5 minute read
The perfect birthday present
For many when it comes to their birthday they dream of jewellery or maybe a dinner out. But not Maureen Doyle from Wanganui. She had the best present possible, a new Delfast tool to help out on the farm.
Community is so important to the Delfast family and not a day goes by that we don’t get a glimpse into the life of our end-users. Understanding how, when and why they use our products means we can develop them to meet their needs and pretty tough conditions, without fear of failure. This was even more important for Maureen. After a running battle with cancer many years ago she was left with a little less strength in her right arm, not ideal when nailing battens. It’s one of those occasions we get to see the impact of our products in the day to day operation of smaller farms. Maureen was over the moon with her birthday present because it’s easy to use. When you are out on the farm you want your tools to work with you to get the job done as easily and as quickly as possible. At only 3.94kgs, the 3.15 Cordless Batten Stapler is robust but light enough for farm owners like Maureen to be able to move around the property with little effort. With a charge time of 2 hours and 5,200 shots per charge, there’s a lot of ground that can be covered with this portable and convenient setup. Ideal for quick fence repairs and hill country fencing, there isn’t any compromise for the user.
| Wanganui farmer Maureen Doyle says the Delfast Staple Gun is easy to use.
Maureen was more than happy to share her thoughts when she had taken it for a test run; ‘That staple gun is just awesome, easy to use for a lady my age. “I can now take care of loose and broken battens myself without having to engage a fencer. “It’s easier on my arm with the lymphedema as well, being as how it’s on my right arm and I am right-handed. Hammering in staples is hard work in those circumstances, the staple gun makes the job a breeze. Best birthday present ever.” At Delfast, the design and reliability of our products are key to an end-user’s experience and we understand that not all jobs are big. So when you get such great feedback from someone like Maureen, we know we have nailed it! No matter the size of the job, Delfast has the right tool for the job, no matter your age or experience. So when you’re writing your birthday wish list, maybe drop your loved ones the link to the Delfast website and hopefully we’ll make your birthday wishes come true.
For more information, contact your Farmlands Technical Field Officer or the friendly team at your local Farmlands store.
Article supplied by Delfast
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Real estate market update
Spring always brings a lot of anticipation for what the new season will hold for us all in the primary sector. Added to the mix this year is the general election. However, from a rural property perspective, most central policy announcements impacting the forward outlook for farmers and growers have been well telegraphed already. We are three years into a change in rural market fundamentals, and some would argue it’s actually been longer than that. Certainly, farmer confidence surveys of late have not been at all favourable as the sector faces a raft of regulatory reforms, this spring being no exception. season, cutting back trading stock to build
The absence of foreign buyers in the market for pastoral properties, the regulatory constraints limiting rural lending, and the ever-changing environmental regulations that set production thresholds, are now all being factored into the market, and have been season-on-season. The big difference this season is an emerging trend that rural land investment yields are increasing, while bank deposits, and wider investment options, are trending down.
The opportunity to acquire quality rural assets at a reliable cash return is looking positive across the board. The strength of our rural sector, and the impact on provincial New Zealand, was highlighted recently with Fonterra’s final Farmgate Milk Price for the 2019-20 season of $7.14/kg MS, and a dividend of 5 cents per share. The highest pay-out performance since the 2013-14 season. Or put another way, this placed $11 billion-plus dollars directly into our local, provincial economy when it was most needed, and the forward outlook for Sheep and beef producers continue to trade profitably on prices more aligned to the 5-year average than last year’s very strong schedules. As we navigate dire wool prices and the uncertainty with chilled trade, it is clear that this season is far from typical. However, the top of mind conversation nationally just now is the very low annual rainfall. So, while it’s been a kind winter climatically, many farmers now appear to be hedging their bets for the new
the current season is holding too. Horticulture for its part is set to spearhead New Zealand’s post-COVID recovery. Employing 60,000 people in an industry worth $6.39 billion in 2019, the horticulture industries, including apples and pears, kiwifruit, avocados, and vegetables, are forecasted to grow to $10 billion by 2030. We continue to see record prices attributed to land going into horticulture. some feed buffer back into the system.
Early spring property sales indicate that the combination of tough climatic outcomes and moderating returns are negatively impacting sheep and beef farmer confidence to take advantage of cheaper finance terms to “buy the neighbour”. This is especially true for North Island breeding country hit hard by the drought last season. Property Brokers’ commitment to the rural sector went up another notch in September as Southern Wide Otago opted to merge its business with Property Brokers. John Faulks, Managing Director Otago / Rural Sales of Southern Wide Otago, says, “It is with great excitement that we are joining the New Zealand family-owned business of Property Brokers. We are in the envious position that the two cultures are very similar, and we will be able to add more value to our staff and clients with their superior systems, structures, and nationwide network. These factors, combined with Property Brokers’ regional focus on being part of the local community, will allow us to grow our people and client base and thrive in the Otago Region.”
We are delighted to have the support of John Faulks and his Otago realtor team to meet both current and future property needs of Farmlands Otago shareholders; this is a very exciting development for our Farmlands Strategic partnership.
Conrad Wilkshire,
GM Rural for Property Brokers Ltd
