branding is relied on to get products to market and to maximise their price. “So, I see the two (portfolios) as entirely consistent,” he said.

We’re not perfect but we’re better than most, and we’re constantly trying to improve rather than resting on our laurels. David Parker Environment Minister

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News

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – September 14, 2020

MPI to review live cattle exports Annette Scott annette.scott@globalhq.co.nz THE future of New Zealand’s live cattle export trade remains uncertain as the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) continues to seek assurances surrounding the safe transport of livestock by sea. Meantime, Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor says exporters should not expect animals currently in quarantine processes will get on the water any time soon. MPI has launched an independent review of the assurances it receives for the safe transport of livestock by sea when it considers an application for an Animal Welfare Export Certificate. MPI director general Ray Smith expects the review will take about a month. Smith says until the review report is completed and considered, the current temporary suspension of cattle livestock exports will remain in place. “At the heart of our decision to temporarily suspend cattle livestock exports, is a commitment to helping ensure people and animals on livestock exports are safe,” Smith said. MPI put an immediate halt to live export, suspending all applications for live shipments following the sinking of the Gulf Livestock 1 that went down amid Typhoon Maysak off the coast of Japan. The suspension has the full support of O’Connor. “I fully support the move not to allow any more animals to go on a boat that may be at risk,” O’Connor said. “There is a substantive review under way, meantime this suspension is about safe boats and sane, sensible people managing the operations. “If we have Kiwis on board, as we have been involved in this maritime tragedy, we need to know there has been proper training of (people) skills and

REVIEW IT: Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor says he fully supports the move not to allow any more animals to go on a boat that may be at risk.

we need to double check on the systems of stock management on board the boat. “There are varying reports of this tragedy and we need to ensure only the very best care is

We have made it very clear that what’s going on now in procurement and quarantining may not get on the water. Damien O’Connor Agriculture Minister given to animals on these voyages. O’Connor says MPI is in discussions with exporters on all these issues. “We have made it very clear

that what’s going on now in procurement and quarantining may not get on the water,” he said. “They can’t be assured these exports are going. “We appreciate this uncertainty is very difficult for business and we want to clarify (the situation) as quickly as we can. “We can’t ignore the lessons and learnings from this (maritime) tragedy. “We have accepted there are animals in quarantine and decisions have to be made around that.” O’Connor says talks are ongoing between MPI and exporters about any additional plans for export consignments. Industry sources confirmed the 26,000 animals currently in quarantine are owned by the respective exporters. O’Connor says the total numbers involved with the live export trade is small in proportion

to the overall livestock trade in NZ. “It is an additional option for farmers, but it won’t make or break farmers in NZ,” he said. He acknowledged NZ’s part in global food security. “NZ as a nation of farmers can contribute, but we won’t put our nation or our reputation at risk,” he said. “Accordingly, this could mean no more live export trade, if the review sees it that way.” Animal Trade Advisory Council (ATAC) chair Jim Edwards says the live cattle export industry is very concerned. ATAC is a forum bringing people together to oversee animal specific trade issues, including germplasm such as embryos and semen. It works closely with MPI. “Right now, we are using ATAC very quickly to engage and draw people together to work through the issues of the interim suspension,” Edwards said.

“Initially, the focus was clearly on the loss of humans, while not losing sight on the loss of animals in this maritime tragedy.” Now looking forward, Edwards says industry is working with officials, including maritime authorities, to determine the likely longer term outcome. The key issue, with animals in pre-export isolation (PEI), is getting maritime assurances that shipping is safe by animals and by crew. Edwards says while the animals can be retained longer term, it’s not open-ended and returning animals to farmers is not a feasible option. “These animals have been tested to meet certification and isolated and they have left farms that will not be in a position to take them back,” he said. If the cattle don’t make the water, the most likely option is to put them out in the domestic market. But industry sources say this would be a “messy and non-viable situation”. Ultimately, it would be a commercial decision factoring in the ongoing daily costs to keep the animals. The next ship is due to load a consignment of about 14,000 cattle in the next 10 days. “We do hope that the suspension will be lifted in time so that export can continue,” Edwards said. While acknowledging the live export trade provided increased returns to the NZ rural sector that would otherwise see more animals slaughtered and more bobby calves, Edwards says it’s also important to global food security. “This is particularly so for China with a population of one billion people and half of that living urban with no vegetable garden and no house cow,” he said. “It is important that we can be seen as a country that does help these countries. “This live trade does open doors for our other products.”

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News

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – September 14, 2020

Exporters waiting for review are in limbo Annette Scott annette.scott@globalhq.co.nz THOUSANDS of cattle waiting export to China are at risk of heading to slaughter following the Government’s suspension of live export trade. The Government imposed the temporary suspension on live export certification earlier this month following the tragic sinking of the Gulf Livestock 1 ship destined for China carrying 5800 New Zealand cattle and 43 crew members, including two New Zealanders. The Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) is waiting for an independent review report it has commissioned on the future safety of live export consignments before lifting the suspension. The review report is expected to take about a month, meantime the suspension of cattle livestock exports will remain in place, MPI director general Ray Smith said. Industry fears the lifting of the suspension will now come too late, at least for the 26,000 cattle currently held in pre-export isolation (PEI). While acknowledging a full investigation is required to understand all the factors that have contributed to the maritime tragedy, Timaru-based Progressive Livestock managing

director Andrew Robins says the implications of the suspension cannot be ignored. Progressive Livestock currently has 7000 dairy cattle certified for China in signed contracts with 230 farmers. Robins says without live export trade and a declining NZ dairy herd, the outcome will be a devalued national herd. “Export is providing a viable outlet for NZ’s surplus of topquality dairy stock, and if these animals return into the NZ market it will depress the heifer market even more,” he said. “The current economic conditions have led to this, to have value in your dairy herd you need a viable end market. “Besides, spending millions of dollars on the Mycoplasma bovis response can’t be justified if 26,000 cattle all mixed together in PEI are returned to NZ dairy herds.” China does not require an M bovis test for export. “What farmer is going to want to buy a clump of these cattle to put into their herd?” he asked. “There’s a biosecurity consequence involved here. “In reality, in the absence of a home these animals have no option but to go to slaughter.” He says the value of the exported cattle in China at $30004000 per heifer, reinforces the

vested interest all participants involved with live cattle trade have in the welfare of the cattle. “The primary function of this trade is to supply top quality productive livestock to our overseas markets.” The impact on the NZ economy from live trade is significant. Farmers are currently paid $1500-1700 per head, more than double the local market value. In addition to this, $500-600 per head of revenue is generated from the provision of transport operators, feed suppliers, procurement agencies, testing facilitator and quarantine services prior to shipping. “In the age of covid-19, revenue from this trade is important to farmers, service businesses and the NZ economy,” Robins said. PWA director Peter Walsh says his company has animals tagged for export on October and November shipments but because of the suspension they are being held on-farm. “It’s a waiting game but we need a decision sooner rather than later,” Walsh said. “Farmers are asking do we put a bull with them – but they can’t go on the boat in-calf, so we just need an answer whether shipment is progressing, or not. “It’s agonising, they are all organised to go but until we know

POTENTIAL LOSS: There’s growing concern as the review report is expected to take about a month, while the suspension of cattle livestock exports will remain in place.

if they are going it’s creating a lot of uncertainty for farmers, and the entire supply chain planning.” Live export consultant and procurement agent Brent Wallace has 5500 cattle due on a boat before the end of the month with big numbers of forward contracts, complete with import permits issued by China, scheduled for delivery before Christmas. “Procurement is on hold and given the economics, another couple of weeks delay, we’ll really

start carving up the dollars,” he said. “With 5500 cattle in PEI at a cost of $4-8 a day, it adds up between $20-40,000 a day. “In the big picture, up to a US$1.8 million boat charter fee, 5500 animals eating up to 38 tonne of feed a day at a cost of $300-580 a tonne, you start adding up the big cost prices with suspensions such as this this is running up millions of dollars in a very short space of time.”

Social media posts to be part of DIA entry NEW Zealand Dairy Industry Awards (NZDIA) finalists will now have their social media postings reviewed as a condition of entry after the competition was independently reviewed following the removal of its national share farmer title and merit awards from Nick and Rosemarie Bertram. The updated conditions will see future finalists’ social media reviewed prior to awarding

places and there will be an expectation of all entrants to take ownership and responsibility for their social media behaviour. NZDIA Trust chair Natasha Tere says it remained committed to offering a 2021 Awards programme with more focus on social media in declaration and interviews, that will showcase best practice and allow entrants to benchmark and

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improve their own farming practices. The review by Susan Hughes QC was announced in July after the New Zealand Share Farmer of the Year title was revoked from the Bertrams by the NZ Dairy Awards Trust for offensive social media posts on Twitter made in 2016 and 2017 that were brought to light by animal rights group SAFE. The purpose of the review was

to understand more detail about what was known of the tweets, how that knowledge (of the tweets) was dealt with at the time and how a similar situation could be avoided in the future. Hughes says it was important that “all involved in these awards recognise the dangers of social media and the need to remind all parties of this issue at repeated points along the application trajectory, so as to avoid a

repetition of these events”. As a result of the Bertrams being disqualified, the 2020 New Zealand Share Farmer of the Year has been offered to Waikato farmers Sarah and Aidan Stevenson, which they have accepted. Runners-up are Samuel and Karen Bennett from Southland and the third placegetters are Simon and Natasha Wilkes from Taranaki.

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News

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – September 14, 2020

Spotlight on drug use in farming A referendum alongside next month’s general election will give voters the opportunity to decide if NZ should legalise the recreational use of cannabis. This week Neal Wallace begins a two-part series looking at issues for primary sector employers and workplace health and safety issues should more than 50% of voters tick yes. THE NZ Drug Foundation doubts a yes vote at next month’s cannabis referendum will see more stoned staff turn up to work than currently do under the influence of alcohol. The foundation supports legalising the recreational use of cannabis and accepts it poses health and safety risks in the workplace as does alcohol. As happens with eliminating risk in the workplace from alcohol, the foundation advocates establishing clear, legal health and safety standards, education and monitoring. “Workplaces that already have robust alcohol and drug health and safety systems are wellequipped to manage impairment risks from cannabis,” it states on its website. “The best way to reduce impairment in the workplace is through quality management, a culture of reporting health and safety risks, and a system that encourages people to speak up

if they notice someone is impaired.” Drug testing can be done preemployment, randomly, on the suspicion of drug use, and if there has been an accident or incident. “New Zealanders can only be randomly drug tested in safety sensitive work environments,” the foundation states. “There is less clarity about other drug testing but it needs to be in-line with any employment agreement and should be consistent with the organisation’s alcohol and other drug policy.” A single cannabis joint can be detected in urine samples up to four weeks after consumption, in blood up to two weeks, hair follicle up to 90 days and in saliva 12 to 24 hours after consumption. Urine and saliva tests are the cheapest and most common, but saliva tests are the least reliable and often require follow up tests. The foundation says health

MANAGEMENT: The NZ Drug Foundation believes the best way to reduce impairment in the workplace is through quality management, a culture of reporting health and safety risks. and safety efforts should focus on impairment. “Knowing if someone used drugs does not mean they were affected by them at work.

“Reducing impairment in the workplace, rather than any drug use, should be the focus. “This can only be done through quality management, a culture of

reporting health and safety risks, and a system that encourages people to speak up if they notice an issue or someone else who is impaired.”

Cannabis referendum fact box

THE referendum question is: do you support the proposed Cannabis Legalisation and Control Bill? The Bill would allow people aged 20 or over to possess and consume cannabis in limited circumstances, to: • buy up to 14 grams of dried cannabis (or its equivalent) per day only from licensed outlets. • enter licensed premises where cannabis is sold or consumed. • consume cannabis on private property or at licensed premises.

• grow up to two plants, with a maximum of four plants per household. • share up to 14 grams of dried cannabis (or its equivalent) with another person aged 20 or over. The Bill will: • control the potency and contents of licensed cannabis and cannabis products. • improve access to health and social services, and other kinds of support for families.

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News

10 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – September 14, 2020

Sector leaders voice cannabis concerns Neal Wallace neal.wallace@globalhq.co.nz PRIMARY sector employers fear legalising the recreational use of cannabis will heighten workplace health and safety risks. In an industry with one of the highest injury and death rates, primary sector leaders say they do not relish managing another potential risk should voters support the referendum and legalise the recreational use of cannabis. Meat Industry Association (MIA) chief executive Sirma Karapeeva says cannabis use was already an issue in the sector and she is concerned at the lack of guidance from the Government on toxicity parameters and how to manage its use. “How do employers prove the level of impairment of what could be a legal substance?” she asked. Karapeeva says meat companies had zero tolerance of drugs but what was already difficult to manage, would be more so if cannabis is legalised. “One of the particular challenges with drug impairment is the ability for companies to identify workers who are impaired at work,” she said. “While many of our members currently conduct preemployment, random and just cause testing for cannabis, a significant increase in usage may result in many more impaired employees working without detection. “The other concern for employers in the industry is the impact on employee wellbeing from increasing levels of drug use.” The greatest issue for sector leaders is not whether staff have the psychoactive component tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in their system, but at what point it impairs their performance and potentially poses a health and safety risk. Between July 2019 and June 2020, there were 23 deaths in the agricultural sector. Nationally there were 95 workplace deaths, including 21 killed in the

December 2019 Whakaari volcanic eruption. Between January 2019 and December 2019, the agricultural sector recorded 2220 injuries resulting in staff requiring more than one week off work. The comparative figure for all manufacturing was 5856. Data on the number of victims impaired by cannabis was not available, but in 2019 the Government says 103 people died in car crashes in which the driver was found to have drugs in their system. The road toll that year was 353 and earlier this month the Government introduced a new law giving police the power to conduct random roadside drug testing of drivers, similar to powers they have for alcohol. The Drug Detection Agency chief executive Kirk Hardy says about 5% of the 200,000 random drug tests he performs in workplaces each year, test positive for cannabis. Should next month’s referendum be supported by more than 50% of those who vote, the incoming Government can introduce a Bill to Parliament legalising the recreational use of cannabis. The Bill will not cover hemp, driving while impaired or workplace health and safety issues which are covered by existing laws. Shearing Contractors Association chair Mark Barrowcliffe says a yes vote will open what he called a can of worms. “In terms of health and safety, it adds a whole new level to any serious harm incidents,” he said. “I see it loading us up, putting another layer of responsibility on employers.” Most contractors have a pre-employment drug test and some do random testing, but Barrowcliffe says members are concerned about how to manage the use of a legal substance and determining when a person is impaired The Forest Industry Contractors Association will maintain a zero tolerance towards cannabis. Chief executive Prue Younger

says the association is developing a policy ahead of the referendum to provide members with health and safety standards and expectations. “It will force the issue of impairment from drug use to the forefront of our vigilance, directed at determining the risks posed by cannabis use rather than whether they have used cannabis recreationally,” she said. That will likely involve random testing to act as a deterrent and a safety net. Federated Farmers board member Chris Lewis says the Government is conducting the referendum and should cannabis be legalised, they must help

employers. He fears employers being bogged down in litigation from dealing with impaired staff who pose a health and safety risk. “Whichever way the referendum goes, I want to ensure the Government gives employers tools to make workplaces safe,” he said. Lewis says a yes vote will require farmers to act. “They will need to make sure they have good employment agreements, good health and safety policy and know it off by heart,” he said. Rural Contractors NZ chief executive Roger Parton says employers have been given little information or guidance.

“It is an issue causing us concern especially given the large machinery we use,” he said. “Do you say to staff, ‘we are going to drug test you every morning’? “I don’t think that is going to work.”

How do employers prove the level of impairment of what could be a legal substance? Sirma Karapeeva MIA

DIFFICULT: Meat Industry Association chief executive Sirma Karapeeva says the greatest issue for sector leaders is not whether staff have the drug in their system, but at what point it impairs their performance and potentially poses a health and safety risk.

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News

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – September 14, 2020

Changing world kick starts new business Hugh Stringleman hugh.stringleman@globalhq.co.nz INCREASING regulatory concerns and the widening range of banking outcomes has given rise to the new financial advisory services to farmers provided by NZAB. Founded by rural experienced bankers more than three years ago, NZAB has grown to 13 staff members in four locations with further plans for both recruitment and geographic expansion. Co-founder Scott Wishart says the global financial crisis and the dairying downturn had brought about increased regulatory scrutiny of the way rural banking was conducted. “The standard model was based on rural bankers who were also financial advisors and the regulators said that could lead to a conflict of interest,” he said. “Rural bankers were putting forward loan propositions on behalf of their clients, while being also charged with growing bank business and revenue. “There was an implied bias towards making sure the numbers supported the loan request. “That conflict of interest has been a theoretical risk, in my experience, but the regulators were looking for changes to the model.” Whereas in the past the interest rates and terms available from all rural lenders were quite similar, now the range of potential banking outcomes in prices, rates, terms and even loan appetites have widened. “Earlier there might have been half of one percent that covered the field, now the differences could be 3%,” he said. Wishart got together with Nathan Henry, Andrew Laming and Brendan Clare to form NZAB to improve how farmers access and maintain debt. The advisory service now has more than $2 billion under active management with ongoing relationships with clients. They charge advisory fees to the clients and receive no brokerage from the banks. “We work with all the banks and our preferred lender is by-and-large the current lender,” he said. Wishart says NZAB was not working only with difficult lending propositions, although there were some in that category, and the numbers of farmers who changed their lenders was still small. “Rural banking is harder than it used to be and we believe specialist advisors are now required,” he said. “Even simple lending requests are becoming harder to get approved. “Often the farmer will only get one shot at a successful loan appraisal, so it makes a wellresearched, well-presented application vital. “Farmers have a propensity to attempt something themselves before they will seek help and that carries a risk. “If a credit manager sees a proposition they don’t like the look of, even if it has been misrepresented, they have a tendency to say they don’t want to see it again.” NZAB employed experienced rural bankers with agricultural qualifications to carry out a full strategic review of the farm or orchard, including the assets and historic performance, before drawing up the application for finance. Wishart says the opportunities are identified, the resources scoped and a plan put together with the aim of ensuring the farmer gets what they deserve from the process. “We aim to get alignment between the client and the financier and the feedback from the banks is that we are making it easier for them to do their job,” he said. NZAB continues to work with the clients after financing to make regular reports on the execution of strategies that may take several years. Wishart was quick to explain the differences between home loan mortgage broking and the NZAB services. “Commercial banking is all about integrity, track record, performance and execution of the things you say you are going to do,” he said. “Our business is about illustrating to the bank that this is a sound farming business to support.”

PATHFINDERS: NZAB principals, from left, Brendan Clare, Scott Wishart, Andrew Laming and Nathan Henry.

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News

12 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – September 14, 2020

Councils grapple with freshwater regs THE biggest challenge to water quality in the Bay of Plenty region is dealing with the Rotorua Lakes, now in their 10th plan change iteration, says chair of the local regional council and regional sector rep for Local Government New Zealand Doug Leader. After 15 years in the making, the Plan Change is close to being finalised after an Environment Court decision last year overturned iwi efforts to re-work nitrogen (N) allocation in the catchment. “For the lower reaches of the Bay of Plenty, the biggest issues will be around discharge from waterways in rivers running through low-lying, flood-prone regions,” Leeder said. “There could be some issues around the quality of that discharge that will require some community engagement to address under the regulations.” The upside for Bay of Plenty was that most of the river systems were short-run rivers close to the coast and not subject to the heavy algal issues that face longer, more inland rivers. Another area of local impact was the limit on synthetic N application to 190kg a hectare a year for pastoral use. Bay of Plenty is a major maize growing region, and there remained devil in the detail around how N for maize silage versus grain would or could be allocated. Rotorua Lakes farmer Neil Heather said while it looked like Plan Change 10 (PC10) for his district would go ahead as intended in reducing N losses to the lakes, he expected there would be adjustments as a result of the national regulations. “As far as the national policy statement rules go, some of it is just impractical around the slope and pugging in particular,” he said. “But what concerns me most, is how quickly we have a law coming into force which is having changes made to it even as it is introduced.”

Waikato uncertain on direction A PENDING Environment Court decision will provide some guidance on how the Waikato Regional Council’s Plan Change one and new freshwater regulations align, says the councils science manager Mike Scarsbrook. “Because we’re entering new territory, it’s really hard to predict exactly what it’s going to look like,” he said. Scarsbrook says the Court will have to weigh up the Council’s rules as well as the Government’s National Policy Statement (NPS) when it deliberates. “It is quite uncertain, but the certainty we have and the positive element that we have is that we are heading in the same direction that the Government wants regional councils to head,” he said. Scarsbrook says the Council’s short-term priority was to try and plan its way through how it can meet the Government’s timeframes while ensuring communities had enough time to

have input into the process. “A lot of our emphasis, as it is with all regional councils around the country, is trying to identify what our plan is going to be for the implementation of the NPS and the national environmental standard for freshwater as well,” he said. The Council was also working on what the likely costs would be to administer the reforms, which appear to be significant not just for Waikato but for other councils also, he said.

Lower NI councils urge farmers to act FARMERS in the lower North Island have been told they need to be proactive in finding out about the new freshwater rules. Horizons (ManawatuWhanganui) and Greater Wellington regional councils both want to work with rural communities to implement the rules but says in the meantime farmers should familiarise themselves with the regulations as much as possible. Horizons chair Rachel Keedwell says early indications are the estimated cost to the council of implementing the rules will be more than $10 million and up to $15 million over the first three to four years, which will cover science and policy, as well as iwi capacity and advice and community engagement. Strategy and regulation group manager Nic Peet says council officers are currently analysing the new requirements against Horizons’ Regional Policy and Regional Plan (One Plan), which sets out an integrated management framework for management of the environment. “While the One Plan covers many of the same areas as the new requirements, changes will be required to give effect to the new national direction. A revised Regional Policy Statement and Regional Plan needs to be in place by 2024,” Peet said. “There is much to be done to deliver this package within the ambitious timeframes set. Where possible, resourcing required to support the initial stages of implementation is being sought from existing budgets, largely through re-prioritisation of other activities.” Peet says the council plans to engage with its communities early next year, although staff have already begun to engage with iwi, primary sector representatives and other stakeholders who have a direct interest in the freshwater reforms. “Another priority is working with landowners on the immediate requirements with regards to new NES-FW regulations such as stock exclusion, winter grazing, and feedlots being a priority. He encouraged landowners to be proactive about understanding their obligations. Greater Wellington Regional Council is urging farmers to familiarise themselves with the new provisions. Wairarapa councillor Adrienne

UPSIDE: Bay of Plenty’s river systems are short-run rivers that don’t face the algal issues seen inland, Bay of Plenty Regional Council chair Doug Leeder says.

Staples says the council realises that it will take time for farmers to get to grips with the new rules but they should work with Greater Wellington’s resource and land management advisers to get a clear understanding of the new requirements and who their farms will be affected. She says some controls on land use intensification, such as feedlots and stock water body access exclusion requirements for new farm operations, have already come into force while other controlling activities, such as stock holding and caps on synthetic nitrogen fertiliser, will start to kick in from next year.

Canterbury to assess against its plan ENVIRONMENT Canterbury is analysing the new National Environmental Standards for Freshwater 2020 (NES-F) requirements against its current planning framework to determine the relationship between the new rules, and rules in its own freshwater plans. Once this assessment has been completed, the regional council will be able to provide specific advice on the implications of the package, says Environment Canterbury (ECan) deputy chair Peter Scott. “ECan is well-placed to adapt to the new requirements, particularly in terms of farm environment plans and stock exclusion where we already have rules and frameworks established,” Scott said. However, he said with ECan’s regional planning framework covering many of the same areas as the new requirements, changes will be required to existing plans to give effect to the new national direction. “Implementation of some of the harder things, such as slope, will be resource extensive and have we

got the mandate to carry on with what we do have in our regional plans, of which we are a long way down the track with,” he said. Scott said with the NES-F becoming consent compliant, an enforcement issue will pose challenges. “We need more people with the skills and more resources to do this,” he said. “Further analysis is needed before we can provide clarity on the extent of the changes that will be required.”

Otago face challenges over new water rules OTAGO farmers face a more challenging transition than most to meet the new freshwater regulations. THE Otago Regional Council (ORC) has operated on an effectsbased system, which means farmers did not require resource consent, provided their activities do not exceed set levels. Council regulatory manager Richard Saunders says that will now shift to a regulatorybased system, and the council is developing a consent application process that can be filed by farmers without the need for expert consultants. “We are aiming to have a simple system which means less time our staff need to process it and therefore less cost,” he said. Consent applications will cost a still to be determined fee but he says eventually farm environment plans will allow consents to be granted for multiple years. “That process is not available yet, but over time farm environment plans are a better holistic tool to enable farmers to plan for activities such as intensive winter grazing without needing resource consents,” he said. ORC is seeking clarification from the Ministry for the Environment (MfE) on aspects such as how

to measure slope, and if there is flexibility with the November 1 winter crop replanting deadline, should farmers encounter issues beyond their control. Environment Southland has the complicated task of matching the new freshwater regulations with its own Land and Water Plan, which is under appeal before the Environment Court. The council’s policy and planning manager Lucy Hicks says the council is working through the implications of what she described as “a hugely complex package.” The council is also seeking guidance from MfE on how to measure a slope, issues around pugging and the definition of a feedlot, which she says could include feed pads. Farmers have been calling the council seeking advice on intensive winter grazing, stock holding areas and stock exclusion provisions. The council expects to employ more staff but Hicks says just how many has not been determined. “It’s fair to say there will be significant resource implications,” she said. “It could require prioritising some things over others or seeking more resources.”

For the lower reaches of the Bay of Plenty, the biggest issues will be around discharge from waterways in rivers running through lowlying, flood-prone regions Doug Leeder Bay of Plenty Regional Council

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News

14 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – September 14, 2020

Auckland’s water take from Waikato River is approved Gerald Piddock gerald.piddock@globalhq.co.nz

GRANTED: Watercare has been given two consents to take an extra 100MLD of water from the Waikato River.

NEWS that Watercare can take more water from the Waikato River to meet the needs of Aucklanders has been met with concern from Federated Farmers and Horticulture New Zealand.

NAIT checklist for bulls Help build lifetime animal traceability and support disease management

Selling or leasing service bulls? All my bulls are correctly tagged and NAIT registered at my NAIT location I’ve completed a pre-movement TB test* * If you’re not sure, check with OSPRI if you need a pre-movement TB test.

I’ve filled out an Animal Status Declaration (ASD) form and a Declaration to Livestock Transporter (DLT) form When the bulls leave: I’ve recorded a sending movement in NAIT – within 48 hours of them leaving When the leased bulls return: I’ve recorded (or confirmed) a receiving movement in NAIT – within 48 hours of them arriving

Buying or leasing service bulls? I’ve confirmed with the bull provider that the bulls are tagged and NAIT registered I received an Animal Status Declaration (ASD) form from the bull provider When the bulls arrive: I’ve recorded (or confirmed) a receiving movement in NAIT for the bulls I bought/leased – within 48 hours of them arriving When the leased bulls leave my farm: I’ve recorded a sending movement

The Waikato Regional Council has granted a consent lodged by Watercare in May to take an extra 100 million litres (ML) a day from the river. It enables Watercare to take the extra water between May and September, and at other times of the year when the river is above median flow. The Council has also granted a consent allowing Watercare to use the 25ML a day (MLD) shared by Hamilton City Council. Watercare already has consents to take 175MLD from the river, while the river is currently above median flow. That is the maximum Watercare’s Waikato Water Treatment Plant in Tuakau can currently treat and deliver. The volume of water being granted to Watercare has Waikato Federated Farmers president Jacqui Hahn worried it will come at the expense of the needs of farmers and the wider community. “Anyone in the queue will still be upset,” Hahn said. Hahn says it is “very generous” of Hamilton City Council to allow Watercare access to its 25MLD take. “But I don’t know if its citizens will be so pleased. Regardless of flow when its residents also have water restrictions in place during dry months,” she said. Watercare also has another consent currently a Board of Inquiry for 200MLD. If granted, it will replace its other consents, meaning a potential future river take of 350MLD. In the past week, Waikato Regional Council, Watercare, Auckland Council and Waikato-Tainui have signed a relationship agreement committing all parties to work together to protect the river and the people it provides for in both the Waikato and Auckland regions. Waikato Regional Council estimates that about 50-60% of Auckland’s current water supply comes from the Waikato catchment, with the potential for this to increase up to 70% in future. Horticulture New Zealand chief executive Mike Chapman reiterated his message from earlier this year where he said Auckland needed to own its water problem. The request for 200MLD will mean others will have to give up some of their allocation. “The proposition is that Waikato’s industrial users, growers and farmers in the Waikato will be required to give up their water for Auckland,” he said. “This water reallocation is a significant wealth transfer from one area to another. “Why should Auckland’s industrial users be advantaged over Waikato’s just because Auckland has not constructed water capture and storage to meet its own needs? “This situation could also see water taken from Waikato vegetable growers who supply Auckland and other parts of New Zealand with healthy, locally-grown fresh food. This region contributes more than 25% of New Zealand’s vegetable supply by value.”

in NAIT – within 48 hours of them leaving* * If you’re sending to the works, they will record the movement for you. Make sure you record your NAIT location number on the ASD form.

The proposition is that Waikato’s industrial users, growers and farmers in the Waikato will be required to give up their water for Auckland.

Failure to comply with NAIT obligations may result in fines or prosecution issued by the Ministry for Primary Industries.

Need help? Call OSPRI on 0800 482 463 NAIT is an OSPRI programme

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19/08/2020 2:51:15 PM

Mike Chapman Horticulture New Zealand chief executive

News

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – September 14, 2020

NZ wool’s cosy $10m market position Annette Scott annette.scott@globalhq.co.nz THE beleaguered state of strong wool is not holding back all in the industry. With several fleece to floor initiatives on the go, NZ Yarn, alongside Carrfields Primary Wool (CP Wool), has contracted $10 million of wool from New Zealand growers in the past three years with new hemp and wool hybrid products set to realise new opportunities. CP Wool, representing 3500 sheep farmers around NZ, is the exclusive supplier of wool to NZ Yarn that spins yarn for use in the soft flooring industry globally. Group chief executive of NZ Yarn and CP Wool Colin McKenzie says NZ Yarn contracts are for the direct supply of good-coloured shears and have generally been at a significant premium over the spot market, especially lots with little or no vegetable matter contamination. Customers include soft flooring manufacturers around the world who sell products at the very top end of the market via architects and interior designers. “We supply our yarn to carpet and rug makers who have connections into custom design for corporate and luxury residential markets and increasingly private aviation and luxury yachts,” he said. “This means NZ wool can end up in some very high profile places.

Our whole product innovation strategy is to purposely step off the commodity curve. Colin McKenzie NZ Yarn

OPPORTUNITY: NZ Yarn chief executive Colin McKenzie says the company’s new business model has huge growth potential with new hemp and wool hybrid products due for release. Photo: Annette Scott

“It’s a fantastic way to showcase the quality, beauty and versatility of NZ wool to a global audience. “We are providing innovative yarn systems that showcase the unique characteristics of wool that designers and customers love and that our competitors find difficult, if not impossible, to replicate. Our whole product innovation strategy is to purposely step off the commodity curve, to become global leaders in leading-edge woollen yarn systems for carpets and rugs.” McKenzie says this strategy has resulted in products that stand apart from the rest and which leverage the opportunity that exists to increase the size of the market for wool carpet among corporate and private consumers globally. NZ Yarn boasts an impressive list of installations and applications.

Emirates first class cabins, Air Force One, NetJet and Gulfstream private jets are among the list of NZ Yarn’s aviation installations. Its New York corporate headquarters carpet installations include Wells Fargo, American Express, JP Morgan Chase and Time Warner head offices. And The London Stock Exchange’s New York outpost and the Tom Ford retail store in Milan are also among the list of global corporate installations. “These strategies have resulted in products that stand apart from the rest, and which leverage the tremendous opportunity which exists to increase the size of the market for wool carpet among corporate and private consumers globally, particularly in the US,” McKenzie said. Meanwhile in a grassroots initiative, NZ sheep farmers are taking the opportunity to carpet

their homes from wool grown on their own farms. “We are getting increasing enquiry from CP Wool clients wanting to make their own carpet from their own wool,” he said. “We are being contacted weekly by clients taking the initiative to make their own carpet and we are in a unique position to provide a custom service and manufacture yarn and carpet virtually any colour and any style imaginable from their homegrown wool fibre. Farmers supply the greasy shears to specification and NZ Yarn manages the whole process, including shade matching, yarn construction and carpet style. “We have completed two custom carpet projects for sheep farmer clients and have another three on the books at present,” McKenzie said.

“We think we are probably one of only a few companies on the planet able to offer an end to end bespoke custom carpet service for individual farmers to make their own carpet from their own wool.” Carrfields Primary Wool became involved in the NZ Yarn business in 2014 and with 50 farmer investors took a longterm view to re-engineer the cost base and reinvent the model by expanding and differentiating the product portfolio and developing new channels to market and international customers. “The hard yards have been done and the business has turned the corner, it certainly hasn’t happened by accident. “NZ Yarn is an exciting business model for the future and has great growth potential with new hemp and wool hybrid products in development and due for release this year,” McKenzie said.

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News

16 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – September 14, 2020

Vet shortage a cause for alarm Annette Scott annette.scott@globalhq.co.nz

CONCERN: NZVA chief executive Kevin Bryant says we’re led to the conclusion that veterinarians are just not viewed as important, or as sexy as other parts of the economy such as film making.

BORDER restrictions are creating a huge problem for the New Zealand Veterinary Association (NZVA) which is calling on the Government to elevate veterinarians to critical worker status. With a shortfall of more than 200 veterinarians, already on Immigration NZ’s highly specialist skill shortage list, concern is setting in right across the profession.

NZVA chief executive Kevin Bryant says while the primary sector has been hailed as a saviour of the NZ economy during covid restrictions, a critical shortage of veterinarians and its impact on the primary sector just doesn’t seem to be viewed as important. “We’re led to the conclusion that veterinarians are just not viewed as important, or as sexy as other parts of the economy such as film making, which have seen wholesale exemptions created,” he said. “This is surprising given veterinarians’ essential worker status during lockdown.” “We also understand that exemptions have been granted to build golf courses, build or repair racetracks and for shearers. “Surely, veterinarians are at least as important in supporting the economic functioning of the country.” Bryant says if animal welfare, food safety and biosecurity are compromised because there are insufficient vets to support the primary sector, the economic impact on NZ will be catastrophic. NZVA chief veterinary officer Helen Beattie says the repercussions of the shortages are far-reaching and, in many cases, have long-term consequences including poor veterinary mental health and wellbeing, burn-out and veterinarians leaving the profession.

We are calling on the Government to take urgent steps to alleviate this situation by elevating veterinarians to critical worker status. Helen Beattie NZVA chief veterinary officer

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“We are concerned that poor farmer health and wellbeing will result when farmers are unable to get the support for their animals they need and there’ll be compromised animal welfare, food safety and biosecurity surveillance, as well as a negative impact on production,” Beattie said. Immediate concerns are held for resourcing for seasonal requirements. “We reached out for help early, foreseeing gaps for spring calving, equine reproductive procedures, mating and scanning, and calf disbudding, including training farmers to do this.” The NZVA has been talking to ministers and officials to streamline processes to enable veterinarians to enter the country and alleviate the critical veterinary shortage exacerbated by border restrictions imposed due to covid-19. “So far this doesn’t seem to have worked with more applications being declined each day, despite laborious hours spent submitting applications,” she said. “We are calling on the Government to take urgent steps to alleviate this situation by elevating veterinarians to critical worker status and streamlining and speeding up the application and approval process.” A survey of NZVA members indicated that from 124 practices there was a shortfall of 224 veterinarians. Most respondents were seeking veterinarians on a full-time, permanent basis with veterinarians being sought across all types of practices including large animal, mixed, companion, equine and specialist fields.

Editor: Bryan Gibson Twitter: farmersweeklynz Email: farmers.weekly@globalhq.co.nz Free phone: 0800 85 25 80

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FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – September 14, 2020

Hybrid forage project under way IT IS rare for plant scientists to claim they are excited by new varieties they are working on, preferring to hold back until the proof lies in the commercial pudding. But there is a sense of excitement among AgResearch’s forage team about the unit’s latest clover hybrids, and what they could mean for the resilience of New Zealand farms under climate change. Dr Jim Crush and his plant team at AgResearch Ruakura have been at the forefront of work to try and develop a future-proofed clover hybrid and grass types as climate change sinks its teeth into pastoral production. “Certainly, improved moisture stress tolerance is a big driver for a few of our programmes as the climate has definitely got lumpier in the last few years,” Crush said. His team is tasked with looking further ahead into commercialising varieties in a process that can take over 10 years from conception to farm paddock sowing. Thanks to a relatively early start, farmers can expect to see the first commercially available results of the team’s white clover hybrid efforts in five years’ time. Working with the PG+ Group, which comprises AgResearch, Barenbrug, PGG Wrightson Grasslands Innovation, B+LNZ and DairyNZ, the team has crossed conventional white clover T.repens with old world dryland clover T.occidentale. The clover can be found above the high tide line in dry sandy parts of Brittany, Cornwall, Ireland and the Channel Islands. Dryland field trials are now under way on Lincoln University’s Ashley Dene’s stony soils and on sandy country near Bulls. As NZ’s go-to white clover, T.repens was introduced and thrived at a time when soil moisture was more reliable, and drought periods shorter or less frequent. Despite its shortcomings in this tougher climate change world, Crush says the new hybrid

CLIMATE CHANGE: Dr Jim Crush says longer drier conditions means our pioneering rye and clovers are less suitable than they were 40 years ago.

retains 87% of T.repens’ genetic material. As a result, it does not suffer any loss of the characteristics like high-feed value that made white clover what it is. “But it is the remaining 13% of wild genes that include traits for drought tolerance that we see making a difference,” he said. Those traits include a thicker, longer tap root and thicker leaves capable of holding a greater amount of moisture. T.repens’ genetic pool is relatively limited to clovers that tend to perform best in damper conditions. Crush believes the strategy of developing hybrid clovers is looking like it will be here for keeps. “It just gives breeders greater genetic variability to play with,” he said. He also sees it as a positive that the hybrid has been arrived at through conventional plant breeding, removing the tough issues of trialling and possibly perception that accompany any GE type crop.

While clover hybrids are looking promising in a push back against the climate change challenge, work is also under way on examining ryegrass options. As a species, ryegrass growth is affected by air temperatures over 25C, where heat stress occurs and even if moisture levels are adequate, growth slows considerably. Shallow root systems also challenge pasture over dry weather, and bring issues of persistence when also grazed repeatedly under such conditions. Crush says while clover research is more advanced, some promising developments are appearing for grass alternatives too. “We have developed a range of hybrid ryegrasses and cocksfoot grasses, some which are looking very interesting,” he said. Hybrids of standard cocksfoot crossed with a Himalayan species “shouted hill country sheep and beef” to Crush and his associates.

Similarly, some early rye-fescue hybrids appear to offer the best of ryegrass quality with fescue’s drought tolerance. He is anticipating a significant shift within the seed industry away from a “one size fits all” grass approach in coming years. “As the climatic extremes have grown on a regional basis, I think we will shift to more regionally adapted hybrids,” Crush said. “We are seeing that already to some extent with the Forage Value Index breaking NZ into four regional zones AgResearch’s work on its controversial genetically modified High Metabolisable Energy (HME) grasses also continues to make steady progress. The research body is coy about drawing attention to the grasses, but has reported they have performed well in controlled growing conditions in its United States trials. Principal scientist Dr Greg Bryan reported that the grasses are now growing in field trials in competition with one another, as

they would in a pasture situation. The grasses include high energy and drought tolerance among their traits. However, their commercial release here remains dependent upon changes in this country’s regulations around genetically modified material.

Certainly, improved moisture stress tolerance is a big driver for a few of our programmes as the climate has definitely got lumpier in the last few years. Dr Jim Crush AgResearch

News

18 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – September 14, 2020

Collaboration aims to foster innovation Colin Williscroft colin.williscroft@globalhq.co.nz BOTH sides of the farm gate will come together through a new partnership between FoodHQ and B.linc Innovation. FoodHQ, a Palmerston North based national network of food-related research, education and commercial organisations, and B.linc, a Lincoln University business unit that aims to facilitate innovation in agriculture, food and technology, will work together to encourage new thinking in food, fibre and agritech across the country. FoodHQ chief executive Abby Thompson says the collaboration has been on the cards for a while, as New Zealand is too small for the two organisations not to work together. She says FoodHQ’s strength is its connection to the food value chain, while B.linc’s is more aligned with its on-farm networks. It makes sense to bring both sides of the farm gate together, Thompson says, rather than view them as separate areas. NZ players in the food and fibre sectors can learn from overseas examples and work together more towards a common good rather than trying to compete against their neighbours. Countries such as Israel and the Netherlands illustrate what can be achieved by organisations cooperating. “This collaboration will continue to strengthen the ‘whole of value’ chain approach to food that NZ needs to take

to ensure our nation’s future success,” Thompson said. She says farmers should be pleased with the partnership as it will help connect on-farm innovations with off-farm ones, including a better understanding of consumer behaviour, their wants, desires and fears. B.linc’s managing director Wim de Koning says working together will provide greater support for primary-focused innovators in NZ from the conception of ideas and of collaborative thinking all the way through to execution. “It is a natural fit for us and through working together in separate parts of the country, we can provide further-reaching support,” he said. He says the divide between pre and post farm gate has disappeared and the emphasis has shifted towards transparent added value. “The land-based university sector in NZ is internationally recognised and highly regarded,” he said. “The ability for both B.linc Innovation and FoodHQ to tap into both Lincoln University and Massey University further strengthens the ability to facilitate collaboration between the primary sector.” De Koning says the challenges and opportunities facing the primary sector are complex and affect the whole value chain from the farmer and grower to the consumer, so there’s a real need to collaborate for the future and create provenance and added value rather than compete.

TEAMWORK: B.linc Innovation boss Wim de Koning and FoodHQ counterpart Abby Thompson say working together will encourage innovation across the primary sector.

Plantain now added to OverseerFM NEW Zealand farmers can now assess the potential impact and investment of plantain using OverseerFM. Plantain varieties have been used on NZ farms for some time, with positive effects on milk production and in reducing nitrate leaching. Following the comprehensive research programme Forages for Reduced Nitrate Leaching (FRNL), plantain has been included in OverseerFM as a pasture type on pastoral and cut

and carry blocks. “For the first time, farmers considering sowing plantain can compare estimates of their farm’s nitrogen losses before investing time and money,” Overseer chief executive Dr Caroline Read said. “Also, those who already use plantain can have it recognised in their farm plans. “There has been a lot of interest in exploring the impact of adding plantain to farm systems or including it in

compliance reporting.” Depending on the proportion of plantain in an animal’s diet, less excreted nitrogen ends up in urine and urine volume increases, resulting in urine patches with less nitrogen – which is better for the environment. How large the environmental effect is, depends on the farm’s situation – scale of plantain use, amount of supplementary feed used, soil type and climate. The FRNL programme was led

by DairyNZ and funded by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) and research partners DairyNZ, AgResearch, Plant and Food Research, Lincoln University, Foundation for Arable Research and Manaaki Whenua-Landcare Research. The programme assessed the impact of Ceres Tonic plantain and other forages and identified that plantain reduces nitrogen leached. Overseer has spent the last

year working with AgResearch scientists to translate the FRNL findings into OverseerFM. “Including plantain in Overseer ensures farmers can have the good work they are doing acknowledged as part of compliance processes,” DairyNZ senior scientist and FRNL programme lead Dr Ina Pinxterhuis said. Further research is planned to better understand the effects of plantain on nitrogen processes in the soil.

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farmersweekly.co.nz – September 14, 2020

Collaboration key to sector’s future KEY: Collaboration across the red meat sector is critical to its future success, Meat Industry Association chief executive Sirma Karapeeva says.

Colin Williscroft colin.williscroft@globalhq.co.nz IT HAS never been more important for different parts of the red meat sector to work together, a new report says. The inaugural Red Meat Report, published by Beef + Lamb NZ (B+LNZ) and the Meat Industry Association (MIA), aims to provide MPs, government officials, farmers and other industry stakeholders an overview of key priorities within the New Zealand red meat sector in areas such as trade, the environment, research, and people and capability. It’s been an unprecedented and challenging year so far, but the report’s authors say the sector is proud of the way it has responded to covid-19, while also managing drought and feed issues across much of the country. Working together helped the sector deal with those challenges but the report acknowledges that the postcovid world is going to be very different. B+LNZ chief executive Sam McIvor says global markets and consumers are making large shifts in how they maintain food security, purchase food, and the attributes of the products they are seeking.

“This creates both threats and opportunities for the sector and we need bold thinking to enable our sector to continue to thrive in the new normal,” he said. MIA chief executive Sirma Karapeeva says collaboration across the red meat sector has never been stronger, which will be increasingly important. “Now, more than ever, our sector must collaborate,” she said. “This is critical to our success.” To help plan the way ahead the sector is working on a whole of sector strategy refresh, following the creation of its original strategy in 2011. The refreshed strategy will focus on the next five years and, in particular, how to successfully position the sector to navigate the post-covid environment so that the sector can maximise its contribution to the NZ economic recovery for the benefit of all New Zealanders. The strategy refresh is being led by B+LNZ and the MIA, with input from individual meat processors. Broader outreach to the wider sector for input is planned in coming weeks. Despite the turmoil created by covid, the report says fundamentals for NZ red meat remain strong, with analysis indicating demand

for natural, grass-fed red meat has increased as a result of the global pandemic. It says research from China, and insight from North America, has shown that consumers are increasingly seeking out healthy, nutritious food to boost their immunity and wellbeing with natural attributes a key driver. “There is a strong link with these trends and product attributes that our target consumer segment, the Conscious Foodie, believes are important,” the report said. These include grass-fed, free from antibiotics, lean and no hormonal growth promotants. Covid-19 provides a window of opportunity to, in partnership with processors and exporters, establish the NZ grass-fed story through Taste Pure Nature in support of company-specific brands. “It will also enable us to improve our sector’s reputation with the public in NZ and offshore,” the report said. It’s expected future editions of the Red Meat Report will be published every six months or so.

MORE: For more information go to https:// beeflambnz.com/sites/default/files/ levies/files/RMR_Aug2020-low.pdf

Students learn about meat industry A GROUP of students from around the country interested in a career in the red meat industry recently spent a day in Wellington learning about the sector. Every year the Meat Industry Association (MIA) offers a number of undergraduate and postgraduate scholarships, worth $5000 and $10,000 respectively, to encourage young people in studies that meet the wide range of opportunities that the industry can offer as a career. MIA chief executive Sirma

Karapeeva says the Wellington visit was part of a mentoring and networking support programme that MIA has developed for the scholars. “The initiative was a great opportunity for potential future leaders of the industry to meet and hear from the organisations that take New Zealand’s red meat to the world,” she said. “Many of our scholars are already making a valuable contribution to the industry through research projects or undertaking part-time work.

“MIA scholars are an enthusiastic group of young people, passionate about their areas of study and research and this was a great opportunity for them to network and learn more about the sector to help them decide the direction of their future careers.” The students heard from those starting out in their careers and expert speakers on a range of industry topics including trade, food safety, nutrition, science and engineering.

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20 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – September 14, 2020

Confidence FEPS meet new criteria Gerald Piddock gerald.piddock@globalhq.co.nz TWO of New Zealand’s dairy companies along with Beef+Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ) are confident their farm environment plans (FEPs) will meet the Government’s criteria set out in its freshwater reforms. Under the new rules, the plans are to be a key requirement for farmers, but the Government has yet to define exactly what these plans will entail. Both Fonterra and Synlait believe these programmes, called Tiaki and Lead with Pride respectively, will deliver on this aspect of the Government’s freshwater reforms. Fonterra’s general manager for farm excellence – environment Matt Cullen says he was confident the FEPs drawn up under its Tiaka programme plans will align with the new regulatory framework. The FEPs process is also approved by regional councils which are well-advanced with its freshwater plan changes, such as Canterbury and Manawatu. “We’re pretty confident that by focusing on those industry-agreed good farming principles that our FEPs will be positioned really well to meet the new national standards whenever those are developed,” Cullen said. Fonterra has 27 sustainable dairy advisors and is looking to add 10 more by the end of this financial year. Over one-third of the co-operative’s suppliers have plans with the objective of having all its farmers complete this process by 2025. “We feel we’re well on track to achieve that,” he said. Cullen says they are a critical part of enabling environmental change on farms and meeting community expectations. “As one of the largest deliverers of FEPs in the country, our aim in the future is to work much closer with the Government to develop

EXPECTATION: Fonterra, Synlait and Beef + Lamb NZ are confident their farm environmental plans will meet the Government’s criteria outlined in its new freshwater rules. some of those standards before they appear in regulation, so we are getting standards in there that are practical and applicable,” he said. Synlait’s national milk supply manager David Williams says they were confident about the FEPs created as part of its Lead with Pride programme because of the positive feedback received from farmers. “We get constant feedback from farmers that this stuff actually helps us and makes us better and more profitable,” he said. “It takes a lot of work to set up and we will bring it up to the standard that we have set with Lead with Pride and if what the Government comes up with is a bit different, we’ll just tweak it.” It was the first regional council-

approved industry scheme when Canterbury’s regional water plan came into being. Its suppliers in Waikato will need to be Lead with Pride certified in three years, despite the regional council’s water policy, plan change one heading to the environment court. About one third of its North Island farms were already Lead with Pride certified and there were other farms working through the process. In the drystock sector, much of the administering of FEPs over the years has been carried out by B+LNZ. To date, B+LNZ’s North Island general manager Matt Ward says around 5000 sheep and beef farmers had gone through that FEP process.

THE BRASSICA PROTECTION SPECIALISTS ——

Its latest version of the plan currently being tested in farmer workshops incorporated biodiversity, soils, freshwater health and greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). He says it should put sheep and beef farmers in the best position they could possibly be in to meet the GHG emission targets identified through He Waka Eke Noa, as well as new and future rules around freshwater, soils and biodiversity. “We are confident that we are meeting what we need to do without doing the regulator’s job for them,” Ward said. “We are wanting the B+LNZ farm plan to be recognised as what the MPI is talking about when it talks about a certified farm plan.”

He says B+LNZ was also working closely with the MPI to get the best steer it could around what the final shape of those FEPs will be. The plan would also include a bespoke element to it to make it unique for every farm business, making it the farmer’s responsibility to work with their regional council.

We are confident that we are meeting what we need to do without doing the regulator’s job for them. Matt Ward

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News

farmersweekly.co.nz – September 14, 2020

Southland to start water rules group AN ADVISORY group is to be established in Southland to advise on the implementation of the Government’s freshwater reforms. Politicians and Government officials met with primary sector leaders and about 30 farmers in Invercargill this week to outline concerns about aspects of the freshwater reforms, especially new regulations on winter grazing. Farmers discussed new rules which require consent, particularly intensive winter grazing, sowing dates and stock exclusion, and urged the ministers to push ahead with audited farm environment plans, which does not yet form part of the national legislation. The Government has said farm environment plans will replace the need for consent for activities such as winter grazing. The proposed local advisory group will be facilitated by Environment Southland to provide advice into the national implementation group being established by Environment Minister David Parker.

WORKING TOGETHER: The meeting was initiated by farmers and also attended by Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor, DairyNZ, Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ) and Federated Farmers.

The farmers presented a number of areas where they have concerns and highlighted a number of possible solutions. Nicol Horrell Environment Southland chair

Environment Southland chair Nicol Horrell described the meetings as constructive. “The farmers presented a number of areas where they have concerns and highlighted a number of possible solutions,” he said in a statement. The meeting was initiated by farmers and also attended by Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor, DairyNZ, Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ) and Federated Farmers. Horrell says the ministers acknowledged Southland farmers have made changes to their wintering practices. “The ministers acknowledged the progress we’ve already made here in Southland with farm plans, intensive winter grazing, our proposed Water and Land Plan and the extensive engagement we’ve done for the plan and more recently to gather community values,” he said. “Everyone wants to ensure water quality is improved – including the 35 farming leaders who attended the meeting. “They are an integral part of the change that’s needed to improve our environment and working together to get practical, Southland solutions to some of our challenges is something we’ve always done well down here.” Southland farmer Tony Cleland described the meeting as constructive. “It was a general discussion which was positive. People were listening and suggestions were being put forward and people were being listened to,” he said. He says the advisory group could be a forum to make freshwater policies workable for southern farmers, and that the solution suggested “could be a way forward”.

Barley tariff unlikely to affect New Zealand Gerald Piddock gerald.piddock@globalhq.co.nz AUSTRALIA’S worsening trade war with China, which saw it slapped with an 80% tariff on all its barley exports, is unlikely to have any impact on the New Zealand grain market. China imposed the tariff on Australian barley in response to the grain being allegedly dumped on its market. Federated Farmers arable chair Colin Hurst doubted any of it will be exported to NZ because the bulk of the barley being grown was used in beer production, not feed barley. In NZ, about one quarter of the barley grown in New Zealand was malting barley with the rest being feed barley. He says if any Australian barley did come to NZ, it would be the latter. Hurst understood Australian grain exporters had found other markets to send the product. He says the exchange rate and how the international market was faring would have more

of an effect on NZ grain prices. Australia had also come off two years of drought, meaning its local supply of feed grain was low and any grain that was available was likely to be sold on the domestic market. “From what I understand, it’s just about running out of grain,” he said.

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UNAFFECTED: The 80% tariff China has imposed on Australian grain imports is unlikely to impact New Zealand’s grain market.

News

22 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – September 14, 2020

Tight air freight space delays parts Richard Rennie richard.rennie@globalhq.co.nz CONTRACTORS and farmers needing to tune up equipment for the busy demands of the springsummer season may face some delays in getting parts to keep that equipment operating in coming weeks. Shuttered assembly businesses and mandated social distancing have reduced manufacturing capacity in the northern hemisphere in past months, with many large brands forced to close their operations at times throughout Europe and the United Kingdom. But Tractor and Machinery Association (TAMA) president Kyle Baxter says it was air freight capacity to New Zealand, rather than a lack of parts, that was proving the greatest challenge for machinery stockists. “Overall, the availability of parts is pretty good, but the reduction in air freight capacity and the cost of that capacity are an issue,” he said. “This comes after we have usually enjoyed really good service through the likes of Fedex and DHL out of Europe.” Typically, delivery times for parts out of the United States or Europe could be as short as 36 hours, if an order was placed on Friday NZ time. “And out of Australia, it would be pretty much overnight,” he said. The time taken now can be well over two weeks, depending upon the capacity flights are offering. Even then cargo can get bumped for higher priority loads just before departure. Prior to covid-19, some machinery importers had enjoyed

dedicated capacity on regular freight flights during the week, regardless of order size, but have since lost that. Baxter says many TAMA members had stocked up well on parts heading into spring, often relying upon slower sea freight for delivery. Former TAMA president and owner of Masterston-based Tulloch Farm Machines John Tulloch says initially air freight rates into NZ tripled, but had since come back to one-point-five to twice pre-covid rates. “It is tight, but we are getting everything we need from overseas, but just a bit delayed, he said. “Parts from French-based plants seem to have considerable delays, while Germany is varied depending upon what area of the country the plant is in. “Some companies like Krone had two teams operating; a team A and team B kept separate and assembling equipment to keep them isolated and keep plants running.” When it came to sourcing new equipment, Baxter says most machinery importers already had orders in place before lockdown for delivery this season, although there had been delays of several weeks earlier due to plant shutdowns. “There have been a few delays now, but to everyone’s benefit they have been at the bottom end of the scale,” he said. “All members we have spoken to have not been too impacted.” He was confident that if worse came to worst, service staff would do all they could to keep equipment running, even if it

meant borrowing a new part from a new machine. Getting new equipment for later in the year should not be too problematic either. CB Norwood, where Baxter was brand manager, was already taking orders for cultivation equipment and he was confident it would arrive in time by February. Viticulture and horticulture sectors were doing particularly well, and many were investing in new equipment, which was often sourced out of Europe. “We knew the market was heading for a correction in sales earlier this year but we have not been too far off the mark. July this year was on a par with July last year,” he said. Tulloch says the staff shortage for operating equipment this spring-summer may yet have a bigger impact upon contractors’ decisions about purchasing capital equipment. “If they do not have the people to operate it, they will not invest in it,” he said. He had noticed more farmers investing in second-hand equipment they would normally have a contractor use, possibly as insurance against contractors being unable to make timely harvest themselves. “The market has been quite buoyant considering how things are,” he said. Farm bikes and equipment are proving relatively easier to source coming out of Japan rather than Europe, although some delays in air freight are being experienced here too. A spokesperson for Ashburtonbased MacKay and Donaldson Yamaha says parts coming out

TIGHT FOR SPACE: Kyle Baxter says air freight capacity is greatly reduced, impacting on parts supply from Europe in particular. of Japan were being rerouted via Australia, but priority was given if the factory was told it was a farm bike the part was required for. A spokesperson for Matamata Honda confirmed 95% of parts and stock were available, with about a three-week delay in sourcing them from Japan. In Canterbury, Gavin Briggs of Rainer Irrigation says reliance upon sea freight delivery meant most suppliers stocked up well with parts, but some smaller components were starting to become problematic for supply. Furloughing of staff in some

United States and Chinese production plants had meant output and component production had been wound back as those companies trod water, assessing covid’s impact on global demand. “We fill a container up when we order and carry about $2 million worth of parts at any time, but I suspect we are going to see some issues later in the season,” Briggs said. He said he would be grateful if he can make it to Christmas without any major supply issues once the season starts in about two weeks.

Hunters slam DOC’s new tahr plan Neal Wallace neal.wallace@globalhq.co.nz IF THE Department of Conservation (DOC) was hoping to diffuse the tahr culling debate by releasing a new control plan, it has failed. DOC operations director Dr Ben Reddiex has released an updated Tahr Control Operational Plan for the coming year, which will focus control on public conservation land.

“With an open mind we have considered a wide range of submissions from groups and individuals representing the interests of recreational and commercial tahr hunters, as well as conservationists, recreationists and statutory bodies,” he said in a statement. Acknowledging the new plan will not satisfy everyone, he says it will enable the recreational and commercial hunting of trophy

bulls and other tahr, while still moving DOC towards meeting the statutory goals of the 1993 Himalayan Thar Control Plan. That plan aims for a population of 10,000 animals, at which point there will be no ecological impact. “We are not targeting tahr in popular hunting spots and we’re exploring options to improve hunter access to public conservation land, such as

NO GOOD: NZ Deerstalkers Association chief executive Gwyn Thurlow says the Department of Conservation’s plan reflects political interference, lacks quality data and science.

extending the popular tahr ballot period,” he said. “We’re also publishing maps showing the locations of bull tahr we have observed across 425,000ha of public conservation land outside the national parks. “We have already recorded more than a thousand observations of bull tahr, which DOC has left for hunters.” Hunters say the plan is driven by ideology. NZ Deerstalkers Association chief executive Gwyn Thurlow says the plan also reflects political interference, lacks quality data and science and was made to appease Forest and Bird, who he says continue to threaten court action. “After reviewing the latest iteration of the plan, we can see no substantive change to the department’s approach from before the High Court win by the Tahr Foundation, because the bottom line is the number of operational hours has not reduced,” he said. “This means our tahr herd will be decimated as feared.” Reddiex rejected claims DOC was seeking to eradicate tahr, saying animals were being left for hunters.

However, DOC is planning 132 hours of aerial control outside the tahr feral range and will target all tahr in Aoraki/Mount Cook and Westland Tai Poutini National Parks. “In the national parks, we are legally required to reduce the number of tahr to the lowest practicable densities and it’s important we protect and preserve these special areas for New Zealand’s native species,” Reddiex said. Since January last year, DOC has shot 900 animals from outside their feral range, including 500 in the Mount Hutt area, and from mid-July it has flown 118 hours inside the feral range and shot 4700 tahr on public conservation land. Using DOC’s own statements and aerial culling to date, Thurlow estimates there are fewer than 20,000 tahr left which he believes meets the ecological objectives. “The actual ecologically sustainable target number is between 10,000 and 50,000 tahr, but no one actually knows the figure because DOC fails year after year to carry out the science,” Thurlow said.

News

farmersweekly.co.nz – September 14, 2020

New Massey study delves into lepto infection spike Richard Rennie richard.rennie@globalhq.co.nz THE lingering effects and high hospitalisation rates victims of leptospirosis experience are being studied more closely in a four-year research project run by Massey scientists. After a period of steady decline in notifiable cases of leptospirosis between 2004 and 2014, case numbers have lifted since with 120 cases reported last year, 110 in 2018 and 140 in 2017. Despite high rates of vaccination in dairy herds where regular animal-to-person contact usually brings the greatest risk of infection, the spike in the number of reported infections a year has scientists scrambling to find reasons why. Massey post-doctoral research fellow Shahista Nisa says the increase in rates could possibly be attributed to better detection methods and the presence of newly-discovered strains that are not covered by current vaccine formulations. She oversees a Massey research project that involves contacting infected patients and closely interviewing them about animal contact, activities and environmental exposure that may account for their infection. “We are then asking the same questions to control patients who are about the same age and lives in similar urban/rural settings as patients to try and determine what kind of activity and exposure places people more at risk,” she said. Typically, 75% of leptospirosis cases are rural and in 2018 adults aged 40-49 had the highest notification rates, with males reporting infection rates six-point-five times higher than females. A vast majority of the rural infections were farmers. The odds of ending up in hospital with the disease are also high, with 70% of 2018 cases admitted. After a year spent in survey design and ethical approvals, it is now in its first full year of recruiting patients and will continue into 2022. And with over 500 variables to record and analyse, it will be some time before conclusive data is at hand. However, the past trends of farmers and meat workers being most at risk is continuing, with some distinct regional characteristics presenting. “What we do see is Hawke’s Bay, Manawatu and East Coast involve meat workers in notified cases, while Northland and

Waikato the incidence is higher in farmers,” she said. In the high incidence areas of Hawke’s Bay, Waikato and Northland, the researchers intend to gather samples from patients, their animals and their environment, while patients in other areas will only be subject to the in-depth one-hour interview. While dairy farmers typically vaccinate herds for leptospirosis, it occurs less frequently on sheep and beef units where farmers are less likely to be in regular contact with animals and their urine which carries the disease. Nisa says for the first time in New Zealand, the survey incorporates a six-month followup interview with infected patients to study any ongoing impacts of their infection. “It is not always the case that people are sick for one week, they take antibiotics and are then fine. Some can be sick for quite some time and can find they are fatigued and physically hampered by their infection, even up to a year later,” she said. Approximately 50% of patients will still feel the effects six months later. “We are encouraging anyone who does get infected and is asked if they would like to participate in the survey to take part in order to help us get a better understanding of what can be a challenging disease,” Nisa said. Meantime, there is hope two newly-discovered strains of leptospirosis will be included in new formulations of vaccines

produced by three animal health companies for NZ livestock. Massey University professor of veterinary epidemiology Cord Heuer says infection data shows two relatively new strains, Tarassovi and Ballum, not covered by current vaccines are contributing to recent infections. In 2018, those two strains comprised 37% of the 110 reported cases. “Tarassovi has been found in higher frequency in cattle and is prevalent in sheep and deer. Ballum is found in mice, rats and rodents and is found in beef cattle, not so much in dairy,” Heuer said. He says researchers were sampling intensely to detect the Tarassovi strain, which was proving difficult to cultivate in a lab situation for vaccination development. “The drug companies are extremely keen to include this in their formula. As soon as we can isolate it, they would start production if they had it,” he said. Zoetis vet operations manager for animal health Victoria Chapman said her company have a range of leptospirosis vaccines for different species. “We are interested in any developments that make it possible to also include a Tarrasovi strain in a vaccine for cattle. Zoetis is conscious leptospirosis is a debilitating disease for humans and animals, and any solutions we can arrive at for the Tarassovi problem will be welcome by the market.”

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TAKE PART: Massey post-doctoral research fellow Shahista Nisa is encouraging anyone who gets infected with Leptospirosis and is asked if they would like to participate in the survey to take part in order to help researchers get a better understanding of what can be a challenging disease.

News

24 FARMERS WEEKLY â&#x20AC;&#x201C; farmersweekly.co.nz â&#x20AC;&#x201C; September 14, 2020

Farmers need rest and support AFTER eight years farming, with three years sharemilking, Stu Davison has taken on a fresh challenge working as a dairy analyst. He shares what farming taught him about the importance of looking after yourself. Stuâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a born and bred dairy man. He grew up on the family farm, studied agriculture at Lincoln and carved out a successful career at various sharemilking operations. Heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s still got skin in the game and owns a herd in Waikato. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I love the business side of things, I love growing grass and making things and seeing the change. Farmingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s pretty cool when you get it all lining up and get a good result,â&#x20AC;? he said. But farming can be tough going too, Stu admits, especially if you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t give yourself a break.

To spend time with people who arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t farming and just to get away makes a huge mental difference.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Farmingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an inherently stressful occupation,â&#x20AC;? Stu said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re dealing with biological factors like grass, cows and weather which you canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t control, and you have to just learn to roll with whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in front of you and manage the workload. â&#x20AC;&#x153;But thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s easier said than done, you always seem to end up doing a bit more than youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d like. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I wasnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t so good at putting myself first during busy periods. Obviously, you can get very tired through spring and things have to be done.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve always been so driven that Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m always trying to do as much as I can.â&#x20AC;? Over time, he says he has learnt from his parents to ring fence his weekends. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The big thing for me was to get as much done in the week so you have that time to rest and recover and spend time with your family,â&#x20AC;? he said. He also kept in touch with mates no matter how busy he was. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I always played hockey through my whole farming career,â&#x20AC;? Stu said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It might have been two to three hours off-farm, and it was a challenge to get there and other people picked up the slack for me, but to spend time with people who arenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t farming and just to get away makes a huge mental difference. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It just helps your mentality to know that there is a way offfarm when you need it. â&#x20AC;&#x153;For me, even when youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re busy, that social aspect is a very important part of doing a good job. You are totally rejuvenated by catching up with mates and family. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a huge part of staying on top of the game.â&#x20AC;? He says eating well during busy times is vital, but easy to neglect. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m no athlete but I think having the right fuel in the tank is a key thing with dairy farming,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We all know you have to feed yourself, but when you get so time poor, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s hard to achieve and easy to get run down. The worse you eat, the worse youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re going to feel.â&#x20AC;? Stu believes attitudes in the industry are slowly changing when it comes to the basics like sleeping, eating and time off. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a changing mentality in the industry around flogging yourself,â&#x20AC;? he said.

â&#x20AC;&#x153;People are realising they canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t run their business on three hours sleep anymore. â&#x20AC;&#x153;In some parts of the country itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s changing slower than others, but there is a growing awareness that rest and sleep are really important for getting everything done to a high standard. â&#x20AC;&#x153;As farmers, we will often go above and beyond for our cows but then forget about ourselves,â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I always said to my staff my priority was to get them home safe and well, so they came back the next day wanting to be there. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Thereâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s no need to be silly about this stuff. We just need to make it part of the business and carry on.â&#x20AC;? He says in the covid-19 era labour market, the industry needs to make sure itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s an attractive proposition to potential recruits. â&#x20AC;&#x153;You canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t expect people from school to turn up on-farm and work 80 hours a week for three weeks in a row before they get a weekend off. That job description is not going to appeal to anyone,â&#x20AC;? he said. Stu shared some simple advice for newcomers. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I think the big one is having a support network and admitting when you need to use it, whether itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s your wife or partner or your mate down the road.â&#x20AC;? he said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Because in the middle of spring when everythingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s falling apart a bit, you need to realise you just might need someone to cook you dinner or have a yak over a cuppa. â&#x20AC;&#x153;That can be as easy as picking up the phone, because in my experience someone is always happy to help you. But admitting you need the help, thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the hardest thing to learn.â&#x20AC;?

RECHARGE: Dairy analyst Stu Davison says people are realising they canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t run their business on three hours sleep anymore.

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FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – September 14, 2020

Farming groups welcome visa changes Gerald Piddock gerald.piddock@globalhq.co.nz DAIRYNZ and Federated Farmers have welcomed the Government’s decision to create a new border exemption category to allow some overseas temporary work visa holders to return to New Zealand. Visa holders, who must have retained their job or business in NZ, plus their partners and dependent children, will be able to apply for this exception from

early October when the new category opens. Minister of Immigration Kris Faafoi says many of these visa holders and their families had lived in NZ for years and had the expectation they would be able to stay longer-term. “It is only fair to let these visa holders return given their longstanding and ongoing connections to this country,” Faafoi said. The Government is expecting up to 850 visa holders may be eligible for this category and it

RELIEF: DairyNZ chief executive Tim Mackle has thanked the Government for the changes it has made to allow visa holders to return to New Zealand.

will monitor numbers. Of those, Federated Farmers employment spokesperson Chris Lewis estimates around 50 would be dairy farm workers. He said it might present an issue for some employers who had promoted staff into the visa holder’s role as cover during the busy calving period. To that end, he said employers needed to check their contracts to prevent any issues once these staff return. DairyNZ chief executive Dr Tim Mackle thanked the Government for listening to the sector’s calls for these people to return. “They contribute to the dairy sector’s success, are invaluable for their experience and skills and are important for training incoming Kiwi staff,” he said. He strongly advised migrants and their employers to understand the rules and confirm if they meet the exemption criteria before submitting applications. “We don’t want to see additional stress, costs and disappointment for this group of patient people,” Mackle said. The exemption is the second change to visa rules announced by the Government over the past week. On September 4, it changed its visa settings, granting a fivemonth extension to current onshore visitor visas that are

due to expire before the end of October 2020. The Government has also introduced a new two-month covid-19 short-term visitor visa to help temporary migrants unable to leave NZ due to international travel restrictions when their current visa expires. The changes only apply to people already in NZ. Faafoi says the changes will provide visitors and other temporary migrants stranded in NZ with more certainty and time to organise travel arrangements home. Temporary migrants needed to have a valid visa to remain lawfully in NZ, otherwise they are required to leave the country. “However, we know that international travel restrictions due to covid-19 have affected many people’s ability to leave NZ before their visas expire,” Faafoi said. There are 19,000 people onshore in New Zealand who hold current visitor visas that are eligible for the automatic five-month extension from the date their current visa expires. Since March 2020, around 268,000 foreign nationals have departed NZ. On top of the extension, the visa will help people reaching the end of their current visitor, work, student or partnership visa who may not meet the criteria for

It is only fair to let these visa holders return given their long-standing and ongoing connections to this country. Kris Faafoi Minister of Immigration another visa, and need time to arrange travel home. “To be eligible for the covid-19 short-term visitor visa, Immigration New Zealand (INZ) must be satisfied that visitor visa holders are genuinely unable to leave NZ as a result of covid-19, they are intending to depart, and they meet normal good character requirements,” he said. Temporary migrants who apply for this visa will not need to meet other usual visitor visa requirements, such as demonstrating that they have enough money to support their stay, having existing onward travel arrangements, or that they’ve met time limits for their stay in NZ. “These are short-term, practical measures that are designed to help people remain lawful in NZ while they get their travel home organised,” Faafoi said.

Project to tackle ag waste gets funding A PROJECT to repurpose agricultural plastics collected for recycling has moved a step closer to reality after receiving a funding boost from the Government. Run by Agrecovery, the project seeks to find the best sustainable solutions for plastic waste such as fertiliser, seed and feed bags, as well as netting, silage wrap and twine. It aims to repurpose this waste into new products for use instead of ending up in a refuse tip. The Ministry of the Environment’s Waste

REUSABLE: Farm plastic such as bale wrap could soon be repurposed into a new product after it’s collected for recycling thanks to government funding.

Minimisation Fund (WMF) is contributing $178,200 to the total project budget of $196,346. The project will see the rural recycling programme work with industry associations, other recycling schemes, including Plasback, and the rural community to work towards finding new uses for these plastics. One of the potential options for the plastic is to turn silage and bale wrap into products such as tuffboard, which is a plywood substitute.

This can be used in a variety of applications including animal pens, signs, barge boards under feed barriers and for use in deer, sheep and cattle handling pens. Agrecovery commercial manager Richard Carroll says the project will bolster existing recycling services for farmers and growers – like what was provided for agrichemicals as well as those provided by Plasback – for silage and bale wrap. “Supporting farmers to preserve the environment by offering alternatives to the harmful disposal practices of

burning, burying and stockpiling of waste is vital for the future of New Zealand,” Carroll said. “It demonstrates that the Government is committed to improving the environmental footprint of our rural communities.” Carroll says more facilities were needed to process the more challenging plastics, including those used for seed, feed and fertiliser bags and horticultural netting. “These are difficult to recycle due to their composition. The global trade for these scrap

plastics is challenging at best and NZ does not have the technology to recycle these types of plastics,” he said. The scope of this project includes, but is not limited to, plastic wrapping materials for silage or hay – including baleage wrap, hay bale netting, baling twine and covers for silage pits – and plastic sacks for packaging agricultural and horticultural products – including, fertiliser sacks, feed sacks and bulk tonne bags of woven polypropylene and/or polyethylene.

It demonstrates that the Government is committed to improving the environmental footprint of our rural communities. Richard Carroll Agrecovery

News

28 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – September 14, 2020

B+LNZ backs native forests report Colin Williscroft colin.williscroft@globalhq.co.nz

ISSUES: Environment strategy manager Corina Jordan says while B+LNZ backs the report, there are aspects that it disagrees with, including what is characterised as marginal land.

We agree with the report’s findings that there is a serious imbalance of incentives for planting exotics versus natives. Corina Jordan B+LNZ

agrievents Tuesday 6/10/2020 – 6pm-8.30pm In aid of World Mental Health Day, presented by PressGo WORKPLACE WELLBEING NETWORKING EVENT Where: FMG Stadium, Waikato - Splice Construction Room Tickets $55 p/p excl GST - sold on Eventbrite or email admin@pressgo.co.nz to register Bringing together employers, business leaders and managers to hear from industry leaders in the area of wellbeing. Learn the secrets of workplace culture, tips and advice on what you can do and network with a common passion. WDT Understanding Your Farming Business 3 full-day workshops run over three months. Equips and supports women involved in sheep and beef and dairy farming to lift business performance. Locations and dates (3 modules): • Pahiatua: 17 Sept, 22 Oct & 12 Nov • Maramarua: 17 Sept, 22 Oct & 12 Nov • Darfield: 23rd Sept, 28th Oct & 18th Nov • Napier: 23rd Sept, 28th Oct & 18th Nov • Waipawa: 24th Sept, 29th Oct & 19th Nov • Milton: 14th Oct, 4th Nov & 25th Nov • Winton: 15th Sept, 5th Nov & 26th Nov • Cheviot: 14th Oct, 4th Nov & 25th Nov • Culverdon: 15th Oct, 5th Nov & 26th Nov Website: To register visit www.awdt.org.nz/programmes Contact: keri@awdt.org.nz for more info AWDT Future Focus Programme designed for farming partnerships to plan their business together. Two full-day workshop delivered over two months. Locations and dates (2 modules): • Oamaru: 13 Oct & 3 Nov • Rangiroa: 14 Oct & 4 Nov • Feilding: 20 Oct & 17 Nov • Dannevirke: 21 Oct & 18 Nov • Te Awamutu: 20 Oct & 24 Nov • Napier: 28 Oct & 23 Nov • Winton: 10 Nov & 1 Dec • Milton: 11 Nov & 2 Dec Website: To register visit www.awdt.org.nz/programmes Contact: keri@awdt.org.nz for more info Wednesday 21/10/2020 – Thursday 22/10/2020 NZGSTA Annual Conference 2020 Where: Crowne Plaza, Queenstown. Registrations and conference programme can be downloaded from our website https://www.nzgsta.co.nz/ nzgsta-conference-2020/

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A NEW report has called for more recognition of the carbon sequestration potential of native trees over exotics, which Beef + Lamb NZ (B+LNZ) says would reward farmers for what is already happening on their properties. Native Forests: Resetting the Balance is a report produced by The Aotearoa Circle, a think tank of public and private sector leaders committed to sustainable prosperity and reversing the decline of New Zealand’s natural resources. B+LNZ environment strategy manager Corina Jordan says the report, which operates at the intersection of biodiversity and climate change policy, echoes a number of points B+LNZ has been making. “The report provides recognition of the broad ecosystem services offered by native forests – everything from air purification, erosion control and water purification through to cultural value,” she said. “It also recognises that the carbon sequestration potential of natives outweighs that of exotics over time.

“We agree with the report’s findings that there is a serious imbalance of incentives for planting exotics versus natives and that there are a number of unintended consequences associated with incentivising large-scale afforestation in the Emissions Trading Scheme, including the lost opportunity to support the regeneration of native biodiversity. “We see He Waka Eke Noa, the joint action plan on primary sector emissions, as a key vehicle for recognising sequestration by native plantings, rewarding farmers for the sequestration already happening on their farms and also helping to increase on-farm biodiversity.” The report recommends extending (beyond 2020) and reviewing funding and grants available for native planting under the One Billion Trees programme with options to consider, including increasing the grants associated for planning natives, introducing grants that incentivise or lower the costs of native planting on scrubland and introducing a standalone fencing grant to support natural regeneration in suitable areas. Other recommendations

include a biodiversity payment or credit that places a monetary value on biodiversity outcomes and updating sequestration tables for natives to more accurately reflect the range of sequestration for different native species and geographic locations. The report also says forest owners need to ensure appropriate pest plant and animal management is undertaken in their forests. Jordan says there are aspects of the report that B+LNZ disagrees with, including what is characterised as marginal land. “Our research shows such land can be profitable and productive, and we believe the focus should be on integrated landscapes where farmers farm to the land as opposed to simply characterising higher land use classes as marginal and/or unproductive,” she said. “Additionally, the report contains lots of ideas for incentivising regeneration which we’d like to take time to consider.” B+LNZ is currently involved in research into the amount of sequestration already happening on farms, with results due soon.

DOC turns from tahr to deer HAVING successfully initiated a cull of tahr, Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage has now turned her sights on deer. She has instructed her department to look at what she called “the increasing deer abundance and spread, and the impacts on public conservation land.” The NZ Conservation Authority discussed her instruction at its June meeting and minutes from that meeting revealed the Department of Conservation (DOC) is leading a project to “develop a response to better manage deer nationally.” DOC’s four-stage project will define the problem, develop and then enable the preferred response by implementing the plan from July. The project was initiated following damage by deer to forests in the Raukumara, Kaimai and Mamaku Ranges with lessons learnt to be extended to the Ruahine, Kaweka and Kaimanawa Ranges. Sage says in the Raukumara Ranges deer have steadily increased in the last 20 years and are now eating plant species that were previously numerous. “In the central North Island there is the ongoing threat of mountain beech forest collapse as high deer numbers browse forest understorey, preventing mountain beech seedlings from becoming trees,” she said.

Adding the poor condition and size of deer suggests numbers are excessive. Wild animal recovery operators in Raukumara have noted the average size of deer there has fallen from 60kg to 45kg, while the recent autopsy of 450 deer by the Central North Island Sika Foundation found 78% had a condition score of average to poor. It also found 60% of sika hinds had not bred. “The high proportion of barren hinds and deer in average to poor condition taken from this survey area in the Kaimanawa Ranges indicate that the habitat in that area is struggling under current deer densities,” Sage said. Deer are being seen in new locations, including fallow deer in Northland, where the region’s deer free status is under pressure from illegal releases and deer farm escapes, to Southland where wild deer are increasing in numbers. Sage says Game Animal Council, NZ Deerstalkers’ Association (NZDA) and others will be consulted to develop a new framework. NZDA chief executive Gwyn Thurlow says initial contact between the association and DOC over deer control has been more constructive than it was with tahr. “All indications are that different people are involved and they are doing a better job, but it is very early on in discussions,” he said.

PRESSURE: High deer numbers in the Raukumara Ranges are causing the threat of mountain beech forest collapse as pictured here, says the Department of Conservation. Photo: DOC Hunters were successful with court action against DOC for failing to consult on a planned cull of tahr. Thurlow says a new control plan for deer must be based on science and research, include community input, given deer are an important source of food and recreation, and reflect the animal distribution and characteristics of each region. “There is no one size fits all as deer live across many different classes on land,” he said. Thurlow says previous control plans were not enforced because commercial and recreational hunters kept deer numbers low.

Numbers have increased but he describes the population as abundant. Whether that equates to being excessive, Thurlow says, requires a science-backed answer. Numbers have increased due to the absence of the heavy culling and commercial pressure of the 1980s and 1990s, but he says hunters want to be included in discussion about proposed control methods. They will oppose the use of 1080 poison. “Once you’ve used 1080 in an area, hunters can’t go there for a year or more,” he said. “It’s what we don’t want. There are better ways.”

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30 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – September 14, 2020

Demand for sexed semem surges Gerald Piddock gerald.piddock@globalhq.co.nz THE drive to reduce bobby calves in the dairy industry has seen demand surge for sexed semen from farmers. The semen is used to help farmers accelerate genetic gain within their herd by providing a 90% chance of producing a heifer calf. It provides surplus calves with having an increased chance of being retained on farm and destined for either domestic or export beef markets. Both LIC and CRV Ambreed, the two main suppliers of sexed semen in New Zealand, say demand has jumped in recent years. LIC general manager of New Zealand markets Malcolm Ellis says demand for fresh sexed bull semen has been steadily increasing over the last few seasons with this year set to more than triple 2019 sales. “With farmers proactively looking at ways to mitigate consumer, environmental and animal welfare concerns, sexed semen is a useful tool to have in their tool box,” he said.

Farmers have become acutely aware that if they are unable to milk more cows, they need to milk better ones. Malcolm Ellis LIC

HIGH DEMAND: More farmers than ever are opting for sexed semen to ensure their cows produce heifer rather than bull calves.

“Over recent years in the NZ dairy sector, the capital gain model that thrived is over and regulatory and environmental considerations are front of mind. “Farmers have become acutely aware that if they are unable to milk more cows, they need to milk better ones. This means that increasing genetic gain through breeding the best quality heifer calves has become an even more valued aspect of dairy farmers’ seasonal focus.” The increase in demand has seen LIC include all three major dairy breeds as part of its catalogue. CRV product development manager Peter van Elzakker says they too have seen a jump in demand for its frozen sexed semen over the past two years. Van Elzakker says if farmers

wanted to use the product to get better heifers, they should look at the quality of the bulls they are using. “For this year, the forward orders that we have in the system are double of that for last year,” he said. People used sexed semen to build up the replacement numbers in their herd and others used it strategically to get heifers from their best animals and mate the remainder of their herd with dairybeef genetics. “They are looking at the quality of their programmes and are using sexed [semen] as a tool,” he said. There were other farmers who saw the opportunities for having additional females and selling the calves. He says decisions to use the semen for animal welfare reasons

was becoming a bigger factor. Owl Farm at St Peter’s School near Cambridge and Lincoln University Dairy Farm (LUDF) both use sexed semen as part of their herd improvement strategies. Both have achieved similar conception and non-return results with fresh sexed semen compared to conventional liquid semen within their respective 2019 mating programmes. LUDF consultant Jeremy Savage says fresh sexed semen is part of the main strategy behind LUDF’s breeding programme. “With fresh sexed semen we are able to produce high genetic merit heifer replacements out of our best breeding cattle. In addition, it enables us to reduce bobby calf numbers and breed beef animals instead, which are more marketable,” he said.

“Using liquid or fresh sexed semen should increase your herd’s profitability over time. It speeds up the rate of genetic progress and should be considered a strategic investment to increase profitability in the long-term.” Owl Farm manager Tom Buckley says speed and ease are some of the benefits of using liquid sexed semen compared to frozen. “We’ve been using LIC’s fresh sexed semen for a year to drive genetic gain within the herd with great results and we will continue to do so,” he said. “We’ve also been able to put a greater percentage of our herd to beef. It’s been an opportunity to increase our tactical use of beef breeds to increase stock sales revenue and part of our efforts to reduce bobby calf numbers, which were halved this year.”

Voting to open for two DairyNZ board vacancies DAIRY farmers can soon vote on who will join DairyNZ’s board of directors, with three candidates vying for the two positions available. Voting opens on September 21 and will close on October 20. Electionz.com returning officer Anthony Morton says levy payers will receive a vote

pack in the mail from September 21. “I encourage farmers to look out for their pack, which includes information about the candidates to inform their vote.” Voting takes place by internet and post. DairyNZ’s board consists of five farmer-elected directors

and three board-appointed directors. This year, farmer-elected directors Colin Glass and Jim van der Poel are both retiring by rotation. The 2020 board of director candidates are: Colin Glass – Ashburton Cole Groves – Ashburton

Jim van der Poel – Waikato One nomination was received for a Directors’ Remuneration Committee position, which reviews and recommends changes to directors’ payments and other benefits to directors each year. As only one vacancy exists, Shirley Trumper of Rotorua

has been declared elected unopposed as a committee member. The successful candidates will be announced at DairyNZ’s annual meeting in Ashburton on October 21. For information on the candidates and the upcoming vote, visit dairynz.co.nz/agm

SHEDS

Haybarns

Homes

Sheds

Cattle Yards

Woolsheds

Farm Bridges

Covered Yards

RIGHT? THAT’S ALRIGHT! NOT ALL

5 ways to wellbeing

Keeping Farm Fit

Being active does not need to be hard or costly. Evidence proves that regular physical activity can help prevent and reduce depression, anxiety and stress. It helps improve quality of sleep. Doing just 30 minutes of moderate physical activity a day can help reduce your risk of heart disease. This year we have had to face a lot of challenges already, a lot of uncertainty and many things we couldn’t control. I find getting off farm and going for a game of golf a great way to take a break, get some exercise and connect with my friends. With the school holidays coming up I am looking forward to getting out and about with my grandkids. We have some amazing places on our backdoor step which I am really looking forward to checking out.

Being Fit 4 farming isn’t just about running marathons, being fit is about enjoyment and feeling alive and healthy so you can withstand the stresses in your job or business. A big part of fitness is the act of recovery. We advocate having a recreational activity that you can do off farm that takes your mind away from the daily mental grind of farm life. Being active in recovery where you lift your heartrate, socialise with others or simply do on your own is proven to help clear your mind and raise your feel good hormones. Get out and be active off farm this year, recover from your stresses and set yourself up for success. Ian Handcock of Fit4Farming

Building exercise into your day

Even though farming is a physically active job, different physical activities keep you fit in different ways. There are four types of activity: aerobic, balance, flexibility and strength.

Neil Bateup, Rural Support Trust “Doing just 30 minutes of moderate physical activity a day can help reduce your risk of heart disease”

Aerobic activity:

“Keeping farm fit brings real benefits for both the farmer and the farm”

As the nature of farming has changed with more machinery and technology, farming’s become less physical. That’s why injecting physical movement and warm-ups into your working day is important.

Farmstrong has developed some farm-specific, warm-up routines to help farmers get through important annual events like calving and lambing, which still require physical and cardio endurance. ‘Turn on Your Core’ is a 10-minute routine designed to strengthen abdominal and back muscles and improve flexibility. Farmstrong Ambassador Sam Whitelock says: “Turning on your core will energise you for the day and help prevent the common strains and niggles that can wear you down. The exercises are designed for people of all shapes and sizes and require no special gym equipment. There are also warmup exercises specifically designed for calving, which you can find on the Farmstrong website.” Keeping farm fit brings real benefits for both the farmer and the farm, he says. “If you have a sore back, knee, ankle and so on, your farm’s going to suffer and so are you. Keeping in shape helps you put your best into the farm, so the farm can give the best back to you.” “By doing these warm-ups and stretches you wake up your body and give yourself that full range of movement - instead of just working within a narrow range of movement all day. It makes farming a lot easier on the body.” Sam says his own experience in professional rugby has taught him of the importance of warm ups and conditioning. “Before I play, I do similar warm ups, so that when I get out on the field I’m ready to go. It’s no different in farming. Taking time to warm up prevents injuries and means you can go long and strong throughout the day.” Check out farmstrong.co.nz to see the warm-up videos.

LIVE FIT TO FARMFIT

When it comes to running our farms we are very proactive. We plant crops for the summer dry, harvest excess pasture to feed in harder times and we spend time and money on maintenance to prevent machinery breakdowns. But are we proactive in preventing our biggest asset breaking down? OURSELVES

Physically preparing for the workload and developing tools and skills to deal with the challenges is always a top priority. Kanebrisco_farmfit @facebook & instagram Kane Brisco

0800 787 254 www.ruralsupport.org.nz

rural people helping rural people

If your heart beats faster and you breathe harder, it’s an aerobic activity. Moderate- or vigorous-intensity aerobic activities help keep your heart and lungs healthy and give you more energy. Moderate intensity means you can still hold a conversation while doing the activity, while vigorous intensity means you can’t say more than a few words without pausing for breath. In addition to many jobs on a farm, aerobic activities include brisk walking, cycling, swimming and playing sports.

flexibility: Flexibility activities keep your muscles relaxed and joints mobile, and stop you getting injured or sore. Flexibility is important for all of us, but especially as we get older. Try to incorporate flexibility activities three times a week – this can be as simple as stretching in the mornings before starting work, playing golf with friends or trying a few yoga poses.

strength: Muscle-strengthening activities improve your posture and balance and strengthen your bones. Keeping up your muscle strength can make you less susceptible to disability or injury. Lots of farm work builds strength, but in less busy times, you could try tramping, heavy gardening (i.e. digging) or body weight exercises (e.g. push-ups, squats and sit-ups).

balance: Balance activities are important to help prevent falls, particularly as we get older. Falls can be caused by muscle weakness, the environment or other objects. The more activities you do that use balance, the more stable you become. Many activities help to improve or maintain balance, including surfing, horse-riding, tennis and leisurely cycling (under 14 km/h). Learn more about living stronger at www.livestronger.org.nz/ Don’t forget that kids need healthy exercise too – check out the Healthy Kids website to learn more about engaging kids in exercise (www.healthykids.org.nz/move/articles) Finally, remember that taking a break, getting off the farm and getting active with neighbours, friends and whānau is an important way to feel more happy, connected and relaxed.

News

32 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – September 14, 2020

Wilding plan ‘just tip of the iceberg’ Annette Scott annette.scott@globalhq.co.nz THE GOVERNMENT’S plan to put more muscle into the wilding pine war chest is welcome, but Federated Farmers says it will not be enough to win the battle. A nationwide plan to tackle more than 800,000 hectares of wilding pine infestations over the coming year will generate up to 550 new jobs and help prevent future wildfires, according to Biosecurity Minister Damien O’Connor. “We’re ramping up our wilding control activity in areas where jobs are needed most,” he said. He says this includes a range of long-term projects led by regional councils and smaller-scale community partnerships. It will see significant work throughout most of New Zealand – in Northland, across the central North Island, in Marlborough, Nelson-Tasman, Queenstown, Otago and Southland. More than $17 million of work is allocated over 400,000 hectares of wilding infestations in Canterbury alone, including extensive infestations in Craigieburn and the Mackenzie.

To win the wildings battle the war chest needs to be more like $25m a year and not limited to four years. Chris Allen Federated Farmers

CAUSE FOR CONCERN: The cost of unchecked wilding pine spread would reach $4.6 billion and impact NZ’s most sensitive landscapes and water catchments. Photo: Annette Scott Federated Farmers says it is a relief to see the Government has put more muscle behind a nationwide plan to tackle wilding pine infestations. The Government had already put $100m in the Budget this year for the Jobs for Nature programme. More than $36m of that funding will be spent in the next 12 months as part of a four-year programme. That will see the work extended from 19 to 58 sites across NZ. “We have watched this massive problem unfold over the last 30 years as the uncontrolled pines are slowly and quietly sown across the landscape,” Federated Farmers spokesperson for pest management Chris Allen said.

“It’s beyond many landowners to tackle the spread. This is a good start, but it’s just the tip of the iceberg in terms of what is really required for full eradication and control.” More than $36m a year for four years on one pest gives an alarming insight as to just how much investment is required to take care of the land. Allen says every year farmers spend a significant amount of money and time on controlling the other pests such as pigs, gorse, broom, hieracium, wild deer, wallabies and rabbits. Feds is also worried about the legitimacy of so-called dryland parks as they have potential for enormous fire risk.

“Rank grass left ungrazed is a fire risk, the wilding is the fuel, and there is a great deal more to controlling this pest than simply trying to eradicate it,” Allen said. “We need to consider the environment that allows them to thrive and look carefully at how land is managed in a sustainable way that benefits and protects people and property. “To win the wildings battle, the war chest needs to be more like $25m a year and not limited to four years, then we may see some wins in terms of control,” Allen said. O’Connor says wilding pine control is part of the Government’s commitment to provide economic support for people, with a significant environmental benefit.

“This is not necessarily about putting people into new careers,” he said. “It is about finding work for people now, while their sectors recover from covid-19.” Wilding control is largely seasonal work, with some yearround operations. “This will allow companies to employ new people and to keep on existing staff,” he said. O’Connor says New Zealanders can expect to see significant changes to the landscape as control activity increases. “In many areas, like Queenstown and the Mackenzie Basin, we’ll be removing long standing infestations that have become a familiar part of the landscape,” he said. “People are inclined to think any tree has some value, but the recent fires near Lake Pukaki, only a few years after the devastating fires in Flock Hill, have shown that wilding pines threaten the ecosystem, the economy, and the community. “Bringing this work forward allows us to tackle these pest plants early before they become a more significant problem.” The National Wilding Conifer Control Programme began in 2016 and aims to contain or eradicate all wilding pine infestations by 2030. Led by Biosecurity NZ, the programme is a collaboration between central and local government, landowners, farmers, forestry owners, iwi, researchers, and community trusts. The cost of unchecked wilding pine spread would reach $4.6 billion over 50 years, losing biodiversity, including many of NZ’s most sensitive landscapes and water catchments.

New dryland park reignites land control debate THOSE living in the South Island’s Mackenzie Basin were kept in the dark about plans for an 11,800-hectare dryland park announced last week. Local farmer and former president of the high country committee of Federated Farmers Simon Williamson says locals

were not consulted about the creation of Tu Te Rakiwhanoa Drylands. Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage announced the park, which is a collection of five separate areas bought from private landholders or acquired through tenure review of pastoral leases.

UNAWARE: Conservation Minister Eugenie Sage announced the park last week, but locals say they were not consulted about the creation of Tu Te Rakiwhanoa Drylands.

Of the 11,800ha, 1800ha has been bought by the Nature Heritage Fund from Ohau Downs Station, 3100ha following tenure review of the Simons Pass Station pastoral lease (representing 56% of the original lease) and 1600ha from Twin Peaks Station following tenure review. The rest consists of 4100ha of the Tasman Riverbed and covenanted land. In addition, the NZ Defense Force has agreed to management changes of its 15,000ha Tekapo Military Training Area to ensure the protection of landscape and biodiversity values, such as controlling wilding conifers and pests. The region has become a heated battle ground between farmers and environmentalists following the introduction of irrigation, allowing farms to convert to dairying, transforming the traditional low-lying, dryland landscape. Williamson says the creation of the park will not ease tightening controls on what landowners can do as the Mackenzie District Council has imposed strict restrictions on land use.

For example, to oversow or fence the area burnt by fire last week requires resource consent and Williamson fears that means it will be left to be infested by wilding conifers and other weeds. Williamson says the Government could have achieved a similar outcome at lower cost by working with landowners who have an interest and desire in managing and caring for the land. Williamson says the Department of Conservation is already struggling to manage the land it controls; some of the new land it has acquired is heavily infested with wilding conifers. The Environmental Defense Society welcomes the initiative but would have liked more land added, including having the entire 5600ha Simons Pass Station retired from farming to conservation. Sage, who is minister of both conservation and land information, says it is too early to release costs for the land purchases. Agreements are in place for the sale and purchase by the Nature

Heritage Fund of part of Ohau Downs and the transfer of lands from Simons Pass and Twin Peaks tenure reviews. “The Nature Heritage Fund purchase has been agreed, the settlement process can take time and financial details are not disclosed until settlement is completed, which is anticipated to occur within the next few months,” she said in a statement. Surveying and fencing of new boundaries are also required.

The region has become a heated battle ground between farmers and environmentalists following the introduction of irrigation.

AginED Ag ED

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

Volume 24 I September 14, 2020 I email: agined@globalHQ.co.nz I www.farmersweekly.co.nz 1

Go to www.farmersweekly.co.nz

2 Find and watch the OnFarm Story of John Foley “Farming’s about looking ahead” and read the accompanying article “More profit with lower impact”. 3 Where in NZ is Ruby and John Foley’s Farm? 4 How many cows do the Foley’s milk?

STRETCH YOURSELF: 1

An integral part of the Foley’s hybrid system on Gleniffer are “herd homes”, what are these and how do they work?

2 Gleniffer manages to produce 100,000kg MS from 133 cows compared to the NZ average of 100,000kg MS for 260 cows. How can they do this? (What are their management practices that make this viable?) 3 When are their main calving periods? 4 Around 80% of the farm's effluent is captured. What do they then do with this? 5 There are a number of technologies used on the farm including self opening gates to allow the cows to head back towards the herd homes and milking shed. What are some other pieces of technology that they are using?

ARE WE TALKING BULLOCKS?

Farmers are always looking at ways to improve their productivity in a fashion that limits waste and maximises sustainability. In this vein, a number of farmers are currently sourcing sexed bull semen to try to reduce the amount of bobby calves within the industry. The semen increases the chance of producing heifer calves by 90% and therefore gives them an increased chance of being retained or used for domestic or export beef markets. There are also genetic gains that can be made through this process. You can read more in the article “Sexed semen demand surges among farmers” in this week's paper. Do you think that there are more things like this that we could be doing to mitigate some of the aspects of both dairy and other farming industries that are considered to be unsustainable or objectionable? What could we be doing? How would these things help us to promote a cleaner, kinder, more sustainable image for our industry in NZ? Send us your ideas to: agined@globalhq.co.nz

AUSTRALIAN BEEF EXPORTS

THOUSAND TONNES

BELOW ARE SOME SCRAMBLED WORDS THAT RELATE TO DAIRY FARMING, YOUR TASK IS TO UNSCRAMBLE THEM.

In your paper

VECALS _____________________________

FILL YA BOOTS:

LUBL _______________________________

RNTAEK _____________________________

MNKLIGI _____________________________

MNUAER ____________________________

2 What was the North Island steer price last week? 3 How is this tracking compared to year-ago levels?

BTETRU _____________________________

RHASIREY ___________________________

RUNCH ______________________________

RYEJSE _____________________________

RTNNMAUI ___________________________

IIFNREAS ____________________________

SEHECE _____________________________

IEREFH ______________________________

CWO

ECARM _____________________________

EIRNBERHNOG_________________________

______________________________

Calves

Bull

Tanker

Milking

Manure

Butter

Ayrshire

Churn

Jersey

Ruminant

Friesian

Cheese

Heifer

Cow

Cream

Herringbone

Go the AgriHQ market snapshot page

STRETCH YOURSELF: This graph shows the volume of Australian beef exports compared to last year and the five-year average. Lower exports have been largely driven by less beef going to China due to various factors. Another driver is less cattle available for slaughter. The long drought forced farmers to offload more cattle than usual which has reduced the size of the Australian herd. Now that weather and feed levels have improved, farmers are holding on to cattle with around 730,000 less cattle being processed this year so far.

Australia is our main competitor for beef and lamb. Why do you think it is important for us to follow the Australian beef market?

2 July exports were below both last year and the five-year average. Generally speaking, do you think this is an advantage or disadvantage for exporters of NZ beef?

How would a typical farm in Queensland or the Northern Territory differ from one in NZ?

2 One common breed of beef cattle found in Australia is Brahman. Why would farmers choose this breed over something like an Angus or Hereford?

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

For answers to last week’s questions and more content head to our website: www.sites.google.com/view/agined/home

34 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – September 14, 2020

Newsmaker

Water rules essential for future Sections of the new freshwater regulations have been controversial in some farming circles but Environment and Trade Minister David Parker told Colin Williscroft that change needed to be made now for the good of the country.

EW Zealand’s longterm future and the strength of its brand is closely linked with the health of waterways and David Parker says he could not stand by and let the situation deteriorate any further. “I’m not on some personal crusade, I’m there as a representative of New Zealanders and the Labour Party with a mandate to halt the degradation of our waterways,” he said. Born in Roxburgh in rural Otago, Parker says he has been fortunate having lived in the region as it’s home to some of the most beautiful rivers in the world. However, with that comes responsibility. “We’re guardians of those (rivers) for future generations,” he said. Rivers around the country have degraded over the years, which Parker says has to stop, but he is realistic about what can be achieved. “We’re not trying to take things back to some kind of pristine, idyllic state that they were prepeople, pre-farming,” he said. “But we do want them to be in a reasonable state so that the ecology can sustain fish and the like and people can pop down to their local river in summer and put their head under without getting crook. “If these things were going to fix themselves, they would have done so before now. And they haven’t.” He says generally farmers understand that and have already improved their farming practices in an effort to help restore waterways.

You’ve got to be quite strict about stopping things getting worse, addressing the worst examples of what causes problems and then gradually improving things over a generation.

INITIATIVE: David Parker says farmers have already improved farming practices and supported initiatives like riparian planting to lessen their impact on the environment.

In a recent meeting with representatives from Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ) he was told that the industry good group had seen significant changes in attitudes, even during the past 18 months, with the growth of catchment groups being a good example of that. Groups are popping up everywhere, he says, with members taking responsibility for the issues in their area, working together, educating each other and trying to pull up laggards. “(Catchment groups) are great. They’re quite inspiring,” he said. Farmers have a special place in those groups, he says, but they work best when other community members are also involved because the issues affect the wider community. Freshwater degradation is not just a rural problem and Parker

GETTING BETTER: David Parker says generally farmers understand that and have already improved their farming practices in an effort to help restore waterways.

says farmers can be assured that urban communities will also be held to account, as the same rules apply to both urban rivers and streams as those in rural areas. He gives the example of rules now in place aimed at stopping streams being covered over and put into culverts. There’s also work being done through the Three Waters programme, which covers drinking water, stormwater and wastewater. “We’ve got positive movement on that too in a way that also pleases me,” he said. He says Auckland Council has brought forward what was initially $1 billion in spending on Three Waters in its area to an amount that is now double that. “It’s a huge amount of money to be spent properly separating stormwater from sewage and increasing capacity to deal with peak flows, even after a rain event,” he said. “As a consequence in the years to come, the terrible pollution that they have in Auckland in some of their streams and sewage getting on their beaches will largely be remedied, which is great.” Improving freshwater is something the whole country needs to play a part in and while some changes will need to be made immediately the effect of those will not be seen in the same timeframe. “These are challenges for our nation but I’m confident that we’ll overcome them,” he said.

“It will take time. You’ve got to be quite strict about stopping things getting worse, addressing the worst examples of what causes problems and then gradually improving things over a generation.” The money for change has to come from somewhere and Parker acknowledges that in rural and urban areas it will be ratepayers, through local councils, who foot the bill. “I accept costs will be passed on to their ratepayers. They have to be, just like central government costs have to be passed on to taxpayers,” he said. “They are the effective funders of (new requirements) but that does not make them wrong. “What it does mean is that you have to try and strive for efficiencies, so those costs are not more costly than they need to be.” A recently established governance group, which includes farming leaders and local government representatives, will help interpret and implement the new rules and should help ensure councils don’t replicate the work already done by others. Change is never easy but Parker says most farmers, if they have to adapt from what they have done in the past, will be rewarded for it. “Many farmers are doing what’s required and will not need to change at all. Those that aren’t will have to but there’s time for them to do that,” he said. When attending events like the Ballance Farm Environment

Awards Parker says he is struck by a message he hears every time. “There’s always someone who says: ‘once I got into this kick, I enjoyed my farming so much more’,” Parker said. “That it’s been a new challenge but they feel so much better about themselves and their farming operation. “There’s a real pride taken by farmers. Some will stand up as leaders for others. Others are more modest and will just do their own thing. “That’s how progress is made. It always has been.” He is optimistic that improvements to NZ’s waterways can be achieved and that the country will be better for it. “I’m very hopeful. A frequent refrain is we all want the same thing. That’s rivers that are healthy and clean enough to swim in, estuaries that are good for whitebait and shellfish. Kelp beds that are growing,” he said. Parker says at present in Otago, due to run-off from the land, the light received by kelp beds at a depth of 10 metres is only half that at the same depth off Stewart Island, which is having a serious adverse effect on crayfish and other fish. “These are real issues, but through the likes of the package that we’ve got delivered here (we can) make things better,” he said. “That’s why I do what I do, and I know that the vast majority of farmers want the same outcomes.”

New thinking

THE NZ FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – September 14, 2020

New varroa mite heat treatment takes to the field The varroa mite has had a big impact on the New Zealand bee population in recent years, attacking hives and leading to the death of colonies, which can be devastating for honey producers. But a group of award-winning innovators have come up with a new way to keep them under control. they spoke to Gerald Piddock. Gerald Piddock gerald.piddock@globalhq.co.nz

HE creators of an award-winning solar powered heat treatment system for varroa mite are gearing up to field test their prototype on a site north of Hamilton. Called Hivesite, the invention won the Grassroots Prototype Award and the James and Wells Innovation Award at this year’s Innovation Awards at the Virtual Fieldays. Hivesite will be inserted and tested on 12 hives over the course of the new honey season. Hivesite was created by Aucklanders James Emslie, Vijay Prema and father and son, Alistair and Gareth Bell. Alistair is a hobbyist beekeeper, while Gareth works in physics and optics. Prema and Emslie are software and mechanical and electronic engineers respectively. Gareth Bell, Prema and Emslie have worked together on projects for more than 10 years.

Hivesite started out as a project for detecting the parasitic killer mite in beehives using cameras with AI machine vision. They soon learned the bigger issue for the beekeeping industry was eradicating the mite from hives altogether. Emslie says some companies in Europe were using heat to kill the mites while leaving the bees unaffected, but these solutions were highly labour intensive. They decided to create a system that killed varroa with heat and was simple and robust enough to operate on commercial hives. They turned to solar panelling to power a heater attached to a plastic tray that fits between the bottom board and heats the brood area of the hive to 39-45 degrees for short periods of time. The tray heats this part of the hive, killing varroa while leaving the bees unaffected. “Bees use heat to naturally kill predators, like wasps, and to keep the hive at a certain temperature. They’re good at controlling heat but they don’t do it widely enough to kill the mites,” Prema said.

WINNERS: Field trials are about to begin on Hivesite, a solar-powered heat device which kills the varroa mite in beehives. It won the Grassroots Prototype Award and the James and Wells Innovation Award at this year’s Innovation Awards at the Virtual Fieldays. Left to right are its creators, Vijay Prema, James Emslie and Gareth Bell.

“We are doing something similar to what the bees normally do but applying it to the brood area where all the juvenile mites are.” They developed a microcontroller to time the treatment, and use it once every three weeks for two hours. This coincides with the 21-day time frame for a bee to develop from egg to adult. A foundress (female) varroa mite can create up to seven offspring inside a cell during the three-week incubation period. The heat kills the juvenile mite, which is most vulnerable in the early stages of life. The tray fits on 10-frame Langstroth hives used by most commercial beekeepers and is compatible with Flow Hives too. The solar panel can also power up to four hives, which brings down the solutions cost per whive. The bees are also free to move in and out of the hive while the heat treatment is occurring. It focuses on killing the in-brood varroa to break the breeding cycle which otherwise can see rapid

population increase of the virusspreading mites. “It all fits on a pallet as well so you can pick it up and take it out to the bush,” Bell said. They are still finetuning Hivesite’s installation on beehives, but ideally, they want it so beekeepers only need to lift off the hive and insert the tray and put the hive back on and set up the solar panel. Emslie says over the past year, they have already proven that heat kills varroa and the insulating queen excluder which retains the heat in the brood super allows for the bees to transfer into the honey supers without negative impact on honey production. “But there’s the long-term things that we need to prove out on the site as well as if there are any side benefits such as increasing honey production compared to chemical treatments,” Emslie said. “We can also treat all the way through the honey flow because there are no pesticide residues. They can be treated throughout the season without interrupting honey flow, we can put the heater

in and keep the mites down,” Bell said. The four have spoken to around 20 beekeepers about Hivesite and, so far, the reaction has been positive. They also planned to speak to the industry at a New Zealand Beekeepers Inc meeting in Taupo. Following the pilot, the results will be tested and analysed and if successful, the four will start looking into ways of upscaling Hivesite’s production.

We are doing something similar to what the bees normally do but applying it to the brood area where all the juvenile mites are. Vijay Prema Software engineer

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Opinion

36 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – September 14, 2020

EDITORIAL

Primary sector feeling the pressure

T SEEMS that farming is under more scrutiny than ever before at the moment. And given the past decade, that’s quite a statement when you think about it. Winter grazing, live exports, freshwater quality, greenhouse gas emissions, bobby calves, fertiliser use and biodiversity are all things that people are contemplating. In some ways, the timing couldn’t be worse. There’s a global pandemic that’s gutting out economies all over the world. Food security is top of mind for leaders worldwide and with sectors like tourism at a standstill here, primary production is the engine driving the economy like never before. But people are still thinking about these issues and that’s the thing the primary sector has to remember. These are people who’ve taken a look at the world around them. The western United States is on fire. Biodiversity loss in parts of the world has led to the increased risk of diseases jumping from animals to humans. The changing climate is compelling us to take a second look at the way we create and use energy and how we grow food. It’s been said that the freshwater reforms are one of the biggest shocks to New Zealand farming since the 1980s. But it’s not the reforms that are the shock. The reforms, just like the Zero Carbon Bill, are a consequence of people’s concern about their futures. Farming continually evolves in response to the environment and the people who live in it. Change always comes at a cost, both in terms of money and the inability to do something else. That can be scary but the costs involved in future proofing farming in the short to medium term will pale in comparison to the costs further down the track if things don’t change. So in an industry that is always watching the weather, it’s time now to also look at the climate because it is changing.

Bryan Gibson

LETTERS

Planting by November? Yeah, right THE new environment and water plan that came in at the beginning of September has a number of flaws, but the one I want to focus on is the fact farmers in Southland (and Otago) will have to have their winter crop paddocks replanted by November 1 each year – like that’s going to happen very often. I live on a family farm in a little place called Papatotara in Western Southland, and we are being told that the weather will be great in October each year for us to plant our paddocks. Yeah, right. Let’s have a look at the last 10 years’ rainfall for October, where the average for this time is 129.1mm. The actual October average for 1958 to 2019 is 109.68mm. •2019: 176mm •2018: 108mm •2017: 50mm

•2016: 141.5mm •2015: 130mm •2014: 183.5mm •2013: 155.5mm •2012: 171.5mm •2011: 67mm •2010: 108mm There is probably only two years in the list above that you may have been able to plant your paddocks before November 1. Most crop paddocks will be finished grazing in August or September. Farmers are too busy with lambing and/or calving then to worry about the paddocks and the ground temperatures are too cold. My father always said, “Seeded before Labour weekend, weeds after.” In other words, if you plant seeds too early, when the ground temperature isn’t warm enough, you will end up with a paddock of weeds and would,

therefore, have wasted your time and money. Ask just about every contractor in Southland what last year’s ploughing and planting season was like, and I just about guarantee everyone would say it was terrible, with most tractors parked up in October, November and most of December because of the rain. A lot of paddocks were not worked and planted until the new year. Living in Western Southland, I could not say what is right or wrong for farmers in different areas of New Zealand. Every area in NZ is different. Every farm in NZ is different. Even what suits one farmer, may not suit their neighbour When it comes to new rules and laws that affect farmers, why does the Government

not listen to farmers? When it comes to farming, why do they not listen to the fact one size does not fit all? Why does the Government not let farmers write rules for their own areas? And, maybe then the Government would not get backlash from some very angry farmers. Farming is after all an essential service, and should be treated like one. Anita Erskine Papatotara

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Opinion

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – September 14, 2020

Animal welfare not black-and-white Angus Robson

REPLY to your opinion writer Alan Emerson regarding my knowledge of vets. My father was a large animal vet and was second in command of the practice which had seven to 10 vets. I grew up with vets and went on rounds during my growing up years. I play golf with vets, I’ve worked for and with vets, and many of my friends are vets. I have spent all my life in rural communities, have many farmer friends and every day see for myself what is going on. I have done analysis of the vet business and have talked for many hours to the heads of several large (10-plus vets) production animal practices about these issues. This is a genuine ethical problem for many of them, and they are unable to reconcile it. The whole issue is easily researched, and the conclusions are plain. Regarding his misconceptions about framing of the problem, this is not about vets being cowards. It is about a conflict in the relationship between animal welfare, vets and farmers that cannot be resolved by the present system. Vets are trusted confidantes of farmers and it needs to stay that way. If a farmer believes that by calling the vet they may be dobbed in for an animal welfare issue it destroys that trust, and may well result in much poorer welfare outcomes. If the vet has been called to a farm, then there is a client relationship and the vet will do all they can to help their client. The vet is there normally for a specific reason, like a calving or pregnancy testing. If, in the course of the visit, the vet sees broken tails, or skinny cows or lameness, but that is not the reason for the call, those conditions will not normally ever be treated. It is possible but not

The

Pulpit

guaranteed that they will even be mentioned. Nor will they ever be reported. Simply, to report it would destroy the trust between vet and client. Also, that farmer is 100% likely to discuss the reporting with other farmers, and those other farmers will not be happy. They do not want to invite onto their farms someone who may end up getting them censured or prosecuted. Not only that, to breach such trust in a rural community can have severe social implications, as any vet who has either reported or thought about it will tell you (and they have told me). Alan is naïve if he thinks that a vet could ever report without serious risk of blowback. It’s not a rural mafia, just human nature. This makes it near impossible for a vet to report a welfare issue to MPI. The proof is in the evidence, which I have OIAd, and shows virtually no reports from vets for any production animal welfare issues. I want to explain the problem so you can see what I am really getting at. This is about a suffering animal in the paddock that the vet is not

CATCH 22: Angus Robson believes that if a vet reports a farmer for animal mistreatment, that farmer is 100% likely to discuss the reporting with other farmers, which will ultimately affect the client relationship.

called for and the farmer is not attending to. Put yourself in the position of the animal. Let’s say you are lame (but having acidosis, or heat stress, or a damaged tail, or being heavily pregnant with nowhere to lie down except freezing slush, or desperately thirsty because there is no access to a trough, or very hungry – all will do just as well as examples). No one comes to your aid. You just want to be relieved of your suffering. Who has your back? There is no one to call. Members of the public can’t see you, and mostly don’t know what they are looking at. Vets drive by but your farmer is not their client, or they can say nothing for the reasons above. The worker can’t report (and may even have been the one who caused your problem). There is no surveillance from MPI, so they never see you. You are doomed to suffer, and

there are hundreds of thousands just like you at certain times of the year. It is not difficult to put in a fair and effective system that solves this problem. I have a proposal I’m happy to share. I want to have a grown-up conversation about this. It’s real, it’s big and it’s important. Alan’s reaction of denial and rubbishing in the face of the evidence is deeply unhelpful. As to me being anti-farming, that charge could not be further from the truth. Until New Zealand farming has a defensible backstory, and can walk the talk of animal welfare, we will continue to see the mass exodus of people eating animal products because they have the option and are taking it. I’m trying to stem that flow and show what we need to do to help preserve animal agriculture as a legitimate and ethical eating choice.

If a farmer believes that by calling the vet they may be dobbed in for an animal welfare issue it destroys that trust, and may well result in much poorer welfare outcomes. Who am I? Angus Robson is a Waikatobased mechanical engineer and environmentalist.

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

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Opinion

38 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – September 14, 2020

Farmers just want a fair go on freshwater Alternative View

Alan Emerson

THERE was a recent Stuff headline that read “$1.2 million in fines imposed for dirty dairying”. That must be a serious breach I thought, but no. Reading the story, the reality was that the 2019-20 year saw 11 companies and 17 individuals sentenced for their part in just 26 cases. The offences were for dairy effluent entering rivers, streams, wetlands or on land where it could have entered waterways or groundwater. Then came the kicker, fines of $1,227,104 were imposed, 90% of which went to the regional council taking the prosecutions. That’s a good income stream for regional councils, the cynic in me suggested. We read further about a 10-year investigation where the average number of prosecutions was just 24. You’d think Stuff had something better to do than beating up on dairy farmers. Simply, it was all an antifarmer headline grab and to say it annoyed me would be an understatement.

The harsh reality is the facts just don’t support the story. There are 13,000 dairy farmers in New Zealand. That means 0.2% of dairy farmers have been prosecuted for offences over dairy effluent. You can’t label an industry as being dirty when just 0.2% have been before the courts. There are 34,000 people working on dairy farms in NZ. Anyone could have inadvertently been responsible for a leak, let alone equipment failures that do happen. Putting the figure in further perspective, there were 737 homicides in NZ between 2007 and 2017. By my maths, that means you have a three times greater chance of getting murdered in NZ each year than you do of suffering dairy effluent discharge, yet we still have the selective headline about dirty dairying. In 2018, there were 379 road deaths so your chance of getting killed on the road was 14 times that of being convicted for dairy effluent discharge. It doesn’t make sense. It is just so minor in our overall environmental pollution that concentrating on the dairy industry is nothing more than sheer bloody-mindedness. For example, just last year we had over 100 wastewater treatment plants breaching their consents. That resulted in just two prosecutions. That’s unbelievable. Here’s the rub. We’re told that

regional councils don’t like fining their colleagues at a local level. They don’t want to prosecute their ratepayers, so prosecuting dairy farmers is just fine, even though the dairy problem is a fraction of that of local councils. That’s rampant hypocrisy in my view. Further, in the case of Porirua City they’ve had sewage overflow in Porirua Harbour 10 times in the last twelve months. Almost 52,000 people live in close proximity to Porirua Harbour, so suffering sewage 10 times a year is serious, and Porirua City is just one of many polluting the waterways. In addition to that, there are a lot of local councils still operating with impunity under expired consents. The large Wellsford treatment plant in Auckland didn’t have a valid consent for 18 years. Ridiculously, there is only official data on half the country’s wastewater plants and just over a quarter are compliant. I would humbly suggest a non-compliant wastewater plant can do far more damage to the environment than a dairy farm ever could yet dairy farms get hammered and local councils get ignored. In Waikato, over half the region’s wastewater plants that discharge into fresh water were noncompliant. So Stuff reports the Waikato Regional Council prosecuting 17 farmers for discharging

BIASED: There are 13,000 dairy farmers in New Zealand. That means 0.2% of dairy farmers have been prosecuted for offences over dairy effluent. effluent, yet it ignores the greater environmental problem of Waikato wastewater treatment plants discharging into rivers. Putting it in perspective, there was a 379% increase in human sewage entering the environment last year. That’s a national scandal and totally ignored by the media. We have a new water regulator entitled Taumata Arowai, which sounds grand. The issue with it is that it will not monitor wastewater networks for at least two years. That tells me that the councils running the wastewater plants will be able to pollute at will and with impunity for that time. Getting back to dairying, we have our old mates from Fish and Game climbing yet again onto the anti-farming bandwagon. Their chief executive Martin Taylor claimed the prosecutions “were unlikely to represent the true level of offending”. I’m sure

he would know. The quotes get better: “One thing we know is that regional councils are not good at making farmers comply with environmental obligations,” was one earth shattering statement. The reality is, as figures show the local councils provide a far greater environmental hazard than farmers do. Trout swim in those rivers so please be consistent, accurate and honest. Of greater concern, however, is the media fixation with dairying while ignoring far greater environmental damage by other sources. It is biased, bigoted, scandalous and above all lazy and unprofessional reporting.

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

Five weeks is a long time in politics From the Ridge

Steve Wyn-Harris

IF ALL had gone to plan, we would have had an election at the end of this week. But the pandemic put paid to the best-laid plans and the election is now still five weeks away as politicians frantically work the hustings. They – and we – will all be exhausted by the time the event eventually happens. Given the spending promises by all parties just last week alone, in five weeks we will need to sell off Auckland and the South Island to cover the bill. Last week our radio station, Central FM had a ring to see if Judith Collins could call in and make an appearance on my show, The Cockies Hour. Naturally, we were delighted to be in such demand and said of course, she’d be most welcome. That morning I got a message

from her team to say she was going to be very busy as she whistled through Waipukurau and it would be on the phone instead. My business partner had given up his weekend to finish off moving to a new location, giving the new premises a deep clean and even bought her book to be signed. Given Donald’s crestfallen sobs at this new development, I told Judith’s team the interview was in the flesh or we wouldn’t bother. I figured a mild dose of blackmail would get Donald’s book signed. They were unenthusiastic at this offer, so we decided to see what would eventuate. With just 10 minutes of the show left and no sign of Collins, I was about to play all seven glorious minutes of Hey Jude, complete with the nearly five minutes of na, na, na, nas when Judith rang us. Front desk asked if I wanted to do the interview, I folded on the in the flesh requirement and we had a pleasant chat on air. I did ask her that given Simon Bridges had been in town the week before and now her, they must believe that the once safe National seat of Wairarapa was at risk of changing hands.

Not surprisingly, given the last two MPs they’ve dished up to us, Alastair Scott and John Hayes, have been underwhelming representatives. However, this time they have put up farmer Mike Butterick who is a distinct improvement and appears very personable. He’s up against Kieran McAnulty, a Labour list MP who is also a nice chap and who will be contesting the seat for the third time. He’s worked hard and got the majority down to 3000 last time, which would usually be enough of a buffer, but this is a seat worth keeping an eye on come October 17. This campaign will obviously be dominated by covid-19 and what we do to repair the economic damage it is wreaking and will continue to wreak. What is good is that none of the main parties are arguing that the current eradication policy is a bad idea, and everyone agrees that borrowing and spending our way out of this economic crisis is the way to go. Where to spend that money and what to do to try and pay it back one day are and should be the areas for debate. I’ve been thinking that this might be the first election where

the wasted vote could come into play big time. I hesitate to use that term as every vote is important so should probably say, the party votes that fall under 5% and where the party doesn’t gain at least one electorate MP. A couple of weeks ago, James Shaw of the Greens shot his party in the foot big time. His advocating and support of $11.7 million dollars of taxpayer money for a wacky private school, called The Green School, made him no friends. He even alienated his own party, given their distaste of public funding for private schools. For a party hovering close to the 5% threshold, a misstep like this could contribute them to falling below that threshold. If they are over, then we will almost certainly see a Labour/ Green government formed. Let’s say they fail to cross that threshold and end up on 4%. NZ First are also in serious trouble and many pundits in the past have predicted their demise only to be proven wrong. But for this scenario, let’s award them 4% with not a chance of winning in Northland. Then you have all the minor parties who have no hope of getting into Parliament like Advance NZ (the most crackpot),

Vision NZ (a close second), Opportunities, New Conservative, Outdoors, Social Credit and seven others. Let’s award them a generous combined 4%. This potential 12% doesn’t get reallocated proportionally to the parties that do get into parliament, but the effect is much the same. This 12% is disregarded when allocating seats in Parliament. The only remaining parties under this scenario would be Labour, National and Act. Their share of the seats in Parliament will be based upon their percentage share of the vote of the ‘effective vote’ which is the 88% of their combined vote. Hence Labour on 45% would get over half the seats in Parliament and thus form a government on their own. However, if they poll in the low 40s, National and Act could pull a rabbit out of the hat and form the next government. Of course, five weeks is a long time in politics, and anything could happen.

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 – September 14, 2020

Success hinges on practicality Jim van der Poel THE freshwater regulations are a real concern for farmers as they face understanding what the new rules will mean for them on the farm. The policy is now getting it’s test drive and the ability to apply these rules on-farm ultimately defines its success. DairyNZ backs the intent of the freshwater regulations, to improve our waterways. Our farm systems will continue to adapt, and we’ve all been working hard for some time to evolve our farming practices and reduce our collective impact on water quality. DairyNZ was supportive of some of the Action for Healthy Waterways initiatives, such as farm environment plans, but significant issues remain. Like many groups, DairyNZ has strongly advocated against a number of the proposed freshwater rules. These include impractical wintering and pugging regs, and unachievable bottom lines for nutrients that may do little to improve water quality – but have a material impact on rural communities. We are encouraged by some adjustments to date, which shows the Government is willing to listen. As more change is needed, we hope there’s opportunity for open ears and minds. We aren’t alone. Regional councils are expressing concern at how to implement the rules on the ground too. The freshwater policy is pivotal for three key reasons. One – it impacts how we farm. Two – its intent is to deliver improved water quality for all New Zealanders. And three – it is an opportunity for our sector to continue demonstrating our commitment to the environment. We believe dairy farmers share the ambition to improve waterways. It’s one of our primary commitments as a sector, to deliver on through Dairy Tomorrow. Many dairy farmers are heavily involved in local catchment projects, playing a part in local change. Throughout the consultation process, DairyNZ has advocated for practical rules that do improve waterways. Pugging and time limits for the resowing of pastures

are impractical rules that arguably will not achieve what is intended. Instead, we’ve strongly suggested better ways to achieve the same water quality goal. Good regulations achieve results and can be implemented by anyone who needs to comply. Good regulations will also be enduring and give farmers certainty and ultimately have a better environmental outcome. Since Action for Healthy Waterways became law, we have focused on supporting farmers with information (what the rules mean and on-farm support). We have also raised concerns around implementation practicality and are having ongoing conversations with regional councils and government agencies to resolve these issues. DairyNZ works with the Government on policy proposals which impact dairy farmers on-farm. We make formal submissions and provide direct feedback to influence the end result. While we had some wins, like most primary sector groups, we found agreement wasn’t met on everything in the freshwater proposal. The Government did change tack on the impractical and expensive requirements to move existing fences, and the dissolved inorganic nitrogen (DIN) measure has been parked for now. We won some more time to implement the 190kg nitrogen (N) cap. We advocated strongly for farm plans to achieve practice change, rather than regulation. But some issues remain. We continue to advocate for an evidence-based, pragmatic policy which meets water quality aspirations in a fair and efficient way. Local farmers, DairyNZ, Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ), Federated Farmers and council recently met with ministers Damien O’Connor and David Parker in Southland, where we had a constructive conversation about translating the freshwater rules from paper to paddock. That meeting, attended by around 30 sheep, beef, deer and dairy farmers, showed there’s a desire to ensure the rules are workable.

FAIR GO: DairyNZ chair Jim van der Poel says the Action for Healthy Waterways policy needs to be fair and pragmatic for farmers to succeed on the ultimate goal of achieving better water quality.

It will be key for us to work through the new freshwater implementation group and with councils to make the rules pragmatic. Our chief executive Tim Mackle is part of the implementation group – which also includes B+LNZ, Kahui Wai Maori, NGOs and council representatives. It plays a key part in the policy’s rollout. The Action for Healthy Waterways policy always presented a significant challenge

for our sector. It needs to be fair and pragmatic for farmers to succeed on the ultimate goal of achieving better water quality. There are more issues ahead, particularly the DIN measure which will have real ramifications if it proceeds. We are working hard on the science to ensure the right approach is taken. As a country, we all want healthy waterways and all New Zealanders need to do their bit, but we also need to ensure the rules work.

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Opinion

40 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – September 7, 2020

Hydroponics key to year-long greens The Braided Trail

Keith Woodford

GREEN vegetables are best produced close to where people live. But nature often needs a little help to make it happen. That is where glasshouses and hydroponics come into play. It is a combination that allows green vegetables to be grown throughout the year in most parts of New Zealand, while still being aligned to nature. Some of my readers will know that I am a fan for the mountains of the Otago Lakes District. Also, for more than 50 years I have been a skier, becoming even more enthusiastic as the years go by, with skiing now providing both joy and adrenaline for a retired mountaineer. Each year, I spend time in the Wakatipu Basin skiing across and down the slopes from daybreak. But not every day is a skiing day, and one recent such morning I spent time with Erika Colby, one half of the Colby team at Crystal Gardens. Erika and Andrew Colby grow premium lettuces for Queenstown and across to Wanaka using their own hydroponic recipes. They have been building up their experience and expertise for close to 30 years. When they started, hydroponics was still in its infancy. The essence of hydroponics is that plants get the moisture and essential minerals from

gently flowing water. There is no need for soil. Plants start their life in a support bed of tiny water-absorbent rock particles, such as vermiculite, and quickly burrow to the water below with its carefully mixed supply of nutrients. Hydroponics is a system that works well for quick-growing green leafy vegetables, but it is not the way to grow crops high in energy density such as potatoes, carrots or onions. One of the reasons hydroponics works so well for green leafy vegetables is that the leaves have a low-energy density. The plants have no highenergy-storage organs at this stage of their lives, and so they can be grown at high density, and within a hydroponics system are easily transplanted as they grow. Give them a mix of water and essential minerals, plus sunshine and moderate warmth, then keep them away from pests and they will look after themselves. Of course, in practice it is never quite that easy. Glasshouses are fundamental to maintaining the correct range of temperature and humidity. The Wakatipu Basin is renowned for its high sunshine hours, which is a big help. One of the challenges of this season has been estimating demand for green vegetables. It was easy to figure out that there would be no overseas tourists, but Queenstown and Wanaka are very much alive with locals. The school holidays were crazy up at the ski fields. Queenstown is also still very much a construction town, with many hundreds of trades people working flat out. As one local said to me, there are hundreds of builders, building houses for

builders to live in. There are also more hotels and shopping centres still being built. But can it go on? Riding the chairlifts early in the morning on First Tracks provides great opportunities to talk to the locals. This is the time that the locals are up there, together with the serious racers, while most of the short-term tourists are still rubbing the sleep from their eyes. First Tracks is not a time for beginners. The snow can be very firm and people are skiing fast. It costs extra to be out at this time, but as an add-on to a seasonpass, it is a great investment for the enthusiasts.

The essence of hydroponics is that plants get the moisture and essential minerals from gently flowing water. There is no need for soil.

In contrast, tourists can easily spend more than a season’s First Tracks add-on in a single day with meals, accommodation, transport and lifts. One of my fellow travellers on the chair this year was a builder from Waikato who, 18 months ago, bought a Queenstown service station. He reckons that business is down, but he is surviving, and it’s great to be able to pop up the hill for those early morning runs. He plans to stay. Sometimes I ride with a hotel room attendant who zooms up and down the slopes each day at a great speed before heading off

to work mid-afternoon. Another of my chair-mates was a former financial analyst from Sydney who bought a Lake Hayes property at the time of the GFC back in 2009. He reckons that the Wakatipu Basin is his home for life, and where his bones will be buried. Last year, I chaired with a Queensland surf-shop owner who commutes each winter to the Wakatipu Basin. This year with covid, he is missing. But there is a Japanese couple who come here every year, including this year, having done their quarantine back in June. There are diverse accents to be heard, including a man from Seattle who now dabbles as a ski instructor on the days he is not child-minding while his American wife works as a speech therapist. There are also Brazilians and Argentinians. There are also folk from England, including a yachtie couple who made it in before covid and are now hunkering down. Ski field regulars are a polyglot type. They are different from the short-term visitors. To a large extent they are people who have decided there has to be more to life than going to the office each day. Some are rich and others live from hand to mouth. These early morning regulars have only one thing in common, and it is the joy they get from carving down the slopes before the crowds arrive. Returning to those lettuces, the genuine outdoor types also tend to be keen on nutrition. So, it all helps in creating a good market for a wide range of lettuce varieties. Urban folk often think that the future of NZ agriculture can be based on vegetables. But it does

not work that way because export opportunities are very limited. Also, green vegetables, although important for health, are about 95% water. They don’t travel well. However, growing green vegetables close to consumers is a great way to undertake local production in areas where productive land is limited. The great thing about hydroponics, when applied to green vegetables, is that it is a technically efficient production system, based on controlled application of water and the necessary nutrients, together with sunlight and a controlled environment. It is a great example of where science, the environment and hard work can come together. As for my own Wakatipu Basin adventures, they have come to a temporary end. On my most recent day upon the mountain, something went astray and I awoke to find myself together with a now battered helmet in the Coronet Medical Centre, being prepped for a visit to the hospital. While skiing steep and somewhat fast, it seems I may have hit what skiers refer to as a lump of elephant snot, or alternatively I may have hit a frozen lump, known as a death cookie, sitting in the glistening snow. It can happen. But all’s well that ends well, and I will be back next season.

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

BOOST: Crystal Gardens uses a hydroponics system that works well for quick-growing green leafy vegetables.

Real Estate

THE NZ FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – September 14, 2020

Cambridge 123 Cox Road

Ngapara 89 Brookstead Road

Cambridge dairy unit

Attractive first farm

This well located 79.46Ha (more or less) dairy unit is an attractive proposition. Production averaging 64,317kg/MS is achieved through a 12 ASHB dairy shed with 24 cups and modern plant. A good array of support buildings are nearby with a central race feeding out from the dairy to all paddocks. Effluent is pumped from a clay pond to hydrants covering 12ha of pasture. Bore water is supplemented by the Pukerimu water scheme. The property is also complemented with two homes for accommodation. Flat to gentle rolling contour lends itself to a wide range of opportunities. Only a short commute to either Cambridge or Te Awamutu with Roto-o-Rangi Primary School nearby.

SUCCESS REALTY LIMITED, BAYLEYS, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008

‘Brookhaven’ is a well presented and well planned dairy conversion, approximately 139 hectares, located in the heart of the Waitaki Region. This farm has been developed to a high standard with approximately 130 hectares of the property irrigated by two centre-pivots, fixed grid and K-Lines. Water is supplied by the reliable North Otago Irrigation Company and the Tokarahi Community Scheme. Infrastructure on the farm includes a 40-aside Herringbone dairy shed with Waikato plant and during the 2019/2020 season production was 182,000kg/MS from 450 cows. Two dwellings complete this package.

Deadline Sale (unless sold prior) 4pm, Thu 1 Oct 2020 Unit 7/50 Theodosia Street, Timaru View by appointment Joel Meikle 027 814 5208 joel.meikle@bayleys.co.nz WHALAN AND PARTNERS LTD, BAYLEYS, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008

bayleys.co.nz/5512951

N EW

LIS TI N G

bayleys.co.nz/2311659

Auction (unless sold prior) 11am, Thu 8 Oct 2020 96 Ulster Street, Hamilton View 12-1pm Wed 16 Sep, Wed 23 Sep & Wed 30 Sep or by appointment Dave Kilbride 027 436 7082 dave.kilbride@bayleys.co.nz Scott Macdonald 027 753 3854 scott.macdonald@bayleys.co.nz

GLENBROOK STATION - 1,178HA ONE HOUR FROM NAPIER 57 Glenbrook Road, Putorino, Hawke’s Bay Glenbrook is a traditional northern Hawke´s Bay sheep and beef station located just one hour north of Napier on SH2. The 1,178ha station offers significant scale combined with excellent access onto the property and a mix of contour, ideal for finishing and breeding operations. Situated 60km north of Napier, Glenbrook Station has direct access off SH2 as well as multiple access points off Glenbrook Road, greatly assisting workability. The majority of contour is classified as Class 6 hill country with the finishing country located at the front of the property. Access on Glenbrook is via a network of 4wd tracks and leading ridgelines. Located next to Glenbrook is the Putorino village - this includes multiple houses, a primary school and sports complex providing recreation in the district. Boasting multiple dwellings including the original homestead, a 3 bedroom cottage plus single-mans quarters and shearers quarters. Other improvements include; a 7 stand woolshed with covered yards, 3 stand statellite woolshed, 2 main sets of sheep and cattle yards plus 4 sets of satellite yards, an airstrip, reticulated water system servicing the front part of the property, which could be extended plus approx. 31 ha of mature pine trees over 4 blocks.

1,178 hectares Tender

nzr.nz/RX2490495 Tender Closes 12pm Mon 19 Oct 2020, NZR, 5 Ossian Street, Ahuriri, Napier Duncan McKinnon 021 241 9073 | duncan@nzr.nz Hawkes Bay Real Estate Ltd | Licensed REAA 2008

A real change in real estate.

The Property Brokers and Farmlands partnership means great things for provincial real estate Together our combined strengths complement each other to create a unique offering: - A nationwide network from Northland to Southland - Over 750 staff across 75 locations dedicated to real estate - A deep understanding of the land with market-leading expertise in property sales and marketing Bigger networks, more buyers, better results. For more information call 0800 367 5263 or visit pb.co.nz/together

Property Brokers Ltd Licensed REAA 2008

Proud to be together

RURAL | LIFESTYLE | RESIDENTIAL

NEW LISTING

HASTINGS, HAWKE'S BAY 400 Taihape Road

TENDER

`Kautuku' - You Can't Get Better Located just four kilometres up the Taihape Road, ten minutes west of Hastings and Taradale, is this stunning 420 hectare property in five titles which has it all. A fantastic balance of fertile world class Twyford soils on the flats with irrigation consents, rolling warm hills, two renowned water fowl lakes plus extensive lifestyle sites. Fully reticulated water system to all paddocks, and an extensive range of farm infrastructure facilities. Four-stand woolshed, two large sets of sheep yards, Te Pari cattle yards, 31 hectares deer fenced with shed and yards. Large workshop and implement sheds, haybarn, sundry sheds and a three-bedroom cottage complete the picture.

The flats have run a myriad of cash crops including; potatoes, onions, carrots, peas, barley, maize, squash, sweetcorn and capsicums. The soils and water consents would allow for a large scale orchard or grape development. Kautuku is currently run as a winter lamb finishing/cash cropping entity supporting trading and breeding cattle as well. Fertiliser history is strong and pasture quality is impressive. This property on the doorstep of Hastings will have great appeal on all levels and offers a wide range of land utilisation.

Plus GST (if any) Closes 4.00pm, Tuesday 20 October (Will Not be Sold Prior)

VIEW

By Appointment Only Paul Harper M 027 494 4854 | H 06 874 3849 E paul.harper@pggwrightson.co.nz Doug Smith M 027 494 1839 | H 06 877 6109 E dougsmith@pggwrightson.co.nz

pggwre.co.nz/HAS32730

AUCTION

F I N D YO U R I D E A L RURAL PROPERTY HERE WAIKATO 130 Wairama Rd, Morrinsville, Grazing and Fattening Lifestyle Nestled up a no exit road, this 52ha property has the ability to grow grass, has excellent building sites, and a great location with recreational pursuits at its doorstep. Contour is easy rolling with the balance in steeper sidling's and pockets of native bush which compliments the aesthetic value of the property. Water is via a stream and pumped to a central manicon tank at the top of the farm and gravity fed to all troughs in approximately 21 paddocks. Infrastructure consists of a well-maintained central race, above average fencing, sheep and cattle yards.

AUCTION

(Unless Sold Prior) 11.00am, Thursday 8 October PGGWRE, 87 Duke Street, Cambridge

VIEW

By Appointment Only

List your property in NZ’s No.1 rural property magazine this spring, read by buyers across the country. Contact your nearest PGG Wrightson Real Estate rural property specialist now to book.

Trevor Kenny M 021 791 643 B 07 888 4572 E trevor.kenny@pggwrightson.co.nz

BOOKINGS CLOSE 22 SEPTEMBER, DON’T MISS OUT. www.pggwre.co.nz

pggwre.co.nz/MAT32798 PGG Wrightson Real Estate Limited, licensed under REAA 2008

For more great rural listings, visit www.pggwre.co.nz www.pggwre.co.nz

PGG Wrightson Real Estate Limited, licensed under the REAA 2008

Helping grow the country

NZ’s leading rural real estate company

Helping grow the country

NZ’s #1 Agri Job Board TE KUITI LIVESTOCK CENTRE

OHINEWAIRUA STATION TRACTOR DRIVER /GENERAL HAND

You will be responsible for carrying out the management of Saleyard operations and management of repairs and maintenance to the facility. This role requires knowledge and management of the compliance issues relevant to livestock and the saleyards environment. The applicant must have experience handling livestock. This is a salaried position 20 hours/ 3-day work week. Remuneration will reflect the successful applicant’s experience. Position start date October 2020. If this sounds like an opportunity for you, please email your CV and cover letter with any questions to Mischa Hull at mhull@associatedauctioneers.co.nz

Lone Star Farms, Middlemarch, South Island The Wandle is a 2,550 ha (effective) breeding and finishing farm located in Middlemarch, wintering approximately 15,000su and peaking at over 30,000su. It runs 230 Angus cows and 4,000 Headwater ewes, as well as a large finishing and trading operation, finishing 25,000 lambs and 1,400 cattle.

Benefits and perks: The opportunity to have a fun, challenging and fulfilling career while we work at building a leading large-scale multi-livestock farm. You’ll be part of a great team and will be expected to work positively with other staff. The salary is competitive, and a 3-bedroom house is provided as part of the package. A school bus stops at the farm gate. Applicants will require the legal right to work in New Zealand to be considered for this role. Applicants for this position should have New Zealand residency or a valid New Zealand work visa. Email C.V. to ohine@xtra.co.nz Enquiries to Mark Haynes (06)3881503

JOBS BOARD JOBS BOARD WE ARE THE SOLUTION

■ Track record of managing and achieving high stock performance levels. ■ Managed a farm financial budget, reporting against it monthly. ■ Good knowledge of agronomy and experience in growing winter fodder crops. ■ Competent in formal feed budgeting and planning.

to come

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

Lone Star Farms will require the successful candidate to undertake and pass a pre-employment drug and alcohol test.

GET IN TOUCH

LK0103917©

Further information is available at www.lonestarfarms.co.nz

Applications close on Wednesday 23rd September 2020

The ideal candidate will have: • Experience within the deer industry in particular with high performance breeding and finishing. • Strong knowledge and understanding of deer hygiene and animal record keeping. • Experience with pasture management and feed budgeting for deer. • A first-class attitude to health and safety and animal welfare. • Enthusiasm for using technology. • A proven track record of working well in a team environment. • Able to work weekends, public holidays and longer hours during seasonal demand. • Hold a clean driver’s licence. • Have excellent communication skills. • Preferably hold the NVSB certification. • Can work independently. • Can operate farm machinery. • May be required to assist with other aspects of the farm from time to time.

farmersweeklyjobs.co.nz farmersweeklyjobs.co.nz

The Farm Manager reports to the General Manager and is responsible for leading and managing a team of 5 staﬀ to achieve ﬁnancial, production and performance targets and goals. The Wandle is a dynamic environment so identifying opportunities and potential risks and adjusting plans in response to market, climate and other factors is an important aspect of the role.

Interested applicants should phone Tania during business hours on 03 545 7602 to discuss.

About the role We are a 5,000 hectare station in the Central North Island with longstanding family shareholders. We run Sheep, Beef and Deer breeding and finishing and are looking for a Deer Manager to work with our Farm Manager and the team with the goal of optimising our Deer Unit and continuing to build on our long-term sustainability plans. The shareholders and directors are committed to a long-term view of the farm and are progressively working towards more regenerative agricultural practices. You will be involved in all aspects of the Deer Unit. You’ll be an instrumental part of a team that takes great care of the animals so that we can optimise the profitability and sustainability of the Deer Unit.

An exciting opportunity has arisen for a new Saleyard Manager to join our Wellsford Saleyard team.

FARM MANAGER

The ideal applicant will have: ■ A strong business acumen and financial awareness. ■ Experience with managing, motivating and coaching staff. ■ Experience in a Farm Management position, experience managing an intensive sheep and beef breeding and finishing operation.

DEER MANAGER

– WELLSFORD SALEYARD

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E m ail C. V. to oh ine@xtr a.co.nz E n q u iries to Mark Haynes (0 6 )3 8 8 1 5 0 3

OHINEWAIRUA STATION

LIVESTOCK SALEYARD MANAGER

About the role We are a 5,000 hectare station in the Central North Island with longstanding family shareholders. We run sheep, beef and deer breeding and finishing and are looking for a Tractor Driver/General Hand to work as part of our team. The shareholders and directors are committed to a long-term view of the farm and are progressively working towards more regenerative agricultural practices. You will be involved in all aspects of the farm. You’ll be an instrumental part of a team that takes great care of the animals so that we can optimise the profitability and sustainability of the entire property. The ideal candidate will have: • Excellent tractor operation skills and experience. • Experience with spray and drilling equipment – and appreciation of the care required in their use. • Maintenance skills on machinery, including light welding skills. • General farm work fence repairs, firewood, grading roads, spreading metal, feeding out, maintaining and developing water schemes. • A first-class attitude to health and safety and animal welfare. • Able to work weekends, public holidays and longer hours during seasonal demand. • Hold a clean driver’s licence. • Have good communication skills. • Can work independently. • A proven track record of working well in a team environment. • Can operate farm machinery. Benefits and perks: The opportunity to have a fun, challenging and fulfilling career while we work at building a leading large-scale multi-livestock farm. You’ll be part of a great team and will be expected to work positively with other staff. The salary is competitive, and a 3-bedroom house is provided as part of the package. A school bus stops at the farm gate. Applicants will require the legal right to work in New Zealand to be considered for this role. Applicants for this position should have New Zealand residency or a valid New Zealand work visa.

FARMERS WEEKLY – September 14, 2020

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For all your employment ads Debbie 027 705 7181 classifieds@globalhq.co.nz

Assistant Manager / 2IC Deer Manager Farm Manager Farm Operations Manager Fencer / General Group General Manager Livestock Cadet Saleyard Manager Shepherd Silver Fern Farms Graduate Career Stock Manager Tractor/Truck/Machinery Operator *FREE upload to Farmers Weekly jobs: farmersweeklyjobs.co.nz *conditions apply

Contact Debbie Brown 06 323 0765 or email classifieds@globalhq.co.nz LK0100828©

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

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Ram your message home here! If your rams have genetics farmers should invest in this season contact Ella and discuss options to get your message across. Ella Holland: 06 323 0761 or livestock@globalhq.co.nz | farmersweekly.co.nz

Noticeboard

FARM MAPPING

www.drench.co.nz farmer owned, very competitive prices. Phone 0800 4 DRENCH (437 362).

ATTENTION FARMERS

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

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 STATION TYPES made to order. Lighter models. Pack saddles complete. Breast Plates. Leg Straps. Hobbles. Cruppers etc. Phone Otairi Station. 06 322 8433.

CONTRACTORS GORSE AND THISTLE SPRAY. We also scrub cut. Four men with all gear in your area. Phone Dave 06 375 8032.

GOATS WANTED. All weights. All breeds. Prompt service. Payment on pick up. My on farm prices will not be beaten. Phone David Hutchings 07 895 8845 or 0274 519 249. Feral goats mustered on a 50/50 share basis. NAKI GOATS. Trucking goats to the works every week throughout the NI. Phone Michael and Clarice. 027 643 0403. WETHER GOATS WANTED. North Island Contact David Hutchings 027 4519 249. South Island. Contact Dion Burgess 022 199 7069 and for all other South Island goat enquiries call Dion Burgess.

LIVESTOCK FOR SALE WILTSHIRES-ARVIDSON. Self shearing sheep. No1 for Facial Eczema. David 027 2771 556. B R O O K L A N D SIMMENTAL, LBW, short gestation, bulls, suitable for beef or dairy, EBV’s available. Phone 06 374 1802. PENNY LANE. Bull sale 28th of September. Pedigree Hereford, Angus and Jersey. Renowned Penny Lane bull plan. No Cost. Fair dinkum. No nonsense. Grazing until required. Details phone 06 762 8058.

0800 436 566

Please call

0800 446 332 Quote code 55

www.countrycompanionship.co.nz

RAMS FOR SALE WILTSHIRE & SHIRE® Meat rams. Low input. www.wiltshire-rams.co.nz 03 225 5283.

WANTED TO BUY SAWN SHED TIMBER including Black Maire. Matai, Totara and Rimu etc. Also buying salvaged native logs. Phone Richard Uren. NZ Native Timber Supplies. Phone 027 688 2954. WOODSPLITTER WANTED. Vertical Type. Phone Chris 027 493 1108.

HARD WORKING young farmer with good references. North Island preferred. Anything considered. Phone 022 574 1426

VETMARKER LAMB DOCKING / TAILING CHUTE With automatic release and spray system. www.vetmarker.co.nz

FO SALR E

SELLING

SOMETHING? 0800 85 25 80

Heavy duty long lasting Ph 021 047 9299

CONTROL FLYSTRIKE & LICE Includes • Jetter unit • Pump & hose kit • Delivery to nearest main centre

HOOF TRIMMER

76 80 +GS T

SUPPLYING FARMERS SINCE 1962

Seeking Equity Partnership Option

LK0103787©

To find out more visit

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

www.woodmizer.com

Lease Land Wanted

Our Ashburton River Engineering section needs more used 12–30mm irrigator cable. It could have a future life in erosion control of our region’s rivers! We are happy to pick up or arrange delivery. If you can help, please contact: Tracey Hobson on 027 809 2037 or Tracey.Hobson@ecan.govt.nz

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

STAFF?

Free range & barn eggs

A trusted name in the poultry industry for over 50 years 0800 901 902 sales@pppindustries.co.nz www.pppindustries.co.nz

• Chlorine Removal

• No Expensive Cartridges

13.5HP. Briggs & Stratton Motor. Electric start. 1.2m cut

• Installer Network

SHOP ONLINE

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

My client is well resourced and willing to meet the market. Looking for security, they envision a 3-year plus lease working for both parties. For further details please phone Rob Gollan on 021 431 173 or email rgollan@xtra.co.nz

2 YEAR WARRANTY. NZ ASSEMBLED. ELECTRIC START & QUALITY YOU CAN RELY ON TOWABLE TOPPING MOWER

TOWABLE FLAIL MOWER GST $4400 INCLUSIVE LK0099618©

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• Town or Tank Water

Ideally the location would be within a range of 2 hours from Turangi and be in the scale of 100ha or larger.

0800 85 25 80

Poultry Equipment

• Whole House

My client is looking to diversify their large Agribusiness enterprise and are seeking land to lease to compliment a large breeding finishing block inside the Taupo Lake Catchment, to finish stock and grow young cattle. The block needs to be able to grow a range of feed crops.

NEED

Water Filter Systems

Industries Ltd

Phone 0274 351 955 Email info@southislandtoursnz.com www.southislandtoursnz.com

WANTED: Used wire cable

www.moamaster.co.nz

Quality products made in Europe or by PPP

Tour 2 D’Urville Island and Marlborough High Country

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

LK0103768©

Please email expressions of interest to: futurefarmNZ@gmail.com

SUPPLIERS OF: • Nest boxes – manual or automated • Feed and drinking trays • Plastic egg trays

Dates 2021 Jan 10-13, Feb 21-24, March 14-17, April 25-28.

0800 901 902 sales@pppindustries.co.nz www.pppindustries.co.nz

Industry and farmer references available.

Special Price $4200 Very limited stock

Tour 1 Molesworth Station, St James, and Rainbow Stations

Other dates available for groups of 6 or more people on request

We are passionate and highly motivated with a life goal of attaining farm ownership.

GST INCLUSIVE

Bring your own 4X4 on a guided tour to discover more of the South Island.

We have worked in the primary sector for 12 years and grown up on farms. We currently own and operate a small beef finishing farm in Canterbury.

Heavy duty construction for serious wood splitting. Towable.

4X4 TAGALONG TOURS

Dates Dec 6-10, 2020, March 5-9, March 21-25, April 11-15.

We are a young professional couple with higher education in agriculture and extensive experience in arable mixed cropping systems.

BIRDSCARER DE HORNER

12HP, Diesel, Electric Start

Please contact Rory Boleyn 027 436 9133

0800 DOCKER (362 537)

Industries Ltd

EARMARKERS

50 TON WOOD SPLITTER

GRAZING LEASE WANTED

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A down to earth lady with a good sense of humour. Slim build, with blonde hair & hazel eyes. She loves the country lifestyle, horse riding, hiking, sports and cooking. She is looking for a genuine gentleman to share her life with.

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

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

Looking for expressions of interest to grow lucerne, oats and red clover for hay. South Island wide.

LK0103920©

DOGS WANTED

CLYDESDALE COLT YEARLING. Well handled. Price $5,000. Phone Bruce 07 543 3950.

LUCERNE WANTED

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

LK0103869©

BREEDING. TRAINING. Selling. Buying. www. youtube.com/user/ mikehughesworkingdog/ videos – email: mikehughesworkingdogs@ farmside.co.nz

HORSE FOR SALE

Rural Romance

12Hp Diesel. Electric Start

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

50 TON WOOD SPLITTER

GST $4200 INCLUSIVE

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

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

LK0103821©

NOVEMBER TO MAY. Adult beef dairy cattle. Located Central Hawke’s Bay. Phone 06 855 5039.

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ANIMAL HEALTH

12-MONTH HEADING dog and bitch, fast, strong, good command, pulling sides. Contact Nolan Timmins. 027 932 8839. SMITHFIELD PUPS ready to go. Phone 021 060 5540.

DOLOMITE

PERSONAL

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

GRAZING AVAILABLE

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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

DOGS FOR SALE

LK0103943©

ANIMAL HANDLING

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

JW0103952©

FARMERS WEEKLY – September 14, 2020

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

Livestock Noticeboard

FARMERS WEEKLY – September 14, 2020

Grazing or Lease Blocks Wanted

LIVESTOCK ADVERTISING Are you looking in the right direction?

Region: North Island south of Auckland Time: Mid-October onwards

FOR CATALOGUE DETAILS CONTACT Matt Muggeridge - 027 237 8661

nick.dromgool@geneticdevelopment.co.nz

To advertise byllivestock

JW103736©

byllivestock.co.nz

07 823 4559

ROSEGOWAN HEREFORD SERVICE BULL SALE A/C Muggeridge Family Farms 811 Kina Road, Oaonui Opunake, Taranaki

Contact Nick Dromgool 027 857 7305

"Maximising your return through personal livestock management"

PRELIMINARY NOTICE

Tuesday 6th October at 12pm

Payment: Options structured to meet your business Register you Interest Now

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

PROGRESSIVE LIVESTOCK LTD

Vendor: Contact Robert or Alison on 027 659 1188 or 06 763 8401

www.progressivelivestock.co.nz

ECZEMA TOLERANT ROMNEYS RAMGUARD TESTING SINCE 1985 • • • • • •

LIVESTOCK ADVERTISING

5 star rating Structurally sound Robust functional sheep that survive Minimum input Selecting for less parasites and dags No ewes worm drenched, dipped or vaccinated

Are you looking in the right direction? Call Ella

0800 85 25 80

KEITH ABBOTT, RAGLAN 027 463 9859 | www.waiteikaromneys.co.nz

livestock@globalhq.co.nz

@waiteikaromneys

Top quality bulls bred for NZ Farmers ● ● BVD Tested Clear, BVD and 10 in 1 Vaccinated ● Calving ease, moderate birth weight bulls suitable to mate 1 or 2 year olds or cows ● Breedplan Recorded ● TB Status C10 ● Herd completely free of known genetic defects ● Only proven NZ bred bulls used in last 10 years ● Renowned for great temperament ● Three year comprehensive guarantee

3rd Annual Yearling Bull Sale

Monday 21st September 2020

Enquiries and inspection welcome. Contact

Kevin or Megan FRIEL ph: (06) 376 4543 625 Jackson Road, Kumeroa

kev.meg.co@xtra.co.nz

www.mtmableangus.co.nz

BULL SALE RESULTS 2020

SPRING BULL SALE 45 YEARLING BULLS

TUESDAY, 22 SEPTEMBER 2020 1PM AT 43 FINLAY ROAD, CAMBRIDGE SELLING AGENTS: PGG WRIGHTSON Andy Transom 0275 965 142 Cam Heggie 0275 018 182

Bulls available for viewing from 11am on sale day or by prior arrangement by contacting Sam Le Cren M: 027 474 9989 E: sam@takapoto.co.nz

Farmers Weekly will be sending the spring yearling bull sale results e-newsletter from mid September 2020. Contact Ella 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

JW103954©

Livestock Noticeboard

FARMERS WEEKLY – September 14, 2020

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

Hurstpier Polled Hereford Stud & Horizon Polled Hereford Studs

12 22 19 9 4 2

Present R2 recorded Herefords R2 unrecorded Herefords Recorded 1-year Herefords Recorded rising 2-year Charolais Unrecorded R1 Charolais Unrecorded 1-year Murray Greys

Held on property at 547 Ngatimaru Road, Tikorangi, Waitara Thursday 24th September – 12 noon

YEARLING SALE: 25 BULLS

SALE TALK

What do you call a Frenchman wearing sandals? Phillipe Phillope What’s the difference between a hippo and a zippo? One is really heavy, the other is a little lighter. It’s hard to explain puns to kleptomaniacs. They take things so literally. I told my physical therapist that I broke my arm in two places. He told me to stop going to those places.

10yr + No

10 Yr CLOSED

Here at Farmers Weekly we get some pretty funny contributions to our Sale Talk joke from you avid readers, and we’re keen to hear more! If you’ve got a joke you want to share with the Farming community (it must be something you’d share with your grandmother ...) then email us at: saletalk@globalhq.co.nz with Sale Talk in the subject line and we’ll print it and credit it to you.

BIDDING ONLINE BLE AVA I L A

HEREFORD

LK0103277©

68 bulls ready to go on behalf of: Rod and Joanne Jupp 027 711 5542 Nicola and Marcus McLeod 0274 548 996 NZ Farmers Livestock agent – Simon Payne 027 241 4585

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FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 25, 2020, 1PM 839 VALLEY ROAD, HASTINGS

Trading

HERD & FARM

9th Annual Bull Sale - Monday 21st September 2020

1358 Buckland Road - Cambridge - Undercover - 12 Noon

60 Grass fed Hereford Yearling Bulls - Approx 470kg l/w ave. Suitable for cows. BW & LW provided, TB C10, EBL Free, BVD Negative, Double vaccinated.

Bred for medium birth weight, calving ease and temperament. Birth weights available. All bull purchasers enter a draw for 2 x lots of 30 native trees from Cambrilea Riparian Services. Light luncheon & drinks provided. Signposted from Mobil Karapiro, SH1. ONLINE BIDDING AVAILABLE VIA MYLIVESTOCK. FOR FURTHER DETAILS CONTACT: VENDORS: HELEN & CHARLIE LEA - 07 827 6868 OR 021 833 221. info@ratanuifarm.co.nz BRENT BOUGEN - 027 210 4698 GARETH PRICE - 0274 777 310 ANDREW FINDLAY - 027 273 4808

Conditions apply

Hillcroft Est. 1960

Annual Spring Bull Sale

Hillcroft bulls: born and bred on our closed breeding unit. No bulls have been leased.

56th Annual Hereford Bull Sale

75 ANGUS 2 YR OLDS 24 WELL GROWN ANGUS YEARLINGS 38 LOW BIRTH ANGUS YEARLINGS

30 HEREFORD 2 YR OLDS 8 HEREFORD YEARLINGS low birth, easy calving

selected for heifer mating

Wednesday 23rd September, 12noon ON FARM - LUNCHEON PROVIDED 660 Ngaroma Rd, 26km off SH3, Sth East of Te Awamutu.

Sound bulls with exceptional temperament • Full EBV details in catalogue. Selection of Short Gestation & Low Birth weights. Bulls ideal for Beef & Dairy. • Free delivery 80kms.

KELVIN & CYNTHIA PORT • P: 07 872 2628 • M: 022 648 2417 E: kelvin@bushydowns.co.nz • Web: www.bushydowns.co.nz ROBERT & MARIAN PORT • P: 07 872 2715

LIVESTOCK ADVERTISING

Tag 10-19

Tag 24-19

New Sires: Kahurau 589 (AB), Storth Oaks K137, Seven Hills 102/15

JW103278©

36 TOP YEARLING BULLS & 62 2-YEAR OLD BULLS

On bull farm: 820 Waiterimu Road – east of Huntly • Monday 21st September 11.30am Enquiries welcome – call for a catalogue or view online www.angusnz.com FB hillcroftangus • www.hillcroftangus.co.nz

Malcolm & Fraser Crawford: Matahuru Rd, Ohinewai • Malcolm Ph 07 828 5709; Fraser Ph 07 828 5755, 0272 85 95 87

Advertise your stock sales in Farmers Weekly

farmersweekly.co.nz

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

Livestock Noticeboard

Herepuru Station Herefords

FARMERS WEEKLY – September 14, 2020

OUTSTANDING YOUNG IN-MILK COW AUCTION

Annual on farm Bull Sale Wednesday 23rd September at 11.30am

3-DIGIT HIGH QUALITY IN-MILK HERD AUCTION

A/c Troy Stevenson On Friday 2nd October 2020 at 437 Patiki Rd, Pihama, South Taranaki Start Time: 11.30am (undercover) BBQ Lunch provided

Corner of Manawahe & Herepuru Roads Manawahe, RD4 Whakatane

A/c AC & EM Hedley

on Wednesday 23rd September 2020 at 80 Troughton Road, Matamata Start time: 11.30am (undercover) BBQ Lunch provided

COMPRISING: • 150 Fsn/FsnX In-Milk Cows • BW136 PW180 RA100% • Herd test data available • Predom 2-5yr Cows

AUCTIONEERS NOTE: All cows personally guaranteed by our Vendors, offering 1week trial. The cows are purchased to supply calf milk then sold. Buy with confidence. Previous buyers have all provided great comments. We totally recommend.

LOT 3

PAYMENT TERMS: Payment is due on 20th January 2021

CARRFIELDS LIVESTOCK AGENT: Brent Espin 027 551 3660 Catalogues can be downloaded from our website

DETAILS: • Milked & bred on farm 45+ years • Always LIC PSS bred, 3-digit herd code • TB C10 Lepto Vaccinated, herd tested, 5% MT rates • Annually low 110,000 SCC, calved from 10th July • 445kg/ms/cow, system 3 feeding AUCTIONEERS NOTE: A very nice conditioned herd with strong dairy type. 1/3 Jersey, 2/3 Crossbred. Owner milked, cows quiet, strong udders, unmated. The vendors have sold their farm. PAYMENT TERMS: Payment is due on 20th October 2020 Contact your local Carrfields Agents for details & photos

CARRFIELDS LIVESTOCK AGENT: John Price 027 594 2544 VENDOR: Tony & Eileen 027 476 3571 Catalogues can be downloaded from our website

LK0103797©

Contact your local Carrfields Agents for details & photos

LOT 5

www.carrfieldslivestock.co.nz

LK0103778©

LOT 6

LK0100612©

DETAILS: • TB C10, Mycoplasma Bovis not detected & BVD negative • All Cows in-milk, milked in a rotary shed twice daily • 5th Annual In-Milk Auction, mostly 1st & 2nd Calvers • High selection criteria & only sourced from South Taranaki

LOT 2

COMPRISING: • 260 Crossbred Dairy Herd • BW150/45 PW164/46 RA98%

GOING GOING GONE!

40 2year old bulls

Bred for low birth weight, calving ease and quiet temperament. Contact Priscilla, Bill or Shannon Paki 07 322 2362 or 027 322 2352

Have you got a sale coming up? Advertise in Farmers Weekly Phone Ella Holland 0800 85 25 80 or email livestock@globalhq.co.nz

www.carrfieldslivestock.co.nz

ELITE RECORDED YLG CROSSBRED SERVICE BULLS 14 X Predominantly Black Result of an LIC Flushing,G3 Profiled Average BW 289, Avg Wgt 320kgs BVD Tested & Vaccinated Closed Herd, Top Genetics Contact: Michael Conwell 027 226 1611

BullsEye Sale

David & Fiona MacKenzie and Greg & Vicki Straker Lot 20, 2020 supporting meat the need

On Farm Bull Sale – 30th September 2020 at Midday

170 R2 Registered Herefords Bred for high calving ease and short gestation Exclusive supplier of SGL Hereford semen to LIC SALE VENUE: 427 Cannington Rd, Cave Sale catalogues are available early September from: John and Liz McKerchar, Shrimpton's Hill Herefords Cave, South Canterbury | Ph 03 6143759 Email shrimptons@farmside.co.nz | Web www.shrimptonshillherefords.co.nz

Open Day 16th September 2-4pm For enquiries, please contact:

Matt Gibbs 027 555 2307 - PGG Wrightson Barry Fox 027 439 3317 - PGG Wrightson Andy Cunningham 027 566 8243 - PGG Wrightson Peter Jackson 021 922 462 - NZ Farmers’ Livestock Ltd Jim Hazlett 027 462 0128 - Hazlett Callum Dunnett 027 587 0131 - Carrfields Snow Buckley 027 561 4652 - Peter Walsh and Associates Mick Withers 027 473 0817 - Rural Livestock Ltd

JW 103946©

Thursday 24th September

15th Annual Service Bull Sale Held on farm 300 McDonald Mine Road Huntly Sale is signposted from Huntly Bridge. Undercover & Streamed Live with Online Bidding 425 BULLS COMPRISING: 11.30am Beef Bulls 30 R3 PB Hereford 60 R2 PB Virgin Angus 15 R2 PB Virgin M/Grey 150 R2 PB Virgin Hereford 10 R2 Virgin Red Devon 1pm approx Dairy Bulls 125 R2 Jersey 35 Virgin Autumn Born Jersey Sale will conclude at approx 2pm. All bulls are BVD & TB tested & BVD double inoculated. All bulls have been sample tested to extremely high percentages for M Bovis and results show M Bovis not detected. Our vendors stand behind their bulls, if there is an issue with a bull when delivered you can swap the bull or be fully refunded. Delivery on sale day if needed, then every Monday from 28th September until 2nd November - you pick your day/s. Auctioneers note: I have personally inspected all bulls and can vouch for their excellent temperament and condition. Buyers can buy in confidence at this sale, not only because of the bulls, but the vendors that stand behind their article. Where else do you get the chance to pick what you want, get delivery when you want and pay via Bull Plan if you want! Remember online bidding is available if you are unable to make it to the sale. Agent in Charge: Bill Sweeney - 027 451 5310

Livestock Noticeboard

FARMERS WEEKLY – September 14, 2020

SHADOW DOWNS

PRELIMINARY NOTICE OPAWA DOWNS ON FARM CATTLE SALE

P O L L E D H E R E F O R D S TUD

TUESDA Y 22nd SEPT, 2020 - 12 NOO N

Tuesday 6th October, 2020 Commencing 11am • 70 18 Mth Simmental & Hereford x Mixed Sex Cattle

IAN & DANIEL SMITH

• 230 Ylg Simmental x & Hereford Steers

P/F: 06 762 7899 • Mobile: 021 749 235 • Email: daniel.rae@primowireless.co.nz

NZ FARMERS LIVESTOCK Jeremy Newell: 027 664 8832 Tim Hurley: 027 445 1167

• 70 Ylg Hereford Steers & Heifers • 120 Ylg Simmental x & Hereford Bulls

PGG WRIGHTSON Mark Neil: 027 742 8580 Ryan Shannon: 027 565 0979

• 200 Ylg Hereford/Friesian x Mixed Sex Cattle C10 Status. Full details in this paper 28th September or go to www.agonline.co.nz Enquiries: David & Jayne Timperley (Vendors) 03 685 5785 or 0274 375 881 Sam Bell (PGGW) 0272 040 499

MT NESSING THIRD ANNUAL ON FARM CATTLE SALE

Offering 600 Angus & Angus Hereford Yearling Steers. 40 Angus & Angus Hereford Yearling Heifers.

Peter O’Neill (RLL) peter.oneill@rll.co.nz 027 434 7352

Contact

Mike Thompson (RLL) michael.thompson@rll.co.nz 027 479 9474

Friday 25 September at 1pm

LK0103914©

Helping grow the country

These Cattle come highly recommended by the Auctioneers. They were all purchased on farm. Station bred calves from three properties.

LIVESTOCK ADVERTISING

Contact Andrew Scarlett (Hazlett) 0274 620 126

This is a top-quality Friesian/FrX herd, with great dairy type. Good honest cows, producing very well. Herd has been farmed by our vendors for over 20 years. Historically done 1,700kgMS/ha, 430-440kgMS/cow. Hard to ﬁnd herds of this quality. Herd is for genuine sale due to the sale of the property. All cows to be sold in milk, calved from 1st August 2020. Cows will be sold in lines on similar age and PW with lines to suit all purchasers. Expressions of interest contact the selling agents.

A hybrid livestream auction, held on-farm and online via bidr.co.nz

On Account of J A D & K A Simpson – 1049 Mt Nessing Road RD 14 Cave 7984

Simon Cox (RLL) 0272 097 665

To be held on Farm Beehive Road, Momona on the Taieri Plain Rural Livestock have been favoured by our vendors Glenbriar Farm Ltd (Mike Todd & Melinda Tiller) 390 Frs/FrsX Spring calving Dairy Cows BW 100 (up to 245) PW 115 (up to 467) RA 94%

60 lots comprising Speckle Park and Hereford Yearlings

Wednesday 23rd September 2020 Commencing 1pm

Sign posted from Albury township.

PRELIMINARY NOTICE LONG ESTABLISHED TAIERI IN MILK DAIRY HERD AUCTION

with Farmers Weekly PHONE ELLA HOLLAND 0800 85 25 80

Tom Gatrell (Hazlett) 0274 620 028 James Simpson (Vendor) 0210 241 4380

annual angus bull sale Friday 25th September 2020 – 11.30am 341b Matauri Bay Road, RD1, Kaeo, Northland, 0478

Carrfields Livestock Agents: Chris McBride 0275651145 (Masterton), Bunter Anderson 0274441169 (Masterton), Tom Suttor 0276164504 (Hawke’s Bay), Monty Monteith 027807052 (Hawke’s Bay), Hamish Manthel 0274320298 (Fielding), Kelly Higgins 0276002374 (Cambridge), Brent Espin 0275513660 (Taranaki)

Catalogue On-Line at www.maungahina.co.nz mark.maungahina@xtra.co.nz | | +64 27 415 8696

66 Lots - Comprising 52 x R2 Bulls & 10 x 18 Month Bulls

• The stud herd is run under

commercial conditions on hill country

TIMPERLEA ANGUS Maternal, docile cattle

• Matauri has established itself as a leading provider of NZ based Angus genetics throughout the Australasian industry

Focused on fertility

• Matauri genetics have had phenomenal success in a wide range of environments

Easy calving

• Matauri sire lines continue to top sales on both sides of the Tasman

BULL SALE

CONTACTS Cam Heggie Bruce Orr

027 501 8182 027 492 2122

Neil Miller Colin Maxwell

027 497 8691 09 405 0357

For more info and catalogues please email colin@matauriangus.com or visit www.matauriangus.com

30 Yearling Angus Bulls 16th October 2020 1710 Carleton Rd, Oxford Enquiries to Marie FitzPatrick P: 0273381658 E: mgtimperley@hotmail.com

LK0103914©

260 Rutherford Road, Albury, South Canterbury.

GENUINE HOME-BRED BEEF BULLS

Offering Merit Sires • Low Birth Weights Easy Calving • Whitehead Premiums Performance Recorded • BVD & Lepto vaccinated/tested

Thursday 15th October 2020 11am

LOWER HERENGA WE ROA D , WA V E RLE Y

“The beef breed for every need” Owner Bred - Closed Herd 50 2yr Hereford Bulls 14 1yr Hereford Bulls 4 Hereford/Speckle Park X 1yr Bulls

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

Quality Hill Country Angus Bulls

Livestock Noticeboard

WANTED

First Annual Yearling Bull Sale 2020 On Farm Sale 2nd October 2pm

TARANAKI CATTLE FAIR

2019 BORN FRIESIAN HEIFERS F12+: $2000 + GST / head F8-F11’s: $1900 + GST / head F7/Unrecorded: $1700 + GST

1912 Pohangina Valley East Road Ashhurst, Manawatu

Stratford Saleyards Wednesday 16th September 2020 12 noon start 800 Cattle. Full details to follow.

2020 AUTUMN BORN FRIESIAN HEIFERS F12: $1600 + GST / head F8-11‘s: $1500 + GST / head F7/Unrecorded: $1300 + GST

• Calving ease • Short gestation • Temperament • Low to moderate birth weights • Bulls available to view through arrangement & 1pm on sale day • All our best bulls are put up as yearlings • 26 well grown yearling bulls

140 x Empty 2yr Heifers, ideal for the breeding job, comprising: 90 x MT Hereford/Friesian heifers 40 x MT Angus/Friesian heifers 10 x MT Red/White Hereford/X heifers Quiet hill-country heifers, true to breed Live weight range 350kg to 420kg approx. Sold in lines of 10. Further enquiries contact Stephen Sutton 0274 423 207

Delivery Date – approx. 10/12/20 SPECIFICATION REQUIREMENTS: • True to type Friesian Heifers, including the F8-F11 unrecorded heifers. • Standard Chinese Protocol, heifers must have been on the property for a minimum of 6 months at the time of delivery.

11TH ANNUAL YEARLING BULL SALE All home Bred Bulls 25th September 2020 – 12 Noon A/c Colin & Carol King Awakino Gorge SHW 3 37 Reg. Hereford Bulls 10 PB Hereford Bulls 21 Angus Yearling Bulls BVD Tested & Vaccinated, TB Tested C10, Viewing from 10am

LK0103865©

Contact Dave & Nicole Stuart Home: 06 329 4748 Cell: 027 422 7239 Email: komako.farm@gmail.com Agents: Carrfields Livestock: Cam Waugh 0274 800 898 Stephen Harris Livestock: Mark Anderson 0274 691 004

BEXLEY HEREFORD

Special Entry Account W & K Petersen F/T Annual Draft

2019 BORN PURE BRED HEREFORD HEIFERS $1200 + GST

• All bulls born and breed off steep hill country under the Ruahine Range • Closed herd with no cattle trading. • C10 TB status • BVD neg and vaccinated • Fertilty tested • 10 in 1 vaccinated

FARMERS WEEKLY – September 14, 2020

Contact: Stephen Sutton 027 442 3207 NZFLL Brent Bougen 027 210 4698 NZFLL Grant Ross 021 174 8403 Carrfields Colin & Carol King 06 752 9863

LIVESTOCK ADVERTISING

NORTH & SOUTH ISLAND

PHONE TIM ON 027 443 7420 FOR MORE INFORMATION

PHONE ELLA HOLLAND 0800 85 25 80

LK0103635©

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

LK0103638©

ON FARM BULL SALE

GRANTLEIGH FARMS LTD TWIZEL Friday 2nd October 2020 Signposted from SH8, Twizel, Ben Ohau Road Commencing 1pm Viewing from 10am COMPRISING: • 47 Ylg Murray Grey Bulls • 25 Ylg Angus Bulls • 43 Ylg Hereford Bulls • 9 Ylg Ang/HfdX Bulls • 3 Ylg Angus Shorthorn X Bulls

Wednesday 30 September 2020 at 7.30 pm

13th ANNUAL QUALITY IN-MILK AUCTION HIGH INDEXED DAIRY COWS

Sign up at bidr online sale Bill Flowerday – Tauranga bilanwen@farmside.co.nz Phone 027 272 4361 Enquiries: Bruce Orr 027 492 2122

LK0103891©

JW103892©

LIVESTOCK ADVERTISING Advertise your stock sales in Farmers Weekly

farmersweekly.co.nz IN-MILK AUCTION

A/c Finch Contracting

ON ROLLING/HILLY FARM

Thursday 24th September 2020

A/c Ploughman’s Farm – MJ Taylor Friday 25th September 2020 at 173 Darby Road, Arapuni, Putaruru (undercover) – Complimentary Lunch Starting at 11.30am D/C # 77800

at 972 Paterangi Road, Te Awamutu Starting at 11:30 am (undercover) BBQ lunch provided COMPRISING: • 230 Fsn & FsnX Herd • BW165 PW229 LW230 RA99% • Cows will be A2/A2 identified

NZ’s Best Dairy-Beef Bulls

Add value to your calves

COMPRISING: • 250 FsnX/Jsy Herd • BW115/50 PW138/59 RA94%

PAYMENT TERMS: Payment is due on 20th October 2020 Delivery immediate or work in with trucking availability Contact your local Carrfields Agents for details & photos JW 103895©

CARRFIELDS LIVESTOCK AGENTS: Ben Deroles 027 702 4196 Jack Kiernan 027 823 2373 Catalogues can be downloaded from our website

www.carrfieldslivestock.co.nz

Bulls For Heifer Mating

MATING HEIFERS OR DAIRY COWS?

AUCTIONEERS NOTE: Due to ill health, our Vendor reluctantly is selling. Very young herd, in great condition, 80 x large framed Jersey cows. All sold in-milk, unmated, very strong dairy type. PAYMENT TERMS: Payment is due on 20th October 2020 Contact your local Carrfields Agents for details & photos

CARRFIELDS LIVESTOCK AGENT: Mike McKenzie 027 674 1149 VENDOR: Linda Taylor 021 610 262 Catalogues can be downloaded from our website

Bulls For Heifer Mating

RIVERTON HEREFORDS

THE CHOICE IS

29TH ANNUAL SALE FORDELL, WANGANUI THURSDAY 17 SEPT – 12 NOON

40 TWO-YEAR-OLD BULLS 80 YEARLING BULLS 12 noon, Tuesday September 22nd

On-farm auction, Marton

www.carrfieldslivestock.co.nz

or buy online with

PMS – PMS 173 C

PMS – PMS 445 C

PMS – n/a

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

www.ezicalve.co.nz

Hybrid auction on MIKE CRANSTONE 0800 EZICALVE

WILLIAM MORRISON 027 640 1166 ardofarm@xtra.co.nz RGB – 241, 90, 41

48 TWO-YEAR BULLS 110 YEARLING BULLS

LK0103266©

AUCTIONEERS NOTE: Due to robust selection, Darcy has probably got one of the best offerings ever. All selected from established Te Awamutu farmers. The young cows are selected as MT, then mated & calved down from early June. Once the cows are sold all the farm is planted in maize. Cows as usual will be in top condition for mating Herd test results available mid-September

DETAILS: • In top 2% for SCC statistics in Fonterra • 80% A2/A2 identified, system 3 farming • Rotary shed, herd tested, 385ms/cow OAD from January • TB C4, Lepto Vaccinated, SCC av 74,000 • Breeding by CRV Nom sires, calving from 17th July

LK0103265©

DETAILS: • TB CM, M.Bovis not detected & BVD negative • All cows calved, milked in h/b shed • Unmated, herd tested, in great condition • Traceability of cows from M.Bovis free farms • June herd test results, 2.4kg/ms/cow, 65,000 SCC • 25% Jersey, 25% Friesian, 50% Xbred

JW 103901©

All bulls are EBL, BVD & Lepto Vaccinated & BVD boosted Herd is M Bovis Negative A line of very well grown, forward bulls suitable for Heifer or Cow mating. 5% Purchaser Rebate available ENQUIRIES TO: Grant Midgley 027 444 6886 Carrfields - Callum Dunnett 027 587 0131 PGGW - Jonty Hyslop 027 595 6450

Selling 12 Pure Bred 21 month old bulls for Spring delivery. BVD tested and vaccinated. Birth weights available.

PGGW - KEITH WILSHER 027 596 5143 NZFL - MALCOLM COOMBE 027 432 6104

www.ezicalve.co.nz

Livestock Noticeboard

FARMERS WEEKLY – September 14, 2020

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

STOCK REQUIRED “Proudly Based in Hawke’s Bay”

"Maximising your return through personal livestock management"

1000 ROM

EWE LAMBS R1YR FRSN BULLS 200-260kg 420-500kg R2YR FRSN BULLS 60 R1YR ANG HEIFERS 250kg 500-600kg R2 OR R3YR STEERS _______________________________

www.dyerlivestock.co.nz

Ross Dyer 0274 333 381 byllivestock.co.nz

07 823 4559

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

byllivestock

UPCOMING AUCTIONS

Tuesday, 15 September 2020 12.00pm - Waitangi Angus Yearling Bull Sale Wednesday, 16 September 2020 1.00pm – Stokman Angus Yearling Bull & Heifer Sale 7.00pm – Link Livestock Dairy Beef Bulls Thursday, 17 September 2020 12.30pm – Kairaumati Hereford Friday, 18 September 2020 12.30pm – Kay Jay Angus Yearling Bull Sale 1.00pm – Mahuta Hereford & Angus

BREEDING ANGUS BULLS FOR HEIFER MATING YOU CAN TRUST Pinebank

Glanworth

70 Yearling Bulls by Private Treaty from October

40 Yearling Bulls by Auction 1st October – 12 Noon Viewing from 10.30am

CONTACT WILLIE Ph 06 372 7041 falloon.waigroup@xtra.co.nz

CONTACT SHAUN Ph 06 376 8869 Glanworthfarm@gmail.com glanworthangus

anguswaigroup.co.nz

For further information go to bidr.co.nz or contact the team on 0800 TO BIDR

Spring Bull Sale

Key: Dairy FRIESIAN IN MILK HERD SALE Thursday 24th September 11.30am A/C M & A Fox 1779 Gordonton Road, Taupiri Comprising: •

150 Friesian In Milk M/A Cows

BW 98 PW 102 RA 99%.

JW103833©

35 2yr Bulls 60 Yearling Bulls

Farm sold, been in family for 42 years.

Industry – leading maternal and fertility traits including a selection especially suitable for heifer and dairy-cow mating

Calved 15th July bull out 9th Dec. LIC breeding for last 20 years, with BWs up to 192 & PWs up to 354. Currently producing 2.03 m/s, SCC 163 on system 2. Cows bred for capacity, udder confirmation, & temperament. Herd test figures available.

On-farm, Fairlie, Friday, October 9th

TB C10, lepto vacc, BVD neg, M/Bovis not detected.

Online bidding opens Sunday, October 4th at www.meadowslea.co.nz through the

platform

Call: David Giddings 027 229 9760 Email: giddingsfamily@xtra.co.nz

Catalogues available on www.agonline.co.nz Further enquiries: Shaan Featherstone 027 666 1198 Dean Evans 027 243 1092

Cattle

Sheep

Other

59TH NATIONAL FRIESIAN BULL SALE

97TH NATIONAL JERSEY BULL SALE

Tuesday 22nd September, 11.00am Te Awamutu Saleyards, Paterangi Road Comprising 66 Bulls • 26 2yr Recorded Friesian Bulls • 14 18mnth Recorded Friesian Bulls • 26 1yr Recorded Friesian Bulls • Plus - 117 Straws of semen BWs to 210 Dam top production to 966kg/ms These bulls have been G3(DNA) profiled so their offspring can be fully recorded as replacement heifers. This offering is very well bred from high type herds doing exceptional production. Bulls are predominately owner bred and reared and will come forward in excellent order. These bulls give you different options at AI time and enable farmers to produce a lot more valuable Friesian recorded heifer calves. BVD tested and vaccinated. Catalogues giving all details available online at agonline@pggwrightson.co.nz Further enquiries: Andrew Reyland 027 223 7092

Wednesday 23rd September, 11.30am

Freephone 0800 10 22 76 | www.pggwrightson.co.nz

LIVESTOCK ADVERTISING

LK0099191©

NZ’s Virtual Saleyard

Monday, 14 September 2020 10.00am – Te Whanga Yearling Angus 11.30am – Tetley-Jones Jersey & Angus Bull 12.30pm – Craigmore Polled Herefords Annual Bull Sale 7.00pm – Link Livestock All Breeds Dairy Bulls

Advertise your stock sales in Farmers Weekly

farmersweekly.co.nz

Te Awamutu Saleyards, Paterangi Road Comprising 35 Bulls •

3 2yr Recorded Jersey Bulls

•

32 1yr Recorded Jersey Bulls

BWs to 337 - Dams production to 800 MS This year’s lineup of well bred and presented Jersey bulls are backed by many generations of high quality female bloodlines and sired by the best type and production bulls currently available. Heifer calves bred by this year’s offering can be kept as replacements with confidence. Included in the sale this year are 12 from the Williams family who have supplied dozens of bulls to AI centres. Bulls have been BVD tested and vaccinated. Farmers requiring well recorded high genetic value bulls should attend this sale. Catalogues giving all details available online at agonline@pggwrightson.co.nz Further enquiries: Andrew Reyland 027 223 7092

Helping grow the country

MARKET SNAPSHOT

Market Snapshot brought to you by the AgriHQ analysts.

Suz Bremner

Mel Croad

Nicola Dennis

Cattle

Reece Brick

Sarah Friel

Caitlin Pemberton

Sheep

BEEF

William Hickson

Deer

SHEEP MEAT

VENISON

Last week

Prior week

Last year

NI P2 Steer (300kg)

5.75

5.70

6.00

NI lamb (17kg)

7.20

8.60

NI stag (60kg)

6.20

9.20

NI M2 Bull (300kg)

5.60

5.55

5.70

NI mutton (20kg)

4.90

5.55

SI stag (60kg)

6.60

6.55

9.20

NI M Cow (200kg)

4.25

4.15

4.60

SI lamb (17kg)

6.95

8.35

SI P2 Steer (300kg)

5.20

5.15

5.85

SI mutton (20kg)

4.65

5.60

SI M2 Bull (300kg)

5.15

5.10

5.50

Export markets (NZ$/kg)

SI M Cow (200kg)

4.05

3.95

4.35

UK CKT leg

US imported 95CL bull

8.19

8.07

8.24

US domestic 90CL cow

7.35

7.33

7.71

9.51

Export markets (NZ$/kg)

$/kg CW

6.50

5.50

5.0

Oct

Dec

Feb

$/kg CW

Coarse crossbred ind.

5-yr ave

Jun

2018-19

Dairy

Oct

Dec

Aug 2019-20

Apr

Jun

2018-19

MILK PRICE FUTURES

Apr

Jun

2018-19

Aug 2019-20

Fertiliser

Aug 2019-20

Last week

Prior week

Last year

1.93

1.88

2.74

NZ average (NZ$/t)

Last week

Prior week

Last year

Urea

578

616

294

314

750

787

37 micron ewe

1.80

1.85

2.85

Super

30 micron lamb

1.90

DAP

Grain

Data provided by

Feb

FERTILISER

Clean-on-Floor (NZ$/kg)

4.50 Apr

7.0

5-yr ave

WOOL

5.00

Feb

8.0

5.0

7.0

5.50

Dec

9.0

6.0

5-yr ave

Oct

South Island stag slaughter price

10.0

8.0

5.0

Last year

North Island stag slaughter price

12.0 11.0 10.0 9.0 8.0 7.0 6.0 5.0

6.0

South Island steer slaughter price

Last week Prior week

11.0

9.0

6.00

4.00

Slaughter Price (NZ$/kg)

12.0

South Island lamb slaughter price

5.00

6.50

$/kg CW

10.08

7.0 6.0

4.00

Top 10 by Market Cap

CANTERBURY FEED WHEAT

Company

YTD High

YTD Low

33.61

37.89

21.1

17.88

21.74

13.8

8.00

430

7.50

Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Corporation Limited The a2 Milk Company Limited

420

Meridian Energy Limited (NS)

4.97

5.8

3.61

Auckland International Airport Limited

7.11

9.21

4.26

7.00

$/tonne

$/kg MS

9.59

8.0

6.00

4.50

6.50 6.00 5.50

Oct-19

Dec-19 Feb-20 Sept. 2020

Apr-20

Nearest contract

Last price*

410

Spark New Zealand Limited

4.79

5.09

3.445

400

Mercury NZ Limited (NS)

5.28

5.62

3.595

Ryman Healthcare Limited

13.7

17.18

6.61

390

Port of Tauranga Limited

7.4

8.14

4.9

Mainfreight Limited

47.7

48.73

Vector Limited (NS)

4.58

4.65

2.95

380

Jun-20 Aug-20 Sept. 2021

DAIRY FUTURES (US$/T)

Aug-19

Prior week

4 weeks prior 2960

400

SMP

2740

2720

2610

395

AMF

3880

4000

Butter

3380

3475

7.22

$/tonne

2910

Feb-20

Apr-20

Jun-20

Listed Agri Shares

390 385

7.22

380

Aug-19

* price as at close of business on Thursday

WMP FUTURES - VS FOUR WEEKS AGO

Oct-19

Dec-19

Feb-20

Apr-20

Jun-20

WAIKATO PALM KERNEL

3000

400

YTD High

YTD Low

The a2 Milk Company Limited

17.88

21.74

13.8

Comvita Limited

3.15

4.97

1.66

Delegat Group Limited

14.29

15.08

6.39

Fonterra Shareholders' Fund (NS)

3.99

4.06

3.41

Foley Wines Limited Livestock Improvement Corporation Limited (NS) Marlborough Wine Estates Group Limited New Zealand King Salmon Investments Limited PGG Wrightson Limited

1.94

2.13

1.35

0.72

0.9

0.68

0.182

0.21

0.176

1.75

2.3

1.29

2.71

3.01

1.55

Sanford Limited (NS)

5.8

8.2

5.5

Scales Corporation Limited

4.88

5.35

3.3

Seeka Limited

3.99

4.74

3.4

Synlait Milk Limited (NS)

6.16

9.1

4.36

T&G Global Limited

$/tonne

350

2900 2850

5pm, close of market, Thursday

Company

S&P/NZX Primary Sector Equity Index

2950

2800

Dec-19

405

2895

Milk Price

Oct-19

CANTERBURY FEED BARLEY

WMP

US$/t

Last year

North Island lamb slaughter price

9.0 $/kg CW

North Island steer slaughter price

Last week Prior week

$/kg CW

Slaughter price (NZ$/kg)

$/kg CW

Slaughter price (NZ$/kg)

Ingrid Usherwood

2.76

2.93

2.35

16062

16959

12699

S&P/NZX 50 Index

11812

12094

8499

S&P/NZX 10 Index

12167

12701

9100

300 250

Sep

Oct Nov Latest price

Dec

Jan 4 weeks ago

Feb

200

Aug-19

S&P/FW PRIMARY SECTOR EQUITY

Oct-19

Dec-19

Feb-20

Apr-20

Jun-20

16062

S&P/NZX 50 INDEX

11812

S&P/NZX 10 INDEX

12167

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – September 14, 2020

Pulse

WEATHER

A soft season for calf rearers

Soil Moisture

Overview A wintry blast is coming this week but Monday kicks off with rain returning to the West Coast with heavy falls, while warm west to north west winds develop elsewhere (with sub-tropical connections for parts of the North Island). By Tuesday showers line up western New Zealand, rain continues on the West Coast and a storm well south of NZ in the Southern Ocean will help with this typical spring surge of gales. Wind and rain warnings are possible this week. Later this week, more northern high pressure (with westerlies elsewhere) but another weak cold front possible on Friday. Yet again, high pressure expands this weekend.

11/09/2020

Nicola Dennis nicola.dennis@globalhq.co.nz

Source: NIWA Data

Highlights

Wind

Westerly quarter gales develop for a time this week, peaking around Tuesday. Wind warnings are possible in both islands for a time. Passing high pressure will bring calm pauses to the winds as well.

Highlights/ Extremes

Temperature Spring ups and downs continue. High pressure brings cool nights and pleasant days. The southern cold fronts will drop temps in the south and east at times – but the north looks fairly untouched. Mild subtropical winds for a time in the north.

14-day outlook

This week sees a rain and wind event as a cold front moves into the country in a small space between two large highs – this looks to be windy nationwide and wet in the West – starting Monday and easing Wednesday. Severe weather warnings are possible for some locations.

7-day rainfall forecast

We’re in a classic spring set up now, which is dominated by high pressure to the north and low pressure to the south of NZ. This places those typical windy westerlies smack bang over NZ. Winds will come and go, surging up and down as large highs track over NZ and slide northwards, pulling westerlies in with them. A few cold fronts in the mix, with the basic rule that the further north you are, the lower the rainfall totals will be.

100

200

nthusiasm for calf rearing has taken a knock for the second season in a row after repeated poor returns. R1 dairy-beef cross steers and heifers and R1 Friesian bulls have spent most of the season trading for prices that are uncomfortably close to the cost of rearing. The AgriHQ one-year Friesian bull indicator prices are still well below normal levels after drought, Mycoplasma bovis and covid-19 combined to undermine trading confidence. On a plus side, at least for the calf rearers, the cost of four-day-old calves have followed the market downwards. A lack of calf rearing contracts and a depressed bobby calf schedule have weakened feeder calf values. Friesian bull calves sold for as little as $20-30 in sale yards throughout the country. In general, on-farm prices for both beef-cross and Friesian bull calves sold for $30-40 less than last season. Meanwhile, the on-farm prices for beefcross heifer calves didn’t have much room to get worse, so prices are similar to last season’s already depressed level. Processors are reporting higher than usual bobby calf slaughter rates, despite a

smaller national dairy herd to draw these calves from. This suggests that fewer calves have been reared. Although, there are two factors that confound the interpretation of bobby calf slaughter rates. First, it is possible that earlier calving dates on dairy farms have shifted the bulk of the bobby calf kill earlier. Second, there are now disposal costs for dead calf collection which may incentivise farms that usually euthanise on-farm to switch to supplying bobby calves. Overall, the net result is likely to be a weaker supply of reared beef-cross cattle and Friesian bull weaner stock this season. This will reduce the finished cattle supply in two-year’s time, or even sooner since the calf rearers were not exactly jumping to buy feeder calves last season either. When we also consider the increased beef cow cull during the drought, higher exports of beef breeding heifers to China, and restrictive new laws for grazing cattle, then it is looking very likely that NZ beef production will be constricted in the future.

400

Rain is more likely in western NZ over the next week – and is most likely the further south you go. Fiordland & Westland will be wetter than average (rain warnings possible there Monday/Tuesday). Driest in the north and east of both islands with the upper North Island leaning drier than average, while eastern areas are average to drier than average. Southland looks average rainfall-wise, while Nelson and Marlborough have the chance for rain on some days.

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

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SALE YARD WRAP

Busy time for store cattle Lately, anticipated spring demand has drawn out a larger volume of store cattle. Matawhero recently yarded 2300, while the two-day sales at Frankton have equated to around 1200 each week. Sale yards north of Auckland have hit the ground running after lockdown with the region hosting several cattle fairs. Feilding also continues to hold very big sales each Friday, drawing in cattle from as far afield as Oamaru. Temuka is currently holding weekly store cattle sales to get through the volume, and a few annual on-farm sales are also calendared in the South Island. NORTHLAND Kaikohe sale • Better yearling beef-cross steers made $2.75-$2.80/kg • Autumn-born weaner Angus-Friesian bulls, 100kg, traded at $450 • Boner cows earned $2.00-$2.10/kg with beef cows at • $2.20-$2.25/kg It was hard going for the 500 head offering at KAIKOHE last Wednesday due to lack of feed and falling schedules. Two-year beef-cross steers fetched $2.75-$2.80/kg with same-aged beef and beef-cross heifers at $2.55-$2.60/kg. Yearling Hereford steers sold at $2.80-$2.90/kg with beefcross bulls difficult to move at $2.10/kg to $2.30/kg. Nice whiteface yearling heifers were penned which were good buying for their quality at $2.70-$2.78/kg. Wellsford grown cattle fair • Two-year traditional steers were well-contested at $3.10-$3.22/kg • Two-year dairy-beef steers, 412-471kg, mainly held at $2.79$2.95/kg • Nine 2-year Murray Grey heifers, 407kg, returned $1110, $2.73/kg • Two-year Angus-Friesian heifers, 428kg, were well-sought after at $2.89/kg Numbers increased to 772 at WELLSFORD last Monday for the Grown Cattle Fair. Quality was generally high throughout with very-nice Hereford-Friesian and traditional home-bred lines presented to a good buying bench. A small entry of 3-year, mostly dairy-beef steers, 555-608kg, sold over a tight band of $2.89-$2.92/kg. Two-year steers made up the lion’s share of the yarding. Charolais, 470-473kg, were well-rewarded at $3.13-$3.21/ kg. Hereford-Friesian, 402-477kg, returned $2.90-$3.04/ kg, though a few well-marked lines, 400-414kg, pushed to $3.08-$3.18/kg. Angus-Friesian, 406-502kg, also held at $2.82-$2.91/kg. Angus-Friesian and Hereford-Friesian heifers, 338-428kg, managed $2.76-$2.89/kg, while beefdairy, 367-417kg, traded at $2.64-$2.66/kg. Read more in your LivestockEye. Hauhora spring cattle fair • Yearling Devon-cross steers and heifers sold locally and fetched $3.00-$3.20/kg • A handful of older 2-year cattle sold at around $2.85/kg to $2.95/ kg The tally lifted to around 750 head this year at the HAUHORA spring cattle fair. It was a very good day with top-quality, well produced cattle on offer. The yarding was mostly yearling cattle with one highlight outstanding Simmental-cross steers and heifers, 360kg, which achieved $3.30-$3.49/kg and went to North Waikato buyers. Overall, prices for the top end of the yearlings firmed on year-ago levels, although the balance was back a little with many regions in the North still very dry with low feed levels.

AUCKLAND Pukekohe cattle • Two-year whiteface steers fetched $2.94/kg to $3.12/kg • Yearling steers made $2.54/kg to $3.70/kg • Light yearling heifers sold at $2.58/kg to $3.24/kg • Boner cows earned $1.68/kg There was a good bench of buyers at PUKEKOHE for the first sale in three weeks. Prime steers lifted to $2.95/kg to $3.09/kg, with better heifers at $2.98/kg. There was solid demand for weaners where steers fetched $410-$580 and heifers $380-$500.

COUNTIES Tuakau sales • Two-year Hereford-Friesian steers, 538kg, made $2.92/kg • Weaner Hereford-Friesian steers and heifers fetched $450-$460 • Prime Limousin heifers, 585kg, sold strongly at $3.13/kg • Top male lambs traded up to $211 There was a big yarding of 1150 store cattle at TUAKAU on Thursday but the market was tough going, Carrfields Livestock agent Karl Chitham reported. Most 2-year steers at 400-440kg eased to $2.78/kg to $3.01/kg. A good line-up

of 2-year heifers were presented where 370-430kg heifers sold in a range of $2.46/kg to $2.74/kg with 280-330kg at $2.34/kg to $2.65/kg. Heavy prime steers, 580-700kg, traded at $2.91/kg to $3.03/kg on Wednesday with 500-550kg made $2.82-$2.90/ kg. Good exotic heifers sold to $3.13/kg with others in the 450-550kg range making $2.82-$2.90/kg. Well-conditioned Friesian cows at 500-620kg firmed to $2.02-$2.36/kg and 420-500kg boners fetched $1.87$2.12/kg. Most heavy prime lambs sold at $183-$211 on Monday and good-medium realised $147-$174. Heavy ewes returned $140-$165 and medium, $125-$147.

WAIKATO Frankton cattle sales 8.09 • Two-year Angus-Friesian steers, 443-469kg, held at $2.84-$2.96/ kg • All two-year heifers, 308-467kg, held at $2.69-$2.81/kg • Specially advertised yearling Hereford-Friesian steers, 292-309kg, returned $3.14-$3.25/kg An increased tally of 705 store cattle was offered at FRANKTON by PGG Wrightson last Tuesday, with a good number of buyers in place. Specially advertised HerefordFriesian steers, 247-275kg, held at $3.25-$3.37/kg. AngusFriesian, 172-261kg, were consistent at $3.05-$3.07/kg. Angus-Friesian heifers, 224-248kg, returned $2.63-$2.74/ kg. Hereford-Friesian, 255-286kg, were mainly steady at $2.66-$2.67/kg, though ten at 266kg made $2.82/kg. Autumn-born weaner Hereford-Friesian heifers, 113-145kg, fetched $410-$500 while same breed bulls, 122-143kg, held at $545-$630. Prime beef-dairy steers, 502-832kg, held at $2.93-$2.97/kg. Beef-dairy heifers, 440-475kg, returned $2.81-$2.85/kg, with four good Hereford heifers, 485kg, well contested at $2.88/kg. Boner Friesian cows, 490-567kg, sold well at $2.10-$2.21/kg, with 459-468kg at $2.01-$2.06/kg. Read more in your LivestockEye. Frankton cattle sales 9.09 • Two-year Hereford-Friesian steers, 341-538kg, lifted to $2.96$2.99/kg • Two-year Hereford-Friesian heifers, 362-435kg, improved to $2.90-$2.94/kg • Yearling Angus heifers, 222kg, returned $2.68/kg A smaller store cattle offering of 431 head was penned at FRANKTON last Wednesday by New Zealand Farmers Livestock, with increased competition for older pens. A handful of 3-year steers, 555-565kg, traded at $2.81$2.87/kg. Two-year Angus-cross steers held at $2.82-$2.91/ kg. Hereford-dairy, 430-497kg, strengthened to $2.87-$2.97/ kg. Angus-Friesian heifers, 355-433kg, held at $2.79-$2.83/ kg. Yearling Angus-cross steers, 257kg, held at $3.29/kg. Hereford-Friesian, 298-325kg, realised $3.10-$3.11/kg, while same breed heifers, 274-295kg, fetched $2.69-$2.81/ kg. Hereford-dairy heifers, 291-312kg, varied from $2.48/kg to $2.66/kg. Autumn-born weaner dairy-beef steers, 135185kg, traded at $400-$580 while heifers, 102-135kg, held at $370-$470. Most prime steers, 550-626kg, returned $2.90$2.99/kg while boner Friesian and Friesian-cross cows, 525-572kg, held at $2.07/kg. Read more in your LivestockEye. Waikato feeder calf sales Calf volume continued to trend down at FRANKTON and TIRAU last week with a total of 1500 calves penned. Prices did the same and top Friesian bulls eased $10 on average to $50-$140, with a minor outlay of $10-$45 for medium and small. The top Hereford-Friesian price of $275 was achieved at Frankton, as the market eased to $220-$275 for good calves, though medium held at $150-$200 and small, $40-$125. Red Hereford-Friesian bulls varied from $10 to $150 and values were similar for Angus-cross. Simmental-cross could not reach the previous week’s high and made $160-$195. Heifer prices also softened as good Hereford-Friesian traded at $100-$150, medium $45-$90 and small, $20-$40. Red lines sold at a $20-$65 discount on those levels, and Simmental-cross returned $35-$65. Read more in your LivestockEye.

BAY OF PLENTY Rangiuru cattle and sheep • Two-year Charolais-cross steers, 315kg, earned $3.38/kg • Two-year Charolais-cross heifers, 408kg, made $2.87/kg • Two-year Hereford bulls, 372kg, traded at $3.44/kg • Yearling Charolais-cross steers, 319kg, fetched $3.42/kg • Prime lambs ranged from $92-$145 Buyers were competitive for short-term and well-bred store cattle at RANGIURU last Tuesday. Two-year HerefordFriesian steers, 302-410kg, made $2.83/kg to $2.98/kg while Angus and Angus-cross, 293-363kg, earned $2.78-$2.80/ kg. Angus heifers, 435kg, managed $2.94/kg and Charolais, 350kg, $2.80/kg. Bidding became selective when the sale moved to the yearling pens. Hereford-Friesian dominated the steers and one pen at 302kg stood out at $3.51/kg. The highlight of the heifer pens was 20 Charolais-cross, 293kg, $2.88/kg. Most prime steers were 650kg plus and $3.07-$3.14/kg. Boner cows made up the remainder and Friesian and Friesian-cross, 402-570kg, returned $2.12-$2.18/kg. Read more in your LivestockEye.

POVERTY BAY Matawhero sheep • Male lambs fetched $130-$138 • Romney breeding ewes made $74-$110 • Ewes with lambs-at-foot traded at $97-$109 • Heavy prime ewes sold at $187 with medium $149-$161 There was around 1000 store lambs at MATAWHERO last Friday. The top end of ewe lambs firmed to $126-$140.50 with medium $100-$117 and light $78-$97. Top prime lambs earned $172-$201, with medium $135-$159 and light $95. Read more in your LivestockEye.

TARANAKI Taranaki cattle • Three-quarter bred Hereford heifers, vetted-in-calf Hereford bull, were secured for $2000, $2.98/kg • Outstanding yearling ¾ Hereford steers, 370kg, sold accordingly at $1110, $3.00/kg • The top end of yearling Friesian bulls traded $3.61/kg • Boner cows sold well with the top end at $2.43/kg to $2.58/kg There were around 530 head at TARANAKI last Wednesday where three-year Angus-cross steers, 537543kg, started the sale well at $2.98-$3.00/kg. Two-year steers were mostly steady, although the top end firmed to $3.09-$3.24/kg. Two-year heifers sold in a wide range including Hereford-Jersey, 455kg, at $2.77/kg, although the balance was mostly around the $2.30/kg mark. Owner-bred yearling Hereford-Friesian steers were well contested with the best up to $3.61/kg. Read more in your LivestockEye.

HAWKE’S BAY Stortford Lodge store cattle and sheep • Three-year traditional steers, 480-525kg, firmed to $3.34-$3.44/kg • Top lines of 2-year Hereford heifers, in-calf to Hereford bull, made $1280-$1290 • Yearling Angus heifers, 239-262kg, reached $3.18-$3.26/kg • Good ewe lambs firmed to average $125-$130 • Medium to good ewes with multiple older lambs made $100$105.50 all counted Outside buyers kept the cattle market active at STORTFORD LODGE last Wednesday, while the sheep sale moved into the quiet patch. Demand was solid for better-bred cattle. Forward two-year Angus and CharolaisSimmental steers achieved $3.15-$3.29/kg, but Hereforddairy, 367-416kg, only managed $2.70-$2.73/kg. Second cuts of the Hereford heifers made $960-$1015. Yearling volume was low but featured Hereford bulls, 275-350kg, at $915-$1080. Ewes with young lambs-at-foot sold for $65$82 all counted. Heavy male lambs lifted to $134-$151 on the back of low volume, and similar weighted ewe lambs made $129-$144. Read more in your LivestockEye Stortford Lodge prime cattle and sheep • Beef-dairy heifers, 475-543kg, held at $2.66-$2.77/kg

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – September 14, 2020

number of yearling steers. Traditional types above 220kg were anywhere between $3.20-$3.60/kg. Dairy-beef yearling steers were around $3.00/kg. Yearling beef bulls, 200-250kg, circled $3.00/kg. Traditional yearling heifers were $2.80$3.00/kg. It was a rough start for the sheep sale. Lines with decent ewes and good terminal lambs were consistently $90-$96 all counted, but this fell to $70-$79 all counted if lambs were small or ewe condition poorer. It was a weaker market for the 5500 store lambs too. The males were mostly forward-store types, with the larger lines making $140-$160 and the rest usually $120-$140. For the ewe lambs forwardstores were $135-$145, medium types $115-$130 and $95$115 for much of the rest. A number of pens were passed in. Read more in your LivestockEye

BURSTING: Feilding store cattle sales have been so large that even the big pens in the old section of the sale yards have been utilised.

Rongotea cattle • Two-year Hereford bulls, 480kg, fetched $2.90/kg • Yearling Hereford-Friesian steers, 228-406kg, returned $1.97/kg to $2.97/kg • Boner cows, 457-524kg, made $1.81/kg to $2.00/kg • Better autumn-born weaner steers and heifers sold at $430-$580 • Weaner Hereford-Friesian steers, 102kg, traded at $310 Heavier cattle were offered at RONGOTEA last Wednesday, New Zealand Farmers Livestock agent Darryl Harwood reported. Two-year Hereford-Friesian steers strengthened at the top end to $2.89/kg, and Angus-cross, 436-481kg, pushed to $2.93-$2.96/kg. Two-year HerefordFriesian bulls, 520kg, made $2.84/kg, with Speckle Parkcross, 605kg, at $2.96/kg. Two-year Hereford-Friesian heifers, 407-461kg, sold over a wide range of $2.21/kg to $2.93/kg. Yearling Hereford-Friesian bulls, 395kg, fetched $2.56/kg with same breed heifers, 385kg, at $3.03/kg.

CANTERBURY • Heavy ewes were steady at $154.50-$163.50 • Good ewes lifted to $130-$141 • Top end mixed-sex lambs sold at a steady to firm $154-$175 Cattle were back at STORTFORD LODGE and gave buyers more to get their teeth into last Monday. Seven very-good Angus cows, 569kg, fetched $2.45/kg. The ewe market was mainly steady. Very-heavy ewes held at $170-$195 and very-good $131-$146. Medium to medium-good types were mainly steady at $105-$125. Seven top wethers fetched a well-contested $215. Lambs had good buyer interest and most sold at steady to improved levels. Heavy to very-heavy male lambs were mainly steady at $155.50-$192, though 86 big lambs pushed to $205. Good to heavy mixed-sex realised $101-$148 while heavy ewe lambs held at $151.50. Read more in your LivestockEye.

MANAWATU Feilding prime cattle and sheep • Very-heavy prime lambs earned $179-$188.50 • Prime ewes mostly sold in four main pens for $149-$157 The flow of last season’s lambs into FEILDING continued last Monday. Heavy lambs contributed half of the overall tally and held value at $161-$178. Medium-good types were also stable and provided most of the remaining pens at $136.50-$159.50.The cattle section was very small at 13 head. Most were 395-470kg Friesian or Friesian-cross heifers that earned $2.05-$2.15/kg. The remainder were 474-565kg Friesian cows that made $2.01-$2.11/kg. Read more in your LivestockEye. Feilding store sale • Traditional two-year steers, 435kg plus, made $3.15-$3.25/kg • Beef-dairy two-year heifers, 350-485kg, were $2.60-$2.85/kg • Yearling Hereford-Friesian steers, 290-360kg, eased to $2.95$3.05/kg • Ewe with LAF fell, mostly to $76-$96 all counted • Ewe lambs averaged $122.50 Another yarding of 1600 cattle sold to a steady or weaker market. Two-year steers held their ground, mostly at $3.15/ kg for good-quality traditional types, with lighter or mixbred types a little under $3/kg. Two-year Friesian bulls, 420kg, were $3/kg. The market was down on the large

Canterbury Park prime cattle and all sheep • Hereford steers, 603-645kg, achieved $3.15-$3.21/kg • Charolais-Hereford heifers, 585-620kg, earned $3.10-$3.20/kg • Hereford heifers, 541kg, made $2.92/kg • Heavy store lambs from Murchison fetched $139-$142 The market remained firm for high-yielding prime cattle at CANTERBURY PARK last Tuesday. A handful of Shorthorn-cross and Friesian-cross steers over 600kg fetched $3.07-$3.13/kg while 480-560kg Angus earned $2.88-$2.95/kg. Hereford-Friesian steers, 545-595kg, firmed to $2.96-$2.99/kg. Cow numbers were low with Friesian, 620-790kg, priced from $1.95-$2.01/kg. A good-sized yarding of prime lambs was readily available with half of the section sold in the tight range of $167-$183. The balance made $150-$169. Prime ewes were few and far between with less than 150 yarded. The best pens managed $180-$186 and very-good, $135-$159. Read more in your LivestockEye. Coalgate cattle and sheep • Two-year dairy-beef steers, 400-469kg, earned $2.76-$2.86/kg • Two-year Angus & Angus-Hereford, 340-383kg, fetched $2.77$2.79/kg • Prime steers, 550-720kg, traded at $3.15-$3.26/kg • Prime Angus-cross and Hereford-cross heifers, 475-564kg, made $2.74-$2.85/kg • Ewes with lambs-at-foot fetched $89 to $111 per head all counted Cattle filled the pens at COALGATE last Thursday with the largest tally since December. Hereford-Friesian heifers, 407420kg, mostly earned $2.56-$2.61/kg. One 309kg yearling traditional steer pen attracted a bid of $900, with the rest not far behind with those over 200kg generally $625-$820. Angus-Hereford heifers, 265-282kg, earned $750-$800, and Hereford-Friesian $460-$690. The store lamb pens featured specially advertised ewe lambs that drew plenty of buyer’s attention. Alongside other entries these sold from $90-$169. Mixed-sex pens mostly made $107-$131, with smaller types $85-$99. More prime lambs achieved the top price of $190. Half the yarding made $170-$190, with the balance $140$169. Read more in your LivestockEye.

SOUTH-CANTERBURY

Temuka prime and boner cattle; all sheep • Angus steers, 525-695kg, softened to $2.89-$2.97/kg • Ex-stud Angus cows, 592kg, made $2.36/kg • Scanned-in-lamb Coopdale ewes fetched $158-$182 • Half of the prime lambs traded at $170-$187 with the balance $131-$169 It was a game of two halves at TEMUKA last Monday as both prime steers and heifers lost value while the boner market lifted. Good quality traditional heifers, 465-680kg, earned $2.74-$2.80/kg while Hereford-Friesian, 485-620kg, made $2.65-$2.78/kg. The top yielding Friesian and Kiwicross cows, 500-650kg, firmed to $1.94-$2.06/kg. Prime and store lamb volume was nearly equal at 500 per section. Store Coopworth ewe lambs made $151 while Corriedale earned $115-$130. Prime ewes were of lesser quality than seen of late with the tops $196-$224 and a good portion $140-$187. Read more in your LivestockEye. Temuka store cattle • Autumn-born R3 Charolais-Hereford steers, 506kg, earned 3.02/ kg • Autumn-born R3 Charolais-Hereford heifers, 493kg, made $2.43/ kg • Two-year Angus & Angus-Hereford heifers, 348-395kg, earned $2.76-$2.81/kg TEMUKA kicked off weekly store sales last Thursday. Two-year steers sold well with a few Hereford, 446kg, priced at $2.89/kg, while the balance of mostly Hereford-Friesian, 310-506kg, made $2.52/kg to $2.72/kg. A few better pens of Hereford, Charolais-cross and Hereford-Friesian heifers, 349-455kg, earned $2.55-$2.65/kg, with remaining dairybeef types scattered from $2.18/kg to $2.47/kg. Bidding was spirited for yearling cattle. Better Angus steers, 305-338kg, sold for $3.44-$3.47/kg, with heifers, 241293kg, at $2.58-$2.67/kg. The balance was mainly exoticbeef bred, and the best 274-337kg Simmental-Hereford steers made $3.18-$3.20/kg, with same bred heifers, 287315kg, at $2.71-$2.71/kg. Read more in your LivestockEye.

OTAGO Balclutha cattle and sheep • Store lambs made an average of $109 • Store bulls fetched $2.50/kg to $2.70/kg The market was strong for prime lambs at BALCLUTHA last Wednesday, heavy types firmed to $178 while lighter sold down to $139. Heavy prime ewes traded at $172 with light down to $90. In the store cattle pens, steers averaged $2.80-$2.90/kg, with heifers at $2.50-$2.60/kg.

SOUTHLAND Lorneville cattle and sheep • Yearling Hereford-cross steers, 280-288kg, made $2.86-$2.92/kg • Yearling Friesian bulls, 207-305kg, traded at $2.62-$2.76/kg • Boner cows, 550kg and above, fetched $1.70/kg to $1.95/kg • Heavy prime ewes made $130-$134, with medium $110-$118 and light $59-$71 • Ewes with lambs-at-foot sold at $85-$110 all-counted Prime cattle sold on a sound market at LORNEVILLE last Tuesday where heavier steers, 538kg, achieved $2.66/kg, and 400-430kg heifers $2.30/kg. In the store pens Hereford steers, 459kg, fetched $2.81/kg, with 438kg heifers at $2.60/ kg. Prime lambs held at $140-$160, with medium $133-$139 and light $109-$120. At the top end, store lambs realised $100-$120, medium $90-$98 and light $50-$85. Charlton sheep • Heavy prime ewes eased to $130-$150, with medium $120-$128 and light $60-$100 • Top store lambs fetched $100-$110, with medium $85-$95 and light $70-$80 Just a small yarding of sheep was penned at CHARLTON last Thursday. Heavy prime lambs sold at $140-$160, with light to medium at $115-$135.

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56 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – September 14, 2020 NI SLAUGHTER COW

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SI SLAUGHTER STEER

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ACROSS THE RAILS SUZ BREMNER

Feeder calf market is tough going this year

Annette Scott annette.scott@globalhq.co.nz

WORK TOGETHER: Participants at a field day on Rangitikei Station learn the outcome of a pilot programme aimed at achieving verified sustainable. Photo: Tony Benny

the Ministry for Primary Industries under the auspices of Roundtable founding members Anzco Foods, Silver Fern Farms, Greenlea Premier Meats, Fonterra, McDonald’s, Beef + Lamb NZ, AgResearch and World Wildlife Fund for nature and farmers. Any stakeholder in the supply chain can join the Roundtable with Alliance Group being one of the more recent. KPMG and Rabobank are also supporting the work of the Roundtable. “We have some pretty hefty companies trusting us with what we plan to achieve,” he said. Bunting says the Roundtable is not about duplicating work that industry is already doing. “We picked up what Red Meat Profit Partnership (RMPP) has been doing and moved it up a step to NZFAP+,” he said. “Our ultimate goal is to create a Verified Mark, not just specified to farm, but from farm to processor to manufacturer to use in the market to underpin a brand.”

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As an example, beef and lamb could align its Taste Pure brand as more than marketing it compliant from the farm, but right through the chain from farm to processing plant to manufacturing. The pilot focused on working with McDonald’s for its Big Mac patty. “We have proven that we have a collective here that will all line up to demonstrate the sustainable value of beef no matter who the producer, processor or manufacturer,” he said. “We have a product that ends up in the market with one mark and one of few such marks that exist on the global scene. “This is the benefit of collaboration, no processor sat there and tried to claim they own this, there’s no external competition with the whole supply chain working for the same common goal.” Step two will involve producing a strategic plan to articulate the value proposition with a three-year plan and budget.

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NZ beef can lead ERIFIED sustainable production right across supply chains is key to New Zealand beef improving its standing on the world stage, says NZ Roundtable for Sustainable Beef (NZRSB) chair Grant Bunting. The results of a pilot programme conducted by NZRSB and delivered at a field day on Rangitikei Station last week are proof NZ can do it, Bunting said. The NZRSB, formed late last year, is about beef industry stakeholders from across the supply chain working to position NZ as a leading producer of beef that is safe and produced in a way that is environmentally sound, socially responsible and economically viable. “We need to ensure we not only keep up with other countries, we want to be world leaders,” Bunting said. As part of the process, the Roundtable has defined standards for NZ and identified the metrics for achieving the standards in practice. This has seen six farming operations put to the test to push the boundaries of the NZ farm assurance programme (FAP) in the verified sustainable beef pilot. “With the market pressures as such, we need to demonstrate awareness of sustainable practice,” Bunting said. “Using the FAP as a basis to work from, we developed and have now tested FAP Plus (FAP+) and we have proven we can do it. “We have got ratification from the producer base that this NZFAP+ standard for sustainable beef is viable.” Bunting says the six on-farm practical pilot programmes were deemed necessary before moving forward. “We needed the practical proof that what we had identified in theory could work in practice,” he said. “If we were just marking the conclusion with a report and a video then we had failed.” The pilot programme was a 50:50 funded venture between industry and

high $750-$800 lights Yearling Angus-

THE feeder calf market has not been smooth sailing this year. In fact, it has been the hardest market PGG Wrightson Waikato’s feeder calf guru Neil Lyons has seen, and he has seen a few in his nearly 60 years in the industry. The main culprit has been a lack of rearers willing to buy, which has meant that supply has exceeded demand, Lyons reported. “We are struggling to find anyone to buy the calves this year as rearers have not been making a margin,” he said. “When they buy a calf for $280-300 and add rearing costs on top but then can only get $500-550 out the other end, it just doesn’t stack up. There is nothing left to make a profit on and that has meant rearers are either taking on fewer calves or are changing their farming policy. “At some sales there has only been one buyer interested in some classes and that doesn’t exactly make for a competitive environment”. Limited feed in strong buying regions has also had an impact and low interest in calf contracts does not provide any certainty for rearers either. The lack of demand has resulted in the lesser condition and smaller calves heading directly to the processors, which has meant that volume at the yards has been down and quality better. “What we are seeing in the last few weeks is that quality has improved and so are able to attract higher prices. Good calves are selling well relative to the current market, but poor calves aren’t,” he said. Calves sold at Frankton are subjected to a vet check onsite prior to sale, giving buyers assurance they are fit for transport. The only silver lining from this year’s spring feeder calf market is that if the correction in prices this year does flow on, then perhaps more rearers will be able to see a decent margin and step back up to the rails to buy.

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