Farmers Weekly NZ April 15 2019 by AgriHQ

13 It’s down to farmers Vol 18 No 14, April 15, 2019

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The hard yards are done

READY: Wairarapa farmers Peter and David McKenzie in one of their paddocks where peas would have been grown are looking forward to a declaration after this season the region is free of the weevil that took one of their crops off the menu in 2016. Find out how they have coped on page 11.

Gas tax is closer Neal Wallace

neal.wallace@globalhq.co.nz

IVESTOCK farmers could face an initial greenhouse gas emissions tax of $50 million a year rising to $1 billion, Interim Climate Change Committee David Prentice says. But some of the money might

be used to help rural communities cope with the loss of jobs and services as farm animals are replaced by trees. The $50m is subsidised by the Government allocating units equivalent to 95% of emissions to the primary sector to help it transition and is calculated on a carbon price of $25 a tonne. However, the tax might rise to $1b at an indeterminate time in the future.

The figures are in a discussion document delivered to the Agricultural Climate Change Conference in Palmerston North by Prentice. The committee declined to be interviewed on Prentice’s presentation ahead of the committee presenting its report to the Government on April 30. The document, on the committee’s website, reveals the committee’s thinking on

charges farmers will face as the Government moves the economy to be carbon neutral by 2020. It says an emission tax levied at farm level could be implemented from 2025. In the interim it could be collected by processors from next year. That will give certainty to the primary sector, respond to calls for agriculture to meet its emissions’ obligations and raise awareness with farmers who will

see the deduction on kill sheets and milk receipts. Money raised will be used to introduction the policy but also to help rural communities cope with the likely loss of jobs and services such as schools as farming families leave areas when farmland is planted in trees to offset emissions. The committee is investigating

Continued page 3

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NEWS

WEATHER OVERVIEW Twas the week before Easter and all through the land farmers were asking “When’s the next rain band?” Well, this week is dominated by a large high in the shape of an Easter egg and while we do have some wet weather it’s not in the places we most need it. Like last week, this week kicks off with a southerly bringing colder weather into eastern areas, especially of the North Island. An enormous high is rolling in and will give a mainly dry week elsewhere with showers fading from the eastern and northeastern North Island as the week wears on. At this stage Easter weekend might see some rain or showers among the dry, high pressure. We’ll clarify more online Tuesday at www.farmersweekly. co.nz/weather.

5 We’re too slow, cautious New Zealand’s overly cautious primary industries are hampered by being too slow to adapt and a lack of research, which is sometimes blocked by vested interests, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment says.

NZX PASTURE GROWTH INDEX – Next 15 days

Pasture Growth Index Above normal Near normal Below normal

7-DAY TRENDS

Wind

Rain Rain and showers this week are mostly confined to the eastern North Island with a few showers possible in the very north. Otherwise, high pressure dominates with dry weather. This long weekend there might be some rain. We’ll have more details on Tuesday.

Newsmaker ��22 New Thinking ��23 Opinion ��24 World ��30

ON FARM STORY

Southerlies kick off this week and as high pressure from the west rolls in the winds fade out nationwide for most. The southerly flow might take until Wednesday to fade away from the eastern North Island. Easterlies late week in the north.

Highlights/ Extremes

Temperature A cold start to the week for a number of areas, especially those in the south and east of both islands. Colder nights but milder days return later in the week. The long weekend looks fairly normal temperature-wise.

Drier than average this week in many of the nation’s driest regions. Colder than normal to begin with in the east. The long weekend might see some areas of rain. We’ll fine tune in our daily updates at www. farmersweekly.co.nz/weather.

14-DAY OUTLOOK

We expect a surge in pasture growth around Waikato, Manawatu and Whanganui and many other regions following recent warm rain. With high pressure expected this week. Dry, sunny afternoons with mild weather bode well for a good boost in pasture growth after a sluggish start to 2019. Inland Canterbury, Southland and Otago might have some cold nights and even frosts inland, which won’t be so helpful. Warmer weather should be better for Southland at the end of this week.

SOIL MOISTURE INDEX – 11/04/2019

28 Diversity makes a sound business

Glen Eden farm is a busy place. Mark and Susannah Guscott, the owners of the South Wairarapa property, have fingers in multiple pies and for good measure are about to open tourist accommodation.

REGULARS Real Estate ��31-35 Employment ��36 Classifieds ��37 Livestock ��38-41 Markets ��42-48 GlobalHQ is a farming family owned business that donates 1% of advertising revenue to the Rural Support Trust. Thanks to our Farmers Weekly and Dairy Farmer advertisers this week: $744. Need help now? You can talk to someone who understands the pressures of farming by phoning your local Rural Support Trust on 0800 787 254.

Source: WeatherWatch.co.nz

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News

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – April 15, 2019

Industry confronts big issues Luke Chivers HOW to grow primary industries sustainably, changing consumer expectations, technological transformation of growing and selling we issues confronted at the BOMA Grow 2019 Agri-Summit in Christchurch last week. More than 600 people ranging from farmers, producers and researchers to educators and students and those working in government and finance met to discuss ways the food and fibre sector can be more innovative, collaborative, sustainable and profitable now and in future. Event organiser Kaila Colbin said the two-day summit was a chance to learn about future trends affecting the agriculture sector and what to do about them, in a practical way, from people on the ground. “Our aim was to bring together people from all across New Zealand’s food and fibre sector and empower them to take action. “Throughout the two days attendees were exposed to case

Farmers have been worshipping at the alter of productivity for far too long.

studies from credible people – who’s tried it, what worked, what didn’t, what’s just a flash in the pan and what’s going to be sustainable into the future.” Wyld Group chief executive officer Roger Beattie founded an organic meat and woollen apparel company from his 1000-hectare sheep, beef, paua and kelp farm on Banks Peninsula. “Farmers have been worshipping at the alter of productivity for far too long,” he said. “The consumer isn’t interested in the productivity of the animal. They want taste and increasingly to know how the animal is raised.

Continued from page 1 the impact on rural communities. Wairarapa farmer Anders Crofoot says rural communities are increasingly concerned at the impact of forestry on jobs and services. A large farm in his region recently sold to a forestry company for a price beyond what sheep and beef farmers can pay and communities are talking about the impact of increased forestry. “It’s entering the conversation.” The document says the free allocation will also help farmers service debt from lower cashflow and loss of land value, the impact on processors of lower production and minimise the risk

NEW TAKE: Consumer aren’t interested in the productivity of an animal. They want taste and increasingly to know how the animal is raised, farmer and Wyld Group chief executive Roger Beattie says.

Roger Beattie Wyld Group

What will an emissions tax cost farmers? A $50 million annual charge for greenhouse gas emissions equates to: • 1c/kg MS • $4.60/cattle beast • 3c/kg of sheep meat • 43c/sheep • 1c/kg beef • $2.92/tonne or urea Source: Interim Climate Change Committee

to international competitiveness. Units could be allocated by grand-parenting based on historic emissions, on animal numbers

Was it ethical, sustainable, were chemicals used?” Beattie and his wife Nicki are certified organic farmers focused on adding value to all the products they produce, which include Pilana and Wyld wool and meat at Wyld and Wyld Lamb, blue pearls at Eyris Pearls and Valere and Zelp at NZ Kelp.

Grown sustainably and ethically without chemicals in the wild environment, the sheep are served up in some of the best restaurants in the country. “We’ve been able to identify supportive pathways and networks for action after our event,” Colbin said. “It’s not enough to know what

or production, on a per hectare, flat-rate or land use basis, a proportional quantity of a farm’s annual emissions or annual product output. The document notes reduced production is not the best method to protect international competitiveness or the wider community. It also acknowledges grandparenting is disliked by the sector and implementing it will be challenging. Regardless of the system used the costs will not change but who benefits or is disadvantaged will. Farm environment plans are considered a critical element in lowering emissions and the committee sees a chance to build on existing compliance

documents to avoid duplication. Available options to reduce methane include improving individual animal performance, using different feeds, less intensive farm systems, more efficient use of fertiliser and diversifying farm operations to cropping, horticulture and forestry. Future options could include using low-emission genetics, methane and nitrification inhibitors and one day possibly a methane vaccine. Federated Farmers climate change spokesman Andrew Hoggard says there needs to be a balance between reducing agricultural emissions, lower production and the associated economic impact.

the changes affecting the sector are – we have to learn what to do with them and how the sector can collaborate and thrive together in the future as well.” Farmers Weekly was a partner of Grow 2019 and sponsored two students from Lincoln University to attend.

It’s entering the conversation. Anders Crofoot Farmer

He hopes the Government will listen to the growing consensus and consider treating methane, which lasts 12 years in the atmosphere, differently to carbon dioxide, which can last for 100 years, a move he says will assist farmers. “Find me a reputable scientist in this field that says methane isn’t different.”

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News

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – April 15, 2019

M bovis farmers are still unhappy Annette Scott annette.scott@globalhq.co.nz LOTS of promises and apologies in a response still lacking transparency and accountability sums up farmers’ frustration as they left a Mycoplasma bovis meeting in Ashburton last week. The meeting was one of a series the Ministry for Primary Industries is hosting around the country in line with the release of the Mycoplasma bovis 2019 National Plan. The plan has three goals – to eradicate M bovis, reduce its impact and leave NZ’s biosecurity system stronger. M bovis programme director Geoff Gwyn said it is an important step in ensuring eradication is successful and farmers are properly supported. “The eradication effort is on track but there’s still a lot of hard work to get done. “There will be more farms put

under movement restrictions and more farms that need to be depopulated,” Gwyn said. He acknowledged that parts of the country are hurting disproportionately. “I am standing in one of them now and I am well aware this community does a lot to support each other. Whatever we do it’s a hard time for the farmer. “Everyone knew eradication was a bit of a punt but we know it’s technically feasible and we continue to be on track,” Gwyn said. “Bulk milk testing tells us it’s not endemic across NZ and all evidence to date is showing only one genetic strain, indicating still a single incursion – in the deep south.” From now MPI will report the total number of confirmed properties, including active and cleared properties. There are 161 confirmed properties, 58 active and 103 cleared with a further 122

under notice of direction (NoD). Ashburton has 67 confirmed properties, 23 active, 44 cleared with a further 35 under NoD. “The farmer and public meetings we’re holding over the next month are an important way for us to hear from farmers about what is working and areas that can be improved. “We want to provide as much support and assistance as we can as well as working to continually improve the processes that farmers have to get through to get clear of M bovis.” Some farmers weren’t impressed with the new plan, suggesting it is nothing new and insisting on direct answers to direct questions. “No more promises to then be coupled with apologies, they (MPI) are boasting a simple plan – we quite simply just want answers and action that will help temper the frustration and hurting,” Ashburton dry stock farmer Alasdair McLeod said.

Be quick – your forest interests need you to vote The 20 April deadline is rapidly approaching to get your vote in for the Forest Owners Levy Referendum. The current Levy expires at the end of this year. A new levy is proposed to continue the forestry-wide work on behalf of forest owners’ common interests, in particular; biosecurity, forest productivity and technology eﬃciencies and health and safety. Eligibility is based on you having planted your trees at least ten years ago. A majority of both voters and forest volumes declared, are necessary for a new levy.

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BEST INTERESTS: The Primary Industries Ministry wants to provide as much support as it can to farmers during the Mycoplasma bovis eradication, response director Geoff Gwyn says.

“I have been to a lot of meetings, heard a lot of promises and a lot of apologies and still there’s a trail of transparency lacking. “It’s been arduous and it shouldn’t be. I don’t see a lot changing from this 2019 plan.” Dairy farmer Duncan Barr openly criticised the plan’s simplicity, suggesting it does nothing to give farmers confidence in the “bloody woefully inadequate M bovis response”. Gwyn said the plan is purposely simple. “I want every farmer, every community and every Aucklander to be able to pick it up and understand how and why we are doing what we are to protect the rural sector. “I say every Aucklander because all of NZ needs to understand why we are doing this because it’s taxpayer money we are spending and every taxpayer is contributing.”

Farmers expressed concern over the ongoing lack of communication, particularly around animal tracing from confirmed properties. Compensation remains a hot issue with farmers urging MPI to ensure deadlines are met and reminding the response teams it is farmers’ livelihoods and emotional wellbeing they are meddling with. MPI confirmed 900 claims have been received since the start of the response in July 2017 with 450 of them from Canterbury. A total 650 claims have been completed and $57 million paid out. So far 90,000 cattle have been culled but MPI couldn’t give an estimate of the possible final total. “It’s changed over 12 months and not been remodelled in line with assumptions and knowledge over the past 12 months,” Gwyn said.

Pest fly found in citrus fruit “We are working with CITRUS imports from the authorities in the US to identify United States have been the source of the contamination temporarily halted after fruit and possible treatment options fly larvae were discovered in a for consignments on their way consignment. to NZ.” The larvae of the spotted Spotted wing drosophila are wing drosophila were found in native to India, Korea, Japan and a single orange during a routine much of southeast Asia. They inspection of a consignment on are also found April 8. across much of “The fly is North America a serious pest and western that could Europe. harm a range Biosecurity of fruit crops,” NZ says the flies Biosecurity New are a particular Zealand head risk because Roger Smith said. they can lay The fly is DANGER: Larvae of the spotted not normally wing drosophila have been found eggs in fresh fruit before it associated with in an orange from the United is picked. They citrus fruit. States. can damage Technical experts berries, stonefruit and grapes. are assessing the find and any “If they invaded NZ all measures that might need to be commercial and home growers taken. would face increased pest “As a precautionary measure control costs and lowered crop we have put a temporary hold on citrus consignments from the yields.” – BusinessDesk US,” he said.

News

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – April 15, 2019

We’re too slow, cautious Stephen Bell stephen.bell@globalhq.co.nz NEW Zealand’s overly cautious primary industries are hampered by being too slow to adapt and a lack of research, which is sometimes blocked by vested interests, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment says. And those factors are a significant barrier to farmers’ ability to react quickly to rapidly changing market trends, the ministry said in a report written for it by Sapere Research Group. They are compounded by the scope of research being hampered by groups – farmer-funded bodies were singled out for particular mention – not wanting to help research that might disrupt their sectors. Not only that, there are big gaps in science funding and the capability around basic agriculture, marketing, economics and the need to link them to successfully produce and sell goods. A number of sectors including pastoral and arable noted poor profitability means there is not enough money to invest in gamechanging innovations while New Zealand’s risk-averse nature was identified as another barrier to progress. And the way funding works means transformative research and innovation are less likely to be funded than traditional work. “Providers were grappling with resource availability and capability in core areas as well as those needed for truly collaborative research. “There were very few people with the technical scientific expertise also able to understand consumer behaviour, preferences and choices. “Thus, looking forward, getting those capabilities in place will be a challenge, especially with

It doesn’t matter what science or logic says if the wider community considers a practice indefensible.

NOT SO GOOD: New Zealand’s primary sector is being hampered by being too slow and cautious and from a lack of research, a Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment report says. Photo: Paul Sutherland

and older workforce and slim pipeline,” it said. The list of areas of capability missing or below requirements is wide-ranging. But adding those capabilities to existing organisation will go only part way to solving the issues because a cultural change or even change of purpose is now needed. Interviewees also noted the long-running cuts to science staff and infrastructure, mostly in Crown research institutes. The research, that involved interviewing both NZ and overseas experts with knowledge of and experience in NZ landbased farming systems, found there are disconnects between farmers and customers and farmers and scientists. The findings suggested possibilities to improve government funding and prioritysetting. “Many interviewees had observed that while there was a proliferation of individual, sector-led strategies, such as

dairy or meat, or governmental department science strategies this is a lack of a pan-industry or national primary sector strategy. “Interviewees felt this lack of a pan-industry strategy to be detrimental to NZ and would be best resolved by central co-ordination of a well-thoughtthrough strategy.” Meanwhile, Government policies on issues like zero carbon, the billion trees, water management, forests, high-class soil use and climate change could, in the absence of mitigation strategies, result fewer farms with fewer animals. The researchers said they identified three global megatrends, which were enhanced environmental consciousness, transformational science and changing consumer views and preferences. It was clear those trends have been considered widely in NZ. “The primary implication of the trends is that a change in research areas is needed.

“Consideration of wider goals beyond the farmgate and greater focus on the customer will be required to respond to the challenges posed by the trends. “It was clear the current capability of research organisations in land-based farm systems will need to be enhanced and augmented, with a change in focus from primarily production maximisation to production under constraints.” Science and agriculture policies should be geared to mitigating risks and capturing opportunities. Adaptations of farm systems are needed in the face of higher temperatures, droughts and floods. “In the absence of such adaptation yields will be reduced and considerable year-on-year variability is forecast. “While further productivity increases will reduce future emissions per unit of product, absolute emissions will continue to rise in the absence of significant policy change or permanent

depression of commodity prices such tahat animal numbers do not increase.” And while industry bodies have been aware of climate change for 15 years there has been much less action than awareness, they were told. But farmers have difficulty separating fact from fiction when setting environmental sustainability goals because the evidence is nascent. And it doesn’t matter what science or logic says if the wider community considers a practice indefensible. “The debate has been settled: Sustainability must be first in everything that every organisation in the agri sector does every day.” Farmers must transparently show environmental concerns are at the heart of food production rather than being a necessary and unavoidable byproduct. It is no longer sufficient to show a picture of an animal in a lush paddock on a sunny day next to a flowing stream or to make oblique references to being clean and green to convince customers of environmental credentials. In a world of instant and far-reaching communications where speed is important farmers will have not only to increase the quality and volume of their environmental message but also alter the channels they use. So farmers are no longer making decisions alone. Consumers and the wider community are making the choices for them.

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News

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – April 15, 2019

Changing the face of farming Stephen Bell stephen.bell@globalhq.co.nz ALTERNATIVE proteins and genomics could change the face of New Zealand agriculture, a Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment report suggests. But they come up against the brick wall of the country’s attitude to genetic engineering and editing. Advances in genomics offer potential to speed up the development of crops and livestock with desirable and valuable traits that meet productivity, quality and environmental goals. Both experts and literature Sapere Research Group used for the report highlight gene-editing techniques as presenting a broad range of opportunities for significant change. It is much more precise than traditional breeding techniques and might, therefore, be lower risk and generally cuts the development time. Most gene editing relates to crops but it has potential for animal breeding though it is regarded in NZ as genetic engineering. For plants it can improve disease resistance, delay flowering time, increase oil content, raise nutritional quality, reduce nicotine content and increase drought tolerance. For animals it can increase muscle yield in cattle, dehorn calves, eliminate allergens from milk, improve disease resistance and remove unwanted proteins. Gene editing could result in fewer inputs being needed for crops and livestock production thus lowering resource depletion and harm from such production. Disease resistance in plants would cut pesticide use and eliminating factors that reduce growth could mean less fertiliser is used leading to equivalent

WILL WE DO IT? Using genomics and gene editing could boost production and improve environmental outcomes, a Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment report says.

reductions in environmental damage. “Interviewees suggested that the potential paradigm-shifting nature of advances in genomics has particular relevance to NZ given our position on genetic modification. “In light of NZ’s clean and green branding some interviewees thought a continued reluctance to allow gene editing that could potentially reduce environmental impacts is somewhat incongruous. “The advanced understanding associated with genomics, and gene editing in particular, may mean that NZ’s position requires updating.” And there is a risk NZ could find itself behind the pack if developments overseas continue apace. NZ could find a niche developing more productive

animals and foods with specific healthcare benefits and mitigating adverse environmental effects. “However, the specific nature of NZ and its relationship to genetic modification meant that the potential to maximise the opportunity in genetics may be limited inside NZ while current policy settings and political appetites remain constant. The report says it is recognised NZ will not be able to compete in the plant-based alternative protein market because it lacks scale, is distant from markets and the commodity nature of the products such as soy production. Interviewees were sceptical about the ability of alternative proteins, either-plant based or lab-grown, to achieve their goals or change land-based farming systems to any significant degree. The experts doubt the

scalability of plant-based protein activities to meet future food security issues. “They also questioned the claims that consumer preferences are shifting away from animalbased protein, considering that notion overblown. “The combination of these factors led the interviewees to believe that the economics of alternative proteins do not stack up.” They believe lab-grown meat also has scale problems and the technology used for it is likely to be applied to higher-priority health products rather than food production because returns for healthcare are considerable greater than for food. However, today’s consumers have different tastes, preferences and concerns to those of 30 years ago and organic certification, free-range, health labels and fair

trade logos are commonplace in supermarkets. So the experts say there has been a significant swing in consumer consciousness that will contribute to major change for land-based farm systems. “In addition to the environmental and animal welfare concerns experts think consumers will continue to raise demand for quality, food safety, healthiness, provenance, ethics and biosecurity.” Supermarkets are already using codes on fresh meat, fruit and vegetable that allow customers to scan them to see where products originated and view nutritional information. And digital technology allows events, both positive and negative, to be easily captured and rapidly disseminated to a wide audience. “This means that farmers will radically need to alter the way they deal with or consider consumers of their products and modify practices and communications to be much closer to said consumers than they may have been in the past, regardless of how knowledgeable or well-informed consumer perceptions are. “The scientific and logical basis for consumer beliefs is less material than what consumers feel.” Organisations in NZ noted technology is available to provide traceability but implementation of it isn’t. “Therefore, despite the clear customer need to understand the provenance of their products and the existence of the tools to deliver that need, organisation were not well equipped to meet consumers’ requirements for traceability and food safety,” the report said. Interviewees said NZ is not taking advantage of the ability to get close to its customers.

Read the report at mbie.govt.nz/ about/news/future-farming/

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News

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – April 15, 2019

Banks claim their books solid Richard Rennie richard.rennie@globalhq.co.nz THE two banks with the highest proportion of non-performing farm loans maintain their loan books are secure with minimal losses likely. The Reserve Bank’s financial strength dashboard for the end of March indicates the ASB and Rabobank, each holding about 17% of the market share for agricultural loans, have reported the highest non-performing loans ratios. ASB has reported 3.3% while Rabobank has reported 2.4%. They compare to ANZ’s 0.9% and BNZ’s 0.8%. Banks are asking farmers to make principal and interest payments, after a period when interest-only payments were common. Westpac, with the smallest share of the agri loans, has posted 0.6% as non-performing. The Reserve Bank’s definition of a non-performing loan ratio is the number of impaired loans plus the number of loans 90 days overdue but not classed as impaired, divided by the bank’s total lending amount. An impaired loan is defined as one impacted by events that cause a lender to believe it will not receive all the agreed future principal and interest repayments if a borrower has significant financial difficulty, bankruptcy or fails to make the payments and the loan becomes past due. It also includes restructuring the loan agreement or breaches of the loan‘s covenants. Both ASB and Rabobank maintain their loan books remain solid. A Rabobank spokesman said the bank continues to have a strong loan book with a very low level of loan write-offs. HFS adagri 265mmWx120mmH-PRINT.pdf With 16.7% market share Rabobank has about $10.3 billion

Agri market share versus non-performing loans

of the total $60b rural loan market. Dairying accounts for $41.5b of the agri lending market. “The ratio of non-performing loans as reported under the RBNZ dashboard reflects our conservative internal process for pro-actively identifying all problem loans under classifications early. “A significant number of these do not ultimately translate into losses for Rabobank. This occurs under our internal classification framework and helps us to manage those loans effectively and address any concerns in a timely way. “We believe this is a conservative approach by industry standards,” he said. 1 The 9/04/19 2:42maintains PM bank also the Reserve Bank dashboard must

be considered in context. In the calendar year 2018 Rabobank NZ’s provision of $35 million and write-offs of less than $1m were incurred from a total loan book of $11b. “This confirms our view our loan book remains strong and our internal processes are effective.” ASB’s rural general manager Richard Hegan said his bank’s non-performing loans level might appear high compared to other banks but that has to be considered in context. “ASB takes a conservative approach to how it rates nonperforming loans, an approach the RBNZ supports. This may be different from our peers.” Each bank’s policy on how quickly an impaired loan is written off also varies.

“We work closely with our impaired customers on an individual basis. “Sometimes this takes longer but we prefer to take the time to get the best possible outcome for our customers and we recognise that sometimes this takes longer to achieve.” Rural professionals say they have noticed no increase in farm loans being called in. However, they also acknowledged the tougher environment facing farming clients who are now required to make principal repayments and pay interest. One valuer said the market is also proving extremely tough for dairy farmers seeking to offload dairy businesses, with single digit sale volumes being reported in some regions since Christmas.

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ASB takes a conservative approach to how it rates nonperforming loans, an approach the RBNZ supports. This may be different from our peers. Richard Hegan ASB

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News

10 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – April 15, 2019

Handshake deals days numbered Nigel Stirling nigel.g.stirling@gmail.com A STOCK firm on the receiving end of a judgment in favour of one of its former farmer clients says it agrees with judge’s verdict the days of livestock deals being agreed on a handshake are numbered. Justice Gerald Nation in the High Court at Christchurch found largely in favour of Milton farmer Ross Clark in his claim against the South Island’s largest privately-owned stock agent, Rural Livestock. He awarded Clark more than $270,000 plus interest and costs – less than the nearly $640,000 he sought. “At least, historically, it was often a source of pride among

New Zealand farmers and stock agents that all that was needed to secure their dealings was a handshake,” Justice Nation said. “The experience of the parties to these proceedings may well suggest that should now be consigned to history.” The case centred on a series of livestock deals brokered for Clark between 2015 and 2016 by Balclutha-based former Rural Livestock agent John Williams. In the most significant transaction Williams bought 176 in-calf heifers on Clark’s behalf before leasing them out for him. When it came time to return the animals at the end of the lease they couldn’t be found. Rural Livestock lodged a complaint with the Serious Fraud Office in relation to Williams in

August 2016. Justice Nation noted Clark put a significant degree of trust in Williams given how often he failed to provide paperwork properly documenting the deals. It was obvious Clark felt this was outweighed by the agent’s abilities to place stock on his behalf. “I accept that Mr Clark was unduly trusting of Mr Williams, naively optimistic that all was in order as far as the leasing of the stock was concerned and casual to an extent that differed from usual farming practices in never checking on the stock,” the judgment says. However, any negligence on Clark’s behalf did not exempt Rural Livestock from liability. He disagreed with Rural Livestock’s insistence Williams

MONEY: Milton farmer Ross Clark was unduly trusting and naively optimistic but still won damages from Rural Livestock.

had acted in a personal capacity in drawing up the leases without authority to do so from the firm. “I consider this is a case where Rural (was) contracted to produce a particular result … Rural, through Mr Williams, failed to do so.” In a statement Rural Livestock said it accepted the judge’s findings and in particular his comments regarding undocumented livestock transactions. “The judge’s comments about handshake deals … add further

impetus to address and minimise the potential for improper activity in the future.” As a member of the NZ Stock and Station Agents Association the company said it supports discussions now under way for greater industry regulation. It is continuing to help the ongoing SFO investigations. The firm was back in the High Court last month defending itself against a claim from another south Otago client of Williams. The court is yet to issue a judgment on that case.

Muzzle takes Merino prize Joanna Grigg tempello@xtra.co.nz MUZZLE Station in the Clarence Valley has won the 2019 Marlborough Merino Association two-tooth ewe flock competition. Guy and Fiona Redfern with Colin and Tina Nimmo won the overall top prize from nine entrants as well as the conformation section. Their Muzzle Station flock of 1760 Merino ewes typically clips 6.8kg of 18.7 micron wool and has an average lambing of 122%. Judges Ryan O’Dea and Hugh Cameron were flown into the 16,000 hectare

property and the two-day tour and continued by vehicle down the Awatere Valley and into the Wairau. Second place went to Ashworth (Tim and Sally Wadworth with farm manger Andrew Harman) and third to Muller Station (Steve and Mary Satterthwaite), who also won the wool quantity prize. Wool quality prizes went to Blairich Station (small, family) and most improved flock to the Hamilton family at Glenlee Station. Marlborough Merino Association chairman Simon Fowler said the weather was perfect and

Their Muzzle Station flock of 1760 Merino ewes typically clips 6.8kg of 18.7 micron wool and has an average lambing of 122%.

support was amazing for the tour. The entrants farm 90,000 hectares of land between them and several stations supply stud genetics, influencing Merino, halfbred and crossbred flocks across New Zealand.

ASSESSMENT: Glenlee Merinos getting the once over at the Marlborough Merino Association’s two-tooth competition tour. Glenlee sheep were praised by the judges for the amount of wool they clip for their size.

THE WINNERS: Judges Ryan O’Dea, left, of Western Australia, and Hugh Cameron, Otematata Station, evaluate the Glenlee Merinos, Awatere Valley, at the Marlborough Merino Association two-tooth ewe competition. Muzzle Station won the main prize and Glenlee the most improved flock.

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FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – April 15, 2019

Farmers ready for peas’ return Annette Scott annette.scott@globalhq.co.nz ONE more year under a peagrowing moratorium will ensure New Zealand can deliver a powerful message to overseas customers, Federated Farmers arable industry chairwoman Karen Williams says. Pea growers were forced out of business in August 2016 when action kicked in to eradicate a pea weevil pest threatening the $150 million pea industry, including both the export pea seed markets and the processed green pea industry. Affecting about 1200 hectares of pea growing across 60 properties the moratorium was estimated to cost Wairarapa farmers about $15m as the Ministry for Primary Industries and local pea growers launched the attack on the newly discovered weevil that created havoc in pea crops. Now, through the third season of the moratorium, Wairarapa cropping farmers are on the countdown for the return of peas. The response governance has considered the recommendations of the Technical Advisory Group and the news is good for farmers. “We are close to successfully eradicating pea weevil and we have agreed we will continue the moratorium for one more year until the end of the 2019-20 season,” Williams said. “So one more year it’s no peas and while some farmers are disappointed it’s not this year it is good news for farmers. “We carefully considered three future options and we agreed one more year is the right thing to do.” The three options included continuing the controlled area ban on growing peas and moving pea straw for at least another year, reducing the size of the controlled area to let parts of the region grow peas or to strop the response now. “We have done the hard yards now so it’s really critical we finish the last step.

PEA BAN: Masterton farmer Peter McKenzie, with son David, looks forward to getting peas back in the ground.

We have done the hard yards now so it’s really critical we finish the last step. Karen Williams Federated Farmers “If we start waving the flag of eradication it’s not a powerful message right now. Give us another 12 months and we will have the powerful message. “We have all been in this together, taken the hit together so we should all come out the other side together,” Williams said. The MPI market access group said to declare NZ free of pea weevil at least two years with

no detections are required by overseas customers. If traps detect no weevils at the end of the 2019-20 season the response will end successfully. Masterton farmer Peter McKenzie said the best money is usually in peas and the biggest impact of the moratorium was in the first year as alternative options were found. “I’m an established farmer so I haven’t worried too much once we got through that first season and got into the system without peas but it will be good to get peas back.” McKenzie and his son David are mixed cropping and sheep farmers and plan their cropping rotations in conjunction with their sheep breeding operation. “We’ve always grown feed barley and seed barley. We tried wheat the first year of no peas but it was hard to get in the system

for a contract and the prices were not good so that wasn’t so successful.” The next year McKenzie went for malting barley and that’s filled the void for a couple of years now. Over the years McKenzie has grown anything from six hectares up to 50ha of peas, depending on the contracts. The financial hit aside, McKenzie said the biggest issue of the pea ban has been the lack of choice. “We could grow peas, get them harvested early and get the grass in and growing for the lamb crop. “We are 50-50 sheep and cropping so it’s not been all just about cropping for us.” McKenzie acknowledged there are a lot of farmers much worse off. “Having the sheep has helped. Lambs have been really good so that’s helped pull us through.

Photo: Pete Nikolaison

“But I am looking forward to peas as an option for 2021.” Having had the compulsory pea stand-down McKenzie is planning to build his pea harvest back to 25ha. “We were working on refreshing the ground so the side benefit is that’s been done now and when we do get the peas back in we should get better yields.” McKenzie said getting compensation has been time consuming. “We got that first year done and then the next year went more smoothly and with the harvest finished now for this season we are about to lodge our third year claim. “I haven’t done the exact figures on that but I can tell you we would have lost more on wool than we have on the peas but that’s not the case for a lot (of pea growers).”

Some relief for dry farmland areas Neal Wallace neal.wallace@globalhq.co.nz FARMERS in parched parts of Otago and Southland welcomed about 30mm of rain last week amid calls for parts of the region to be classified in drought. Southern farmers have fingers crossed that rain is followed by warm temperatures and further falls to provoke some belated autumn grass and crop growth. Clutha-Southland National Party MP Hamish Walker has called on Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor to make a drought declaration for the Clutha area in south Otago. “The situation has snuck up on farmers in Clutha and is getting worse. The Teviot valley around Roxburgh in Central Otago

is also extremely dry while normally summer-dry areas of the province such as Maniototo and North Otago have had an excellent season. Farmers are offloading surplus stock, some are feeding out supplementary feed and others are looking to send stock to grazing. March was the hottest month in south Otago since 1909, which followed a hot February with next to no rain. Balclutha had 17mm or just 29% of its normal March rain. The federation’s Otago meat and wool chairman Simon McAtamney said soil temperatures are still warm and some fine weather could still see some late autumn growth. Covers are very low and the prolonged dry spell has taken the

gloss off what many farmers were picking to be a profitable year. Adding to their concerns is the light condition of ewes heading into tupping, which will affect the spring lamb crop. While some farmers are feeding out supplements McAtamney has unloaded tradeable stock. Federated Farmers is assessing the availability of grazing in Southland and advising farmers to do a winter feed budget. McAtamney says while some farmers are looking for places to graze stock, parts of Southland are also dry. “It’s a matter of finding it.” The federation’s Southland meat and fibre chairwoman Bernadette Hunt says parts of the province are also dry and some have just been hanging

GONE: Federated Farmers Otago meat and wool chairman Simon McAtamney has sold stock but others are feeding supplements.

on with barely enough rain. Her eastern Southland farm had 34mm of rain on Wednesday and northern Southland also had more than 30mm.

“We’ve had just enough moisture but we had a good fall overnight. “It’s pretty patchy across Southland.”

News

12 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – April 15, 2019

Genetics demand goes along a new direction Hugh Stringleman hugh.stringleman@globalhq.co.nz

INFLUENTIAL: Puketawa King Connacht is a high-index Jersey bull in the CRV Ambreed graduates this year.

DAIRY farmers are faced with many new but proven sires and breeding options and semen packages from LIC and CRV Ambreed this year. The release of their 2019 genetics catalogues highlighted trends in dairy cattle breeding, including more emphasis on milk fat, A2 protein milk, facial eczema tolerance, low nitrogen, shortgestation, calf-rearing for beef, reduction of bobby calves and once-a-day milking.

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LIC genetics business manager Greg Hamill said one of the strongest trends is towards A2/A2 herds and the demand for A2 sires across all breeds in both Premier and Alpha sires. “Last season we sold about 10% of genetics from A2 sires and currently this season it has risen to 15%. “The consumers of dairy products are calling the shots and even if farmers cannot supply A2 milk right now, they want to future-proof their herds.” Hamill said the demand for short-gestation genetics is also strong and the sales of SG semen last season would have earned dairy farmers a collective $12 million in extra days in milk. SG Herefords had the biggest demand in that category, part of a swing towards greater use of specific beef-bull semen, like Speckle Park, Angus and Stabiliser. Sexed semen is also in demand and will be available between October 5 and November 20. Dairy farmers are keen to minimise the wastage of bobby calves, he said. CRV Ambreed has released its team of graduate sires to mark its 50th year in business – 18 new graduates this year compared with the more normal 10 to 12 each year.

A2 genetics demand currently 15% of the total.

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“Each year we choose the best from a pool of about 120 bulls that have come to the end of the four-year breeding programme and have herd-testing and TOP information,” breeding programme manager Aaron Parker said. “This year we’re absolutely thrilled to have 18 new bulls graduate.” They will be marketed as proven sires. Eight are Holstein-Friesian, five crossbred and five are Jersey, including the all-rounder Puketawa King Connacht, bred by the McBrides at Okato, Taranaki, that has been validated in the InSires programme over the past two years. CRV also wants farmers to look beyond production figures when choosing genetics. More farmers are looking for genetic solutions to meet the current and future demands they face around the environment, herd efficiency and animal welfare. “Facial eczema tolerance is extremely important from an animal welfare perspective and reducing urinary nitrogen levels via LowN sires is a great option for increasing environmental sustainability,” product manager Peter van Elzakker said. Hamill commented on the change in the National Breeding Objective towards fat that has resulted in an average $27.70 decrease in HolsteinFriesian bulls BW points and an average increase for Jerseys of $23.30. “Our sire analysts and geneticists have watched this trend with increasing interest and have bred accordingly. “This helps ensure LIC continues to deliver the most relevant and efficient genetics, with particular emphasis on the conversion of feed to profit.” LIC has published one combined genetics catalogue this year for the first time and delivered it through the mail to all customers. Farmers will notice the prices of semen straws have gone up by 50c on average, partly to cover the cost of testing for Mycoplasma bovis for all fresh semen collected. Hamill said the main purpose of the big catalogue is to provide information for farmers who want to self-select bulls, with a growing presence of packages and options.

News

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – April 15, 2019

Farmers must up biosecurity effort Being caught within 500m of ground zero for the Psa outbreak in 2010 gave kiwifruit grower and spray contractor Simon Cook a heightened sense of his sector’s vulnerability to disease. How to enforce biosecurity better at a farm or orchard level became the focus for his career and for his 2018 Nuffield Scholarship report. He spoke to Richard Rennie. visited, really, the only industry doing biosecurity well overseas was the poultry sector. They are really careful about wanting to avoid avian flu infections in their units. Otherwise, things were generally not very well controlled at all.” Cook returned adamant there is a need for industry bodies and processors to put more pressure on farmer levypayers and clients to tighten up their on-farm biosecurity and not to forget the lessons learned from the major incursions already experienced. “Post Psa there was a lot of attention paid to spraying and cleaning equipment but once the disease had spread that dropped away. Really, there are procedures we should be sticking to, not so much to cope with Psa but to help prevent whatever disease it is that follows Psa.” He sees parallels in the pastoral sector in the wake of the Mycoplasma bovis outbreak, where the fading risk of disease spread brings a return of farmer complacency about on-farm biosecurity measures. Worksafe research has identified two key reasons farmers farm are the same reasons they are loath to voluntarily adopt biosecurity measures. “They farm because they want to make their own decisions about their business and because they prefer to work alone. “So, as soon as you require changes to things like biosecurity, they are unlikely to pick up on it voluntarily and only through regulation will those requirements be adopted.” He believes incorporating a biosecurity standard into something like the kiwifruit’s Global GAP (Good Agricultural Practice) programme would go

MORE CLOUT: Nuffield Scholar Simon Cook wants more biosecurity grunt at the farm gate.

Post Psa there was a lot of attention paid to spraying and cleaning equipment but once the disease had spread that dropped away. Simon Cook Nuffield Scholar a long way to keeping orchard standards up and with it defences against any future outbreak. Similarly, meat or milk processors could also require

such standards, which are only voluntary now. On-farm procedures Cook envisages include disinfecting all footwear and vehicles entering main farm areas, separate quarantine areas for newly arrived stock and defined areas for cleaning contractors’ equipment. “Over time you would find these sorts of procedures would just become part of the farm routine.” Cook’s research work reinforced how good NZ’s overarching biosecurity infrastructure is, despite the criticism it gets when incursions occur. “In the United States, for example, property rights reign supreme. So, if you were to get

an incursion of stink bugs, it is possible authorities could be refused entry rights to control the incursion. You appreciate how valuable our Biosecurity Act is when you hear about this.” He also attributes the relatively new Government Industry Agreements (GIA)s for promoting better dialogue between industry groups and MPI when managing both incursion risks and detected outbreaks. “I think that if we had a GIA in place prior to the Psa outbreak it would not have happened. We now have far better communications throughout the industry and government officials than we did before.”

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SPENDING half of last year travelling the globe reinforced Nuffield Scholar Simon Cook’s view of just how solid New Zealand’s biosecurity systems are compared to every country he visited but how much more engaged our farmers and orchardists still need to be about biosecurity. “When you compared our systems to what countries like Chile, Qatar, the United States and even Australia have in place we are very fortunate to have a good communication now between the likes of the Ministry for Primary Industries and industry groups.” Cook is on the Kiwifruit Vine Health (KVH) group tasked with managing Psa and other incursions and is a Kiwifruit Growers board member. He was shocked to see growers in Chile completely disengaged from a brown marmorated stink bug outbreak discovered in nearby Santiago, with no sense of cooperation existing between them and the government equivalent of MPI to try to contain the outbreak. Meantime, in Florida citrus growers have failed to move beyond the crippling US$4 billion outbreak of citrus greening disease, leaving the sector a weak shadow of itself with no plant breeding programme in place to come up with a resistant solution. While experiencing a passing sense of relief at how his own industry dodged the Psa bullet, Cook’s study tour was also a cautionary one. It compelled him to use the scholarship study to urge more industry pressure be applied at a farm and orchard level to have biosecurity measures become a more inherent part of their operations. “Of all the farm businesses we

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14 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – April 15, 2019

Foms merges, rebrands INSIGHT: Professor Nicola Shadbolt is one of the speakers at the DairyNZ farmers forums.

Dairy forums to show the way DAIRYNZ farmers’ forums in April and May will showcase the sector’s bright future, opportunities available and how New Zealand dairy can take control of the changes on the horizon, chief executive Dr Tim Mackle says. At the first forums, in Timaru on April 17 and Westport on May 7 Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor will speak while Regional Economic Development Minister Shane Jones will address the one in Whangarei on May 22. Others will be held at Stratford on May 14, Rongotea on May 16 and Rotorua on May 24 with speakers including former Fonterra director and Massey University farm and agribusiness management expert Professor

Nicola Shadbolt and the Government’s special agricultural trade envoy Mike Petersen.

We strive to be the best dairy producers in the world and we should be proud of what we have achieved so far.

“We strive to be the best dairy producers in the world and we should be proud of what we have achieved so far. “We are also always striving to be

better and remain the top choice for our international consumers,” Mackle says. “The forums will show how we can stay ahead and the science that is being worked on to ensure we meet environmental and animal welfare goals. “NZ farmers are committed to looking after their cows, people, land and water and the forums will help them farm with confidence. “We also want to provide inspiration for the next generation to get involved in what is an exciting sector with a bright future,” Mackle said. The theme of the forums is Future perspectives – local and global impact.

Speakers will explain developments in NZ and overseas, how they might affect farmers and how farmers can prepare with confidence. Workshops and science snapshots will show latest research and development to help farmers improve how they farm. Topics include finding new traits to improve cow genetic merit for fertility, plantain-based pastures for production and environmental benefits and how to reduce methane emissions. “The forums will have tailored information for each region.

On each event at dairynz.co.nz/ farmersforum

Cushings lift their stake in PGG Wrightson THE Cushing family’s H and G vehicle has agreed to buy a 2.2% stake PGG Wrightson from Agria for $8.3 million. H and G has agreed to pay 49 cents a share for 17m Wrightson shares, matching Friday’s closing price. Agria owns 351.6m shares or 46.6% of the rural services firm, having divested a 7.2% holding in December when Ngai Tahu Capital withdrew from a seven-year

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pooling arrangement with Agria and Chinese agribusiness New Hope International. The Cushings and Agria agreed to the sale on March 29. The transaction will settle either five days after Agria confirms its bankers will let it sell or 15 business days from the date of the agreement, according to a notice lodged with the NZX. If the banks don’t agree to the deal within 20 working days the agreement can be terminated by either party. The transaction includes Agria’s entitlement to the upcoming dividend of 7.5 cents a share on April 5. H and G is the 11th biggest Wrightson shareholder with almost 3.1m shares or 0.4% of the company on at March 22. Its portfolio also controls Hastings-based farm manager Rural Equities, with a 64% stake. LK0094217©

INDEPENDENT forest service provider Foms has become Forest360. Since its formation in 2004 the privately-owned company has become one of New Zealand’s largest independent log procurement, harvesting and marketing service providers with forestry operations across the North Island, managing director Dan Gaddum says. The rebrand follows a recent merger with Woodnet, a forestry and marginal land use advisory and management company that has been operating nationwide since 1999. The relaunch brings together the respective operations of each company. It also reflects the company’s commitment to playing a lead role in shaping the future of NZ’s forestry industry, he said. Forest360 will continue to build on Woodnet’s position as one of NZ’s leading Emissions Trading Scheme specialists through its land use, environment and conservation work. “Woodnet has played a key role in supporting the One Billion Trees Fund, an initiative which encourages individuals and groups across NZ to plant trees or manage land sustainably with the goal of planting one billion trees by 2028.” Forest360 is a major log supplier to all domestic sawmills in the North Island and a major supplier of export logs from North Island ports. “We ensure value is added at every stage of the supply chain, starting from the initial assessment of land use through to harvest and subsequent rotations,” Gaddum said. It has 32 staff and its main administration office will remain in Feilding.

Last month Agria and its executive chairman Alan Lai, a former Wrightson chairman, were fined $220,000 and ordered to pay $30,000 in costs after breaching good character conditions imposed by the Overseas Investment Office. As part of the settlement with the OIO Agria agreed to reduce its interest in Wrightson below 50%, which it did when Ngai Tahu took direct ownership of its stake. Last year Agria and Lai settled fraudulent accounting and market manipulation claims brought by the US Securities and Exchange Commission, without admitting or denying the charges. Agria bought into Wrightson in 2009, helping bail it out after it took on too much debt in the failed merger with Silver Fern Farms. At the time the OIO cleared the investment because it would create or protect local jobs, boost export receipts and included an offer to sell riverbed and foreshore to the Crown.

When Agria set up the joint venture with Ngai Tahu and New Hope in 2011 the OIO approved it because it would boost exports, introduce new technology or business skills to New Zealand and the involvement of a key person in an industry of another nation would benefit NZ. The earlier investment was also a factor. The Cushing family has a long track-record with Wrightson. In 2005 H and G sold into a Wrightson takeover of Hawke’s Bay stock and station agency group Williams and Kettle and Selwyn Cushing later joined Wrightson’s board. He remained a Wrightson director until 2012, overseeing the merger with Pyne Gould Guinness, the aborted Silver Fern Farms deal and the introduction of Agria as a cornerstone in the business. David Cushing acted as an alternate Wrightson director for Alan Lai in 2010. – BusinessDesk

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16 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – April 15, 2019

Fonterra fashions co-op advantages

ONE DIRECTION: Sustainability will be at the heart of everything Fonterra does, cooperative affairs director Mike Cronin says.

Hugh Stringleman hugh.stringleman@globalhq.co.nz FONTERRA is putting some cow power into its on-farm performance and recognition scheme to back a new emphasis on New Zealand heritage and provenance but will also get tough with noncompliers. Sustainability will be at the heart of everything Fonterra does, co-operative affairs managing director Mike Cronin said.

LIC technology is showing the Connollys the future. And it's looking pretty promising.

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“Sustainability is about more than the environment. It’s about looking after our people, caring for animals, adapting to changing customer and consumer expectations and respecting the communities and land where we live and work.” Now called the Co-operative Difference, the scheme will recognise farmers who go beyond the minimum requirements to supply highquality milk, care for their animals, protect the environment and support employees, the community and the co-op. It has been shaped and named by farmers during consultation. Fonterra will come up with actions each farmer can take in five focus areas: milk, environment, animals, people and communities, the cooperative and prosperity. It will provide more information and advance notice about future aspirations so farmers can plan and progress towards shared ambitions. Recognition for achievement might include grade-free certificates, plaques and awards, a digital dashboard and annual scorecard, local award events, farm signs, external publication and Farm Source reward dollars with access to exclusive products. More details will be announced at the MyConnect shareholders’ conference in Dunedin in May and will be included in a new edition of the Terms of Supply and Farmers Handbook to be delivered to every farm before the start of the 2019-20 season. It will outline the minimum requirements for each farm. The non-compliance regime will be streamlined and support provided for minor non-compliance matters. Reporting and auditing will also be improved to save farmers’ time and energy. The existing demerit scheme for milk quality issues will remain in place and Fonterra will take a firmer line with those who persistently fail to meet the minimum standards, ultimately suspending collection when justified. At the Northland Dairy Development Trust annual conference, when Fonterra director Brent Goldsack announced the scheme, farmers welcomed the new expectations and recognition. Some said Fonterra should be harder on noncompliance, especially major animal health and environment breaches. But others said it will be difficult for a cooperative to stratify its milk payments in the way a corporate like Synlait can do. Goldsack said 85% of Fonterra farmers have one farm and half of them average 270 cows. “That is the strength of a farming co-operative versus a corporate. “We can provide support and make change happen by raising the requirements of every farm and we can hold each other accountable. “There is no better example than protecting our waterways – we weren’t paid to do that but we did so because it was the right thing to do.” Goldsack said NZ dairy products have a third of the environmental footprint of the European counterparts and that is a considerable competitive advantage. Chief executive Miles Hurrell said when the interim results were announced in March that Fonterra would seek to make higher premiums from its NZ heritage, co-op structure and dairy farming expertise. Farmers wante to see Fonterra extract the returns available from our milk’s unique qualities and the NZ story.

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

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18 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – April 15, 2019

Allied Farmers bosses take more shares Alan Williams alan.williams@globalhq.co.nz

ALLIED Farmers’ two biggest shareholders have increased their investments in the latest capital-raising but their overall share of the rural services group has dropped slightly. The company has issued $1.5 million worth of new shares after having to scale back the applications, by about 9% each, because of the strong response from shareholders, chairman Mark Benseman said. Stockmans Holdings remains the biggest shareholder with 10.69%, down from 11.93% before the issue, and Benseman’s Albany Braithwaite has 10.58%, down from 11.81%. Stockmans is owned by Oli Carruthers and Bill Sweeney, principals of ALF’s NZ Farmers Livestock subsidiary. ALF owns 67% of NZFL with the balance owned directly by the stock agents, including Carruthers and Sweeney. They bought the maximum number of new shares, after scaling, as did Linda Morrison, whose husband Steve is ALF chief executive, increasing her shareholding to 0.38% from 0.31%. Shareholders were able to invest up to $15,000 to buy shares

priced at 7.3c apiece. Benseman said new funding puts ALF in a strong position to pursue growth in the core business, with some expected to be used to funding growth in the finance business. “We’re looking at opportunities all the time and we’re being very diligent in our approach. There’s no preconceived timetable.” After reporting good half-year earnings and forecasting a reasonable full-year profit, Benseman was confident of getting close to having shareholders fill the $1.5m capital raising and getting above the figure is pleasing, he said. He is also pleased with the response from small shareholders with less-than-marketable share parcels, though the company has not released actual numbers. About half the 5300 shareholders hold fewer that 2000 shares and those remaining in that category will have their shares sold through the NZX after May 27. If shares cannot be sold on the market, ALF will buy them back. Benseman said the company has enough cash for the buy-back. At its December 31 balance date ALF had $2.17m in cash.

Exciting new cheeses types are on offer A WIDE array of cheesemakers have stepped up to win categories at this year’s New Zealand Champions of Cheese awards, with over 200 medals awarded across 19 sectors. Assessment of the cheeses was done last month under the leadership of Australian master cheese judge Russell Smith (see Farmers Weekly, March 25). Smith spoke highly about the evolution NZ cheeses have enjoyed over his decade of judging the competition. The premier trophy awards selected from the judged medal winners will be announced in late May. Dominating winners tend to vary depending on the cheese category, with Fonterra claiming multiple gold medals in the Champion Cheddar range, while Canterbury based Barry’s Bay cheese was a clear favourite through the European style and gouda ranges. The rapidly emerging goat cheese sector was dominated by Cartwheel Creamery from Manawatu while the new Italian style cheese sector was claimed

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by Massimo’s Italian Cheeses. The company claimed four of the seven gold medals in the category. Smith was particularly excited by the fresh Italian cheese category, introduced this year. “What was wonderful to see was while well-known Italian favourites such as mozzarella, ricotta and mascarpone showed great cheese-making technique so did other styles which are less familiar in NZ. “Not only was there a huge increase in the number of Italian style cheeses entered in the competition, importantly, the quality was excellent too. The judges had a challenge picking the

Alan Williams alan.williams@globalhq.co.nz

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Russell Smith Judge PROGRESS: New Zealand cheeses have evolved over the last 10 years, Champions of Cheese awards judge Russell Smith says.

winners because the Italian cheeses were new, exciting and well made.” Soft, fresh, Italian cheeses are among the fastest-growing categories of cheese demand globally as consumers become more discerning and seek out fresh, simple taste options. The category attracted 28 cheeses. While including wellknown favourites like mozzarella and ricotta it is the arrival of scamorza, stracciatella and stracchino that drew the judges’ attention. Two are similar to mozzarella, while stracchino is a creamy,

spreadable, white cheese. The cheeses were assessed by 21 cheese experts tasting 280 entries. The return of butter and yoghurt also featured this year with butter awards shared between Fonterra, Lewis Road Creamery, Bellefield Butter and Westland. The Clevedon Buffalo company dominated the yoghurt sector and was also the winner of last year’s Outstanding NZ Food Producer Award with its marinated buffalo cheese. The Champions of Cheese trophies will be announced on May 21 in Hamilton.

Comvita buys Chinese partner

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The judges had a challenge picking the winners because the Italian cheeses were new, exciting and well made.

MANUKA honey group Comvita expects to lift its total revenue to more than $200 million and increase profit margins after moving to full ownership of its China jointventure business. The mostly scrip-based acquisition will result in Comvita’s largest shareholder, Li Wang, increasing her stake from 11.18% to 18.41%. Wang and her husband Zhu Guangping own 49% of the Comvita China business, with Comvita owning the balance. They have worked together for more than a decade in China, initially in a distribution relationship. With 4.05m shares to be issued at $4.35 apiece plus a $3.19m cash payment, the deal is valued at $20.8m. It will be settled on April 30, subject to conditions being met. Wang, a New Zealand citizen, will join the Comvita board and the couple will remain on the Comvita China

board as well. The acquisition will complete the final piece of the jigsaw in Comvita’s China strategy, chief executive Scott Coulter said. Comvita has moved up the value chain and got closer to its Chinese customers, who are the group’s strongest consumer base.

Our goal has been to gain full control of our brand across all key channels into China. “Our goal has been to gain full control of our brand across all key channels into China.” The acquisition will significantly strengthen its direct-to-China business, the key building block in the strategy. China is moving towards a more direct trade and formalised cross-border e-commerce model and informal daigou or gray

channels are expected to become more challenging for traders. Chairman Neil Craig said recent trading has been tough for Comvita shareholders because executing the China strategy affected short-term earnings but excellent progress has been made, which will enhance long-term value creation. The joint-venture has revenue of about $55m a year, is profitable and growing. Gross profit margins will increase as a result of the acquisition. As well as the new contribution to operating profits there is also likely to be a positive one-off impact on this year’s non-operating earnings. Guangping and Wang had required an equity component as part of the deal, demonstrating their commitment to Comvita, Craig said. Comvita shares rose 5c to $4.15 each in NZX trading after the announcement but are down about 40% over the last year.

News

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – April 15, 2019

Britain urged to follow Farmstrong NEW Zealand’s Farmstrong initiative is being held up as an example for Britain to follow in tackling rural mental health issues. Farmstrong supports farmers and other rural people not just tackling mental health issues but also gives guidance on things to promote and maintain well being and uses examples of people telling their stories. It is supported by Farmers Mutual Group with Farmers Weekly as its media partner and All Black Sam Whitelock as ambassador. Now the modern-day challenges facing Britain’s farming families need urgent recognition backed up by a robust system of support, a rural health and well-being report has concluded. The report by the University of Lincoln and rural economic consultants Rose Regeneration highlighted concerns including mental health, long working hours and rural isolation. It also found farming families were increasingly worried by changing weather patterns, uncertain global markets and volatile commodity prices. Wide-ranging changes in government policies for agriculture because of Brexit will add to those pressures –

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requiring many farm businesses to rethink the way they operate, the Worshipful Company of Farmerscommissioned report said. During the research many farms were found to be making a loss – relying on credit to keep their businesses going. Others had opted to diversify to generate income. Some farmers and farm businesses are better placed than others to deal with the changes. While two-thirds of younger farmers reported good physical health, most would only say their mental health was about average. Succession planning and the pressure to retain a farm in the family can put extra stress on farmers to continue while living in a close-knit community means people are sometimes reluctant to seek help. During a forum to discuss the findings, stakeholders and rural support organisations feared there might be under-reporting of suicide among farming occupations. Statistics on suicide by occupation include only those up to the age of 65, meaning farmers who continue working beyond

traditional retirement age are not included in the data. The group added a downward spiral in rural health and wellbeing has come at a time when National Health Service social care and Citizens Advice services are being scaled back. This means local, regional and national farming support groups are being called on more than ever before. But all support groups have finite resources and some struggle to raise the funds or recruit the staff needed to meet demand. Worshipful Company of Farmers former master Philip Wynn, who initiated the stakeholder forum, said there is a need for support groups to develop new tools and approaches.w “A number of other countries have national initiatives to promote well-being among farmers and farming communities,” Wynn said. In particular, he identified NZ where the Farmstrong initiative encourages farmers to perform at their best by sharing health and well-being tips – building up resilience while recognising the pressures involved in agriculture. “A similar initiative in the United Kingdom would reduce the stigma of asking for help and encourage more farmers to access

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LEADING BY: Worshipful Company of Farmers former master Philip Wynn singled the Farmstrong programme out as an example for Britain to follow.

support sooner rather than later,” he said. The support group recommended establishing a national programme to promote wellbeing among farming families and rural communities, providing support group workers with more help to cope with extra demands, collating evidence to demonstrate the effectiveness of support

groups, improving networking between support groups and other service providers and promoting the work of support networks more effectively with government, statutory funders and charities. UK Farmers Weekly is the official media partner of Farmstrong

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News

20 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – April 15, 2019

Dire worker shortage in orchards Richard Rennie richard.rennie@globalhq.co.nz HAWKE’S Bay and Bay of Plenty orchardists are grappling again with a seasonal labour shortage, with a shortfall of thousands of workers expected as kiwifruit and apple harvests reach their peak. The shortage has horticultural heads exasperated at the need for greater understanding from the Government of how dire the situation has become. The Social Development Ministry declared a seasonal labour shortage for kiwifruit early this month and extended the already declared labour shortage hitting Hawke’s Bay. Shortfalls in staff numbers have increased over last year’s with Bay of Plenty’s deficit of 1400 likely to push 3800 at the mid-April harvest peak. Last year the region was short by 1200 staff at this stage of harvest. Hawke’s Bay apple growers face a shortage of 1500-2000 staff, up from 1200 last year. Pipfruit New Zealand chief executive Alan Pollard said this season’s shortage is compounded by some crops ripening earlier than usual but mainly by an 8% surge in fruit volumes on last year, making this year a record harvest.

DIFFICULT: A buoyant jobs market makes it difficult to recruit more locals to pick fruit, Kiwifruit Growers chief executive Nikki Johnson says.

“The initial declaration of a labour shortage in February saw us gain an additional 200 staff and we can only hope we get at least that this time with the extension.” Smaller growers, in particular, are hit hard by the picker shortage that will peak in April. “Often they are banding together through their supplier groups to get the job done but they don’t have anywhere else to go. “All contracting

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Kiwifruit Jobs NZ campaign aimed to rekindle interest in the seasonal sector. The campaign emphasises the sector’s pay rates, accommodation availability, flexibility and work variety to locals, as much as to traditional backpacker workers. Kiwifruit Growers also employed a full time co-ordinator to the role. This year’s crop is estimated to be similar to last year’s 150 million trays but includes 12% more timesensitive SunGold. Kiwifruit Growers chief executive Nikki Johnson said while it is difficult to identify exactly how many people have been recruited through the campaign it reached 38,000 people on Facebook. A recruiting video has since been translated into German. She acknowledged while the sector will continue to try to recruit locals, that source is heavily depleted by the buoyant jobs market and RSE workers are valuable for providing consistent labour. “Access to more would be good for us but we do have to be cognisant of RSE’s impact on the workers’ home countries.” She remains confident fruit will not be left rotting on the vine. “I believe the Government does get the problem but also faces the need to try to get as many New Zealanders as possible working. It’s a trade-off and a difficult conversation to have.”

Bare land best kiwifruit option

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labour companies are fully committed.” Pollard said the industry has made it clear to the Government it cannot continue with such shortages unresolved every season. The highly regarded Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme typically provides work for 12,850 workers, of whom 2000 head to Bay of Plenty and a similar number to Hawke’s Bay. “But it appears the RSE cap is not necessarily related to any

robust analysis,” Pollard said. “We would sooner see the rules relaxed in return for businesses showing they are good employers of these people.” Pacific Island nations have indicated they are more than capable and willing to provide more workers, with income from the scheme forming as much as 15% of some nations’ GDP. Pollard questioned the accuracy of the advice the Government gets from advisers on the labour issue. “We have tried frequently to get them to visit Hawke’s Bay and Nelson to see the implications of the shortages. This has to stop being an annual issue.” Declaring a labour shortage opens up the chance for visiting tourists to apply for work in the regions on their visa. As a measure it is described by ministry officials as a last resort used only when all other levers to boost staffing levels have been exhausted. About 60% of the apple crop remains to be picked. The region has also experienced a movement of 1400 locals off the dole and into employment over the past three months and another 375 workers placed into the horticultural sector. The kiwifruit shortage comes only a month after the industry tried to prevent a repeat of last year’s labour crisis. Launched for the first time through NZ Kiwifruit Growers, the

WITH SunGold kiwifruit orchard values creeping up over the million dollars a hectare mark bare land conversion might be a more viable option for investors, MyFarm investment research head Con Williams says. He believes the sector is fast reaching the top end of its valuation peak, following record sale prices with some orchards fetching more than $1m a hectare. Only three years ago planted land was fetching $525,000-$625,000 a hectare for SunGold and $350,000$375,000/ha for Green orchards. Williams has compared three scenarios – outright purchase of a SunGold orchard for $1.2m a hectare, conversion of a Green to SunGold orchard by grafting at $863,000/ha and bare land development at $720,000/ha. “There is an availability of land for conversion there and that is helped by SunGold being quite capable of being grown beyond the traditional areas around Te Puke where Green is favoured.” The growth in knowledge gained about growing gold fruit in recent years has also expanded the ability of

EXPAND: SunGold kiwifruit allows growers to move into new areas, MyFarm investment research head Con Williams says.

growers to push into newer cropping areas. They can include more eastern parts of Bay of Plenty, Gisborne and some parts of the upper South Island. Williams’ calculations found the bare land conversion can deliver an after-tax return of 8.8% compared to 6.4% from buying an existing SunGold orchard and 7.7% for a Green to SunGold conversion. The analysis was based on developing and selling the

orchard after 10 years. He cautioned the calculations are based on the development margin being tax-free. No allowance for a capital gains tax was made. “And the devil would be in the detail about this and not knowing that means you cannot factor it in but it is something to be aware of.” It is likely a capital gains tax would nullify the tax advantages of a bare land conversion. The calculations for conversion include the cost of the SunGold licence, valued at about $250,000, but that might go up if enough growers are short of licensed area in a short time. He also believes the licence cost is fast approaching its maximum realistic value. “The orchards are close to their peak in terms of their risk and return relationship.” He believes much of the value comes back to where growers see the medium-term price prospects for SunGold fruit, which he put at $9 a tray in years 1-5, moving to $8.50 a tray in years 6-10. “I think it is a case that it will not move any higher. It is just a case of how much it may move down.” Williams acknowledged the bird in the hand worth two in

the bush argument, where an operating orchard generates income straight away. “But the differential in returns in this case starts to look much more attractive and would account for the additional risks faced with bare land development.” Kiwifruit represents a viable land use change in an environment where regional council constraints on intensification can make other options less likely. “But you do still tend to be somewhat limited in terms of where you can grow the crop.” He acknowledged the potential exists for the likes of dairy farmers to use some land for kiwifruit conversion. Bayleys Te Puke agent Snow Williams agreed bare land conversion to SunGold kiwifruit holds appeal but the challenge is finding the bare land to begin with. “Not a lot of bare land comes up. “A lot of the bigger players have gone to Gisborne or Hawke’s Bay, even Edgecumbe here in Bay of Plenty is proving to have pockets of good land.” Bare land conversion could also hold appeal for existing landowners wanting to convert part of their property to kiwifruit.

News

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – April 15, 2019

Pests win ahead of environment Annette Scott annette.scott@globalhq.co.nz PESTS will be the winners and the environment the loser under the new firearms law that takes effect from April 12, Federated Farmers rural security spokesman Miles Anderson says. The new Arms Amendment Bill, which outlaws military-style semi-automatics, magazines and parts that can be used to assemble prohibited firearms, will inhibit some landowners from effectively doing pest control. Landowners with significant pest problems will no longer have access to one of the tools they need to effectively manage their land and, instead, will have to rely on contractors who are unlikely to be available when required. “The Government has failed to deliver on its commitment to farmers and other major landowners that they would continue to have access to the firearms they need for effective animal pest control,” Anderson

said. “Pests don’t wait around for contractors to turn up. “We are disappointed exemption wasn’t given to what we asked for in some respects but we will work with police and the Government on the firearms reform and surrendering of weapons as the Arms Amendment Bill becomes law.” Anderson said controlling large pest species populations such as wallabies, feral goats, pigs, deer and tahr is a big part of farming, more so in the high country. “Without effective control in such areas there’s likely to be a ripple-on effect and we will find these pest species spreading and becoming a problem down country. “These farmers at the moment are essentially giving the rest of the country protection from many pest species but that will become more of a challenge.” He wondered why contractors but not farmers can be approved to use the banned military-style semi-automatic assault rifles.

“That’s the million-dollar question and we will be working on that.” Anderson said Federated Farmers recognises the law has to change. “It’s just the whole select committee has shown both a lack of trust and a complete lack of understanding of the needs of the rural sector on this issue. “We have publicly backed the Government on this important issue from day one, based on the need to both protect public safety and ensure continuing access to the appropriate firearms for those who have demonstrated a genuine need. “There are five million hectares of privately owned high and hill country in New Zealand. “What these landowners have been left with is the equivalent of painting the Auckland harbour bridge with a toothbrush.” The select committee considers Conservation Department and regional council staff can be trusted with the firearms but a

LET DOWN: Farmers have co-operated with the Government but have been penalised in the new gun law, Federated Farmers rural security spokesman Miles Anderson says.

small number of carefully vetted private landowners cannot, Anderson said. “Farmers are being told to use contractors instead of doing it themselves. Where are these contractors going to come from? “Will they be available at 10pm on a frozen winter’s night to shoot wallabies off a forage crop? “It is completely illogical and Feds will continue to advocate that rural landowners who can display a genuine need to use

these firearms as part of their business should be eligible to apply for an exemption, just like any other professional firearms user in the Bill.” Anderson acknowledged the urgency and public pressure surrounding the law reform. “It was a difficult task for the Government to give fair consideration to all aspects of when and why firearms are needed in rural NZ. “None of the changes we seek undermine public safety. “We are very pleased that farmers and those who undertake pest control on farms are still going to have access to semiautomatic rimfire rifles, such as the .22 long rifle, and semiautomatic shotguns with limited magazine capacity. “These firearms are essential for the control of small, mobile pest species often found in groups such as rabbits, hares, possums and Canada geese where quick follow-up shots are important for the efficient and humane destruction of these pests.” Farmers need good, detailed information over coming months about the firearms amnesty and the implementation of the law change. Those with illegal firearms have until September 30 to give them to police. Anyone found in possession of any of the illegal firearms after that date faces up to five years in jail.

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Newsmaker

22 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – April 15, 2019

EXPERIENCE: New Landcorp chairman Warren Parker has worked in agriculture, land management, environment, conservation, biodiversity, forestry and horticulture.

Landcorp will stick to its guns There are few roles in agriculture that have eluded Warren Parker – except full-time farming, though he does live on a lifestyle block near Rotorua. Neal Wallace spoke to the new Landcorp chairman.

OW, more than ever, New Zealand agriculture needs a trailblazer, an entity with size and scope to test new systems and ventures, new Landcorp chairman Warren Parker says. He is happy for the stateowned enterprise, also known as Pamu, to be that entity given the breadth of challenges, from integrated farming systems to water and nutrient management and reducing its environmental footprint, farming faces. But it isn’t a case of Pamu providing a blueprint for others to follow. Rather, it is working alongside other farmers to find ways to integrate innovative management methods and techniques. “It is not ‘here’s Pamu and this is the way we should move’. It is more around how we can work with the best minds and the best farmers as we move to where we need to be in 2030, 2040 and 2050,” he says. Sheep and deer milking and regenerative farming are examples where Parker says Pamu has been leading and the next challenge is how to scale up those industries. Pamu’s business is 70% core farming, 20% added-value and 10% transformation to new farming systems and ventures. Parker’s appointment earlier this year nearly completes a career that has all-but gone a full circle. As a schoolboy he milked cows and built fences and after leaving school worked in a shearing gang

and for an agricultural contractor. What followed was a long and distinguished academic career where he became professor of agricultural and horticultural systems at Massey University and later its head of agribusiness and resource management. A career change in 1998 after 18 years saw Parker appointed manager of AgResearch’s beef and dairy division with responsibility for 220 scientific and technical staff. After two years he was appointed chief operating officer, looking after AgResearch’s science capability, including a $100 million budget and 670 staff. A period working overseas followed, running the Institute of Molecular Biosciences, a spin-off from the University of Queensland, before returning home to run Landcare Research for six years. Then he moved to running Scion, the forest research organisation. Parker is also a former chairman of the NZ Conservation Authority, on the board of Predator Free NZ and sits of the boards of Farmlands Co-operative and Quayside Holdings. “In a sense I have been fortunate to work across agriculture, land management, environment, conservation, biodiversity as well as forestry. “I’ve had some engagement with horticulture as well so I have been pretty much across all land use in agriculture.” Parker says throughout his

career he has tried to stay connected to farmers and ensure science and technology stayed relevant, helping them make decisions today that will shape tomorrow. Farming for tomorrow is at the heart of Pamu’s strategy and a major focus is addressing the biological side of the business, specifically greenhouse gas emissions and farming within resource limits.

I’m very confident in the strategy and the direction we are taking with our core farming. Warren Parker Landcorp

That means addressing issues is the bigger picture facing agriculture – its social licence to farm. Public perception of agriculture is being shaped by the growing influence of social media. As much as farmers might not like it, those perceptions influence decisions being made today, which will direct where the industry wants to be in five or 10 years. Farmers do a good job of caring for ecosystems with riparian planting and setting aside wetlands but carbon farming by

planting trees could be a source of income while also offsetting emissions and further enhancing water quality and biodiversity. It is an area of focus at Pamu. In addition to finding new products, Pamu is also striving to add value to its products by working with processors to meet their supply specifications and earn premiums. “I’m very confident in the strategy and the direction we are taking with our core farming, appetency to extract more value by providing product to specification and verifiable authenticity.” Pamu has been criticised for including some of farming’s most vocal critics on advisory boards, a move Parker supports saying it is a deliberate tactic to hear differing opinions. “We don’t have to respond but we create an opportunity for them to voice their views. “But how we adapt to that on farm, we only do so profitably and at the same time environmentally responsibly.” However, Parker is not satisfied with Pamu’s financial performance saying last year’s 3% return on assets must improve and he wants to see returns meet the weighted cost of capital. Mid-year results were ahead of budget and indicate earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation (EBITA) of between $38m and $52m. To improve that financial result will be challenging, he warned, given asset valuation is underpinned by high land prices

and the sector’s traditional low cash returns. “Those days for dairying are coming to an end. “You can’t keep pumping asset values when milk returns are stable or rising slowly.” Pamu has also been criticised for making a submission to the Tax Working Group advocating a capital gains tax. Parker says it advocates the principles of a sound tax system and has broad community support. “People tried to use it for pointsscoring but it was thoughtful given the challenges in front of agriculture and taxation, to incentivise and encourage the right behaviour and allocation of capital.” A measure of Pamu’s success will be having the wider industry adopt some of its transformational farming systems – sheep milking scaled up to be a reasonable size business, returns from core business meeting the weighted average cost of capital and staff growing in capability and contributing to the wider community. A further sign of success will be Pamu being admired and respected by the wider community who view it as an iconic NZ company. “NZ is going through an exciting period which Pamu is embracing and using the opportunity to do better and continuing to back farming while also exploring technology and systems which other farmers are not able to do.”

New thinking

THE NZ FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – April 15, 2019

Gut health at heart of biotech success Chinese consumers’ understanding of the brain-gut health axis is paying dividends for Hamilton biotech firm Quantec following the launch of an award-winning nutrition drink. Co-founder Dr Rod Claycomb and chief executive Raewyn McPhillips spoke to Richard Rennie about the exciting potential of some of the company’s patented ingredients.

recognised for their ability UANTEC took out to enhance brain health and this year’s supreme cognitive development in early award from the childhood. natural health If the formulation was not products industry challenging enough the company for the second time in as many years, making it the only company also had to negotiate complex Chinese product claim laws. to do so. “Products that fall into the It is a reflection of the recent health supplements area have a success the company has enjoyed number of exacting claims they following the launch of its milk are allowed to put on packaging protein and flax seed oil drink in and you have an approval process the Chinese market. to achieve that,” company founder Chief executive Raewyn Dr Rod Claycomb said. McPhillips said the award was “Instead, we have marketed hard-earned with a product this as a flax seed oil and protein posing significant technical drink. challenges. “We have been careful to stay It took the combined the away from any claims about expertise of seven companies to enhancing brain health. see it finally make the shelf in “We had to find something China. that resonates with Chinese Everything from packaging, consumers and this is a product which is a state-of-the-art, for both brains, as the Chinese high-value squeeze container, view the gut as the second to the tricky science behind brain.” combining an oil (flax seed) with Company staff are excited an aqueous milk protein took the about the potential the product development to a new level in SUCCESS: The Quantec management team with their natural products supreme award are, back from left, Cici Zhao, Dr has in other variations, possibly terms of complexity. Colin Ogle and Dr Katharine Adam with, front, Dr Rod Claycomb and Raewyn McPhillips. including hemp oil instead of The product also contains flax seed oil, with hemp seed patented milk protein-derivative microbiome is another area only containing elevated Omega 6 fatty acids known to help with heart IDP, which is the foundation of just starting to be explored as health. a number of Quantec products understanding of the collective Equally, opportunities exist made in recent years. This is an area microbes in humans grows. to develop markets for the IDP provides a barrier where all global animal Quantec research has revealed proprietary product IDP. in a cow’s mammary health companies are IDP has strong anti-microbial Ten years into its development gland, helping protect activity that is highly selective in the holy grail against pathogenic making a non-antibiotic its action, targeting pathogenic remains applying infection, including treatment their number bacteria while leaving good IDP as a nonmastitis. one priority and we bacteria untouched. antibiotic treatment Quantec has managed “The next step is to see how we for mastitis in dairy to extract the compound aim to launch it in New can use this selective ability to cows. and retain its protective Zealand first. promote health in the body.” Claycomb nature so it can be The company is also being is confident a used in human health approached by other companies commercial treatments, including Rod Claycomb keen to use the compound in application will be as acne control in the Quantec a range of applications in the developed within company’s Epiology human health area. three years. range of skin care, now Claycomb agrees with the “This is an area enjoying strong sales in the world’s largest market for dictum that milk is an onion where all global Mexico. cosmetics. with multiple layers waiting to animal health IDP’s anti-bacterial It has averaged 20% year-onbe peeled off and used for many companies are activity makes it an ideal year growth for the past seven different applications. making a noncompound to put in the years and was valued at NZ$155 Of particular interest are antibiotic treatment milk drink and as an active billion in 2017. lipid profiles in milk that might their number one ingredient it fits well with “As a value-add company we lend themselves to skin-care priority and we Chinese appreciation of have to keep looking for things products. aim to launch it brain-gut health. that have not been done yet and With the rise of the middle in New Zealand Meantime, the flax carve out some novel IP to avoid classes in China and the surge first.” seed component of the the commodity hole,” Claycomb in the she-economy the Chinese The role of IDP drink brings a high level TOP PRODUCT: Quantec’s flax seed and milk protein product said. skin care market is fast becoming in the human of Omega 3 fatty acids, launched in China.

Opinion

24 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – April 15, 2019

EDITORIAL

Let’s do some clear thinking

RE we as good as we think we are or have we started believing our own propaganda? Go to any gathering of farmers or officials and some will be talking in self-congratulatory terms about how we have the best, most efficient farmers in the world. But do we or are we just kidding ourselves and continuing to live in a fool’s paradise? Well, no one thinks our farmers and others in the primary industries are fools but they do, no doubt, like hearing words they like to hear. Now we have the results of research, done both here and overseas, commissioned by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment that says we might not be quite as good as our own hype suggests. And that’s dangerous. It means we might get complacent. The report labels us as being overly cautious and hampered by a lack of scientific research that is often blocked by vested interests. That’s also dangerous. It’s like someone suggesting we keep making carts when everyone’s driving cars. The farmers’ own industry-good bodies were singled out for criticism for being unwilling to back anything that might disrupt their sector. If that’s true then that head-inthe-sand attitude is doing a disservice to the farmers who pay the pipers. And farmers themselves were labelled as being slow to adapt. It might not be surprising that farmers are reluctant to change a way of farming that gives them a living and a lifestyle they love. But the signs are evident if they don’t respond to the stick that is now prodding them it might be used to give them a whack. Everyone in the value chain from farmers to the Government including researchers, educators, industry bodies and anyone who makes a dollar clipping the ticket has to confront the issue. The issue is that tinkering probably won’t cut it when it comes to dealing with climate change, emissions, the environment and water quality, consumer demands, protectionism and general instability in markets. The big decision is to confront these issues head-on and deal with them. And they include the elephant in the room of genetic modification and editing, which has been largely ignored. If we are not to be left behind we need a farming philosophy that deals with all the issues and gives a clear direction for the future. Stephen Bell

LETTERS

He’s a man ahead of his time IN RESPONSE to Bonnie SmithJacobs’ unfounded criticism of John McCaskey. McCaskey is a member of a family who has made a significant social, economic and environmental contribution to his community and country for over 170 years. In contrast to being a whiner, McCaskey is not constrained by conventional wisdom, not afraid to hold the establishment to account and is an outside-the-square, independent, deep thinker. Of course, this is challenging to those who hide behind the establishment and swallow every shallow popular platform – plenty of that right now. McCaskey has often been ahead of his time – not always a popular place to be – an

early initiator of small-scale, efficient irrigation, pioneering the birth of the third largest, by volume, Waipara wineproducing district in New Zealand. This has been a win for the environment, the community and the economy. He was simply voicing his huge frustration after working hard for over 80 years at the lost opportunities and the legislative and bureaucratic handbrakes to achieving more wins for his community. That is sad. As one who has also spent nearly as many years trying to achieve good community outcomes against those same handbrakes I totally understand his frustration. Context is everything and you could well have done some homework before venting your ignorance of this

man who is deeply caring and loyal to his country. Winton Dalley Huruni

Gimme shelter NOT all trees are equal. Shane Jones is making a lot of noise that we all have to plant more trees to capture all this carbon. He also has a problem as to where to put these trees. This country is full of style, no life, (lifestyle) blocks that could have a lot more trees on them. The problem is that unless trees are 10 metres wide they don’t sequester any carbon. My 19-hectare block has more than 3000 trees on it in the form of single row, trimmed shelter. Many of these are approaching harvest and replanting. Do I get any carbon credits

to assist with replanting and side trimming? No, because apparently none of my trees sequester any carbon. Science has proved that 10% of land in shelter belts in dryland areas will result in increased production. Surely, if carbon credits were paid for shelter planting that covered some or all of the sidetrimming costs that would provide enough incentive to see a lot more shelter belts planted around the country. Mike Davies Darfield

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Opinion

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – April 15, 2019

Raising Kiwi red meat’s profile Andrew Morrison & John Loughlin

EW Zealand’s first-ever red meat country of origin brand, Taste Pure Nature, has launched in the United States. It’s a big moment for the red meat sector. The level of co-operation and support between Beef + Lamb NZ and processing companies is unprecedented for our sector and reflects the massive opportunity we believe this represents for NZ. To give you a taste of how big that opportunity is, since launching in California on Thursday March 21 we’ve had 162 news articles and 125.2 million potential media impressions – those are big numbers. Anecdotally, we’re also already seeing more inquiries come in to our partners in the United States about sourcing NZ’s grass-fed beef and lamb. All of that is before paid advertising kicked off on Monday March 25, which means by the time you read this those numbers will likely be even larger still. This success isn’t surprising. Since 2012 sales of grass-fed beef in the US have been doubling each year, hitting US$272 million in 2016. NZ has had a good presence in the North American market for some time, for instance, with the great work the Lamb Company has been doing. What Taste Pure Nature does is build on that work by adding a single country of origin brand underpinned by a compelling origin story that adds another valuable level of trust for our target customers – the Conscious Foodies. Getting to this point has involved a lot of work from across the sector. It’s seen farmers, B+LNZ and processing companies work

The

Pulpit

THE BRAND: The Taste Pure Nature campaign targets conscious foodies to increase their awareness of New Zealand.

together to develop an approach that is not only true to how we produce red meat but also one that resonates with consumers. There is full support for the initiative from all the processing companies. B+LNZ is launching the brand initially in the US with a couple of partners including the Lamb Company, which involves Anzco, Alliance and Silver Fern Farms, and Atkins Ranch and First Light. Angus Pure and Coastal Spring Lamb can also use the resources and we will be building on this platform. We’ve done in-depth research for two years to identify and understand our target consumers, the Conscious Foodies, to get inside their heads, get to know their values and how they influence their buying decisions, what messages influence their behaviour and the results all support the approach we’re taking. NZ is behind our competitors in this regard. Australia invests about $70m a year in its True Aussie brand while Ireland is also investing significantly in its Origin Green sustainability programme.

OCCASION: Beef + Lamb New Zealand chairman Andrew Morrison says the launch of Taste Pure Nature in California is a big moment for the red meat sector.

GET A MOVE ON: Meat Industry Association chairman John Loughlin says New Zealand is behind its competitors in getting to know its customers.

Whether it’s as farmers or processors, we all recognise what a massive opportunity this is for our sector. The conversation around red meat is changing. Consumers are demanding to know more about how their food is produced and where it comes from.

We often talk about provenance and gate-to-plate as a sector but these things are driving more and more of the buying decisions when customers are deciding what protein they’re going to buy for dinner in downtown Los Angeles and San Francisco. While each processing company will use Taste Pure Nature in its

own way as is appropriate for its own suite of brands and products, as a sector we’re united behind the concept and we’re excited to see how it will lift demand for NZ beef and lamb. This is where the hard work really starts though. Bringing Taste Pure Nature to life in market isn’t just an exercise in advertising. It involves everyone from B+LNZ, the processing companies and our farmers, all working together to make the most of this opportunity. The trust we build in our country of origin brand is only as strong as its weakest link. This is why we’re investing in initiatives such as the Farm Assurance Programme to ensure we’re good for our word that what consumers buy at restaurants and at the supermarket matches up to our advertising and aligns with their values.

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

26 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – April 15, 2019

Bad law won’t solve gun issue Alternative View

Alan Emerson

AS I’VE written, I found the Christchurch mosque attacks abhorrent. I found the subsequent actions of the New Zealand Muslim community, our Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and our emergency services impeccable. There are many questions to be answered such as why the shooter wasn’t on any radar, how he was able to get an arms licence and buy the weapons he did and how, when people expressed concerns to the police, they were ignored.

All that’s realistically been achieved is that politicians, not knowing a rifle from a trifle, can wash their clean linen in public.

I’m heartened there will be a Royal Commission to answer all those questions and I trust Andrew Little to ensure an honest and thorough job is done. That said, I’ve found all the illinformed hysteria over rifles and shotguns so far off the mark it isn’t funny. I find little in common with

either side of the argument. For a start, I see no reason for any military style semi-automatic in NZ. They are hopeless in the bush and should never have been allowed in the country. It is the same with exploding ammunition. Again, it has no practical use for hunting and why it is allowed is beyond me. I’m also aware that both politicians and police have been informed over the years about the importation of large magazines. Why didn’t they do anything? For the record, if you change the magazine you change the balance of the rifle. No serious hunter would entertain that. So, military style automatics, exploding ammunition and large magazines have all been allowed by politicians. Can I add that the police have been disingenuous in their demonstration of semi-autos in the media, giving the impression the military style rifle they were demonstrating was the norm for semi-automatics. It isn’t and it is time to be honest. In addition, the semi-automatics I saw them with are illegal now. Further, I remember around 20 years ago when the Wellington police removed arms information from their computer to free up space for traffic offences. Thirty years ago a few mates and I established a forest. It has since been milled. The block was infested with hares, possums, goats and the occasional pig. All had the ability to prevent the establishment. I bought a semi-automatic, shot more than 80 goats and several hundred hares and possums. Without it we couldn’t have established the trees. The rifle is long gone but

GUNG-HO: When police and officials tell him to jump Minister Stuart Nash asks “How high?”

without it the forest wouldn’t have been established. So now all semis will be banned, except for Remmingtons, costing over $2000, that have a sprung magazine rather than one you insert. Both hold the same amount of shells. My simple answer is to have the legal magazine permanently attached to the rifle by a licensed armourer, to the satisfaction of the authorities. It would cost peanuts compared with buying them and guarantee most existing semiautomatics don’t end up on the black market. That neither politicians nor officials have a clue what they’re talking about is evidenced by the statement that semi-auto 22s and shotguns can still be used to control pests. That might be true for a bunny on a lawn in Canterbury but elsewhere the only possible use for a .22 against a goat, pig or deer would be to throw it. About 30 years ago the government and police decided

on a whole of life licence, at great expense. Most of my friends and colleagues bought one. Then, in 1990, came Aramoana and the lifetime licence changed to one of 10 years. Many of my contemporaries felt they’d been sold a pup and refused. Almost 30 years later they still have their rifles and shotguns and no-one’s any wiser. When I first had a rifle you had a certificate for the individual rifle. It was a government, not hunters, that changed the rules. We now have a gung-ho Police Minister in Stuart Nash changing them again. The only serious question he seems to ask when his officials and the police tell him to jump is to ask how high. So, as the result of previous government policies, no-one knows who owns a semiautomatic or the type of rifle it is. There is considerable resentment among hunters about the bulldozed nature of the legislation and the Government needs their goodwill if the new law

is to be successful. Winston Peter’s threat about those keeping semi-automatics being punished with the full rigour of the law is empty. Police don’t have the resources and have other priorities. For those reasons alone the proposed law won’t work. The status quo will continue. All that’s realistically been achieved is that politicians, not knowing a rifle from a trifle, can wash their clean linen in public. Finally, rushed legislation is bad legislation compounded by the fact the Government admitted MPs won’t have time to read all the submissions and will rely on officials. That’s not democracy as I understand it. It’s sound and fury signifying nothing.

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

Relic hunter hoards bits of foreign lands fencing wire. Bones are carefully scrutinised in case they are human but, so far, have all been from the ubiquitous sheep. However, I do have my little Steve box of treasurers gleaned from Wyn-Harris foreign lands, which my heirs will no doubt fail to appreciate. Three Burmese pottery opium pipes came from a long-ago visit to a small village near the ruined city of Pagan. They were dug up by farmers tilling the LAST week I mused on modern soils around the old temples and China and our relationship willingly swapped for my t-shirt with it and now I’m thinking and some pens. Kublai Khan’s of ancient China on account grandson had swept down of a wonderful visit to Te Papa the Irrawaddy River in 1283 to see the Terracotta Warriors and sacked this beautiful city, exhibition before it finishes at resulting in the disintegration of Easter. the Pagan Empire. I was no great scholar at Returning through Sydney school but I did like and dressed as a hippy, the pipes was good at history. I even caused me an interrogation and considered going to Durham thorough search by customs University in the north of because the official reckoned England to study archaeology he could smell they’d been used but chickened out and went to and I was stupid enough to Lincoln instead. say he must have a good nose But, whenever digging a hole because not for some 800 years. for a fence post or scratching Several rounded stones used around in the dirt, I’ll get as slingshots in a long-forgotten distracted by little finds that battle several thousand years usually end up as old nails or

From the Ridge

ago near Stonehenge in Wiltshire were found in my great uncle’s garden. A few Roman coins were bought off a fellow with a metal detector on the riverbed of the Thames. And some shards of pottery came from my Mexican host’s house site preparation. I was there a few years ago to speak to their sheep conference. Hector lives just a stone’s throw from the great pyramid of Cholula, which is the biggest in the world and was constructed by the Toltecs, who preceded the Aztecs some 2300 years ago. And here in my office on the other side of the Pacific and two millennia later, I have some pieces of one of their cooking pots still with paint on them. However, lets return to those patient terracotta figures standing in their glass case in Te Papa. They have learnt the art of patience as they stood guard over their dead emperor for more than 2200 years before being rediscovered. Qin Shi Huang was the first emperor of

a unified China but his dynasty didn’t survive very long after he was entombed with his warriors and countless other items to take him into the afterlife. Some peasants digging a well for water in 1974 found the warriors and to date 3000 have been excavated from a likely 8000. And here were eight of these warriors and two horses just on the other side of the glass. One was actually a civil servant because it seems even the dead need bureaucrats, two were archers with one crouching and the other pulling his bow, two chunky generals and the other three soldiers of varying ranks. It is said that no two faces are alike and many were modelled on living humans of the time. So, it was very cool viewing all the exhibits and to spend a great deal of time gazing at these faces from the distant past.

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

ON DISPLAY: One of the terracotta warriors at Te Papa.

Opinion

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – April 15, 2019

California launch for Kiwi brand Meaty Matters

Allan Barber

AFTER more than a year’s thorough research and careful planning the New Zealand red meat sector’s country of origin brand Taste Pure Nature has been launched in the chosen test market of California. Initial plans were to introduce the brand to three key development markets, California, New York and Shanghai but Beef + Lamb market development general manager Nick Beeby decided it is important to use one as a pilot to get it right before broadening the focus. California was chosen as the market with the greatest awareness of grass-fed meat and a high proportion of Conscious Foodies, the prime target consumer group identified by research. There is a lot riding on the programme and scarce resources must be invested carefully to achieve the maximum positive impact. Working towards this muchanticipated launch B+LNZ has had huge support and input from both meat exporters and farmers. It is working deliberately with three meat exporting and marketing companies already

heavily involved in selling red meat to retail and food service customers in California: First Light, Atkins Ranch and The Lamb Company whose shareholders are Alliance, Anzco and Silver Fern Farms. Because of the low awareness of NZ red meat, particularly beef, it is considered very important to launch in a market where the product is readily available. As Beeby says, NZ is not even on the radar yet so the programme has three main objectives: to increase awareness, promote customer preference and tell consumers where to buy the product. To achieve these goals a digital strategy works best, providing a cost-effective option of marketing to the identified Conscious Foodie target group in a specific radius of a retail outlet where NZ grass-fed beef and lamb are available. When consumers enter the supermarket they will be able to find NZ products under the individual Lamb Company, Atkins Ranch and First Light brands. The Taste Pure Nature campaign will support the company brands. The launch to Californian retail partners went extremely well in the last week of March, producing more than 160 articles about Taste Pure Nature and potentially 125 million media impressions. The rolling multi-media release strategy comprises a fiveminute video of interviews with Conscious Foodies and 30-second commercials promoting the naturally raised and grass-fed properties of NZ beef and lamb.

The interviews provide a fascinating snapshot of the extent of both the challenge and opportunity for Taste Pure Nature. Reaching the target consumers in a market as competitive and crowded as California demands a totally focused media strategy supported by visible product availability and quality that meets or exceeds consumers’ expectations. From the opportunity perspective the Conscious Foodies are numerous and divide into two groups – taste-driven and healthseeking – both receptive to the same message about the benefits of a grass-fed and naturally raised product. Exporters are very positive about the way B+LNZ has developed Taste Pure Nature, listening carefully to concerns about crossovers with company brands and to feedback about individual market and brand strategies. Anzco sales and marketing general manager Rick Walker emphasises the need to be completely aligned with company brands while taking account of commercial realities such as the appropriate level of investment in relation to the budget and target markets. Walker sees the programme launch in Shanghai as the next priority but not until California has developed to the point where it can run as business as usual. The United States, while highly competitive and resource hungry, is a much more stable market than China, which is dynamic and

UNIQUE SELLING POINT: Taste Pure Natural will help sell New Zealand Wagyu meat, the world’s only all grass-fed Wagyu, to Californians.

Exporters are very positive about the way B+LNZ has developed Taste Pure Nature.

likely to change constantly before it settles down. However, the massive growth potential for red meat in China illustrates the chance to leverage the Taste Pure Nature brand when the time is right. And there are other market priorities for meat exporters but they might not be appropriate for the origin story. First Light founder Jason Ross sees the brand as very positive, citing the success Australia has had with its Aussie Beef programme. He agrees California is the right place to start despite huge competition from all types of protein and different sources of supply. First Light has been trying to raise awareness of high-quality, grass-fed beef with Californians for 15 years and can see only benefits from Taste Pure Nature, which was developed in a practical way, ensuring tight

alignment of both generic and company messages. First Light, as the only 100% grass-fed producer of Wagyu in the world, is a great example of benefiting from an aspirational approach to the market. Ross says the company has the advantage of flexibility because it has no processing facilities and farmers from Kaitaia to Bluff supply product under all conditions and soil types. Any farmer could elect to take a similar, singleminded approach and reap similar benefits. But for Ross the essential component of a successful campaign to lift the market value of NZ’s red meat supply is investment in a country of origin brand to provide the umbrella under which companies can operate. Taste Pure Nature, with its link to the Farm Assurance Programme, promises to be the catalyst that will lift the quality and value of all NZ’s prime beef and lamb.

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

Whistling in dark while barking up wrong tree Trade Wars

Nigel Stirling

PRIME Minister Jacinda Ardern has found a new way for New Zealand’s trade negotiators to bang their heads against a brick wall as they struggle to make any headway at all in talks to upgrade the 2008 free-trade deal with China. Ardern returned from her first trip to China as PM last month with no breakthrough and nothing more than an agreement for both sides to keep talking. No date was set to conclude the talks that have already been going for three years. The writing was on the wall at the PM’s weekly media conference the day before she left for Beijing. Ardern said the trade focus of her trip would be barriers to

exports where there was not already a phased reduction in tariffs allowed for in the agreement. In case anyone was in any doubt – and the dairy industry certainly wasn’t – that meant the Government has given up pushing for the early removal of safeguards slicing $100m a year off NZ dairy export returns. The safeguards trigger tariffs when dairy imports from NZ exceed volumes agreed to by both sides in the original agreement. In retrospect, the volumes were set far too low given the subsequent explosion in Chinese demand for imported dairy products that followed and the tariffs have been triggered earlier and earlier with each passing year. However, they are due to expire in 2022 and 2024 and the Government appears happy to run the clock down. Instead, the PM, in her press conference, highlighted paper and processed wood as areas where NZ negotiators might now use their time more productively. The processed wood industry has long complained about China

favouring its own processors by taxing processed wood imports at a higher rate than imported logs. Furthermore, the Chinese government refunds tax paid by its processors at a higher rate again when they export their products in what arguably amounts to an illegal export subsidy.

No date was set to conclude the talks that have already been going for three years.

The PM’s words will have gone down well with the Government’s union backers, who have long argued more should be done to move NZ away from exporting raw logs and towards further processing. However, the reality is that disputes over illegal export subsidies are almost exclusively dealt with through the World Trade Organisation dispute

settlement panels and not in trade talks between two countries. China is unlikely to dismantle its system of subsidies for the benefit of all countries just because NZ asks it to. It would be different if NZ were the United States and had serious economic clout backing its demands for the subsidies to be dropped but it isn’t and China won’t. Perhaps the PM had the tariffs on wood products, which also continue to irk the NZ industry, on her mind when she made her press conference comments. It appears Ardern is barking up the wrong pinus radiata there too. That’s because China told Canada in the 1990s it will not scrap the tariffs on imported wood products for one country without scrapping them for all countries. That legal undertaking by Beijing was part of the price for the North American wood giant’s backing of China’s accession to the WTO a few years later. That is why wood products were the only items NZ negotiators were unable to get tariff reductions for from their Chinese

counterparts in the original 2008 deal. So, what is left to be gained for NZ exporters from the upgrade? Streamlining rules for exporters selling to China through the country’s e-commerce sites remains on the table, as does reducing rules of origin documentation exporters fill out to qualify for the FTA’s tariff reductions. But these are rats and mice compared to the real value NZ saw when it set about negotiating an upgrade three years ago. Back then, former Prime Minister John Key refused to begin the negotiation unless the dairy safeguards were included. But back then NZ had a less hard-line stance on the areas of interest to China – further liberalisation of this country’s foreign investment and immigration restrictions. These are no-go areas for Ardern and her ministers and have left NZ’s negotiators whistling in the dark as they mark time till the negotiations wind down to their inevitably disappointing conclusion.

On Farm Story

28 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – April 15, 2019

Diversity makes a sound business Glen Eden farm is a busy place. Mark and Susannah Guscott, the owners of the South Wairarapa property, have fingers in multiple pies and for good measure are about to open tourist accommodation. Neal Wallace spoke to Mark Guscott.

ISCUSSION groups visiting the Guscott family’s Glen Eden farm near Carterton comment on the complexity of the business. But Mark and Susannah don’t see it that way. Certainly, there is plenty happening but Mark says once you get your head around the various elements it is not daunting. The 800ha flat and hill country South Wairarapa property is a mix of breeding, finishing and cropping of cereal, feed and small seeds that knits together. Adding to that mix is newly built tourist accommodation. The various constituents of the business have, in part, come out of necessity for a young couple taking over a family farm but is increasingly about seizing opportunities. Mark and Susannah met at Lincoln University in the late 1990s and as a return to the family farm was becoming a serious option, Mark’s parents Philip and Jo realised the original 200ha home block was not financially viable. Guscott senior had off-farm employment as a consultant, which included advising on farm succession, and had started to prepare for farm succession in 1999-2000 by buying a neighbouring 400ha block. Another 200ha was added in 2005-06 a year after Mark and Susannah took over the farm. Mark had spent several years in banking and travelling while Susannah worked as an environmental planner at various councils. The succession model ticked key boxes. The business had relatively low debt, Philip continued to work off the farm, they had some off-farm investments and plantation forests provided Mark’s two sisters with their share of the business.

“Mum and dad did a lot of thinking about planning for the long term and realised the farm was never big enough when it was 200ha. To make things work we needed decent scale.” There was also a very personal reason for making succession work. Mark is the sixth European generation of Guscotts to farm Glen Eden but his heritage goes back further with Maori ancestors living on the land and in the immediate area before European settlement. “People ask ‘how long have we been on this land?’ and I say 500 years, maybe more, I’m not sure.” The farm they took over in 2004 was basically a sheep and beef breeding unit, aided by a newly installed centre pivot irrigator. But a poor season in 2006-07 made them re-evaluate their business. They were leasing land for a neighbour to crop and because Mark knew very little about cropping he started paying close attention. “I liked the look of it. It was a better fit for our water and soil and I didn’t want to go dairying although I had the opportunity.” The cropping side of the business grew and today he has 160ha planted, a mix of maize, wheat, barley, squash, clover and grass seed and specialty crops depending on contracts. He employs contractors for the cropping work because gearing up would cost $2 million and the employment of another full-time worker. He owns only a spray unit and fertiliser spreader but has several nearby contractors who share in the cropping work. About half the cropping area is on irrigated river silt country and the rest dryland. Maize yields about 14 tonnes a hectare, spring wheat eight tonnes and spring barley up to eight tonnes. They now have 150ha under irrigation.

LOOKING DOWN: Glen Eden in South Wairarapa from the air.

ENVIRONMENTALISTS: The Guscotts have fenced waterways and wetlands, planted trees and set aside a 20ha QEII covenanted block of native bush. Photos: Pete Nikolaison

The Guscotts run 1600 Romney ewes and are increasing Angus cow numbers to 150. They are mated to Wagyu bulls with calves sold as weaners to finishers at just over 200kg. Replacement hoggets and heifers are bought in. Trading stock is a significant part of the business with 11,000 lambs finished and 200 Friesian bulls raised each year. While keeping tabs on the various strands was challenging, the mix of income was attractive. “I like the diversity, it appeals to me but risk management is a big part of it.” All farming entails risk and Mark says while cropping has inherent risks so does sheep farming so he tries to balance his exposure. A key to managing that diverse

portfolio is staff and he has hadthree exceptionally talented livestock managers with Dan Hansen the latest. They also employ a part-time worker, Mike Morrison, which frees up Mark to manage the business, the crops and buying store stock for finishing. “They (livestock managers) have all been really good. I’ve learnt a lot from them.” The lambs are supplied to Atkins Ranch (Progressive Meats) all year round, which means he will be running about 4500 lambs in June. He is part of an Atkins Ranch producer group and usually sources most of his lambs from three regular breeders. If that doesn’t work or he needs more, he will go on the open market. As an Atkins Ranch supplier

Mark commits to supply a set number of lambs each year, for which he receives a bonus payment. Typically, he sells lambs at about 50kg all year round. They are finished on pasture and crop stubble when available. November tends to be the crunch month for feed and space and Mark can sell store lambs to ease pressure This is the second year they have used Wagyu bulls over their cows in a contract with First

DIVERSE BUSINESS: Squash and maize are two of the ventures on Glen Eden. They also grow cereals and finish lambs and bulls and breed Wagyu-cross weaners.

On Farm Story

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – April 15, 2019

I like the diversity, it appeals to me. Mark Guscott Farmer

THE BOSS: Mark Guscott, who with wife Susannah, owns Glen Eden near Carterton in the South Wairarapa.

Light Foods, selling calves as weaners. “They are less flexible than lambs and our climate does not let us finish cattle too well.” Being a high-value product, they have to jump through a few more hoops and while calves tend to be slow growers it is proving to be financially rewarding. They also buy yearling Friesian bulls at over 200kg in April-May and sell them at 400kg around Christmas. Any that don’t make the cut are kept for a second winter and killed at 650kg. “This is really flexible. If the weather goes against us we can sell them or if we have a good year we can buy more.” The lack of suitable country for adult cattle requires the cows to

be sent to a neighbour for winter grazing but that frees up room for the retained bulls to be lightly stocked at four or five a paddock on hill country. Mark now has options to optimise the season or markets. “I have lots of levers to pull to balance supply and demand,” he says. That diversity is paying dividends. Six years after taking over the farm its earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) have grown 30%. Gross income is now about $1800/ha compared to about $800/ha a decade ago. Enhancing the environment has been a priority. Soon after taking over the farm they fenced a 20ha block of virgin

native bush, which is now under a QEII covenant. They have also fenced a 4ha wetland and plan to do the same to another 4ha wetland. The farm’s 3km boundary with the Ruamahanga River is also fenced. They are part of the Ponatahi Eco Zone, a group of neighbours who collectively do environmental projects around their district. “It is the right thing to do.” A farm environment plan is a standard document on Glen Eden and rather than being onerous compliance Mark regards it as common sense. “It is kind of normal around here.” Iterations of the plans go back several generations to address hill country erosion but since 2011

TOURIST VENTURE: The Guscotts are developing tourist accommodation on Glen Eden.

have been done in conjunction with Wellington Regional Council. The council provides a map highlighting soil types from which stock and farm management decisions can be made. “A lot of it is common sense. It really puts on paper what farmers already know about their farms. “It is just recommending best practice. It doesn’t tell people how to farm or what they should run.” As an example, the plans highlight wet areas unsuitable for wintering cattle and conversely stony areas where they can be run. The plans also help riparian planting decisions and can help environmental projects qualify for council assistance, with culverts for example. Each year a council

environmental manager meets Mark to discuss and update planting programmes or changes needed. “It’s not a big deal.” One change he would like is for his farm environment plan to comply with farm plans required by processors though Atkins Ranch and First Light have their own compliance and audit requirements. As the volume of verifiable compliance increases, streamlining the number of plans and documentation would be a huge benefit though it could be difficult to implement. “It would be great if one-size fitted all and you could spend one day a year going through it. But every market is different and every farmer is different.” The Guscotts are now going into tourism, telling tourists their story and sharing their love of Glen Eden and Wairarapa. Construction of a high-end lodge is nearing completion on a hill off a road that runs through the farm beside the QEII bush. The project is overseen by Susannah and will let visitors walk through the bush while enjoying a vista that includes Lake Wairarapa and the South Island. Guests can visit restaurants in Martinborough, a 10-minute drive, or local vineyards. Attention is also turning to preparing the farm should any of their children, Olivia, 12, Annabelle, 10, or Ben, 7, want to become the seventh generation to farm Glen Eden.

>> Video link: bit.ly/OFSguscott

VARIETY: Glen Eden is a mix of hill country, dryland and irrigated flats.

World

30 THE NZ FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – April 15, 2019

Brexit compounds milk oversupply MAINLAND Britain could be swamped with Irish milk in the event of a no-deal Brexit, the prospect of which was delayed last week with a possible extension to October 31. But concerns have already been raised over the processing capacity of the United Kingdom to deal with this year’s spring flush, as the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board warns British milk production could hit a 29-year high. Though the mainland is already awash with milk it would also have to cope with milk from Northern Ireland in the event of a no-deal Brexit because all the Irish milk processing is done in the south, in the Republic of Ireland. So Brexit uncertainty is adding to concerns with questions over whether mainland Britain would need to find extra capacity to process Northern Irish milk, as well as uncertainties over what will happen with exports. With farmers short of forage because of weather conditions last year, many fed more concentrates

over winter, boosting milk yields. AHDB market specialists head Chris Gooderham said “Cows are in really good condition and are milking extremely well.” And good weather means many farmers have turned cows out earlier than usual.

The worry of course is whether we have enough capacity to keep going through the spring flush.

“The worry of course is whether we have enough capacity to keep going through the spring flush,” he said. “We have not been used to that much volume. “We have had a few dairy expansions which will help but we have also had some closures. “With all the things around Brexit there is a risk the Northern

Irish milk, which currently goes to Southern Ireland to be processed, could come to mainland GB. “If there is a tariff going south then there is another risk the volumes could be higher in GB.” Dairy analyst Chris Walkland said there is simply too much milk. “It is putting markets under negative pressure. It is as simple as that. “Some companies are telling their suppliers if you can get another buyer then go. “They simply do not want that milk,” he said. “What is making it worse is Brexit affecting sentiment on trade.” National Farmers Union dairy board chairman Michael Oakes said he believes the real issue is whether the UK can maintain its relationship with Europe. “Looking at production in the rest of Europe, actually our overproduction is matched by their underproduction,” he said. “We have an issue if we fall out of Europe. Additional production will SLOW DOWN: British cows are producing too much milk and the problem add to that.” could be compounded it Brexit means Northern Irish milk has to go to the UK Farmers Guardian mainland instead of to the Irish Republic.

UK demand pushes lamb prices up Europe gives Britain third-country status LAMB prices in Britain last week hit their highest levels since last July and are expected to keep rising because of seasonal demand despite an increase in throughputs. Buyers have swung into action to meet increased demand from consumers during the Easter weekend and the Islamic month of Ramadan, which begins in early May, when lamb dishes are a popular end to the daylight fasting hours. Average live weight lamb prices have jumped around 17p/kg in the past three weeks, putting an extra £7/head on a 40kg animal, but remain well below the recordbreaking values seen during the first quarter of 2018 when values peaked at over 270p/kg. Jonny Williams, senior livestock procurement officer with Scottish meat marketing co-operative Farm Stock, said he expects prices to continue to rise over the next two weeks but they could come under pressure afterwards from plentiful supplies of new season lambs. He advised farmers selecting lambs for slaughter that increased Easter consumption is predominantly supermarketdriven, which favours in-spec lambs around 20kg dead weight but leaner or overweight lambs will be more in demand in the next few weeks. However, prices are not expected to return to the heights of last year despite an estimated one million fewer lambs available for marketing this season and lower imports from New Zealand. Values have been held down this year by heavier lamb weights, Brexit uncertainty, which caused lamb finishers to hedge their bets by selling greater numbers earlier in the season, and lower demand because of Easter being late.

HUNGRY: The Easter trade and Ramadan are pushing up demand for lamb in Britain.

Last year’s prolonged wintry weather also dramatically slowed the growth rates of early-born, new season lambs, which would have been targeted at the Easter market and further increased demand for the remaining old season hoggets.

Prices were good last year but costs meant it was an average-to poorseason.

Good weather since the turn of the year is helping early lamb producers bring lambs to market more swiftly than last year at a lower cost. Williams expects lamb development to be three weeks ahead of last year, meaning good

output across the country by the end of May. Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board auction market data shows 3230 new season lambs were sold at markets last Monday compared with 2499 on the equivalent market day last year. Whitby beef and sheep farmer William Barker has seen significantly improved growth rates from his January-born lambs this year after the warm February weather boosted their performance. Though sale prices were higher last year increased costs from buying in extra feed and more mastitis trouble with the ewes had taken their toll. “Prices were good last year but costs meant it was an average-to poor-season,” he said, adding improved grass growth this year means he has already stopped feeding ewes. UK Farmers Weekly

BRITAIN has been granted third-country status by the European Union, allowing the trade of live animals and animal products with the continent to continue in the event of a nodeal Brexit. Approval was awarded to the United Kingdom after it passed European animal health and biosecurity standards, which will come as reassuring news for farm businesses. Food and Animal Welfare Minister David Rutley said “This is good news for UK businesses. “It demonstrates our very high standards of biosecurity and animal health, which we will continue to maintain after we leave the EU. “If you or your business import or export animal and animal products or import high-risk food then I urge you to visit our guidance pages on gov.uk for what you need to do to be ready to continue to trade post Brexit. “Our top priority remains delivering a negotiated deal but it is the job of a responsible government to ensure we are prepared for all scenarios, including no deal.” Third party status, also known as national listed status, is the EU classification for non-member states to export into the single market and requires high standards on biosecurity, animal health and food hygiene. Exports of animals and animal products will still be required to go through an EU inspection post. If the UK comes to an

agreement with the EU then no rules will change until the end of any transitional period. UK importers of live animals, germinal products and certain animal products will continue to have access to the Trade Control and Expert System (Traces) until later this year. Both the National Sheep Association and National Farmers Union Scotland welcomed the announcement but reaffirmed their opposition to a no-deal Brexit. “While not surprising, it’s positive that the European Union has agreed to approve third-country listing for the UK in the event of a no-deal Brexit but people need to be aware that this would still come at an unacceptable cost,” NFUS president Andrew McCornick said. “This listing is necessary to allow continued exports if the UK crashed out of the EU but it does not solve the massive problems associated with a cliff-edge Brexit,” he added. Eleanor Phipps of the NSA said without the status, UK sheep meat export markets disappearing overnight would have been very damaging for the sector. “In order to utilise the now secured EU market for UK sheep meat, exporters would have to face the 40-50% tariffs to export, as NSA has previously warned. “In that context, we’re still very clear that a no-deal Brexit would not be desirable for our industry,” she said. UK Farmers Weekly

Real Estate

FARMERS WEEKLY – April 15, 2019

Huntly 577 Bain Road

farmersweekly.co.nz/realestate 0800 85 25 80

Manawatu 102 Highden Road, Palmerston North

Puketotara

One of the Waikato’s landmark rural finishing properties, this 1145ha (more or less), offers a wealth of future farming options. With its quality infrastructure, including four dwellings, and good balance of contour, the property has continually turned out well finished heavy cattle and prime lambs as well as good arable crops. The station has an effective farm area of approximately 970ha. With approximately 171 well-fenced paddocks, this intensive subdivision, supported by high quality access tracks, means the farming land is well utilised and pastures efficiently grazed. The property is approximately 47 kilometres north-west of Hamilton, an area becoming increasingly popular for its proximity to Auckland and its location within the growing Waikato region.

Thoroughbred Spelling Farm

Tender (unless sold prior) Closing 2pm, Wed 8 May 2019 96 Ulster Street, Hamilton Phone for viewing times Mike Fraser-Jones 027 475 9680 mike.fraserjones@bayleys.co.nz SUCCESS REALTY LTD, BAYLEYS, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008

bayleys.co.nz/2310402

This quiet idyllic treed setting minutes from Palmerston North is home to a 16 hectare thoroughbred horse spelling, breeding farm that enjoys fertile soils, productive pastures, established shelter & privacy on a quiet road. For people with a passion for horses, behind the electric gates the long tar-sealed driveway leads to a four bedroom executive home, twenty paddocks, and fourteen stables. The farm infrastructure is tailored for ease with a superb central race system, holding yards, round yard, large implement shed, cattle yards & has bore water supply. A proposed subdivision plan is available for 1) house and 6.3ha and 2) 10.3ha of bare land (subject to conditions). Close to Feilding sale yards for cattle trading. RV $1,850,000 (Due to be reviewed 2019)

Tender (unless sold prior) Closing 1pm, Thu 2 May 2019 176 Broadway Avenue, Palmerston North View 12-1pm Tue 16 Apr John van Lienen 027 446 4683 john.vanlienen@bayleys.co.nz MID WEST REALTY LTD, LICENSED REAA 2008

bayleys.co.nz/3051389

Ngongotaha

643 Paradise Valley Road 4

TAUMARUNUI

Tender (unless sold prior) Closing 4pm, Tue 30 Apr 2019 1092 Fenton Street, Rotorua View 1-2pm Sun 28 Apr Derek Enright 027 496 3974 derek.enright@bayleys.co.nz

27 Hakiaha Street TAUMARUNUI Office 07 895 7123

Property Brokers Limited Licensed REAA 2008

Excellence all-round

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

Plenty of options in Paradise This very productive property has multiple uses including beef, sheep, dairy support and tourism. 266ha more or less in three titles, well subdivided, tracked with water to all paddocks, three bay woolshed, five bay implement shed with lockable workshop. Used as a dairy support block typically grazing 350 R2 heifers and 350 R1 heifers through summer.

bayleys.co.nz/2450128

OPEN DAY

WEB ID TUL67448

TENDER

TAUMARUNUI 81 Pongahuru Road VIEW 17 Apr 4.30 - 5.30pm & 20 & 27 Apr 10.00 - 12.00pm TENDER closes Friday 17th May, 2019 at 4.00pm, (unless On top of a hill close to a beautiful up and coming sold prior) town is this stunning home with land. The house is only 10 years old and has been architecturally designed to make the most of the breath-taking mountain views 5 and was built with family living and entertainment in mind. There are two sheltered outdoor living areas, three indoor living spaces, four bedrooms and two 3 Katie Walker bathrooms. There is also a fifth bedroom with its own Mobile 027 757 7477 bathroom perfect for visitors or paying guests. Office 07 895 7123 Home 07 895 7112 katiew@pb.co.nz

pb.co.nz

Paparoa 280 Porter Road This property is seriously on the market to sell. It is ready for the next family to move in to the recently renovated eight bedroom home. Six sheds with 2,000 free range hens in each, producing over 3 million eggs per year. This profitable farming enterprise also comfortably carries 130 mixed aged cattle to add to the overall cash flow. As well as the free range chickens there is also approximately 140 ha available to run beef, grow trees or harvest Manuka honey.

Auction 2nd May 2019 at 12.00pm (unless sold prior) View by appointment www.harcourts.co.nz/WR33622

Wilfred Lewin M 021 239 3141 P 09 430 1000 Des Smeath M 0274 498 273 P 09 430 1000 Optimize Realty Ltd Licensed REAA Agent 2008

farmersweekly.co.nz/realestate 0800 85 25 80

Real Estate

FARMERS WEEKLY – April 15, 2019

VIEWS FOR MILES • What a find!! Awesome living on the edge of Feilding on this outstanding 43 hectare property (STFS). • Once you leave town you enter the property as the sealed driveway leads to the home that is positioned to capture all of the views. • The home has four bedrooms, two bathrooms, large living area, four car garaging and very large rumpus room. • Other facilities include stables, hayshed, workshop and woolshed with cattle yards. • The land is made up of some rolling hills and a lot of river silt flats. • Currently the property is running some dairy grazing along with cattle and sheep. • Fantastic opportunity to secure this smaller holding right on the edge of Feilding, set up to run any agricultural pursuit including dairy heifers, sheep and beef or even horses. • This is paradise and the new owners will fall in love with it as our Vendors did. • If you want to be the new owner then call Les to inspect. • For sale by Tender closing 2pm on Friday 26th April 2019 if not sold prior

LATE SEASON OPPORTUNITY

• Secure your winter grazing with this 42 hectare dairy run off situated at Mangamaire in the Tararua District. • Contour is flat to rolling with some good hay country along with the use of the adjoining railway lease. • Very good Matamau silt loam soils that are free draining. • There are gravity fed stock troughs along with a lime metal pit. • Facilities include a good hay shed and cattle yards. • Great chance to buy into a very good farming area, just 30 mins east of Palmerston North. Act now and call Les to inspect. • For sale by Tender closing 2pm on Friday 26th April 2019 if not sold prior.

• Situated in the Tararua farming district of Mangamaire is this top notch 120 hectare dairy unit with good free draining soils. • Includes a modern 34 aside dairy, haysheds & lockable workshops. • Nice three bedroom family home and a second one-bedroom unit. • Currently run as a dairy unit and would also be a great finishing or supplement property, with two thirds flat and the rest rolling. • Combined with the adjoining 85 hectares, this farm is milking 410 cows and has produced consistently. • Buy into this summer safe area with takeover to suit. Call Les. • For sale by Tender closing 2pm on Friday 26th April 2019 if not sold prior.

Sallan Realty “ARDALE”

SUPPLEMENTS OR GRAZING

• • • • •

Situated in the Mangamaire District in the Tararua is this quality flat 85 hectare property in three titles made up of flat fertile river silt soils. Good sheds including disused dairy. Lovely three bedroom villa. Currently leased to the adjoining dairy farm and very well set up. There is the option to include the Vendors’ own home which is on its own title of 1.2ha and is well appointed four bedroom brick home with established grounds and in-ground pool. • Vendors will consider splitting it up so to inspect and discuss your options call Les. • For Sale by Tender closing 2pm on Friday 26th April 2019 if not sold prior.

LK0096977©

DAIRY RUN OFF ANYONE?

LES CAIN 0274 420 582

Google ‘Sallan Realty’ Your Farm Sales Specialist

Licensed Agent REAA 2008

145 HECTARES

FOR SALE THE HUNTERS HILLS - CARBON FORESTRY OPPORTUNITY WAIMATE, South Canterbury

*Photo may contain areas not included in the sale.

LARGE SCALE BARE LAND PLANTATION AND CARBON FORESTRY

Waitahora Road, Dannevirke This versatile finishing block boasts a host of farming options, excellent balance of contour and soil types. Very good array of improvements – 4 stand wool shed, 4 bay implement shed, deer shed, 14 hectares deer fenced, reticulated spring fed water supply, superbly complimented by large attractive four bedroom homestead situated in park-like grounds. This is a very special spot, 17km from Dannevirke in the renowned Waitahora District.

Craig Boyden M: 027 443 2738 O: 06 374 4105 E: @craigb@forfarms.co.nz

This farm land is offered for sale and demands your consideration so contact CBRE today to receive the detailed Information Memorandum. LK0097179©

FOR SALE BY TENDER Viewing by appointment

www.forfarms.co.nz

ID FF2817 Property ID FF1299

LK0068450©

www.forfarms.co.nz

As part of a larger station, the Hunters Hills has been identified as being well suited to large scale carbon forest carbon forestry. The hill country rises from the North branch of the Waihao river to Mount Studholme providing a unique opportunity for an astute investor to participate in the burgeoning carbon market. The land (subject to survey) will offer a network of farm tracks, a mix of contours and potential Government funding to support the One Billion Tree program.

+ 1,300 hectares available (subject to survey) + Suitable for both plantation and carbon forestry + PrimePort Timaru less than 100km by road + Potential to seek planting contribution from One Billion Trees Fund + Carbon potential via ETS

DEADLINE TENDER Thursday 9 May 2019 at 4.00pm WYATT JOHNSTON 027 8151 303

JEREMY KEATING 021 461 210

www.cbre.co.nz/218429Q19 CBRE (Agency) Limited, Licensed Real Estate Agent (REAA 2008)

LARGE CROPPING & FINISHING UNIT Papakowhai, 420a Kahutara Road, South Wairarapa

343 hectares Video on website

nzr.nz/RX1551983

Papakowhai is an intensive cropping and stock trading / finishing property sitting on heavy alluvial silt soils (80%) and sand based soils (20%) located on the edge of Lake Wairarapa, just one hour´s drive from Wellington. The main crop recently grown has been maize grain, but the property has successfully grown maize silage, potatoes, barley, peas, and wheat. The 17/18 maize grain yield was 15 dry t/ha. 185ha of maize grain was planted last spring for May/June harvest. The livestock are mainly Friesian weaner bulls taken through one winter and trade lambs to top off the feed demand. Papakowhai has three titles and there are 320ha effective, in 80 main paddocks, with an excellent water supply. The property is well drained with two main automated systems. The huge fertiliser application history is evident with the recent soil test indicating optimal levels with pH around 6 and Olsen P levels of 30-52. To top off this prestigious property there is a spacious modern family home with five bedrooms and an office with an in-ground solar-heated pool plus an asphalt tennis court. A fully-lined sleep-out attached to the large double garage (with mezzanine storage) provides further accommodation. Down past the house and sheep yards are the main farm buildings which include a nine-bay implement shed with an attached four-stand woolshed and workshop, and cattle yards. It´s been a long time since a superior cropping farm of this scale has been marketed.

BEE KEEPING & TOURISM OPPORTUNITY 1569 Whanganui River Road, Wanganui Rarely does a property offer such a diversity of tourism strands plus being a fully functional farming and bee keeping operation. Located on the banks of the Wanganui River, this 1023 hectare property opens a huge business opportunity. Capitalise on the existing tourism traffic passing the property plus the potential to utilise the good number of deer roaming the regenerating native flora and large stands of Manuka to establish a hunting park. The ’Rivertime Lodge’, a 3 bedroom dwelling , 2 stand woolshed and an excellent track network all support the property’s farming, beekeeping and tourism operations.

1023 hectares Tender

nzr.nz/RX1833502 Tender (unless sold prior) Closes 4pm, Thu 2 May 2019. NZR, 1 Goldfinch St, Ohakune. Jamie Proude AREINZ 027 448 5162 | 06 385 4466 jamie@nzr.nz NZR Central Limited | Licensed REAA 2008

Price on application Blair Stevens AREINZ 027 527 7007 | 06 370 9199 blair@nzr.nz NZR Real Estate Limited | Licensed REAA 2008

NICELY BALANCED MIX OF COUNTRY 256 Reu Reu Road, Halcombe, Manawatu Only 24km from Feilding, this property offers a blend of country currently used for livestock finishing and cropping, with breeding and forestry potential. In-dispersed with bush covered gullies and the Waituna Stream, finishing country makes up an est. 60% of the effective, including some free draining flats. Improvements include bore water reticulated to troughs through-out, a smart four stand woolshed with lane access through a large portion and a refreshed cottage. Buses handy to both primary and secondary schooling. Currently being subdivided off a larger block, exact area subj to final survey.

291.40 hectares (sts) Video on website

nzr.nz/RX1680712

Asking Price $2,675,000 (+gst, if any) Peter Barnett AREINZ 027 482 6835 | peter@nzr.nz NZR Limited | Licensed REAA 2008

farmersweekly.co.nz/realestate 0800 85 25 80

Real Estate

FARMERS WEEKLY â&#x20AC;&#x201C; April 15, 2019

Accelerating success.

Reach more people - better results faster.

mike.heard@colliers.com

colliers.co.nz

Accelerating success.

Reach more people - better results faster.

colliers.co.nz

Real Estate

FARMERS WEEKLY – April 15, 2019

Accelerating success.

farmersweekly.co.nz/realestate 0800 85 25 80

RURAL | LIFESTYLE | RESIDENTIAL

Reach more people - better results faster.

MOHAKA, HAWKE'S BAY Here is an Investment Worth Considering

Located on the banks of the Whakatane River, Taneatua. A great spot for swimming, trout fishing and close to the Te Urewera forest for hunting. Area 60.7028ha effective area 57ha. There is an additional 14ha more or less leased support block just up the road, all set up for winter grazing, if required. Production, has achieved 97,687kg MS from 200 cows, now milking 100 cows, for convenience 1st August calving date. Contour, flat, centrally raced to 33 paddocks with strong pastures on alluvial soil type, all water from an upgraded bore supply. Farm buildings, 1970's 14 aside herringbone shed with an Alfa Laval milking plant, 180 cow yard with backing gate. 1 half round hay barn, 3 bay enclosed implement shed, 1 calf shed. Loading race is located at the milking shed. The home was built in the 1950's, four double bedrooms and open plan living all and renovated inside, in good condition, also a semi selfcontained sleepout set among mature grounds. There is a second disused home on the property in as is where is condition. Farm can be bought as a full going concern. Open days Wednesday 17 & 24 April 11.30 - 12.30

• • • • • • • •

Kiwifruit orchard - Gold and Green G3: 19.79 canopy ha, G14: 6.9 canopy ha Hayward: 10.78 canopy ha Bruno and Tomua: 1.7 canopy ha Excellent artificial and growing shelter belts Frost protection by wind machines and water Well-maintained access tracks and storage areas Accommodation and staff facilities

colliers.co.nz

A BETTER WAY OF LIFE

214 acres (86.8 hectares) of rolling countryside with potentially up to 75% in usable land and a steady natural water supply. Comes with brand new 5 bedroom plus office brick home of 245m2 and absolutely stunning rural views that culminate with a perfect view of Whitianga Harbour, taking in Round Island and carrying on through to Mercury Island. Van Gogh himself could not have painted a prettier picture! The designer kitchen features a Blue Pearl granite benchtop, built in under bench wine chiller with LED back-lighting, dual wall ovens and walk in pantry.

Whitianga Real Estate Ltd MREINZ T/A Whitianga Beach Realty Licensed under the act (REAA 2008)

AD0096847©

Currently running a few sheep and cattle and home to some high producing bee hives but begging for someone to come along and unlock its true worth. This property has the potential to be subdivided down to a few smaller blocks so may suit a family looking to go rural together (school bus stops at the end of the road) or a farmer wanting to downsize to semi-retirement. It’s hard to believe that all of this is to be had only 10 minutes drive from town. Properties like this that come without covenants are as rare as hens teeth so If this sounds like a bit of you then call today for appointment to inspect. 2 Coghill Street, Whitianga Phone 07 866 5610

PRICE BY NEGOTIATION Plus GST (if any)

VIEW By Appointment Only

Tom O'Sullivan M 027 484 4340 | B 06 872 9714 E tom.osullivan@pggwrightson.co.nz Peter Dick M 027 446 1714 | B 06 873 7706 E peterdick@pggwrightson.co.nz

pggwre.co.nz/HAS30214 PGG Wrightson Real Estate Limited, licensed under REAA 2008

Marlene Carolyn 027 6598 111 021 800 295 marlene@whitibeachrealty.co.nz carolyn@whitibeachrealty.co.nz

Helping grow the country

Employment

FARMERS WEEKLY – April 15, 2019

Assistant Manager

The farm is 180ha effecting finishing up to 450 bulls a year, and is run using a cell grazing system with many small mobs of bulls. 100kg calves are purchased in the spring and are killed from 18 months of age before their second winter.

Skills/requirements: • Excellent stockmanship • Ability to learn pasture management to a high level • Tractor driving including feeding out • Farm maintenance • Attention to detail • Be organised with your time • NZ residency • Drug free

Haldon Road, Tekapo An iconic high country station, The Grampians is located in the McKenzie Basin of South Canterbury and has been in the ownership of the same family for over 100 years. With a farming area of 20,000 hectares, The Grampians has capacity for 23,000 stock units, with further development planned. The current livestock policy includes fine wool Merino, terminal cross halfbreds, a beef breeding herd and a Merino wether flock. With the recent retirement of the current Manager, The Grampians wish to appoint a progressive and proven Farm Manager. The position will report to the Board, with regular contact with the Board Chair and Farm Adviser, but will be responsible for delivering on agreed strategies and programmes as well as managing all aspects of the farming business. The Manager will be responsible for employing and managing up to six full-time staff and is expected to continue to implement a positive and productive team environment.

The farm also runs 69ha deer farm with 250 breeding hinds.

We require

A tidy 3-bedroom house available with school buses at gate. Please apply with CV to: office@aotearoatrust.co.nz

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Salary $50,000 - $55,000 plus house.

Key attributes required include: • Financial acumen, including budgeting and reporting • The ability to develop and implement sustainable and profitable farm systems • To be able to contribute, and demonstrate farming/business initiative • Manage and lead an effective team • Provide timely reporting to the Board • Work with regulatory authorities and other external service providers

• An environment and opportunity for the successful candidate to learn, grow and take more responsibility within the role and farm operation. • A warm 3-bedroom house with phone and internet provided. • An opportunity to be a part of a very high performing system. • A favourable location only 20 minutes to Matamata and Cambridge, 40 minutes to Tauranga and Hamilton, 1 hour to Rotorua. • Location allows partner to work off farm and very good schooling for children. • Diverse range of work.

We are looking for an experienced Shepherd General to join our team. We are a deer only farm located in the Rerewhakaaitu, between Murupara and Rotorua.

If you are a progressive, forward thinking Farm Manager and would like to be part of an exciting future with The Grampians, please send your application and curriculum vitae to:

We are looking for an enthusiastic and motivated person, preferably with previous experience working with deer. Ideally, you will have tractor, fencing and chainsaw experience. On occasion you will be required to work on two other Company farms to help out and cover periods of leave. No dogs are required.

If you are fit, energetic and have a clean drug record then send us a covering letter and CV with two references to gjtrower@farmside.co.nz

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Success in this role may lead to a management position, in time. A 3 bedroom house is available, so could suit a couple or family.

A competitive pay will be offered to the right person.

For more information please contact Mike Ramsey on 07 878 7077

Applications close on the 6th May 2019

• Someone with an interest in intensive bull. farming systems and bull management. • A self-starter with the ability to work independently . • Attention to detail and ability to problem solve. • A passion for farming, stock welfare and pasture management . • Preferably practical farming experience. • Good dog would be beneficial but not essential. • Interested in development work.

We Offer

SHEPHERD GENERAL

The position offers a competitive remuneration package including a modern 4-bedroom house. The property is located at 2115 Haldon Road and is in close proximity to the resort town of Tekapo (33km). Both primary and secondary schooling is provided at Fairlie (41km), with a school bus 20km from the station houses. Timaru is approximately 85km away.

or by email to: jamie@mrb.co.nz

A unique opportunity has arisen on an intensive bull finishing farm located mid-way between Matamata and Cambridge.

Applications close Wednesday, 1st May 2019

Stock Manager

Applicants must have NZ residency or valid NZ work visa.

Southern Waikato Stockland Trading Ltd is a stunning, family owned property located just 30 minutes from Te Awamutu. With a structured approach to their business the owners have simplified their systems and developed this 1420ha (810ha grazed) operation into three areas; dairy grazing, bull techno system (two 70ha areas) and the fillers block which supports the ewes and young stock.

RURAL SECTOR RURAL SECTOR

JOBS BOARD JOBS BOARD

This is an outstanding opportunity for a Stock Manager to work alongside supportive owners who place strong emphasis on employee well-being. The appointee will be responsible for the day-to-day running of the stock including rotations, pasture management and animal health and will have involvement in the overall farm stocking policy, resulting in an interesting and varied workload.

Farm Manager for Intensive Finishing Operation

farmersweeklyjobs.co.nz farmersweeklyjobs.co.nz

We are seeking an experienced, high performing farm manager with a passion for intensive finishing operations.

• 2019 Trainee Programme - Livestock Representative Assistant Manager • Agribusiness • Contract Agronomy Milker • Analyst • Dairy Dairy • General Maintenance • Farm Livestock Specialist Manager • Manager • Pasture and Grazing Specialist General Hand • Sharemilker • Shepherd Manager • Livestock Shepherd/General

Excellent stockmanship and pasture management skills, strong communication skills and the ability to embrace the use of modern farming software such as FarmIQ and Farmax will ensure your success in this role. If you are a forward planner, driven by measured results and have a demonstrated passion for turning out animals that have reached their full potential then this is a role that you must consider. Furthermore, there is a genuine opportunity for the right applicant to be retained long term in this business with farm management and equity prospects both as future possibilities.

The Tongariro Block of Tuatahi Farming Partnership is a 900ha lamb and cattle finishing and deer growing operation located on the outskirts of Turangi town ship in the Central North Island. Hunting, fishing and skiing on your back doorstep are the icing on the cake of this exciting opportunity. 600ha of the property has been recently developed as an intensive finishing operation with central lanes, 4 ha paddocks, a re-grassing program and a full reticulated water system. The remaining 300 ha will be developed within the next 12-18 months. The Tongariro Block has 3 full time staff living on farm and casual or part time staff as required.

Manager

Employers: Advertise your vacancy in the employment of the Farmers Weekly Nurserysection Dispatch Assistant and as added value it will be uploaded to farmersweeklyjobs.co.nz for one month or Operations Manager close of application.

To view a Job Information Pack or to apply, please visit www. ruraldirections.co.nz or phone the Rural Directions team in confidence on 06 871 0450 (Reference #6077).

Tractor/Truck/Machinery Operator

Stock Manager

LK0097218©

StockPerson

RECRUITMENT & HR Register to receive job alerts on www.ruraldirections.co.nz

Employers: Advertise your vacancy in the employment section of the Farmers Weekly and as added value it will be uploaded to farmersweeklyjobs.co.nz for one month or close of application. Contact Debbie Brown 06 323 0765 or email classifieds@globalhq.co.nz

Key attributes required for this role are; LK0092630©

or email classifieds@globalhq.co.nz

Shepherd General

This is a key role in the Tuatahi business and the employment package offered will be extremely competitive for the right person.

LK0096815©

Shepherd Contact Debbie Brown 06 323 0765

On offer is an excellent remuneration package and a warm, tidy 3 bedroom bungalow with some hunting available on farm. There is a school bus at the end of Duncan Road to Korakanui Primary School and Te Awamutu High School.

Applications close 5pm Monday 6th May 2019

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Please apply with your CV and cover letter to: hra@crusadermeats.co.nz

• A passion for and experience in high performing intensive finishing operations • The ability to maintain accurate records and report objectively to management • Excellent pasture management skills • Ability to plan and monitor all aspects of the farming operation and performance • Use of technology in all aspects of the farming operation. If you are passionate about farming, have a great work ethic and a desire to advance your farming career this is the position for you. Applications in writing to David Horner should include a cover letter, CV and a minimum of 2 work references. Applications close May 3rd, 2019 opsmanunui@tuatahi.co.nz Phone 027 280 4292

AD0097172©

Station Manager

The Grampians Station Manager, C/- Macfarlane Rural Business, PO Box 418, Ashburton, 7770

Stockperson General

Aotearoa Trust requires a skilled Assistant Manager to join our team on our 1040ha station near Arohena that runs 2200 ewes along with approximately 1900 cattle and grows 100ha of maize.

www.farmersweeklyjobs.co.nz

Ag jobs at your fingertips

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

LK0097243©

Classifieds

0800 436 566

• Camp-out teams available • Will travel anywhere

Phone: +64 6 357 2454 HOOF TRIMMER

EARMARKERS

ANIMAL HANDLING

DOGS FOR SALE

LIVESTOCK FOR SALE

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

SMITHFIELD HEADING DOG pups, 12 weeks old. Phone Wayne 027 681 2228. EVALUATE, TRAIN, selling Heading dogs and Huntaways since 2012. Deliver South and North Islands, trial, guaranteed. www.youtube.com/user/ mikehughesworkingdog/ videos. Phone 07 315 5553. $1000 CLEARANCE SALE. Online or on-farm! Deliver South and North Islands, trial, guaranteed. www.youtube.com/user/ mikehughesworkingdog/ videos 07 315 5553. BORDER COLLIE pedigree. Strong eyed, working pups. Working lambs at 8 weeks. Bred from the finest international working lines. 25 years of breeding. Phone Somerton Park Kennels. 03 342 8488 or 021 264 250.

BEEF SHORTHORN BULLS, R1 and 2yrs. Sired by Saskvalley Taskforce and Glenrossie Dazzler. Rough Ridge Primo semen available. Phone Bill 021 556 806 Takaka South Island. WILTSHIRES-ARVIDSON. Self shearing sheep. No1 for Facial Eczema. David 027 2771 556. BOOK AN AD. For only $2.10 + gst per word you can book a word only ad in Farmers Weekly Classifieds section. Phone Debbie Brown on 0800 85 25 80 to book in or email classifieds@globalhq.co.nz

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

ATTENTION FARMERS FAST GRASS www.gibb-gro.co.nz GROWTH PROMOTANT $5.85 per hectare + GST delivered Brian Mace 0274 389 822 brianmace@xtra.co.nz DAGS .30c PER KG. Replacement woolpacks. PV Weber Wools. Kawakawa Road, Feilding. Phone 06 323 9550. BOOK A WORD ONLY ad in Farmers Weekly Classifieds. Phone Debbie on 0800 85 25 80.

BIRDS/POULTRY PULLETS HY-LINE brown, great layers. 07 824 1762. Website: eurekapoultryfarm.weebly. com – Have fresh eggs each day!!!

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

DEERLAND TRADING LTD DEERLAND TRADING LTD buying deer velvet this season and paying above the average. Also contractor required to buy deer velvet. Payment on commission basis. Contact 021 269 7608.

DOGS WANTED 12 MONTHS TO 5½-yearold Heading dogs and Huntaways wanted. Phone 022 698 8195. BUYING EASTER WEEKEND, (Opotiki). Buying 350 dogs annually South and North Islands. No one buys or pays more! www.youtube.com/user/ mikehughesworkingdog/ videos. Phone 07 315 5553.

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

We have equipment and man power to withstand any terrain.

POWER CABLE

NZ’s #1 service provider for under woolshed cleaning for more than a decade

We could save you hundreds of $$

Moa Master provide quality products and services at affordable prices

HOMES FARM SHEDS SUBDIVISIONS PUMPS

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

Prices include delivery to your door! For friendly & professional advice CALL 0800 843 0987 Fax: 07 843 0992 Email: power@thecableshop.co.nz THE CABLE SHOP WAIKATO www.thecableshop.co.nz

WORLD WORLD LEADING LEADING PORTABLE PORTABLE SAWMILL SAWMILL

LIVESTOCK WANTED A2 COWS. Contact Brad 027 498 1203.

Ph: Scott Newman 027 26 26 272 0800 27 26 88

PORTABLE SAWMILLS

PROPERTY WANTED

TOWABLE TOPPING MOWER

TOWABLE FLAIL MOWER

$4400

12Hp Diesel. Electric Start

11.5HP Briggs & Stratton Motor. Industrial. Electric start.

$4200

GST INCLUSIVE

50 TON WOOD SPLITTER

GST $3990 INCLUSIVE

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

MOA MASTER

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

FREE

HOUSE FOR REMOVAL wanted. North Island. Phone 021 0274 5654.

DVD PACK!

STOCK FEED HAY 12 EQUIVALENT squares $70. 15 equivalent rounds $75. STRAW 12 equivalents $55. BALEAGE at $80. Unit loads available. Phone 021 455 787.

WORK WANTED HILL / HIGH COUNTRY Farm Manager / 2IC position. 25 plus years in the industry including management level. We are a hardworking couple with a family looking to relocate back to the south. Anywhere in South Island considered. Excellent references. Phone Jason or Tania 022 0955 465.

FULLY GUIDED 6 or 7 DAY SELF-DRIVE TOUR From Blenheim to Cardrona

High Country Heritage Tours

OVER OVER 18,500 18,500 SOLD SOLD WORLDWIDE! WORLDWIDE!

Australia Freecall: 0800 445 396 Email: newzealand@lucasmill.com Web: www.lucasmill.com

Follow the Golden Tussocks along the Alps through many famous high country stations (including Molesworth Station). Travel over private station tracks and through remote and spectacular terrain. Enjoy station lunches with the runholders.

Information packs available for the 2019/20 season or to find out more contact us: Email: info@nzadventures.co.nz or phone 03 218 8569. Mobiles: Connie 027 550 6727. Robbie 027 435 4267. Visit our website at www.nzadventures.co.nz

LK0094247©

electro-tek@xtra.co.nz DE HORNER

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

Taking bookings for greater Gisborne/East Coast areas

GOATS. 40 YEARS experience mustering feral cattle and feral goats anywhere in NZ. 50% owner (no costs). 50% musterer (all costs). Phone Kerry Coulter 027 494 4194.

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

FOR SALE

CLASSIFIEDS

ADVERTISING

STANDARD FEEDER (C6 Pinned) • • • •

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

Have something to sell? Advertise in Farmers Weekly Phone Debbie Brown 0800 85 25 80 or email classifieds@globalhq.co.nz

100% New Zealand Made Quality Stockfeeders

0 $ 85 +GST

OVAL FEEDER (S2 Pinned) • • • • •

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

$ 120+G0 ST

0800 104 404 | www.stockfeeders.co.nz

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

LK0096638©

PHONE DEBBIE 0800 85 25 80

www.underthewoolshed.kiwi

• Mist blowers. Gun and hose

LK009714©

SOMETHING?

Under Woolshed/ Cover Yards Cleaning Specialist

• Gorse/Blackberry spraying etc

ZON BIRDSCARER

SELLING

SCOTTY’S CONTRACTORS

PROFESSIONAL COST-EFFECTIVE SPOT SPRAYING

STOP BIRDS NOW!

P.O. Box 30, Palmerston North 4440, NZ

LK0097217©

w w w. e l e c t r o t e k . c o . n z

LK0097206©

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

LK0097251©

DOLOMITE

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

LK0097237©

FARMERS WEEKLY – April 15, 2019

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

Livestock

FARMERS WEEKLY – April 15, 2019

FORGET ABOUT MAKING MORE CENTS PER KILO JUST MAKE MORE KILOS! MAKES CENTS USING

FOR SALE

White Hereford straws for sale Easy calving, great meat, great colours. New, rare and exciting

Phone Brad Devlin 027 498 1203

LK0097219©

CHAROLAIS

Southwind Ayrshires The Ultimate Dispersal Friday 26th April 11am Vendors: Albie and Hilary Jane 631 Pembroke Road, Stratford

S AIrces OL AR CH sou ssre efle rebe #mo

#begreengowhite #whenkilosmatter #weightpays #yieldpays

Southwind DW Queenas – selling as Lot 5 One of the best Ayrshire cows ever to be offered for auction In New Zealand. Sale comprises of • 56 stud cows • 11 stud incalf heifers • 28 stud calves • 5 stud bulls

CHAROLAIS BREEDERS NEW ZEALAND Inc

BULL SALE RESULTS 2019

A superb catalogue is available by contacting: Sale Manager – Selwyn Donald (027) 437 8375

LK0097212©

www.charolais.net.nz

Comment: This offering is as good an Ayrshire offering as any in the last 50 years. A sale that dairymen from all breeds should attend.

Farmers Weekly will be sending the autumn bull sale results e-newsletter from May 2019. Contact Nigel on 06 323 0761, 0276024925 or livestock@globalhq.co.nz to sign up or include your sale results and receive weekly updates. 2353FW

P. O Box 503, 75 South Street, Feilding 4740 P:06 323 4494 E: charolais@pbbnz.com

DON’T MISS OUT.

farmersweekly.co.nz

Livestock

A/C of Wairere - Aria Ltd LP 522 Aria Rd, Piopio S/N 74972

Tuesday 30th April Start Times As Follows 10:30am - MACHINERY 11:30am - HERD / HEIFERS

DTC 1/8 17yrs LIC, 400ms system 4 $1750

CRL out of 420ms herd. Splits available $1500 35 Jsy IC heifers BW52 PW71 DTC 19/7 $1300

200 F/FX Herd BW25 PW52, DTC 20/7 6 wks AI, 50% F 50% FX, owned 20 yrs, $1700 JK 98 F/XB cows BW 98 PW 126, DTC 8/7 bull out 16th Dec. 5 wks AB, Tailed Hfd $1750 MH 70 Strong F/XBs BW 67 PW 116, DTC 15/7 $1700 30 R1yr FrsnX & XB heifers BW127 PW146

WE WILL OFFER

Wanted A2A2 I/C cows & hfrs

• In Calf to Fsn CRV 5 Weeks

Matt Hancock Ph:027 601 3787

48 CRL CRV Frns Frns X Heifers DTC 23/7 Top Quality very well grown $1600

• Tailed with Pure Angus Bull

Wanted: 100 Top producing Crossbred cows from

• Whole Herd Dry Cow Treated

Rotary Shed, DTC 25/7 onwards Brent Espin Ph: 027 551 3660 Taranaki Regional Manager

• TB Status C10 - BVD Negative

280 CRV Frsn cows BW22 PW39 RA91% DTC 20/7

• M / Bovis Milk Tested Clear

Good young Frsn herd late to the market with a few

•140 IC Frsn/FX C/D 20/7 Bull Out 30/12

Xbred cows $1750

•25 2018 Born Friesian/FX Heifers. A Strong Capacious Herd of Cows Farmed on rolling country with lots of young cows producing in excess of 400 kg/ms with over 250 cows 4 years old and younger with

147 XBred Cows BW112 PW168 RA98% DTC 24/7 Top 2% Herd OAD last two Years $1950 Philip Webb Ph: 027 801 8057 Central & Southern North Island Dairy Coordinator

www.carrfieldslivestock.co.nz

BWs 100+ PWs of up to 260.

HP Duals, 2016 Massey Ferguson 4235 75 HP Duals 6000 hours loader /bucket, 2014 Sam Tandem Spreader 6 ton, 2016

LIVESTOCK ADVERTISING

Honda side-side 1000 with 607 hours, 2010 Buckton feed wagon-side feed SD 83, Krone Easy cut 3.2m multi disc mower, 2001 Atkinson undersower

Time: 11.30am – under cover

130 Frsn/Frsnx Heifers BW’S UP TO 184, PW’S UP TO 211 Calving from 22nd July to jersey bulls – removed 18th December All scanned InCalf 12th April Heifers – BVD tested clear and vac; lepto vac; 10 in 1 vacc TB - All heifers selected from C10 herds

155 x Fsn and Fsnx LIC Bred in calf cows BW77 PW89 R/A 98% 36 x Fsn and Fsnx in calf hfrs BW108 PW113 – calv 13th July to Jrsy

Within this year’s line-up are handpicked heifers from complete replacement lines, hard to find better conditioned quiet and high indexed heifers which you can select from. For 21 years our vendors have been offering outstanding dairy heifers for buyers and many repeat buyers know they are confidently purchasing quality well-bred replacements.

PAYMENT TERMS: Payment is due on 5th June 2019. Delivery within 2-3 days of auction.

LUCKY HEIFER DRAW OF $1000.00 CASH Light luncheon available View the sales catalogue on carrfieldslivestock.co.nz or your local Carrfields Livestock Agent Colin Dent 027 646 8908

This Young Herd Will Shift Well To Anywhere In The Country. 2016 Massey Ferguson 7715 4x4 150

Date: Wednesday 1st May 2019

COMPRISING OF:

AUCTIONEERS NOTE:

Waikato Dairy Coordinator 60 Xbred I/C Heifers BW 127 PW 147 DTC 26/7

• Calving Date 25/7/2019 till 7/10/2019 • SCC 150,000 Average For The Year

292 Parawera Rd, Te Awamutu Dairy no.73891

Paul Kane: 027 286 9279 National Dairy Coordinator

Out of top herd $700 SW

• Friesian /FX BW 47 PW 65 RA 82%

A/C Ridge End Farms Trust

Capital Replacement Lines Wednesday 24th April 2019 START: 12 noon 599 Hurford Road Omata, New Plymouth

99 F/FX In-Calf Heifers BW87 PW76 DTC 15/7

LIGHT LUNCHEON 450 Strong well conditioned Dairy Cows.

VENDORS: Clem & Una Shotter

35 Xbreds BW73 PW122 DTC 19/7 $1400

PHONE NIGEL RAMSDEN 0800 85 25 80 livestock@globalhq.co.nz

www.carrfieldslivestock.co.nz

Details: • Herd calv 13/7 – 6wks Nom LIC Fsn – Tailed Hfrd • 440ms/cow – 1800ms/ha – system 5 feeding (min concentrates) • Rolling contour, high stocking rates – in good condition • HB shed, TB C10, Lepto, BVD clear – M-Bovis negative • Cows dry and in milk – LIC computer split of half herd sold – genuine balance Notes: Very good operators – consistent farm performance has resulted in National Dairy Excellence Award recognition. All owner bred and farmed - no c/overs, no bought in cows, owned 28 years, LIC Nom breeding history – totally recommend as dependable dairy replacements. Payment terms: 31st May 2019- delivery can be delayed to end of May for farmers without farm access. Enquiries to; Mike McKenzie Carrfields 027 674 1149 Steven Weck Carrfields 027 455 1106 Vendor Peter & Joanne George 027 430 1733 View catalogue on

www.carrfieldslivestock.co.nz

Facilitated by

multi disc roller on hydraulic wheels,

QUALITY

1995 Suzuki Vitara 288,000km, Cambridge Roller 2.8m with hydraulic wheels, Farm Gard hydraulic grader blade 2.4m, Hustler bale feeder, Shear grab/forks, 2000L stainless steel diesel tank, Calf collection pen, Stainless steel vat 5000L, CT Pro park feed bucket, Normady PK trailers x 2, Alloy wheel platform - Gallagher load bars plus Quick hitch

PAYMENT / DELIVERY 14 Days from Date of Sale for Livestock. Machinery is Payment on the day unless prior arrangement with management. All Prices are subject to GST.

FOR DETAILS CONTACT COLIN OLD

027 870 4434

STEVE OLD

027 471 2801

HARRY VAN DE VEN

027 486 9866

www.progressivelivestock.co.nz

North Otago, Canterbury, Hokitika and Greymouth

Fully-managed Grazing Looking for stock and grazing. Fully-managed grazing available with experienced graziers. Expect to see excellent weight-gain results and reporting. Dairy replacement and all classes of stock.

Contact Jo Thorpe 027 491 6048 info@grazcare.co.nz

LIVESTOCK ADVERTISING

FARM

MACHINERY

SALE

10 MAY FROM 10.30AM AT TINWALD SALEYARDS, ASHBURTON

Sale includes a 2013 Deutz 100G Agrofarm 3, 2009 Vicon Medium Square Baler, 2008 McCormick XTX145, 2014 JCB Loadall 536-60 Agri, 2005 Grain King Agrichaser 18 tonne plus a range of CLAAS 3500 liners, 4 rota rakes. Other top items such as windrowers, tractors and more are available.

To view all listed items visit carrfields.co.nz

Are you looking in the right direction? To advertise Phone Nigel 0800 85 25 80 or email livestock@globalhq.co.nz

farmersweekly.co.nz

Long Established LIC herd auction

AD97134©

HERD & MACHINERY AUCTION

21st Annual In Calf Heifer Fair Auction

88 G3 Frsns with A2A2 content BW56 PW59

LK0096389©

CLEARING SALE

For Sale

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

LK0097244©

FARMERS WEEKLY – April 15, 2019

CONTACT CLAAS HARVEST CENTRE CANTERBURY

03 307 9400

CONTACT DRUMMOND & ETHERIDGE

0800 432 633

SOUTHWIND AYRSHIRE DISPERSAL SALE Outstanding genetics & potential to be one of •

the countries leading of Genetics On farm Fridaysuppliers 26th April 2019 at 11am to the dairy industry for years to come. Full details Vendors Albie and Hilary Jane available. 631 Pembroke Road Stratford Enquiries to the sole marketing agents: All enquiries to: Brian Robinson Ph 0272 410 051 Brian Robinson BRLL Selwyn Donald Ph 0274 378 375 PH: 0272 410051 or 07 Kevin Hart Ph 0272 9158583132 575

LK0097084©

Catalogues available or view on line at Gary Falkner www.brianrobinsonlivesock.com or Jersey Marketing Service www.ayrshire.org.nz

PH: 027 482 8771 or 07 846 4491

Livestock

FARMERS WEEKLY – April 15, 2019

WANTED – FRIESIAN HEIFERS

LIVESTOCK ADVERTISING

2018 BORN FRIESIAN HEIFERS

with Farmers Weekly

R1yr Heifers and In Calf Autumn Born Heifers (to Dairy Bull)

TWINOAKS ANGUS INNUAGURAL COMMERICAL IN CALF FEMALE SALE

(F12-F16 only) Must be fully recorded with a sire and dam. Subject to selection and Chinese health protocol tests. Must have been on farm for 6 months.

Have ewe heard the most successful place to advertise your livestock is in Farmers Weekly?

Delivery end August 2019

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

LK0097220©

•

For more information call: Your local agent or Andy Carlson 0274 529 697 Des van der Wal 021 933 018

2ND ANNUAL IN-CALF FEMALE SALE Sterndale, Pleasant Point 3.30pm Wednesday 1st May

15 Registered R2 Heifers 15 Registered R3 Second Calvers 25 Registered Mixed-Age Cows 75 Commercial R2 Heifers – 25 Commercial Stern Heifers – 50 Station Heifers Heifers originate from clients Fox Peak Station, Te Puke & Kuriheka plus others. LK0097198©

Contact James Fraser 021 186 4796 View catalogue at

www.sternangus.co.nz PGGW, Carrfields, PWA, HRL, RLL

SALE TALK

A shy guy goes into a bar and sees a beautiful woman sitting at the bar. After an hour of gathering up his courage he finally goes over to her and asks, tentatively, “Um, would you mind if I chatted with you for awhile?” She responds by yelling, at the top of her lungs, “No, I won’t sleep with you tonight!” Everyone in the bar is now staring at them. Naturally, the guy is completely embarrassed and he slinks back to his table. After a few minutes, the woman walks over to him and apologizes. She smiles at him and says, “I’m sorry if I embarrassed you. You see, I’m a graduate student in psychology and I’m studying how people respond to embarrassing situations.” To which he responds, at the top of his lungs, “What do you mean $200?”

Thames Valley Ayrshire Club 3rd Annual Angus Female In-Calf Production Sale

15th Annual Female Sale Tuesday 23rd April 2019 at 11.30am Sale to be held undercover in the HIGH INDEXING JERSEY & Hyndmans JERSEY CROSS Farm yards,HERD the property of

On-Farm Fairlie – Wed 1st May at 12 Noon

130 Head

Offering: 93 Stud Angus Fully Recorded Females including: Selected – 40 R2yr, 20 R3yr, 16 R4yr 17 Annual draft capital stock stud cows

Mr David Swap, 1461 Morrinsville – Walton Road,

BW 143/50Kiwitahi, PW 161/67 RA 100% Morrinsville (in top 10 All Breeds for NZ )

• •

Approx. 70 R2yr Commercial Meadowslea-bred heifers Ex Grays Hills Stn, Braemar Stn, Horwell Downs

•

Offering will comprise: 7 Ayrshire cows Many cows contracted to LIC for 2011 matings Due to calve 32 Ayrshire In calffrom heifers 16-7-12, 6.5 weeks AB Jersey and Kiwi cross 39 head

Estimated to be 420 cows after non From TB Status C10older herds,cows Lepto vaccinated pregnant, culls, & 5% rejection • Production last season 347kgs ms/cow, The offering this year includes cattle bred within several 1000kgs ms/ha, on rolling to steeper of the oldest established Ayrshire herds in NZ. Backed Note: Cows are mated to all the Top Stud contoured farm, no meal, palm kernel or maize by very good production and conformation these fully fed. Sires at Meadowslea recorded, early calving heifers cows are fully • Young replacement stockand also available : R2yr heifers mated to top low birthweight recommended. Many are sired by and carry the best calving ease yearlings Outstanding genetics & Many potential to be one of Ayrshire genetics available. purchasers return the countries leading suppliers of Genetics to annually to purchase at this sale. Vendor: D S Giddings 03 685 8027 the dairy industry for years to come. Full details Auctioneers: PGG Wrightson Catalogues giving all details are available online at available. Participating companies: PWA, RLL, www.brianrobinsonlivestock.com or www.ayrshire.org.nz Enquiries to the sole marketing agents: Carrfields Enquiries to the auctioneers, Brian Robinson BRLL Livestock Ltd Brian Robinson on 0272 4108583132 051 PH: Phone 0272 Brian 410051 or 07

www.meadowslea.co.nz

Gary Falkner Jersey Marketing Service PH: 027 482 8771 or 07 846 4491

stud angus heifer dispersal sale

FRIDAY 26th APRIL 2019 – 12.30pm

341b Matauri Bay Road, RD1, Kaeo, Northland

A rare opportunity to purchase genuine capital stud PTIC Heifers from a leading Angus herd. These heifers could be an invaluable addition to an existing herd or a strong foundation for anyone wishing to establish a new stud prefix.

83 Lots R2 PTIC 2017 BORN HEIFERS

Matauri genetics have enjoyed phenomenal success in a wide range of environments having been used in well over 200 registered herds throughout Australasia. Matauri Reality 839, arguably NZ’s all time most successful Angus stud sire, has a huge presence in many of the pedigrees in this catalogue. Shifting ability, high dollar indexes and structural integrity define the line of heifers in this offering. THE HERD IS C10 RATED FOR TB. ALL HEIFERS ARE TESTED CLEAR FOR KNOWN GENETIC DEFECTS.

CONTACTS Cam Heggie Bruce Orr Neil Miller Tom Bayly Colin Maxwell

Wednesday 24th April 1.00PM Start 163A Clement Road, Te Akau Comprising: 36 R2YR In Calf Heifers 14 R3/R4YR In Calf Cows 43 M/A In Calf Cows All females vetted in calf to Twinoaks Angus bulls due 24th August bulls out 21st January . Twin Oaks Angus Offer a unique opportunity to purchase performance recorded commercial females. Twin Oaks Breeding Focus - Calving ease, growth, carcase traits, & IMF Contact: Roger and Susan Hayward 07 8282131 - twinoaksangus@gmail.com Callum Dunnett (Carrfields) & Richard Johnston (PGW) 027 444 3570.

027 501 8182 027 492 2122 027 497 8691 027 415 4125 09 405 0357

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

COMPLETE DISPERSAL SALE SPRING CALVING HERD & REPLACEMENTS

LK0097084©

•

Many cows contracted to LIC for 2011 matings Due to calve from 16-7-12, 6.5 weeks AB Jersey and Kiwi cross livestock@globalhq.co.nz – 0800 85 25 80 Estimated to be 420 cows after non pregnant, culls, older cows & 5% rejection Production last season 347kgs ms/cow, 1000kgs ms/ha, on rolling Brian Robinson Livestockto Ltd steeper contoured farm, no meal, palm kernel is proud to be conducting theor maize fed. Young replacement stock also available

LK0097202©

• •

Monday 29th April 11.00AM Start 1305 Old Te Aroha Road, Matamata A/C Penoak Farms Ltd Comprising 290: 123 Friesian in calf cows 21 Ayrshire in calf cows 19 Jersey in calf cows (BWs up to 150 PWs up to 329) 7 Brown Swiss x in calf cows 30 Friesian in calf heifers 5 XBred in calf heifers 16 Ayrshire in calf heifers 8 Jersey in calf heifers 1 Brown Swiss in calf heifer 50 Friesian 2018 born autumn heifers (unmated) 10 Jersey yearling heifers TB status C10, Lepto vaccinated, Myco Plasma milk tested clear. This long established herd of very good conformation cows has a recorded Ancestry of 100%. Last season the 383 cows (spring and autumn calving) averaged 431kgs milk solids per cow. Cell count average 96000. Herd is milked in a rotary shed with little supplements fed. All cows were dry cow therapy treated annually. Cows will be in milk on sale day. This spring calving portion of the herd (Autumn calvers sold February 2019) commences calving from the end of July. All cows in calf to AB (breed to breed) and no bulls run with herd. heifers in calf to easy calving Angus. The farm is on the foothills of the Kaimai Ranges and is prone to very wet and windy conditions. Long walks is also part of the routine so these cattle are recommended to shift well. The latest NZ and overseas genetics have been used resulting in a very good uddered, nice quality herd. The Ayrshires, are very good type and production cows and the Jerseys are top producers, have high indices and are of very good conformation. Several Jerseys have been contracted to AB companies in the past. Those searching for larger, more capacity in there Jersey cows should attend this sale. All cattle will be presented in very good condition with the in calf heifers and unmated heifers well grown. Catalogues giving all details are available from the auctioneers or are able to be viewed on line at www.brianrobinsonlivestock.com, www.agonline.co.nz, www.nzholstein.org.nz or www.ayrshire.org.nz All enquiries to the auctioneers Brian Robinson Livestock Ltd Phone Brian Robinson on 0272 410051 and PGG Wrightson Phone Dean Evans on 0272 431092

Livestock

FARMERS WEEKLY – April 15, 2019

FOR SALE 60 R2 YR ANGUS DAIRY BULLS 550kg 1300 MA EWES CAP STOCK RWR 05/03 STOCK REQUIRED

LIVESTOCK ADVERTISING

STORE LAMBS 28-42kg 150 MA SIF HINDS

MA ANGUS COWS NOV BULL 400-500kg

COMBINED BEEF BREEDS R2 BULL SALE COMBINED BEEF BREEDS FRIDAY 24thR2 MAYBULL SALE 44 BULLS 12PM FRIDAY 24th MAY3-Angus

TAUPO SALE 12pm YARDS

(Oruanui Road) TAUPO SALE YARDS

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

A/C Glen Koru

6 Autumn Born ET Ylg Heifers (unmated) BW 175 PW 192 Calving 7th July to AB, includes 17 contract heifers.

A/C Monowai 34 Frsn/Frsn X Incalf Heifers BW 130 PW 130 Calving 1st July to AB includes 3 contract heifers.

A/C Ngatoka Farms 59 Frsn/XBred/Jsy Incalf Heifers BW 132 PW 141 Calving 20th July to AB includes 1 contract heifer. Heifers A2/A2 tested. All 3 are complete replacement lines, well grown, exceptional genetics from our vendors. Numerous bulls from these herds have used at AI companies siring thousands of daughters in national herds. Catalogues/Profiles and AI Contracts available on Agonline. Contact PGGW Agents: Andrew Reyland – 027 223 7092 Chris Ryan – 027 243 1078

FIND US ON INSTAGRAM Follow instagram.com/pgwlivestock

2 South Devon

Cam Heggie

To advertise

Cam Heggie 0275018182 027 501 8182

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

Brent Bougen 027 0272104698 210 4698

Key: Dairy

Cattle

TOP INDEX HERD AND IN CALF HEIFERS DISPERSAL SALE Thursday 9th May 2019 11.00AM 405 Knight Road, RD9, Ruatangata - Whangarei A/C RM Farms Ltd Comprising 320 X Bred/Frsn/Jsy Cows BW 137 PW 184 RA 100% 140 X Bred/Frsn/Jsy In Calf Heifers. BW 140 PW 169. This outstanding herd has been farmed by Shepherd family since 1942 and would be one of the highest producing (consistently around 400 m/s) system 1 OAD herds to be sold this season. Herd calving 15th July LIC Jsy/X Bred bulls, tailed off Jsy bull out 7th Jan, scanned to dates. TOP 75 cows ave BW 180 PW 331 with individual BWs up to 280 PWs to 575. 23 cows carry AI contract for 2019/20. In calf heifers mated to AI X Bred/Jsy bulls for 6 weeks start calving 15th July. All young stock are reared and grazed on property including their service bulls. Herd will be dried off prior to sale and dry cowed. All animals have been A2/A2 tested (will have results on sale day). Purchasers requiring genuine hard working cows with top genetics, high fertility with over 70years AI breeding and herd testing. TB C10, EBL free, BVD clear, M/Bovis milk test clear. Payment/Delivery 14days for sale date, delivery immediate unless prior arrangement made before sale day. Catalogue’s & 3GPs available on Agonline or contact PGG Wrightson Agents Kevin Brown 027 434 7561 Steven Josephs 027 420 5167 Andrew Reyland 027 223 7092

Central North Island Combined Beef Breeders Society

Brent Bougen

Your source for PGG Wrightson livestock and farming listings

63 Frsn/XBred/Jsy Incalf Heifers BW 145 PW 167

6 Hereford

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

Ross Dyer 0274 333 381

Tuesday 7th May 2019 11.30AM Start Morrinsville Saleyards

10-Limousin 44 BULLS 7-Charolais 11-Shorthorn 3 Angus 10 Limousin 7 Charolais 5-Simmental 11 Shorthorn 2-Gelbvieh 2 Gelbvieh2-South 5 Simmental 6-Hereford Devon

(Oruanui Road)

www.dyerlivestock.co.nz

ELITE INCALF HEIFER FAIR

Sheep

Other

For photos and more information on listings visit www.agonline.co.nz

DAIRY HERDS & IN-CALF HEIFERS FOR SALE NORTH ISLAND HERDS & IN-CALF HEIFERS FOR SALE 46 Jersey/Jersey X Incalf Hfrs BW 163

PW 179

Agonline ref: 3670

213 M/A Frsn/Frsn X, Jsy Cows PW 106

BW 81

•

RA100% A complete line of Jersey & Jersey Cross heifers. Years of breeding with the vendor retiring. High BW and well grown. Lyle Smart – 0277 426 833

BW 68

33 Friesian InCalf Heifers

$1,600+GST

Split 80-90 from 237 Frsn Cows

$1600+GST

PW 77

BW 35

•

PW 54

$1700+GST

•

RA98% Magnificent Line of Straight Friesian Heifers. Originally selected for Export, but declined due to IBR Vaccine. Kim Harrison – 027 501 0013

RA99% Cows for sale on a System 3 Farm that can be Computer Split from 237 VIC Cows on Profile. Peter Forrest – 027 598 6153

Agonline ref: 3566

Agonline ref: 3703

285 X Bred/Frsn Cows

$1,550+GST

BW 68

•

230 Frsn Cows

$1,680+GST

PW 102

BW 40

•

PW 36

$1,590+GST

•

RA83% Well presented LIC bred Friesian/Friesian x & jersey cows, milked on Sand country farm on a system 2. Peter Forrest – 027 598 6153

RA78% Very hard working Kiwi X Herd on the market due to change of farming policy. Milked on a tough farm, cows will shift well. Vaughn Larsen – 027 801 4599

RA91% Motivated Vendor wants to Sell - will computer split any number. Predominantly Frsn Cows, 30 years, one owner! Steve Taylor – 027 648 6711

Agonline ref: 3636

Agonline ref: 3438

Agonline ref: 3209

220 Jrsy Cows BW 129

PW 139

90 Frsn/Frsn X Cows $1,880+GST

BW74

•

RA98% An opportunity to buy a Quality Closed Herd with 75 years Breeding, capacious Jersey Cows. Brook Cushion – 027 243 1816

$1,750+GST

PW 117

Pick 120 from 400 X/Bred InCalf Hfrs $990+GST

•

RA97% Spring Calving content out of Autumn Calving Herd, Great Age Structure Dean Evans – 027 243 1092

Pick 120 from 400 Incalf Heifers, all from one herd. Good type Heifer, over half black Heifers, well worth inspection. Chris Ryan – 027 243 1078

Agonline ref: 3596

Agonline ref: 3064

Agonline ref: 2837

1050 M/A Friesian, X/Bred Cows

120 Frsn/Frsn X Incalf Hfrs

BW 54

PW 80

$1,780+GST

BW 120

•

RA69% Friesian & Friesian X Cows, doing long walks up to 4km, young Cows with good confirmation, tidy udders, Calving End Scanned to 15/10/19 Roddy Bridson – 027 458 2775 Agonline ref: 3662

PW 110

$1,250+GST

•

RA75% Capital Line of InCalf Heifers, Well Grown, “Animals Worth Inspection” Matt Hughes – 027 405 2824 Agonline ref: 2547

SOUTH ISLAND HERDS & IN-CALF HEIFERS FOR SALE 41 M/A A2A2 Frsn, X/Bred Cows BW 120

PW 229

24 Frsn/Frsn X Incalf Hfrs

$2,425+GST

BW 118

•

RA100% Friesian F12 and Higher, A2A2 Cows, Top Pick from an Elite Herd, System 2, 74% InCalf to 6 weeks, Low SCC, InCalf to A2A2, All DNA Tested, “Essential Viewing” Roddy Bridson – 027 458 2775

PW 123

35 Frsn, Frsn/Jsy X R1yr Heifers

$1,550+GST

•

Well grown Capital replacement line/Sole Agent, delivery 1/5 or 1/6 to suit buyers. Allan Jones – 027 224 0768 Agonline ref: 3318

BW 138

PW 159

$700+GST

•

RA100% 45 years Genetics for sale, Top Genetic Calves out of Top LIC Herd. Roddy Bridson – 027 458 2775 Agonline ref: 3662

Agonline ref: 3661

UPCOMING WEANER CALF SALES

112-2yr Frsn, Xbred Rising 2nd Calver Cows BW 78

For a full schedule of sales go to pggwrightson.co.nz/calfsales2019

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

PW 116

$2,000+GST

•

RA100% Capital line of rising 2nd calvers, milked on diﬃcult low input farmed highly fertile animals well grown. Roddy Bridson – 027 458 2775 Agonline ref: 3249

The Dairy Livestock Clearing Sale Specialists PGG Wrightson Dairy representatives are specialists at dairy livestock clearing sales. Benefit from the team that is dedicated to matching herds with the right buyers and achieving an optimal outcome for your business.

Helping grow the country

LK0097200©

R2 YR FRIES & BEEF BULLS

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

MARKET SNAPSHOT

Market Snapshot brought to you by the AgriHQ analysts.

Suz Bremner

Nicola Dennis

Mel Croad

Cattle

Reece Brick

Caitlin Pemberton

Sheep

BEEF

Deer

SHEEP MEAT

VENISON

Last week

Prior week

Last year

NI Steer (300kg)

5.45

5.40

5.35

NI lamb (17kg)

7.20

7.10

7.20

NI Stag (60kg)

9.10

11.00

NI Bull (300kg)

5.10

5.00

5.25

NI mutton (20kg)

5.05

4.90

SI Stag (60kg)

9.15

11.00

NI Cow (200kg)

3.90

3.85

4.10

SI lamb (17kg)

6.75

6.70

7.05

SI Steer (300kg)

5.05

5.00

5.35

SI mutton (20kg)

4.85

4.80

4.85

SI Bull (300kg)

4.75

4.70

5.10

Export markets (NZ$/kg)

SI Cow (200kg)

3.40

4.00

UK CKT lamb leg

9.20

9.17

9.07

Slaughter price (NZ$/kg)

Export markets (NZ$/kg) 7.81

7.64

6.31

US domestic 90CL cow

7.14

7.08

6.53

North Island steer slaughter price

10.5

$/kg CW

Oct

Dec 5-yr ave

Feb

Apr 2017-18

Jun

Aug 2018-19

$/kg CW

WOOL

Coarse xbred ind. Apr

Jun

Dairy

37 micron ewe

Aug 2018-19

30 micron lamb

Last week

Prior week

Last year

MILK PRICE FUTURES

Fertiliser

2.96

2.95

3.02

NZ average (NZ$/t) Urea

625

523

3.10

Super

321

307

4.60

DAP

833

775

Top 10 by Market Cap Company

YTD High

YTD Low

The a2 Milk Company Limited

14.65

10.42

Meridian Energy Limited (NS)

4.08

4.29

3.38

8.4

7.065

440 $/tonne

$/kg MS

Auckland International Airport Limited

6.0

400

May-18

Jul-18

Sep-18 Sept. 2019

Nov-18

Jan-19 Sept. 2020

DAIRY FUTURES (US$/T) Nearby contract

Last price*

320

Mar-19

Mar-18

May-18

Jul-18

Sep-18

Nov-18

Jan-19

Mar-19

CANTERBURY FEED BARLEY Prior week

vs 4 weeks ago

Port of Tauranga Limited (NS)

5.62

5.71

4.9

Listed Agri Shares

5pm, close of market, Thursday

4.080

10.100

9.400

Fonterra Shareholders' Fund (NS)

4.270

4.850

4.170

Foley Wines Limited

1.800

1.850

1.470

Livestock Improvement Corporation Ltd (NS)

1.050

0.750

360

New Zealand King Salmon Investments Ltd

2.830

2.100

340

PGG Wrightson Limited

0.490

0.570

0.470

Sanford Limited (NS)

6.700

7.060

6.350

Scales Corporation Limited

5.030

5.070

4.340

SeaDragon Limited

0.003

0.002

Seeka Limited

5.050

4.200

Synlait Milk Limited (NS)

10.410

11.350

8.860

5750

Butter

5450

5050

Milk Price

6.50

6.45

$/tonne

5.82 4.57

9.960

5750

380

320

Mar-18

May-18

Jul-18

Sep-18

Nov-18

Jan-19

Mar-19

WAIKATO PALM KERNEL 350

3400 $/tonne

7.03 5.34

Delegat Group Limited

AMF

US$/t

6.71 5.05

10.420

400

Oct

Contact Energy Limited Fletcher Building Limited

5.420

2450

Sep 4 weeks ago

3.51

4.130

2485

Aug

10.4

3.95

Comvita Limited

2500

Jun Jul Latest price

12.5

3.9

YTD Low

SMP

3000 May

11.51

15.000

420

3100

Ryman Healthcare Limited

YTD High

3440

3200

3.54

14.650

3245

3300

12.3

4.18

The a2 Milk Company Limited

3315

3500

15.99

3.56

WMP

WMP FUTURES - VS FOUR WEEKS AGO

15.16

Company

440

* price as at close of business on Thursday

Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Corporation Ltd Spark New Zealand Limited Mercury NZ Limited (NS)

360 5.5

Aug 2018-19

Last year

480

6.5

Jun

Prior week

CANTERBURY FEED WHEAT

7.0

Apr 2017-18

Last week

Grain

Data provided by

Feb

FERTILISER

(NZ$/kg)

2017-18

Dec

5.5

5.0

Feb

Oct

5-yr ave

5.5

Dec

8.5

6.5

4.5

5-yr ave

9.5

7.5

South Island steer slaughter price

Oct

South Island stag slaughter price

11.5

8.5

4.5

8.5

6.5

South Island lamb slaughter price

6.0

9.5

7.5

4.5

5.0

Last year

10.5

6.5

5.5

Last week Prior week

North Island stag slaughter price

11.5

7.5

5.5

4.5

Slaughter price (NZ$/kg)

$/kg CW

6.0

Last year

North Island lamb slaughter price

8.5 $/kg CW

US imported 95CL bull

Last week Prior week

$/kg CW

Slaughter price (NZ$/kg)

Ingrid Usherwood

300

T&G Global Limited

2.680

2.810

2.650

S&P/NZX Primary Sector Equity

16752

16852

15063

S&P/NZX 50 Index

9767

9958

8732

S&P/NZX 10 Index

9403

9657

8280

250 200

Mar-18

S&P/FW PRIMARY SECTOR EQUITY

May-18

Jul-18

Sep-18

Nov-18

Jan-19 Mar-19

16752

S&P/NZX 50 INDEX

9767

S&P/NZX 10 INDEX

9403

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – April 15, 2019 NI SLAUGHTER LAMB ( $/KG)

7.20

SI SLAUGHTER STEER ( $/KG)

5.05

SI SLAUGHTER STAG ( $/KG)

9.15

R2 HEREFORD-FRIESIAN HEIFERS, 360-430KG, AT RANGIURU ( $/KG LW)

2.42

Rain mostly welcomed NORTH ISLAND

HE west of Northland had 20mm of rain over three or four days. The kumara harvest is about 70% through. Prices are good for consumers this year, about $5 a kilo, which is a whole lot better than $10 two years ago. A lot of maize crops have come off dairy farms. Pukekohe has had mainly fine, cooler weather but rain arrived on Thursday and there were heavy showers and an electrical storm brought small hail. Growers have been able to reduce irrigation. Pukekohe onions will be hitting the shelves in Germany next week, a lot earlier than usual. Storage sheds of European onions are almost empty. The New Zealand onions will be selling for a euro a kilogram, which is very expensive but an importer says the prices won’t hinder sales. Over the coming months and possibly until the end of July NZ and Tasmanian onions will dominate the German market. Waikato is creeping out of droughtlike conditions rather than bouncing out. There’s been 15mm of rain. Farmers have dug big holes in their supplement reserves so they’re reluctant to carry on milking. Most herds will dry off in the next fortnight and not much milk will be produced in May. If it wasn’t for palm kernel there wouldn’t have been much in autumn either. King Country is green and growing but the hills need moisture and will have soaked up the 25mm of rain that arrived on Thursday night. Rams have been out in the main flocks for a couple of weeks. They’ll be with the ewes a minimum of 34 days. Interestingly, we’re told the ewes go to the ram rather than the ram to the ewes. Our contact says donkeys years ago AgResearch or its equivalent back then did a trial by tying a ram to a fence and put him with a prescribed number of ewes. He got as many ewes in lamb as the ram that was allowed to roam in another paddock. Bay of Plenty’s finally had more rain and farmers are contemplating drying off. Facial eczema spore counts have skyrocketed in some areas and the farmer we spoke to says he has a couple of animals showing signs of peeling skin, mainly where the skin is white. He’ll have to keep a close eye on them. It’s mayhem on the roads with all the traffic generated by the kiwifruit harvest. After good rain last week Taranaki didn’t need any more. But another 50mm to 100mm fell. Grass is growing well. There are a number of farms with a handful of cows with signs of facial eczema. Spore counts should have dropped though in step with the temperatures. We’re told most herds will milk on through to May. Gisborne’s looking green. It’s had good enough rain and the temperature’s dropped. Wet weather’s been a nuisance and has held up some cropping programmes. The last of the sweetcorn has just come off. Young stock at the first weaner fairs were $150 a head back on last year Now it’s cooler the roar has started. The Hawke’s Bay grape harvest is 80%

Dairy livestock market approaches business end of the season With Gypsy Day looming, trade in dairy livestock is into the business end of the season. According to PGG Wrightson National Dairy Sales Manager Jamie Cunninghame, as the season rolls on vendor and purchaser expectations are drawing closer together, which means deals are becoming more frequent. “Herd sales contracted for 1 June delivery have been completed steadily over the past few weeks, priced in the $1500 to $1900 per head range, depending on quality. Most sales have proceeded at between $1600 and $1700 per head. “A series of on-farm clearing sales is also under way, with at least a dozen auctions in Waikato, Taranaki and Manawatu scheduled through until the final week of May. Early enquiry for these has been strong, and the auctions should go well, particularly when the higher quality herds go under the hammer,” he said. Information about the schedule of clearing sales is on the AgOnline website. Jamie Cunninghame said positive indications for dairy returns have provided the market with less impetus than might have been expected. “Although the Global Dairy Trade’s recent trend is good news, it is not yet stirring the dairy livestock trade along as much as you might expect. Although there is some feelgood, other factors are holding farmers in check.

SLOWDOWN: Cantebury temperatures have turned cooler slowing the growth rates for much of the region.

to 90% through with just the late season’s reds to come off – syrah and cabernet sauvignon. It’s been a very easy vintage. Volume’s been a bit disappointing in some varieties though merlot has been patchy. Rain at flowering in November’s being blamed. Hawke’s Bay farms are greening up and the fire by permit only signs have been removed. Horowhenua’s had good grass growth but temperatures have taken a dive. There’s still a small amount of maize to be harvested. Calving on winter milk farms has gone well in very kind weather. Cruise ships and supermarkets are keen for strawberries grown in Horowhenua’s tunnel houses so prices are solid and a lot of new tunnels are going in. SOUTH ISLAND Apple growers in Nelson are picking late variety Envys and red Braeburn. There’s quite a spread of maturity because of the hot, dry summer. The gold kiwifruit crop’s coming off too. Some growers delayed harvesting because of colour issues. A grape grower at Renwick in Marlborough says she finished the harvest much earlier than usual at the end of March. Fruit quality is outstanding. White grapes are fermenting in tanks, pinot grapes have been pressed off and are going through second fermentation while the later syrah grapes are fermenting in skin. Sheep are going into some vineyards for winter while in others winter cover crops are going in. A farmer just north on Hokitika on the West Coast says it’s going to take more

than a year to recover from flooding two weeks ago. With help from local contractors he’s managed to get the roadside and boundary fences fixed but races and the effluent system are damaged and water troughs are full of silt. Harrows are being dragged across roughed-up paddocks to smooth them out. In all, he estimates he’s lost 60 tonnes of crops and 60 tonnes of pasture and none of it’s covered by insurance. Some rain and cooler temperatures last week in Canterbury have seen irrigators turned off and some put away for the season. Growth has slowed with the cooler temperatures. The last crops of radish are being harvested in the windows of good weather. Dairy farmers in south Otago welcomed last week’s rain. Pasture growth’s been slow of late so a lot of supplementary feed has been used to feed cows and keep milk production levels up. Empties have been going to the works early to reduce the number of mouths to feed. Our contact at Wallacetown in Southland had 20mm of water in the gauge last week but only 29mm for the month but winter crops and pasture are doing well despite the lack of moisture. Sheep farmers are having problems with fly-strike, partly because of the conditions but also the type of fly. It’s hard to control because it likes to lay eggs in clean wool in the middle of the back then fly around to the rear. The schedule for ewes and lambs is pretty good and lambs’ wool prices are up, which means there might be some loose change in farmers pockets after paying for shearing.

Courtesy of Radio New Zealand Country Life You can listen to Country Life on RNZ at 9pm every Friday and 7am on Saturday or on podcast at radionz.co.nz/countrylife

“South Island farmers who culled herds due to Mycoplasma Bovis are now repopulating, though that activity is not sufficient to alter the market. However, with the tough spring and dry summer leaving empty rates higher than normal, farmers going to market to maintain herd numbers are driving impetus somewhat. Additionally, export cattle are still going to China, with farmers who have capitalised now looking to replace numbers. Export enquiry responds quickly to global dairy prices, so more export activity is likely,” he said. Overall, Jamie Cunninghame expects steady market progress during the coming weeks, with quality stock selling well at stable values and minimal variance on current trends.

Get in touch: 0800 10 22 76 www.pggwrightson.co.nz

Helping grow the country

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – April 15, 2019

Older store cattle flood into sale yards Short weeks, recent rain and approaching winter equal time to hit the offload button on store cattle while there is still demand there to absorb them. While weaners are being offloaded at the special sales, the last two weeks have also seen a spike in entries of older store cattle at regular events and the likes of Frankton and Rangiuru have doubled their volume in a very short time. These have tended to flood the market and prices are taking a knock.

NORTHLAND Wellsford grown steer and bull fair • Six R2 Charolais-cross steers, 413kg, managed $3.03/kg • R2 Angus steers, 404kg, traded at $2.77/kg • R2 Angus-Hereford steers, 428-513kg, earned $2.75-$2.83/kg • R2 Angus-Friesian steers, 404-449kg, eased to $2.74-$2.76/kg • R2 Hereford-Friesian steers, 407-454kg, returned $2.72-$2.82/kg Just over 760 cattle were penned at WELLSFORD last Monday for the Grown Steer & Bull Fair, with R2 steers making up the majority. Quality was not lacking, but with buyers limited $2.60-$2.85/kg was common ground. Friesian and Friesian-cross bulls, 281-421kg, softened to $2.40-$2.56/kg. Kaikohe cattle • Top R2 Charolais-cross steers made $2.98/kg, and other beef types, $2.70-$2.80/kg • R2 beef-dairy steers made $2.40-$2.50/kg, and Friesian-cross, $2.10-$2.20/kg • R2 bulls and beef-cross heifers sold for $2.55-$2.65/kg • Weaner beef-cross steers traded at $3.00-$3.25/kg, and lighter, $3.40/kg • Weaner beef-cross heifers made $2.65-$2.85/kg A pre-winter offload meant 600 cattle were penned at KAIKOHE last Wednesday. Good cattle sold well to local buyers, but lesser types were hard work, PGG Wrightson agent Vaughn Vujcich reported. Weaner bulls sold over a wide range from $2.30/kg to $3.10/kg. Heavy cows made $1.70-$1.80/kg, and lighter, $1.40-$1.50/kg. Broadwood adult cattle fair • Around 500 R2 steers sold to local buyers on a solid market • Good R2 traditional and exotic steers made $2.75-$2.82/kg, with Charolais up to $2.98/kg • R2 Hereford-cross made $2.40-$2.60/kg, and Friesian-cross, $2.10-$2.20/kg • R2 beef-cross heifers earned $2.55-$2.60/kg, and in-calf whiteface, $1240 • Weaner beef-cross bulls and Charolais-cross heifers sold for $2.70-$2.85/kg Wellsford grown female and weaner heifer fair • R2 Hereford, 402-443kg, lifted to $2.71-$2.79/kg • R2 Hereford-Friesian, 360-465kg, softened to $2.52-$2.74/kg • R2 Angus, 372-400kg, traded at $2.42-$2.51/kg • Mixed age Angus cows, 471kg, vetted-in-calf to an Angus bull, earned $905, $1.92/kg • Mixed age Hereford-Friesian cows, 599kg, vetted-in-calf to a Hereford bull, earned $1185, $1.98/kg Throughput was back on 2018, with 420 quality females penned at WELLSFORD last Thursday. Buyers were cautious and R2 Hereford, 307-401kg, returned $2.57-$2.64/kg, while Angus-Friesian, 345-408kg, softened to $2.45-$2.54/kg. Nine weaner Simmental-cross, 269kg, topped their section at $610. Mixed-age Hereford cows, 567-579kg, run with a Charolais bull, managed $1180-$1210, $2.08-$2.09/kg.

AUCKLAND Pukekohe cattle sale • Cows varied from $1.22/kg to $2.08/kg, with the top line making $1710 • Prime steers earned $2.68-$2.78/kg, and other good types, $2.51$2.73/kg • Lighter prime heifers sold well at $1110-$1180, $2.53-$2.67/kg • The best weaner steers eased to $780-$900, $2.50-$2.70/kg • Small weaner steers traded at $465-$650, and heifers, $300-$440 Prime cattle showed good strength at PUKEKOHE on Saturday 6th April, though demand lessened for store types.

Supply exceeded demand and some cattle were sent home as prices did not meet expectations. Medium R2 steers sold for $2.44-$2.69/kg, and good 15-month heifers were very similar at $2.43-$2.66/kg.

COUNTIES Tuakau sales • Simmental-cross heifers, 440kg, earned $1140, $2.59/kg • Heavy prime steers fetched up to $2.84/kg • Well-conditioned Friesian cows sold up to $1.95/kg • Top four-day calves made $405 A shortage of feed in the region meant last Thursday’s store cattle market was tough going, Karl Chitham of Carrfields Livestock reported. Most steers, 410-480kg, sold at $2.47-$2.68/kg. Younger steers, 201kg, made $740 and 146kg weaners, $600. Hereford-Friesian heifers, 387kg, fetched $960 and 240kg Angus, $520. Weaner heifers, 160kg, made $480, and 140kg, $445. Last Wednesday’s prime cattle market was steady. Steers traded at $2.63-$2.84/kg and heifers, $2.57-$2.72/kg. Boner prices ranged from $1.28/kg to $1.95/kg. Heavy prime lambs earned $140-$155 last Monday. Lightmedium made $128-$140, and stores $75-$115. Heavy prime ewes sold up to $145, medium $125-$130 and light $63-$78.

WAIKATO Frankton cattle • R2 Hereford-cross steers, 383-429kg, eased to $2.37-$2.56/kg • R2 Hereford-Friesian steers, 363-425kg, held at $2.64-$2.81/kg, and 320-334kg, $2.86-$2.96/kg • R2 Hereford-cross heifers, 375-425kg, improved to $2.45-$2.60/kg • R2 Hereford-Friesian heifers, 316-362kg, eased to $2.38-$2.47/kg • R2 Hereford-cross bulls, 403kg, returned $2.46/kg Another big yarding close to 1200 cattle were penned at FRANKTON last Wednesday, with results mixed. R3 Hereford-cross heifers, 406kg, made $2.65/kg, with the balance, 391-450kg, at $2.03-$2.33/kg. Most R2 steers, 359-495kg, traded at $2.43-$2.65/kg, and heifers, 329-454kg, $2.42-$2.63/kg. Weaner steers, 184-255kg, earned $500-$750, and Hereford bulls, 193kg, $625. The prime market improved for some with traditional steers, 586-641kg, up to $2.76-$2.77/kg, and South Devoncross heifers, 442kg, $2.77/kg.

BAY OF PLENTY Rangiuru cattle sale • Prime Hereford-Friesian steers, 530-575kg, firmed to $2.76/kg and heifers, 493-570kg, $2.62-$2.71/kg • Boner Friesian and Friesian-cross cows, 424-485kg, firmed to $1.43-$1.56/kg • Most R2 Hereford-Friesian steers in a 329-446kg range eased to $2.58-$2.75/kg • R2 Hereford-Friesian heifers, 360-432kg, fell to $2.39-$2.48/kg • Weaner Hereford-Friesian heifers, 147-149kg, traded at $445-$460 Sellers offloaded at RANGIURU last Tuesday, with volume swelling to just over 1200, including 1000 store cattle. The extra tallies were too large for local buyers to absorb and store cattle eased, though prime and boner cattle firmed. R2 Angus steers, 310-437kg, varied from $2.23/kg up to $2.52/kg, and Friesian, 387-397kg, $2.17-$2.19/kg. Lesser Hereford-Friesian and Hereford-Jersey traded at $2.37$2.46/kg. Standout lines of R2 Angus and Speckle ParkAngus heifers reached $2.51-$2.52/kg, but lesser HerefordFriesian, 316-345kg, made $2.28-$2.33/kg.

TARANAKI Taranaki cattle fair • R2 Hereford-Friesian steers, 385-433kg, made $2.70-$2.86/kg • R2 Hereford-cross heifers, 248kg, sold very well at $3.36/kg • Vetted-in-calf R3 Hereford-Friesian heifers were bought for $1240 There was a large yarding of 1000 cattle at last Wednesday’s TARANAKI cattle fair. The buying power was limited, and this put pressure on prices. Better quality steers made decent money at $2.62-$2.87/kg, but the rest struggled at $2.54-$2.66/kg. A good line up of heifers held, with most making $2.32-$2.46/kg or $2.52-$2.61/kg.

POVERTY BAY Matawhero Sheep Sale • Top quality light lambs sold very well for $115 • Medium to good ewe lambs made $100-$112 • Two-tooth run-with-ram ewes made $139 There was a good line up of well-presented lambs at last week’s MATAWHERO SHEEP SALE, prices generally eased although not significantly, but the sale went smoothly with pasture levels lifting in some areas. The heavier lambs came back the most to sell for $125-$137, while medium lambs held a little steadier at $108-$115. A large pen of quality light lambs sold over typical values due to their good reputation. Prime lambs were steady selling in a tight range of $139-$140.

HAWKE’S BAY Stortford Lodge store cattle and sheep • Good cryptorchid lambs eased to $120-$129.50 • Medium to good ewe lambs made $105-$124 • R2 Angus & Angus & Angus-Hereford steers, 349-516kg, held at $3.05-$3.11/kg • R2 Hereford-Friesian heifers, 362-447kg, sold well at $2.62-$2.74/ kg • R2 Friesian bulls, 327-387kg, eased to $2.38-$2.52/kg There was action aplenty at STORTFORD LODGE last Wednesday, as lambs swelled to 7000 head, and older cattle had their chance in the rostrum after weaner fairs. Local buyers absorbed most lambs, but at lesser rates than recently. Medium males sold for $97-$115, though heavier wethers eased to $116-$125. Very light ewe lambs made $77-$88. Just over 900 cattle were penned and featured R2 lines. Angus, and Angus-Hereford heifers fetched $2.66-$2.70/kg, while Charolais-Angus, 360-395kg, sold well at $2.78-$2.83/ kg. Two lines of in-calf Angus-Hereford cows made $1365. Waitara Station on-farm lamb sale • Top line of Perendale wethers made $147 • Good Perendale wethers sold for $122.50-$127 • Medium Perendale wethers made $108-$117 • Top lines of Perendale ewe lambs made $119-$120.50 • Second cuts sold for $114, and one line of mixed sex, $85 The Holloway family held an on-farm sale at WAITARA STATION in Te Pohue for the first time, which featured 3960 undrafted Perendale wether and ewe lambs. The sale was completed in under 15 minutes, and a unit-load headed to the South Island, while most other lines stayed in Hawke’s Bay, Hazlett Rural representative Tom Mowat reported.

MANAWATU Rongotea cattle sale • R3 beef-dairy heifers and steers sold for $2.38-$2.47/kg • R2 Hereford-Friesian steers, 345-383kg, made $2.32-$2.58/kg • R2 Friesian bulls, 365-450kg, made $2.24-$2.54/kg, and heifers, 295kg, $1.71/kg • Weaner bulls, 101-187kg, earned $345-$560, regardless of breed • Boner Friesian and Friesian-cross cows sold for $1.40-$1.72/kg Most cattle came forward in ones and twos at RONGOTEA last Wednesday. Weaner beef-dairy heifers, 137-243kg, earned $495-$590, and steers of similar breed and 135-255kg made $600-$721. In the calf pens Friesian bulls made $80-$250, HerefordFriesian $120-$250, and Angus-cross, 100-$205. HerefordFriesian heifers traded at $80-$205, and Angus-cross, $160-$190. Feilding prime cattle and sheep sale • Boner dairy cows, 430-530kg, lifted to $1.80-$1.88/kg • Boner dairy heifers, 375-420kg, were $1.96-$2.17/kg • Prime Hereford-Friesian steers, 765kg, made $2.78/kg • Good prime ewes were $149-$152 • Prime lambs were mainly $146-$152 A big reduction in cattle numbers at the FEILDING prime sale last Monday helped keep boner cows on an upwards trajectory, having now risen 40c/kg in a month. Top dairy cows, 545-670kg, went as high as $1.96-$2.09/kg and beef cows, 505-625kg, $2.06-2.17/kg. Prime lamb volume grew to 6600 head, but the market

SALE YARD WRAP

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – April 15, 2019

• Medium ewes improved to $114-$117 Throughput lifted across the board at STORTFORD LODGE last Monday. Ten Friesian steers, 663kg, sold well at $2.78/kg, as did seven Hereford-Friesian heifers, 536kg, $2.72/kg. Lambs doubled in number and very heavy males returned $150-$169, with heavy rams steady at $150-$160, and good $139. Mixed sex lambs softened with top lines back to $150-$167, and second cuts, $126-$130. Heavy ewes held at $143-$151, while medium and good softened to $125-$132. Light-medium held at $105-$110, with lighter types discounted to $50-$85. Canterbury Park cattle and sheep sale • Heavy prime lambs strengthened to $160-$185 • Prime Angus-Hereford steers, 620kg, made $2.80/kg • Prime Charolais-cross heifers, 675kg, sold for $2.78/kg • Prime Hereford-cross bulls, 725kg, made $2.70/kg At last Tuesday’s CANTERBURY PARK sale prime lambs lifted, with medium types at $130-$159 and lighter $110$129. Prime ewes were mixed, as heavy types made $150$180 and medium $130-$159. A small number of store lambs firmed, with medium lambs making $95-$109 and light $80-$94. A small yarding of prime cattle was mostly steady, as steers largely traded at $2.46-$2.69/kg and heifers, $2.50$2.65/kg. Coalgate cattle and sheep sale • R2 Hereford-Friesian steers, 435-485kg, were mainly $2.33-$2.39/ kg • R2 Friesian steers, 395-420kg, made $1.95-$2.06/kg • Prime steers, 655-780kg, were $2.68-$2.71/kg • Prime lambs mainly went for $130-$159 • Good store lambs eased to $105-$113 R2 Hereford-Friesian steers were a feature of the store cattle section at COALGATE last Thursday and sold to similar levels seen the week prior. Prime cattle ranged from steady or up to 5c/kg stronger. Lower attendance on the rails pulled the store lamb market down by $5-$10, not helped by a lack of drawcard consignments. Medium store lambs were usually $84-$104. Prime lambs firmed $3-$5, whereas a small selection of ewes eased by a similar degree.

SOUTH-CANTERBURY Temuka prime and boner cattle; all sheep • Good to heavy store lambs firmed to $110-$125 • Medium to good mixed sex and ewe lambs firmed to $100-$109 • Merino mixed sex made $75-$106 • Boner Friesian cows, 439-574kg, eased to $1.36-$1.49/kg • Angus cows, 586-813kg, traded at $1.67-$1.79/kg The highlight at TEMUKA last Monday was the store lamb market. 5900 were penned with prices firm to lifting, and only light and lesser types dropped below $100. Prime lambs firmed with the tops reaching $194 and the majority, $110-$175. Variable condition but a steady market meant ewes traded from $90 up to $159 for most. Cattle prices eased across the board. Top Friesian cows traded at $1.50-$1.60/kg, while heifers varied from $1.30$1.77/kg. Hereford-cross steers, 575-590kg, eased 8c/kg to $2.59/ kg, and 14 Friesian bulls, 586kg, made $2.45/kg.

OTAGO Balclutha Sheep • Medium to heavy prime lambs eased to $120-$140, and lighter, $110-$115 • Heavy ewes held at $120-$140, as did medium and light at $90$120 • Good store lambs eased to $100-$108, and medium, $80-$95 • Light store lambs also eased to $60-$70. FULL HOUSE: A recent autumn sale at Coalgate was well-attended.

held. Top cuts were usually $155-$171, but a single pen did hit $187. Medium and forward-store lambs were $121-$144. Less than 700 ewes were yarded, with the top-end $149$152, medium $117-$137, and the rest $86-$105. Feilding store sale • R3 traditional steers, 490-575kg, made $2.82-$2.92/kg • R2 traditional steers, 440-460kg, received $2.87-$3.06/kg • R2 Friesian bulls, 415-485kg, were $2.45-$2.56/kg • Heavy male and mixed sex store lambs made $134-$142.50 • Medium ewe lambs were mainly $102.50-$113 More than 1400 store cattle were put under the hammer. Masses of R2 and R3 steers were the main drawcard, as well as a big selection of Friesian bulls of all ages (prices above). Through the rest, beef-dairy R2 steers, 395-515kg, made $2.63-$2.76/kg and traditional R2 heifers, 305-380kg, were $2.81-$3.00/kg. Weaner Friesian bulls, 160-210kg, went for

SOUTHLAND $3.23-$3.38/kg. Store lambs flooded the yards for the fourth week in a row. Lower buyer turnout had the expected effected, pulling prices down, most noticeably on the ewe lambs. Short-term lambs were in the same ballpark as the week beforehand. The ewe market was quite flat, with light-medium and medium cuts at $96-$115, and only some very good twotooth’s up at $162.

CANTERBURY Stortford prime cattle and sheep • Angus and Angus-Hereford cows, 628-639kg, earned $2.03-$2.04/ kg • Very heavy ram lambs eased to $180-$193 • Heavy ewe lambs eased to $163-$165 • Very heavy ewes also softened to $180-$187

Lorneville cattle and sheep sale • Store lambs sold well at $60-$115 • Prime lambs firmed with heavy types at $141-$154, medium $114-$136 and light $107-$112 • Heavy prime ewes held at $130-$148 and most others, $80-$112. • Medium to good boner cows firmed to $1.35-$1.48/kg • Prime steers, 480-600kg, held at $2.46/kg A mixed quality yarding of store cattle at LORNEVILLE last Tuesday sold to limited demand, but the balance of the sale was positive. Dairy cows and heifers made up the bulk of the cattle and cows firmed, with lighter lines up to $1.30/kg, while medium to good heifers eased to $1.40-$1.90/kg. Beef-cross heifers, 420kg, earned $2.30/kg. The highlight in the store pens was R2 beef heifers, 440485kg, $2.39-$2.43/kg. Friesian steers, 370-404kg, returned $1.75-$1.80/kg, and 292kg heifers, $1.84/kg. Weaner beefcross bulls, 218-263kg, sold for $625-$695, and 170kg, $400.

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – April 15, 2019

SOLID SALE: Waituna West farmer Tony Meads was pleased with steer prices at last weeks weaner sale in Feilding.

Good demand for weaner steers Alan Williams alan.williams@globalhq.co.nz STEERS sold well but heifers were a struggle at last week’s Feilding weaner sales. “We averaged $3.60/kg for the steers but were selling weaner heifers around the $3 level,” Manawatu farmer Tony Meads said. “I was certainly happy with the steers and the heifer prices were about what I expected.” The sale was held over two days with just under 2400 steers on Wednesday and 1100 heifers on Thursday. The steer sale improved slightly over the previous week’s sale because of good lines of hill-country cattle being yarded and the buyer bench boosted by rain refreshing pastures in eastern parts of the lower North

Island, PGG Wrightson livestock agent Tony Gallen said. Following the market trend, prices were still down about $100 to $150 a head on a year earlier though Meads thought prices had improved since the start of the weaner sales season. Exotic weaner steers sold for $1000 to $1050 a head on average, for a per-kg price of $3.60 to $3.70, up by 30c to 40c on the previous week. The exotics included the Meads line of Charolais steers. The top exotic breed price was $1200 a head for a pen of Simmentals. Angus and Angus-cross weaner steers sold around the $3.70/kg to $3.80/kg average, Gallen said. At the heifer sale, in front of a smallish bench of buyers, prices were mostly steady around recent levels of $2.80/kg to $3/kg

WAIKATO Frankton dairy beef weaner fair • All steers, 129-158kg, sold for $375-$540 • Thirteen Hereford-Friesian steers, 182kg, made $625 • Hereford-Friesian heifers, 120-160kg, made $370-$430 • Red Hereford-Friesian heifers, 136-256kg, earned $335-$500 • Seven Hereford heifers, 210kg, reached $540 •

KING COUNTRY Taupo weaner fair • Angus steers, 262-329kg, made $950-$1000 • Angus steers, 122-211kg, sold for $500-$800 • Angus heifers, 264-314kg, sold well at $740-$820 The TAUPO Weaner Fair last Monday had a notable lack of buyers due to low feed levels around Taupo, King Country and Waikato. Beef steers sold readily enough, although Hereford-Friesian struggled. Heifers were hard to move, although some larger pens of traditional and exotic calves strengthened.

POVERTY BAY Matawhero weaner steer and bull fair

though down on the same time last year, like all the other sales. “We wouldn’t have wanted many more heifers given how the market is,” Gallen said. There’s not as much buying of weaner heifers despite the good breed lines in many cases, with most breeders keeping their own replacements and most of the buying being for fattening though at least one buyer was looking for breeding stock. Most of the heifers were 180kg to 220kg all well-bred but lighter coming off the hills. The pressure is on the weaner sales because of the big money paid for stock in the last two years. Some buyers from last year still have the stock they bought then, putting weight on them, Gallen said. At Wairoa about 1420 well-bred, hill-bred

• Angus steers, 260-285kg, earned $985-$1050, and 200-225kg, $800-$870 • Angus & Angus-Hereford steers, 260-295kg, returned $900$1040, and 170-190kg, $700-$850 • Angus-cross steers, 200kg, improved to $945, $4.73/kg • Angus-Hereford steers, 260kg, fetched $900-$992 • Hereford bulls, 245-270kg, sold for $900-$1020 A big yarding of over 3000 weaners were penned at MATAWHERO last Tuesday. Returns were back on 2018 and most steers eased by $20-$120. Angus, 200-225kg, traded at $800-$870, and Angus-cross, 160-205kg, earned $730-$800. Exotic, 220-290kg, made $720-$820, and 145-160kg, $500$535. Quality bulls sold well but were also discounted on last year. Angus, 260-295kg, returned $840-$1020, with exotic, 230-270kg, steady at $705-$930. Heavier Hereford, 315kg, improved to $1300, $4.13/kg. Friesian bulls, 210-230kg, traded at $674-$730. Matawhero weaner heifer fair • Angus, 265kg, made $905, but 195-230kg eased to $560-$790 • Charolais, 235-315kg, traded at $700-$880 • Angus and Angus-Hereford, 250kg, held at $750-$865 • Angus-cross, 235kg, improved to $770 • Hereford, 235-265kg, earned $820-$915

weaners – more than 1100 steers and 290 heifers – sold well at Thursday’s fair, PGG Wrightson agent Hamish Forrester said. The top price for steers was $1000 with good-quality Angus and Angus-Hereford animals and some good exotics yarded. Many of them came off steep hill country and will thrive once down on the flat. Wairoa doesn’t have scales but Forrester estimated a top price of about $3.50/kg. The average price for heifers was about $700, with an even-split between buying for fattening and breeding. In line with this season’s sales generally, prices were down about $150 to $200 a head but vendors left the sale happy. Despite the lower weaner prices Forrester expects a strong in-calf cow sale in Wairoa in May. “We’ll have some good, big lines of wellbred cows from the big stations.”

Just over 1300 heifers were penned at MATAWHERO last Wednesday, but limited buyers meant the market was back on 2018, and the results were mixed throughout. Angus & Angus-Hereford, 165-180kg, eased to $490-$530, as did Angus-Hereford, 165-215kg, $400-$460. Charolais-cross, 215-240kg, softened to $600-$650, with Charolais-Hereford, 215kg, at $555. Exotic, 230-245kg, eased to $590-$635, and 150-230kg, $370-$400.

HAWKE’S BAY Wairoa weaner fair • Good Angus steers sold well at $945-$1000, with the balance at $715-$880 • All Angus and Angus-Hereford steers sold for $700-$940 • Angus-Hereford steers made $915-$1000 • Angus heifers sold for $550-$640 and Angus & Angus-Hereford, $540-$730 • Exotic heifers traded at $610-$810 Calves were of consistently good quality at WAIROA last Thursday, and Waikato and Hawke’s Bay buyers dominated the market. Close to 1200 calves were offered, with the majority traditionally bred.

SALE YARD WRAP

MANAWATU Feilding Weaner Heifer Fair • Exotic heifers, 260-285kg, made $2.86-$3.00/kg • Exotic heifers, 220-260kg, were $2.94-$3.03/kg • Traditional heifers, 215-260kg, went for $2.84-$3.02/kg • Traditional heifers, 180-210kg, eased to $540-$585 It was more of the same for the 960 heifers offered the day after the steers and bulls at FEILDING. Prices eased on the week prior, though this applied more to the lighter cuts than the top-end. Exotic heifers were very consistent at $2.85-$3.05/kg. Some Angus heifers were targeted for breeding, and at 245255kg sold for $790-$800, $3.10-$3.28/kg.

Temuka calf sale – Mackenzie section • Hereford steers, 278-319kg, sold well at $1020-$1080 • Angus steers, 290-294kg, made $955-$1030 • Angus and Angus-Hereford heifers sold for $810-$820 • Hereford heifers, 277kg, sold well at $915 There was a top-quality line up of calves at the

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – April 15, 2019

TEMUKA CALF SALE – MACKENZIE SECTION on Friday 5th April. Buyers came from all around Canterbury and the market followed the trend of other sales, as average prices came down with steers at $880 and heifers $665.

Feilding weaner steer and bull fair • Exotic steers, 285-320kg, were $3.49-$3.77/kg • Exotic bulls, 210-315kg, mainly made $3.36-$3.64/kg • Angus steers, 260-290kg, made $3.70-$3.87/kg • Traditional steers, 215-255kg, went for $3.48-$3.73/kg • Traditional steers, 170-195kg, usually made $700-$750 A near capacity yarding of 2350 steers and bulls were penned at FEILDING last Wednesday. The volume didn’t cause much disruption to prices, though buyers were selective. Like-for-like exotic steers ranged by up to 50c/kg, while heavy straight Angus made a premium of 25-30c/kg over Angus-Hereford. The bulls were scramble of different breeds and sizes. Hereford was the breed of preference, with 184-275kg often $3.83-$4.13/kg, but two 260-290kg lines fetched $1190$1250, $4.33-$4.58/kg.

TARANAKI Taranaki second run weaner fair • Charolais-cross steers, 345kg, sold for $1020 • Hereford heifers, 250kg, made good money at $1050 • Simmental-cross heifers, 190-263kg, firmed to $590-$825 • Hereford-cross and Speckle Park-cross bulls, 310-330kg, made $845-$860 The second run weaner fair at TARANAKI last Thursday had a bigger volume of cattle, which were well met by buyers. Results were pleasing with prices within touching distance of the previous fair, with a boost in competition in the heifer pens.

NEXT PLEASE: Simmental heifer calves bred by Warren and Steph Burgess wait their turn at the Owaka calf sale on March 21.

CANTERBURY Coalgate Calf Sale • Angus steers, 195-273kg, earned $730-$990 • Angus steers, 145-165kg, returned $630-$650 • Angus heifers, 148-201kg, traded at $520-$665 • A small number of Angus heifers, 214-266kg, made $680-$710 Calf selling moved to COALGATE last Tuesday, with the 586 head yarding predominantly Angus. Top honours went to a line of four older Hereford steers, 378kg, at $1020, while Charolais heifers, 253kg, reached $735. Canterbury Park calf sale • Angus and Angus-Hereford steers, 324kg, sold well at $1100 • Angus steers, 282-285kg, made $925-$985 • Simmental-cross heifers, 306kg, made good money at $930 • Weaner heifers, 245-284kg, mostly sold for $800-$870 At the CANTERBURY PARK CALF SALE last Wednesday, a smaller offering and heavier calves helped prices in the steer pens. The average traditional weaner steer price lifted $70 from the previous sale to $860, while despite more buyers present, the average traditional heifer price eased $40 to $705. Culverden calf sale • Traditional steers, 235-275kg, were $3.45-$3.70/kg • Traditional steers, 170-230kg, made $3.55-$3.75/kg • Exotic and composite steers, 230-290kg, went for $3.40-$3.55/kg • Traditional heifers. 215-255kg, were $3.05-$3.40/kg • Traditional heifer, 165-200kg, went for $3.30-$3.65/kg CULVERDEN was host to 1300 calves on, with the market firm through all classes and weight bands. Selective bidding did create a spread on the traditional heifers, but 190-270kg were consistent at $3.10-$3.30/kg.

SOUTH-CANTERBURY Temuka calf sale – western section • Angus steers, 256-310kg, traded at $915-$1080 • Angus steers, 201-237kg, earned $755-$905 • Angus-Hereford steers, 202-267kg, returned $700-$975 • Hereford bulls, 225-273kg, eased to $970-$1180 • Angus heifers, 215-247kg, sold well at $665-$735 Calves in the western region were offered at TEMUKA last Wednesday, with 1400 penned. Prices were on par with recent calf sales, though these calves were later-born off harder country. Buyers came from Southland and mid and north Canterbury. Hereford steers, 261-292kg, sold for $905-$990, and Angus-Hereford heifers, 187-245kg, $600-$720.

ON THE MARCH: Stock move between pens at the Feilding saleyards last week.

Markets

48 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – April 15, 2019 NI SLAUGHTER BULL

NI SLAUGHTER STEER

SI SLAUGHTER LAMB

($/KG)

GOOD MIXED SEX LAMBS AT TEMUKA

($/KG)

($/HD)

5.10

5.45

6.75

112

high $2.72-$2.83/kg lights R2 Traditional steers,

Kill slump props prices

Annette Scott annette.scott@globalhq.co.nz

IG volumes of lambs processed in February and early March are now creating gaps in lamb bookings with some chains on the verge of an early winter mode. Latest kill statistics show the season tracking just 0.7% ahead on volume compared to last year as February and March processing numbers make up for the slow start in November and December, AgriHQ senior analyst Mel Croad said. Prices have also corrected in line with volume with lower numbers of lambs in the North Island holding schedules up to $7.10/kg but in the South where there’s good numbers still coming forward pricing is down to $6.60-$6.70/kg. This time last year the South Island was at $7.05 and the North Island at $7.20. The price differential between North and South aligns with processing volumes and lamb supply. The South Island had very big lamb kills in February and the first week of March, processing 350,000 head a week compared to 250,000 a week for the same period last year. “These volumes are driven as much by the weather than anything else with late summer, early autumn weather conditions more favourable last year and the dry period February-March this year moving a lot of lambs.” The North Island also had bigger kills in February and March with lighter lamb supply now contributing to the price holding up. “In the South Island there’s still reasonable lamb flow and that’s comparably reflecting in price.” The onslaught of lambs to the processors topped 700,000 a week for February and early March, the highest seen for many years. “There were some big tallies not seen for a long time at that time of year that

GOOD MONEY: Lamb prices at holding up at sales like this one at Feilding as short supply keeps farmgate returns attractive.

There were some big tallies not seen for a long time at that time of year that put real pressure on processing capacity and why the gap is emerging now. Mel Croad AgriHQ put real pressure on processing capacity and why the gap is emerging now,” Croad said. But despite the supply bubble the markets remain solid and exports are up. “We are not used to supply like that at that time and we don’t expect to see that again now for the rest of the season.” More likely the challenge will be managing the tighter supply over the winter months. “With store lamb prices holding

up and the forecast of 800,000 fewer lambs this year it’s looking to be thin processing over the winter as farmers hold on to lambs for better weights to balance what they’re paying for store lambs.” Store lambs have been trading at $3.50/kg in the North Island and when looking at the farmgate price of $7.10/kg it shows store values are trading at 49% of schedule. That has climbed from 44% a month ago and compares with 45% this time last year. “Historically, store lambs trade at 47% of schedule through April, which would suggest the store price should be more like $3.35/kg on historical levels, therefore current buyers are paying a premium for store lambs compared to five-year averages and the market this time last year.” In the South Island the store lamb market is less heated. At 3.25/kg for a 32kg lamb, at a farmgate price of $6.70/kg, it shows that current store values are trading at 48% of schedule.

405-513kg, at Wellsford Grown Steer Fair

$800-$1000 Angus steers, 200270kg, at Matawhero Weaner Fair

ACROSS THE RAILS SUZ BREMNER

Store lamb volume rising to meet demand THE store lamb market has changed up a gear with entries at most yards lifting in the past few weeks. Feilding is leading the way and, as reported in our LivestockEye Feilding report, the last three weeks, to the week ending April 5, were the busiest in AgriHQ records since April 2014 with 66,000 lambs sold. Volume at yards typically increases now as demand for lambs grows and sellers time their offload to meet that. That increase in demand stems mainly from two areas – Hawke’s Bay and Mid Canterbury, which are both big producers of cash crops and harvesting for many has been completed with winter grass sown and grown. Irrigation has helped keep grass moving in both Mid Canterbury and Hawke’s Bay this year and the latter has also been fortunate enough to keep some moisture in the ground thanks to Mother Nature. So, as the crops come out and the grass goes in and the apples and grapes come off the trees and vines, lambs become a very popular commodity and stock trucks are seen heading up all manner of driveways. Not only have we seen more lambs at the yards but paddock sales are also bringing the lambs direct from the farms to the flat country in the unit-loads. Proof of that was the convoy of stock trucks that went past our driveway on the Taihape Road in Hawke’s Bay on Thursday, bringing lambs down from the stations further up. So, what has all this meant for prices? The increase in volume has met an increase in demand so prices in the North Island are largely staying put, though with a bit of the edge taken off. Results at Feilding reflected that while Stortford Lodge did trade at softer levels though there is mounting concern around facial eczema and that influenced the market. At Matawhero on Friday April 5 buyers were so pleased to see good numbers they really gave each other a run for their money and prices surpassed levels seen at Feilding and Stortford Lodge. South Island prices have been very positive with last week’s sales showing a steady to lifting market for the mainly mixed-sex offerings. suz.bremner@globalhq.co.nz

Find out more about AgriHQ at agrihq.co.nz

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