Farmers Weekly NZ April 26 2021 by AgriHQ

5 Forecasting with a difference Vol 19 No 16, April 26, 2021

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Shipping impacts kill rate Neal Wallace neal.wallace@globalhq.co.nz

ONTAINER shortages and shipping issues are forcing some meat plants to work shorter weeks, as companies grapple with the largest prime beef kill in over 30 years. Alliance Group has on occasion reduced operating hours at its Smithfield and Pukeuri plants in the South Island and Silver Fern Farms (SFF) has on three instances reduced processing capacity at one of its plants as they manage logistical issues. The shipping logistic problem affects all species, but coincides with a record prime beef kill. AgriHQ analysts report 637,700 prime steers and heifers have been killed in the year to March 27, 92,000, or 17%, more than the previous record kill, which was last year. Despite logistical challenges, companies are selling record volumes with 55,700 tonnes of beef shipped in March, a monthon-month increase of 4500t, and

10,000t more than the five-year average. Demand is primarily being driven by China, which took 20,600t in March, 300t more than February, and the US, which took 18,800t, 2300t more than February. South Korea and Japan also increased purchases of beef in March. This demand is helped by Australian farmers rebuilding their herd, which has seen 200,000 fewer cattle killed in the eastern states in the six weeks to April 12. AgriHQ senior analyst Mel Croad says this demand is not flowing through to the farm gate where prime cattle prices are 20 cents to 40c/kg below the five-year average, due to a combination of higher slaughter rates this season and reduced foodservice demand globally, which is impacting highvalue cuts. It is worse for farmers in the South Island, with AgriHQ saying they are receiving 50c/kg less than those in the North Island. There has been an oversupply of cattle in the South Island leading to processing backlogs, whereas in the North Island, competition has

Continued page 3

SELECTION: Without leaving home, 18 Hereford bulls will be offered in the national seedstock sale this year.

Hereford bull sale goes live Hugh Stringleman hugh.stringleman@globalhq.co.nz NEW Zealand Herefords breed society is staging a national seedstock sale of 18 bulls that will not leave their vendors’ properties until delivered to the successful bidders. The national sale at 10am on May 11 will be live streamed on PGG Wrightson’s bidr platform in a Helmsman format. Bids must be placed in person at the sale venue in Palmerston North or by telephone to a PGW agent or three NZ Hereford executives. No online bidding will be available. The venue is Orlando Country

Club on Rangitikei Line, Milson, where the breed society’s annual general meeting and dinner will be held the day before on May 10. Breed society general manager Posy Moody says the fully-electronic format, without bulls travelling to a sale venue, was safer, cheaper and a natural development with the technology available, and after last year’s disruptions. “The Helmsman format gives every vendor a fair opportunity regardless of lot position, and buyers can switch tack if their first pick becomes unavailable,” Moody says. Assessments had been

conducted on bulls that breeders put forward and some potential buyers were travelling the country to make their own structural assessments ahead of the sale. Bulls are being sold by 18 vendors from Kaeo in Northland down to Gore in Southland. The sale is set down for 40 minutes, with an optional extension of two minutes under the control of PGW stud stock auctioneer Cam Heggie, who will also be the compère. The catalogue with all breeding values and pedigrees, videos and still photographs of all lots are already available on the bidr website.

NEWS

ON FARM STORY

28 Bird venture’s a hit Starting a business that’s a bit outside what might be viewed as conventional is always going to have its challenges, but New Zealand Game Birds owners Jeff Niblett and Bridgette Karetai have made it work for them.

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

12 Learn to earn with less Focusing on a dashboard of figures recording energy in, and milksolids out, are a key part of what gives Matt Barr’s Awakeri sharemilking operation a highly efficient farm footprint.

Pulpit �� 25 Opinion �� 26 On Farm Story �� 28-29 World �� 30 Real Estate �� 31-39 Tech & Toys �� 40 Employment �� 41 Classifieds �� 41 Livestock �� 41-43 Weather �� 45

7 Regen ‘will take courage’

22 Commercial over trade policy

Negative comments about what constitutes regenerative agriculture are achieving nothing other than creating division and misunderstanding in the primary sector at a time when it would be better served by collaboration, an Upper Hutt farmer says.

Esther Guy-Meakin is pleased with the opportunities and challenges of her new position at the Meat Industry Association (MIA), which she says allows her to build on her previous experience in the red meat sector.

Markets �� 44-48 GlobalHQ is a farming family owned business that donates 1% of all advertising revenue in Farmers Weekly and Dairy Farmer to farmer health and well-being initiatives. Thank you for your prompt payment.

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FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – April 26, 2021

NZ backs scrapping UK tariffs Nigel Stirling nigel.g.stirling@gmail.com NEW ZEALAND’S largest agricultural export industries have given conditional backing to calls for Britain to scrap tariffs on food imports. Britain’s Trade Minister Liz Truss set up the Trade and Agriculture Commission last year, to plot a path forward for the country’s trading relationships with the rest of the world following its departure from the European Union’s customs union on January 1. Former NZ trade minister Lockwood Smith, who joined the commission as an expert on international trade and helped write its final report published in February, has said its recommendation to Truss to open the border to food imports from countries with equivalent animal welfare and environmental standards as the UK is potentially a breakthrough moment for NZ dairy and beef exports shut out of the British market by high EU tariffs since the 1970s. Smith briefed NZ dairy and

Continued from page 1 increased for a reduced number of prime cattle. Croad says South Island prices are only marginally higher than a year ago, at the height of the covid pandemic and when Chinese ports were closed to shipping. The increased kill follows a herd build up over the last three to four years, which was buoyed by strong returns at the time. Croad says that level of demand and volumes exported is despite shipping issues and a record kill, which reflects global demand. The high value of the NZ dollar is eroding prices and limiting the chances for improved farm gate prices.

meat industry representatives on the report earlier this month. Dairy Companies Association NZ executive director Kimberly Crewther says the dairy industry supported the recommendation to scrap tariffs, but was not popping the champagne corks just yet. “The key is how the UK government picks this up and translates it, but we have been really interested to see the recommendations and particularly have noted the

principle of promoting trade liberalisation generally, and the UK taking global leadership and being in the UK’s own trade agreements. That is something we strongly back,” Crewther said. She says the dairy industry could live with the removal of tariffs being linked to animal welfare and environmental standards, so long as they were based on science, were consistent with World Trade Organisation (WTO) principles, and were not

simply a fresh means to keep imports out. “Where we would be concerned is if such an approach ended up introducing layers of prescription and administrative complexity,” she said. “They need to be in line with the principles of the WTO, so no more trade-restrictive than justified to achieve the sciencebased outcome.” Crewther says the NZ dairy industry believed the environmental and animal welfare record of its farmers was the equal of any in the world. Beef + Lamb NZ’s general manager for policy and advocacy Dave Harrison says he would have concerns with the commission’s proposal if the British government took it to mean that NZ farmers must follow its welfare and environmental regulations to the letter to qualify for tariff reductions in the UK market. In the meantime, Harrison was encouraged to hear that the UK had adopted the NZEU Veterinary Agreement as a template in its Brexit negotiations with the EU.

Alliance Group chief executive David Surveyor says it has been a testing season for all species. “Changes to shipping schedules and routes, borders opening and closing and escalating global demand for goods have resulted in congestion at ports around the world and a shortage of containers in NZ,” Surveyor said. He says the co-operative has leveraged the scale and flexibility of its network to maintain processing. “We have been able to move stock throughout our North and South Island plants to manage potential backlogs and maximise capacity,” he said. “As a result of our efforts to date, the only change in operating

hours across the network has been a reduction in ovine and cervine processing capacity at Pukeuri (Oamaru) and Smithfield, and importantly, farmers have essentially not been impacted.” SFF’s supply chain manager Dan Boulton says global supply chain disruption means it cannot fully maximise its daily overtime and/or Saturday capacity options. “We have only had three separate instances to date where the supply chain challenges have directly impacted the daily processing capacity at an individual plant,” Boulton said. It has also been utilising its national network to move livestock, but a shortage of skilled

staff in some areas has hindered processing. “We recognise that most of the country is extremely dry and we’re working hard to prioritise animals from the areas hardest hit,” he said. Boulton says most NZ cold stores are at capacity and if containers and/or vessels are not moving, it quickly impacts plants. Fonterra global supply chain manager Gordon Carlyle says the co-op is coming to the end of its peak export period and while it is experiencing some disruption, it has been able to keep product moving. An Anzco spokesperson says all its sites are currently operating as normal.

EVIDENCE BASED: Dairy Companies Association executive director Kimberly Crewther says the dairy industry could live with the removal of tariffs being linked to animal welfare and environmental standards, so long as they were based on science.

The long-standing agreement meant the EU treated NZ’s regulation of food safety standards in processing plants as equivalent to their own where they were proven to produce the same outcomes. The fact that the UK was using it as a template in its negotiations with the EU augured well for its future dealings with NZ. “If the UK follows through with that philosophy around equivalent outcomes, rather than prescribing how things need to be done – and bearing in mind that part of the reason for Brexit was to get away from prescribing how things need to be done, and moving towards an outcomes based approach – if the talk is walked then yes, absolutely (the commission’s proposal) is a good thing for us,” Harrison said. “But it has got to be turned into action and something that we can see in terms of offers being given. “If that were the case then we would warmly welcome it, but we have yet to see it.” Negotiations for a UK-NZ free trade deal are ongoing.

Changes to shipping schedules and routes, borders opening and closing and escalating global demand for goods have resulted in congestion at ports around the world and a shortage of containers in NZ. David Surveyor Alliance

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FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – April 26, 2021

Rural GPs want a say in reforms Gerald Piddock gerald.piddock@globalhq.co.nz THE Government’s radical shakeup of the country’s health system has been backed by the Rural GP Network. But input from rural health professionals has to be included in its design if it is to succeed in delivering proper healthcare to those areas of the country, Rural GP Network chief executive Grant Davidson said. He says it has lots of potential, but there is no detail around how it will be implemented in such a short timeframe. “There is so much to do in such an aggressive timeline, the risk is that we get it wrong and we have got to get it right,” Davidson said. To ensure this, network representatives have to be there to work with the Government to ensure a rural lens is put over the new system’s implementation. “We have got to have people around the table designing the system as it gets down on the ground, otherwise we’re going to get forgotten again. Those 700,000 rural people deserve a good system,” he said. Davidson says he was excited there was going to be radical change as the current health system is not working for rural areas. The reform will see all DHBs replaced by a new Crown entity, Health New Zealand, which will be responsible for running hospitals and commissioning primary and

community health services. It will have four regional divisions. A new Māori Health Authority will be created that will have the power to commission health services, monitor the state of Māori health and develop policy. Davidson says until the new system is put in place, stopgap measures over the next few years will be needed to ensure rural health is adequately resourced. It costs more money to service rural areas because of its remoteness and he hoped the reforms included better funding for rural health services, such as midwife or mental health services. If this was achieved, it will help prevent the long hours rural people had to travel for a 15-minute appointment at a hospital in the city. “That’s what equality is. If we’re going to have equitable outcomes, we have to have inequitable inputs to get there,” he said. The reforms also include locality planning, which are the formation of groups within a community of like-minded people and organisations. He says some of those localities needed to be specific to rural areas to ensure it retained a voice. “That’s our challenge and the opportunity that sits in front of us,” he said. Those localities would then feed information back to its nearest regional division. “What we don’t want is an urban area tied to rural groups because

COLLABORATION: Rural GP Network chief executive Grant Davidson says network representatives have to work with the Government to ensure a rural lens is put over the new system’s implementation.

The reforms will mean that for the first time, we will have a truly national health system, and the kind of treatment people get will no longer be determined by where they live. Andrew Little Health Minister always the rural groups miss out,” he said. Health Minister Andrew Little says the two of the main drivers of health sector reforms are to put a greater emphasis on primary healthcare and ensuring fairer access for all New Zealanders.

“We are going to put the emphasis squarely on primary and community healthcare and will do away with duplication and unnecessary bureaucracy between regions, so that our health workers can do what they do best – keep people well,” Little said. “The reforms will mean that for the first time, we will have a truly national health system, and the kind of treatment people get will no longer be determined by where they live.” Rural Women New Zealand (RWNZ) president Gill Naylor says she wanted to see in practice what Little meant by that comment. “RWNZ expects to see a rural health and wellbeing strategy, which is fully resourced and funded to ensure rural postcodes aren’t in the losing lottery,” Naylor said. “It is our expectation that the

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detail will also include a solid mechanism for including the voice of rural women, children and communities in decisionmaking by the new national health service.” Naylor says the reforms should include a rural and gender impact analysis before too much further work is done, to test if there will be any adverse impact on rural communities, and women and girls in particular. “Our expectation is that the outcome of these major changes is an equal playing field for the health and wellbeing needs of rural communities alongside that provided for our urban counterparts,” she said. The reforms will be phased in over three years, to make sure existing services – including the roll-out of the covid-19 vaccination programme – are not disrupted.

News

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – April 26, 2021

Praying for rain Neal Wallace neal.wallace@globalhq.co.nz A BRIEF change to dry weather patterns could provide respite for some parched areas of the country, but the remainder of autumn looks like remaining drier than usual. WeatherWatch head forecaster Philip Duncan says the dry regions in the southern South Island could get some reprieve from rain expected over Anzac weekend. A wet weather system expected over the weekend is predicted to bring 60mm to the south west of the South Island and up to 30mm to central and eastern parts of Southland and Otago. While there is potentially some reprieve for the south, Duncan says the front is unlikely to bring rain to North Canterbury, Hawke’s Bay and East Cape. “North Canterbury, Hawke’s Bay and East Cape stand out as regions having to deal with drier than normal conditions through to the end of autumn,” Duncan said. Southland Federated Farmers vice-president Bernadette Hunt describes eastern Southland, northern Southland, West Otago and South Otago as green, but with very little sub soil moisture. “It’s green but you wouldn’t realise how dry it is,” Hunt said. After tipping 160mm of rain out of the gauge on her farm north of Gore in January, just 45mm fell in February and March, and 20mm in the first half of April. “All of those have been in dribs and drabs of 5mm and 7mm, not enough to get below the surface,” she said. An abundance of growth early on ensured plenty of supplementary feed was made, but Hunt says some farmers are now feeding that to stock. Space at meat plants is tight, and crops, while well established, need a drink, and any feed for sale has been quickly purchased. Hunt says that while rain will

DRY AUTUMN: West Otago dairy farmer Luke Kane says they have had 160mm less rain than average in the past year. Photo: Natwick

be welcome, any benefit heading into winter requires temperatures staying warm. Feds Otago dairy chair Luke Kane says his Tapanui farm received 8mm in the last week, but other parts of West Otago got up to 40mm. With the dairy season drawing to a close, farmers are using supplementary feed to boost production, while many have shifted to once-a-day or 16-hour milking earlier than usual. His farm received 160mm less rain than average in the year to March 31. Kane says winter crops are varied, with fodder beet yields above average due to the warm, dry weather, but some brassica crops are struggling due to aphid infestation. Hawke’s Bay Feds chair Jim Galloway says just 19mm has fallen on his farm so far this month, following five months of below average rainfall. The driest areas were in the ranges and foothills, and Galloway says the biggest worry for those farmers is that the opportunity for growth ahead of winter is reducing.

Because last year was so dry, farmers are not fully stocked but Galloway says similarly, they are not buying their traditional numbers of store lambs or cattle to take through the winter. Feds North Canterbury junior vice-chair Caroline Amyes (CRRT) says dry conditions are worsening, with just small falls of rain making the region green but not providing bulk pasture. Banks Peninsula remains exceptionally dry, but dry stock farmers throughout the region are quitting stock. A bounty of feed at the start of summer ensured farmers were able to build up stores of supplements, which many are now having to feed that out. Up to 70mm of rain, which was not forecast, fell over much of Gisborne and Wairoa this week, surprising local Feds president Toby Williams. “Most places got a decent drink. It’s a start,” he said. Williams says dry aquifers are the biggest concern, requiring replenishment before next summer, so he hopes more rain will come.

WeatherWatch and GlobalHQ join forces WEATHERWATCH and GlobalHQ have entered into a 50:50 partnership to help grow New Zealand’s largest and most well-known privately owned weather forecaster. Under the agreement, GlobalHQ takes a 50% ownership of WeatherWatch Services Ltd, which began operating independently in 2010. The partnership will ensure WeatherWatch can be resourced appropriately to meet the rapidly growing demand from the rural sector, small businesses and the Government for new ideas, digital infrastructure and bringing weather forecasts to life. “Partnering with Phil Duncan and WeatherWatch rounds out our primary sector information hub perfectly, by making four valuable content pillars – news, weather, market information and education/vocational training – all work together,” GlobalHQ owner Dean Williamson said. “We’re here to support the agripreneur, whether they work inside the farm gate or in the supply chain beyond the farm

gate. Information is king.” WeatherWatch and GlobalHQ share the same purpose, working nationwide to build connection, collaboration and community into even the most remote locations, and giving every agripreneur access to the best information and tools to run their farm, orchard, service enterprise, or any primary sector business – and to plan and build for the future. The newly structured WeatherWatch website will see investment into new weather products and services, collaborative ideas, state of the art alerting to mobile devices, interactive weather menus tailored specifically to the user and a system designed entirely around the consumer. WeatherWatch chief executive Philip Duncan says this partnership is very exciting for all New Zealanders. He says WeatherWatch is eager to build new products and services, build better resilience across the country, lead the way with digital infrastructure and improve weather technology through its special partnership with IBM.

VISION: WeatherWatch chief executive Philip Duncan and GlobalHQ director Dean Willamson share the same purpose, working nationwide to build connection and collaborating to give every agripreneur access to the best information.

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FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – April 26, 2021

Facial ezcema is still a risk Gerald Piddock gerald.piddock@globalhq.co.nz AN UNSEASONABLY warm spell of wet weather across much of the North Island throughout April has seen a big spike in facial eczema (FE) spore counts at a time when the counts generally start to fall. The high counts go against the trend over the past three years where readings generally begin to fall at the end of March. Spore count readings collated by Gribbles Veterinary since late March showed most districts from Northland, south to Waikato and the central lower North Island were in a six-digit number when taken at the highest reading. The highest readings this month were taken from farms in South Waikato and Waipa, which hit 1,056,660 spores/gram and 1,500,000 spores/g respectively. Samples taken from the Franklin and Rodney districts earlier this month were also extremely high at 620,000 spores/g and 460,000 spores/g. The threshold for farmers to take preventative action against the effects of FE is 30,000 spores/g. The disease is caused by sheep and cattle eating pasture containing the fungus Pithomyces chartarum, which thrives in warm, humid conditions when combined with dead litter in pasture. Once in the rumen, the spores from this fungus release a mycotoxin sporidesmin, which then enters the bloodstream, eventually finding its way into the liver. The toxin specifically attacks the cells of the bile duct resulting in the liver being unable to process and excrete waste products and phylloerythrin, a chlorophyll breakdown product. WeatherWatch analyst Philip Duncan says the high counts this late into April was due to a wetter, warmer and more humid weather, thanks in part to an increase in sub-tropical and

Our counts were very high around Cambridge and the clinical caseload where we saw multiple animals showing up with clinical eczema. I can think of three dairy farms where we had to dry off one-third of the herd. Peter Briston Veterinarian northerly airflows and an uptick in rainmakers, showers and drizzle. “This week is another bad week for facial eczema, with a Tasman Sea low moving in and pulling down sub-tropical air for a time over the upper North Island,” Duncan said.

“Overnight lows will be in the mid-teens (15-16degC) across the upper North Island for the next couple of nights, along with isolated downpours, low clouds and some drizzle patches. Daytime weather will be mild and often cloudy.” Duncan says there is no immediate cold snap on the way for northern NZ, despite cooler temperatures later this week. Cambridge veterinarian Peter Briston says there had been a high number of clinical cases of FE both in sheep and dairy cattle so far this year. “Probably more than the last couple of years, and I think that’s probably because we have had a wetter March. “Our counts were very high around Cambridge and the clinical caseload where we saw multiple animals showing up with clinical eczema. I can think of three dairy farms where we had to dry off one-third of the herd,” Briston said. He also knew of a number of

sheep flocks that got “hammered”. He says these were purchased stock rather than sheep that had been bred for FE tolerance. “It’s been quite a distressing, frustrating year for eczema,” he said. While prevention treatment such as zinc boluses are good, they need to be administered before spore counts climb and some farmers got taken by surprise in early February and did not start the treatment until eczema signs had started to appear. He says there had also been cases where farmers had administered zinc in stockwater, but it had not been taken up by the animals in high enough dosages. In North Waikato, Franklin Vets’ David Hawkins says he had seen some clinical cases this year where there had been hotspots of high spore counts. “It’s reminiscent of that really bad season we had a few years back.”

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A COMPANY owned by European interests has been granted government approval to buy three North Island livestock farms to convert to forestry. Kingheim Ltd, jointly owned by Austrian and Irish interests, has been granted approval under the Government’s special forestry test “one-off purchase” process to buy nearly 1500ha in the King Country and Waikato. The properties, as described by the Overseas Investment Office (OIO), are livestock breeding and finishing units: 566ha at Waitomo, 516ha at Pomarangai and 394ha at Huntly. Information provided by the OIO states the majority of the land is class six, seven or eight, which it states is suitable for forestry.

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FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – April 26, 2021

Regen debate needs more talk, less fight Colin Williscroft colin.williscroft@globalhq.co.nz NEGATIVE comments about what constitutes regenerative agriculture are achieving nothing other than creating division and misunderstanding in the primary sector at a time when it would be better served by collaboration, an Upper Hutt farmer says. Jules Matthews, who was one of the presenters at a recent Quorum Sense event in Carterton, says there is no right way to farming and the more positional the approaches different farming groups take, the more oppositional people will become. “It happened a lot in the organic world and now it’s happening around the whole conversation around regenerative,” Matthews said.

You don’t get anywhere by making other people wrong. You get where you want to go by bringing people with you. Jules Matthews Farmer Matthews, who is also a regenerative agriculture coach for Integrity Soils, says farmers would be better served by a more open conversation “rather than a whole lot of banter about what is regenerative agriculture and is it scientifically-based or just some mumbo jumbo?” She says farming has become an unintended treadmill, with

farmers having been encouraged and trained to use a model solely focused on production and productivity. This has come at the expense of the environment, livestock care, biodiversity and people. “We keep being told that our job is to feed the world but that’s not our job,” she said. “Our job is to farm in an ecological way in concert with nature so that we can create a really healthy, vibrant ecological and economic function in NZ.” Matthews says the current model the NZ agricultural sector is based on was not solely invented by farmers. “The model we use was created by industries, our education system, our government and for decades now we’ve pushed the current paradigm, which is a production paradigm,” she said. “It’s that ‘get big or get out’, ‘more cows, more production’, and that’s resulted in issues that farmers are now being held accountable for. Our environmental degradation, our waterways, our erosion, our high chemical-based and acid-based fertiliser use. “Farmers are being held accountable for that, but there’s very little acknowledgement or accountability of those other drivers and participants,” she said. She says all participants involved in creating the current system need to engage. Government and industry people need to look at what’s happening on-farm with an open mind to better understand the issues farmers face and find potential solutions to them. “We need to come together and be clear about what our current management systems and ways

BE BRAVE: Jules Matthews says it’s time to be courageous in conversations about the future of NZ agriculture.

of doing business are that truly work and serve our triple bottom lines of ecosystem, economics and people,” she said. Part of that conversation will also involve discussing systems and practices that the sector may have relied on in the past. “What are those inputs that were once seen as beneficial that we now realise are detrimental when used in isolation of other considerations?” she asked. “How do we move to another model, rather than just changing one set of products and practices for another that will perhaps give us an incremental shift, but not the transformation we need because ultimately, if we don’t resolve the bigger issues, the little ones won’t matter anyway.” Matthews says that means being able to come together with those different opinions and beliefs in a way that takes out the need to be defensive and positional and

removes the derogatory rhetoric. “You don’t get anywhere by making other people wrong. You get where you want to go by bringing people with you,” she said. “That’s the strength of this whole concept of regenerating, which is improving all those bottom lines. “It’s not some big threat to anything, it’s just fundamentally improving all our bottom lines, ecological, economic and human wellbeing – and that’s not a threat.” However, she says it’s a conversation that requires a real willingness, maturity and curiosity, not just on the part of farmers but also those other participants, to acknowledge what the issues are and that no one has all the answers – working collaboratively is an important step to resolving some of the issues the sector faces.

“We need to come to it through our values and that’s why regenerative farming appeals to a lot of farmers,” she said. “It’s value-based. It’s principlebased. It’s not a set of prescriptive management practices. It’s inclusive.” Matthews says the businessas-usual approach is no longer acceptable. “Change is coming, whether we like it or not,” she said. “People are going to do different things whether we agree or not. “So let’s go and find out what they are doing, how they are doing it and what we can take from that, then utilise that knowledge for the benefit of all of us, both urban and rural. “I don’t think it’s hard. But it will take courage. “Courage, humility, and new actions are what we need to bring.”

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FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – April 26, 2021

Organic feed claims disputed Richard Rennie richard.rennie@globalhq.co.nz A LONG-TIME organic farmer and industry advocate has challenged findings in the latest organics market report that claims the sector is being hamstrung by a lack of certified land for stock grazing and supplementary supply. The 2021 Organic Aotearoa New Zealand (OANZ) markets report highlights the organic dairy sector’s strong growth over the past three years. The category has increased on average 16% a year, compared to an 11% a year growth in conventional dairy product export category globally (see Farmers Weekly, April 19). However, the report also cites a lack of fully certified supplementary feed sources, including pasture balage, silage and hay, and conversion of dry stock land to organic supplement sources as constraints to the sector. A lack of certified land to run young stock on has also been highlighted, along with a shortage of veterinarians with an interest and expertise in remedies suitable for organic farms. But Paeroa farmer and founder of the Organic Dairy Hub operation Bill Quinn says he had never had a situation where he was unable to source feed for a farmer that needed it, and questioned the report’s basis for the claim. “Anyone who has converted in the past 20 years to certified organic production has never had feed shortage problems. We have always been able to fill the gaps,” Quinn said. He was disappointed the report did not highlight some of the innovative approaches taken by the sector to provide more certified supplementary feed. One of these was the use of fodder rooms – containerised rooms rearing certified organic grain supplements. Another was developing the supply of organic soy protein supplement for dairy herds.

CHALLENGE: Bill Quinn disputes the OANZ report’s claim that a shortage of dairy feed supplements and grazing land are constraints to the sector.

Anyone who has converted in the past 20 years to certified organic production has never had feed shortage problems. We have always been able to fill the gaps. Bill Quinn Organic farmer Quinn’s concerns are shared by Organic Milk Hub chief executive Clay Fulcher, who also questioned the report’s claim about lack of veterinary skills in the organic sector.

“Generally, they find that they do not need the vet, their cows are happy and healthy. They may run into mastitis from time to time, but they usually don’t need the general service,” Fulcher said. In terms of any shortage of certified organic land for dairy grazing, he acknowledged the time taken to get land converted to organic status, which is typically three years. “But we have got farmers who have bought neighbouring farms and convert them over,” he said. He also pointed to the existence of substantial commercial feed companies that offered organic feed supplements, including AgriSea and Denver Stockfeeds. Levin-based organic feed producer David Pettersen says generally organic feed like balage and lucerne is available, but can

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require some forward planning to secure with confidence. “But most organic farmers are good forward planners. From time to time, you get issues with drought on top of drought, such as what we have had in Northland,” Pettersen said. He has developed the fodder room technology to supply strategic organic supplement to farmers. Report author Brendan Hoare accepts there may be variances nationally about the availability of feed supplies for organic dairy farmers. “But we had a range of people contribute to this, including processors and farmers – there was a full suite of views included. I feel relaxed about how we covered the issues. Organic dairying in an increasingly

complex sector, with a real spread of situations around the country,” Hoare said. Fulcher says the larger challenge for organic dairy producers is securing better market access. “There are so many different standards across the organic dairy trade, if we could make organic standards to gain better parity with export markets, that would make life easier,” he said. He says the Organic Products Bill now before Parliament also raised some concerns among members about what additional layers of compliance it may bring. “We would have liked to have seen more in it around trade access,” he said. He says Japan and Canada in particular have high organic standards to meet.

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10 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – April 26, 2021

Farms could fuel processing plants Richard Rennie richard.rennie@globalhq.co.nz BIOFUEL to power primary sector processes may provide income earning opportunities for farmers to capitalise on the Government’s move to ban coal-fired boilers by 2037. The decision will result in energy-hungry processors, including Silver Fern Farms (SFF) and Fonterra, seeking out alternative sources for fuel to power boilers and heating equipment. Fonterra alone is estimated to require three to four million tonnes a year of biomass to replace coal across processing plants. If the supply were to be largely from wood, this would equate to 150,000-200,000ha of forest. SFF already uses some woodchip in plants, while Alliance has four plants that will require conversion to biomass fuel sources from coal in the South Island. The company’s Lorneville and Pukeuri plants are

transitioning to heat pump and electrical conversion. But as great as forest demand may appear, BioEnergy Association of NZ executive officer Brian Cox says work already done by his association shows 60% of coal could be replaced by existing biomass sources, comprising largely of plantation forestry and large on-farm woodlots. “Therefore, the question becomes ‘where does the other 40% come from?’” Cox asked. He maintains farmers could play a key part in fulfilling that 40% with on-farm plantings that integrate easily into existing farm operations, earning additional cashflow. “Triple planted shelterbelts could make up most of that shortfall on their own. In places like Canterbury they are planting lower growing miscanthus to allow for the irrigators. It also makes a great fuel,” he said. “The other opportunity lies in managed riparian strips. Planting selectively in some strip areas, you could add in trees suitable for biofuel in addition to the protective trees.” He points to recent work chipping old flood protection poplars and willows that have proved to be good fuel sources. A South Canterbury wood fuel supplier in Geraldine is already working with groups of farmers to collect the critical mass of wood supply for commercial biofuel volumes, and

TIME: BioEnergy Association of NZ executive officer Brian Cox says NZ farmers have the time to select and plant suitable biofuel crops.

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this may hold a model for many others. Cox says the advantage NZ farmers have is that the transition is on the horizon, providing time to consider and plant suitable varieties, without necessarily impinging on their current operations.

Everyone wants biofuels. Australia is not shipping logs to China, the Russians are no longer exporting, and Canada is dealing with demand for its housing boom, we are really the only country open for log sales globally. Jon Tanner WPMA “We have the capacity and the time to source the fuel from what we want, it’s a good horizon,” he said, adding NZ farmers are not strangers to adapting to biofuel opportunities. A decade ago BioDiesel NZ was formed by Solid Energy to process rapeseed canola into biofuel. “This gave farmers the option of a good break crop, another income source and a way to reduce some business risk. It is about becoming producers of food, fibre and also, fuel,” he said. Wood Processors and Manufacturers Association (WPMA) chief executive Jon Tanner says a tight global market for bulk timber trade means NZ faces the prospect of competing with other countries for timber as a key biofuel source in coming years. “Everyone wants biofuels. Australia is not shipping logs to China, the Russians are no longer exporting, and Canada is dealing with demand for its housing boom, we are really the only country open for log sales globally,” Tanner said.

HISTORY: A decade ago BioDiesel NZ was formed by Solid Energy to process rapeseed canola into biofuel. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Only 6% of the world’s wood fibre is traded globally, and NZ is a large part of that. A report out last year on the NZ biofuels industry was welcomed as well-intentioned, but with goals that Tanner says were unattainable. This was on grounds NZ was not functioning on a level playing field globally, with timber residue that was 20% more expensive than in other countries. This was partly caused by the likes of China already buying up even the lowest grade logs for boiler use at

a premium because they received subsidies at home. Other countries like Finland also have deep state sponsored funds they have tapped into to develop their wood fuels sector. “And now we also have the Climate Change Commission also pushing to have more natives planted,” he said. Like Cox, he points to integrated land-use from farmers as an invaluable source of wood fuel. “The scramble for wood fibre resources is only going to intensify in the coming years,” he said.

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FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – April 26, 2021

Farm-grown biofuel gathers some steam Richard Rennie richard.rennie@globalhq.co.nz AN ENERGY consultant says the need for steam will drive an uptake of biofuel boilers in primary sector processing that farmers could pull some future returns from. Christchurch-based DETA Consulting managing director Jonathan Pooch says while heat recovery and heat pump technology already competes with coal for temperatures up to 85degC, it is bio-fuels that will fill the coal gap for higher temperature steam generation. DETA Consulting specialises in advising large processing companies, including the likes of Fonterra and Alliance on heat efficient industrial processing. “It is that steam generation capacity that is the big crunchy figure that sets the economic point that a plant can operate at. NZ has many plants built in the 70s and 80s operating at 140% capacity, and we can expect to see many new boilers going in,” Pooch said. “I think we will see an emerging market for crops grown as biofuel,

including trees. This could include shorter-term trees like eucalypts grown over three to five years, and short harvest pines.” He acknowledges there is something of a “chicken and egg” situation with biofuels grown on a larger-scale commercial basis.

If we are to avoid losing valuable export dollars by not selling those logs overseas, we will need farmers growing biofuels, also helping insulate NZ from global price fluctuations. Jonathan Pooch DETA Consulting “Something like miscanthus for example, you need a market for the fuel to give farmers the confidence to grow it, but we don’t have anyone yet ready to burn it at

scale to make it a planting option.” However, he is seeing more long-term sustainable thinking in new project planning than he has ever witnessed and is encouraged by the types of technology being adopted. “You have a plant like Danone’s 30-million-dollar new boiler in Balclutha that can take forest waste and slash. That plant has a higher capital cost at establishment, but a relatively low operating cost in terms of the fuel it needs to run on, it is smart technology,” he said. He does not claim farmers can expect biofuel plantings to eclipse their core farm business earnings. However, they provide a level of income off often marginal land, and are a good risk mitigation tool that is not as reliant upon the weather. “Farmers planting biofuel also helps the farming sustainability story, and NZ Inc,” he said. He fully expects processors may engage with farmers seeking out a type of ‘closed loop’, with farmer suppliers also providing the fuel, as well as the raw protein off their farms to plants. “And there will not be enough

EXAMPLE: Miscanthus is one of the plants that can be grown on a larger-scale commercial basis for biofuel. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

waste slash material to supply NZ’s biofuel needs alone. If we are to avoid losing valuable export dollars by not selling those logs overseas, we will need farmers growing biofuels, also helping insulate NZ from global price fluctuations,” he said. He also sees potential in the biodiesel industry being revived under the Climate Climate Commission’s recommendations,

which seek to have a mandatory renewable fuel target established. In 2007 the then Labour government had mandated an increasing portion of biofuels be sold, but this was dropped by the National government a year later. “Even if this recommendation happens to a relatively nominal target, a lot of opportunities will be there for farmers to be the raw material suppliers for it,” he said.

Van Leeuwen Dairy Group in receivership Neal Wallace neal.wallace@globalhq.co.nz ONE of the country’s largest dairy farmers, the Van Leeuwen Dairy Group in South Canterbury, has been placed in receivership. In a notice to suppliers, joint receiver Neale Jackson of Calibre Partners says the intention is to continue trading and he has requested suppliers continue to do business with the various Van Leeuwen Dairy Group entities. One of the group’s owners, Aad van Leeuwen, declined to comment when approached. It has been a difficult last

• • •

four years for the Van Leeuwen family since Mycoplasma bovis was discovered in their herd in 2017. Speaking to Farmers Weekly in June last year, Aad said while they are now clear of the disease, the outbreak had hit them hard as has ongoing legal battles with the Ministry for Primary Industries over $10 million of disputed compensation. In May last year they put nine of their 18 farms on the market with the intention to focus on pre-M bovis plans of investing further in hybrid and robotic dairy barn systems. The six dairy platforms and

three drystock properties put up for sale covered 3500ha and were offered along with shares in an irrigation company and a supply contract with Oceania Dairy. They failed to sell and today the Van Leeuwen Dairy Group consists of a milking platform of 4133ha spread between nine conventional and four freestall robotic sheds milking 12,550 cows, and 3757ha of dairy support. There are 17 entities in receivership, including an agricultural contracting business.

MUM: Wilma and Aad van Leeuwen. Aad declined to comment on the matter when approached by Farmers Weekly.

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12 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – April 26, 2021

Balance the budget for better results MORE with less requires number skills. Focusing on a dashboard of figures recording energy in, and milksolids out, are a key part of what gives Matt Barr’s Awakeri sharemilking operation a highly efficient farm footprint. A long-time client of Waikato consultant Bryan McKay, Barr has adopted the “cow-centric” approach to farming extolled by McKay, ensuring individual cow feed demands are properly met, year-round. The 400-cow herd milking on 110ha near Whakatane is generating 510kg MS per head a year, or on average 100% of their bodyweight in milksolids. This puts them in the top 10% performing farms nationally based on DairyNZ’s DairyBase comparative database. By his own admission Barr enjoys the analysis and recording that excel spreadsheets simplify. Coupled with twice daily monitoring and inputting feed intakes, he has a powerful tool to track herd performance and adjust accordingly. “It is basically all about trying to get the most out of every kilogram you put in, and focus on minimising the energy wasted from feed,” Barr said. This has been helped by purchasing a mixer wagon to better control and combine his key feed supplements, namely maize silage, grass

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More with less silage and distilled brewers’ grain. Using a feed test app, he can adjust protein ratios daily if need be, reducing the risk of supplying surplus protein that ultimately passes through as nitrates or methane losses. Barr fully supports McKay’s “cow-centric” approach to dairying, with a focus on ensuring they are primed for peak performance, not unlike an elite athlete. Like an athlete’s diet, this can require changes depending on where about in the season they are. For Barr, this includes adopting a “transition” diet for the herd as they move from late-pregnancy to calving, adjusting the key minerals and ratios in their diet prior to calving so their intake is rising prior to calving when feed demand typically rockets with energy needs. “This contrasts to the usual advice to hold them back to match demand to the grass growth peak, which usually comes later on,” he said. While still getting his head around methane emission requirements, Barr says it is intuitive that his herd would be efficient in this respect. “I have always thought if you

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EFFICIENT: Whakatane sharemilker Matt Barr believes farmers will have to learn to earn more from fewer cows, and that the gains can be significant.

have less cows and are more efficient with those cows, it makes sense your losses, including greenhouse gases, would be less for the extra kilos of milksolids you are producing per cow,” he said. He believes he has his herd close to its profitability peak, and is cautious about changing feed

inputs beyond the 50% maize silage, 30% grass silage and 25% PKE concentrates, lest his marginal costs only increase per the extra kilos of milksolids produced. As the dairy sector grapples with how to deal with lower emissions and nitrate losses, Barr acknowledges doing “more with less” is probably a trickier

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FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – April 26, 2021

Grass skills vital for lower GHG More with less

Richard Rennie richard.rennie@globalhq.co.nz RELATIVELY short time horizons for commercial delivery of lower greenhouse gas (GHG) feeds, and the significantly longer time it takes to discover the breakthroughs, puts commercial seed companies in a tight spot for delivering cultivars to pastoral farmers. Barenbrug marketing manager Graham Kerr says scientists’ 20year research time frame shrinks down the commercial reality of five to 10 years for companies. In addition, feeds that generate lower levels of GHG present another level of challenge even greater than nitrate and nutrient leaching issues. “For us, we see us being able to help our industry in two key areas- plant breeding and pasture systems,” Kerr said. From a breeding viewpoint, he says companies like Barenbrug require more guidance from scientists on what to select for in low GHG genetics. “Our plant breeding programme has changed dramatically in the past five years, with genotyping and gene selection for candidate plants. But it is only once we know what to look for that we can select it, and breed from there,” he said. He sees improved pastures that lift productivity as one means of reducing gas losses. But without yet being able to identify specific genetic traits that may deliver lower methane gas losses, conventional improvements on

existing grasses and crops offer some early solutions. This is by offering stock grasses and forages that improve animal performance, through higher intakes, better palatability, delivering more energy per kilogram consumed or lower fibre levels, for example. Reductions in GHG losses are also likely to come with shifts in management systems that boost that productivity and better utilise pastures and forage crops already available.

Simply put if you have 100 lambs growing 150g a day, but can achieve 300g a day with better pasture and management, then you only need 50 lambs to achieve the same performance. And with fewer animals you have less GHG emissions. Graham Kerr Barenbrug

“Simply put, if you have 100 lambs growing 150g a day, but can achieve 300g a day with better pasture and management, then you only need 50 lambs to achieve the same performance. And with fewer animals, you have less GHG emissions,” he said. Tetraploid ryegrasses are offering some of that performance per kilo-eaten solution. Tetraploids have four sets of chromosomes per cell, compared to traditional rye’s diploid, or two chromosomes per cell. This results in a softer, larger, more palatable plant leaf, ensuring higher dry matter intake and improved energy levels per kilogram. Working with Lincoln University dairy farm since 2001, Barenbrug has been part of introducing tetraploids which, along with a range of farm system changes, have helped bring cow numbers down from 680 to 560, with per head milksolids lifting from 410kg MS a cow to 510kg MS a cow. “That is a lot less cows producing less GHGs, along with a drop in nitrogen leached by 40%,” he said. Better feed intake per cow has flowed through to other lower gas outcomes, including the need to rear fewer replacements. “Overall, Lincoln has increased its feed conversion efficiency by 15% over that time,” he said. Research is also revealing reducing GHG and nitrogen losses to waterways can work well together. The Land and Water Science

UPSKILL: Graham Kerr of Barenbrug says improving farmers’ pasture skills is one way to help improve livestock productivity and reduce GHGs.

Challenge work has found a “carbon neutral” dairy unit has the potential to reduce nitrogen leaching by 42%, while also achieving a 20% reduction in GHG emissions. But Kerr cautions tetraploids are not a silver bullet solution to feed efficiency, requiring careful management to avoid overgrazing the highly palatable feed source. “Farmers know that something like tetraploids are a relatively simple technology that can tick off a lot of the boxes. They understand they have to manage pastures better, with better timing

around grazing and harvesting, and weekly farm walks to manage feed levels. We need to be thinking about change at a farm systems level,” he said. He says his company engages as much with farmers on a management level as a product level, encouraging them to become better pasture managers. However, farms are complex, balancing many interacting factors, and making major changes can still take two to three years to develop. Other techniques include boosting the legume content of animal diets alongside grasses.

Forage may unlock lower gas emissions Richard Rennie richard.rennie@globalhq.co.nz LEAFY turnips and winter forage rape crops may yet provide a means for farmers to ensure their livestock emit less methane, without compromising productivity. AgResearch forage scientist Arjan Jonker acknowledges finding lower methane-emitting feeds is one of agriculture’s “wicked problems”, but says the AgResearch team is well-advanced in understanding what feeds can produce less ruminant methane.

AgResearch forage scientists are working alongside their livestock research colleagues on potential pasture types that may play a key role in helping the sector lower its methane emissions. With both crops comprising most of the sheep’s diet, the researchers have achieved methane emission reductions of 20-30%. Running trials for as long as 15 weeks has not revealed any compromise to animal health and productivity. “This is definitely proving to be a viable option, but is still

obviously at the research end of the spectrum,” Jonker said. The downside of the feed option is cropping results in mineralisation on nitrogen in the soil with consequent nitrous oxide emissions, but net gas loss is still proving to be lower under the regime. “And farmers are required to actually deliver reduced methane gas, it can’t be offset simply by planting trees,” he said. Some early trial work has also been conducted on plantain, already identified for its ability to generate less nitrates once consumed by stock. These trials have identified some promise in lowering methane emissions. “But it is a question of how much plantain do you need to get that reduction,” he said. Work by DairyNZ has shown to

This is definitely proving to be a viable option, but is still obviously at the research end of the spectrum. PROMISING: AgResearch scientist Arjan Jonker says sheep fed on mainly winter forage crops can achieve 20-30% lower methane emissions.

Arjan Jonker AgResearch

achieve significant lower nitrate loss benefits, at least 30% of plantain is needed in a pasture sward. AgResearch scientists have also been working on endophyte research to identify what naturally occurring fungi may offer some solutions to lower gas emissions. Patented endophytes already offer crop protection, like AR37 does to rye grasses. “There is no clear indication yet that there is one that will help with lower methane. There are thousands of endophytes, and the challenge is to find one that does not have a negative effect on livestock health or performance. What may look good in the lab does not always translate to apply in animals in the field,” he said. Comparative trials between conventional ryegrass, a tetraploid ryegrass and a high sugar ryegrass have highlighted the challenge in delivering a consistently lowemitting grass. “Both the tetraploid and the high sugar grass did produce less methane than the conventional ryegrass, but there are variances within seasons, depending how the grasses are growing,” he said. Outlier work is also examining condensed tannin clovers that have lower methane and nitrous oxide losses. Conventional clovers

More with less contribute similar amounts per kilogram of dry matter in methane to ryegrass. Plants like Lotus corniculatus and Sulla could prove useful, but can be difficult to grow and also get good yields from, not having been subject to the crop improvement conventional clovers have enjoyed over generations. Overall, Jonker is optimistic about the results science can deliver in coming years. However, he maintains the biggest challenge for researchers seeking to develop loweremitting, high-producing forage and pastures may lie more in how those improvements are accounted for, than in coming up with the solutions themselves. “But the challenge is if the reductions are achieved, how will the Government and authorities account for those mitigations?” he asked. “Farmers need a means to recognise whatever reductions they have made.”

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14 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – April 26, 2021

Big changes on the horizon Colin Williscroft colin.williscroft@globalhq.co.nz A HORIZONS regional council decision in favour of its Plan Change 2 brings the council a step closer to being able to effectively regulate existing intensive farming and growing land-uses in the Manawatu-Whanganui region. Horizons chair Rachel Keedwell says Plan Change 2 seeks an interim solution to address problems with the policy and rule framework for existing landuse activities in its One Plan, including the issue of managing nutrients, sediment and pathogen loss from those activities in target catchments. “It was identified that these policies were not working in the manner intended at the time the One Plan was made operative,” Keedwell said. “The One Plan intended for most farms using good management practice to be able to meet the nitrogen leaching maximums table in the plan.” Horizons Regional Council strategy and regulatory group manager Dr Nic Peet says the

proposed plan change is limited to the consideration of existing intensive land-use activities – dairy, commercial vegetable growing, arable farming, and irrigated sheep and beef – in order to ‘hold the line’ on intensification across the region.

The One Plan intended for most farms using good management practice to be able to meet the nitrogen leaching maximums table in the plan. Rachel Keedwell Horizons Earlier this month the council confirmed a decision by its strategy and policy committee to adopt recommendations made by a panel that heard submissions from about 75 people in October.

Peet says the plan change updates the cumulative nitrogen leaching maximums to reflect the best available Overseer modelling information; provides a workable pathway for existing intensive farming land-use activities to apply for resource consent where they cannot meet leaching maximums within targeted water management sub-zones; and reinforces good management practices as part of intensive farming land-use activities. The plan change is still in a statutory process. Peet says the council’s decision will be publicly notified, and submitters and further submitters will be served with a copy of the public notice within the next few weeks. Submitters may appeal the parts of the decision that relate to their original submission to the Environment Court. There is an appeal period of 30 working days once documents have been served. Keedwell says the council’s focus is to now implementate the plan change and to continue to improve water quality throughout the region.

“Horizons’ wider programme of work includes reviewing that effectiveness of the One Plan and what is required to give effect to the National Policy Statement – Freshwater Management 2020,” she said. She acknowledged the plan change process created uncertainty and stress for landowners and that the decision is only an interim measure, with more work needing to be done, including notifying a revised One Plan by 2024. Federated Farmers president Andrew Hoggard says the decision will provide some certainty for farmers who have been in limbo. He says it will provide a pathway for consent for intensive farming land-uses located in 32 targeted catchments, effectively opening the door to farmers shut out from gaining consent as a result of 2017 Environment Court declarations. Hoggard is pleased the council moved away from using land-use capability as a tool for nitrogen allocation, instead endorsing a Federated Farmers/DairyNZ submission that proposed an alternative approach to nitrogen loss reduction based on actual on-farm and catchment reductions. “The decision also provides for a controlled activity pathway for farms who make a considerable 20% reduction in nitrogen loss based on actual farm baselines

(with those in the top 25% having to reduce to the 75th percentile for N leaching).” Horticulture NZ chief executive Mike Chapman says new requirements for vegetable growers under Plan Change 2 provide a way forward in the short-term. “However, to provide for long-term food security, a further plan is required to map out how resource management decisions can provide for both environmental improvements and long-term food supply,” Chapman said. He says the decision means existing Levin vegetable growers, who provide about 20% of NZ’s fresh vegetables, have a way to stay in production, while continuing to reduce environmental impact. “The new requirements will require further change, however, growers in the area have already made a good start,” he said. “Over the past decade, many have invested significant amounts of money and time in reducing their environmental impact, through modern cultivation techniques, less use of fertiliser and water, and sediment traps. “The soils around Levin, mild climate and good rainfall make the Horowhenua region, like Pukekohe, ideal for growing fresh vegetables for New Zealanders’ tables.”

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MOTIVATION: Horizons chair Rachel Keedwell says policies were not working in the manner intended at the time, so they were subsequently reviewed.

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FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – April 26, 2021

Dairy momentum holds for next season Hugh Stringleman hugh.stringleman@globalhq.co.nz FIRM predictions to finish the current season and higher milk price forecasts for next season came from the latest Global Dairy Trade (GDT) auction results. The GDT price index dropped a sliver, down 0.1% after increasing 0.3% in the first week of April. Whole milk powder (WMP) prices rose 0.4% on average, which analysts say underpinned their previous milk price forecasts for 2021. Their predictions sit within the range of $7.60/kg milksolids to $7.90, while Fonterra’s range is $7.30-$7.90. After the extraordinary 20% boost in WMP prices at the first GDT auction of March, the market has settled around US$4100/tonne and the futures market expects prices to retreat by $200-$300/t over the next six months. The 2022 dairy season is now receiving all the analytical attention. Westpac’s senior agri-economist Nathan Penny has gone boldly where none of his counterparts have

In sum, dairy prices are holding most of their gains from earlier in the year and remain remarkably high. Nat Keall ASB yet gone – a prediction of $8/kg for next season. “We now expect global dairy prices to remain stronger for longer in this dairy price cycle,” Penny said. “High grain prices, environmental constraints and competition for land and water from other industries will rein in the usual global milk supply response to very strong demand. “We now expect dairy prices to start the 2022 season on the front foot. “For example, the latest GDT results, along with the current NZ dollar rate against the US, would produce a milk price of $9/kg.”

Within his 75 cents forecast increase, Penny has factored a fall in WMP prices by 18%. ASB has also lifted its 2022 forecast by 20c to $7.50, while BNZ sits on $7 and ANZ on $7.30. ASB economist Nat Keall says the GDT contract curve now suggested that momentum would be retained into next season. “In sum, dairy prices are holding most of their gains from earlier in the year and remain remarkably high,” Keall said. ANZ agricultural economist Susan Kilsby says the lack of any strong moves in GDT prices last week bodes well for export returns and the farm gate milk prices. The milk price futures market is trading at $7.48 for next season and $6.80 for the following season (2023). Dairy farmers who use the futures market will be tempted to lock in the prices on offer to prolong $6-$8 returns for a sixth, perhaps seventh consecutive season.

PREDICTIONS: Westpac analyst Nathan Penny believes milk prices next season will reach $8/kg, and could go higher.

Westland looks to cut emissions Annette Scott annette.scott@globalhq.co.nz WESTLAND Dairy Company will use co-investment from the Government to fast-track its plans to reduce carbon emissions produced by its Hokitika factory. Westland will invest $3.2 million, including $1.7m from the Government Investment in Decarbonising Industry (GIDI) fund, to reduce the plant’s 116,000 tonnes of annual carbon emissions as part of work to be completed by October 2022. “This is an important step in our journey towards a low-carbon future,’’ Westland chief executive Richard Wyeth said. “This co-investment will allow us to reduce our emissions produced by our boilers immediately. “Westland is very conscious of our responsibilities to the region and the role we need to play in navigating the path towards a lowcarbon future.” Wyeth says two stages of work on technology solutions will allow annual carbon emissions produced by the factory to be reduced by 7% from 116,000 tonnes to 107,560 tonnes. Work has already begun on the project, which involves installing new heat exchangers to recover more heat from coal-fired boilers used in milk pasteurisation. Heat recovered by the exchangers will be reused for energy consumption, reducing

Intensive winter farming – which rules apply? The government recently announced that some of the new national rules for existing intensive winter grazing will now not come in until May 2022. In the meantime, you will need to follow rules about intensive grazing in Otago’s Water Plan, which are designed to protect waterways and are based on good management practice. These are the rules outlined in Plan Change 8. If you can answer “yes” to the following questions, you do not need a resource consent for intensive grazing: FAST-TRACK: Westland chief executive Richard Wyeth says the Government co-investment will aid in the immediate reduction in emissions produced by its boilers. the amount of coal the factory requires to run its boilers. Energy efficiency projects will be progressed alongside the installation of the heat exchangers, including projects that will allow combustion air to be preheated, and heat to be collected from the refrigeration engine room and air compressors to preheat the cold water feed to the boilers. New control mechanisms to better manage product flow across the heat exchangers will also enable better energy efficiency by reducing the amount of steam produced and therefore lost to evaporation rather than energy reuse.

• • • •

Is the area of intensive grazing the lesser of 100 ha, or 10% of the total landholding? Does the area of intensive grazing avoid any critical source areas? Are stock break or block fed from the top to the bottom of a slope? Is a vegetated strip of at least 10m maintained between the area of intensive grazing and any water body?

You may also be able to continue intensive grazing without a consent under continuance rights, provided you continue grazing on the same scale with the same effects you have previously. If you can’t meet all the conditions listed above, you’ll need to apply to us for a simplified resource consent to undertake intensive grazing this year. There is a cost of $200 for these resource consents. Consents will be issued for the period up to 1 November 2021. Anyone who is unsure if they need a consent is encouraged to get in touch with our Consents Team on 0800 474 082 or by emailing public.enquiries@orc.govt.nz for help. We can also email or post you the resource consent application form, or you can download it from www.orc.govt.nz/consents.

News

16 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – April 26, 2021

Forest hosts free range farm Gerald Piddock gerald.piddock@globalhq.co.nz A SOUTH Waikato egg company has combined forestry and poultry to establish New Zealand’s first large-scale free range forest, where it will be the home to 320,000 hens once complete. The 139ha property currently produces eggs under the Heyden Farms Free Range brand for egg producer and supplier Better Eggs Limited. Better Eggs chief executive Gareth van der Heyden says they came up with the concept three-and-a-half years ago when they were looking at ways to significantly improve the environment for the hens and lower their carbon footprint. He says it was in response to growing consumer awareness of ethical food production and environmental sustainability. “What we have tried to do is see if we could make agriforestry work with free range egg production, and this is what we have done,” Van der Heyden said. The farm’s forestry design

centres around the welfare of the hens first rather than planting trees and retrofitting a layer hen operation around the forestry. “This has been set up as a free range layer hen operation. Yes, it’s a forest, but first and foremost, it’s a free range farm, so the whole planting plan has been set up with a focus on hen enrichment,” he said. The property is a former forestry block purchased in 2018. Site work such as shed pads and tree planting was undertaken to get it established, and the first shed was completed last month, housing 40,000 birds. The birds are run in eight flocks of 5000 birds. The second shed is scheduled to be completed in 2022, and tree planting for shed three will get under way in September 2021. Eventually van der Heyden hopes to have eight barns spread out over the property over the next several years. Close to the shed are 10 metres of manuka plantings, while further back are oaks and poplar plants, followed by pines and natives further back. Around

90,000 native and exotic trees are to be planted on the property. The trees planted on the property will be milled for timber or pulp when they mature as well as sequestering carbon. It is believed to be the only kind of farm of its type in NZ at this scale. The barns will house the birds at night. During the day, the birds are given unrestricted access to the forest area. “They will be able to roam and scratch on the forest floor in the shade, shelter and safety provided by the trees and the laying sheds are specially designed to give the hens natural light and ample space to roam around in,” he said. The farm is highly automated, enabling staff on site to spend a greater portion of their time caring for the hens. The barn was important because it provided the birds with warmth, protection and shelter. They are also equipped with nest boxes to provide a quiet place to lay their eggs. Eggs are transported from the nesting boxes via conveyor belts

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to a robot that packs the eggs into trays and pallets, which are then collected by trucks for delivery to the existing grading and distribution facility nearby in Lichfield.

The eggs are then shipped to retail outlets to be sold under the Heyden Farms Free Range brand. The forest free range site was officially opened by local MP Louise Upston earlier this month.

Southland aerial inspection spots areas of concern Neal Wallace neal.wallace@globalhq.co.nz

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HAPPY HENS: The forestry on Better Eggs’ 139ha free range egg farm centres around the welfare of the hens first rather than planting trees and retrofitting a layer hen operation around the forestry.

AN AERIAL inspection over parts of Southland has identified six cropping paddocks that regional council officials fear could pose problems when fed off to stock this winter. Environment Southland chief executive Rob Phillips says overall farmers have made correct management decisions with their forage crops in preparation for winter grazing. The flight, involving council, DairyNZ and Beef + Lamb NZ staff, covered most of the eastern half of the Mataura catchment, northern Southland, including the Mossburn area, and the Oreti catchment, including the rolling country of the Hokonui Hills. “I am very pleased that it appears most farmers have made

some good decisions and prepared well for winter grazing this year,” Phillips said. “Those on the flight report that on the whole, there is good buffering and critical source area management in place.” He says even though farmers have been given a year’s reprieve from the Government’s proposed new intensive winter grazing rules, the practice will be in the spotlight this winter. “All farmers need to be well prepared and not become complacent,” he said. The council’s land sustainability staff will meet the owners of six paddocks where there could be environmental issues. The flight also involved three unspecified potential compliance violations which will be pursued. “Not all of these were related to winter grazing,” he said.

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GUIDANCE: The council’s land sustainability staff will meet the owners of six paddocks where there could be environmental issues.

News

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – April 26, 2021

Winter colony losses climb

CAUSE FOR CONCERN: A survey has found winter colony loss rates in New Zealand have lifted 10% on last year to afflict 11% of hives.

Richard Rennie richard.rennie@globalhq.co.nz BEEHIVE losses over winter have continued to show an insidious lift in numbers as the industry seeks out more answers on what is afflicting queen bee populations. Latest survey data has found winter colony loss rates in New Zealand have lifted 10% on last year to afflict 11% of hives, in a continuing upward trend. The losses have crept upwards over the past few years with 2015 losses reported at 8%. But Apiculture New Zealand Science and Research Focus Group chair Barry Foster says the rate remains comfortably below that of countries like the United States with a winter loss rate of 22%, and an international average loss rate across participating countries of 17%. “It is hard to draw a real conclusion as to what the exact cause is, but the hard data is that it is largely due to problems with queen bees, along with varroa mite,” Foster said, The risk of varroa mites’ effects are likely to only increase as resistance to synthetic controls develops. But Foster says NZ beekeepers have done a good job adapting early to organic controls available. The colony loss survey produced by Manaaki Whenua Landcare Research is part of an international monitoring effort involving over 35 countries.

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It is hard to draw a real conclusion as to what the exact cause is, but the hard data is that it is largely due to problems with queen bees, along with varroa mite. Barry Foster Apiculture NZ Winter colony losses have plagued beekeepers in Europe and the United States in recent years. Between April 2019 and April 2020 US beekeepers lost a whopping 44% of their managed honey hives. This year they reported lower winter losses, but abnormally high summer losses. Foster says the issue of queen bee problems is a complex one requiring more research to better understand it both here and internationally. Wasps have also played a part in damaging hive performance. Common and German wasps will kill bees and larvae for protein, and rob hives of honey. Estimates are that wasps are costing NZ beekeepers about $8 million a year. Steps to control wasps can include reducing the size of hive entrances to ensure bees have a smaller area to defend against wasp intrusion, but some beekeepers have reported hive losses as high as 10% due to wasps. The survey results also revealed beekeepers were struggling to make money in the current market conditions. ApiNZ chief executive Karin Kos says the findings supported anecdotal reports from beekeepers. “It is a difficult time to be a commercial beekeeper, especially for those not involved in manuka production,” Kos said.

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News

18 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – April 26, 2021

Wool course ready to go A NEW shearing and wool handling training programme that combines online video courses with in-shed education is about to get under way. The initial intake of 60 shearers and wool handlers for WOMOlife’s pilot programme A Life in Wool have enrolled, with the first course aimed at upskilling current industry workers. The in-shed programme for the course starts on May 10 at Tautane Station near Herbertville. Station manager James Gunson is looking forward to welcoming the first residential course to Tautane. “We have ideal facilities for training and alongside WOMOlife’s fully-funded training programme, this is a fantastic opportunity for local shearers and wool handlers to improve and refresh their skills for the greater good of the industry,” Gunson said. NZ Shearing Contractors Association (NZSCA) president Mark Barrowcliffe is excited to see

the new model roll-out. “This brings together the best of online and in-shed training for the industry, with some amazing trainers chosen to teach and coach our next generation,” Barrowcliffe said. “It is also great to see a focus on health, wellbeing, nutrition and financial literacy, combined with the best movement practices and technical skills to promote success in the shed and in life.” The head trainers for the courses are Justin Bell (shearing), Carmen Smith (wool handling) and Laura Hancock (health, exercise and nutrition). Demand for the programme has been strong, with half of the 120 upskill target achieved in Gisborne and Hawke’s Bay alone. Applications are still being processed for future courses. Fully-funded courses for new entrants to the industry will begin in September. WOMOlife stands for work wise, move wise. At its core it stands

INDUCTION: WOMOlife head shearing trainer Justin Bell provides a demonstration to other trainers at an induction course last month. for teaching wool handlers and shearers to work wiser and move wiser to secure a career in wool for a more sustainable life. The upskill and new entrant courses combine online video courses with wool shed training and movement coaching to promote faster learning. The online model allows shearers and wool handlers the flexibility to access videos anytime, anywhere and means if they want to refer to the training while on the job, they can do so.

EXPERTISE: Head WOMOlife trainers Justin Bell, Laura Hancock and Carmen Smith are ready for their first intake.

Cavalier gets $1.9m Govt boost

Agrievents

WOOL carpet company Cavalier Corp’s Bremworth carpets are one step away from being 100% natural, thanks to a $1.9 million grant from the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI). On average, Bremworth’s 42-ounce wool carpet is made from 87% natural materials, according to general manager of sustainability Kirstine Hulse. The key synthetic products are the latex binder and primary backing. The grant will be used by Bremworth to help co-fund its $4.9m programme to research and develop natural and green chemistry-based alternatives to those remaining synthetic components. “With the support of the Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures funding grant,

Tuesday 11/05/2021 – Wednesday 12/05/2021 The Boma NZ Agri Summit The must-attend agri event of the year, designed to transform the future of our food and fibre sectors. Two days of future-focused international and national speakers, workshops, networking and more. Time: 9am to 5pm Venue: Christchurch Town Hall 86 Kilmore St, Christchurch Central City, Christchurch More: ChristchurchNZ.com Wednesday 16/06/2021 – Saturday 19/06/2021 National Agricultural Fieldays 2021 Time: Gates open daily Wednesday to Friday 8am to 5pm and Saturday 8am to 4pm. Tickets on sale now. For the latest information regarding COVID-19

Bremworth is seeking to create better and greener ways to manufacture wool carpet and an end product that is healthier for the planet,” Cavalier chief executive Paul Alston said. “New Zealand wool is also 100% biodegradable, renewable and sustainable. That is why we have embarked on our journey to becoming a wool-only carpet and rug company, and we’re delighted the MPI is helping us to achieve our goals,” he added. According to Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor, consumers are increasingly considering the entire life cycle of products. “We believe this programme will spur demand for NZ strong wool and enhance our manufacturing competitiveness through strong

environmental credentials that challenge industry norms,” O’Connor said. In July, Cavalier announced it was switching to an all wool and natural fibres business. At the time, it said the financial benefits and a return to profitable growth would be felt from the 2023 financial year onwards, following an initial 12-to-24 months of investment. The company reported a net profit of $4.3m in the six months to Dec 31, 2020, up $5.5m on the prior year as it benefited from higher wool carpet sales, the sell-down of its synthetic carpet stock and the gain from the Auckland property sale and leaseback. – BusinessDesk

and our event please see our venue site https:// mysterycreek.co.nz/covid-19/

We believe this programme will spur demand for NZ strong wool and enhance our manufacturing competitiveness through strong environmental credentials that challenge industry norms.

AWDT Next Level 2021 Your community and sector needs change-makers – women ready to make a positive difference for the people and places they love. In 2021, is that you? Run by our friends at @AgriWomensDevelopmentTrust, Next Level is a six-month leadership and governance development programme empowering you to make a positive impact in your world. Registrations are now open – the first step on your journey to understanding your ‘why’ and building the mindset and skills to make change happen. Learn more at https://www.awdt.org.nz/

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Damien O’Connor Agriculture Minister PROJECT: The grant will be used by Bremworth to help co-fund its $4.9m programme to research and develop natural and green chemistry-based alternatives.

News

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – April 26, 2021

Hemp growing in Mataura mill Annette Scott annette.scott@globalhq.co.nz

SET UP: The initial fit-out of indoor grow rooms within the old mill complex is complete with the first therapeutic hemp CBD seedlings growing on site. an industry that can and must be based on trust. “We’re backed by science from NZ’s leading plant geneticists from AbacusBio and pharmacologists from the University of Otago. “We also have access to one of the most extensive breeding programmes in the country as part of the SOMA science programme.

“We are licensed to cultivate, and we’re licensed to have possession for manufacture.” Hemp plants growing hydroponically at the mill will be used to propagate seedlings with the first crop planned for planting this spring. Ideally, this would be in two 50ha blocks but to spread the

environmental benefit across the region and financial benefit as widely as possible, smaller units of 2-5ha will be allotted to several farms. “The idea is to provide the seedlings to the farmer, who then plants and cultivates them and brings them back to us to be processed,” he said.

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NEW Zealand’s first medicinal cannabis and hemp mill is set to open in Southland, offering farmers a lucrative option to suck up unwanted nutrients. Work is under way to convert the former Mataura paper mill to support up to 500 hectares of hemp production in Southland over the next 10 years. Southern Medicinal Limited, a partnership between Natural Horticulture Limited and Dunedin-based medicinal cannabis company SOMA Group, has begun converting the former mill buildings into a non-THC medicinal cannabis and hemp growing, testing and processing facility. Southern Medicinal executive director Greg Marshall says trials have shown hemp is a good crop to plant in wet areas of farms and could fit with famers’ riparian plans. “It sucks up nutrients, it becomes a barrier to strop nitrate flowing into the waterways, it sucks up carbon and it reduces pollution,” Marshall said. Planting is from October to December for an April harvest with potential to return $50,000 a hectare from 500 kilograms a hectare yield at $100/kg. The initial fit-out of indoor grow rooms within the old mill complex is complete and growing has commenced on site. Expansion plans will grow the facility’s capacity for production of 4000kgs of medicinal cannabis flower and processing of 500 tonnes of hemp flowers a year. “NZ’s medicinal cannabis market is forecast to be worth at least $1 billion by 2025, with considerable export potential,” he said. “The mill gives us several competitive advantages in the industry, from the sheer scale of its floor space to its onsite hydropower plant. “This allows us to operate from a very low-cost base and address the serious bottlenecks in processing and manufacturing capacity, which are likely to constrain the medicinal cannabis industry when production begins

in full-scale over the next two years.” Southern Medicinal’s business model includes a plan to partner with the Southland farming industry through co-planting of non-THC hemp on farms. The harvested hemp will be processed into CBD products and low-emission pelletised stock feed that studies show can reduce greenhouse gas emissions from cows by up to 20%. Southern Medicinal has worked with agribusiness science and technology consultancy AbacusBio to model the potential benefits of integrating hemp into Southland farms. This research shows hemp has the potential to become a valuable income source and environmental mitigation. “Farmers could see benefits from lower nitrate levels in waterways, lower emissions, new revenue streams and the ability to lower stocking rates while preserving returns,” he said. “It is estimated that Southland’s economy faces a $265m bill to meet new emissions and freshwater regulations by 2025 and we are planning on being part of the solution.” Marshall developed the business model following his experience in the North American market where the commodification of supply created price volatility and made profitability difficult for some early entrants. “Our business model is built differently to achieve optimal economic, environmental and community outcomes across a broad sweep of Southland and to mitigate against the price fluctuations, which frequently occur in newly deregulated markets,” he said. Another driver of the business is to bring the safest and most affordable medicinal cannabis to an estimated 425,000 NZ users. “The market is currently being supplied with imported products, most of which are of untested quality and efficacy, as well as the unregulated local black market,” he said. “Our approach puts safety, testing and knowledge first to produce high-quality cultivars, medicinal cannabis and services to

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News

20 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – April 26, 2021

Research focus on sheep farmers Annette Scott annette.scott@globalhq.co.nz THE call is out for New Zealand sheep farmers to help with a research project on the industry’s bioeconomic transition to sustainability. Lincoln University Masters student Jemma Penelope is preparing to survey sheep farmers across all regions of NZ about their on-farm experiences and challenges as they strive for sustainability. Penelope, currently undertaking her second Masters, is leading research projects that develop innovative solutions for the agrifood industry. Having grown up and studied in Canterbury, Penelope then worked abroad in business management and conservation and environmental markets in several countries, including Australia, America and Canada, before realising a place for her back home. “From that position (overseas) I could see an opportunity to make change in my home country NZ and if I wanted to have an impact the best way to do it was to come home,” Penelope said. She says her Masters’ research is not about measuring sustainability, or how much sustainability is happening in NZ agricultural industries. “Instead, this research is about NZ sheep farmers describing their on-the-ground experiences of how their industry is part of a transition towards sustainability,” she said. “Agriculture and farming are NZ’s oldest and biggest industries, and you will likely have heard talk

about how these parts of the NZ economy can help national and international sustainability goals. “While there are NZ farms that are already very sustainable, many don’t have the information in hand to show how much they contribute to achieving overall industry or national goals for sustainability.

There are little pits to unlock so sheep farming can be all it can be for NZ. Jemma Penelope Lincoln University “We hear the word sustainability used in different ways and meanings. “Other specialised words include sustainability transition, which is about the time it takes to move from nonsustainable activities to reaching sustainability. “And bio-economy, where an economy is driven by biological resources, renewing themselves in nature in a short time.” Penelope says the sheep industry has a lot of potential but currently it has a lot of challenges. “As an industry playing an important part of the future, farmers need to know what the future holds for them and how to make the transition to get there,” she said. “Talking to farmers, many are not aware of the different tools available to them and how their experience of this transition

FOCUS : Lincoln University Masters student Jemma Penelope says while there are NZ farms that are already very sustainable, many do not have the information in hand to show how much they contribute to achieving overall industry or national sustainability goals. conversation will move the industry into its long-term vision to continue to be an integral and credible part of NZ’s economic future.” The research survey asks NZ sheep farmers right across the country about their experiences and thoughts of being ready to collect and share information about the sustainability of their own farming business. It includes questions about transition towards sustainability in the sheep farming industry as part of the significance of bioeconomic transitions – the next generation systems for agricultural land-use, making decisions by combining

the disciplines of economics and biology modelling, factoring in natural resource management. “Earlier questions have focused on understanding how sustainable bioeconomic transitions can occur,” she said. “To advance past this it has now become necessary to instead focus on understanding what those transitions look like in practice.” More specifically, it is about looking through a lens that can observe the current sustainability, linking the currently available tools in a multidisciplinary approach with what the bioeconomic transition pathway is.

“It’s about sheep farmers continuing to thrive and return values in a way that is not grabbing the environment,” she said. “There are little pits to unlock so sheep farming can be all it can be for NZ.” Penelope says her research with sheep farmers will flow on to other sectors of farming. The survey is currently being trialled by a handful of sheep farmers and is expected to go live to all sheep farmers next month. For more information and to take part in the survey, email Jemma.Penelope@lincolnuni. ac.nz

Call for farmers to pitch in with hay challenge Annette Scott annette.scott@globalhq.co.nz

SUPPLIES: For 10 horses over a 16-week winter it will take 160 bales of hay to feed them what they need, and there are about 450 mouths to feed.

THE challenge has been set for farmers to help New Zealand Riding for the Disabled (NZRDA) build a haystack to feed its horses. The Hey Hay! Hay Challenge is about building the haystack as high as we can, says Federated Farmers, which has teamed up with NZRDA to help feed the organisation’s horses over the winter. Farmers are encouraged to donate a bale or two of hay if they can. For 10 horses over a 16-week winter it will take 160 bales of hay to feed them what they need. NZRDA, the umbrella organisation providing standards, training, certification, and support, has 50 affiliated RDA groups located in every region throughout the country, from Kaitaia in the north to Invercargill in the south. In total that’s about 450 horses to feed – that’s a lot of hay. Federated Farmers says it is enthusiastic in its support for this challenge so that children and adults with disabilities can continue to do what they love –

ride happy, well-fed horses. The idea of the hay challenge is to ask for donations from farmers around the country, with the donated hay going to their nearest RDA group. If you are not able to donate hay, then there is the option of donating funds to help the organisation run its volunteer workshops. Any contribution makes a huge difference, and it is a great way to show some kindness and support for those in your rural community. NZRDA’s goal is to make a positive difference in local communities across NZ. The organisation offers specialised therapeutic horse riding through a range of tailored programmes for people living with physical, intellectual, emotional and social challenges. RDA was introduced to NZ in 1962 by the then president of the NZ Pony Club Association Tom Atchison. Hawke’s Bay is where it all began, with the very first RDA in NZ being a sub-group at the pony club in the farming community of Waipukurau. After retiring as president and armed with information he

had brought back from Great Britain, Atchison spent eight years travelling around NZ encouraging the formation of local RDA groups. NZRDA was formally established in 1972, with RDA groups primarily run by volunteers. Positions vary according to the needs and resources, but generally groups will have people on management committees and others working directly with riders as coaches, therapists, leaders and side-walkers. The group’s vision is to reach more riders and change more lives. Read more about the hay challenge or other ways you can donate or help by visiting https:// www.rda.org.nz/donate/haychallenge

The organisation offers specialised therapeutic horse riding through a range of tailored programmes for people living with physical, intellectual, emotional and social challenges.

AginED Ag ED

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

Volume 53 I April 26, 2021 I email: agined@globalHQ.co.nz I w w w.farmersweekly.co.nz

This AgriHQ graph shows the average North Island mutton price in $/kg.

STRETCH YOURSELF: 1

Where do Lis and George farm? How big is their farm? What are their average stocking rates annually?

2 Lis is something of a self made apiarist, how did she get started with beekeeping? How many hives does she currently have? What is the Giesens own brand of honey called?

Have a go: 1

Go to www.farmersweekly.co.nz

2 Find and watch the OnFarm Story of Lis Giesen “Get them inspired young “ and read the article “Just getting on and doing it” 3 Lis grew up on a sheep and beef farm in South Canterbury but followed a different path when she finished school. What did she do during this time and where did it take her?

3 Lis volunteers at the local school? What does she do there? How much honey do the school hives produce each year? 4 What opportunities does working with bees give the students (particularly the seniors)?

Have a go:

5 Lis has been an integral part of establishing a catchment group? What is this? What benefits are there to those involved? 6 What are the Giesens doing with parts of their land that can not be farmed effectively? How does this benefit their bees?

When was the mutton price the highest on the above graph?

2 When was the mutton price the lowest? 3 What is the most recent mutton value?

4 On her return to NZ what did she do? Where did she do this?

STRETCH YOURSELF: 1

How does the mutton price compare to yearago levels and the five-year average?

2 Work out the percentage difference between now and the same time a year-ago. 3 Demand for mutton from China is very strong. A total of 14,000t of NZ mutton was exported to all destinations in March and 11,000t headed to China. Work out China’s market share of mutton.

PRECIPITATION - “WET STUFF THAT FALLS FROM THE SKY!” Precipitation is a great word as it covers anything water related that falls from the sky. Rain, drizzle, showers, hail, snow, sleet - it's all precipitation. At this time of the year (Autumn) we get more variety in our weather and injections of cold air can turn rain to snow very quickly. Hail, which is frozen raindrops, can freeze in the clouds at any time of the year. Big towering thunderstorms in summer can push rain droplets so high up in the atmosphere that they freeze. In winter the colder air closer to the earth's surface can also produce hail, snow and sleet. Autumn is a season that switches from warm to cold off and on each week - and this can impact precipitation. For example, here's the thunderstorm map from earlier this week, when subtropical air flows produced heavy rain downpours with a risk of isolated hail.

Compare that to the snow forecast map for this coming Monday (areas in red boxes show snow level in metres) showing a much colder pool of air and the chance of snow and sleet around Otago and the Southern Alps.

YOUR CHALLENGE! So, here's your challenge over the next few days Can you find at least three different precipitation types in our RuralWeather.co.nz forecasts? Eg: Snow, Rain and Showers? You may need to check a few locations right around NZ to find them!

Got your own question about how the weather works? Ask Phil! Email phil@ruralweather.co.nz with your question and he could answer it on the Weather Together podcast!

4 Supply of mutton typically tapers off during winter. If demand remains strong, what is this likely to do to prices?

FILL YA BOOTS: 1

What is a brassica?

2 Name a brassica used as a winter crop to feed animals in New Zealand. 3 What are some benefits of using this crop?

Newsmaker

22 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – April 26, 2021

Working to build trust in red meat Earlier this year, trade and international business specialist Esther Guy-Meakin joined the Meat Industry Association after two productive years at Beef + Lamb NZ. Colin Williscroft reports on how she is settling into her new role.

STHER Guy-Meakin is pleased with the opportunities and challenges of her new position at the Meat Industry Association (MIA), which she says allows her to build on her previous experience in the red meat sector. The former Beef + Lamb NZ (B+LNZ) senior manager of international trade says she is enjoying being able to take her trade policy knowledge about the sector and apply a more commercial focus to it, with the MIA representing NZ’s red meat processors, marketers and exporters. She says there are a number of different facets to her new job as the association’s senior manager of strategy, trade policy and advocacy. As well as advising and assisting chief executive Sirma Karapeeva in aspects of the association’s management, she also provides advice and analytical and advocacy services on significant issues and proposals that could affect the productivity and profitability of the export meat industry. She also liaises between the meat industry, relevant government departments and other organisations whose policies and activities have an impact on the industry, while developing and delivering a communication strategy with key stakeholders to effect industry influence and better position it for ongoing success. It’s a wide-ranging position but that is one of the aspects of the job she likes, saying her previous trade

policy role was narrower and she was keen to expand her focus. Like most sectors of the economy, covid has put plenty of hurdles in front of the red meat industry during the past year but Guy-Meakin says all things considered, it has come through it exceptionally well, something that has been widely recognised. Despite the global pandemic, the industry exported a record $9.2 billion of product in 2020, but she says it is not resting on its laurels. “We’re now all turning our minds to what’s next,” Guy-Meakin said. That includes building on momentum that has seen overall exports up 21% since 2017, which includes identifying new opportunities. It hasn’t all been plain sailing however, and there are still covidrelated challenges that need to be worked through, both in supply chains and within markets. Fortunately, concerns 12 months ago about potential protectionism from some countries in relation to their primary production have not really come into play. “There’s been some regulatory creep but we haven’t really faced any particularly onerous non-tariff barriers,” she said. She says her time at Beef + Lamb has been invaluable in developing an understanding of what happens inside the farm gate, including farmer issues and priorities. Now that she’s working with companies, she can use that knowledge to help inform her new role. “It’s a strength to understand

both to be able to work collaboratively,” she said. However, it’s not just about knowledge, she says it’s also about the relationships that she has developed, not only with B+LNZ staff but also farming communities she met as part of that earlier role. Guy-Meakin’s new job is partially based on the trade and economic manager position that was held by Karapeeva before she stepped into the top job. However, the job description was changed to reflect the wider work the sector is doing in a broad advocacy role. “It reflects where the sector is at the moment and trying to really think strategically and proactively about where it wants to go and how to best leverage opportunities to get there,” she said. In that respect, she says covid has been both a challenge and an opportunity, ensuring the meat industry positions itself to take advantage of its strengths, which include wide-ranging market access. She says having come through the pandemic the industry is wellplaced for the future, in no small part thanks to its resilience, part of which is built on the back on having strategies for more than 100 markets. The industry will need to continue to be agile and innovative, so that when traditional markets are not available companies are prepared to quickly respond and repackage products for alternative destinations. “That puts us in a good space,” she said.

FOCUSED: Esther Guy-Meakin is committed to using her previous experience to benefit the red meat industry. Future access to some markets may require being able to provide a strong sustainability provenance. “It’s incredibly important that as a sector we are genuinely looking to improve our environmental integrity,” she said. She points to the move away from relying on coal-based energy and the industry’s support for climate change goals as two examples of its commitment to improving its environmental standing. Before Guy-Meakin took on her primary sector-focused roles, she held a number of different government positions, including working at the NZ High Commission in India, along with legal and policy adviser jobs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Since joining the sector, she has been impressed with its commitment to the environment. “When I came into the sector from government roles, I was taken aback by its genuine investment in and love of the land and the environment,” she said, although adding, there is

Keep an eye out

always room for improvement in building consumer trust in that area. As part of that trust-building the MIA has, in conjunction with B+LNZ, recently launched the Making Meat Better website to provide consumers with independently verified facts and insights about beef and lamb from a health, nutrition and environmental perspective. It also provides information about how the NZ farming model provides red meat in a sustainable manner. However, work on how to better tell those stories is ongoing, with the aim of continually building on the meat industry’s international trusted reputation. For now, Guy-Meakin is focused on achieving as much as she can for the industry and in the future would love to be able to look back and see that the dial had been shifted upwards in respect to the industry’s trust and reputation, as well as building the NZ brand overseas. “Positioning us as a world leader in high-quality products,” she said.

MAY 2021 | $8.95

The latest issue of Dairy Farmer will hit letterboxes on May 3. Our OnFarmStory this month features Taranaki farmers Matt Thomas and Sophie Parker who left their established careers in agriculture to go dairy farming. We also catch up with the Kiwi who was recently appointed president of the World Holstein Friesian Federation and take a look at bull breeds that will produce valuable calves for dairy farmers.

farmersweekly.co.nz 0800 85 25 80

Gumboots for life Despite changing care ers, two Taranaki farmers can’t stay awa y from their gumboo ts PLUS:

Immigrant couple rea ps success

➜ Sri Lankan couple prove themselves ➜ 2021 Top dairy wom an named ➜ More investment needed in R&D

New thinking

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – April 26, 2021

Solving big problems, simply An experienced shearer and farmworker, Sean Blenkin is well-versed with the extremely physical occupation that farming can be. He talked to Annette Scott about his new business Stock Ezy, taking the load off farmers’ backs.

TOCK Ezy is a new family-owned business aimed at making life easier for the farmer through what Sean Blenkin says are relatively simple innovations to help with some of the more physical tasks on-farm. His latest Kiwi number 8 wire solution for the sheep yards bottleneck, the flow-control gate, earned him the runnerup status in the South Island Agricultural Field Days (SIAFD) agri-innovation awards. The former shearer and farmworker knows the struggles that do not change from one year to the next. “Forty years ago, I was the one in the yards being yelled at by the farmer to keep the sheep flowing,” Blenkin said. “Two years ago, I was back in the yards and the same problem still existed, so I set about doing something about it.” Fresh out of his Masterton workshop came the flow-control gate, just in time for the annual field days rounds last month. “I put this gate together and kept trialling it with farmers to develop it to the point where it did the job,” he said. “It solved a problem, it saves the yelling, it eases the animal handling, eases the stress on the dog, and the sheep, and helps take the load off the farmers’ backs.”

It solved a problem, it saves the yelling, it eases the animal handling, eases the stress on the dog, and the sheep, and helps take the load off the farmers’ backs. Sean Blenkin Stock Ezy The first outing for the flowcontrol gate was East Coast Field Days in the North Island, next came the Wanaka show, and then SIAFD. “The orders coming in are quite overwhelming – it’s great for a new business, I’m not complaining,” he said. “I’m in Auckland as we talk, trying to get the materials to make gates for the backlog of orders now.” Blenkin describes the sheep yard flow-control gate as a simple

NIFTY: Sean Blenkin with his award-winning Stock Ezy flow-control gate that works like a zip, solving the sheep yard bottleneck jamming in the drafting race. innovation. “It’s very basic, very simple, with length adjustment according to the stock. It’s spring-loaded so it returns to the centre every time a sheep passes, that’s why it keeps the flow going,” he said. “As soon as one sheep baulks on the side it is going through, the other side opens up and the stock keeps flowing as the flow gate adjusts and the sheep on the other side see the gap and bolt through, and so it keeps on going.” A long-time shearer, with real-life farm experience, Blenkin has also worked in Australia for an animal handling equipment company. He has maintained his passion for the industry as he now works with farmers and shearing contractors to improve, perfect and develop new products. “My designs come from the years of watching the behaviour of farmers and animals, and a good dose of common sense,” he said. “Any equipment that speeds up the workflow, as well as eases animal handling, is a saving in time, labour and stress, and literally eases the job for all.” When Blenkin started his business, New Zealand had just entered covid Level 4 lockdown. “I couldn’t have started a new business at a worse time,” he said. Despite this, he boxed on and business has boomed. His first invention was the Stock Ezy cradle, a contraption for holding pregnant ewes. While models of varying types have been around for many years, Blenkin brought the best features together in a design made for today’s sheep. “With farmers aiming for multiple births, pregnant ewes are

much heavier and there udders much bigger,” he said. Blenkin designed a cradle frame of lightweight, easy-to-use, breathable fabric that is width and height adjustable, supporting ewes from 40-120kg. “It took off like a hot cake,” he said. He then set about solving a problem from his shearing days with a foldaway wool fadge pack holder. Used for the 60th Golden Shears last year, the holder got very favourable reviews, cutting the fadge replacement time from

three-and-half minutes to one minute. “It’s a unique way of holding the fadge in place, is light, tough and structurally sound, with no weld joints or pins to lose, and you can fold it away,” he said. Following requests form gardeners around NZ, Blenkin has added wheels to the design and added a floor to keep the fadge off the ground; it still folds up for easy storage and transport, and is now selling to gardeners nationwide. It is also being used by recycling depots and lawn mowing contractors, and in several

industrial applications. Blenkin thoroughly tests everything he builds before it hits the market. “I have a group of farmers who are happy to work and develop products with me, having this network helps,” he said. “Without these farmers you’re buggered, I need their support to get the product completely right.”

To watch Blenkin’s designs in action go to www.stockezynz.com

GAME-CHANGER: The wool fadge pack holder cut the time for changing wool fadges in half at the 60th Golden Shears.

Opinion

24 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – April 26, 2021

EDITORIAL

A rock and a hard place

HE banning of live cattle shipments offers a glimpse into the possible future of trade agreements and their impact on New Zealand’s farming practices. The ban has been pilloried as economic vandalism, lacking in scientific basis and pandering to pressure groups antagonistic to farming. Those may all be valid criticisms, but they also display a tin ear to increasing scrutiny of environmental and animal welfare standards by trading partners. The European Commission last year signalled it will override its 2019 trade agreement with the Mercosur group of South American countries to counter concerns from activists about the deforestation of the Amazon. Meanwhile, animal welfare standards are featuring increasingly prominently in the EU’s planet-saving Green Deal, which previously had focused on cutting carbon emissions. In such a climate, it is not hard to imagine European farming lobbies having raced to jump into bed with animal rights groups to oppose a trade deal with NZ were it to have continued with live cattle shipments. Never mind that the EU is a substantial participant in the live export trade itself – consistency never being the dominant concern for European trade negotiators capable of preaching the value of free trade one moment, while refusing to budge on eye-wateringly high tariffs the next. Whereas trade negotiations traditionally concerned areas subject to decades of scientific agreement, such as food safety, NZ exporters now fret they are increasingly straying into those not yet proven by science and instead governed by emotion. With this background in mind, exporters last week cautiously welcomed recommendations to the British government to open up to food imports produced under the same environmental and animal welfare standards its own farmers are subject to. NZ exporters are adamant the standards must be science-backed and not simply a means to keep imports out. Recognition of existing animal welfare and environmental regulations as equivalent to UK ones, where they produce the same outcomes, is also seen as vital. The Government faces a difficult task managing the tension between the increasingly urgent need to lessen dependence on China through new trade agreements and keeping existing farming and export practises intact as much as possible.

Nigel Stirling

LETTERS

Writer misses the point I HARDLY know where to begin with Andrew Luddington’s recent letter. He applies an argument Laura Henderson did not make, to prove her wrong on a stance she did not take. Inexplicably, Andrew broke the emissions down to a per person level to give China permission to do nothing about climate change. If you take a countrywide approach as Laura did, China emits 26% of the world’s greenhouse gases (GHG), America contributes 14%, and little New Zealand emits 0.17%. It’s obvious where the larger burden for change lies. The issue isn’t that the ‘fattest of fat cats’ of the world spend millions to pollute billions and we just do nothing. The issue is that

so long as the wealthiest 10% of the global population are allowed to emit 50% of the GHG emissions, then whatever changes we make will achieve nothing to maintain warming below 1.5degC. If we have a carbon budget that NZ must live within, then Tradeable Energy Quotas are an equalising solution. Households are given a quota of fossil fuel units they can use to stay within the emissions’ budget and any excess can be traded to businesses or other households. This creates a common sense of purpose for both urban and rural NZ – because there’s a fixed cap, rather than taxes and offsetting options, all parties will need to find creative

solutions to lower their footprint. Andrew argues that ‘Farming is simply going to change’, but there is no positive, practical action farmers can take to be found within the Climate Change Commission’s advice document. Where other countries such as France, Australia, America, Brazil and the United Kingdom have policies and suggestions for lower carbon farming – silvopasture, notill cropping, adaptive multipaddock grazing, hedgerows, woodlots, all part of the solution – NZ has the great idea to just kill livestock until the accounting balances out and somehow this won’t affect food production. I suppose for a wee while there will be an excess of

red meat to export? Yes, we do have a responsibility to decarbonise the economy and there is plenty NZ can and should do to address climate change – regulation of the advertising that drives over consumption, banning SUVs, ban lawns, investing in public transport, regulating fast fashion, moving towards car-free cities, and legislating longer lifespans and rights to repair of technology, to name just a handful. None of these changes involve planting more pine trees. Sacrificing sheep and beef farming, and planting more forestry to offset fossil fuel industries is not a solution. Nicky White Hawke’s Bay

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Opinion

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – April 26, 2021

Tackling the enviro challenge David Bennett

HE biggest issue facing farmers at this time is how to meet the environmental challenge. We all agree that as stewards of the land there will be increasing expectations of our environmental credentials. This is without question and it is what as farmers we have been doing for generations, and our farming systems are constantly evolving to meet the best environmental practices. The question though is how government, industry and farmers should approach these environmental challenges through regulation. There are two main options. First, a ‘strict’ approach for where the Government knows best, with one set of rules for the whole country. This approach is difficult in the long-term, as it ignores fundamental geographic, climatic and farming practices. It also relies on getting the rules right in the first place. It has serious implementation issues as it can be seen as forcing change. It may mean farmers change to satisfy the rules rather than meaningful and ongoing change. It has the advantage in that the rules are seen as enforceable. A better approach is an ‘effectsbased’ approach, in which rules are set with flexibility and pragmatism. These rules and regulations are practical and

achievable as they are made in consultation with industry groups. This approach needs industry leadership, such as real financial incentives from our manufacturers and marketers. These incentives are critical to avoid arguments that change will not be fast enough. It will empower farmers to make economic choices to achieve productivity and environmental outcomes. Farm environment plans (FEPs) would enable these price signals to be acted upon. It involves a collaborative approach from regional councils, government departments and industry body groups in setting and evaluating the rules and regulations. It would be catchment-based and ultimately reflect farmers’ geographical practices. Farmers will no doubt seek an effects-based approach, rather than a strict approach. It will deliver better results in the longterm than short-term attempts to strictly enforce impractical rules.

The Government’s Essential Freshwater reforms illustrate how this approach can go wrong. It can lead to changes and delays in the rules as they seek to make them workable.

The

Pulpit

This government favours the strict approach. The Government’s Essential Freshwater reforms illustrate how this approach can go wrong. It can lead to changes and delays in the rules as they seek to make them workable. In other cases, like nitrogen levels, they may fervently stick to the rules to the detriment of certain regions. There is some debate whether or not a ‘negotiated’ stance should be taken with the Government. This is an entirely plausible response and completely rational in the circumstances. However, it does create a sense of validity to the rules and regulations. It enshrines the rules and regulations, and assumes that the Government will

HOT TOPIC: The question of which approach to take to environmental regulation is playing out in our communities, says David Bennett. act in the best interests of farmers. This approach also means that future governments could easily be labelled as not supporting environmental change if they sought to modify them at a later date. The question of which approach to take to environmental regulation is playing out in our communities. A strict approach will lead to conflicting views, difficulties in implementation, destocking and less actual environmental change. An effects-based approach based on market signals, catchments, practical and achievable solutions will enable us to take the public

and farmers along on the same journey. This creates real and meaningful change that achieves our environmental goals.

Who am I? David Bennett is the National Party’s agricultural spokesperson and a dairy farmer.

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

How can we change fast enough? THE basis of New Zealand’s troubled and tangled resource allocation problem was laid out in the Ministry for the Environment’s report Our Land 2021 last week. No matter who we are, or where we live and work, we are all tied to the fate of our land. There is only so long our society can take as if the land can infinitely give. We have to think smarter, because the report shows we’ve reached the limit of what our environment can provide. We all need to drink water, eat food and breathe air. None of us are separate from the environment. Our fate will be the same as our environment’s, and with the ground beneath our feet

literally failing, we should all be asking “how can we change fast enough?” The report doesn’t hide from difficult facts. Urban land-use is important because that’s where 87% of us live – and because urban sprawl is destroying our best farmland and important ecosystems too. Wherever we are, what we do matters, but the way we produce food is huge. That’s because 40% of NZ is farmed, by far the largest of any active landuse type. The facts are that our greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are increasing, and the increase is linked to more intensive agriculture. Nitrate fertiliser use

PAY ATTENTION: Forest & Bird’s Megan Hubscher says it is clear from this and previous reports that our environmental problems are serious and aren’t fixing themselves.

has increased 700% since 1991. Irrigation has doubled since 2002. Native ecosystems continue to shrink largely through conversion to pasture and pines. Most monitored sites failed one or more soil quality targets. Most rivers and lakes are polluted, and most of them are in rural catchments. Most dairy farms use too much fertiliser, and have compacted soil. The questions of policy and practice this report implicitly presents to us are big ones. How can we grow food while protecting biodiversity? How can we house people while protecting farmland and nature? How can we live and work while protecting the climate? How can we do more with less, while bringing back nature from the very margins of existence? This is not a winner versus loser argument over who should be allowed to develop unsuitable land, destroy wildlife, or emit GHGs. All these issues are everyone’s issues. Either we all win, or we all lose. It is clear from this and previous reports that our environmental problems are serious, urgent, and despite the protestations of vested industries, aren’t fixing themselves. They’re getting worse. Our farming leaders, urban planners and central policymakers have a decision to make – help NZ transition to systems that protect biodiversity, the climate, fresh

water and land, or pour petrol on the fire by doubling down on resource-hungry models that can’t succeed. What we all must do is shut down the delays, the denial and the ‘what-aboutism’ that seeks to shift blame. It’s time to focus on solutions, and implement them. And we do have solutions. There is now an almost comprehensive set of land-use policies that together may be our best chance to restore the natural resources we all rely on. Because most rivers and lakes in farming, forestry, and urban areas are polluted, we have a new National Policy Statement on Freshwater Management, which will limit nitrogen and other pollution of waterways. Because urban sprawl continues to spill onto prime food growing land and drive up transport emissions, we have the National Policy Statement on Urban Development to instruct councils to protect rural land and provide connected communities by building up, not out. Because native ecosystems continue to be lost through conversion to agriculture or forestry, we have the National Policy Statement on Indigenous Biodiversity, which Federated Farmers helped write, and which will protect significant native habitat on private land.

But an effective climate protection policy is still missing. Until agriculture is brought into the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS), the transport and energy sectors will have to do the heavy lifting on emissions. But other actions can help. There’s over a million hectares of land that could be returned to native forest to cut emissions, save farmland from erosion and improve water quality. When backed up by pest control, NZ’s forests, public and private, will be a vital part of our climate solution. The solutions to our climate and environmental crises exist. They are our best chance to protect the world we live in, and protect ourselves. It is time to make room for biodiversity, to bring back nature, protect our climate and our future. It will take all of us, and every tool we have. And we have to do it now.

Who am I? Megan Hubscher is spokesperson for the Royal Forest and Bird Protection Society of New Zealand.

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

Opinion

26 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – April 26, 2021

Reactions fail science test Alternative View

Alan Emerson

I SPENT the weekend ploughing through the Statistics New Zealand/Ministry for the Environment (MfE) document Our Land 21 and the various reactions to it. For a variety of reasons, I was unimpressed. My immediate thought was that MfE’s naïvety when it comes to rural goings on is palpable. Reading the document, political correctness seemed to be more important than scientific rigour. Having said that, there was good work on the amount of rural land being taken up for housing and lifestyle blocks. The figures are horrific and an indictment on local government. Since 2002 there has been 1.9 million hectares of good land being taken out of agricultural and horticultural production. From 2002, the amount of good productive land lost to urban sprawl jumped 54% from 69,920ha to 107,444ha in 2019. Putting that in perspective, the equivalent of 100,000 rugby fields have been lost to food production. In addition, local government has approved the subdivision of 5800 lifestyle blocks each year since 1998.

There is no need for the encroachment. Driving round our main centres there is a considerable amount of bare land that could be developed. Fewer people are playing golf, so there are underutilised golf courses ripe for housing. The Government, to its credit, has said we should be building multi-storey apartments, much to the hysteria of the NIMBYs in Auckland and Christchurch. There are additional problems with urban encroachment onto farmland. Issues like the smell of silage, which some of the Carterton residents found offensive. There was the noise of tractors early in the morning and late at night. In rural NZ it’s a way of life. To townies, it’s unacceptable. Finally, there are the increased rules and increasing rates. The report talks about growing our population to 6.8m by 2073. Why should we go there? Greater population increases our carbon footprint and the need for more houses, schools, hospitals and the like. What is interesting is that farmers are producing more with 14% less land. Our rural export receipts have almost doubled in just nine years, up from $23 billion in 2010 to $44b in 2019. Take a bow folks, no one will give you a medal for your sterling work keeping NZ surviving during and after covid-19. Climate change is discussed in the report and my answer to the problem is simple, we need irrigation. Only 5% of our land

is irrigated, 95% isn’t – and that needs to change. We know the east of both Islands will get drier because of climate change and that means we need more water storage and irrigation starting now. The anti-farming fringe cry that irrigation causes pollution isn’t true. Foundation for Arable Research chief executive Alison Stewart told me that “cropping under irrigation has both economic and environmental benefits”. Also “sediment run-off and fertiliser pollution are considerably less under irrigation”. The StatsNZ MfE report doesn’t acknowledge that. The report mentioned covid-19 and the high risk of introduced farm animals spreading diseases to humans citing campylobacter. Interestingly, in my view, they ignored the campylobacter pollution from ducks, geese and swans. The reaction to the report was interesting. In the opportunistic corner was the Forest Owners Association who said the report “scored exotic forestry highly for its low impact on soils”. It got better saying “MfE analysis found only 11% of exotic forests were below the microporosity target range, whereas 75% of lifestyle blocks had the problem”. My response to that would be to respectfully and humbly suggest that farms aren’t lifestyle blocks. They went on “all forests prevent erosion, filter water and reduce flood damage”. I’m sure I could get a second opinion in

VIEW: Climate change is discussed in the Our Land 21 report and the answer to the problem is simple, we need irrigation, Alan Emerson says.

Tasman, Wairoa or Tolaga Bay. Also, if they read the full report, they’d have found out about the horrors of slash. Nitrogen fertilisers take a hit with Greenpeace waxing shrilly on state radio. “The price of decades of inaction is that rivers are sick, soil is depleted, our drinking water is full of nitrate nitrogen and we’re spewing heaps of climate pollution out into the atmosphere that’s driving more extreme weather” was the cacophonous cry. The facts are that the rivers aren’t sick. More than 72% of the sites measured had N levels within the target range. The soil isn’t depleted, as the report acknowledges. If drinking water is full of nitrate nitrogen, it is the fault of the water

supplier not farmers, and spewing pollution into the air is more a problem for synthetic clothing and carpets than agriculture but as usual, facts and Greenpeace don’t mix. My final issue is that the environmental report was “based on themes such as air, marine fresh water and climate”. Surprisingly, there was no mention I could see of the massive volumes of raw sewage from local government regularly going into waterways and the sea. They can’t have thought it important.

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

A little help goes a long way From the Ridge

Steve Wyn-Harris

FROM our vantage point here in 2025, the story behind New Zealand’s successful covid-19 vaccination programme during 2021 completely changed how

international pandemic vaccination programmes are now run. And yet, this success happened by chance. As the country began to vaccinate its populace, nagging doubts remained as to whether the system run by the Ministry of Health (MoH) was up for the challenge. The previous year’s influenza roll-out had been anything less than a success. A few years earlier, the ministry had botched the measles vaccination roll-outs. But luck or happenstance can often bring about welcome outcomes, and this is what happened in this case in a small rural backwater in an island nation at the end of the earth. A sheep and beef farmer went into the Central Hawke’s Bay health centre for his annual influenza shot. The receptionist told him that unfortunately all the doctors were away sick, and the nurses weren’t allowed to administer

IMAGINE THAT: Steve Wyn-Harris imagines the possibilities of NZ’s health system if rural practices were empowered to provide the best care possible.

the flu shot and of more concern, the perishable covid-19 vaccine shipment that had just arrived. The farmer said that he wouldn’t be able to come in again for a few weeks and asked if it would be okay if he just gave himself the vaccination. He explained that he was an experienced vaccinator after a 40year career, and had done tens of thousands without any difficulty. The receptionist didn’t think this would be allowed and asked others, but no one had heard that it was illegal. They looked up the protocols and then did some googling, but nowhere did it say people weren’t allowed to vaccinate themselves. So, they said they would allow him to do so, but he would still have to stay for 10 minutes so that the nurse could ensure there were no adverse reactions. He agreed, so they provided him with the syringe which he plunged into his arm and then sat out his time reading a Woman’s Weekly with an interesting article of a woman called Markle. He watched the waiting room fill with expectant folk hoping to get their pandemic vaccination. He once again approached the desk and said he’d be happy

to administer the vaccination to these people given the vaccine was perishable and about to expire. He said it wasn’t a tricky operation putting a needle into the middle of a bicep and pushing in the plunger. The staff didn’t think this was a good idea, but again he pointed out his experience and that in all those years, he’d never lost an animal or had an adverse reaction. This was a national crisis he told them and in times like these, one couldn’t be too rule bound. This was a pragmatic rural practice, so they finally agreed and set the farmer up in a small room where he administered several hundred vaccinations over the rest of the afternoon. Over a beer with the staff at the end of the day, they asked him how many he thought he could do in a day. He said he’d done 2500 sheep, but he didn’t think people would be that happy if he brought his Prattley Yards into town, so assuming they would prefer to be sitting on a chair, probably 1000 if those preparing the syringes could keep up. A decision was made, and the staff got onto the phones. By the end of a fortnight, the

farmer had vaccinated all of Central Hawke’s Bay and moved on down to Tararua. News began to spread around the country and the Farmy Army was remobilised, and farmers and vets took up the challenge and volunteered their services throughout the land in towns and cities. They were averaging 55,000 vaccinations a day and within three months the country was vaccinated and safe from the ravages of the plague. The urban population were incredibly grateful to their rural counterparts for picking up the gauntlet and running with it. Other countries took notice and began to use their practical rural dwellers to exponentially increase their vaccination rates and by the end of the year, enough herd immunity existed that this particular pandemic fizzled out. When the next large-scale vaccination programme is required, farmers and vets will be the first to be called.

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

Opinion

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – April 26, 2021

A2 moves from brand to category The Braided Trail

Keith Woodford

A NOTABLE change has been occurring recently, with A2 milk products now available from multiple manufacturers. That includes at least three brands of A2 infant formula available here in New Zealand. These offerings are the original a2 Platinum from The a2 Milk Company (a2MC), plus relative newcomers Karicare A2 from Danone and Haven A2, linked to Zuru. There are also now at least three A2 fresh milk brands in NZ, these being Fonterra, Fresha Valley, and a strangely named “organic A3” product which, according to its owners, is also produced exclusively from A2 cows. Internationally, there are multiple A2 brands of both A2 milk and A2 infant formula now available, particularly in Asia, to a lesser extent in the Americas, but with Europe still lagging. Most of the big international brands now have A2 projects. Including niche marketers, there are probably more than 20 brands spread across the globe. One of the ironies is that it all started in NZ with the late medical scientist Professor Sir Bob Elliott in the late 1990s. He was the person who first identified the relationship across the globe between consumption of A1 betacasein and childhood incidence of Type-1 diabetes. Subsequently, Corran McLachlan discovered similar relationships for heart disease. The solution was to breed cows that produced the alternative A2 beta-casein. The reason I refer to it as

an irony is that the NZ dairy industry has never been the major beneficiary of the A2 movement. This is despite the biggest global marketer of A2 products still being NZ-registered a2MC. Despite the NZ registration, most shareholders of a2MC live outside NZ. The accounts are recorded in NZ dollars, and much of the a2MC milk is sourced from NZ, but the head office managers are domiciled in Australia, together with key regional teams in China and the US. To complete the international picture, the chair is domiciled in England. It is also ironic that going back 20 years, NZ had potential for a big A2 advantage over most countries. This was because, quite by chance, NZ had a higher proportion of A2 cows than other Western countries. However, the mainstream industry, led by Fonterra, fought the A2 movement right through until 2018, seeing it as a threat rather than an opportunity. Although Fonterra now has some A2 offerings, they have yet to grasp the opportunity in a significant way. Most Fonterra farmers cannot currently obtain an A2 premium and many lack insight as to where the global A2 movement is heading. Given that a2MC has recently purchased Mataura Milk, there will be new A2 opportunities for Southland and South Otago farmers. This should also increase the market value of A2 cows as farmers seek out these animals to finish the conversion process. Some of my readers will know that I have been involved with the A2 movement for more than 15 years, both in science and outreach capacities. But most of my A2 work these days is offshore. My interest is in the category rather than particular brands, but I do work with brand owners when brand and category interests align. Currently, I have projects in Indonesia, Japan and Russia, albeit relying on Zoom in this covid-

afflicted world. I also network with niche A2 marketers in other countries. This past year has been particularly challenging for a2MC. The company hit a big pothole with covid disrupting its supply chains to China. Accordingly, a2MC has fallen from being a market darling that could do no wrong, to losing more than half its value in the last eight months. A year ago, the a2MC capital value was more than double that of Fonterra, but now, at only $6.4 billion, it sits a little below Fonterra. Whether covid is the only pothole for a2MC is a moot point. About five years ago the company decided to focus on its own brands rather than further developing the category. At that point, they stepped back from major research funding. Even before that, the company was managed primarily by marketers rather than scientists, but then they pivoted even further towards marketing. I think they were dazzled by their own success. They lost sight of fundamental issues relating to the need to further build the science foundations. Among the new A2 brands, the owners fit into two broad groups. The large-scale marketers apart from a2MC have existing brands to protect based on ‘ordinary milk’ that contains A1 beta-casein. Typically, these brand owners would shed no tears if the A2 movement disappeared. The reason they have A2 projects is because they recognise the risks of not being involved. It’s all about risk management. Then there are the niche marketers who have made a big commitment to A2. These people tend to be passionate about their products related to health matters. They have no ordinary milk brands to protect. A consequence of this situation is that most of the big companies have no wish to fund research

ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT: While there are at least three A2 fresh milk brands in New Zealand, Keith Woodford believes NZ has a long way to go. and the niche companies cannot afford it. Human trials are very expensive and typically for even a modest trial there is no change out of at least $US500,000 and usually much more. Although the companies are not spending money on new science, there is an increasing level of activity from sciencebased organisations around the globe. I see that from my own science-based A2 publications, which had low journal citation counts initially, but now have multiple citations coming through each month via ResearchGate. Unfortunately, science-based organisations are seldom good at communicating results to the public. They leave that to others. One of the new research papers published in recent months comes from a leading American group from Purdue University led by Professor Savaiano. This work was supported by a2MC. It confirms prior work coming mainly from China that people with a tendency to lactose intolerance can benefit from A2 milk despite A2 milk still containing lactose. Although some of us have been confident of this for quite some time, and we understand why this interaction occurs, it is particularly valuable in the public arena to have it confirmed from a top American group of researchers. A key insight that currently has my attention is understanding why the opioid beta-casomorphin-7

(BCM7) released from A1 betacasein can have such a wide range of effects on so many different organs of the body. The insight comes from bringing together research from the past 15 years identifying mu-opioid receptors in all of the brain, heart, lungs, bronchi, pancreas, kidneys and liver. BCM7 latches to these receptors. Individual genetics then determines how that plays out in terms of inflammation and autoimmune responses. Sometimes I get asked by farmers as to how long I think it will be before the A2 premium disappears. My response is that they are asking the wrong question. In the long-term, the question is when will the A1 milk sell only at a discount. That situation may still be a long way distant, but it is coming. The starting point of herd conversion is to focus on bulls classified as A2/A2. It only takes one bull carrying the A1 variant of the gene to negate several years of progress.

Your View Keith Woodford was Professor of Farm Management and Agribusiness at Lincoln University for 15 years through to 2015. He is now Principal Consultant at AgriFood Systems Ltd. He can be contacted at kbwoodford@ gmail.com Previous articles can be found at https://keithwoodford. wordpress.com

On Farm Story

28 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – April 26, 2021

TEAMWORK: Bridgette Karetai and Jeff Niblett rear ring neck pheasants on their Hawke’s Bay property.

Game bird venture’s a hit Starting a business that’s a bit outside what might be viewed as conventional is always going to have its challenges, but New Zealand Game Birds owners Jeff Niblett and Bridgette Karetai have made it work for them. Colin Williscroft reports.

AME bird rearing might be a niche industry in NZ, but it’s a sizable undertaking for Jeff Niblett and Bridgette Karetai, who rear between 70-75,000 ring neck pheasants annually for hunting preserves around the country. Although in the past the couple spent plenty of time during winter organising shooting days not far from their Hawke’s Bay property, today their business is largely based on breeding birds. It’s a seasonal operation that starts in September, when their hens are put into laying pens. By the end of the month the hens have started laying and eggs

are collected daily until early January. “We collect and wash/sterilise them every day, store them for up to a week and then set them in the incubators,” Jeff says. “From then, we’ll hatch once a week.” Once hatched, the chicks are put into small plywood huts, which are equipped with gas heaters and nipple drinkers and feeding trays. They’re in there for a week and then they get access to a covered shelter with grass for another week before going into outside runs which are netted. The birds still need to be “mustered” away every night until

they’re about four weeks old and can cope with most overnight outdoor temperatures. They are reared until they’re about six or seven weeks old,

There’s no pens or anything else to keep them on those properties. They’re basically wild once they’re released. Jeff Niblett Game bird breeder

INQUISITIVE: Although mainly supplied for hunting, the pheasants are also sought after for the colour and diversity they bring

when they are supplied to people who mainly want them on their properties for shooting, although Jeff says others like to have them around to provide a bit of diversity and colour. The couple also rear Mallard ducks, although that’s a much smaller part of the business. Jeff says it’s a sideline they got into because duck numbers seem to be declining in the North Island, especially in drier areas like Auckland, Waikato, Bay of Plenty, East Coast and Hawke’s Bay. “People have become interested in trying to re-establish their wetland areas and restock those areas,” he says.

BUSINESS: NZ Game Birds rears up to 75,000 pheasants a year.

It’s a pretty smooth operation but there have been a few challenges to overcome along the way. Jeff has always been interested in shooting. Growing up, his father was a member of the Acclimatisation Society in Marlborough, which at the time was trying to rear pheasants to try and establish a local population. He and Bridgette are both veterinarians, and Jeff spent four of the six years they worked in the UK as a game bird vet. Hunting and shooting is a big business over there, with more than 30 million pheasants reared annually, along with partridge,

On Farm Story

ARRANGEMENT: Bird rearing huts and runs take up much of the property’s flat land.

ducks and other game birds also released. On their return to NZ, the couple worked for Dannevirke Vet Services. It was there that they took their first steps towards running their own game bird business. “Basically, that involved building a lot of gear in the garage,” Jeff says, and then setting up on a local friend’s farm. That was in 2004 and on the night their first child was born, the floods that devastated the central North Island that year washed away their rearing field. However, it was at the end of the season and most of their birds had already gone. Within a year they had bought their current property at Sherenden, inland from Hastings, which provided the opportunity to move the business to the next level. To help increase the scale of their operation Jeff and Bridgette imported egg incubators from Thailand, but there were some teething problems. “They weren’t really compatible for NZ’s electrical supply or weather conditions,” he says. “They were made for rearing eggs to a certain stage for eating part-developed chicks rather than hatching, so they’d probably never actually hatched many chicks.” The incubators were big, capable of holding around 6000 eggs, but during the couple’s first season they only managed to hatch one chick out of 12,000 eggs. “We were wondering what we had gotten ourselves into,” Bridgette says. To try and work out what was going wrong, they put in temperature probes. “It was all to do with airflow,” Jeff says, “and placement of thermostats.” Once they had worked that out it was a matter of fine-tuning the incubators, so hatching could get under way. Fortunately, the orders they had at the time allowed for most to be filled during the second half of the breeding season. These days they use incubators from the UK and the United States that are specifically designed for hatching pheasants and ducks, with the earlier modified models from Thailand kept as back-ups.

“It’s very consistent now,” he says. “The key thing is we’ve got backup generators if there’s a power cut and we’re here all the time to oversee and make sure everything is ticking along.” They use their own birds bred the season before as replacement breeding stock. “The last couple of hatches (annually) we select out all of our hens and then we rear them up to adults and use them for our laying birds next year,” he says. “Basically, we hold 2000 pheasant hens for our breeding stock. “They’ll average at least 60 eggs each during the laying season. They’re a bit like a chook, but they’ll keep laying if you keep taking them (the eggs).” The hens lay seasonally, with the breeding season regulated by day-length. As day-length increases they start to be more active, before it falls away around Christmas. “Once that drops off, egg production starts to decline quite quickly,” he says Most of the birds they breed are supplied to hunting preserves as six-week-old chicks. They are transported to their new homes in poultry crates, either on the back of a ute or trailer. The key thing is making sure they have good airflow around them. “If they have got to go any distance, we catch them in the evening beforehand, so they’ve had their evening feed, and deliver them early (the next) morning,” he says. “So, if they’re going to Rotorua, we get up around three o’clock to get there about six-thirty or seven. “They transport really well. They are basically asleep then anyway.” Jeff says they like to give the chicks as much time as possible on that first day to acclimatise to their new surroundings. “They’re released on sites that have quite intensive predator control done around them, so they get used to their environment and then over time they slowly spread out,” he says. “There’s no pens or anything else to keep them on those properties. They’re basically wild once they’re released.” “The only control you’ve got

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – April 26, 2021

EARLY DAYS: Once hatched, chicks are put into small plywood huts, which are equipped with gas heaters, nipple drinkers and feeding trays.

over them is the fact that they want food. The birds primarily eat insects and seeds, along with a bit of vegetation, so there’s no concern about their effect on native wildlife as they’re a separate niche, probably similar to weka. The release sites are Department of Conservation permitted hunting preserves, with Fish & Game NZ involved in setting season lengths and bird numbers on preserves. Up until just over a year ago the couple were involved with helping to run shoots at a couple of preserves nearby, including Tuna Nui Station in the foothills of the Kaweka Range. Bridgette says they stopped running their own shoots because the local farm owners were keen to take on the running of the shoots, and the rearing side of NZ Game Birds had grown, so they were busy enough with rearing birds. On shoot days they would usually have nine people shooting. “It’s great locally when you’ve got all those people coming into hotels and restaurants through the winter, but the logistics of organising everyone’s accommodation and everything else, and a whole shoot day, including feeding them, it was huge.” Jeff says getting a shoot day together involves coordinating a large number of people. “You’ve actually got 40-50 people in a day, organising where the birds go, others with dogs picking up,” he says. “A lot of them are volunteers who just enjoy coming out.” Bridgette says a lot of their initial involvement with shoots, which included bringing in gamekeepers from the UK, was to ensure the future of their breeding business. She says when some of the owners of places where they ran shoots decided they wanted to do it themselves, it seemed like a good idea to step back. Jeff says they thought with covid would lead to a significant downturn in the demand for shoots but that has not been the case, with most shooters from NZ historically anyway. “They were spending more money overseas and now that they’re not going overseas there’s

LAYING BIRDS: About 2000 pheasant hens are held back each year for breeding stock.

We were getting up over 40-odd days of shooting through the winter. Bridgette Karetai Game bird breeder quite an increase in interest,” he says. “Most of the shoots are quite full. We did have a few Australians and they’re continuing to ring us to make sure we keep them in the loop for when the trans-Tasman bubble opens. “I don’t think those guys will go to the UK as much as they were. A lot of them would go overseas to go shooting for pheasants or other things, but I think they’ll find NZ would be a better destination for them now. There’s quite a bit of potential there.” He says the shoots play a wider role in communities than just providing shooting opportunities. “There’s a lot more to it than just the shooting. It’s the relationships

with people, going onto farms, the connections and the memories that you make,” he says. Part of that is getting people from urban areas out onto farms in a safe environment where they can interact with people from rural communities. “People love getting out on those farms and having a look around,” he says. “Quite often in the gun bus, where all those people shooting are together, the discussions are about what’s happening on the farm and what is in the area. “The views and the beautiful spots are a huge part of the day. They really love that. And the farmers love having people to show around their property.” Bridgette and Jeff hope there is further potential for increasing the shooting opportunities for urban folk and other visitors who would otherwise not have access to shooting rights. There are plenty of people out there who love the option of having a shoot day organised in a safe and very enjoyable environment. >> Video link: bit.ly/OFSgamebirds

World

30 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – April 19, 2021

Welsh Govt under pressure WELSH farmers are looking to the Senedd elections as their last-ditch hope to change or repeal Labour’s controversial water regulations. With polls predicting the party could be on course for its worst performance in history, and the next two largest parties – the Welsh Conservatives and Plaid Cymru – pledging to scrap the rules, there is cautious optimism that a shift in approach could come after the vote on May 6. Glamorganshire dairy farmer and chair of the NFU Cymru milk board Abi Reader told Farmers Guardian the industry’s hope and aim was for the plans, which introduce closed periods for slurry spreading and greater storage requirements, to be revisited. “I am hoping there will be an opportunity for resolution, especially if there is some sort of reshuffle. Even if it is the same party but different people with different ideas, I hope they will take this seriously,” Reader said. Farmers’ Union of Wales president Glyn Roberts also said he was “encouraged” by Welsh Conservative and Plaid Cymru promises to reverse the rules. “We continue to stress that the next Welsh Government must withdraw the regulations,” Roberts said. “It is imperative that a new Welsh Government considers the financial implications of these regulations on small and medium-

cost,” he said. “Just as with the lack of geographical differentiation, there is also a failure to appreciate the different systems and their risks. “The limit creates a de facto stocking rate cap which is pretty low. We would sometimes buyin silage for the dry period, but instead we might now have to look for ground to make that silage or get rid of the slurry, which means less income or more cost. “Just as with the lack of geographical differentiation, there is also a failure to appreciate the different systems and their risks.” UK Farmers Guardian

UPSET: Both NFU Cymru and Farmers’ Union of Wales have slammed the proposed all-Wales NVZ. sized farm businesses and tenant farmers, while taking into account the social and cultural impacts on rural communities.” Roberts’ call came as NFU Cymru launched a legal challenge against the rules, having previously raised concerns about their lawfulness. “An all-Wales Nitrate Vulnerable Zone designation is indiscriminate and punitive,” The union’s president John Davies said. “It will affect every sector, every area of Wales and every farmer will be subject to draconian record keeping and complex restrictions

on the day-to-day running of their business for environmental benefits which appear to be quite small. “That is why, along with our lawyers, legal panel firm JCP Solicitors and with support from our legal assistance scheme, we have decided to ask the courts of law to look at these regulations and determine if they are reasonable or not.” Montgomeryshire livestock farmer Rhodri Jones says he hoped NFU Cymru’s action would put pressure on the Welsh government to change course.

UK eyes global domination AS AN independent trading nation, the UK is opening new doors for farmers and food producers to golden opportunities. “We are now free to secure new customers worldwide, from the Americas to the Indo-Pacific, where the largest markets are to be found, and fast-growing nations are rising up the economic league tables,” International trade secretary Liz Truss shared in her vision for a more outward-looking UK agriculture, capitalising on the opportunities the global market presents. “We exported nearly £24b worth of food and drink in 2019. Our

exports to non-EU nations grew that year by over three times as much as exports to our European neighbours, which shows where the enormous potential lies,” she said. “It is vital, when only one in five food producers export, that many more join them in seizing the opportunities beyond our shores. Truss says “now is the time for our farmers, and food and drink producers, to grow their businesses further through exporting”. She says the UK’s plan is to drive forward an export-led and jobs-led recovery, supporting over 4m high-quality jobs in our food

GOALS: International trade secretary Liz Truss sets out her vision for a more outward-looking UK agriculture, capitalising on the opportunities the global market presents.

and drink industries. “Many want the finest food and drink, underpinned by high standards from food and animal welfare to the environment – exactly what British producers offer,” she said. The Department for International Trade has been breaking down trade barriers through negotiations, as it strikes deals with huge consumer markets, like Japan, to secure much more than it had before. Truss says they will go further to level up the UK by supporting farmers in every region and nation, whether it be by pursuing deeper access in key markets for Devon’s dairy, securing official recognition for more iconic goods like Armagh Bramley Apples, or negotiating to cut tariffs on Scotch Whisky. “I want to see a long-term sustainable future for British farming, based on high standards, competitiveness and productivity, which meets the growing demand for our world-class produce,” she said. “Together, we can get British food and drink to the top of the world’s menus. We will build back better for our rural communities, with more high-paying jobs, greater prosperity and brighter futures. “By stepping through new doors, we will embrace a world rich in opportunity.” UK Farmers Weekly

“It would seem to a layperson that there are some grounds which would stand a chance of success at Judicial Review. But we need to wait and see what happens,” Jones said. Jones also raised concerns about the new total nitrogen limit of 170kg organic manure/ha introduced by the regulations. This cap includes all manure spread or deposited by an animal. “They buy-in silage for the dry period, but instead we might now have to look for ground to make that silage or get rid of the slurry, which means less income or more

It will affect every sector, every area of Wales and every farmer will be subject to draconian record keeping and complex restrictions on the day-to-day running of their business for environmental benefits which appear to be quite small. John Davies NFU

Genetics point to resilient stock PINPOINTING genes relating to variations in milk production could help breed animals resilient to warming conditions, new research has shown. Scientists from Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC), the Roslin Institute and the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTH) in Greece, found that some Chios sheep in the Mediterranean – whose milk is used to produce feta and other cheeses – are more resilient than others to temperature fluctuations throughout the seasons. Researchers believe groups of genes may enable some sheep to remain productive in hot and cold conditions. They believe that selecting animals with those genes for breeding could help flocks adapt in the region, which is vulnerable to climate change. Using data relating to almost 40,000 ewes, collected by the “Macedonia” Chios sheep breeders’ co-operative in Greece, the scientists created a mathematical model of resilience to fluctuations in climate, based on records of milk productivity, time of lambing and weather throughout the seasons. Some animals responded better than others to

temperature fluctuations in hot or cold conditions, with some hardly being affected by changes, analyses found. Ewes’ resilience to hot or cold temperatures depended on the lambing season. For example, animals that had lambed in spring generally responded better to hot conditions, while winter-lambing ewes showed the most variable performance when temperatures rose. Researchers say future studies could focus on specific genes associated with resilience to temperature fluctuations in individual animals, with the insight being used to inform how to optimise breeding selection for this trait. “Our findings have implications for selectively breeding animals with genes that enable resilience to changing climates and for farm management, such as the time of year when ewes are bred,” Georgios Banos, from SRUC and the Roslin Institute, said. The study, published in scientific reports, was carried out within the Horizon 2020 research project, Innovation for Sustainable Sheep and Goat Production in Europe, coordinated by the Laboratory of Animal Husbandry, School of Veterinary Medicine.

Hawke’s Bay Taramoa Station, 71 Pakaututu Road, Puketitiri

Ecological paradise with Kaweka x-factor Located in the reliable Puketitiri district, 56km north west of Napier, Taramoa Station is a well balanced 564ha breeding/finishing property. Winning four Ballance farm environmental awards, Taramoa is also GAP accredited with fenced off waterways and over 23,000 native plants for long term sustainability. Boasting large portions of easy finishing land, a spring fed reticulated water system, and pasture renewal programme, fully fed livestock receive excellent market premiums. Farm improvements include a five bedroom homestead, three bedroom cottage, four stand woolshed, stock yards, very good access tracks and laneways. X-factor is world class Sika trophy hunting, a habitat for rare bird species, and over 300 beehives collect high UMF manuka honey. Passive income from the on farm quarry, on farm duck shooting and trout fishing nearby, top off this rare opportunity.

Tender (will not be sold prior) Closing 4pm, Wed 5 May 2021 17 Napier Road, Havelock North View by appointment Tony Rasmussen 027 429 2253 tony.rasmussen@bayleys.co.nz EASTERN REALTY LTD, BAYLEYS, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008

bayleys.co.nz/2852552

bayleys.co.nz

FINAL NOTICE

Central Hawke's Bay 790 Makaretu Road and 269 Pleasant Valley Road, Ashley Clinton

1,270ha location, rainfall and scale Nestled in the foothills of the Ruahine Ranges, Pukenui Station is in the renowned summer safe district of Ashley Clinton only 32 kilometres from Waipukurau. The sale of Pukenui Station comprising 1,113 hectares and supporting Makaretu block of 157 hectares, provides an opportunity to secure sheep and beef scale rarely available in central Hawke's Bay. With a good mix of medium to steep breeding country and over 350 hectares of cultivatable finishing land for the continuation of the pasture renewal programme, these two properties have a sound fertiliser history and a reputation for producing quality livestock circa 11,000 stock units wintered. Features a five-bedroom homestead, three other dwellings, well maintained station buildings including a hunting hut, three woolsheds, deer yards, cattle and sheep yards with very good fencing, and an all-weather airstrip.

bayleys.co.nz/2852523

bayleys.co.nz

Tender (will not be sold prior) Closing 4pm, Fri 14 May 2021 17 Napier Road, Havelock North View by appointment Tony Rasmussen 027 429 2253 tony.rasmussen@bayleys.co.nz Andy Hunter 027 449 5827 andy.hunter@bayleys.co.nz EASTERN REALTY LTD, BAYLEYS, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008

Real Estate

FARMERS WEEKLY – April 26, 2021

farmersweekly.co.nz/realestate 0800 85 25 80

Boundary lines are indicative only

Central Hawke’s Bay 466 Pourerere Road, Waipawa

Tukuwaru Farm - opportunity plus Rarely does 230 hectares (STT) of bare land suitable for finishing and cropping situated in this location become available for purchase. Located only minutes from Waipawa in Central Hawke's Bay, the land is predominantly flat to easy rolling with significant road frontage, and borders the Tuki Tuki river. The easy contour allows for vehicle access across the entire property. The opportunity exists to increase production with further pasture development, water reticulation and subdivision. Contact Kris or Tim to discuss further the opportunity and potential.

bayleys.co.nz/2852545

Tender (will not be sold prior) Closing 4pm, Tue 11 May 2021 17 Napier Road, Havelock North View by appointment Kris August 027 248 9266 kris.august@bayleys.co.nz Tim Wynne-Lewis 027 488 9719 tim.wynne-lewis@bayleys.co.nz EASTERN REALTY LTD, BAYLEYS, LICENSED UNDER THE REA ACT 2008

Herbert 286 Tulliemet Road

Lauder Drybread Road Tender

Tullymett Farm It is a privilege to have the opportunity to market this well presented 702 ha sheep and beef breeding and finishing property. Located in one of North Otago's more favourable rainfall areas with reliable stock and domestic water sourced from a spring fed dam. Quality accommodation with a five bedroom, two storey home in a lovely elevated position with triple garaging and a two bedroom cottage with double garage. Farm improvements include three stand RB woolshed with 700 NP, 16x12m open shed, large barn, cattle yards and spray dip. In seven freehold titles 480 ha effective with the contour a good balance of sunny and dark faces and the remaining 220 ha native bush. Property Brokers Ltd Licensed REAA 2008 | pb.co.nz

Productive property in Central Otago For Sale $5,250,000 + GST (if any) View By appointment Web pb.co.nz/OMR85844

Merv Dalziel M 027 439 5823

Motivated vendors have given clear instruction to get this sold on the tender date. This is the opportunity to own 454 ha (1,121 acres) subject to survey in the heart of Central Otago. Located 8 km from Omakau, 35 km to the larger service town of Alexandra and approximately one and half hours drive to Queenstown/Wanaka. This property has been extensively developed over recent years with the installation of two pivot irrigators, lane ways, fencing, new cattle yards, new pastures, capital fertiliser and is now ready for the new owners to utilize the work done or further develop the irrigation and build your dream home. Don't delay - vendors have made the decision to sell. Give us a call today! Property Brokers Ltd Licensed REAA 2008 | pb.co.nz

Tender closes Wednesday 19th May, 2021 at 2.00pm, 21 Macandrew Road, South Dunedin View By appointment Web pb.co.nz/DNR86886

Russell Cotton M 027 465 7442 Wes Flannery M 027 210 6536 Alan Eason M 027 489 8760

Whakamaru 944 Baker Road and Tihoi Road Deadline Sale

Deer or dairy - 195 ha Here is your chance to purchase a profitable, well established deer farm, with deferred settlement, allowing ample time to establish your own farming program, be it staying with the deer or switching to dairy support. The property has been faithfully farmed by the same owner since last century, who has sown seasonal crops followed by new grass for many years. Soils are volcanic pumice and ash. After 70 or so years there is a respectable buildup of top soil. Contour is approximately 70% tractor, 30% hill with some steep sidings. Buildings: A four bedroom + office home with internal access garage for two cars, two living areas, built by GJ Gardner. An older four bedroom house, circa 1960, with garages. Farm buildings comprise a conventional deer shed, in which 1,300 plus stags give their Velvet each year. One high stud three bay tractor shed, fully equipped workshop and ancillary smaller sheds housing the water bore and pump, plus farm supplies.

Deadline Sale closes Tuesday 11th May, 2021 at 4.00pm, (unless sold prior) View By appointment Web pb.co.nz/TOR86086

Paul O'Sullivan M 027 496 4417

E paulo@pb.co.nz

Doug Wakelin M 027 321 1343

E dougw@pb.co.nz

Matawai 313 Te Wera Road

Homebrook - strong investment, strong cashflow • 325 ha Matawai dairy farm • Opotiki 68 km - Gisborne 80 km • Target production of over 260,000 kgMS • Five year old 60 bail automated rotary shed • Modern four bedroom architecturally designed main home • Two additional staff houses Located in the renowned farming district of Matawai, which is well known for its favourable growing conditions in the summer. Opportunities to purchase a farm of this calibre do not come up often in the region so act now.

For Sale By Negotiation View By appointment Web pb.co.nz/GIR84474

Tom Lane M 021 058 7018 Property Brokers Ltd Licensed REAA 2008 | pb.co.nz

E toml@pb.co.nz Proud to be here

PRESTIGIOUS ONGAHA - MULTI ENTERPRISE BUSINESS WITH PURCHASE OPTIONS Te Maire Road, Kahutara, Featherston, South Wairarapa With a proud history, tracing from the early Wairarapa farming pioneers, historic Ongaha is located just a 10 minute drive west of Martinborough. This prestigious 583ha property (182ha irrigated via 162 litre/second consent with no low flow restrictions) is multi-faceted and includes an irrigated dairy unit, a partly irrigated finishing block and the home grazing block that includes the magnificent Ongaha Homestead. With around 430ha of flats to easy rolling hills and other land in easy/ medium hill country, Ongaha has superb balance supporting, sheep and cattle breeding & finishing, dairying and feed crop production. Built in 1914, the Homestead features 5 bedrooms, formal and informal living rooms and stunning grounds with pool and tennis court. On farm infrastructure is significant with 4 other houses, quality fencing and access, a strong balance of soil types and fertility levels and 5 pivot irrigators. Purchase options include (STFS); The 583ha whole property; the Homestead Block 205ha, the Finishing Block 217ha and the Dairy Unit 161ha. This is a rare opportunity - Ongaha has been innovatively farmed for generations and is waiting for a new owner(s) to add to its undoubted potential. Inspection strictly by appointment only. Detailed Property Report available upon request. Tender Closes 4pm, Tue 18 May 2021. NZR, Level 1, 16 Perry Street, Masterton 5810. See separate Listing for Lifestyle Options nzr.nz/RX2806491

583.10 hectares Video on website

nzr.nz/RX2806397 Blair Stevens AREINZ 027 527 7007 | blair@nzr.nz Dave Hutchison 027 286 9034 | dave@nzr.nz NZR Real Estate Limited | Licensed REAA 2008

farmersweekly.co.nz/realestate 0800 85 25 80

Real Estate

FARMERS WEEKLY – April 26, 2021

Accelerating success. IL

E ET

I OS

R AP

T NO

N FI

Productive Stock Finishing Unit

LARGE SCALE FARM FIT FOR A KING

Conrad Headland 027 272 1017 0800 CONRAD

For Sale by Tender Thursday 29 April 2021, 4pm (unless sold prior) 437 Herbert Road, Rotongaro, Waikato

Approximately 781 hectares

Five separate dwellings

Profitable finishing unit

Superior livestock infrastructure

Cropping potential

Beef/sheep farm

The Deroles family have owned this substantial 781Ha productive finishing block for over half a century and this is its first time offered to market. Made up of 7 titles all adjoining, the property boasts five separate dwellings including an eclectic main Castle architecturally commissioned and built by the owners in the early 80’s. A 16.3 ha native clad island on lake Whangape is part of the property.The farms contour is flat to easy rolling. Good rainfall maintains a mostly summer safe status. Currently utilised to finish 950-1250 rising 3-year-old bulls. With 3 sets of yards import and export of livestock is made easy. Races are wide alley and the electric fencing is of superior quality. Extensive works have been done on fencing and planting of wetland areas and lake boundaries. This is a legacy property that is profitable creating good returns call me today on 0800CONRAD for more information. Colliers NZ Limited Licensed REAA 2008

colliers.co.nz/p-NZL67012796

colliers.co.nz

RURAL | LIFESTYLE | RESIDENTIAL

Open Day

653 Manawaru Road

99.7 ha approx

Manawaru End of An Era The cows have been sold and now the farm is offered for sale. Comprising of 99.7 ha approx consisting of 3 freehold titles. Each title has a dwelling of varying ages. Waihou & Ohinemuri rich sandy loam soils. 24 ASHB shed, generous sized implement shedding and large sized workshop. Having 55 paddocks and is well raced. The property provides many options. As an existing dairy unit, dairy support unit, the potential for sand extraction and the milling of the small stand of Pines. Team up with your neighbours and buy it together and have a title each. Motivated vendors!

NEW LISTING

EDENDALE, SOUTHLAND 94ha on the Golden Mile

For Sale Auction Wed, 12th May at 3:00pm (Unless sold prior) ___________________________________ View Thurs 29th April & Fri 7th May 11am-12.30pm ___________________________________ Agent Dave Young 0274 579 060 LJ Hooker Morrinsville (07) 889 8015 Licensed Agent REAA 2008

Central Waikato Realty Limited. Licensed Real Estate Agent REAA 2008. All information contained herein is gathered from sources we consider to be reliable. However, we cannot guarantee or give any warranty about the information provided. Interested parties must solely rely on their own enquiries.

Situated on the southern boundary of Edendale this premier property has been faithfully farmed by the Hillis family for over 80 years. Currently growing tulips and roses these fertile soils have also been utilised for growing out hoggets for the Lorneville two-tooth fair in February and finishing cattle. A three bedroom villa situated amid an established sheltered garden setting along with a second home currently tenanted, full range of farm buildings, water scheme to paddocks and central lane providing excellent access around the property.

TENDER

Plus GST (if any) Closes 12.00pm, Wednesday 19 May

VIEW By Appointment Only

Andrew Patterson M 027 434 7636 B 03 211 3144 E apatterson@pggwrightson.co.nz

pggwre.co.nz/INV34096 PGG Wrightson Real Estate Limited, licensed under REAA 2008

Helping grow the country

ATHLIAM DAIRY FARM

FOR SALE

5571 - 5575 State Highway 1 Tokoroa - Waikato

FREEHOLD GOING CONCERN OR LAND ONLY

Deadline Offers:

Thursday 27 May 2021 at 4pm (NZST) + + + + +

373ha of versatile land 292ha* milking platform Milking 730 cows Averaging 247,000kg* milk solids 50 bail rotary shed with attached open feed yard

+ 38ha* of near mature Pinus Radiata + Located just 12km* south of

Tokoroa

+ Flexible Settlement Date *Approximately

TUTUKAU FOREST

FOR SALE

Tutukau Road, Mihi Rotorua Lakes District

PRUNED MATURE FOREST IN SOUGHT-AFTER CNI LOCATION

About Us Arotahi Agribusiness is a services business, advising owners and occupiers of rural and agribusiness properties throughout Aotearoa. Our areas of expertise cover Transactions, Valuations and Advisory across a wide range of productive land uses. Prior to establishing Arotahi in November 2020, our high performing team has successfully negotiated in excess of $500m of transactions, together with valuing some of the most productive dairy, pastoral, high country and forestry land in the country. For any transaction or advisory work, get in touch with our licensed real estate agents:

A total freehold area of 119.9 hectares and a net stocked area of 58.9 hectares* of mature Pinus radiata with a further 60 hectares* of future replanted land. The 1995 age class is primarily managed to a clearwood regime. Tutukau Forest provides an attractive, modest-sized opportunity in an excellent location, with proximity to multiple processing facilities and export.

Jeremy Keating M: +64 21 461 210 E: jeremy.keating@arotahiagri.co.nz

Deadline Offers:

4pm (NZST) Thursday 20 May 2021** + + + + +

119.9ha freehold land 58.9ha* mature Pinus radiata 119km* to Port of Tauranga Rental income from Forestry Right Pre-harvest inventory, draft harvest plan and mapping available

+ Available as Cutting Right or

land only, and/or land and trees together + Post-1989 land with NZUs available

*Approximately **Unless sold prior

Arotahi Agribusiness Limited, Licensed Real Estate Agent (REAA 2008)

Chan Singh M +64 27 767 7113 E: chan.singh@arotahiagri.co.nz

Wyatt Johnston M +64 27 815 1303 E: wyatt.johnston@arotahiagri.co.nz

Farm ‘Dress Circle’ - 412.6354 hectares (1019.62 acres)

Open Farm 242 & 245 Lagoon Road, Rangiwahia

Auction Auction: 2.00pm Wednesday 26th May 2021 at Rural and Lifestyle Sales Ltd 56 Stafford Street, Feilding

• 4 bedroom home • 5 stand woolshed (1600 NP) • Well tracked with central laneway • Excellent fertilizer history • A great opportunity to own a strong hill country farm with a good balance of contour in the renowned Rangiwahia farming district

Property ID RAL840

Open Farm: Thursday 29th April, 6th May 10.00am - 12.00pm. Bring Motor Bike & Helmet Richard Anderson 027 543 1610 richard@rals.co.nz Robert Dabb 027 255 3992 robert@rals.co.nz

‘Fox’s Block’ - 279.63 hectares (690 acres)

Open Farm 1338 Ruahine Road, Rangiwahia

Auction Auction: 2.00pm Wednesday 26th May 2021 at Rural and Lifestyle Sales Ltd 56 Stafford Street, Feilding

• 3 bedroom home • 4 stand woolshed (800 NP) • 63 hectares of productive flats • Excellent fertilizer history • A great opportunity to own good clean hill country with a good balance of finishing country in the renowned Rangiwahia farming district

Property ID RAL841 ruralandlifestylesales.com

Open Farm: Thursday 29th April, 6th May 1.30 - 3.30pm. Bring Motor Bike & Helmet Richard Anderson 027 543 1610 richard@rals.co.nz Robert Dabb 027 255 3992 robert@rals.co.nz Rural and Lifestyle Sales.com Ltd Licensed REAA 2008

Real Estate

FARMERS WEEKLY – April 26, 2021

Tender

farmersweekly.co.nz/realestate 0800 85 25 80

Kevin Deane Real Estate

Awhitu 412 Kemp Road 36.0200 HA A

Income from harvesting the remaining, approx. 15 ha of mature P.rad. The forest is NOT registered under the ETS. An excellent house site on near flat land close to the road. A prime opportunity to purchase large lot on the increasingly popular Awhitu Peninsula. Only 4.5 km to Matakawau. Tender Closes Tuesday 25th May at 4:00pm (unless sold prior) View by appointment, harcourts.co.nz/PU210417 Harcourts Pukekohe Kevin Seymour M 0274 345 563

kevin.seymour@harcourts.co.nz

Pieter Minnaar M 0210 837 1214

pieter.minnaar@harcourts.co.nz

Harcourts Pukekohe / 24 Seddon Street, Pukekohe / 09 238 4244 / Port Realty Ltd / Licensed Agent REAA 2008

Tamahere 199 Woodside Road A Healthy Investment If you’re considering where to invest your money and the low bank returns don’t excite you, the share market scares you and the recent changes of legislation regarding to residential investments leave you cold ….. why not invest in land and asparagus? Firstly, the land being some 67ha of which 55ha is growing asparagus and with its excellent sandy loam soils lends itself to a multitude of uses. Secondly the property is situated in super popular Matangi- surely all of the above makes for a compelling “must see” when considering where to invest your hard-earned money. Call us today to view and for more information.

Tender closes Friday 7th May 2021 (unless sold prior) View By Appointment www.harcourts.co.nz/ML4521

Kevin Deane M 021 970 902 Gary Stokes M 021 351 112

Licensed Agent REAA 2008

Do you want your farm SOLD? With over 22 years of collective experience in rural sales in New Zealand and Australia specialising in dairy farms, Les could have the solution for the sale of your farm. • What is my farm worth? • How should I sell it? • Are there any buyers out there?

We sell all sized farms so call

• What about my herd and stock? • What has been sold lately? • What will it cost me?

LES CAIN ON 0800 LES CAIN to discuss your options

Sallan Realty

Google ‘Sallan Realty’ Your Farm Sales Specialist

Your one stop shop for rural Real Estate Get in touch with your agent today to list your property next to news and insights that farmers read. 0800 85 25 80 farmersweekly.co.nz/realestate

LK0106711©

ARE YOU LOOKING FOR ANSWERS?

LES CAIN 0274 420 582

Licensed Agent REAA 2008

farmersweekly.co.nz/advertising 0800 85 25 80

Tech & Toys

E R O M D E E N

N O I T C A TR ARM?

16”

$1499

F E H T ON

Get the NEW Terrafirma errafirma 50/50 Rugged Terrain Wheel & Tyre Package CALL US TODAY!

FARMERS WEEKLY – April 26, 2021

0800 453 373

17”

$1699

Terms & Conditions Apply

HEAVY DUTY BERTI MULCHERS

MAKE SHORT WORK OF ANYTHING. WHEN IT COMES TO HEAVY PRUNING AND TOUGHER STANDING GORSE AND SCRUB, FORESTRY MULCHERS HAVE THE POWER AND CAPABILITY TO GET THE JOB DONE.

FGD1176

Talk to us now for mulchers up to 6.0m working width and for tractors up to 300hp. To see videos of these mulchers in action visit our website. CALL FARMGARD 24 HOURS

FIND OUT MORE AT

Nationwide Dealer

0800 FARMGARD

farmgard.co.nz

Service Network

Murray Thomson

35 years, Generations of

Experience

Heavy duty means made for heavy work - and quality built BERTI mulchers have the design and construction to power through any task. • Mulches tree prunings • Thick standing gorse and scrub • Heavy duty, swinging hammer or tungsten carbide fixed tooth options • For tractors up to 300hp

Noticeboard

Required for sheep and beef farm

This position includes on-farm accommodation with primary and secondary school bus at the gate. We are seeking an assistant manager to share their skills/knowledge to assist our current manager with day-to-day operations working within a high performing and sustainable farming system.

Phone Geoff Corpe 027 4357 832 Between 8.30pm and 9.30pm

Key responsibilities include: • Assisting the manager with daily farm operations • Assisting the manager to ensure farm business objectives are achieved • Assisting the manager with recording and monitoring livestock and pasture performance • Overall farm management in the absence of the farm manager • General farm duties

LK0106787©

Be part of our progressive team by emailing your resume to: tom @pjhsons.com Immediate start available.

JOBS BOARD

Lease land wanted to grow export hay. South Island wide. Large areas of lease land required. Dryland and irrigated. Would consider anything.

LK0105354©

DOLOMITE

Freephone 0800 30 30 63

LK0106266©

LK010820©

We also clean out and remetal cattle yards – Call us!

*conditions apply

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

• Durable welded marinealloy troughs / galv RHS chassis. • Sizes: 5.4 metre – 1.6 cu/m 6.6 metre – 2.0 cu/m

WORKING TAUMARUNUI AREA Book your shed now

scottnewman101@gmail.com

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

sales@transtak.co.nz www.transtak.co.nz

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

BARLEY & WHEAT STRAW RYE GRASS STRAW MEADOW HAY LUCERNE & MEADOW BALEAGE

LK0106503©

Expressions of Interest – purchase of mining right, resource consent, access agreement and associated quarry plant and machinery.

Available in Squares & Rounds

Consent to Mine Limestone Shellrock Location: 263 Waiinu Beach Road, Waitotara – South Taranaki

Phone Mark 0800 478 729 or Tracey 027 554 1841

36.2 hectare Survey Quarry Located 7km oﬀ State Highway 3, Waitotara, the property has consent to excavate shellrock from 36.2 hectare with right to extend mining permit and land.

QUALITY Feeds You Can TRUST

Justine Alexander 027 232 7763

IMPROVE AND SIMPLIFY day-to-day farm management with maps showing names and paddock sizes. Visit farmmapping.co.nz for a free quote.

FORESTRY WANTED

NATIVE FOREST FOR MILLING also Macrocarpa and Red Gum, New Zealand wide. We can arrange permits and plans. Also after milled timber to purchase. NEW ZEALAND NATIVE TIMBER SUPPLIERS (WGTN) LIMITED 04 293 2097 Richard.

GIBB-GRO GROWTH PROMOTANT PROMOTES QUICK PASTURE growth. Only $6+gst per hectare delivered. 0508-GIBBGRO [0508 442 247] www. gibbgro.co.nz. “The Proven One.”

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

GRAZING AVAILABLE CATTLE GRAZING available. Tararua district. Phone 027 427 8900. FOR ONLY $2.10 + gst per word you can book a word only ad in Farmers Weekly Classifieds. Phone Marie on 0800 85 25 80.

LK0105452©

WIRE. RUSTY PLAIN no8 and rusty barbed wire required. In coils, not rotten. Phone 021 129 9439. Email: info@wireart. co.nz – Thanks Lynda and John at WireArt.

WORK WANTED CRUTCHING WORK wanted. Waikato / King Country. Shed only with farmer’s plant. $1+gst per animal. Brian 027 236 5409.

0800 446 332 Quote code 58

Got something to sell? List it in Farmers Weekly classifieds 0800 85 25 80 classifieds@globalhq.co.nz

Livestock

FRIESIAN, FRIESIAN CROSS & JERSEY SPRING CALVING HERD CLEARING SALE

Unless sold prior To be held on farm TUESDAY 11TH MAY 2021 12 Noon Start A/C FELTRIM FARMS 983 Hoanga Road, Dargaville Comprising: 230 x Single Birth ID Frsn, Jsy & XB Cows These cows show a well considered nominated breeding programme that expresses longevity by providing good udders, legs & great capacity. Production 433ms in 240 days. (Very Low SCC and rarely a lame cow) BW 11 PW 18 RA 75% - C10 Calving 5 July 2021-XB, Frsn & Jsy Tailed with Hereford For all enquiries contact: Don McKenzie 021 754 174 This sale will be streamed live via MyLivestock.co.nz

GST $4400 INCLUSIVE

William Morrison – 027 640 1166

GST INCLUSIVE

Ph 028 461 5112 • Email: mowermasterltd@gmail.com

• Lines of quality, in-calf, Hereford R3year heifers and cows

• Closed herd, C10, vaccinated annually for BVD, 7-in-1 and Rotovirus

$3900 To find out more visit www.moamaster.co.nz

ANNUAL FEMALE PRODUCTION SALE

• All mated to Ardo stud Hereford bulls from November 1

13.5HP. Briggs & Stratton Motor. Electric start. 1.2m cut LK0106718©

WANTED TO BUY

For more details on Dianne and many other beautiful ladies in your local area, please call

• Farmed on Hunterville hill-country as part of the Ardo Hereford stud

TOWABLE FLAIL MOWER

Ph 021 047 9299

RED DEVON BULLS. Waimouri stud, Feilding. Phone 027 224 3838.

Dianne is full of life, love and laughter. She loves the Country Lifestyle, swimming and cooking. Dianne is now looking for a man who is genuine and affectionate. All ages & areas welcome.

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

- MAY ONLY SPECIAL -

Heavy duty long lasting

WILTSHIRES-ARVIDSON. Self shearing sheep. No1 for Facial Eczema. David 027 2771 556.

Country Beauty

HAY ROUNDS $75+gst; Squares $60+gst. BALEAGE $75+gst. Unit loads available. Top quality. Phone 021 455 787.

NEW OWNER $500 REDUCTION

Quarry has provided quality shellrock to dairy farmers, sheep and beef farmers, local contractors, forestry, all roading requirements, river erosion work in the Waverley, Waitotara and South Taranaki region since 2004.

View by appointment only.

FARM MAPPING

LIVESTOCK FOR SALE

PERSONAL

HAY FOR SALE

0800 436 566

Waiinu Beach Quarry

For more information regarding the Deed of access call 027 232 7763

4-YEAR-OLD Heading dog, well bred. Good hill country dog. Hunterville / Feilding. Phone 027 274 1478. TOY BREED PUPS Mini Schnauzers and Schi Tzus. Phone 021 060 5440. WE HAVE A TOP selection of young Huntaways for sale. We are not traders we are breeders trainers and sellers based in Southland. Transport to the North Island no problem. Join us on facebook workingdogsnewzealand. Check out our web site w w w. r i n g w a y k e n n e l s . co.nz. Ringway Kennels. Phone 027 248 7704.

WORD ONLY ADVERTISING. Phone Marie on 0800 85 25 80.

LK0106798©

www.underthewoolshed.kiwi

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

LK0106110©

Welded marine alumininum troughs

ONE 12-WEEK-OLD Huntaway dog pup. Excellent bark. Phone 027 243 8541.

Agronomy Arable and Vegetable Spray Operator Dairy Farm Manager General Hand Great Opportunities – Australia Hoki Season 2021 Labourer Training Opportunities

FEED TROUGH TRAILERS

AIRLESS PAINTING. Any building or roof on any paddock. No power required. Give your old shed or building that fresh new look. Your choice of colour. Over 30 years experience. Contact PaveMark Sprayers. South Island only. 0800 54 36 48 or email: sales@pavemarkltd.co.nz

BORDER COLLIE BITCH Heading/Handy pup 7m. Good working parents. Showing eye and keen to work. Unexpected urgent sale. $400 Ono. 021 1800 142. SMITHFIELD AND Huntaway dog. Phone 06 280 4173.

farmersweeklyjobs.co.nz

NZ’s #1 Under Woolshed/Covered Yards Cleaning Specialist For Over A Decade

FOR BEEF CATTLE. Preferably Northland. Long term. Phone 021 090 54024 / 09 436 3628.

DOGS FOR SALE

Noticeboard

SCOTTY’S CONTRACTORS

12 MONTHS TO 5½-yearold Heading dogs and Huntaways wanted. Phone 022 698 8195. BUYING, SELLING DOGS NZ Wide. www. youtube.com/user/ mikehughesworkingdog/ videos email: mikehughesworkingdogs@ farmside.co.nz 07 315 5553

ATTENTION FARMERS

P & J Harris Group is a family owned broadscale agricultural operation with farms located in North Western NSW and Southern QLD, Australia.

Applications close Friday 30th April 2021

Please phone or text Andrew Quigley 027 436 9307 andrew.quigley@quigleyfeeds.co.nz

FLY OR LICE problem? Electrodip – the magic eye sheepjetter since 1989 with unique self adjusting sides. Incredible chemical and time savings with proven effectiveness. Phone 07 573 8512 w w w. e l e c t r o d i p . c o m

GREAT OPPORTUNITIES

Great opportunities in the following positions include: • Farm manager • Earthmoving operators • Front end loader operators • Cook/gardener • Farm mechanic

For a job description or to email an application, contact: robbie.peat@nz.gt.com

LEASE LAND WANTED

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

LK0106826©

Successful applicants will have: • Excellence in pasture management, animal husbandry and milk harvesting skills • Excellence in written and oral communication skills • Proven leadership, team management and planning skills • Not less than 3 years Dairy industry experience

LK0106847©

Reliable self motivated farm worker, be able to work with stock, do maintenance and all aspects of tractor work etc. Must have current drivers licence. No house available. Feilding area.

DOGS WANTED

Maurice Stewart, PGGW – 027 246 9255

www.morrisonfarming.co.nz

LK0106785©

Taratahi Agricultural Training Centres Masterton Dairy Farm are looking for an assistant farm manager. Located only 6km from Masterton.

ANIMAL HANDLING

LK0106827©

General Hand

Dairy Farm Assistant Manager

LK0106825©

Primary Pathways

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

Livestock Noticeboard

FARMERS WEEKLY – April 26, 2021

RANUI BULL SALE

NZ Farmers Livestock in conjunction with

Mangatara Limousin Dannevirke Invite interested parties to view Limousin cattle for sale.

JOIN JOIN US FOR OUR

OPEN DAY: MONDAY, MAY 10TH from 10am to 2pm at their

41ST SALE 40TH SALE

property 66 Rakaiatai Road, Norsewood, Dannevirke Food and drink refreshments provided

ON THURSDAY THURSDAY 10TH JUNE* ON 4TH JUNE*

For sale by Private Treaty (on the day or by arrangement): 27 Purebred R2 Limousin bulls and 30 mixed-age VIC

• sale Confirmed on-farm bull sale On farm at Karamu Wanganui at 3.00pm

Registered Limousin cows

•

Be in the draw on the day to win 10 Limousin semen straws from their home-bred reference sires

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

LK0106437©

Rebate payable to all purchasing agents. Further enquiries, phone

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

Erik & Lyn Van Der Velden 06 374 1575

ranuiangus.co.nz

or NZFL agents Clint Worthington 021 209 2236

Need to mooooove stock?

John Watson 027 494 1975

Call Ella: 0800 85 25 80

Winners of the Steak of Origin 2018 1447 Hereheretau Rd, RD 6, WAIROA 4196

BullsEye Sale

www.kerrahsimmentals.co.nz

PROFIT-A-BULL EXCELLENCE

4th AUTUMN ON FARM SERVICE BULL SALE (UNDERCOVER)

SIXTH ANNUAL ON-FARM AUCTION

Tangiwai Station, Wairoa • 1PM, Tuesday, 25 May 2021 th

MONDAY 10TH MAY 2021

Jon Knauf

80+

POLLED PERF BULLS FO ORMANCE R AUCTIO N

SALE COMMENCES – 11:30am

On Account of David & Fiona MacKenzie 300 McDonald Mine Road Huntly Sale is signposted from Huntly Bridge. Streamed Live with Online Bidding via MyLiveStock.co.nz

“Where Performance Meats Phenotype”

Comprising of 230 - 2yr & 3yr Quality Service Bulls 100 Rising 3yr Hereford Bulls 20 R 2yr Virgin Angus Bulls 60 Rising 2yr Virgin Hereford Bulls

CONTACT: for catalogue

Jon Knauf 06 838 6793 E: jsknauf@gisborne.net.nz

Phil Transom 0274 420 060 PGG Wrightson

Ross Mitchell 0274 048 965 Fergus Rural

I have personally inspected these bulls and they come forward in excellent condition. The Herefords are very well marked and all the bulls have exceptional temperament.

Buy in confidence! The bulls can be held on farm until the following dates at no charge: Monday 10th & 24th May and Monday 7th & 21st June or by arrangement. The bulls are TB & BVD tested and double inoculated. Blood test sample tested for M Bovis, complete traceability. Finance Or Bull Plan Available

Terms & Conditions Apply

NZ Farmers Livestock Agent in charge: Bill Sweeney - 027 451 5310

Need to mooooove stock? Call Ella: 0800 85 25 80

BULL INSURANCE

Bid, buy, insure. [It’s that simple]

NZ’s Virtual Saleyard UPCOMING AUCTIONS Tuesday, 27 April 2021 12.30pm Roma Jersey Stud Complete Dispersal - 3rd Run, R2 and R1 heifers Wednesday, 28 April 2021 12.30pm Roma Jersey Stud Complete Dispersal - 4th Run, R2 and R1 heifers Monday, 10 May 2021 7.00pm Kauri Gold First Annual Female Sale Monday, 11 May 2021 10.00am NZ Herefords National Seed Stock Sale **LIVESTREAM ONLY** For more information go to bidr.co.nz or contact the team on 0800 TO BIDR

Advertise your livestock in the Farmers Weekly. It’s no bull. Contact Ella: 06 323 0761 027 602 4925

livestock@globalhq.co.nz

farmersweekly.co.nz

Purchasing a bull is a big investment – and losing a bull to disease, theft, or infertility would be a big loss. Make sure this doesn’t happen, by insuring your bull with comprehensive cover today. BrokerWeb Risk Services (BWRS), in association with PGG Wrightson (PGW), can arrange cover for your bull at on farm auctions or via the bidr® online auction platform. The bull insurance is offered exclusively to our PGW customers, with no proposal forms, just tell BWRS staff at the sale you require the cover and they’ll do the rest*. *Special terms and conditions apply, just talk to BWRS staff at the sale. Refer Disclosure on our website.

pggwrightson.co.nz/insurance | 0800 10 22 76

Scan me to request a no obligation insurance assessment Helping grow the country

Livestock Noticeboard

FARMERS WEEKLY – April 26, 2021

STOCK FOR SALE 1200 MA ROM EWES RWR 15/02

LK0106862©

Hamish Hewitt 027 447 5384

Lines R2YR FRSN BULLS 320-460kg 120 EXOTIC + EX X MA COWS

www.hewittlivestock.co.nz

VIC Sim 15/11

STOCK REQUIRED

Ready to talk some Bull?

STORE LAMBS 30-38kg

Top ANGUS STEER CALVES 240kg+ R2YR BEEF BULLS 370-420kg

SALE TALK

If you want weaner bulls, anywhere in the country, I can supply. Give me a call

Proudly Based in Hawke’s Bay

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

Contact Ella: 0800 85 25 80 or email livestock@globalhq.co.nz

A businessman went into the office and found an inexperienced handyman painting the walls. The handyman was wearing two heavy parkas on a hot summer day. Thinking this was a little strange, the businessman asked the handyman why he was wearing the parkas on such a hot day. The handyman showed him the instructions on the can of paint. They read: “For best results, put on two coats.”

www.dyerlivestock.co.nz

Ross Dyer 0274 333 381

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

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

Owned and bred for 40yrs A/c R M Rosacker On Wednesday 5th May 2021 at 378 Jens Anderson Road Norsewood, Dannevirke Start Time: 11:00am D/C 47360

A/c Hunter Farms Limited 37 Matakitaki Road Six Mile, Murchison Tuesday 18th May at 11:00am

COMPRISING: • 300 Xbred/Jersey/JerseyX herd BW130 PW151 R/A 82% • 35 JerseyX I/C heifers BW124 PW141 DTC 28/7 to Jersey Bulls LK0106761©

A large array of quality farm machinery and sundries. Terms strictly cash on day of sale unless purchaser has a current Carrfields Livestock account. Eftpos available. Quality outside entries welcome. Enquiries to Carrfields Agent: Alf Kinzett 027 241 8919 Refer to our website for full listings:

www.carrfieldslivestock.co.nz

NATIONWIDE DAIRY SPECIALISTS Go to: www.carrfieldslivestock.co.nz Register your requirements and be informed when new listings appear. SELECTION OF LISTINGS: • DR2225 – 400 x Jersey herd BW144 PW150, R/A 90% DTC 18/7 to AB 4wks, HB shed. High quality – $1650 Call: Bunter 027 444 1169

LK0105991©

ENQUIRIES TO: Carrfields Agents: Sam Arends 027 343 3529 or Phil Robson 027 442 4059 or contact your local Carrfields Agent. View Catalogue on

On Account: Belfast Grazing • 38 M/A Angus Cows VIC 1/11/20 to Angus Bull

MACHINERY 10:00am

An opportunity to purchase Top Hill Country Angus Cows.

Payment on day of sale: 585 4x4 International tractor with FEL & Bucket – Tractor quick hitch – silage forks – Rata soft hands – Rata pallet forks – Giltrap bale feeder – hip lifters – Rex Barns carryall with frame – tedder – topper – 2017 4x4 Honda 500 quad bike – Corohawk dog kennels – 20ft shipping container – reel irrigator & sprinkler gun – portaloo – portable water troughs – Gibbons bike trailer – 3x PKE trailers – hyd post rammer – head bail – cafeterias – 1000L fuel tank – Compass Causmag spreader – bobby calf pen – numerous fencing & shed sundries.

ENQUIRIES TO: Carrfields Representative Carl Petersen 027 242 0268 Vendor: Peter McFetridge 06 307 8107

WAGYU PUREBRED NEW ZEALAND LTD

DETAILS: • Herd DTC 20/7 to 6wks CRV Frsn – T/O Angus bulls – out 25/12 • I/C hfrs DTC 20/7 to Jsy bulls – out 25/12 • HB, consistently low SCC under 100,000 annually • TB C10, Lepto, BVD, Salmonella, Rotavirus vacc annually • Herd & genetics on farm 40 yrs • Vetted dates – good fertility

www.carrfieldslivestock.co.nz

PAYMENT TERMS: Payment is due on 31st May 2021. Delivery immediate or to end of May for farmers with no access to property. ENQUIRIES TO: Carrfields Livestock Agent: Stewart Cruickshank 027 270 5288 or stewart.cruickshank@carrfields.co.nz Contact your local Carrfields Agents for details and photos.

Hybrid Livestream Auctions

Complete dispersal sale of NZ foundation purebred Wagyu herd

AUCTIONEERS NOTE: Long established 3-digit herd code in good dairy order. Milked on challenging hilly farm. For sale due to farm sale and herd never listed for sale. Totally recommend this very well uddered, young herd. LK0106681©

Payment due 31st May 2021. Deliveries immediate or delayed deliveries for sharemilkers. Delayed payment could be considered for sharemilkers, must be arranged prior to auction.

• DR2221 – 89 XBred I/C Hfrs BW164 PW182, well grown. DTC 1/7 to Jrsy – $1350 Call: Craig 027 292 6828 Contact your local agent or call: Trevor Hancock 027 283 8389 or Paul Kane: 027 286 9279

DETAILS: • Owned 40yrs & always bred to LIC, rotary shed. • Current MT rate 6%, 300kg/ms/cows, 200,000 SCC. • TB C10, lepto vacc, BVD free, approx. 40% A2A2 identified cows. • System 1 feeding, hilly farm, dried off 6/4, all dried cows treated. • Original herd 900 cows – 2x computer splits sold – no picking. • Only 15 cows over whole season treated for mastitis. • All dates verified, a well-managed herd, all cows DNA. • All calving dates verified, herd tested, cows in good working order. • All cattle have been salmonella vaccinated.

PAYMENT TERMS:

• DH2093 – 240 Strong XBred herd BW69 PW80 R/A 91% – 400ms DTC 20/7 to LIC 4wks, low inputs Many Frsn cows – $1650 Call: Kelly 027 600 2374

COMPRISING: • 300 M/A Angus Cows VIC 25/11/20 to Angus Bull • 65 Top Angus Weaner Steers • 65 Top Angus Weaner Heifers

COMPRISING: • 200 in-milk Frsn/FrsnX herd BW62 PW65 R/A 91% • 20 in-milk MT cows – Fully ID • 35 CRL Frsn/FrsnX I/C hfrs BW81 PW74 • 50 CRL Frsn/FrsnX R1yr hfrs BW74 PW68

AUCTIONEERS NOTE: Honest hard-working herd, with long walks to shed. Long AB history, these are cows that will not let you down & have huge potential. High stocking rates & only Homebred bulls used to natural mate cows. Impressive dairy type & excellent uddered herd, you will be impressed. For sale due to farm sale.

• DH2186 – 330 Jsy/JsyX herd BW76 PW112 – Young OAD herd DTC 29/7, hard farm, $1300 Call: Richard 027 407 0562

Lagoon Hill Station 134 Lagoon Hill Road Martinborough On 11th May 2021, 12:00pm start

A/c All Mine Trust Nigel & Kathryn Buckley On Thursday 6th May 2021 at 131 Maratoto Road Paeroa D/C Syn 5277, starting at: Sundries 10:00am & Herd 11:30am

Acc Client: McCool Family Sale date 26th May 2021 Wellsford Saleyards Sale starts at 11am Comprising of: Rising 1 Year 60 x Heifers 45 x Steers 58 x Bulls Rising 2 Year 92 x VIC Heifers 80 x Steers Mixed Age 365 x VIC Cows (tally subject to VIC) 13 x Sire Bulls Approximate Tallies Contact PGG Wrightson Agent: Richard Healey 027 972 7372 rich.healey@pggwrightson.co.nz

LK0106834©

PRELIMINARY NOTICE OF CLEARING SALE

ON FARM CAPITAL STOCK ANGUS COW SALE

PREDOMINATELY FRIESIAN – 3-DIGIT HERD CODE DAIRY AUCTION DISPERSAL

Helping grow the country

THIS SEASONS awesome

Choose your Champions!

front row at the bull sales If you’re looking for a planned approach to success, get in touch with your local PGG Wrightson Genetics Specialist to find out when and how these sales are being held, or to schedule your sale. Go to: www.pggwrightson.co.nz/bullsales Or to view the upcoming sales go to:

www.bidr.co.nz

LK0106786©

GREAT SHIFTING LIC DAIRY AUCTION

MARKET SNAPSHOT

Market Snapshot brought to you by the AgriHQ analysts.

Mel Croad

Suz Bremner

Reece Brick

Nicola Dennis

Sarah Friel

Caitlin Pemberton

Deer

Sheep

Cattle BEEF

SHEEP MEAT

VENISON

Last week

Prior week

Last year

NI Steer (300kg)

5.25

5.20

4.85

NI lamb (17kg)

6.95

6.85

6.50

NI Stag (60kg)

5.20

7.00

NI Bull (300kg)

5.15

4.85

NI mutton (20kg)

5.40

5.20

4.50

SI Stag (60kg)

5.35

7.00

NI Cow (200kg)

3.50

3.25

SI lamb (17kg)

6.60

6.50

6.30

SI Steer (300kg)

4.65

4.40

SI mutton (20kg)

5.20

4.05

SI Bull (300kg)

4.60

4.35

Export markets (NZ$/kg)

SI Cow (200kg)

3.20

3.15

2.90

UK CKT lamb leg

11.34

11.17

10.34

US imported 95CL bull

8.23

8.16

8.00

US domestic 90CL cow

8.23

7.39

9.17

Slaughter price (NZ$/kg)

Export markets (NZ$/kg)

6.50

8.0

$/kg CW

5.0

10.0

South Island lamb slaughter price

Oct

Dec

Feb

5-yr ave

Oct

(NZ$/kg)

Dec 5-yr ave

Feb

Apr

Jun

Aug

2019-20

2020-21

Jun

Aug 2020-21

Apr 2019-20

Jun

Fertiliser

Aug 2020-21

FERTILISER

Coarse xbred ind.

Dairy

7.0 5.0

4.50

2019-20

8.0

7.0

WOOL

Apr

9.0

6.0

5.00

Feb

South Island stag slaughter price

11.0

5.50

5-yr ave

Last week

Prior week

Last year

2.38

2.49

NZ average (NZ$/t)

Last week

Prior week

Last year

Urea

672

567

319

314

990

787

37 micron ewe

2.20

2.10

Super

30 micron lamb

2.50

2.33

DAP

Grain

Data provided by

MILK PRICE FUTURES

Top 10 by Market Cap

CANTERBURY FEED WHEAT

Company

YTD High

Fisher & Paykel Healthcare Corporation Ltd

34.4

36.21

YTD Low 27.1

5.49

9.94

5.04 6.65

8.00

405

Meridian Energy Limited (NS)

7.50

400

Auckland International Airport Limited

7.5

7.99

Mercury NZ Limited (NS)

6.55

7.6

5.79

Spark New Zealand Limited

4.415

4.97

4.37

7.00

$/tonne

$/kg MS

6.0

5.0

6.00

Dec

7.0

6.0

South Island steer slaughter price

Oct

8.0

$/kg CW

4.50

6.50

9.0

7.0

9.0

Last year

North Island stag slaughter price

11.0

8.0

5.00 $/kg CW

$/kg CW

5.50

Last week Prior week

10.0

5.0

4.00

6.50 6.00 5.50

Apr-20

Jun-20

Aug-20 Oct-20 Sept. 2021

Dec-20 Feb-21 Sept. 2022

Nearby contract

Prior week

vs 4 weeks ago

WMP

4100

4165

3900

SMP

2835

2830

2825

14.1

15.99

14.04

Mainfreight Limited

68.21

64.85

385

The a2 Milk Company Limited

8.23

12.5

8.17

Fletcher Building Limited

7.14

7.31

5.67

Contact Energy Limited

7.51

11.16

6.6

Apr-20

Jun-20

Aug-20

Oct-20

Dec-20

Feb-21

Apr-21

4140

4100

4050

Butter

3500

3460

3430

7.65

7.64

YTD High

YTD Low

ArborGen Holdings Limited

0.175

0.195

0.161

The a2 Milk Company Limited

8.23

12.5

8.17

Comvita Limited

3.33

3.48

3.06

Delegat Group Limited

14.14

15.4

13.75

395

Fonterra Shareholders' Fund (NS)

4.65

5.15

4.34

Foley Wines Limited

1.76

2.07

1.68

390

Livestock Improvement Corporation Ltd (NS)

1.05

0.81

Marlborough Wine Estates Group Limited

0.32

0.65

0.3

New Zealand King Salmon Investments Ltd

1.64

1.72

1.43

PGG Wrightson Limited

3.33

3.65

3.11

Rua Bioscience Limited

0.39

0.61

0.37

Sanford Limited (NS)

4.63

5.23

4.3

Scales Corporation Limited

4.62

5.09

4.22

Seeka Limited

5.35

5.36

4.66

Synlait Milk Limited (NS)

3.4

5.24

3.34

385 380

* price as at close of business on Thursday

Apr-20

WMP FUTURES - VS FOUR WEEKS AGO

Jun-20

Aug-20

Oct-20

Dec-20

Feb-21

Apr-21

WAIKATO PALM KERNEL

4200

400

4000

T&G Global Limited

350 $/tonne

3800 3600 3400 3200

5pm, close of market, Thursday Close

400

7.64

Listed Agri Shares Company

405

$/tonne

AMF

3000 May

Ryman Healthcare Limited

390

CANTERBURY FEED BARLEY

Last price*

Milk Price

395

380

Apr-21

DAIRY FUTURES (US$/T)

US$/t

Slaughter price (NZ$/kg)

6.0

6.00

4.00

Last year

North Island lamb slaughter price

9.0 $/kg CW

North Island steer slaughter price

Last week Prior week

$/kg CW

Slaughter price (NZ$/kg)

William Hickson

Ingrid Usherwood

300

2.9

2.88

S&P/NZX Primary Sector Equity Index

13946

15491

13933

S&P/NZX 50 Index

12577

13558

12085

S&P/NZX 10 Index

12491

13978

11776

250 Jun Jul Latest price

Aug

Sep 4 weeks ago

Oct

200

Apr-20

S&P/FW PRIMARY SECTOR EQUITY

Jun-20

Aug-20

Oct-20

Dec-20

Feb-21

Apr-21

13946

S&P/NZX 50 INDEX

12577

S&P/NZX 10 INDEX

12491

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – April 26, 2021

Pulse

WEATHER Soil Moisture

Overview After a big spike in facial eczema during mid-April, the colder nights and generally less humid conditions are now seeing the spore counts drop again and are fairly similar to previous years (except last year, which had low counts all season due to the big dry). Over the coming week much of our airflow is coming out of the southern Tasman Sea/ Southern Ocean area, so it will be cooler and less humid. Showers are in the mix but many regions lean drier than normal, or about normal. Only Fiordland leans wetter than average. A spike in cold air and strong winds will affect New Zealand to kick off this week, but by the end of the week a large high from Aussie will be moving in.

Rain forecast but nothing significant

22/04/2021

Sarah Friel sarah.friel@globalhq.co.nz

S Source: NIWA Data

Highlights

Wind

West to south-west winds this week will turn more south to south-east for some places as high pressure expands. Windy weather is most likely at the start of the week. Lighter winds this weekend and next week due to high pressure.

Highlights/ Extremes

Temperature Cooler this week with some cold weather in the southern half of the South Island to kick off the week. As we shift from April to May, the daytime temperatures may be pleasant, but overnight lows look lower, again due to high pressure.

14-day outlook

7-day rainfall forecast

Considering we’re in the middle of autumn the weather pattern over NZ – and Australia – is quite settled. This is due to yet another powerful block of high pressure tracking in from the Indian Ocean, across southern Australia, then into the Tasman Sea and over NZ. This will be the pattern this week, seeing the cooler southerly fading and lighter winds as high pressure expands. The first week of May is looking quite settled over NZ, with mild northerlies as we head into week two of May.

Leaning drier than normal for many regions, but some showers will be a positive. A wintry change in the lower South Island for Anzac Monday and Tuesday. A big high dominates the first week of May over NZ.

100

200

400

Showers are forecast this week for many regions, including both western and eastern sides, however, as you’ll see at www. RuralWeather.co.nz, the totals in your local area might not be all that great. Much of NZ leans drier than normal for the end of April, with high pressure again expanding later this week and this coming weekend, likely locking in more drier than normal weather across NZ. The tropics are looking more energetic, but high pressure over NZ should block it from reaching us.

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

OME rainfall since the end of February has taken the edge off dry summer conditions, but this recovery was mainly restricted to the western side of the country. In the North Island, Taranaki and Manawatū are well-placed, with grass after having a few wet days throughout April, but the eastern side of the island, from Gisborne south, is still languishing in what some have called a green drought. From February to now, Gisborne and Central Hawke’s Bay have had very similar rainfall compared to last year’s drought. Dannevirke and Masterton are worse off, observing a 47mm and 108mm deficit respectively. Further north, Bay of Plenty is also feeling a pinch, recording a 74mm yearon-year deficit in Rotorua. Conditions in the South Island are more severe, with no tinge of green to take the edge off in Banks Peninsula and North Canterbury. A lack of rain in Southland and Otago is also evident. Akaroa has observed a 23mm deficit in the past 12 weeks compared to year-ago levels, while Dunedin and Gore are much drier than usual, recording respective deficits of 137mm and 197mm. Some might be surprised by the size of these deficits, given the apparent health of green pastures. However, soil moisture levels are depressed. Anyone on the lookout for mushrooms may have come to this conclusion already, as anecdotally growth is well below normal. In current conditions, soil moisture and warm temperatures are only enough to support significant growth in facial eczema spores (FE) in parts of the North Island. At this stage, the spore count is increasing at a time when it is normally tapering off, particularly in Waikato. According to our partners at WeatherWatch, the forecast for the next two weeks includes some positive change in the rain stakes, however, no significant downpours are likely. Southland looks set to benefit the most, with the potential to capture 30-50mm in the next fortnight, but Canterbury will be lucky to catch 2mm. The

rest of the east coast could have anything from 10-25mm, which is unlikely to keep a drought warning at bay and will not reverse the low groundwater levels which have set in in Northland, Gisborne, Central Hawke’s Bay, Otago and Southland. Agents from across the country have been lamenting dry conditions for contributing to a soft store cattle market. In the North Island, R2 cattle prices have barely shifted since the end of February. Bulls, traditional heifers and steers have respectively traded for $2.50/kg, $2.60/kg and $2.80/kg for the past eight weeks. In the South Island, prices have slipped by 10c/ kg for R2 cattle, with bulls and traditional heifers selling for $2.20/kg and traditional steers shifting for $2.30/kg. North Island steers and bulls are trading for 17c/kg less, and heifers are 12c/kg below average. In dollar-per-head terms, this equates to a $68 deficit on 400kg North Island bulls and steers, and a $48 deficit on heifers. Downside is more severe in the South Island. Traditional steers are trading for 54c/ kg below the five-year average, equating to a $216 deficit on 400kg cattle. For bulls and heifers, the deficit is $108 and $164 respectively. Some of the weakness in older store cattle prices can be attributed to weaners’ entrance to the market in the past eight weeks and below average farm gate prices, but if the country was feeling more confident in feed and water supplies, it is likely demand for replacement cattle would lift.

SLOW SEASON: In the North Island, R2 cattle prices have barely shifted since the end of February, and downside is more severe in the South Island.

SALE YARD WRAP

Older cattle on the move As farmers prepare for winter, older cattle have replaced the weaned calves at many yards. Demand is still tempered to some extent by very dry conditions in eastern areas and buyers sought out quality lines, though large entries of dairy-cross or lesser types proved harder to move. Reasonable prices were achieved for better cattle as, since they will be wintered, current shipping issues leading to tighter space at processors is not impacting prices. Some glimmer of improved international markets later in the year also helped to keep prices fair. NORTHLAND Kaikohe cattle • Quality weaner Charolais steers earned $3.11/kg • Weaner beef-cross and Friesian bulls traded at $2.30/kg to $2.50/ kg • R2 Friesian-cross heifers made $2.20/kg • Beef-cross boner cows sold to $1.85/kg There were approximately 800 calves penned at the KAIKOHE supplementary weaner fair on Wednesday. Steers sold above expectations and good black calves, 250-280kg, fetched $3.12/kg to $3.30/kg, and the bulk of the 200-230kg to $3.00/kg to $3.20/kg. Top weaner heifers above 230kg achieved $2.60/kg to $2.75kg, though the balance was more difficult to move and sold in a wide range of $2.10/kg to $2.30/kg.

AUCKLAND Pukekohe cattle • Good 2.5-year steers earned $2.43-$2.47/kg • Boner cows fetched $1.43/kg to $1.94/kg A good-quality yarding of prime cattle was met by a more enthusiastic bench of buyers at PUKEKOHE on Saturday 17th April. Prime steers made $2.59-$2.61/kg and heifers $2.59/kg. Annual draft weaner Angus and Angus-cross steers sold to $715-$855, with top heifers at $555-$645.

COUNTIES Tuakau sales • Good Charolais steers made $2.74/kg • Hereford-Friesian heifers, 179kg, reached $545 • Prime steers sold up to $2.76/kg • Top prime lambs fetched $150 Store cattle prices eased at TUAKAU last week due to a lack of buying power, PGG Wrightson agent Chris Elliott reported. Steers, 300-520kg, traded at $2.30/kg to $2.60/ kg. Hereford-Friesian, 216kg, managed $650 and 181kg, $560. Heifers, 330-413kg, ranged from $2.08/kg to $2.47/ kg. Hereford-Friesian, 179-245kg, fetched $400-$590. Prime steers and heifers held value last Wednesday. Light-medium to heavy steers made $2.58/kg to $2.76/kg. Light-medium to good beef heifers managed $2.45/kg to $2.69/kg and beef cows, $1.50/kg to $2.06/kg. Heavy dairy cows returned $1.55/kg to $1.85/kg, medium boners made $1.30/kg to $1.54/kg and light, $1.00/kg to $1.25/kg. Good prime lambs earned $120-$150 on Monday and stores, $70-$110. Good ewes sold at $110-$155, with lighter types down to $60.

WAIKATO Frankton cattle sale 20.4 • R2 Angus steers, 370kg, returned $2.74/kg • R2 Charolais-cross heifers, 387-423kg, realised $2.52-$2.54/kg • Weaner Friesian bulls, 196kg, improved to $492 A moderate 569 store cattle were penned at FRANKTON last Tuesday by PGG Wrightson. A consignment of R2 Angus-Friesian steers was well-received with 404-458kg at $2.74-$2.75/kg and 459-471kg, $2.59-$2.60/kg. Same breed heifers, 339-341kg, returned $2.32-$2.45/kg. Hereford bulls, 323kg, earned $3.03/kg. Weaner Angus steers, 167-223kg, managed $640-$680. Hereford-Friesian heifers, 139-170kg, returned $430-$520 with same breed bulls, 174-175kg, $415-$495. Better prime beef-dairy cows, 523-598kg, realised $1.80-$1.86/kg. Boner Friesian cows, 483-557kg, traded at $1.56-$1.64/kg. Read more in your LivestockEye. Frankton cattle sale 21.4 • R2 Hereford-Friesian and Angus-Friesian steers, 378-391kg, earned $2.51-$2.57/kg • Weaner Hereford-Friesian steers, 156-227kg, fetched $510-$620 • Ten weaner Hereford-Friesian heifers, 173kg, firmed to $470 A smaller 398 head store cattle yarding was presented by New Zealand Farmers Livestock at FRANKTON last Wednesday. R2 Hereford-dairy steers mainly held as 341413kg varied from $2.26/kg to $2.53/kg. Angus heifers, 274kg, fetched $2.37/kg and Friesian bulls, 467kg, achieved

$2.52/kg. Weaner Hereford heifers, 200-232kg, held at $450$540. Hereford-Friesian heifers, 124-146kg, earned $350$375. Friesian bulls, 182-186kg, returned $500-$535. Prime cattle numbered 68 head. Exotic and beef-bred heifers, 475-483kg, firmed to $2.58-$2.61/kg with exotic cows, 480520kg, at $1.60-$1.79/kg. Read more in your LivestockEye.

KING COUNTRY Te Kuiti sale • R2 Angus steers, 430kg, made $3.02/kg • R2 Hereford-Friesian steers, 429kg, earned $2.70/kg • Vetted-in-calf Angus cows, 559kg, sold to $1060 Approximately 850 cattle were penned at TE KUITI last Friday. Please note the sale had not completed at the time of writing. R3 Simmental-cross steers, 615kg, made $2.69/ kg, with 525-68-kg Angus in a range of $2.61/kg to $2.79/ kg. Prime lambs sold on par to the previous sale with heavy types $146-$151, medium $136-$143 and light $110-$124. Top store lambs fetched $115-$119.50, medium $105-$107 and light $85-$90.

BAY OF PLENTY Rangiuru cattle and sheep • Prime Friesian bulls, 605kg, achieved $2.73/kg • R2 Hereford-Friesian steers, 354-500kg, achieved $2.44-$2.55/kg • R2 Angus steers, 430-480kg, reached $2.42-$2.51/kg • R2 Hereford-Friesian heifers, 375-432kg, sold from $2.33/kg to $2.49/kg • In-calf Hereford heifers, 475kg, made $2.38/kg There were plenty of good quality cattle at a big yarding at RANGIURU last Tuesday. The prime steer section held plenty of Hereford-Friesian and Hereford-Jersey, 608-695kg, that made $2.62-$2.68/kg, followed by 501-572kg at $2.53$2.55/kg. Angus over 500kg were the standouts in the heifer pens as 517-563kg fetched $2.50-$2.59/kg while Angus and Hereford-Friesian, 470-495kg, nipped at their heels at $2.42-$2.49/kg. The best lambs were Wiltshire and made $147. Read more in your LivestockEye.

POVERTY BAY Matawhero sheep • Prime 2-tooth ewes mostly earned $151 • Prime mixed-age ewes sold to $170 • Store ewes made $138-$150 Top prime lambs firmed at MATAWHERO last Friday to $180-$200, medium $160-$175 and light $128-$151. Top male lambs firmed to $126.50-$137, medium $102-$122 and light $65-$95. The top end of the ewe lambs traded to $100-$123, medium $70-$80 and the bottom end $40-$67. Read more in your LivestockEye.

TARANAKI Taranaki cattle • R3 steers above 645kg sold well at $2.68-$2.71/kg • Heavier R2 heifers fetched $2.57/kg • Better weaner steers held at $580-$630 • Purebred Hereford vetted-in-calf heifers earned $1190, $2.96/kg • Boner cows mostly earned $1.51-$1.57/kg There was a mixed-quality yarding of store cattle at TARANAKI last Wednesday and the market softened. The R2 dairy-beef steer average eased 7c/kg to $2.48/kg, though the bulk held at $2.50-$2.60/kg. The balance varied with more dairy-bred types around the $2.30/kg mark. Read more in your LivestockEye.

HAWKE’S BAY Stortford Lodge prime cattle and sheep • Very good to very heavy ewes returned $158.50-$169 • Light to medium ewes held value at $86-$126 • Top male and ram lambs firmed to $160-$176 • Good mixed-sex lambs improved to $125-$130.50 Sheep throughput came back to more usual seasonal levels last Monday at STORTFORD LODGE with just

under 400 ewes penned. Good types held at $138-$146 while a very small top end firmed to $193.50-$235. Lambs numbered 300 head and mostly traded on an improved market. Second cuts of male and ram lambs held at $140$142. Heavy mixed-sex strengthened to $170-$175.50. Most top ewe lambs improved to $139.50-$148 with good types at $129.50. No cattle were offered. Read more in your LivestockEye. Stortford Lodge store cattle and sheep • R3 Simmental-cross Hereford-Friesian heifers, 470kg, sold well at $2.46-$2.47/kg • R2 traditional steers averaged 420kg and $1185, $2.83/kg • A consignment of 140 Friesian bulls, 265-339kg, returned $2.37$2.44/kg • Good ewe lambs lifted to $121-$129.50 • Wether lambs sold for $118-$122 Older cattle were on the move at STORTFORD LODGE last Wednesday and a big yarding of R2 Angus steers and Friesian bulls drew a crowd. All bar one line of Angus steers over 390kg sold for $2.84-$2.93/kg. Better R2 beef-cross and exotic-cross steers made $2.60-$2.76/kg, though heifers were off the pace at $2.06-$2.20/kg. Lambs tallied just over 4000 and heavy males held at $120-$136 and medium to good lifted to $112-$119. Medium to good ewe lambs sold for $105-$115. Read more in your LivestockEye.

MANAWATU Feilding prime cattle, sheep, and feeder calves • In-calf Hereford cows, 679kg, sold for $1.86/kg • Angus-cross cows, 543kg, made $1.66/kg The cattle section was busy at FEILDING last Monday. Most were dairy cows and Friesian, 460-604kg, sold for a consistent $1.31/kg to $1.42/kg while Hereford, 518-690kg, made $1.72-$1.74/kg. Good Friesian bulls made $140-$190 in the autumn-calf section while their Hereford-Friesian and Angus-cross equivalents managed $170-$225. Very heavy lambs fetched $169.50-$182.50 followed by the rest of the section which was almost exclusively heavy types at $138-$166.50. Ewes were mostly split between good condition at $150-$160 and medium-good at $121-$130. Read more in your LivestockEye. Feilding store sale • A 1230kg Friesian steer sold for $2170, $1.76/kg • Larger number of 505-585kg R3 traditional steers were $2.80$2.90/kg • R2 Friesian bulls, 415-495kg, were $2.40-$2.45/kg • Store male lambs averaged $132 • Store ewe lambs average softened to $113.50 A little under 900 store cattle sold at FEILDING. R2 beef steers, 510-590kg, made $2.70-$2.80/kg, whereas good-sized lines of clean-marked 335-430kg HerefordFriesian fell back to $2.25-$2.45/kg. A lot of 335-385kg dairy-beef R2 heifers struggled at $1.95-$2.15/kg, though some heavier types were more like $2.35-$2.45/kg. A line of 200kg Hereford-Friesian weaner steers sold at $515. Just under 15,000 store lambs met a mixed market. Male lambs strengthened, lifting the heavies to $145-$155. Other good-weighted males were $130-$140, mediums $120-$130, with $105-$115 covering all bar the tail-enders. Ewe lambs were stickier selling, where good lines received $115-$125, mediums $110-$115, and lighter sorts $90-$100. Read more in your LivestockEye. Rongotea cattle • R1 Friesian bulls, 288-358kg, earned $2.18/kg to $2.29/kg • Better weaner steers sold to $550-$570 • Better weaner bulls traded up to $460-$520 • Friesian boner cows, 580kg, fetched $1.33/kg Another big yarding of cattle sold on a solid market at RONGOTEA last Tuesday, New Zealand Farmers Livestock agent Darryl Harwood reported. R2 Hereford-Friesian steers, 459-465kg, made $2.32-$2.41/kg, and same breed heifers, 375-465kg, realised an improved $2.30/kg to $2.49/ kg. Better weaner heifers earned $500-$515 with the next cut at $400-$450.

FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – April 26, 2021

Coalgate prime and store cattle • Prime Angus and Angus-Friesian steers, 569-685kg, made $2.29$2.39/kg • Prime Friesian-cross steers, 662-683kg, returned $2.36-$2.39/kg As calves have replaced the cattle section at recent Thursday sales a supplementary prime and store cattle sale was held at COALGATE last Tuesday. A few lines of better conditioned prime heifers, mostly 540-690kg HerefordFriesian, were priced at $2.20-$2.31/kg. However, light dairy-types languished in the $1.48/kg to $1.86/kg range. The best R2 steers were 480kg Hereford-Friesian that made $2.08/kg while the best heifers were also Hereford-Friesian, 395kg, and $1.96/kg. These were a cut above the rest and values of $1.34/kg to $1.80/kg encompassed most other pens of steers and heifers of the same breed over 300kg. Read more in your LivestockEye. Coalgate high country calf sale and all sheep • Forward store cryptorchid lambs made $111-$141 • Most other store lambs earned $80-$114 • The top prime lambs made $160-$177 and the bulk of the rest $120-$158 There was plenty of traditional lines at the COALGATE high country calf sale last Thursday. Angus steers over 220kg earned $730-$920 and varied from $2.94/kg to $3.29/ kg while 175-218kg traded at $550-$695, $3.11-$3.28/kg. Angus-Hereford returned similar money, although their highest-priced was 254kg and $835. Charolais-cross, 188300kg, sold for $575-$930, $2.82/kg to $3.10/kg. In contrast to the steer pens Charolais-cross typically earned more per kilogram than the Angus amongst the heifers. Charolais-cross, 200-272kg, were typically $540-$710, $2.61-$2.81/kg while Angus, 205-254kg, made $465-$565, $2.19-$2.29/kg. There was good competition in all sheep classes. Ewes had a high proportion of very heavy in the $206-$227 range with the balance largely $90-$198. Read more in your LivestockEye.

SOUTH-CANTERBURY

DRAFTING UP: New Zealand Farmers Livestock agents prepare weaners for the second supplementary weaner fair at Stratford, under the watchful eye of Mount Taranaki.

CANTERBURY Canterbury Park cattle and sheep • Prime Simmental-cross steers, 620kg, fetched $2.43/kg • Prime Simmental-cross heifers, 570kg, made $2.35/kg • Angus cows, 520-622kg, earned $1.42-$1.50/kg • R2 Angus-Hereford steers, 324kg, managed $2.07/kg • A pair of very heavy wethers achieved $298 The top end of the steers, 550kg and above, most commonly sold for $2.24-$2.36/kg at CANTERBURY PARK last Tuesday. Steers, 475-525kg, were typically $2.11-$2.21/ kg, but there were quite a few lesser pens. Traditional and exotic heifers sold for $2.23- $2.35/kg while dairy-beef, 475-556kg, returned $2.05-$2.15/kg. Male store lambs sold well at $95-$122 while mixed-sex made $71-$112. Heavy prime lambs fetched $155-$171 with the majority $80-$154. A handful of very heavy ewes made $203-$208 and heavy and very-good $150-$197, while the bulk were lighter cuts at $60-$149. Read more in your LivestockEye.

Temuka prime cattle and all sheep • Hereford heifers, 580-594kg, achieved $2.39-$2.43/kg • Hereford-Friesian heifers, 573-613kg, made $2.27-$2.31/kg • 750 capital stock Perendale-Texel ewes sold for $130-$145 The steer and heifer markets were more subdued at TEMUKA last Monday. Steers over 500kg largely sold for $2.35-$2.46/kg while a large quantity of 450-500kg pens made $2.12-$2.19/kg. Numerous heifers were also 450500kg and $2.15-$2.24/kg. Cull dairy cows were the main event and a blanket range of $1.15-$1.25/kg covered most. Buyers were selective on store lambs but there was an array of heavy types to choose from. Heavy Halfbred pens fetched $75-$122 while equivalent black and whiteface pens were $90-$130. A few prime lambs sold to $160-$165 and the balance $110-$159. The heaviest ewes sold to $194-$202 while the bulk traded at $100-$180. Read more in your LivestockEye. Temuka store cattle • R2 Hereford-Friesian steers, 403kg, made $2.36/kg • R2 Hereford-Friesian steers, 441-505kg, managed $2.18-$2.26/kg • R2 Angus steers, 486kg, fetched $2.28/kg • R2 Friesian bulls, 434kg, returned $2.06/kg It had been three weeks since the last offering of older store cattle at TEMUKA last Thursday, due to the numerous calf sales that had occupied the yards. The R2 steer section was a Hereford-Friesian affair and most were 399-440kg that made $2.29-$2.31/kg. In the heifer pens Angus, AngusHereford and Hereford-Friesian, 358-454kg, sold within a tight band of $2.03-$2.15/kg but the rest of the older cattle were selectively bought. This also occurred in the weaner pens where a pair of standout lines of Hereford-Friesian steers, 171kg and 240kg, were the best at $495 and $520. Heifers of same breed and 136-178kg sold for $320-$400 and Friesian bulls, 154-171kg, $310-$340.

Dairy-cross lines fell well short of that as most traded below $150. Read more in your LivestockEye. Temuka calf sale, Geraldine section • Angus steers, 288-348kg, sold for $865-$1050 • Angus and Angus-Hereford heifers, 291-335kg, fetched $670$800 A line-up of mainly traditional calves was put forward at the final of the main series of TEMUKA calf sales last Wednesday. The most frequent weight range amongst the steers was 175-250kg and these were priced at $600-$730. Traditional steers were most commonly priced in the $3.20-$3.30/kg range. Most of the traditional heifers in the 200-250kg range were $500-$580, $2.32-$2.43/kg followed by 150-199kg pens that earned $320-$470 for same per kilogram prices. Bulls were few and far between and the only ones offered were Angus and in a mixed pen of bulls and rigs. These weighed 284kg and made $660. Read more in your LivestockEye. Shenley Station calf sale The TEMUKA sale yards played host to the Shenley Station calf sale last Friday and there was plenty of repeat buyers in the gallery chasing the large framed and well-bred Angus being offered. Only the top steers were weighed, 251kg, and these made $780 with most other steers $520$710 outside of some later-born pens that were $340-$400. Heifers topped out at $555 with other top cuts $410-$510. The balance ranged from $280-$360. Read more in your LivestockEye.

OTAGO Balclutha sheep • Heavy prime ewes held at $150-$180, medium $120-$140 and light $80-$100 Prime lambs strengthened at BALCLUTHA last Wednesday with heavy lambs up to $140-$170, medium $120-$130 and light $110. Store lambs sold with improved demand. The top end firmed a few dollars to $90-$108, medium $70-$85 and light $50. Upper Clutha on farm sale Approximately 1100 calves were presented on a stunning day at the UPPER CLUTHA on farm calf sale last Tuesday. There was good competition despite a smaller buying bench than other years due to dry conditions and backlogs of older cattle, and the market was fair. The majority were Angus and Angus-cross and the top end of the steers fetched $800-$900 and medium $650-$750. Hereford bull calves were sought after by dairy farmers and the top end sold to $1100 with the next cut $770. Medium heifers typically traded around $400-$450.

SOUTHLAND Lorneville sale • Top store lambs made $100-$105, medium $85-$95 and light $70-$80 • Prime steers, 550kg and above, earned $2.20-$2.30/kg • R2 Angus-Friesian and Hereford-cross steers, 403-475kg, fetched $2.18-$2.28/kg • R1 Friesian bulls, 213kg, realised $1.92/kg • R1 beef-cross steers, 301kg, sold to $1.99/kg, with 276kg heifers at $1.81/kg There was a medium-sized yarding of prime sheep at LORNEVILLE last Tuesday and the market firmed. Heavy prime lambs made $129-$153, medium $112-$128 and light $90-$110. Heavy prime ewes strengthened to $180-$240, medium $130-$178 and light $110-$120. Castle Rock calf sale There was a complete clearance at the final CASTLE ROCK calf sale last Friday. Angus steers ranged from $580$855, Simmental $645-$890 and Charolais $500-$730. There was a lift in demand for heifers and Simmental sold to $400-$600 and traditional $400-$500.

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Markets

48 FARMERS WEEKLY – farmersweekly.co.nz – April 26, 2021 NI BULL

SI COW

SI LAMB

($/KG)

5.15

3.20

6.60

WEANER TRADITIONAL STEERS, 235KG AVERAGE, AT WELLSFORD ($/HD)

710

$3.20-$3.30 high $635-$890 Most Angus steer calves, Angus-Hereford lights Weaner heifers, 227-322kg, at Sue 195-277kg, at Coalgate Bros weaner fair

ACROSS THE RAILS

One sale highlights closing week surpassed the males. On the Monday steers accounted for 80% of the yarding and Angus Suz Bremner suz.bremner@globalhq.co.nz and Angus-Hereford, 180300kg, returned $550-$820 and varied from $2.78/kg to $3.28/ NE of the highlights kg. Hereford-Friesian, 126-222kg, of the weaner fair realised $510-$755 and the lighter season is the Sue end exceeded $4.00/kg. HerefordBrothers’ sale, held dairy and Murray Grey-Friesian, at the Feilding sale 160-234kg, held at $505-$590. yards. The Sue family religiously Small lines of Hereford bulls, 188sell their annual draft Angus291kg, earned $605-$700 whilst Hereford calves at these yards and Friesian traded in two bands – even last year’s lockdown did not 253-317kg managed $630-$825, affect that; the fair was simply $2.48-$2.53/kg and 175-184kg, delayed by a month until it was $545-$585, $3.18-$3.23/kg. The able to be held. balance of the two-day fair was Each year around 800 calves offered last Tuesday, as 500 heifers are shipped down from Taihape were penned. They sold to solid and it is nothing short of a demand and the better traditional phenomenal sight to see such a lines were able to reach $3.12volume of very consistent black $3.17/kg for good weights of and white calves yarded. 220-230kg, which meant more They essentially come as one sold around the $700 mark. line and under PGG Wrightson’s guidance, are sex-drafted and then Lighter weights dropped in dollars per kilogram and most made drafted into saleable line sizes. $400-$600. Hereford-Friesian, The calves’ reputation precedes 213-252kg, fetched $680-$740, them and also a willingness from buyers to support a well-respected $2.91-$3.19/kg with 128-164kg at $400-$500, for the same per family means that this fair is kilogram levels. always well-supported.

Each year around 800 calves are shipped down from Taihape and it is nothing short of a phenomenal sight to see.

Wellsford weaner fairs Wellsford penned just over 1400 weaners last Monday and Tuesday. There was plenty of quality throughout both yardings, and competition was strong for those that ticked the right boxes. As a result, heifers in some cases

Sue Brothers Weaner Fair Close to 800 Angus-Hereford calves were offered at the Sue Brothers Weaner Fair last Wednesday. Line sizes were reduced to 20-40 head for most this year to suit more buyers, which proved worthwhile. Annual buyers returned, though new faces were also competitive. Steers sold to Putaruru and Taihape and made a slight premium on recent results as they averaged 220kg and $810, $3.67/kg. Top lines reached $900-$1160, second cuts $655-$750 and small steers, $400$525. Heifer buyers also included Auckland and like their brothers, sold at a premium. They averaged 215kg and $595, $2.79/kg. The top

BLACK AND WHITE AFFAIR: The Sue Brothers offering of Angus-Hereford weaners easily impressed sale attendees at Feilding last Wednesday.

line at 322kg sold for $890, while other top pens returned $690$780. Second cuts made $510$635 and small heifers, $345-$490. Feilding Weaner Fair The market rewarded quality on just under 1600 weaners at Feilding last Thursday. Large lines of late-born traditional steers, 220-265kg, usually made $730$900, $3.45-$3.60/kg, but this eased to $3.20-$3.40/kg for those 185-220kg. Some 210-220kg South Devon-cross steers were $710$790, $3.35-$3.55/kg. Good-sized lines of 200-255kg traditional heifers were strong at $560-$722, $2.75-$2.95/kg, with 220-240kg Charolais-cross heifers similar at $2.85-$3.00/kg.

However, many smallnumbered, light weight, or mixedbred lines were pinned down at $2.20-$2.50/kg and on occasion less. Straight Hereford and Angus bulls, 260-290kg, returned $800$860, $3.00-$3.10/kg. Taranaki Second Run Weaner Fair Good lines of calves sold on at least a steady market at the Taranaki Second Run Weaner Fair last Thursday. A large portion of the traditional steers, 230-263kg, made $790-$835 and second cuts, $650-$750. All sold within the $3.04/kg to $3.43/kg range. Top Charolais-cross steers, 275-300kg, achieved $920-$1000, $3.33-$3.39/ kg.

Nice dairy-beef steers above 190kg earned $610-$690, with most $2.95-$3.15/kg, and heifers $530-$605. Charolais-cross and Speckle Park, 277-283kg, took the top spot in the heifer pens at $805-$810, $2.86-$2.91/kg, and better traditional, 230-240kg, made $640-$700, $2.77-$2.88/ kg. A small number of traditional bulls fetched $720-$820.

More calf sale and weaner fair reports can be found in the Sale Yard section.

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Farmers Weekly NZ April 26 2021

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