Farmers Weekly NZ May 22 2023

Feds flags freshwater squeeze

legislation’s release means farmers have instead had to get resource consent.

AFURTHER 24,000 farms and orchards will need to have certified Freshwater Farm Plans in place within three years, says Federated Farmers.

The delayed policy, part of the Essential Freshwater reforms, will start with pilot programmes in Southland and Waikato this August.

These plans will have to be certified within 18 months.

There simply isn’t the workforce out there to do this. I worry farmers are yet again being set up to fail.

Legislation to enact Freshwater Farm Plans (FWFPs) is still to be introduced but by August 2026 they will be required for farmers with 20ha or more in arable or pastoral use, 5ha or more horticulture or 20ha or more in combined use.

These plans are a way to manage the impact of intensive winter grazing but delays in the

Federated Farmers board member Colin Hurst said farmers are not ready. At $6000 a plan they are costly, he said, and time frames are tight given the number needing a FWFP.

“Around 10,000 farmers have existing farm environment plans that may be able to be quickly adjusted to the new system, but this leaves 24,000, largely smaller sheep, beef and deer farms, that will need to fork out around $6000 plus for the new plans,” Hurst said in a statement.

He questioned how 24,000 FWFPs can be prepared from scratch in just 36 months.

“There simply isn’t the workforce out there to do this. I worry farmers are yet again being set up to fail,” Hurst said.

He said a golden opportunity has been missed where plans could replace council requirements for a resource consent to farm.

Hurst sees FWFPs as a onesize fits all and, despite requiring extensive information, he is concerned plans will become little more than a box-ticking exercise designed to pass an audit.

He said it is “hard for farmers to get excited about possibilities for

Continued page 3

Steaks are high in breeding decisions

Ditch in search of a new mob

Ditch interrupts normal programming to ask a favour of From the Ridge readers. OPINION 18

The number of farms going to forestry an unknown factor for the upcoming bull selling season. NEWS 7

A Taranaki doctor-farmer and her husband repeat family’s NZ Dairy Industry achievement.

NEWS 8

Researchers find link between heavy metals in pastoral soils and antibioticresistant bacteria.

TECHNOLOGY 21

Photo:

Neal Wallace NEWS Water

Colin Hurst Federated Farmers

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AWARDED: Donna Cram is the Dairy Women’s Network 2023 Fonterra Dairy Woman of the Year.

New Zealand’s most trusted source of agricultural news and information

News in brief

New head for NZM

Australian agribusiness leader Angus Street has been appointed chief executive of the NZ Merino Company to replace retiring inaugural chief executive John Brakenridge.

Since 2018 Street has been CEO of AuctionsPlus, an online agricultural marketplace and one of Australia’s oldest agritech businesses.

Trust appoints manager

Former Beef + Lamb NZ extension manager Maria Shanks has been appointed general manager of the Rural Support Trust, a newly created role aimed at streamlining the trust’s services and ensuring support remains accessible to those who need it.

In her previous role with BLNZ, Shanks, who was brought up on a small farm near Gisborne, got to see the work the Rural Support Trust does on the ground, and the support it provides to rural communities.

5G

for all

A deal between the government and telecommunications companies will accelerate the roll-out of the 5G network to 55 regional towns.

Minister for the Digital Economy and Communications Ginny Andersen said the deal will ensure rural and regional towns get access to faster data transmission speeds and capacity. In return the government will provide long-term access to the 3.5GHz spectrum band through a direct allocation process.

Anzco results please

Anzco Foods increased turnover by 16% and doubled its net profit in a very good 2022 financial year for the meat processor and exporter. Turnover rose from $1.64 billion to $1.9bn and net profit before tax from $75 million to $147.7m. Net profit after tax was $106.6m, compared with $54.3m in 2021.

CEO Peter Conley said the result reflects a continued focus on core business activities, growing returns from strategic investments and the hard work and dedication of Anzco’s staff.

Back in 1860, exporting meat to the other side of the world seemed about as easy as nailing gravy to the ceiling. But a few determined kiwis took the bull by the horns and now our grass-fed beef and lamb is sought-after all around the globe.

At AFFCO, we see the same pioneering spirit alive and well in farmers today. We’re playing our part too – exploring every opportunity to take New Zealand’s finest farm-raised products to the world.

pioneering spirit tells us nothing’s out of reach

‘Little relief for individual farmers’

training and development.

Weather

CYCLONE-ravaged farmers and growers say the government’s billiondollar cyclone relief package provides little of what they need.

While welcoming a commitment to invest in repairing infrastructure such as roads, bridges and stop banks, they said there wasn’t any assistance to replace uninsurable fences or fruit trees.

Farming leaders said an initiative such as a governmentbacked low-interest loan facility to help fund these replacements would have been welcomed.

“There was nothing in it for individual farmers and growers. It was disappointing but not surprising,” said Federated Farmers board member and East Coast farmer Toby Williams.

He said some arable growers and orchardists have lost crops worth $1 million and with them the financial ability to survive, let alone sow next year’s crop.

With overdraft rates of 11% or 12%, funding repairs and replacement is in many cases prohibitive.

Hort NZ Hawke’s Bay chair Brydon Nisbet said the package does not provide growers with

Continued from page 1

the environment and their farms when they feel they are just trying to pass a test”.

A Ministry for the Environment spokesperson said FWFPs are expected to be gazetted within a month and provide a practical way for farmers and growers to identify, manage and reduce their impact on freshwater.

“Freshwater farm plans will help protect and restore New

certainty, but he is hopeful a new funding package to be released early next month could provide them with some direction.

In a pre-Budget announcement in Hawke’s Bay, Prime Minister

Zealand’s freshwater by assessing each farm’s potential impact on freshwater and developing a tailored set of actions to address these, in light of the catchment in which each farm sits.”

Most farmers and growers will eventually require a FWFP that identifies risks from farming activities, looks for existing adverse effects, considers how the risks and effects are being managed and what more needs to be done.

Chris Hipkins unveiled a billiondollar cyclone recovery package that includes funding for the rebuilding and repair of roads, rail and schools, flood protection, child mental health, farm advisers, job

An action plan will then be needed; it becomes part of the FWFP, which will be independently certified as fit-for-purpose.

It will initially be audited a year later to check the actions are being followed through on.

Each plan will link to the local catchment context and align with regional policies, rules or limits that have been developed in collaboration with the community.

The spokesperson said FWFPs

For the primary sector, the package focuses on flood protection work ($100m) and $35.4m to support the safety and wellbeing of farmers and growers and livestock, and funding to support urgent maintenance and supplies, critical to the health and safety of stock and staff.

The cyclone has disrupted the availability of seasonal employment and the package includes funding to help retrain people for jobs required during the recovery and rebuild.

Williams said after decades of neglect he welcomed the $275m for the NZ Transport Agency (Waka Kotahi) and local councils to repair damaged roads, in addition to the $250m announced immediately after the cyclone.

He hopes the rebuilt roads and bridges will be more resilient than those they replace.

“If that is part of the billiondollar package then it will be outstanding,” he said.

Hawke’s Bay Federated Farmers president Jim Galloway welcomed the $3.6m contribution to the Hill Country Erosion Fund to provide management and planting advice on the region’s steepest hill country.

He also welcomed funding for flood protection work but said there is little point strengthening or lifting the height of stop banks

will fit within existing integrated farm planning.

“We are also working with industry to support aligning their existing industry farm environment plans and assurance programmes with the freshwater farm plan system.”

Ministry officials have worked with industry to test the functionality of FWFPs, which includes conducting on-farm tests, and an exposure draft of the regulations has been provided

without removing shingle clogging riverbeds.

Galloway said the package is short on detail about how to access funding.

The lack of certainty about government aid means horticultural growers are delaying making decisions and plans, and Nisbet said they need certainty.

They could have handled surface flooding, he said, but the failure of infrastructure allowed a deluge of silt and debris, which destroyed or badly damaged orchards.

“It leaves growers in limbo with no certainty about what the future is for them, to allow them to plan, to buy trees or reinstate blocks.”

A report for the horticultural sector has calculated that it will take $1.5bn to reinstate the industry; growers have said they will fund half.

Nisbet said he is keen to see what next month’s package will provide.

to stakeholders and industry to ensure the regulations will be fit for purpose.

“We have also taken time to work with the regional sector to ensure that councils are ready to implement the regulations, and that we have a workforce in place to deliver freshwater farm plans well.”

The roll-out of regulations will be phased to give time for the industry and councils to have trained certifiers in place.

Neal Wallace NEWS

TREES AND FENCES: The billion-dollar recovery package announced by Prime Minister Chris Hipkins addresses infrastructure repairs but doesn’t offer much on-farm restitution for farmers and growers, they say.

It leaves growers in limbo with no certainty about what the future is for them, to allow them to plan, to buy trees or reinstate blocks.

Brydon Nisbet Hort NZ Hawke’s Bay

More tests as M bovis found in Ashburton

Annette Scott NEWS Disease

AFTER several weeks with no infected

Mycoplasma bovis properties in New Zealand, a new active dairy property has been confirmed, prompting more testing of older imported semen.

While not unexpected, the new finding highlights the need for ongoing vigilance as the eradication programme reaches its halfway mark and nears the end of its delimiting stage, M bovis programme director Simon Andrew said.

As the programme gets closer to the end of this phase, the focus will shift more towards background surveillance, which carries a much lower annual cost, he said.

Meantime, following several weeks with no infected properties, a new active dairy property has been confirmed in the Ashburton district.

It is not in the now-cleared Wakanui area and has not been previously infected.

“The infection was confirmed just last week, through our network surveillance. The investigation into the infection source for the new farm is ongoing,” Andrew said.

“It is too early to confirm what

strain type the infection is, but it neighbours a farm with links to the Wakanui cluster that was infected with the original strain type of M bovis.”

Andrew said the risk of transmission via imported semen is considered very low, especially after the introduction of a new import health standard last year.

“But low risk is not the same as no risk.”

The Ministry for Primary Industries assesses the M bovis introduction risk of bovine semen imported before April 2022 as very low due to required antibiotic treatments, and bovine semen imported after that date is subject to improved antibiotic treatments or PCR testing for M bovis.

Andrew said as an extra precautionary measure, the programme will undertake more testing of older imported semen over the next year to improve the understanding of the risks presented by imported bovine semen and help protect the gains made to date.

Farmers planning to use bovine semen imported into NZ before April 2022 are urged to contact their supplier to discuss whether

Tears, relief as re-opened SH2 blessed

Ryan O’Sullivan Wairoa Star NEWS Transport

EMOTIONS overflowed for many at the official blessing of State Highway 2 on Saturday.

Hastings District Council mayor Sandra Hazlehurst struggled to hold back tears as the Bailey bridge at Waikare Gorge was opened.

“This bridge is a start to our reconnection and recovery with Wairoa,” Hazlehurst said.

“I acknowledge the trying times Denise [Eaglesome-Karekare] and Wairoa have had to go through,

and the mahi they have had to do over the last three months.

“For farmers, there has been a whole lot of frustration, isolation and trauma. You are strong leaders.”

Wairoa ward for Hawke’s Bay Regional Council Di Roadley said it was an honour to be part of the occasion.

“The emotion I am seeing on the faces of everyone and the words being spoken are amazing.

“This is a small step to a complex situation as we recover from Cyclone Gabrielle.

“The opening of this bridge comes after many hours of work spent by the contractors and

Waka Kotahi NZ Transport Agency.”

Regional manager for Higgins Andrew Shannon said there had been an unbelievable amount of silt to move from Tutira to Wairoa.

“The sheer scale of damage was the most surprising part of this project.”

Trying to complete the road in time for the opening, Shannon said they made a promise two weeks ago to open on Sunday.

“It was nerve-racking with the rain on Tuesday as you cannot asphalt roads in the rain.

“We did some road markings on the Friday and finished up on the guard rails after the blessing.”

that semen has been treated with a specific antibiotic protocol, has been tested, or will be subject to MPI testing.

As we move into winter a lot of farmers will be sending cattle out to grazing. It’s important that farmers talk to graziers to let them know they expect their cattle to be separated from other herds.

Simon Andrew Ministry for Primary Industries

In September 2022, a new strain of M bovis was identified on a dairy farm in Mid Canterbury, which has now been depopulated, cleaned, disinfected, and all movement restrictions have been lifted.

Imported semen is considered the most likely source of introduction of this new strain.

“Our extensive network surveillance combined with bulk milk testing and beef surveillance has not identified this strain

anywhere else, but the extra testing of older imported semen will provide another extra layer of assurance,” Andrew said.

Advice to farmers right across NZ is to be vigilant with biosecurity practices and in keeping accurate NAIT records.

“Accurate NAIT records allow us to trace animal movements quickly and minimises disruption for the farm.”

“As we move into winter a lot of farmers will be sending cattle out to grazing.

“It’s important that farmers talk to graziers to let them know they expect their cattle to be separated from other herds to mitigate the risk of contracting any infectious disease, not just M bovis.”

The bull buying season has kicked off and farmers need to be vigilant when purchasing and moving bulls off and on farm.

If the bulls are from a beef property, they are considered a low-risk stock class.

If M bovis test results are unavailable, then the best indicator of the level of risk from these bulls is the health status of the herd(s) they’ve have been running with.

MORE TESTS: M bovis director Simon Andrew says as an extra precautionary measure the programme will undertake more testing of older imported semen.

WAY AHEAD: It was an emotional scene as the Bailey bridge at Waikare Gorge was opened.

Slash report welcome – with some ‘buts’

Richard Rennie NEWS Forestry

TAIRĀWHITI farmers see some useful recommendations coming from the ministerial inquiry into land use in their region, as long as politicians ensure they remain in play regardless of the outcome of this year’s general election.

Gisborne-Wairoa Federated

Farmers president Toby Williams has largely welcomed the report, citing as particularly valuable its recommendations around land use, forestry and infrastructure.

“There are some good recommendations there including the log levy for foresters to contribute to a fund to clean up forestry debris. Also, a return to greater catchment-based management of waterways, that would also be a good move,” Williams said.

But AgFirst drystock consultant

Peter Andrew said the report is dangerous, with recommendations that don’t stand scrutiny and could be easily softened up if turned into regulations.

“My take on [the report] is that this will put more land into trees. Conventional plantation forestry will stay in trees and not be felled, while more pastoral area will go into trees.”

But, he said, he had seen plenty of wood debris in the Tolaga Bay area that was not from harvested slash but from younger trees succumbing to land slips.

Biodiversity credits, or the East Coast Exchange, has also been mooted as a means to generate income by transitioning land to native trees, and paying similar to Emissions Trading Scheme carbon credits.

“But it comes down to labour to do these projects. It simply is not there. Other projects already in play, like blueberries, are already struggling with labour issues, and these native trees will be planted on very steep, difficult country.”

Williams said regardless the report’s recommendations around shifts in land use, they would be academic without more resilient infrastructure.

“If you had a state highway near Auckland shut as often as we have State Highway 35 shut here, there would be an uprising.

“Socio-economically, Gisborne sits at the bottom of everything. It is so hard to get here and you cannot change land use and grow the region when you cannot get here.”

He also challenged the practicality of a log levy on foresters to clean up woody debris.

“That would be intriguing to enforce. Much of the waste on our clients’ farms is not from harvest, but from pre-harvested trees. If it was from trees planted for carbon, and never meant to be harvested, how do you charge the levy?”

The report gives infrastructure high priority, labelling past fixes to SH2 and 35 as decades’ worth of Band-Aid repairs.

Despite Gisborne District Council’s efforts to plan for greater resilience, it has never been given the budget to exercise it. The report demands central government do more.

Williams welcomed the report calling for more local input to

infrastructure repairs.

He said current contracts were a “race to the bottom” with large operators winning contracts then minimising repairs to keep margins higher on the jobs. But Williams was concerned,

given that New Zealand is on its third forestry minister in as many years, that any election change may only result in a loss of momentum around what recommendations could be quickly put in place.

Foresters warn against locking up forests

Richard Rennie NEWS Forestry

UNINTENDED consequences could prove the undoing of some recommendations made by the ministerial inquiry into Tairāwhiti land use.

In its recommendations, the report in general recommends a move to less large-scale clear felling, more trees planted, and fewer harvested over the region’s more susceptible erodible soil areas.

It also recommends the Gisborne District Council (GDC) be given the power to immediately ban large-scale clear felling.

“What we do not want is for

some companies to close the gate and leave trees that are not good for the environment, or Tairāwhiti. We do not want to throw the baby out with the bath water,” Philip Hope, CEO for Eastland Wood Council (EWC), said.

A catchment-by-catchment assessment is needed in the region’s most susceptible areas for planting, harvesting and replanting policies into the future – a stark contrast to the “all pine” approach taken post-Bola.

Hope said there is some urgency around determining policy for Tairāwhiti’s future, given the region is poised to harvest a “wall of wood” resulting from the post-Bola plantations

maturing over the coming several years.

“We are talking significant increases. Typically we may harvest 3 million tonnes a year. That will increase to about 4.5 million tonnes.

“The challenge may be how much we are compromising the environment by leaving trees in the ground versus felling them.”

Larger trees with greater density may be more prone to falling and taking land with them when they do.

“The increased mass of a tree aging from 30 years to 40 years can be at least an additional 50%. It is a complex process with no magic wand to fix this.”

8- 9.5%

WASTED: Ag First farm consultant Peter Andrew is unconvinced about the practicality of many of the ministerial report’s recommendations.

CONNECTED: Fed Farmers WairoaGisborne president Toby Williams says any proposals to shift Tairāwhiti land use are academic if the region’s fragile roading infrastructure is not made more resilient.

But it comes down to labour to do these projects, it simply is not there.

Peter Andrew AgFirst Gisborne

Steaks are high in breeding decisions

Annette Scott MARKETS

Beef

DINERS choose beef for the flavour, aroma and mouthfeel when they are eating a premium cut – and aiming to get a good steak on the plate should be the goal of beef breeders “no matter what part of the value chain you are in”.

This was the message from Pure Angus director Guy Sargent to more than 60 farmers gathered for the What’s the Beef roadshow hosted at Cleardale Station in the Rakaia Gorge.

“If you are not aiming at the top for the best eating experience then you may as well be breeding Friesian cross,” he said.

PGG Wrightson national genetics manager and What’s the Beef co-ordinator Callum Stewart said the aim of What’s the Beef is to help as many farmers as possible across all beef breeds to shift from the commodity into the premium market.

“You can take two different directions when approaching this: either what’s in your paddock, or the steak that sits on the

consumer’s plate. Understanding both is useful,” Stewart said.

“If you begin with the genetics of the herd then adopt farming practices that will ensure they provide you with what you need for success. Those factors are largely in your control.

“In the meantime keep the other end of the equation in sight – the satisfaction of the diner consuming your product, and What’s the Beef shows you how to fit it together and make it all work.”

Jake Phillips of Angus Australia said applying some logical principles will result in an effective breeding programme.

Step one is to recognise and understand your target market, while establishing a robust breeding objective that should be based on consumer demand.

“Knowing who you are producing for gives you purpose and direction when deciding how to manage your farm and your stock,” Phillips said.

When the major influence on the genetics of a commercial herd is the bull, it pays not to make selection decisions lightly.

“Those decisions have long-term consequences and will pay back

over an extended period as good selection decisions roll on down the generations and through the decades.

“Beef breeders who adopt sound record-keeping practices, make informed decisions, understand the profit drivers in their business

and focus on satisfying the consumer, will be well placed to face emerging new trends and optimise the productivity of their farming business,” Phillips said.

Aiming to get a good steak on the plate, the Todhunter family of Cleardale Station breed their Angus herd with the focus on fertility and carcase driving high profit animals and farm systems to help produce top quality meat.

Now under the ownership of fourth-generation farmer Ben Todhunter and his wife Donna Field, Cleardale has been making genetic progress year on year since 1954.

“A premium quality eating experience for the end consumer is absolutely imperative and our aim is to provide this with fertile, functional, low-cost cows that thrive in the high country environment,” Todhunter said.

Todhunter recently returned from a bull scouting trip in the United States.

“This trip confirmed the opportunities that exist to

Jake Phillips Angus Australia

incorporate US genetics into the Cleardale herd to build on the eating experience,” he told the gathering.

Travelling though several states looking at bulls and talking to American Angus breeders and chefs, Todhunter observed that the US is significantly ahead of New Zealand in terms of carcase traits, driven largely by the Certified Angus Beef (CAB) programme they run as part of their branding.

“For a programme that was nearly shut down twice in its early days, its focus on delivering great customer experience is something everyone in the industry can learn from.”

He found the technologies used in the US interesting.

“They are not used in NZ and are not even on the discussion radar.” Hormone growth promotants are used widely as are genetically modified crops – and now even gene editing of food animals has gained approval.

“For NZ it is important for us to understand our customers and some of these technologies may not be acceptable, however they do provide a competitive advantage to US producers and as time goes on NZ runs the risk of becoming non-competitive.”

The US is not the only opportunity Todhunter is eyeing up.

“I also feel that maybe there is greater opportunity for us in Asia than in the US, playing off the grass-fed, pure quality offering we have there.”

AngusPRO genetics will go under the hammer at Cleardale’s annual bull sale on June 12.

TRIP: Ben Todhunter says a recent trip to the United States con rmed the opportunities for US genetics in the Cleardale Angus beef herd.

Photos: Annette Scott

BREEDING: Cleardale Station has been making genetic progress with its Angus beef cattle since 1954.

Knowing who you are producing for gives you purpose and direction.

Clearances will test beef bull demand

Hugh Stringleman MARKETS Beef

BEEF prices and store cattle demand will underpin two months of bull sales as 80 studs in the North Island and 50 in the South Island hold auctions between late May and early July, plus private sales and paddock selections of bulls.

Vendors and agents have their hopes high, but the number of sheep and beef farms going to forestry recently is an unknown factor in achieving full clearances, they say.

Breeders have trimmed their catalogues and have no excuses for putting up lesser quality bulls, PGG Wrightson national genetics manager Callum Stewart said.

“Weaner and calf prices have shown good returns this year on investments in bull genetics.

“People used to say that lamb prices sell bulls, but now it’s the calf cheques that buy bulls.”

He is impressed by the high

quality of the bulls shown in bull walks and their figures on Breedplan.

Land use changes in hill country farming have been a demand factor with bulls for the past three years, Stewart said.

PGG Wrightson northern genetics representative and auctioneer Cam Heggie said all bull vendors and their agents are wondering about the same thing.

“How many farms have we lost to forestry and what impact will that have on bull demand?

“Beef farmers also appear to have cut their cow numbers back a little, perhaps wary of prospects for hill country farming.”

Breeders have got the message and whittled back their bull offerings.

Heggie said catalogues in recent years have increased for some studs in an attempt to bring the average prices down a little, and there were bulls priced for all buyers – “but good bulls sold well, and then we passed more at the end of the book, so we didn’t achieve the objective”.

Demand for exotic bulls is linked to the dairy-beef part of the industry and therefore more relevant to yearling bull sales in the spring, Heggie said.

Carrfields auctioneer Neville Clark said east coast farms that had been sold for forestry going back two or three years may not have been destocked at the time, because of a lack of pine seedlings.

They had been leased back to the sellers and livestock operations had continued.

But this may be the year in which that reduction in bull demand hits home, he said.

“Bulls are in good condition and beef prices and weaner prices have been good.

“The number of farms sold to forestry is the unknown factor in bull demand.”

NZ Herefords president Gray Pannett, from Limehills stud at Millers Flat, Central Otago, said breeders are focusing on efficiency and productivity and using all the latest technology.

The need for suitable beef bulls over dairy cows to produce low-

birthweight, fast-growing, strongly marked calves is a Hereford advantage.

Limehills started last year’s sales with a $42,000 bull purchased by Earnscleugh Station and an average of over $10,000 for 59 sold.

“The breeders are nervously awaiting the start of the sale season,” Pannett said.

Angus NZ president Mike Smith, from Kincardine stud near Queenstown, said the

fundamentals for bull sales are still strong, including the demand for well-bred calves. Reduced demand because of farm conversions to forestry would be offset by the trend towards raising more bobby calves for dairy-beef, which Smith called “exciting times” for breeders. His catalogue for the May 24 auction features two sons of Rainmaker and a three-quarter brother to Rainstorme R25, which sold for $81,000 last year.

Bringing bull buyers to battered bays

Hugh Stringleman MARKETS Livestock

TWO prominent Hawke’s Bay cattle-breeding businesses have put together a bull-buying and tourism combination called Bay Bulls, with its own website.

Koanui Herefords at Havelock North and Hallmark Angus at Tutira will have bull sales on consecutive days, June 15 and 16.

They have arranged hotel accommodation and bus transport for visitors, to attract buyers,

facilitate travel in the cyclonedamaged districts and to cater for the curious.

Koanui Polled Hereford principal Chris Chesterman said his family

The challenge will be achieving clearance because of the cyclone and the costs of recovery and land use changes.

will catalogue 55 bulls and expects that 50-plus will be sold on the day.

“There are two or three exceptional bulls in the line-up, and we believe that all bulls will express themselves without being overdone.

“The challenge will be achieving clearance because of the cyclone and the costs of recovery and land use changes.

“Our recommendation is that farmers who need bulls should buy what they can to get through the current season.”

Hallmark Angus principal

Max Tweedie will put forward 60 bulls with both Hallmark and Waiterenui prefixes after the coming together of the two historic studs last year. He said sires used in both studs have been complementary and the breeding programmes closely aligned.

Recovery in the Tutira district after Cyclone Gabrielle has occupied Tweedie and his team over the past three months, restoring power, fencing, tracks and water systems.

Lambs have been destocked to cope with broken fencing and to

make room for the sale bulls.

A fencer and digger operator have worked on the Mokara and Pa Hill farms for six weeks.

“We are open for business, and we are very keen to have farmers come and see what has happened and how we are recovering,” he said.

The bus from the hotel in Ahuriri, Napier, will take about an hour to get to Tutira and commentary will be featured on the way.

Chesterman and Tweedie hope that South Islanders will take up the Bay Bulls package.

ENGINE ROOM: Cows and calves on Matariki Station, near Kaikoura, pictured during the Hereford tour of the South Island in March. The Murray family will sell Hereford and Angus bulls on June 20.

Photo: Andrea Mans eld

Chris Chesterman Koanui Polled Hereford

Couple repeat NZ Dairy Industry honours

Gerald Piddock PEOPLE Awards

BEING a national awardwinning share farmer runs in the family for Hayden and Bridget Goble.

The Taranaki farmers are the 2023 New Zealand Share Farmers of the Year, taking the title 33 years after Hayden’s parents Kevin and Diane were the inaugural winners in 1990 of what was then known as New Zealand Sharemilker of the Year.

It is believed to be the first time in the history of the awards that the son or daughter of a previous national winner has also won a national award.

Hayden said he remembers as a child watching his parents go through the judging process.

“The great thing about Hayden’s

We are both competitive people and we have both aimed to put our best foot forward for this and it just shows that our hard work has paid off.

parents is that they have allowed us to do it our way. They are innovative, they are open to new ideas, and they are supportive,” Bridget said.

It was the first time the couple had entered the awards. Hayden said they had gotten to the point in their careers where they wanted to build some more networks and challenge themselves.

“We are at this stage and we had to give this a go now, push ourselves and meet new people.

“We are both competitive people and we have both aimed to put our best foot forward for this and it just shows that our hard work has paid off,” Bridget said.

She believes it was their work as a team that helped them win the title. They are a team in everything that they do and view their individual goals as team goals.

“I think we have both got that drive and that push. It’s not one person leading it,” Hayden said.

Bridget said they also complement each other’s strengths and weaknesses.

The couple are 20% VO equity partners together with Bridget Mooney, Kevin Goble and Diane Goble on their 200ha, 565-cow New Plymouth property.

The Gobles also won three merit awards for dairy hygiene, pasture performance and the interview award.

Hayden graduated from Telford in 2005 with a diploma in agriculture and enjoys the combination of running a business while securing his family’s future. Bridget is a doctor, with a specialty in emergency medicine.

The judges were impressed with Bridget’s on-farm technical knowledge and application.

“She’s a busy full-time doctor, but she is boots-in and we enjoyed seeing how she makes a positive contribution to their business,” Michele Cranefield, ANZ senior manager and judge, said.

“There is a power in their connection and balance of their partnership and they both have a genuine passion for the industry.”

The winners were announced at a gala dinner held at Cordis Hotel in Auckland on May 13, in front of more than 500 people.

Canterbury/North Otago’s Jack Symes became the 2023 New Zealand Dairy Manager of the Year. He said winning the award made all of the hard work he has put into the contest over the past six months pay off.

“I’m very honoured on behalf of all of the other contestants around the country.”

Symes is farm manager on parents Judy and Brian Symes’s

160ha, 630-cow property at Southbridge. He said they had been hugely supportive of him during the awards process and his farming career.

Symes said entering the awards allowed him to develop skills and make connections that he will use in the future.

Northland farm assistant Bill Hamilton won the 2023 New Zealand Dairy Trainee of the Year. He said it felt incredible to win the title.

“I didn’t even bother writing a speech because I didn’t think I’d win. It’s pretty special.”

Hamilton is a farm assistant on Richard and Sharon Booth’s 395-cow, 174ha property at Titoki, employed by Andrew and Vicky Booth.

Also recognised was outgoing DairyNZ chief executive Tim Mackle, who was awarded the Services to the Dairy Industry Award, in recognition of his contribution to and advocacy for the NZ dairy industry over many years. Cameron Henderson won the Fonterra Responsible Dairying Award.

Runner-up in the Share Farmer of the Year contest was Waikato’s Aleisha Broomfield, while Canterbury/North Otago couple Jonathon and Stacey Hoets were placed third.

The Dairy Manager runner-up was José Hamber from Manawatū, and Finja Philips from the Auckland/Hauraki region was third.

“This award has allowed me to express my passion for the industry and I am very excited to be part of a great industry going forward.”

Canterbury-Otago’s Brayden Johnston was placed second in the Dairy Trainee of the Year contest and Manawatū farm assistant Sarah Powell was third.

Dr Bridget Goble Taranaki

IN CHARGE: Canterbury/North Otago’s Jack Symes, winner of the New Zealand Dairy Manager of the Year award, says his parents have been hugely supportive of him.

LEARNING: Northland farm assistant Bill Hamilton says it was ‘pretty special’ to win the 2023 New Zealand Dairy Trainee of the Year award.

GOOD PEDIGREE: Taranaki farmers Bridget and Hayden Goble were named 2023 New Zealand Share Farmers of the Year. It came 33 years after Hayden’s parents won the inaugural award.

Top dairy woman ‘leads by listening’

Forum and fellow regional councillors, she said.

FOR Donna Cram, leadership means connecting with people and collaborating with them for the best possible outcomes.

It also brings the best out of people, the Dairy Women’s Network 2023 Fonterra Dairy Woman of the Year said.

“I’ve been told I’m really hard to say no to,” she laughed.

“I love a good discussion and I think we don’t do that enough. For innovation and good ideas, quite often it comes from four different people and I think that’s really important.”

She is heavily involved in her community as the Taranaki Catchment Communities Inc chair and founder, part of the DairyNZ Dairy Environment Leaders, an ambassador for Federated Farmers, a councillor on the Taranaki Regional Council and a trustee at Dairy Trust Taranaki.

She was announced as winner of the award at the Dairy Women’s Network’s (DWN) annual conference in Southland.

Cram said she knows that not all of her ideas are good ideas – but through listening to others she is able to adopt ideas she learns from others, and collaborate with them.

“Some of the good things that have happened, chances are that other people have been involved. You never lead alone.”

Winning the award has made Cram reflect on the people who have assisted her over the years, including the late Chester Borrows.

The former National cabinet minister was a mentor when Taranaki Catchment Communities was first getting established.

“We had a coffee every month and gosh it helped. It was huge.” Others include farmers from the Dairy Environmental Leaders

“There’s a lot of people and while they have all done something small but it’s quite massive in support.”

Cram is a fourth-generation dairy farmer from Taranaki, farming 107 effective hectares plus a nearby 42ha runoff, milking 290 cows for the new season.

In the past week Cram has been back on the farm covering absent staff, and with husband Philip in the United Kingdom.

It’s made her remember how much she loves the work.

“I haven’t been going out on the farm as much since council came along,” she said.

Cram always wanted to be selfemployed and she and Philip worked hard to get into a position to be able to do that.

being introduced by central government over the past few years.

In July, she plans to complete a further course on greenhouse gases.

Cram presided over the local playcentre, which led to a place on the Board of Trustees for the local school.

She served on this board not long after the then Labour-led government closed rural schools. She witnessed four neighbouring schools being shut down.

“We had a lot of work to do but gosh, we turned that school around. It’s probably the biggest rural school in Taranaki now.”

Back on the farm, the Crams had undergone a major riparian planting project, which saw them receive the Taranaki Regional Council’s environment award for stewardship in 2016.

Cram was then invited to DairyNZ’s Dairy Environment Leaders Forum in Wellington, which left a huge impression on her.

The pair started farming in their late twenties as lower-order sharemilkers for Donna’s parents. They leased another farm for three years before leasing the farm they eventually purchased.

That was the neighbouring farm to Donna’s parents’ land, and they purchased part of that farm to grow it to what it is today.

Cram, who trained as an accountant, said she always felt like she received a free education and it incentivised her to give something back to the community.

“I’ve always had that feeling of being a little bit responsible and you just start taking on roles because you see what needs doing or what could be done.”

Cram has since upskilled herself, completing a Diploma in Agribusiness Management and courses in nutrient management and farm environment planning to better understand the legislation

She cites farmers such as 2023 Responsible Dairying Award winner Cameron Henderson and DairyNZ board member Tracy Brown as providing inspiration.

“The whole group was amazing and it’s an incredible support network,” she said.

Brown’s talk about how the Agri-Woman’s Development Trust Escalator programme assisted her on her pathway left a huge impression on Cram.

“I decided I will find out what that was because it sounded pretty good, and I ended up doing that in 2021.”

Another theme emerging from the Forum was farmers setting up catchment groups, which motivated Cram to establish her own group in Taranaki, using her connections from the Forum and Federated Farmers to help set up what eventually became known as Taranaki Catchment Communities. Its function now is to help

Taranaki farmers navigate the coming environmental regulatory changes.

Last year, Cram received an unexpected call from Taranaki regional councillor Michael Joyce, who told her he was retiring and urging her to run for his seat.

Cram said she had contemplated running for local government in the future and while she is “no politician”, she believed she had the skillset and felt it was important that the council had farmer representation. She was elected in 2022.

The DWN 2023 Fonterra Dairy Woman of the Year award comes with a scholarship of up to $20,000 for a development programme, or professional/business coaching and/or learning experience.

Cram said she is still deciding

how best to use the opportunity.

“It will definitely be around leadership and governance, and I would like it to be on a world stage rather than local,” she said.

Cram said the numerous messages of support since she won the award have been humbling.

“The next morning, I was thinking that I can either make this about me or try to continue to do all of the things I have been trying to do up until now.”

To that end, Cram has started compiling a list of things that could be potentially accomplished through winning the award while still retaining values that she cherishes.

For now, that list includes supporting and enabling farmers on their journey to become more sustainable.

WINNER: Being a farming leader means listening and collaborating with others to achieve the best possible outcomes, Dairy Women’s Network 2023 Fonterra Dairy Woman of the Year Donna Cram says.

Gerald Piddock PEOPLE Awards

You never lead alone.

Donna Cram Fonterra Dairy Woman of the Year

Long, dark winter can come to us all

It’s a challenging time to be working in the shearing industry. The theme of this year’s New Zealand Shearing Contractors’ Association conference was Building Resilience. Farmstrong caught up with shearing contractor Shane Ratima to talk about the pressures contractors face.

What about the stresses of running the business itself?

HOW long have you been in business?

I’ve been a shearing contractor for 18 years. I have to say over that time, I’ve had mostly really positive experiences. We’ve come a long way as a business, but in recent times there’s been challenges too. What’s happening at industry level?

A combination of low wool prices and rising farm costs means shearers are the “meat in the sandwich”. The farmers we deal with are understandably frustrated at paying to harvest wool for little or no return. This means some are no longer investing in the maintenance and upkeep of sheds and equipment or cutting back on numbers employed. It’s a challenging environment for everyone.

Do you find that stressful?

Yes, but I’ve learnt to accept that a lot of what’s happening in the industry is out of my control. The best that we can do as contractors is mentally prepare ourselves for that.

I try to not take things personally or get overwhelmed by it all. If you just worried about the state of the industry all day, it would send you into a headspin.

So, how would you describe the mindset required to deal with the situation?

I work on the philosophy that everything will work out okay eventually. Even when I’m having a shit day, that’s how I try to think and operate. I don’t let things beyond my control get on top of me.

That’s a whole other challenge. Managing staff can be a major source of stress if things aren’t going well. When you employ people, you employ all their issues and personal lives as well. Sorting those issues out can take a real toll on your wellbeing, but obviously it benefits the business if people are happy at work. So, as an employer it’s important to have your finger on the pulse about what’s going on for people, so you can offer support, if required. If someone’s a bit off or having a bad day, there’s usually a reason behind that and often it’s unrelated to the job.

Can you give an example?

I had one person who was very up and down, but he was the first person you saw when you came in the woolshed. Some days he’d be friendly, but then another time he’d just look through you. At first, I felt annoyed and just thought, “He needs to sharpen up”, but after a while I realised I needed to delve in, find out what was going on for him and actually help.

It sounds a bit like the coach of a sports team. Totally. A lot of my insights into pastoral care and mental health have come from my experience of rugby coaching. You learn about the technical aspects of rugby like the tackle, but you also learn that the difference between a great coach and a good coach is how they manage people, relationships, and personalities. Those skills are definitely transferable to business.

So, you spend a lot of time looking after the needs of others, but who looks after your needs?

I’m glad to hear someone ask that question, because you’re right,

one of the challenges of being a boss is that everyone is offloading their problems onto you, but who are you talking to?

Last year I was navigating some pretty dark space myself there for a while. There were work-related issues and personal issues. It’s easy for all those things to pile on top of each other, and if you don’t have an outlet to share the load, it all comes down on you pretty quickly.

Sounds like a rough patch. What impact did it have on you?

I’d never suffered from anxiety before in my life and suddenly I felt riddled with it. I wasn’t going out anywhere and I just went into my little bubble. My safe space was my lounge. I had all this stuff piling up – it was like, man, it doesn’t rain, it pours. It was a long, dark winter and my mental resilience was sorely tested.

How did you get through?

I was lucky I had a supportive partner, and I had a counsellor I was going to see. If I hadn’t had them, I don’t know where I would’ve ended up.

Has that experience changed the way you run the business?

Yes, I’m connecting with my staff a lot more and having more conversations. In the past I was more like, “I need those 10 people to head to this farm”. Now I make a bigger effort to connect with them as people. I’ll ask, “How’s your week going?”, How are the kids?”. I think just giving people your presence and time like that

I wasn’t going out anywhere and I just went into my little bubble. My safe space was my lounge. I had all this stuff piling up – it was like, man, it doesn’t rain, it pours. It was a long, dark winter and my mental resilience was sorely tested.

rather than treating them like a number means a lot. Showing that level of empathy is not just good for your business, it’s also good for your own wellbeing.

What’s your advice to other contractors managing people?

We need to give people the space and freedom to open up and have conversations about how they’re doing. Our parents and my generation were raised to be staunch, but that’s just not healthy. It used to be the way, but it’s not the way forward anymore.

What’s your advice to other contractors about looking after themselves?

Turn up to conferences like this. Half the reason we come here is so we can share our experiences. We’ve just had our busy season and you soon realise everyone is having the same issues and you’re not alone.

You can also improve your

CARING: Shearing contractor Shane Ratima is used to caring for the mental wellbeing of his colleagues, but this year the blues caught up with him, too.

headspace just by picking up a phone and dialing a mate. There are industry support networks out there.

Do you think the industry is making progress in terms of building resilience?

I think the biggest hurdle to improving mental health is for people to start reaching out for help like I did and say I’m not okay. That requires a change of mindset and culture, especially amongst men, who tend to bottle things up. But we all have various stresses in our lives. If we want our industry to evolve so people have better wellbeing and mental health, we need people to be brave and admit when they need help.

Looking back over the past year, what’s your main insight? Challenges in life can happen to anyone at any time. But often people are too scared to reach out. To be fair I was in that space last year too. I didn’t want to be a burden to other people. You can get very tunnel-visioned. But you know what, to be honest, even talking about it now feels liberating. Sharing your story lifts the weight off your shoulders. It’s empowering.

MORE:

Farmstrong is nationwide, rural wellbeing programme for farmers and growers. For free farmer-to-farmer tools and advice on how to cope with the ups and downs of farming, visit www.farmstrong.co.nz

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Sam Whitelock Farmstrong Ambassador

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Shane Ratima Shearing contractor

AWN merino purchase ‘just made sense’

adheres to environmental, social, and animal welfare values.

BUYING a cornerstone 10.1% stake in the New Zealand Merino Company was a logical step for Australia’s third-largest rural servicing company, it says.

AWN Rural, a privately owned company, last December bought the stake off NZ Merino’s (NZM) retiring chief executive John Brakenridge, in recognition of the synergies between the two companies.

AWN chair John Maher said his firm supplies virtually all the merino wool sourced by NZ Merino from Australian growers and the two companies also have a similar mindset about the direction the industry is headed, the approach of innovation and links through retail.

“It just made sense,” Maher said.

“John Brakenridge was departing and there was an opportunity to buy an equity stake and we believe it was a great opportunity to get closer to NZ Merino,” Maher said, pointing out the “very similar philosophy” of the two companies.

The investment has added new impetus to AWN and what the relationship can achieve for its wool growers.

“It sends a great signal about where we want AWN to go.”

Now with a seat in the board, Maher said AWN can understand where NZM is going and contribute to that.

The world’s consumers want wool that

Maher said the Australian wool industry has a strong long-term future but there have been some logistical issues from an increase in production, which is causing manufacturing delays due to lack of processing space.

Retail demand has been dampened slightly due to slower growth in China, but weaving demand has strengthened and benefited from post-covid spending and people returning to face-to-face meetings.

The knitting and next-to-skin-wear market has eased slightly and remains

strong and Maher said long-term supply and demand is about in line with production and consumption.

Founded in 1999 as a wool marketing company, AWN has grown rapidly in the past three years through acquisitions, offering clients independent wool, livestock and property services.

Its profit has increased about 52% from 2021 to 2022 and Maher said he expects a further increase in 2023.

The volume of wool handled has grown from around 275,000 bales in 2021 to over 300,000 bales in 2022. In 2023 AWN expects to broker more than 320,000 bales.

Cattle sales increased from almost zero to 40,000 head in 2022 and in 2023 AWN expects to sell over 200,000.

Sheep sales in 2021 were just under 750,000 but grew to around 1.2 million in 2022 and are expected to reach 1.3 million in 2023.

John Maher says his company and NZ Merino have a similar mindset about the direction the industry is headed.

PHILOSOPHY: AWN chair

Neal Wallace MARKETS Fibre

It sends a great signal about where we want AWN to go.

John Maher AWN chair

Stop and think on GHG, goverment urged

SHEEP and beef farmers are fulfilling their climate change obligations but the government’s confusing response is creating frustration and uncertainty, Beef + Lamb New Zealand says.

Chief executive Sam McIvor said 95% of commercial sheep and beef farmers are calculating their emissions through various calculators, an indication they are taking their response to climate change seriously.

“It also shows they are willing to engage when there’s something tangible for them to engage with, such as tools like the BLNZ greenhouse gas calculator and other calculators.”

McIvor said that is why it’s critical that the government slows down and takes the time to stand up what he called “practical, workable systems that support farmers to do the right thing”.

He said farmers need more certainty on how emissions will be priced from 2025. They need the government to establish a credible,

robust, centralised measurement system that can be trusted.

Other outstanding issues include appropriate recognition of onfarm sequestration, questions of governance, and lack of clarity around the ability of farmers to create collectives.

“Farmers shouldn’t be expected to pay when these issues are outstanding as they are key to ensuring a system that is fair and equitable,” McIvor said.

The Climate Change Commission’s (CCC) most recent advice to the government called for greater urgency in implementing climate change policies, while also recognising that offsetting emissions through forestry sequestration is not sustainable.

There is also speculation that the complexity and cost of the He Waka Eke Noa (HWEN) system for pricing agricultural emissions means legislation could be delayed until after October’s general election.

It was revealed in Farmers

Weekly recently that the legislation has not yet been considered by a cabinet committee, which acts as a forum to discuss and consider issues before being submitted to the cabinet.

If legislation is not passed in time, agriculture will by default be included in the emissions trading scheme (ETS).

McIvor said the government needs to ensure that does not happen.

“The government has acknowledged that agriculture shouldn’t be in the ETS, and our sector has done its part, so it’s up to the government now.”

Commission chairman Rod Carr said its advice to the government was based on a range of diverse perspectives.

“In developing our advice to date we have engaged with farmers and rural professionals, including a small number of on-farm visits, to understand the challenges they have and the opportunities they are creating.”

Farmers shouldn’t be expected to pay when these issues are outstanding as they are key to ensuring a system that is fair and equitable.

Sam McIvor

Carr said they were told farmers want emissions mitigation options to be recognised and rewarded in a pricing system along with better support for making the transition. There are two opportunities for people to have their say: public consultation on the commission’s draft advice for the government’s next emissions reduction plan and in a report on evidence on NZ’s emissions reduction targets and emissions budgets.

McIvor said his body will continue to advocate the use of GWP* instead of GWP to measure global-warming potential.

He said there is international science and commentary, including in the latest report of the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, to support the use of the GWP* metric as a better way to reflect methane’s warming impact.

“BLNZ has long argued that there’s nothing stopping them from reporting on both emissions and warming (using a more appropriate metric such as GWP*) and we will continue to advocate for this.”

McIvor was also supportive of CCC advice to make legislated changes to allow the quick release of new carbon- and methanereducing technology.

“The availability of mitigation options is one of farmers’ key concerns around emissions pricing, which we argue must be resolved before pricing is introduced.”

Neal Wallace NEWS Emissions

READY: Beef + Lamb chief executive Same McIvor says sheep and beef farmers are ready to do their part on climate change but need the right tools and a clear and equitable line of march.

ENGAGED: Climate Change Commission chair Rod Carr says its advice to the government was based on a range of diverse perspectives.

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Flood, sediment lessons across catchments

Richard Rennie NEWS Production

THE devastating flood events that bowled through Northland, Te Tairāwhiti and Hawke’s Bay offer no upsides for the regions’ primary producers but may yet provide some valuable insights on how best to manage future events’ impacts upon highly productive land and production.

AgResearch scientist Dr Alec Mackay is working alongside scientist Dan Bloomer and Alex Dickson of LandWISE.

The project they are coordinating aims to provide growers with advice about stabilising and restoring impacted sites and, secondly, establish baselines to support a longitudinal study of site recovery to build soils back better to increase land resilience to mitigate future events.

“In the week following the cyclone, Dan reached out to AgResearch, Massey University and Plant and Food Research looking for information on past flooding events to put up on the LandWISE’s website for

landowners to consider what was best to do with eroded surfaces or sediment,” Mackay said.

Mackay and his colleagues were able to contribute information based on the experiences of growers following the 2004 Manawatū flood event, and lessons from the 1950 Gisborne floods.

“A decision tree developed from the experiences from the 2004 Manawatū flood impact on pastures gave growers some outlines on how to manage sediment deposits less than 5cm deep, 5-20cm deep or over 20cm.”

But he said in Hawke’s Bay most of the major impact of the sediment was on very high-value arable and vegetable land, and in perennial crops like apples, grapes,

The wake of Gabrielle has left sediment in excess of 10-20cm across many vegetable and arable farms, orchards and vineyards, and in places over 1m of sediment.

Dr Alec Mackay AgResearch

B+LNZ farmer feedback sessions

Beef + Lamb New Zealand is holding a series of informal sessions around NZ to listen to what farmers have to say and to better understand their thoughts on key issues and opportunities. The sessions are part of B+LNZ’s response to farmer concerns raised during the recent annual meeting remits process.

Come along to talk about what’s important to you.

kiwifruit, citrus and cherries.

“The wake of Gabrielle has left sediment in excess of 10-20cm across many vegetable and arable farms, orchards and vineyards, and in places over 1m of sediment.

“Here you really want to get back down to the original surface, but there is very little knowledge out there on how sediment should be managed in such crops and of the options available, what impact that will have to the future productivity of the soils and their resilience to future events.”

Backed by some core Crown research funding and working with Plant & Food Research and Massey University, the science team has been assisting LandWISE, supported through HortNZ with funding from the Ministry for Primary Industries for nutrient and contaminant testing.

They have developed a programme across Hawke’s Bay, Northland and Te Tairāwhiti catchments to collect relevant data to determine soil biology and physical condition and the origin of sediment deposits, contaminants, depth of deposits, composition and mineralogy.

Data from this initial survey will provide important baseline

North Island

information for extending growers’ decision support tools and management strategies to all land use types, building on lessons from 1948 Gisborne floods and the 2004 southern North Island storm.

The plan is to take up to 200 samples across the major catchments, covering all major land-use types but with an emphasis on highly productive land.

In Hawke’s Bay and Te Tairāwhiti the flooding came with large amounts of sediment.

In Northland there was little or no sediment with the flooding, but prolonged wetness.

“The sampling also involves talking with landowners about

what they propose to do, and the plan is to return in six months, one year and later to examine what did and did not work.”

These sites will become living laboratories to follow-up on postflood management.

“With perennial crops you have a huge investment. By the time you get new trees established, it could be at least five years until you are back to full production, so how do you decide how much to invest per hectare removing sediment?”

Reports from Hawke’s Bay have included one kiwifruit operator spending almost $100,000 a hectare to remove silt over a metre deep from rows using Bobcats.

South Island

Northern South Island

1 June Nelson

6 June Kumara

6 June Fox Glacier

7 June Culverden

7 June Amberley

8 June Staveley

8 June Darfield

Central South Island 31 May Waimate

31 May Palmerston

1 June Middlemarch

1 June Ranfurly

2 June Alexandra

2 June Wanaka

7 June Orari

8 June Omarama

8 June Fairlie

Southern South Island 29 May Te Anau

29 May Ohai 30 May Kaiwera

30 May Gore

31 May Wyndham

31 May Wilden

1 June Lumsden

2 June Awamangu/Hillend

BOGGED: Alec Mackay samples silt in Hawke’s Bay for what he hopes will become a longitudinal study of the recovery from Gabrielle.

More info and to register at beeflambnz.com/feedback-sessions

Note: Locations subject to change and additions – check website for

Milling wheat, malting barley yields soar

Annette Scott MARKETS Arable

MILLING wheat and malting barley were the big hitters for arable farmers this past season as growers tackle the new season’s winter and spring crop plantings.

New season wheat contracts have boosted confidence with cropping farmers quick to take advantage of better pricing.

The milling wheat harvest at 103,200t this past season was up 49% on last year, when contract issues had growers pursuing alternative crop options.

“We’re seeing some certainty and confidence return in wheat,” North Island Federated Farmers arable vice-president grains Andrew Darling said.

“There are varying opinions on the contracts put out in the last week or so, but I think they’re fair.

“The biscuit wheat contracts got snapped up pretty quick. Meanwhile the latest Arable Industry Marketing Initiative (AIMI) reports yields were up 7% on average across the six milling and malting and feed cereal crops this past season.”

But Darling said there are very trying conditions for some North Island growers.

The AIMI report describes excellent harvest conditions in most South Island regions, though rain in March in parts of Canterbury and northern Southland doused crops, creating challenges for paddock access and the tail-end of the harvest.

It was much more difficult for North Island growers.

After continual rain, some spring crops had a reasonable harvest window – then February’s cyclone blew in, flooding paddocks and delaying the harvest. In some cases large portions of crops were lost.

Alongside the significant increase in milling wheat, the 62,700t of malting barley harvested was a 69% rise on the previous season. Darling said malting barley has been through a bit of a roller-coaster ride but is now strengthening up.

On the other hand, feed cereal markets have gone cold.

This appears to be a combination of an excellent growing season for grass and a slide in whole milk prices causing many dairy farmers to look very closely at where they can pull back costs.

Total feed wheat harvested at 303,800t was down 3% compared to last year, with only 72% sold at the time of the AIMI survey.

Of the 286,500t of feed barley, 40% was unsold, a lift of 47% compared to this time last year.

The amount of sold grain still on farms has become more than an irritation.

“Feed mills have been empty and grain should be flowing in,” Darling said.

“Growers are aware that the current standard 8 cents per

day per tonne to store grain is a bit light, given the increase in insurance and interest costs, maintenance and quality control.

“Federated Farmers and the United Wheat Growers are researching the true cost of storage for the grower and intend talking to mills and merchants about it.”

Meanwhile autumn-winter sowings of feed wheat are predicted to be similar to plantings a year ago, while feed barley autumn-winter sowings are predicted to be down 900ha.

Milling wheat autumn-winter sowings are predicted to be up by 1400ha, malting barley up by 600ha, milling oats up 400ha and feed oats down 450ha.

There was expectation that the area in cereal could increase due

to a decrease in ryegrass hectares, but the AIMI returns suggest that’s not the case and merchants are not seeing an increase in cereal seed sales.

Cropping farmers could be choosing different options, with increasing interest in alternative crops, the AIMI report suggests. “But these are only small areas of hectares compared to cereal and grass.”

Farmers may also be considering the option to have fewer lambs and selling them earlier to avoid processing bottlenecks, as was an issue with the later finishing lambs this past season.

With the loss of live exports, farmers either won’t have cattle or will sell calves as bobbies, also impacting on the area of feed grass grown.

CEREAL: Wheat had a good run this past season but cropping farmers could be choosing different options going forward with increasing interest in alternative crops.

Federated Farmers and the United Wheat Growers are researching the true cost of storage for the grower and intend talking to mills and merchants about it.

Andrew Darling Federated Farmers

From the Editor

Bryan Gibson Managing editor

THERE were emotional scenes in Hawke’s Bay last weekend when the key road between Wairoa and Napier was reopened.

Hastings District Council mayor Sandra Hazlehurst struggled to hold back tears as the Bailey bridge at Waikare Gorge was blessed and people were able to cross the river once more.

The opening will allow farmers to enjoy a little more normality – trading stock through Stortford Lodge, getting supplies that will help with rebuilding and, most importantly, being able to visit with whānau.

That same day saw the promise of a billion-dollar injection of funds into the region to help with the recovery.

It’s been applauded by local councils, but farming leaders say individual farmers have been left out in the cold.

They’re calling for a low-interest loan scheme to help those farmers mend all that the cyclone broke.

And as the government and industry bodies spar over what is holding back some of the big land-use decisions, even those with the money to rebuild are unable to begin.

It is understandable that farmers and growers are keen to get some certainty around the future.

The cycle of the seasons continues and each passing day can risk the closing of a window of opportunity for planting, investing or evolving.

But the cyclone has shown us that tinkering around the edges of what we’ve become used to won’t cut it anymore.

Hawke’s Bay has been one of New Zealand’s food-producing gardens of Eden for generations and those who make that happen have weathered all manner of challenges in that time.

But no one can look at what happened this year and say it is just more of the same and that the same approach will work this time.

These existential challenges are being grappled with in our cities as well.

Last week Auckland Council announced a recovery plan that is a dramatic departure

from the rules that have governed urban development in the past.

It plans to treat the waterways and catchments that flow through the city with more respect – giving them room to rise and fall as the weather dictates.

Many of these waterways have been constrained within the infrastructure of the city and when the heavens open the only place that water can go is up and out over the city’s suburbs.

This strategy was discussed a couple of years ago when the Ashburton River flooded and took out the main bridge and vast areas of farmed land.

“Making room for rivers” is a phrase that we’ll be hearing a lot more of in the future.

Back in Hawke’s Bay, it is vital we make the right decision, not the quick one.

A go-ahead to replant or rebuild on a property that’s vulnerable to the weather’s new normal is not in anyone’s long-term interests.

Having said that, those farmers and growers who may need to adapt their businesses will need support.

That is what a just transition should look like.

Letters of the week

Status quo can’t continue

Andrew Luddington Christchurch

I HAVE just read an email from Groundswell’s Bryce McKenzie telling us that “we cant cope with another three years of this government”. He also tells us that calculating a farmer’s emissions number is going to take 75 hours of his/her time. And the world’s going to end because the “ute” tax has gone up. All comments are disingenuous garbage.

You take some figures of livestock on farm and fertiliser used, stick it in FAR’s CO2e (Carbon Dioxide equivalent) calculator app and it spits out a number. Mine for harvest 2022 was 45837kg or 300kg/ha. This calculation took just a few minutes, not 75 hours.

I have a sink on the farm with 1.42ha of natives planted more than 15 years or so. They soak up 9656kg of carbon at the current figure of 6800kg/ha. It is really not too hard to steer the farm into going carbon neutral or even negative from here. And the new ute tax (over an average life of a ute at 250,000km) is two cents per kilometre.

In August last year Groundswell told us it’s okay “to say no to calculating your emissions number”. I find this immensely selfish given the headlines I read in the media today: “After multiple floods anxious Aucklanders prepare for a nightmare winter ahead”.

I don’t always vote Labour. However, I know that I will have absolutely no problem with surviving the next three years with them if that is the will of the country. As for the Nats, their current policy on agriculture is yesterday’s policy before it is even said.

There is no doubt that we are facing existential worldwide climate change and the status quo cannot continue.

Every agricultural university and college around the world is teaching this.

It is no longer just yield times price less cost – and nothing else – that floats the farm boat. It is also how we are producing it. So when Bryce says “we can’t cope”, there are plenty of younger, resilient, resourceful students, managers and farmers out there who can, who will, because we know we must.

In my view ...

Pasture-fed is NZ’s home field advantage

Wayne McNee Executive director of the Centre for Climate Action Joint Venture Ltd.

IN RECENT public comments

Dr Rod Carr, chair of He Pou a Rangi Climate Change Commission, stated that in his view New Zealand may be best in its subclass – pastoral-fed agriculture for ruminant animals – but that subclass may ultimately be unattractive to customers and consumers.

He goes on to recommend that NZ moves to a hybrid form of farming, where animals spend more time in barns eating brought-in feed, rather than in the paddock eating grass. This, as he notes, would allow feeding of supplements to these barn-fed animals, which could reduce their methane emissions.

He also suggests alternative ways of making animal proteins that may be preferred over NZ grass-fed, animal-sourced food.

Dr Carr is an expert in the area of climate change, but he is not

an expert in animal farming.

NZ farmers have generations of experience developing their understanding of how best to farm in NZ conditions.

NZ dairy and meat processors are also experts in understanding the needs of their customers.

It is absolutely true that international customers and consumers are seeking reductions in the emissions profile of NZ dairy and meat products. However, it is also true those customers, and discerning international consumers, value NZ’s predominantly grass-fed dairy and meat products and pay a premium for those products.

To continue to ensure that NZ farmers maintain their competitive edge, the Centre for Climate Action Joint Venture Ltd was formed by leading companies in the NZ primary sector and the government. The JV’s focus is on identifying and investing in technologies that will reduce methane and nitrous oxide emissions in our NZ grass-fed

farming systems. Joint venture partners are ANZCO Foods, Fonterra, Rabobank, Ravensdown, Silver Fern Farms, Synlait and the Crown through the Ministry for Primary Industries.

After identifying and investing in the companies making technologies that will reduce emissions in NZ’s grass-fed farming systems, we will also help

to reduce their on-farm emissions.

them do the research necessary to get regulatory approval in NZ and help get those tools in the hands of NZ farmers.

The JV will support the pathway and uptake of new tools and technologies, and develop partnerships and raise funds to finance the development of potential solutions to reduce agricultural emissions.

The JV’s corporate shareholders and the government have invested almost $170 million over four years, with a commitment to the JV for 10 years, to enable us to meet the challenge.

The JV board is chaired by Sir Brian Roche and has four other directors: Jessie Chan, Sir Neville Jordan, Greg Murison and Fraser Whineray.

Dr Carr encouraged greater government urgency to meet climate objectives – this is one of the reasons the JV exists to accelerate and co-ordinate the public and private sector effort. We have a higher ambition for reductions than the government’s 10% methane reduction target by 2030. Our ambition is to reduce methane and nitrous oxide emissions by 30% by 2030 and to be near zero by 2040.

Dr Carr mentioned he wants regulations streamlined to allow the accelerated adoption of new technologies, and I agree on that point.

However, I do not agree with Dr Carr that pastoral-fed ruminant animals is a subclass that may be unattractive to customers and consumers. There are technological solutions being developed specifically for grazing/ pasture systems that our farmers will be able to use to reduce their on-farm emissions. Often these will be variations on the technologies used for barn-fed animals, such as slow release or bolus forms.

It is our pastoral farming system that many customers and consumers find attractive. It’s the fact that our cows, sheep and deer largely live outdoors, eating pasture, with high animal welfare standards. It’s that our animals live outside in a more natural environment, not in barns as animals often are in other markets. This is something to celebrate and promote to our high value customers and consumers.

Cost of finance is the one to watch out for

Straight talking

Just to confuse people, higher rates may mean lower rates than now, but still higher than experienced over the past decade.

The epicentre of this view comes from three judgments.

The first is inflation. The 1990s and 2000s era was called the Great Moderation, the combination of low inflation and diminished economic volatility. Central banks vanquished each challenge every decade by lower and lower interest rates, and more and more money printing.

Secular forces helped keep inflation low. Globalisation.

rates, that magical number for the official cash rate where central banks have their foot on neither the accelerator nor the brake.

It dropped from more than 5% in 2000 to 2% in 2019 according to the Reserve Bank’s midpoint estimate, dragging actual borrowing rates down too across the cycle.

Is the neutral official cash rate still 2%? If it is, the interest rates borrowers face could be 150-300 basis points lower in a few years as normality returns.

debt is above 150% of gross domestic product).

Countries around the globe are facing real pressures on finances, yet bond yields do not appear to contain any material risk component. Witness the current nervousness over the United States’ debt ceiling.

As the economic costs of containing inflation through job losses mount, maybe it becomes tempting to lift inflation targets. That would just mean higher average interest rates.

HAVE we reached the peak in the interest rate cycle? That is a question being put more and more to me. It is the wrong question.

The better question is not whether interest rates have peaked, it is where rates are likely to sit on average over the coming decade. Interest rates move up and down across the cycle; it is the long-term cost of finance across a cycle or two that matters.

I’m in the camp that we are set for higher rates than what we have become accustomed to for the past two decades, and I’m setting my hurdle rates for investment and cash-flow accordingly.

Technology. Low wages, or all power to the employer. Demographics (people saving for retirement) and an abundance of global savings.

All that money-printing has now invariably contributed to inflation, and secular disinflation drivers are not so disinflationary.

Globalisation is reversing. All the power of the employer is now shifting to the employee as the world of labour (and resource) abundance turns into scarcity.

The baby boomers are now spending and not saving. Climate change carries inflationary costs.

Governments need to contain spending to help battle inflation, but politics and infrastructure investment needs say otherwise.

So, inflation looks stickier, and is requiring higher rates than what we have been used to.

The second is neutral interest

Commentators point to Japan’s experience, demographics, and low productivity as reasons for continued low neutral interest rates.

Others take a different view. They point to a potential Artificial Intelligence and fifth industrial revolution investment wave as lifting productivity. There is a bow-wave of global investment needs that need to be addressed too.

Maybe we just got lucky on the inflation front for 30 years, and artificially low inflation meant the same for neutral interest rates.

The third is the repricing of risk. Do global bonds or credit spreads really reflect the potential for some countries or businesses to default?

Italy’s 10-year bond yields trade around the same as the New Zealand equivalent but their government debt burden is three times higher (general government

These three secular forces that support elevated rates could be pushed aside in the near-term if we have a global accident. Rising interest rates invariably involve breaking some financial and economic bones, which tends to be followed by lower rates. With inflation rife, central banks will err towards doing too much than too little.

So, what does this mean for borrowers?

We reside in a world of huge interest rate possibilities. Inflation points to rates being elevated for longer, with lower global unemployment rates and strong wage inflation supporting that view, and that is central banks’ narrative. Conversely, the possibility of a financial accident points lower and markets are trading in favour of the later. They have two decades of history on their side but not five.

Central banks and a few old heads recall the last time we had a spiral where inflation was followed by wage rises, driving more inflation and even higher wages.

It is a brutal spiral to break as it involves higher unemployment.

The current interest rate curve is inverted (longer-term rates below short-term rates) which means the cost of borrowing certainty has cheapened.

Every borrower’s situation is different. The greater the volatility in earnings and more leverage, the greater the demand could be for interest rate certainty. Conversely, strong balance sheets can absorb interest rate volatility more easily.

Maybe the best test to apply is the sleep test.

If the cost of finance and potential impact on the businesses is keeping you awake at night, then is probably makes sense to do something about it.

SYSTEMS: Wayne McNee, executive director of the Centre for Climate Action Joint Venture Ltd, takes issue with Climate Change Commission chair Dr Rod Carr’s comments about NZ farming systems.

There are technological solutions being developed specifically for grazing/pasture systems that our farmers will be able to use

Cameron Bagrie Managing director of Bagrie Economics and a shareholder and director of Chaperon

Farming’s loss would be country’s gain

Alternative view

Federated Farmers has been fortunate with its leaders in recent times. They have, without exception, been there to passionately reflect the views of the membership. That has put them at odds with the levy organisations who seem at times to have succumbed to the motto of “peace not passion”.

I shudder wondering where we may have been with He Waka Eke Noa if it wasn’t for Feds.

Vice-president Wayne Langford has stepped into the breach and he will be a good leader. While he has a different personality to Hoggard, he will represent the organisation with enthusiasm and vigour.

THE big news last week, as reported in Farmers Weekly, was of Feds president Andrew Hoggard standing down and declaring himself as a candidate for the ACT party.

I rate Hoggard. As president of Feds, he steered a strong apolitical line. He wasn’t remotely party political but passionate about representing his farmer members.

For example, when Jacinda Ardern stepped down as prime minister the criticism kept coming, seemingly from all quarters. Hoggard’s comment at the time was that she did engage with the farming sector. He was a lone voice with his support.

Back in January I wrote in Farmers Weekly that Hoggard was doing a great job representing farmers: “His factual, researchbased, uncompromising and unemotive advocacy of issues is a great asset for the productive rural sector to have.” It will be good to have that on the national stage.

An example of their businessas-usual approach was last week’s FedsNews and associated media release over the Budget. In it we read that farmers aren’t looking for a handout, that we’re happy standing on our own feet. The statement went on to say that all we wanted from the government was “to stop weighing us down with impractical, unpragmatic and unfair regulations so we can get on with doing what we do best – farming”.

I totally agree.

So from a farming perspective Feds will continue as it has.

Hoggard has moved on and is a contender for national politics representing ACT. He’s been a member of the party for about four years.

His contribution to farming thus far has been considerable. He started with Feds in 2004 as Young Farmers Club representative, going on to be Manawatū deputy dairy chair in 2005 and chair in 2007. He joined the national board as dairy chair in 2014 before spending three years as vice-president and almost three years as president.

With that massive increase in MfE staff you have a pile of gold-plated bureaucrats with no corporate memory along with the ability to bring the productive sector to its knees.

He has a degree in agricultural economics from Massey focusing on trade policy and is currently involved with the International Dairy Federation. Most importantly, he understands farmers and farming.

A recent poll has ACT at 13%,

which will give it 16 seats in Parliament, more than all the other minor parties combined.

It will be an interesting election as I don’t believe National can take the provincial vote for granted.

On the government side both Kieran McAnulty and Jo Luxton have stepped up to represent their rural electorates.

ACT’s Mark Cameron has been tireless in his advocacy for the provinces. Like Hoggard, he is a dairy farmer and understands life outside the city.

Nicole McKee is, in my view, the one sane voice in Parliament when it comes to issues around firearms. She knows what she is talking about. I remain unconvinced that anyone else does.

The threats to our sector are massive, with a crew of bureaucrats in Wellington making decisions around farming a little like casting swine among the pearls.

For example, I lodged an Official Information Act request with the Ministry for the Environment asking for the total number of staff they had in July 2017 and July 2022. I also wanted to know the number earning over $100,000 and their qualifications.

The response was fascinating.

In 2017 MfE had 356 staff with less than half, (137) earning over $100,000. By 2022 that had more than doubled to 858 with over half (578) earning over $100,000.

That means there were more staff earning over $100,000 last year than the total employed just five years earlier.

As they wouldn’t tell me their qualifications, one could imagine a diploma in macramé would suffice.

It would be fair to say I take most of the verbiage coming out of MfE with a grain of salt but with that massive increase in staff you have a pile of gold-plated bureaucrats with no corporate memory along with the ability to bring the productive sector to its knees.

To quote Feds’ words, they are the architects of “the impractical, unpragmatic and unfair regulations” that are leg-roping the productive rural sector.

Having Andrew Hoggard working with Mark Cameron and Nicole McKee will help balance the bureaucratic explosion that occurred at MfE.

The election is a long way off and nothing is guaranteed. I remain heartened that we have people of the substance of Andrew Hoggard willing to further represent provincial New Zealand.

Rugged individualists I’ve known and loved

From the ridge

My favourite dog saying is “if all of your dogs are useless, the problem might not be your dogs”.

That is a little unfair on my team as they have all been handy and friendly, which has suited me fine.

Dino, named after the Flintstones’ pet dinosaur, was my first love. I bought her exactly 40 years ago for $10 as a freshly weaned pup.

She was a fawn-coloured Beardy.

I bought a book on how to train sheep dogs and set about teaching her and me the basics.

The naming might have been a mistake because she became remarkably like the Flintstones’ pet.

But she was better at catching possums and even climbed a leaning-over tree once to get one.

I didn’t encourage her to grab a possum as it was a brutal affair and she and I would have a tussle over it so I could humanely dispatch it, at which point she would completely lose interest.

She was the only dog I ever entered in a dog trial.

It was a Young Farmers Club event, and she was going great for half of it and looking like a winner when she saw a rabbit and took off, much to the amusement of everyone else and my shame.

THE 2023 Tux South Island and New Zealand Sheep Dog Trials Championships are on this week. I sent them a note letting them know that I wouldn’t be competing.

I’ve had farm dogs all my farming career but, as you are likely aware, none of them have been dog trial material or even close.

A recurring gag in the cartoon series was Dino knocking Fred over and licking his face. She didn’t knock me over but would slobber all over me given the chance.

“Get in behind” never worked when she suddenly stopped moving sheep and took off after a hare or rabbit. She caught a hare once and it immediately started to scream, which so unnerved Dino that she let it go, never to catch another one.

Wag was next and remains my most expensive dog at $100. Now I think about it, I’ve only spent $110 on dogs in my whole career.

Wag and Dino had a brief courtship and it resulted in Please.

I can’t remember if I pinched the idea (or invented it myself) of naming a dog where every command and cuss ended in politeness, but I have seen it since in a cartoon.

ADVOCACY: It will be good to have Andrew Hoggard’s ‘factual, researchbased, uncompromising and unemotive advocacy of issues’ on the national stage, Alan Emerson says.

Alan Emerson Semi-retired Wairarapa farmer and businessman: dath.emerson@gmail.com

Steve Wyn-Harris Central Hawke’s Bay sheep and beef farmer: swyn@xtra.co.nz

ANZCO profit completes a notable run for meat exporters

Meaty matters

demonstrated by comparing the size and composition of ANZCO’s balance sheet at the end of that year with the latest year’s figure as well as the dramatic improvement in profit.

Allan Barber Meat industry commentator: allan@barberstrategic.co.nz, http:// allanbarber.wordpress.com

ANZCO’s impressive profit for 2022 completes a very successful trifecta for the meat processors and exporters that publish their results. The year saw a 96% after-tax gain on the previous 12-month period, which had been a company record, although CEO Peter Conley admits the current year will struggle to match it.

More challenging trading conditions that made their presence felt in the December quarter continued into the first quarter of the 2023 financial year, affected by higher costs and tougher market demand. Reassuringly for exporters and farmers, there has been some improvement in international demand and prices in recent weeks.

ANZCO’s profitability has risen dramatically since the move by its majority shareholder, Itoham Yoneku Holdings, to acquire 100% ownership in 2017 when it posted a $15 million loss. The influence of the change in shareholding is

Continued from previous page

She was a great bitch, and it was a shock to find her dead in her kennel one morning from that twisted stomach condition known as gastric dilatation-volvulus. Not uncommon in large-chested farm dogs.

She’d previously been ravaged by a neighbour’s eye dog despite me telling him that my bitch was on heat, and could he keep Pete the roué tied up.

Dino was better at catching possums and even climbed a leaning-over tree once to get one.

In 2018 the company lost $27m, but the ownership concentration started to pay dividends from 2019 with progressive improvements in year-on-year profit. At the time Conley said the turnaround in 2019 was primarily the result of several factors including the simplification of business systems, closure of overseas offices and sale of non-core assets in addition to plant automation and the introduction of a new planning system.

Since then revenue has risen in common with its competitors, but the most impressive aspect of ANZCO’s performance has been the strategic focus on better understanding its cost structures, what is core business and how to improve the productivity of its assets and workforce.

In releasing ANZCO’s annual result, Conley paid credit to “a continued focus on core business activities, growing returns from strategic investments and the hard work and dedication of our people who have continued to deliver through challenging times”.

He also noted a strong emphasis on ensuring livestock is procured to meet customer expectations, which has enabled the company to support its key customer relationships and take advantage of strong global demand for premium beef and lamb.

Investment in its value-added meat-based business, including notably in 2022 the equity-funded acquisition of Moregate Biotech, has contributed significantly to the performance improvement.

This had resulted in Tar, in keeping with the politeness theme and because he was black.

He was also completely useless and hare-brained, but I kept him as he was company for his mother.

When I saw Please dead, I turned to him and said, “We are in trouble.’

However, I’ve never seen a useless dog suddenly become so good. All he needed was plenty of work to take the edge off his exuberance.

He would head silently then hunt them back to me or just straight out be a huntaway and great in the yards. I had frowned on him earlier but he became a great mate and worker.

Kidney malfunction got him in the end, so I got a pup called Rum

The Moregate business converts animal co-products into very niche small volume and high value medical products such as blood serum and tissue for wound repairs, which it markets to longestablished customers.

Apart from high profit margins it provides a stable income stream that offsets the volatility of the meat industry’s traditional trading pattern.

A recent United Nations report forecasts a 14% increase in meat consumption by 2030, predominantly from a wealthier consumer base in Asia and Africa.

Investments in associate companies, including a 12% shareholding of the NZ and Australian Lamb Company in Canada, 14% of the Lamb Co-op in the United States and 50% of Taranaki Bio Extracts, contributed $6.3m to the profit, an increase of $2m on the previous year.

Conley says the North American business has changed over the past 10 years to become more focused on value added, although it is not possible to remove volatility entirely. However he is satisfied it provides a very valuable return. The other two shareholders, Alliance and Silver Fern Farms, hold the balance of the shares,

for nothing and to bridge the gap, a station dog called Coke also for free, looking for an easier life.

Well, he got that because he was a one-man dog and never did a stroke for me other than coming out for rides on the bike. I spent several years feeding in retirement someone else’s dog.

Somehow in his decrepitude he managed to get Rum in pup and their daughter was Gin.

That name was another naming mistake because with mother and daughter looking very alike and two different spirits, all three of us got quite confused.

One evening I went to feed them and saw that Rum was blown up and had that twisted stomach disorder.

I rang my vet mate and when I

which implies a proportionately greater benefit to their respective profits.

ANZCO’s positive performance, coming on the back of record profits for both these competitors, signals a highly satisfactory state of affairs for the meat processing and exporting sector, which still faces a number of headwinds, notably the impacts of climate change mitigation.

The next 10 years and beyond will almost inevitably see a decline in the livestock population, whether because of government mandated reductions to meet stricter greenhouse gas emissions targets, the effect of past and future forestry conversions, and other pressures on land use such as urban sprawl.

In the not-so-distant past the reaction of the industry was to compete vigorously for throughput, culminating in the least efficient being swallowed up or going to the wall. There is no guarantee this won’t happen again, but present capacity is much more efficient and better utilised than it was, while today’s shareholders will be less willing or compelled to flush their assets down the drain.

The strength of processors’ balance sheets and, as a result, support of their bankers will enable the industry to manage change in a measured way, rather than being forced into receivership.

told him that she was cold to the touch he said she was in shock and pain and there was nothing to be done to save her. He offered to come and put her down, which was good of him.

I said I’d do it. When Jane saw me off to do the task, asked how could I? I replied how could I not? The alternative of an agonising death was a worse scenario.

And then I found Ditch as a tiny pup, dumped in the water table ...

I’ll take over from here, thanks Steve. I can tell my own story.

He realised that I was quite clever when he hid to see how Gin was getting out of her kennel all the time and saw me lifting the pin.

He nearly killed me feeding me a ham bone.

The more likely scenario is a combination of gradual efficiencydriven market share gains or losses and capacity adjustments to reflect this transition as well as regional land use changes. Those companies with plants in areas most affected by forestry conversions or other land use factors will come under greater pressure to reduce capacity or close plants.

This places even more emphasis on the industry’s ability to continue down the value-added path, generating more revenue from less but higher quality throughput. A recent United Nations report forecasts a 14% increase in meat consumption by 2030, predominantly from a wealthier consumer base in Asia and Africa.

While lab grown meat will undoubtedly take up part of the increase, there are still concerns about just how healthy and environmentally friendly many of these products actually are. Reports from the United Kingdom indicate a substantial drop in sales of alternative protein products, both because of concerns about the ingredients and the taste.

Despite the need to overcome these challenges, the red meat sector looks to be blessed with favourable market conditions into the foreseeable future, which the processor exporters are well structured to take advantage of.

And of course, I had that disease where my own immune system was killing off my red blood cells. I went onto chemotherapy. Cost him a fortune.

The incoming farmer has fancy pants trained-to-the-eyeball dogs and doesn’t want or need me, and the boss doesn’t have anywhere for me to live at the new house. The boss says he’s loved all his dogs despite their various deficiencies and foibles and reckons he’ll really miss having a dog.

So, if you want a handy dog with another two or three years in me and in exchange can offer a warm kennel, a feed each day and the odd chat and pat, get in touch.

Ditch.

HIGH VALUE: Investments in value-add meat-based businesses – for instance, high value medical products –contibute to overall performance and, crucially, provide a stable income stream.

‘It’s just you, three sheep and a dog’

A dog-trialling legend will pull out all the stops to keep up his excellent record – just don’t ask him to do so on the opening weekend of duck-hunting season. Craig Page caught up with Ginger Anderson.

DON’T be surprised if Ginger Anderson’s name is among the front-runners at the business end of this week’s New Zealand sheep dog trials, near Balclutha.

The veteran Ōmarama competitor is something of a dog trialling legend and although he is 77 years old and marking 60 years in the sport, Anderson reckons he can add to his already impressive list of achievements.

“Oh hell yeah,” he says, when asked if there is another national title in him.

“You’ve got to have a bit of luck. The ball has got to bounce your way and you’ve got to be able to catch it too.

“Basically, it’s just you, three sheep and a dog. If luck runs your way you’ve got to make use of it.”

Success this week would be fitting, given this year marks 60 years since Anderson first competed in a dog trialling event, as a rawboned teenager.

“I left school and worked in the Maniototo and I ran a dog at the Kyeburn dog trials, which was our local event.

“My father and grandfather were dog triallists and I just sort of followed on.”

It wasn’t a spectacular start to his career and Anderson can’t recall how he went – “I was pretty young and very conscious of trying not to make a fool of myself.”

But it was the catalyst for Anderson to start to forge an enviable reputation in the sport. He qualified for his first nationals in 1965 and has only missed one event since. In that time he has claimed five national titles, 11 North and South Island titles and represented New Zealand on eight occasions.

Anderson says it is his competitive streak and the camaraderie among competitors that encourage him to keep going back.

“When you’re on the mark and competing, it’s no holds barred. I don’t get wound up like I perhaps did years ago.

“But you meet a lot of people

and you make a lot of friends. You travel to competitions with people you’ve been friends with for years.”

This week Anderson will compete in the heading events with two dogs, Jet and Dick.

Jet and Anderson won the New Zealand short head and yard title in Gore in 2021; Dick is a young dog but showing plenty of promise. Both are descendants of dogs Anderson’s grandfather brought to New Zealand when he emigrated from Scotland in the 1890s.

“We were lucky to have a good breed of dog. I just carried on with what my grandfather brought over.

“My grandfather told my father,

‘Don’t lose this breed of dog.’ They were Highland collies but they’ve evolved a lot, 90% of them are smooth-coated now. There are lots of dogs around New Zealand with bloodlines from our breed.”

Anderson is reluctant to put his feet up and still works on his family farm, Ben Omar Station, which is now run by son John.

“I’m sneaking up a bit. I don’t dig post holes but I’m still working on the farm with my dogs.”

Anderson’s other passion is shooting, particularly duck shooting. He recently opted to stay home for the opening weekend of the game bird season rather than compete at the North Island dog

trials in Taupō.

“That would have interfered with duck shooting. As you get a bit older, duck shooting takes priority.”

Anderson expects the nationals, which start on May 22, to be the usual tough competition, with some talented triallists from the North Island heading down to mix it with the those from the South. However, he is confident that with a bit of luck he can give the other competitors a run for their money, not just this week but for plenty more years ahead.

“Obviously, age will win in the long run but if I think I can still compete I’ll always go along.”

Peony Pink Blue Sky

OLD DOG, NEW TRICKS: Ginger Anderson says his competitive streak and the camaraderie among dog trial competitors encourage him to keep going back.

Photo: Ōmarama Gazette

If luck runs your way you’ve got to make use of it.

Ginger Anderson Ōmarama

Heavy metals in soils linked to antibiotic resistance

Researchers have linked elevated cadmium and zinc levels in Waikato soils to the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Richard Rennie reports

RESEARCHERS from Massey University have found a link between elevated levels of heavy metals in Waikato pastoral soils and an increase in antibioticresistant soil bacteria.

In a paper recently published in Antibiotics magazine, the researchers have determined a link within bacteria that can develop a level of resistance to heavy metals including cadmium and zinc, and their ability to also increase resistance to antibiotics under lab conditions.

Lead researcher Dr Barry Palmer says the issue of New Zealand’s pastoral soils containing elevated levels of cadmium has long been understood as coming from natural contaminants of the phosphate rock used to make mineral fertilisers.

A legacy of cadmium remains from high-cadmium fertilisers used before the cadmium problem became known.

In response to the problem, a collaboration of central and regional governments, industry and researchers, implemented a strategy to manage cadmium.

Current fertilisers have much lower amounts of cadmium

than in the past, but adding a small amount of cadmium in mineral phosphate fertilisers is unavoidable.

Once in the soil profile, it becomes insoluble. Attached to soil particles, it leaches out only slowly.

Increased concentrations of cadmium are known to be linked to elevated kidney damage, and offal from livestock older than 30 months cannot be sold due to its cumulative effect in tissue.

Zinc levels are also known to have become elevated in pastoral soils over the past two to three decades, due to the metal’s presence in agricultural chemicals such as those used in managing facial eczema in the upper North Island.

Scientists took control soil samples from non-fertilised forest areas, and for comparison “spiked” samples of soil with cadmium, zinc and mercury.

They found the levels of antibiotic-resistant and heavy metal-resistant bacteria peaked in the samples with significantly higher heavy metal content.

Palmer acknowledged the scientists do not fully understand how the correlation came about,

only that possibly the bacteria are using similar mechanisms to process the heavy metals as they are antibiotics in the soil.

“The work also showed that the same bugs (bacteria) that developed a resistance could pass on that resistance through a process known as horizontal gene transfer.”

However, Palmer stressed that the soil samples were spiked with levels of heavy metals that were generally greater than what occurs in pastoral soil.

“Whether they actually reach levels in soil to strongly select for antibiotic resistance is a moot point, but the results definitely suggest the higher levels make a difference.”

Soils in Waikato have been found to have cadmium concentrations five times higher than background levels after 70 years of superphosphate application. Zinc levels have doubled over the past 30 years.

The industry’s voluntary cadmium limit set in the late 1990s limited it to 280mg per kilogram of phosphate, still almost five times the level needed to avoid accumulation of cadmium.

A third of soils in New Zealand have too-high levels of phosphorous due to an oversupply of fertilisers, causing issues around water quality and toxic algae growth.

Palmer says at a broad policy level the research work highlights another reason over-application of phosphate is best avoided and is not sustainable.

“You have to commend the industry for setting up the working group on cadmium in the ‘90s. They realised there was a problem and tried to work to mitigate it.

“But going forward, it is possible to see how movements like regenerative agriculture provide other ways to farm that avoid these issues.”

He says it may be possible in

The work also showed that the same bugs (bacteria) that developed a resistance could pass on that resistance through a process known as horizontal gene transfer.

Dr Barry Palmer Massey University

future that new developments in science around treatments like endophytes may help make phosphate more plant-available, without having to apply it in a form that creates the issues the research identified.

Palmer says to build on the research it would be worthwhile exploring heavy metal levels in other pastoral areas including Canterbury, and possible links between glyphosate use and soil bacteria behaviour.

Townies, rural businesses come together

Delwyn Dickey NEWS Policy and Regulation

WITH a stream of environmental regulation coming at farmers, it’s not surprising some are feeling that “townies” are judging them and their farming practices.

A project being led by Dana Carver, a Wellington researcher with business management consultants Scarlatti, with funding through Our Land and Water, aims to bring rural business owners together with urban business counterparts, so both can appreciate the different challenges they face in their efforts to make their business more sustainable, and help each other achieve results.

Questions for the researchers are whether this may also help farmers feel less isolated and feel like environmental responsibility is more shared, and that the social licence to operate covers all businesses.

It’s hoped a template can be produced for others wanting to

go down the same path for this shared responsibility approach between rural and urban dwellers.

Carver said the project is off to an enthusiastic start, with eight very different businesses involved from several different regions.

how to do that is leading to some surprising outcomes, said Carver.

Sustainability must include the culture within a business, and should be broader than just greenhouse gas emissions, including waste management, the group has decided.

Site visits to each farm and urban business are also planned.

Flights will be kept to a minimum to reduce travel emissions, with a rental van to be used instead of multiple cars, including on the drive from Wellington to Northland.

An orchard and a bull production farm in Northland, and a dairy farm and sheep and beef farm in Dannevirke make up the country contingent.

A childcare business in Wellington, civil construction company in Paraparaumu, internet service provider on the Kāpiti Coast, and the New Zealand Young Farmers organisation based in Christchurch provide the urban element.

Giving the group space to decide what they want to achieve and

One of the most interesting changes, said Carver, is a strong move away from box-ticking to meet environmental legislation, to a more nurturing and reciprocal relationship with the land –considering what the land needs from a business to thrive.

There is a second group made up of catchment groups and businesses, but this isn’t as far along yet.

Running for around nine months, the project should wind up in September.

HARDCORE: Researchers have found elevated heavy metal levels in Waikato soils are linked to antibioticresistant bacteria.

Giving the group space to decide what they want to achieve and how to do that is leading to some surprising outcomes.

WORK SHARED: Dana Carver is hopeful that sharing the load will help farmers come on board with environmental change.

Fieldays is back and building better

Sonita Chandar NEWS Fieldays

THE largest agricultural event in the southern hemisphere is back in its usual spot on the calendar and the one thing New Zealand National Fieldays Society chief executive Peter Nation loves to see is the new areas of the event come to life.

“A lot of shoe leather goes into Fieldays,” Nation said.

“The team spends a lot of time thinking about what people want to see and hear. They work incredibly hard and put a great deal of time and effort into developing new hubs, areas and overall planning of the Fieldays.”

Fieldays is the ultimate launch platform for cutting-edge technology and innovation, and an annual pilgrimage for many who return year after year and have done so for 55 years.

Once again, exhibitor bookings are strong, which Nation said is a turnaround from the past few years when covid put a dampener on things.

“The economic headwinds are changing and the event is looking strong. It will only get better.”

Like so many other organisations and events, Fieldays has had a bit of a bumpy ride in the past couple of years. It was threatened by restrictions on mass gatherings early last year, and in response it changed the date from June to November.

Fieldays hosted a different audience last year as many farmers weren’t able to make it, but Nation said a lot of horticultural growers, who cannot normally come in June, attended. And he expects attendance this year to return to previous levels.

“We expect all the farmers will be well and truly ready to get off farm and especially those from areas that have been affected by all the

adverse weather events we have experienced,” he said.

“We believe they are probably ready for some time out off the farm. They have experienced frustration and anger and haven’t been in their normal frame of mind.

“Hopefully they have dug themselves and are ready to connect and reconnect with likeminded farmers and exhibitors. Fieldays gives these people the opportunity to do that. They can get a deal and replace assets that may have been damaged.”

And there is plenty for them to see and do including the new Sustainability Hub, which has been four years in the making.

“Sustainability is hugely important to us,” Nation said.

“Fieldays has been focusing on sustainably for some time and we are really proud that this commitment includes building the internationally recognised ISO 20121 Sustainable Events Standards into its management procedures.”

The hub is a collaboration with the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA).

“We’ve made a strategic decision to use the scale of Fieldays to help educate both visitors and exhibitors so that future generations will benefit from improved sustainability practices for New Zealand’s food and fibre sector.”

The new hub will feature a select number of sustainabilityfocused organisations, including Toitū Envirocare, Wilderlab and RiverWatch.

“It’s a secret as to what exactly is in there,” Nation said.

“I can tell you that we will have an exhibit ourselves as Fieldays has its own story to tell.”

Nation said the hub will have a river and the EPA will be conducting live tests so people can see how it all works.

Paula Knaap, general manager engagement at the EPA, said visitors will be able to explore sustainable farming research and science, urban

and rural waste management, as well as water management and renewable energy.

“Embracing initiatives that protect and enhance the environment has a range of benefits, from longevity of land use through to resilience to changing climate conditions,” Knaap said.

“We want to support farmers, growers and the consumer on their sustainability journey. By showcasing some of the initiatives underway in Aotearoa New Zealand, we can help everyone see that together we can overcome the enormity of the challenges, with innovation and collaboration.”

Alongside the hub, the Fieldays Sustainability Trail, accessed via

the official Fieldays App, will lead visitors to Fieldays exhibitors who are demonstrating sustainability practices, products and initiatives.

All the old favourites are back, including the Innovations Centre showcasing the latest innovations in agriculture, backyard inventions and commercial improvements. These are always an integral part of Fieldays with thousands of visitors eager to view the latest rural advancements.

“There has been an upsurges of entries and we have received several international entries,” Nation said.

“We only held the innovations awards six months ago but there are lots of new innovations being developed and entered.”

Another popular hub is the Hauora Taiwhenua Health and Wellbeing Hub, which will see 200 health professionals working in the hub at various times and new exhibitors.

“The Health and Wellbeing hub is going from strength to strength and I believe it is because there is a gap in the market,” Nation said.

“Rural health is underfunded and distance may be a factor in farmers not going to see their local doctor. To be able to provide that service here is vital.

“We have had people send us

LINE-UP: The team spends a lot of time thinking about what people want to see at Fieldays, says New Zealand National Fieldays Society chief executive Peter Nation.

letters and say ‘Thank you, you saved my life.’ There is huge pride and satisfaction that we can help people in this way.”

Also returning is the Opportunity Grows Here Careers Hub, which was created in partnership between Fieldays and the Ministry for Primary Industries. It is an engaging platform for attendees to learn about food and fibre career pathways and consider joining a thriving sector.

“We have 40 schools booked in from all over. In the past, we have had thousands of schoolkids go through, but it is not just about the kids.

“We get a lot of adults too who may have lost their job or are just looking for a change and new career path. There are plenty of opportunities in agriculture and this a really popular hub.”

Nation likes to walk around the site and watch people enjoying the exhibitions, hubs and all that Fieldays has to offer.

“I walk past the various hubs and they are buzzing with people talking to each other.

“That’s what gets the hair up on the back of my neck. It is exciting. Seeing it all come together and the sites all humming with activity is why we get out of bed.”

I walk past the various hubs and they are buzzing with people talking to each other. That’s what gets the hair up on the back of my neck. Seeing it all come together and the sites all humming with activity is why we get out of bed.

Peter Nation Fieldays

World-leading methane technology on show

Staff reporter TECHNOLOGY

Methane

AS A programme is rolled out to accelerate the uptake of lowmethane genetics in the national sheep flock, visitors to Fieldays will be encouraged to interact first-hand with the worldleading technology and research that supports this drive to reduce methane emissions.

At the 2023 Fieldays at Mystery Creek in June, AgResearch will once again be teaming up with other Crown Research Institutes, Manaaki Whenua – Landcare Research and NIWA, to showcase science’s contribution to the primary sector and New Zealand.

AgResearch, with funding from the government and farmers, has been at the forefront of research globally to prove there is natural variation in the amount of methane produced by individual sheep, and that this is under genetic control, heritable and a trait that can be safely and effectively bred for.

The research institute has also designed portable accumulation chambers that can be taken onto farms to measure the methane emissions of individual sheep, and one of these chambers will be on display at Fieldays. In addition to their use in NZ, accumulation

chambers have also been exported for use in several other countries, including the United Kingdom.

“After three generations of breeding, the lowest emitting sheep in a research flock produced close to 13% less methane than the highest emitters, per kilogram of feed eaten,” AgResearch senior scientist Suzanne Rowe said.

“When adopted across the national flock, we expect modest reductions of 0.5%-1% annually. But importantly, these changes will be cumulative and we have seen no negative impact for meat production or animal health. In fact, we think the low-emitting animals may in fact have even greater economic value through decreased fat and increased meat yields.”

Late last year, a $4.2 million programme was announced that brings together a range of organisations – including the Ministry for Primary Industries and Beef + Lamb New Zealand (BLNZ) –to accelerate the uptake of lowmethane sheep among commercial farmers.

“Genetic selection for lowmethane sheep is currently the

only confirmed technology that New Zealand farmers can deploy to reduce on-farm emissions,” BLNZ chief executive Sam McIvor said at the time of the programme launch.

“We know some farmers are anxious about how they can reduce their on-farm emissions. This project will make this technology available to many more farmers in the next few years.”

Rowe and colleagues will be on the AgResearch Fieldays stand to speak to visitors about the lowmethane research and the use of the accumulation chambers.

“We’re looking forward to the opportunity to answer peoples’ questions or get their feedback about the work we’ve done to date. There is work ongoing both with sheep and other livestock species to develop these low methane genetics and that’s an exciting path ahead to share with people as well.”

AgResearch’s stand at Fieldays in June will also showcase some of the work being done by scientists to support farmers and communities in the wake of Cyclone Gabrielle and other weather events.

TRAILER: Dr Suzanne Rowe with one of the trailers that carry Portable Accumulation Chambers onto farms to test methane emissions from individual sheep.

CHAMBER: AgResearch has designed portable accumulation chambers that can be taken onto farms to measure the methane emissions of individual sheep.

The Wellbeing Hub doctors will see you

Check your health

WITH farmers often finding it difficult to make time see a doctor, a check-up at the hub could be a life saver.

The hub offers free tests for hearing, blood sugar levels, hepatitis C, as well as skin cancer spot checks, blood pressure checks, atrial fibrillation checks, confidential mental health support discussions, and much more.

Be around to watch the next generation run the farm:

• Talk with the medical team

Talking to a health expert can be difficult but often once you have that initial conversation things can feel less overwhelming. Take the time to have that chat.

• Book appointments

With a wide range of medical experts and service providers on site, this is a one-stop shop to book those appointments you have been letting slide.

• Collect information

Tap your Fieldays Smart Band with Exhibitors to gather important information and connect with health and wellbeing exhibitors.

• Discover support networks

Having support networks around you and your whānau during a period of ill-health is often as vital as the medication you are prescribed. Don’t miss the opportunity to make those connections and extend those networks.

• Confidential mental health support

With one in five people affected by mental illness and addiction each year, there are many of us doing it tough right now. It’s important to ask for help if we’re concerned about ourselves or someone else. Visit the hub for information and support from professional mental health workers.

Staff reporter PEOPLE Wellbeing

THE Hauora Taiwhenua

Health and Wellbeing

Hub is a one-stop shop for keeping a farm’s greatest asset – the farmer – in good shape.

Over the four-day Fieldays event, 40,000 visitors and around 50 different organisations come together in the hub.

The hub offers farmers the opportunity for an annual health and wellbeing check-up.

Within the hub, visitors can access health advice and support such as hearing checks, blood sugar readings, skin cancer checks, mental health checks and more.

The hub is known for its friendly welcome, supportive free health check services and an annual opportunity for a bit of self-care.

As many as one in four New Zealanders live in a rural community, whether that be on the urban boundary or truly remotely. Working in the primary sector or living rurally on a lifestyle block or in a rural town, rural communities

National Fieldays® Sale

1 YEAR ONLY!

CHALLENGE: Professor Garry Nixon, head of the rural section of the Department of General Practice and Rural Health at Otago University and a doctor in Central Otago, says access to health services is a significant challenge for rural communities.

encounter challenges that city dwellers do not face.

Professor Garry Nixon, head of the rural section of the Department of General Practice and Rural Health at Otago University and a doctor in Central Otago, is well-versed in the

key health concerns affecting rural New Zealanders.

Nixon said access to health services is a significant challenge for rural communities.

“Distance is a barrier and rural people don’t get the same access to specialist care. Providing good and accessible healthcare in rural areas means doing things differently to the way they are done in town –not simply providing scaled-down versions of urban healthcare.”

A major issue affecting the health and wellness of rural communities is the severe shortage of doctors and other health professionals in rural areas. Nixon said that to resolve this, training needs to be centred in rural regions.

“The international evidence tells us that if we want health professionals to work in rural areas, we need to train them there.

“This needs a targeted central government initiative to work with the universities to create a rural clinical school or equivalent solution.”

He said improving access to services and health outcomes for rural Māori is an important priority.

“Rural Māori have poorer health

now

outcomes than both urban Māori and rural non-Māori.”

To determine the extent of urban-rural health inequities in New Zealand, Nixon and his research team have developed a Geographic Classification for Health’(GCH). This tool classifies residential addresses as either urban or rural from a health perspective and will better inform policy regarding rural health.

“The GCH will provide more accurate measures of the health of rural New Zealanders,” Nixon said. “We are already starting to see this in the data. For example, the GCH is demonstrating higher mortality rates for a number of conditions in rural areas, something that is not evident using older and generic urban-rural classifications.”

Providing good and accessible healthcare in rural areas means doing things differently to the way they are done in town – not simply providing scaled-down versions of urban healthcare.

Professor Garry Nixon Otago University

Milk Bar Teats work in harmony with the calf ’s digestive system to improve calf health.

With specialized flow control, calves create more saliva to boost immunity and strengthen digestion. Improved digestion produces heavier, more robust calves.

Increased lactose absorption reduces scours. The natural suckling instinct is satisfied, so calves no longer need to cross suckle post feed.

WHERE DOES IT HURT: Medical training needs to be centred in rural areas to address the severe shortage of doctors and other health professionals in rural areas.

Necessity is the mother of innovation

Staff reporter TECHNOLOGY Agritech

RESEARCH and product development are longterm investments and Fieldays has been the platform for launching innovations in New Zealand for more than 54 years.

While most economists predict a downturn this year, if history repeats itself, the silver lining is that innovation thrives as a solution to challenging environments.

Innovation in these areas usually reflects the climate we are in, and often we see companies needing to think smarter and be more efficient when times are harder.

Steve Chappell Fieldays

Fieldays programme manager Steve Chappell said they predict a high calibre of entries this year.

“We expect to see development

in all areas, especially agritech, autonomous systems, software developments, robotics in manufacturing and solving worker shortages” he said.

“Innovation in these areas usually reflects the climate we are in, and often we see companies needing to think smarter and be more efficient when times are harder. Data collection and measuring tools, management apps, and a big focus on environmental reporting are also topical currently.”

Fieldays Innovation Awards represent the innovation life cycle in three categories: Prototype, EarlyStage, and Growth & Scale. Special recognition is also given to younger innovators, with an award for the Fieldays Young Innovator of the year award.

“The short turnaround since Fieldays 2022 means this year’s entries will really be hot off the press. We expect entries from all around the world in the food and fibre sector.”

The Fieldays Innovation Awards are an opportunity to showcase an idea or innovation, receive feedback from Fieldays visitors, and connect with potential partners, distributors, investors and the New

TECH TALK: Steve Chappell, centre, discusses an Innovation Award entry in the Fieldays Innovation Hub.

Zealand innovation ecosystem. Building on a similar format from 2022, the following criteria have been altered:

The Young Innovator Award is now for entrants 19 years and under. Fieldays wants to showcase the amazing innovations coming from school-age entrants.

“So many great ideas are coming through that deserve acknowledgment, and we expect a lot of competition,” Chappell said.

• The Growth & Scale category is now for innovations commercialised in the past four years and for sale in at least two

countries, one of which must be New Zealand.

• Entrants can now add additional information to their entry once it is accepted into the awards to ensure the judges have the most up-to-date information.

• A new rotation system will be introduced to the awards

POWER YOUR HERD LONGEVITY WITH AHV

Agritech in action

DIGITAL technology in agriculture is evolving and here is an opportunity to find out what’s happening now and into the future.

Fieldays Digital Futures is a partnership with AgriTechNZ, the Ministry of Primary Industries and the Ministry of Business Innovation and Employment to create conversation and engage with farmers about rural data, and digital adoption. It’s a chance for visitors to talk first-hand to key players in the data landscape, discuss the way forward, and identify where they are on their digital journey.

The Fieldays Digital Futures

judging panel, with new judges joining the existing broad range of experts from across the innovation ecosystem.

“These changes will continue to ensure the Fieldays Innovation Hub will again be buzzing as the centre of the Innovation ecosystem at Fieldays,” Chappell said.

Entrants can also display their innovations around Fieldays on their sites, as part of the Fieldays Innovation Trail on the Fieldays App.

partners’ aim is to better understand the motivations, pressures and barriers faced by farmers and growers in adopting new tools. Strengthening this ecosystem and improving levels of data interoperability benefits the environment, the economy, and the people that work in it. Located in a prime spot within the Fieldays Pavilion, Fieldays Digital Futures welcomes farmers, growers, technology innovators, researchers, investors, government agencies and anyone with an interest in unleashing the potential of digital agriculture – to stop by for a conversation.

Fieldays Innovation Awards are supported again by sponsors Massey University, Vodafone, Amazon Web Services, Gait International, King St. Advertising, NZME, Sprout Agritech, Blender Design, and Soda Inc. These sponsors combine to provide over $60,000 worth of cash, support and promotion, from expert advice and product design and development to marketing and media support, all designed to help the winners grow and develop their product.

NEW THINKING: The criteria for the awards have been adjusted this year, particularly for the Young Innovator and Growth & Scale categories.

Catchment groups get tools to last

an amalgamation of our extension work and pulling in some of the practices Our Land and Water has developed.”

ACATCHMENT group

“tool kit” developed in a partnership between New Zealand Landcare Trust and Our Land and Water promises to help groups get and maintain their direction and momentum.

Due for release at this year’s National Field Days in June, the tool kit comes at a time when many farmer-led catchment groups are facing a “where to” moment as they come to the end of their funding period.

Bridget Jonker, NZ Landcare Trust national catchments manager, said there are now 197 groups registered with the trust, at various stages of development.

“Some cover quite large areas and are really well established, while others may be really quite small, and only just starting out. The tool kit is

For catchment groups at the start of their journey, the kit includes research-backed advice including practical tools and resources for group activities such as water sampling, for example.

Guides to establishing groups including legal advice on incorporating a group or society are also included.

“You have these groups that may have initially been formed over a couple of beers and thinking about ‘What can we do?’, and they have morphed into these really e ective, high-pro le groups.”

She agreed that a number of groups have received some signi cant government-backed funding in recent years as the value of catchment groups for initiating change started to be recognised in Wellington.

“But having those dollars is one

thing, but knowing how best to spend it in the right way can be a challenge. Ministry for Environment and MPI have put a lot of investment into catchment groups over the last few years. A lot of that funding is quite time limited, to three or ve years, and at the core of it is the need to maintain those relationships the groups establish.”

You have these groups that may have initially been formed over a couple of beers and thinking about ‘What can we do?’ and they have morphed into these really e ective, high-pro le groups.

Bridget Jonker NZ Landcare Trust

For groups at the intermediate stage of their existence the kit provides resources to help them re ne their plan and approach, once

some credible projects are lined up.

Jonker said for groups that are more established, the kit includes resources to help them push beyond their funding period.

“A lot of these groups are at the point where they may be partway through funding and are now asking ‘What happens next?’

“They will have the infrastructure and the human skills and capacity all there now, maybe a website, and they would like to maintain the group and keep relationships going. Finding ways to sustain the work without being too reliant upon a single funding source is needed.”

Our Land and Water is also funding work investigating sustainable funding options for catchment groups to consider in the future. Jonker said these could include crowd-funding initiatives, or possibly even bio-diversity credits to generate income in the future.

For groups that are wellestablished, the kit includes guides to future-proo ng the group and

creating long-term catchment plans, and advice on getting monitoring programmes in place.

The release of the tool kit is a timely one in light of results from a recent Cawthron Institute survey.

It found a need for groups to have clearer action plans around what it is they want to achieve, outlining their goals and strategies to do so.

The study, also funded by Our Land and Water, looked at how groups can be better supported and encouraged to protect waterways. Jonker said the tool kit will provide a means for groups to have more direct contact with people who have the expertise.

“One of the major things that came out of the survey was having those relationships and having people to talk to. Often landowners just want to pick up the phone and talk to a person who can o er advice and support, someone who is apolitical and who can point them in the right direction.”

WEIGHTY: Catchment groups have become significant in future land management, and many are seeking more tools to help them either establish or remain in place once funding has ceased.

Richard Rennie TECHNOLOGY Conservation

Down to the wire as No 8 finalists named

SIXTEEN artists from across New Zealand have been named as finalists for the Fieldays No 8 Wire National Art Award, the annual competition that challenges Kiwi creatives to transform the iconic agricultural product into inspiring art.

Hosted by Waikato Museum Te Whare Taonga o Waikato and supported by the NZ National Fieldays Society, the award is now in its 26th year and is recognised as a celebration of true ingenuity.

The artworks are chosen via a blind-judging process that keeps entrant identities confidential from the 2023 judge, sculptor Hannah Kidd (Ngāti Toa). Based in Methven, Kidd is renowned for her large-scale constructions made of welded steel, which have been exhibited around the world.

“The nature of No 8 wire lends itself to be formed from its original purpose into an array of unique and imaginative constructs. The entries in this year’s competition have not disappointed,” Kidd said.

“Judging from images online is a good start, but I’m thoroughly looking forward to seeing the finalist works in real life.”

Recognising and rewarding New Zealand creativity is important. Not only is the artwork inspiring but the stories behind the completed pieces are so individual.

Jenni Vernon NZ National Fieldays Society

Chair of the NZ National Fieldays Society Jenni Vernon said she is delighted to see the Fieldays No 8 Wire National Art Award back as part of the lead-up to the Fieldays in June.

“Recognising and rewarding New Zealand creativity is important. Not only is the artwork inspiring but the stories behind the completed pieces are so individual. I am really looking forward to be able to make a Chairman’s Choice.”

The winner of the Fieldays No 8 Wire National Art Award will receive a cash prize of $7000. Prizes of $1000 and $500 are presented for the second and third place winners respectively.

Further prizes are also awarded for People’s Choice and Chairman’s Choice.

The 16 finalist works will be available to view and purchase in a month-long exhibition at Hamilton’s ArtsPost Galleries & Shop, opening this year on Friday May 26.

The 2023 finalists for the Fieldays No 8 Wire National Art Award are: Dagmar Elliott

• Teuila Fatupaito

Helen Fuller

WINNER:

• Tony Gray Jevon Howe

• Asaki Kajima

John McKenzie

• Jane Mortimer and Dave Sole

• Heather Olesen

Susan Rhodes

• Ricks Terstappen (two works)

Tira

• Jeff Thomson and Bev Goodwin

• Dinah and Mark Walker

• Yasmin Yussof

• Waikato Creative Stitchers (Josina Ellis, Liz Wilson, Sue Truman, Barbara Rosenberg, Sue Lynch, Marianne Lock, Katherine Fell)

2023 competition details:

First prize: $7000

• Second prize: $1000

Third prize: $500

• Chairman’s Choice: $100 ArtsPost voucher

People’s Choice: $100 ArtsPost voucher

• Winners announced/award ceremony:

Thursday May 25

• Exhibition:

Friday 26 May – Sunday July 2 2023

• Venue: ArtsPost, 120 Victoria Street, Hamilton. Open daily 10am-5pm.

Staff reporter

Gina Ferguson won the top prize in 2021 for her piece Wear ‘n’ Tear, a profound work of art reflecting on the situation we find ourselves in with the covid-19 pandemic.

TOP TIER: Judge Hannah Kidd says the entries in this year’s competition have not disappointed.

STAR GAZING: Methven sculptor Hannah Kidd (Ngāti Toa), judge of this year’s No 8 Wire National Art Award, is renowned for her large-scale constructions made of welded steel.

Booklet outlines pathway beyond pines

Richard Rennie TECHNOLOGY Forestry

FARMERS keen on forestry but looking for alternatives to Pinus radiata will have the chance to dive into their options with a book available on the Scion stand at this year’s Mystery Creek Field Days.

A New Zealand Guide to Growing Alternative Exotic Forest Species has been funded by the Ministry for Primary Industries and created by Scion in partnership with Te uru Rākau, Forest Growers Research, NZ Dryland Forests and the NZ Farm Forestry Association.

Originally launched in late March, the 1000-copy first print has already been taken up, prompting Scion to use Mystery Creek as an opportunity to make more copies available from a second print run.

The book will help a new wave of growers, including those not interested in planting or seeking alternatives to pine as a forest option. The booklet outlines the commercially available exotic alternatives, describing the suitability and management conditions for each species.

Scion silverculture and forest

carbon scientist Alan Jones said the book is aimed at both experienced and new growers seeking information on both a large commercial scale and smaller farm holding level.

The book will be available from Scion’s stand at the Forestry Hub, dedicated to timber and forestry production.

The forest and wood processing industry’s transformation plan released at last year’s Field Days included the goal of increasing planting of non-pine species from about 10% to 20%.

Benefits include increasing forest resilience and productivity, improving resilience to climate change and biological risk, and

ALT-TEXT: The booklet A New Zealand Guide to Growing Alternative Exotic Forest Species was created by a team that included Toby Stovold, Andrea Stocchero, Marco Lausberg, Tripti Singh and Alan Jones.

Other exotics

The New Zealand Guide to Growing Alternative Exotic Forest Species outlines:

• Commercially available exotic alternatives to radiata pine

• How suitable the species are for growers

• Management conditions for each species

• Potential for timber or biomass.

It’s designed to support both experienced growers who are looking to diversify the exotic timber species they are managing, and new growers who need information on the commercial species available for establishing plantations and woodlots.

increasing the wider environmental benefits of forestry.

Jones said there is an obvious need in NZ to diversify forests because this improved resilience to climate change, pests and diseases results in diverse timber productions.

“The idea is to enable transformational change in industry

and part of that is enabling cultural change. This enables that to take place by giving people the information or the roadmap they need to start thinking about other species.”

MORE:

There is also a downloadable copy of the booklet available on the MPI website www.canopy.govt.nz

Staff reporter PEOPLE Community

RACTOR racing is one of the big drawcards at Fieldays and at last year’s event drivers were not only racing for the title, they were also moving mud to help the Rural Support Trust.

In February, New Zealand National Fieldays Society CEO Peter Nation handed over a cheque for $4500 to the Rural Support Trust’s chair, Neil Bateup.

“Mental health is a big area of concern in rural communities and people often don’t know where or who to turn to when things get tough. The work that the Rural Support Trust does is vital,” said Nation.

“Also, given what rural communities have had to endure this past week with the weather

makes what the work Neil and his team do so important”.

Tractor racers raise funds for charity T

The money was raised through a first-ever at Fieldays, the Tractor Racing Experience supported by Ag Drive, who quickly stepped in and modified the much-loved annual tractor pull competition, offering visitors the opportunity to get behind the wheels of one of two identical tractors.

Without the efforts from Andre Syben and his team of skilled instructors, this event would have not happened.

Fieldays visitors were able to

It’s not hard to have fun when you’re behind the wheel of a 200hpCase IH tractor racing your mates.

sit alongside Ag Drive instructors and the hardcore competitors’ times were tallied, with the fastest participant’s time crowning them the day’s winner.

“It’s not hard to have fun when you’re behind the wheel of a 200hpCase IH tractor racing your mates,” said Nation.

“The Ag Drive team were amazing; they gave their time and expertise and it was a real thrill for people to get this opportunity”.

Rural Support Trust is a not-forprofit network of regional trusts

that provides free and confidential assistance to rural people facing challenges in everyday rural life. It is made up of farmers and others with a good understanding of rural life and its many stressors around health and wellbeing, finances, animal welfare, employment and adverse events.

“It is great to be able to make a donation to the Rural Support Trust. But we also want to start conversations about rural life, which is an important part of Fieldays providing an event for farmers to

take a break and get off the farm,” Nation said.

Fieldays organisers also provided the Rural Support Trust with a site in the Hauora Taiwhenua Health and Wellbeing Hub, giving visitors the opportunity to stop by and chat with the trusts co-ordinators.

“There’s real value in having people on the ground, getting in front of our farmers and sharing experiences,” Nation said.

Fieldays is returning to its traditional winter dates in June 14-17 2023.

Make

Grant Polson Ashburton/ Central

Michelle Martin Ashburton/ Central Canterbury

Trevor Knyvett Tauranga/ Bay

Matt van Eyk Waikato/

MORE:

Peter Nation New Zealand National Fieldays Society

HANDOVER: In February, New Zealand National Fieldays Society CEO Peter Nation, right, handed over a cheque for $4500 to the Rural Support Trust’s chair, Neil Bateup.

Staff reporter PEOPLE

Prizes

OTORUA’S Bruce Calkin had been feeling optimistic. He had just finished seven rounds of chemotherapy for throat cancer and was awaiting the news of his results. He never dreamed he would also receive the news from New Zealand National Fieldays Society CEO Peter Nation that he was the winner of a brandnew Isuzu D-Max.

“You’re bloody kidding me … I can’t believe it,” Calkin said on the phone after realising he wasn’t being scammed. The prize, a white Isuzu D-Max LX Double Cab Auto 4WD, is valued at $61,990 and includes all on-road costs.

“I thought he was having me on,” Calkin said. “It started to sink in when he said that I’d attended Fieldays and scanned my Smart Band to enter the draw to win a ute and that I had won it.”

“It couldn’t have gone to a more deserving winner,” Nation said.

Calkin, who works for electricity and fibre solutions company Unison based in Rotorua, attended Fieldays with his wife Julie on Saturday December 3.

The four-day event, which has been running for 54 years, had moved to the summer dates to play catch-up after covid.

“We usually attend Fieldays every year, but covid put a stop to that for a bit,” Calkin said.

“It’s been a pain in my backside really,” Calkin said of covid. “When I was diagnosed with cancer, I had to undergo a pre-treatment and have a tonsillectomy, then Julie got covid, then I got covid. So it all got delayed. I didn’t end up starting treatment until September.”

Bruce Calkin Rotorua

When they heard Fieldays had moved to the summer dates, the Calkins thought it would be a good opportunity to attend and have a day out.

“We brought a truckload of beef jerky, some wine and spent time

looking at the range of outdoor fires,” Calkin said. “It was good to be back, it’s always such a great event”.

Collecting a Fieldays Smart Band at the gate, he registered his details and scanned it on the Isuzu site and dropped it into the back of the ute at the end of the day. “Never in a million years did I think I would win it. I have only ever won $100 at Lotto, seems my luck might be changing!”

Containing innovative RFID technology, the Fieldays Smart Band allowed visitors to connect their details and scan their band to request relevant information from Fieldays exhibitors, enter competitions and claim giveaways.

Handing over the keys to the ute

was Isuzu Utes New Zealand general manager Scott Kelsey.

“The first place I’ll be driving it is around town for everyone to see, stopping in to show it off to family and friends,” Calkin said.

“Then we will head to the redwoods with the bikes on the back. The last year has been pretty brutal, but you know it could be worse and at least I can still get out on the trails.”

Bruce and Julie are both keen mountain bikers and the new Isuzu will be ideal for transporting their mountain bikes to and from the world-famous trails of the Whakarewarewa Forest.

“While the latest generation Isuzu D-Max has been on the market for

two years now, it remains one of the newest utes on the market with a reputation for being tougher, safer and more powerful than ever thanks to a 3.5t towing capacity, a 5-star ANCAP rating and a new 4JJ3 engine,” Kelsey said.

Adding to the D-Max legacy is the fact it was voted NZ4WD Magazine’s “Ute of the Year” for 2021, the first time this model has won the coveted award and just a year after it was launched in NZ.

The D-Max is powered by a threelitre turbo-diesel engine, and with four variants and 15 configurations, there are plenty of options to suit all drivers. “The workhorse LX which Bruce has won is as ‘ute’ as they come,” Kelsey said.

It started to sink in when he said that I’d attended Fieldays and scanned my Smart Band to enter the draw to win a ute and that I had won it.

ALL SMILES: Winner Bruce Calkin will be loading up the mountain bikes and heading to the redwoods in his prize ute.

Sustainability Hub puts environment on show

Staff reporter NEWS Sustainability

ASUSTAINABILITY Hub is one of the fresh new features set to capture attention when Fieldays returns to its winter dates at Mystery Creek in June.

Fieldays, the southern hemisphere’s largest agricultural event, is the ultimate launch platform for cutting-edge technology and innovation.

“Sustainability is a strong focus for the society, and it’s fantastic to be collaborating with the Environmental Protection Authority (EPA) on the Fieldays Sustainability Hub under the theme of The Time to

Embracing initiatives that protect and enhance the environment has a range of benefits, from longevity of land use through to resilience to changing climate conditions.

Paula Knaap EPA

Act is Now,” New Zealand National Fieldays Society Chief Executive Peter Nation said.

“We’ve made a strategic decision to use the scale of Fieldays to help educate both visitors and exhibitors so that future generations will benefit from improved sustainability practices for New Zealand’s food and fibre sector.”

The new hub will feature a select number of sustainability-

focused organisations, including Toitū Envirocare, Wilderlab and RiverWatch.

Paula Knaap, general manager engagement at the EPA, said visitors will be able to explore sustainable farming research and science, urban and rural waste management, as well as water management and renewable energy.

“Embracing initiatives that protect and enhance the environment has

a range of benefits, from longevity of land use through to resilience to changing climate conditions,” Knaap said. “Not only that, but those who purchase our goods – from multinational companies to individual consumers – are increasingly demanding evidence that they’ve been sustainably produced.

“We want to support farmers, growers and the consumer on their sustainability journey. By showcasing some of the initiatives underway in Aotearoa New Zealand, we can help everyone see that together we can overcome the enormity of the challenges, with innovation and collaboration.”

Alongside the hub, the Fieldays Sustainability Trail, accessed via the official Fieldays app, will lead visitors to other Fieldays exhibitors who are demonstrating sustainability practices, products and initiatives.

The Fieldays Sustainability Hub joins the Fieldays Innovation Hub, Fieldays Opportunity Grows Here Careers Hub, Fieldays Hauora Taiwhenua Health & Wellbeing Hub, Fieldays Forestry Hub and Fieldays Digital Futures. The latter two were launched in 2022 as key focus areas for visitors to explore during Fieldays.

The new Fieldays Sustainability

Hub will be located on site E38, on the corner of M Road and E Street, next to the Village Green. Fieldays’ commitment to sustainability includes building the internationally recognised ISO 20121 Sustainable Events Standards into its management procedures.

$28,608

WAY OF WATER: The new hub will feature a select number of sustainability-focused organisations, including RiverWatch.

TIME’S COME: New Zealand National Fieldays Society CEO Peter Nation says it’s ‘fantastic to be collaborating with the EPA on the Fieldays Sustainability Hub under the theme of The Time to Act is Now’.

Coromandel 1086 Thames Coast SH25 Road

Tender

Farming with views

Grab this opportunity with both hands, the ultimate rural lifestyle is at Thames Coast Road. Overlooking the magnificent Hauraki Gulf, this farm spans over 412 ha and consists of three titles. The property has been operated as a beef breeding farm for the past decade and can accommodate up to 160 breeding cows with its 20 main paddocks and 11 holding paddocks, which are mostly fenced with electric fencing. In addition to the livestock facilities, the property also boasts a two stand woolshed that has been used for machinery and hay storage, two yards, a few lean-to sheds, and a utility shed at the back of the farm for additional hay storage. The three bedroom house with sleepout sits directly across the road from the beach at Wilsons Bay. This property offers the perfect opportunity to enjoy New Zealand's beautiful coastline and a quintessential rural lifestyle.

Marokopa 1295 Marokopa Road

Tender

Tender closes 4.00pm, Wed 28th Jun, 2023, Property Brokers, 94 Duke Street, Cambridge View Wed 24 May 11.00 - 1.00pm Wed 31 May 11.00 - 1.00pm Web pb.co.nz/CBR116194

David McGuire

M 027 472 2572 E david.mcguire@pb.co.nz

Jeremy Waters

M 021 607 281 E jeremy.waters@pb.co.nz

Dannevirke 672 Weber Road

Final Notice

Marokopa grazing

385 ha (sts), a medium to steeper hill grazing property with an effective area of 251 ha.

Clean pastures, good tracking and summer safe natural water for easy stock management. Located on the edge of the Marokopa village with stunning views of the Tasman Sea and rural surrounds make this bare block a unique opportunity.

Our motivated Vendors are looking to downsize so don't delay inspection of this very appealing property.

Tender closes 4.00pm, Wed 28th Jun, 2023, Property Brokers, 131 Rora Street, Te Kuiti 3910

View By appointment Web pb.co.nz/TER120055

Doug Wakelin M 027 321 1343

Dianna Janett M 027 554 2227

Premium farm with location

Located in the Waitahora farming district which is under 10 minutes drive from the Dannevirke township and centrally located to the Hawkes Bay and Manawatu is a superb 126 ha finishing farm with balanced contour that will cater to all sectors of the agricultural market. The farm boasts 18 ha of flats in modern pasture species and quality farm infrastructure including three bay and two bay implement sheds, three bay hayshed, three stand woolshed, reticulated water and sheep and cattle yards. A modernised four bedroom home set in established ground provides ample accommodation or future sell down opportunities.

Deadline Sale closes Wednesday 24th May, 2023 at 2.00pm, (unless sold prior), Property Brokers, 4 Stanley Street, Dannevirke View By appointment Web pb.co.nz/DR119001

Jim Crispin M 027 717 8862

Sam McNair M 027 264 0002

– farmersweekly.co.nz

Waipukurau 356 Farm Road

Rylands - multiple options to purchase

Situated only 3.5km from Waipukurau this property offers the ultimate in contour and location along with numerous farming options. The property is held in four titles with a land area of 317.9999ha and is currently being farmed under a lease agreement with a cash cropping along with a winter lamb finishing program. The contour is all flat and has benefitted with areas of tile draining over the years. The soils are a mix of Matapiro sandy loam, Waipukurau sandy loam and Arlington loam. Water reticulation to all paddocks. Infrastructure includes four stand woolshed, sheep and cattle yards and numerous shedding. Rylands comes to the market offering a discerning buyer an opportunity rarely seen in Central Hawke's Bay. bayleys.co.nz/2870964 propertybrokers.co.nz/WR113547

317.9999ha

Tender (will not be sold prior)

Closing 12pm, Wed 21 Jun 2023

26 Takapau Road, Waipukurau

Andy Hunter 027 449 5827

Manawatu 95 Marshall Road, Rangiwahia

Strong performing breeding unit

Located 11 kilometres from State Highway 1 Ohingaiti are 404 hectares of easy medium to steep hill country used primarily as a sheep and beef breeding platform. The current owners have focused on fencing and fertiliser with annual applications for the last 12 years including 2023. A high level of improvements include three sets of wellpositioned satellite yards, cattle yards, a four-stand woolshed with covered yards plus a comfortable threebedroom home with detached double garage. The farm is accessed off Marshall and Mangamako roads with internal access provided by a great network of well-maintained farm tracks. Subdivision is all conventional fencing with 30 main paddocks and additional holding paddocks. This is a great opportunity to secure a strongperforming breeding unit.

bayleys.co.nz/3100500

404.7216ha

Deadline Sale (unless sold prior) 1pm, Tue 20 Jun 2023

49 Manchester Street, Feilding View 11am-12pm Wed 24 May

Mark Monckton 021 724 833

mark.monckton@bayleys.co.nz

Jack Monckton 027 394 3705

jack.monckton@bayleys.co.nz

Kahu Farm is comprised of 433 hectares of mixed contour (flat to strongly rolling) fertile land, with an effective farm land area of 219 hectares*. The property has the capacity to produce over 260,000kgMS* per annum, with a five year average of around 239,000kgMS* per annum. Centrally located tidy infrastructure, including a 40-aside herringbone shed, complete with in-shed feeding, automatic cup removers, concrete feed pad, and compliant effluent system. Timely fertiliser applications and effective management have consistently improved farm production since the property’s conversion.

Deadline Offers:

Wednesday 28 June 2023 at 4pm (NZST)**

Wyatt Johnston +64 27 815 1303

Jeremy Keating +64 21 461 210

*Approximately

+ 433.06ha* freehold land, 219ha* pasture area

+ 239,000kgMS* (five-year average)

+ 40 aside herringbone milking shed with ACRs, in shed feeding

+ 157ha* woodlots (1998-2022 age class)

+ Flexible settlement date – Vendor to operate until 30 May 2024

+ This farm land is available for sale

Arotahi Agribusiness Limited, Licensed Real Estate Agent REA Act

RUATITI LEASE OPPORTUNITY

• Approx 5450 stock units, 570 effective hectares

• 3 years from 01 July 2023 with longer term potential

• A very sound, reliable hill country unit with useful calving country

• Well developed with a good dwelling, substantial woolshed and covered yards

• Approx 45 paddocks with good permanent fencing

• First right of refusal offers potential for longer term relationship with compatible Tenant

• Honey opportunity available to Tenant and established hunting operation can be considered

Information pack with basic lease terms & conditions, proposal requirements and inspection dates available from:

Lease Wanted

Extensive hill country - Canterbury

Our clients are searching for a strategic mediumlong term lease of extensive Sheep/Beef breeding hill country to compliment and grow their current family farming business in Mid Canterbury. Ideally 3000-5000SU and would consider any location or options from spring 2023 onwards in the Canterbury area. Cultivatable land and housing not essential, yards or other infrastructure preferable with all terms considered. Genuine family with the resources, experience and a desire to work with the owner and maintain and improve the land as if their own. Share farming or other options may also be considered.

Please enquire to discuss in strict confidence:

Greg Jopson Rural/Lifestyle Sales Consultant M 027 447 4382 E gregj@pb.co.nz

ben@waterhousecc.co.nz 027 559 7168

BRIDGE & STRUCTURE MAINTENANCE

Providing affordable repair & maintenance solutions for your expensive assets. Waterhouse Complex Civil are specialists in repairing & maintaining bridges, stock underpasses, culverts, & waterway remediation

Farm bridges and structures showing signs of age? Don't let these valuable assets deteriorate any further !

Assistant Farm Manager Position

PORT CAMPBELL – WESTERN DISTRICT, VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA

Experienced Stock Person

We are looking for a passionate stock person that’s self-driven, with a keen eye for detail, to join our large-scale lamb finishing operation.

Job Description

Your role will be to work alongside our Livestock Supervisor with a strong focus on efficiently finishing lambs to their full potential. Some seasonal tractor work will also be required outside of lamb season, predominantly around the summer harvest.

Qualifications

The successful candidate will have:

• A passion for everything livestock and a desire to learn and progress

• Attention to detail and take pride in completing tasks to a high standard

• Good stock and animal husbandry skills

Own 2 – 3 working dogs under good command

Additional Information

In Return we can offer:

• A challenging but rewarding work environment

• Competitive starting remuneration rates depending on experience

• On farm housing available If required Ready to start?

Applicants must be legally entitled to work permanently in New Zealand. If this sounds like the opportunity you have been looking for please apply now via email to mike.carter@fairfieldfarms.co.nz and include a cover letter and a copy of your CV or alternatively contact Mike on 027 353 7315

Waitatapia Station –Shepherd Position

Waitatapia station is a family-owned farm which is looking for a shepherd with a minimum of two year’s experience to help with all aspects of stock work associated with intensive lamb, steer, and bull finishing, plus working with breeding cows and a small number of breeding ewes.

The farm is very well located in the lower Rangitikei 10km from Bulls and central to Palmerston North, Wanganui, and Marton, providing great opportunities for partners employment. Local sport and community clubs are available along with good schools suitable for primary and secondary aged children. A modern warm three-bedroom home with open living is available on the farm for the successful applicant.

Waitatapia is a 2000ha plus farm with irrigation, forestry, and cash cropping with most of the stock work happening during autumn, winter, and spring periods.

The successful applicant will become part of a team working with the stock manager and other employees but will be expected to be capable of working alone when required. Modern stock handling facilities are available for weighing sheep and cattle and for holding lambs for dagging.

The successful applicant will need two – four dogs under good control. He or she will be honest, tidy, and willing to learn, plus show initiative and an enthusiasm for the job.

Please apply by emailing office@waitatapia.co.nz with at least two work related references including contact details for reference checking.

www.waitatapia.co.nz

Assistant Farm Manager required for family owned 1000 head Wagyu Breeder operation.

Located in the picturesque township of Port Campbell, only 3 minutes to the beach.

• Daily livestock monitoring, infrastructure repairs and maintenance including fencing and water supply

• Ability to work autonomously and within a team

• Previous experience with beef operations essential

3 Bedroom house included.

Remuneration negotiable, according to experience. Relocation assistance may be available. Phone +0061 437 592 656 niuriverpastoral@gmail.com

Friendly and reliable service. Based in Northern Waikato, servicing surrounding areas and Northland. Phone Natalie 021 109 5884.

DOGS FOR SALE

12-MONTH HEADING dog and bitch. Fast, strong, good stop, pulling sides. Station and trial potential. Nolan Timmins. Phone calls only 027 932 8839.

BUYING / SELLING. Huntaways. Heading dogs. Deliver NZ wide.

LIVESTOCK FOR SALE

GRAZING AVAILABLE

HAVE SPACE FOR 180 dairy

Half an hour south of Te Kuiti, ex-golf course, at to rolling. Quality pasture, troughed paddocks. Long term preferred. Terms and conditions negotiable. Phone 07 895 5094 or text 027 365 0983.

WINTER COWS. Ex-dairy farm, suit 300 cows, plenty of baleage. Email: nilsreiten@ gmail.com or phone 027 482 2575. Taumarunui.

PERSONAL

CONTRACTORS

GORSE AND THISTLE SPRAY. We also scrub cut.

Four men with all gear in your area. Phone Dave 06 375 8032.

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

LEASE LAND WANTED

RANGITĪKEI, MANAWATŪ or HB areas. Dairy or grazing farm. Regenerative farming practiced. Open to developing land in partnership. Phone Michael 027 223 6156.

LIVESTOCK FOR SALE

RED DEVON BULLS. Well grown, purebred. Feilding. Phone 027 224 3838.

0114717 30x30

PERSONAL. Country Romance

COUNTRY LADY LISA. A country lady who is loving and down to earth. She has grown up on the land and enjoys the farm and country lifestyle. A t and active lady, enjoys cooking shing, camping, reading, travelling and spending time with someone special. To meet Lisa, please call 0800 446 332.

PUMPS

HIGH PRESSURE WATER PUMPS, suitable on high headlifts. Low energy usage for single/3-phase motors, waterwheel and turbine drives. Low maintenance costs and easy to service. Enquiries phone 04 526 4415, email sales@hydra-cell.co.nz

RAMS FOR SALE

WILTSHIRES-ARVIDSON. Self shearing sheep. No1 for Facial Eczema. David 027 2771 556.

RURAL MASSAGE

RELAXING FULL BODY massage in rural Ohaupo. Unwind. De-stress. www. ruralmassage.co.nz or call 027 529 5540.

SHEEP SCANNING AVAILABLE

IS YOUR SHEEP scanning getting ridiculously expensive? My rates might surprise you. Over 20 years quali ed sheep scanning experience. Hassle free, easy system with 3-way

Top quality bulls bred for NZ Farmers

Monday 12th June 2023 - 2:30pm

BVD Tested Clear, BVD and 10 in 1

Vaccinated

● Excellent quality, meaty and structurally sound bulls ready for work

● Breedplan Recorded, sire verified and genomics

● TB Status C10

● Herd completely free of known genetic defects

● Renowned for great temperament

● Three year comprehensive guarantee

Dairy Cows Wanted to lease

80-100 Spring Calving cows required.

North Island preferred.

Must have good udders and low cell count.

Ph 027 526 5994

After a terrible shipwreck, a man found himself alone on an island. He went about the island in search of food and shelter.

After a long walk, the man froze in terror as he saw a tribe of cannibals in the middle of a celebration. The man thought to himself, “I am so stuffed!”

To his surprise, a bright light came from the heavens and a deep voice said to him “Not yet my son, listen very carefully: what you have to do is run up to the chief of the tribe, kick him in the groin, and take his spear. As soon as you take his spear, kill his only son with it.”

Without thinking twice, the man does as he was told. As he put the spear through the young cannibal’s heart the bright light appeared again and the deep voice said to him “Now you are stuffed.”

Here at Farmers Weekly we get some pretty funny contributions to our Sale Talk joke from you avid readers, and we’re keen to hear more!

If you’ve got a joke you want to share with the farming community (it must be something you’d share with your grandmother...) then email us at: saletalk@agrihq.co.nz with Sale Talk in the subject line and we’ll print it and credit it to you. Conditions apply

FARM BULL SALE

ON FARM BULL SALE

10AM 1ST JUNE 2023

20 Bulls available

The genuine article is at Ngakouka Herefords

• The best cross over all breeds of cow

• The best cross over all breeds of cow

• Our focus is on breeding seedstock with great fats, fertility, feed conversion, faultless structure andtobefreeandfriendly movers.

• Our focus is on breeding seedstock with great fats, fertility, feed conversion, faultless structure and to be free and friendly movers

• bulls are Lepto and BVD vaccinated

• Bulls are Lepto and BVD vaccinated

• Catalogues available on line at ngakoukaherefords.co.nz

• Catalogues available online at ngakoukaherefords.co.nz

Viewing from 8am Bruce and Chrissina Donal d 06 374 2939 | 027 211 2 ngakoukaherefords@gmail.com

Bruce and Chrissina Donald 06 374 2939 l 027 230 2112 ngakoukaherefords@gmail.com

Auahi Charolais

cows and heifers wintered on steep hill country up to 3,500ft with no supplement.

• All bulls and replacement heifers independently structurally assessed on Breedplan.

• Every calf DNA tested for parentage, defects, and accuracy of breeding values.

• The right Hereford bull can return $100s in quality premiums per calf PLUS $100s per calf with Hybrid Vigour when used over Angus cows.

FEILDING WEANER FAIR

Thursday 18 May 11.30am

We will be offering approx:

• 600 Weaner Heifers

Upcoming Auctions

TUESDAY 23RD MAY: 11am: Allandale/ Kuku Jersey Sale (Feilding)

11am: Glendhu Shorthorn Bull Sale

1pm: Kerrah Simmentals Bull Sale

1pm: Coleman Farm Charolais Bull Sale

1.30pm: Kaimoa South Devon Bull Sale

2.30pm: Delmont Angus Bull Sale

WEDNESDAY 24TH MAY: 11am: Leafland Simmental Bull Sale

11.30am: Pukenui Jersey Stud Sale-Day 1 (Northland)

3pm: Beresford Simmental Bull Sale

3.30pm: Kincardine Angus Bull Sale

THURSDAY 25TH MAY: 11am: Dairy Cow & Heifer Sale (Inglewood)

11am: Hill Valley Simmental Bull Sale

11.30am: Pukenui Jersey Stud Sale- Day 2 (Northland)

2pm: Glenside Simmental Bull Sale

7pm: Turiwhate Shorthorn Stud Sale

FRIDAY 26TH MAY: 1.30pm: Stoneburn Polled Hereford Bull Sale

SATURDAY 27TH MAY: 1pm: West Coast Bull Sale (Flagstaff Hereford, Glacier Horned Hereford & Bannockburn Angus)

MONDAY 29TH MAY: 11am: Potawa Simmentals

11.30am: On Farm Clearing Sale: A/C Riverside Pride (Murupara)

1pm: Umbrella Range Bull Sale

1.30pm: Kia Toa Charolais Bull Sale

ON FARM CLEARING SALE

Monday 29 May

On Acc: Riverside Pride - 4184 Galatea Road, Murupara

10.30am – Machinery | 11.30am – Cows & Replacement Heifers

Comprising:

205 2-8yr Friesian & Friesian-X cows - BW 187, PW 237, RA 95%

41 I/C heifers – BW 195, PW 210

74 R1 heifers – BW 262, PW 281

• Full range of farm machinery & sundries

Herd:

Herd coming forward in top condition with I/C heifers and R1 heifers also very well grown. Once a day since 01/01/23. 5 weeks AB from the 17/10/22, 85% to Premier Sire Friesian, remainder to Pre-mier Sire Crossbred. Tailed with Jersey bull 27/11/22 - 5/01/23.

Heifers ran with Jersey bull from 17/10/22 – 05/12/22.

All animals vaccinated for BVD and Lepto. TB status C10. Average SCC 120,000.

Long term average of 117,000 M/S from 280 cows. Vendors reduced numbers last season to 245 and achieved an average of 91,000 M/S on an all grass no supplement system.

This is a long-established herd, on the farm for 50 years. If you require cows or I/C heifers with confirmation and proven production, we strongly recommend you attend this sale.

Machinery and Sundries:

Chiller, 1995 Toyota Hilux, 2001 Nissan, Tandem Trailer, Giltrap Farm Trailer 8 Ton, Giltrap Sileage Wagon, Tractor, Suzuki DR200SEK8 Bike, Suzuki 2012 Bike, Kawasaki 300ccf Bike, Kuhn GMD700 Mower, Calf Trailer, Mincer & Bandsaw, 40 Teat Calf Feeder, ATV Spray Unit, Calfetaria, Fert Spreader, Chainsaw, Farm Trailer, 600lt Water Blaster, Bale Feeder, Generator, Weighing Scales, Tractor Hitch, Dairy Caddy, Gun Storage, Freezer, Spotlight, Grapple, Bale Forks, Landmax Bale Grab, Diesel Tank, Butchery Equipment, Post Rammer, Calf Weighing Machine, Effluent Tanker, Seed Drill, Various Tools and Sundries.

Online bidding available via bidr. To register please visit www.bidr.co.nz

Enquiries: Joe Stewart 027 829 8412

NZ’s Virtual Saleyard bidr.co.nz

Markets

Stock make it through with a tale to tell

The Bailey bridge is in place, the floodravaged road has re-opened, and Wairoa livestock was welcomed back to Stortford Lodge on Wednesday after months of disruption.

WELCOME back, Wairoa.

Three months after Cyclone Gabrielle rendered the NapierWairoa Road impassable, the road has finally reopened, and Wairoa livestock was welcomed back to the Stortford Lodge saleyards on Wednesday. This was a momentous occasion and one step closer to a new normal, though access issues on farm do continue to be a huge challenge for farmers.

Arawood Farm had one of the first stock trucks over the new Bailey bridge at Waikare, to get their annual draft weaner Angus steers to sale, and Redshaw

Livestock agent Will Maxwell said it was exactly the way forward that the communities needed.

“There was a big sense of relief from the communities that the road is now re-opened. While it is only a temporary solution it is much better than the alternative. Not only did the road closure

impact farmers getting stock out, it has also been a huge challenge for the stock truck drivers, who have had to do two- to three-day round trips up until now.”

Not only did roading logistics need to be worked around, Maxwell said the management of the calves on farm was a challenge.

“It was originally said that the road would be open at the end of April and so, in preparation for the steer calves to go then, the heifer calves were weaned and steers kept on the cows, just in case that didn’t happen. And of course it didn’t, so the steers remained with the cows until the night before the recent sale.”

As the road is only open from 7am to 6pm, the calves had to be picked up very early on sale day by Kiwi Transport, to allow enough time to get to the yards.

The 70 calves were drafted into two lines and the top cut weighed close to 300kg and sold for $1125, while the second cut were 254kg and $1075.

In a typical year, the calves would usually come to the first

What is coming to market now is a lot heavier than what would usually be offered. So that at least is a silver lining for the farmers.

Ian Rissetto PGG Wrightson

Stortford Lodge weaner fair in March and historically averaged 260-265kg. There was the option to sell the calves on the property prior to the reopening of the road, but the freight charges that would have been incurred meant that was not a viable option for buyers.

Out in the Stortford Lodge sheep pens, some lines of lambs also had

adventures to relate as they made their journey down from northern Hawke’s Bay.

Some of the ewe lambs yarded came from Papuni Station, Ruakituri and Mangatawhiti Station, Ohuka and were just the start of the offload out of the area. PGG Wrightson agent Ian Rissetto was also able to make the trip through to see the lambs sold and said the Papuni lambs in particular were well-travelled.

“It’s a huge challenge just to get stock even to the trucks. These lambs had to walk out about 12km from their farm. That was through other stations as the continuing access issues mean that trucks can’t get into several stations up that way. So, the lambs must be walked to where they can get a truck in.”

Rissetto said the season had a saving grace: “Since there has been plenty of feed around, northern Hawke’s Bay farmers have actually been able to finish more of the male lambs than they usually would. And it has meant that what is coming to market now is a lot heavier than what would usually be offered. So that at least is a silver lining for the farmers.”

And the extra weight had a positive influence on prices at auction as the Papuni Station ewe lambs sold for $130-$139 and Mangatawhiti Station, $128-$148.

Now that the road and market have been tested by these trailblazers, more store stock are expected to make the journey over the coming months.

PASS OPENS: With the road only open from 7am to 6pm, Kiwi Transport has to pick calves up very early on sale day to allow enough time to get through the gorge and to the saleyards.

Suz Bremner MARKETS Beef and lamb

Weekly saleyards

South Island prime lambs are starting to creep over the $200 mark as the lambs get some age on them and market returns stay strong.

At South Island sales over the past week, most prime lambs have traded at $140-$190, though Canterbury Park and Coalgate recorded pens at $200.

Temuka sold 17 lambs at $201-$218 while in the North Island Feilding had one line hit the $200 mark as well.

| May 15 | 428 cattle, 3545 sheep

R3 Angus heifers, VIC Angus

Feeder Calves | May 16

Frankton | May 16 | 460

TOASTY: These lambs kept warm in their coats at a brisk Canterbury Park sale.

Photo: Margot Russell

Cattle

NOTE: Slaughter values are weighted average gross operating prices including premiums but excluding breed premiums for cattle.

Sheep Deer

Fertiliser Forestry

Dairy

Grain

Close of market

Listed Agri shares

Deciphering patterns amid all the chaos

Philip Duncan NEWS Weather

WHEN I was a teenager and falling further in love with weather forecasting, Bob McDavitt, a MetService weather ambassador at the time, taught me something valuable which took me years to really appreciate: “Weather is a mixture of pattern and chaos.”

It’s not something that teenage Phil got his head around, but over the years (decades now actually!) I’ve really seen what Bob was talking about. The year 2023 is absolutely kicking off with a mixture of pattern and chaos.

The pattern? The regular huge high pressure zones coming out of Australia. Like a leaky faucet with very slow falling drips, we’re seeing one big high pressure bubble after another drip out of the Indian Ocean / southern Australia area and move over New Zealand.

But the chaos is occurring in

between these highs – with lows forming in the sub-tropics, tropical cyclones earlier this year, squash zones each month and the now over-used term “atmospheric river”. Basically, the highs both bring us a regular pattern and contribute to the chaos in between.

May so far has been caught up in this chaos, and sometimes it feels like we’re just being bombarded by storm after storm. But when you look at the monthly and weekly historic weather maps you can start to see the current pattern emerging. La Niña feels like it’s lingering in New Zealand because it’s milder and wetter – but the NIWA rain map for the first 17 days of May paints a picture of rain shifting to the western side of NZ and eastern areas getting lower totals. That’s not just a sign of classic autumn, but it’s also perhaps the precursor to the likely building El Niño.

El Niño is measured at the equator and if you look at sea surface temperatures towards South America they are warming

up significantly. While the sea surface is currently showing strong signs of a powerful El Niño building, the atmosphere is not. It’s a bit like boiling water on a stove – the element surface heats up fast, but the water above is still cold. That’s what we’re seeing in the atmosphere right now –sea temperatures rising, but the atmosphere yet to catch on.

Scientists still expect El Niño to officially show up in the coming few months – and if you look at Australia’s weather pattern they’re already looking more like El Niño with exceptionally long dry spells, plenty of windy and showery sou’westers and some big frosts inland (around Canberra and even as far north as the highlands of Queensland).

El Niño’s pattern tends to be more high pressure in the Tasman Sea and more sou’westers into NZ – which can lead to inland and eastern droughts. The chaos from El Niño can be when it dredges up Southern Ocean storms and Tasman Sea squalls.

Observed

Highlights this week

• A windier week with westerly to southwesterly winds to gales in exposed places

• Snow on the ranges, especially the South Island

• High pressure briefly brushes northern NZ this week

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