Top South Farming - January 2023

Photo: Baylee Kersten.

Circulating to 14,500 rural properties

Fonterra’s new capital structure

STAFF REPORTER

In late March Fonterra plans to administer its new ‘flexible shareholding capital structure’ that the government has given the green light for.

Anglers gear up for summer

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The new structure aims to increase flexibility in the level of investment required by reducing the number of shares a farmer needs to join the company, as well as allow different types of farmers to hold shares.

Fonterra’s changes are focused on maintaining stability with farmers who have shares, as well as creating a strong financial future for the company. This is in the face of a falling milk supply and challenging price competition from other processors who are not currently needing capital investment from farmers.

Nothing says a “Kiwi Christmas” more than heading outdoors with the family, and it looks like good numbers of kiwis are planning on doing just that. Licence sales are rising steadily as we approach the holiday season, with the summer period one of the most popular times for anglers to hit the water. The warm summer conditions, the great fishing on offer, and the opportunity to get out fishing with loved ones, is an opportunity to good to be missed.

In the West Coast region anglers can expect to find some exceptional angling in our lakes.

With trout densities high,

some impressive trout are being caught recently, and in ideal conditions, we are expecting anglers to have some great fishing over the holiday season.

Targeting perch in lakes Mahinapua and Kaniere has increased in popularity over recent seasons. Perch fishing is most productive in summer and is great sport for young and new anglers.

As for the rivers, following a few productive recruitment years, trout numbers in many of our well-known systems are well stocked and some great fishing is on offer.

In the Nelson Marlborough region, the holiday season means it’s time to hit the water. Recently staff released 200

Note from the editor

BARBARA STUART EDITOR

As I write this editorial for January, pre-Christmas, I’m finding it difficult to pitch my thoughts to after New Year.

Outside, there’s a nice northly rain falling which will be welcomed by those on the land.

My late father-in-law, Fred Stuart, always said, “I don’t like to see it dry off before Christmas.”

With the thought that Christmas is done and dusted, and New Year celebrations are over as you read this, I hope it’s been a relaxing time, and most have been able to recharge.

Before Christmas I took our lit-

tle grandson, Christmas shopping.

It was a fun adventure for both of us, he chose, ‘Spiderman sleepwear,’ for his grandfather, the sincerest best gift he could imagine. There is nothing quite like children for keeping us grounded and appreciating those special family times. Good news for the New Year, Andrew Hoggard, Federated Farmers national president, says he’s heard: the government has acknowledged it will be unable to pass any new laws on agricultural greenhouse gas emissions until after the next election. This will give everyone time to make sure legislation works and is just. New legislation may be introduced next year but there won’t be time to pass

it before we all next go to the polls.

Statistics NZ, provisional animal production figures showed

tagged rainbows into Lake Argyle as part of their annual tag comp, where you can win some great prizes if you catch some of the lucky fish. They have also just carried out a helicopter release of 600 fit rainbows into the Branch and Leatham river’s – a wonderful place to recreate in, with a 4WD track along much of both rivers within touching distance of a fantastic fishery, and DOC huts along the way.

The local rivers are hitting great levels for fishing too, and fishing so far this season has been excellent.

that stock tallies had dropped to 25.14m as at June this year. Dairy cattle have dropped 4.3% to 5.9 million compared to June 2021.

Of note, the data comes from 67% of expected respondents, down from the 2017 ‘census’ response rate of 84%. This should be good news also. There are still struggles and uncertainty ahead for a tired rural sector facing a recession in 2023. Don’t lose heart, the world needs top quality food and we in NZ can deliver it efficiently to markets better than anyone else. We just need to ride out 2023 and keep looking to the future.

Wishing readers, a productive and happy New Year from everyone at Top of the South Farming.

Alliance Group $117 million profit

STAFF REPORTER

Alliance Group has made a record profit of $117 million for the year ending 30 September 2022 off a turnover of $2.2 billion. The result is a 186% increase on the previous year.

Alliance Group chair Murray Taggart said the record performance was a result of a combination of things, including recent strong in-

ternational meat prices, investment in stream-lining operations and the co-operative putting emphasis on high-value aspects of the market.

He said the result was not something Alliance would have predicted at the start of the year.

“For a couple of years we thought we were going to see the fruits of that, but every time we got our hands

close to it, it seemed to get snatched away, and then this year all the stars have finally lined up,” he said.

“But by being agile across markets and optimising where we place products we’ve ended up in a pretty good space.”

The co-operative will make an $11.3 million profit distribution to its farmer shareholders, as well as a $10 million bonus share issue of one

share per qualifying stock unit.

Taggart also said that the Alliance Group was on track to get rid of coal-fired boilers from its meat processing plants by 2030.

Heat pumps and bio-gas solutions would replace the coal boilers.

“With current projects, we will have an 88 percent reduction in carbon emissions.”

Police consultation on proposed changes to firearms fees

JEVON McSKIMMING Deputy Commissioner NZ Police

Consultation has begun today on proposals for fees to contribute to an arms regulatory system that keeps us all safe. A greater contribution from licence holders is being sought.

We are seeking your feedback on proposed changes to firearms fees.

Licence fees were last set in 1999 and, other than GST adjustments, haven’t increased since then. For more than 20 years the cost of firearms licensing has been increasingly subsidised by the taxpayer as costs have risen. Some services of direct commercial and private benefit, such as applications for import permits, are delivered for free. A greater contribution towards the cost of providing regulatory services (licences, endorsements, permits, approvals) is being sought.

This contribution will be sought from licence holders whether they use firearms for business, employment, or recreation. We want to make it more equitable for all.

We are not consulting about the recent changes to the Arms Act 1983 that lay out the criteria for the recovery of costs which have already been decided by Parliament. We are also not consulting on fees related to shooting clubs and shooting ranges because these have now been

finalised and published. The Act requires the Minister to be satisfied that the Police Commissioner has consulted with anyone affected, or likely to be affected, by these changes.

As the majority of licence holders only hold a firearms licence you may only want to submit on the fee for a firearms licence and answer the questions directly related to this. The submission forms are set up in a way that allows respondents to download and submit on that part

only. We would welcome your feedback as this will help inform decisions. More information on proposals and how to provide feedback can be found here

Consultation opens 8 December and closes 16 February 2023. It will be open for ten weeks rather than the standard six weeks to take into consideration the Christmas break. Once consultation has closed all submissions will be analysed and used to inform final decisions by cabinet on fees.

Dutch government shuts down farms

JONATHON RILEY

The targets dictate that the Netherlands must halve emissions of nitrous oxide and ammonia by 2030. The Dutch government is planning to buy up and shut down almost 3,000 farms in a bid to meet tough EU greenhouse gas emissions targets. To do this the Dutch government will use some of a dedicated £22bn programme to buy out farm businesses at more than 100% of their value. Alternatively, farmers can innovate to slash emissions, move operations to a less environmentally sensitive area, or switch to a different business.

In a stark ultimatum to farmers, nitrogen minister Christianne van der Wal warned, “There is no better offer coming.”

If farmers ignore the offer, the Dutch government will begin a programme of forced buyouts next year. The main farming union, LTO Nederland, has been pressing for the policy to be dropped. The union argued the Dutch food sector was being singled out by its government while other sectors and EU member states faced lesser controls.

In contrast to the draconian farming measures, industrial polluters will be offered a much less impactful regime of tighter permits.

According to a report by Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, the permit system considered for big oil, aviation and steel companies will be reassessed after 12 months. By that time, many Dutch farms will have been served notice to quit and turfed off their land.

Photo: File.

The egg shortage is everywhere

ELOISE MARTYN

Flock numbers on poultry farms around New Zealand have decreased by around 700,000 hens. Hen numbers had sat as high as 4.2 million but are currently sitting around 3.55 million. 3.55 million hens mean a very tight supply.

“4.2 is too big and 3.5 is too tight, a flock size around 3.8 - 3.9 million hens is best,” explains Michael Brooks, Executive Director of the EGG Producers Federation of NZ, commonly known as the EPF.

Poultry farmers have had a challenging past few years starting in 2019 when supermarkets announced, with little consultation, that they would stop purchasing colony eggs in 2025/26. This introduced a lot of doubt to farmers about the future of their farm and flock. Following this in 2020, Covid brought huge blows to small free-range farmers who sold their eggs locally to cafes, corner dairies and farmer markets.

“Since Covid, sixteen free range farms have gone out of business and during the whole of 2022 we did not receive even one new application to become an egg farmer,” states Brooks. “The war in Ukraine has increased the cost of grain, and grain is a big thing to egg farmers.”

In fact, the grain cost accounts for 70% of the cost per egg.

one of these three methods: colony, barn (aka cage-free) or freerange. This has not happened over night. In 2012 it was decided after extensive studies and trials that for a number of reasons the battery cage method needed to be modified.

When the changes were announced, 84% of producers were using the old-style cage method.

Time frames, ranging between 6-10 years, were given to farmers to allow time for them to implement the expensive changes, a minimum of $1,000,000 per farm, and the challenges of the RMA, to comply with the new regulations.

As well as high bird feeding costs, new farming restrictions came into place in December. The law changes require more space for hens and determines conventional ‘battery’ cages as illegal. Under the code hens must be farmed by

There is some good news amongst it all, Salmonella Enteritidis has not been detected since March 2021 here, while overseas countries continue to struggle with the bacterial disease. Back in 2019 when the disease was detected in New Zealand for the first time, every farm in the county was tested for it. Farmers were not compensated if the disease was found to be pres-

ent, requiring 200,000 birds to be slaughtered.

“It was great that everyone complied with the regulated testing, it really helped stop the spread. A remarkable decision, particularly when the potential loss of birds with no compensation was the possible outcome.”

Other countries, such as America and Europe, are currently experiencing egg shortages. Australia is in a much tighter place than New Zealand and their current egg shortage is so severe that egg shelves in major supermarkets are empty and when eggs

are available the price is an eye watering $12 AU dollars a dozen. Driving factors behind their shortage and price increase are the same our industry is dealing with, as well as flooding and a lack of grain availability. Australia have recently announced that they will be ‘cage-free’ by 2036. With general inflation, regulation decisions, supermarket decisions and world-wide impact, you can see how the cost of a simple egg has increased.

Even with the price increase eggs remain a cost-efficient food for protein delivery.

Multiple challenges facing local milk producers

STAFF REPORTER

“Challenging” is how Tom Raine describes the past six months for Oaklands Milk “All aspects of our operation have been challenging for different reasons.” Tom is heavily involved in all operations of Oaklands including farming, manufacturing and distribution. The problems they are challenged with are the same that all in the industry are currently faced with. From increased interest rates and increased fuel costs to difficultly servicing and maintaining machinery due to the fact that parts prices have increased as well as become harder to obtain, creating long frustrating wait periods. Add on top of this the increased volume of government regulations and industry staff shortages and you get the picture, or perhaps the album.

Oaklands Milk started out in 2012 in the form of milk vending machines, where locals could purchase fresh A2 milk. From there they received interest from cafes so began supply them. In 2020 Oaklands began to offer home deliveries of milk in glass bottles.

“Glass bottles are a big part of our business. The glass is a closed loop system with no waste, the bottles are returned and washed to be used again. The metal caps are taken to the metal recycler who melts them for use in other

products,” Tom explains. “The only downfall with glass is its weight, it’s heavy to transport.”

They now deliver, via 15 dedicated delivery vehicles, to 4,500 homes in Nelson, Tasman and Marlborough, and supply 150 places with their milk that is turned into products such as cheeses, yoghurt, sour cream, ice cream and gelato.

The milk comes from four dairy farms located in Stoke, Appleby, Dovedale and Tapawera. The milk produced is all from A2 tested cows which is how the company can produce A2 pasteurised milk for sale and use. A2 is a protein known to be gentler on the stomach that can improve digestibility for those who struggle with dairy intolerance. Around 70% of dairy herds in New Zealand are a combination of A1 + A2 or A1 only, so having 500 cows producing all A2 milk is a point of difference

for Oaklands. “We have strong ethics here and part of that means selling a product we know to be true to its claim. We test our cows so that we know for sure that they are producing A2 milk.”

the process of becoming the first SPCA approved dairy farm in the world. “We are keen for people to know that we are actually doing good things, not just talking about them.”

costs for everyone and offer more products. We currently offer eggs, milk and cream, we would like to add a range of local chilled and fresh goods.”

Tom Raine

Some of Oaklands challenges arise because of their ethical stance. The operation won’t feed stock palm kernel and they rear all calves, so no bobbies are being collected. They are currently in

Tom and the team have recently completed installing a large solar system. The system was installed in two stages. Stage one was back in 2020 when they installed 182 Sunergy solar panels onto the factory and dairy shed roof, 50 k/ watt system. Stage two, completed in March 2022, saw the installation of 504 panels, 220 k/watt system. This has made the Stoke factory and farm fully self-sufficient during production hours and when not in production they sell power back to the grid. With sustainability in mind, Tom is planning on expanding on product choices available.“

We are already there and making a delivery so why not reduce

The team completed their second year of offering Christmas platters and Christmas puddings which have had a good uptake and are set to stay.

“It’s never easy dealing with a product with such a short shelf life, it’s a tricky balance between getting the supply and demand right, we don’t want to have leftover milk that goes to waste and we don’t want to risk not having enough to supply people. Our cows are milked in the morning, the milk is bottled and sent out via delivery that afternoon, not many other farming operations offer milk this fresh. Although it’s been challenging, we have a neat team to work with, and that makes all the difference”

Photo: Jakub Kapusnak on Unsplash.com

Since Covid, sixteen free range farms have gone out of business

Michael Brooks

We are keen for people to know that we are actually doing good things, not just talking about them

Glass bottles are a big part of Oaklands business and the team have recently added a solar system to their Stoke facility. Photos: Supplied.

Natures candy in Wakefield

ELOISE MARTYN

Fairfield Berries, previously known as Fairfield Gardens, is a 10ha berry farm two minutes’ drive south of Wakefield. They sell a selection of freshly-picked berries, real-fruit ice cream and has recently stocked their shop with beautiful locally made products such as candles and diffusers, Paterpillar Sun hats, funky earrings, plant-based skin care, amazing baby clothes and a product called ‘Equine Keep Clam’ made from local hops and flax seed meal, plus many more items. Part owners Patrick and Elise Cotter, who took over in July 2022, are in full swing for the berry season.

“It’s a really busy time but we love it” says Patrick, who enjoys working outside, a change from his previous office-based job. “It’s

awesome be involved in something that’s our own which also gives us the opportunity to bring our young family up in the country. It’s flexible around our family’s needs and we love berries”.

ares of raspberries and boysenberries.

The demand for berries is high and back in October the couple planted an additional four hect-

These recent plantings will increase the number of berries they are able to supply to the Nelson company Little Beauties this coming season. In total the property has 4.5ha of raspberries, 3ha of boysenberries, 220 blueberry plants and 7,000 strawberry plants which yield around three tonne of strawberries per season. There are also a few rows of existing pear trees that still produce a decent number of quality pears. The newly-planted berries are not the only change for the property. “We are about to start building a new house for us to live in, once it’s built the old house will then be removed which will make room for decent parking area, improved entry and exit to the shop as well as an awesome shaded seating area for families to re-

Seeking open farm hosts

STAFF REPORTER

Open Farms helps urban Kiwis reconnect with our land, food and farmers and they’re now looking for farmer hosts.

New Zealand’s national open farm day is set for Sunday 12 March 2023. Their aim is about getting back to basics and reconnecting with the good stuff – our land, animals and each other. Open Farms know that New Zealand foods starts in some incredible places, so they started an annual nationwide open farms day to help kiwis reconnect with the source of their food. The platform is independently run by Open Farms Ltd, with support from sponsors Beef + Lamb New Zealand, the Our Land and Water National Science Challenge and the Ministry for Primary Industries’ Sustainable Food & Fibre Futures fund.

“It’s about getting urban Kiwis back out on-farm to experience where their food starts,” says founder Daniel Eb. “In the two years we’ve run Open Farms, more than 7,000 people have visited 82 farms – from sheep and beef stations, to permaculture orchards, dairy farms, honey producers and more.”

While the 2022 event was delayed, Open Farms 2023 kicks off with a call for farmers to sign up to host an open day.

“There is no lack of interest from urban Kiwis to get on-farm,” says Eb. “We book out half of our capacity in 24 hours and more than 80% of events are overbooked. To give more kiwis a chance to reconnect with their rural roots, we’re asking more farmers to host with us.”

Past open farms, held in various locations around the country, have been successful and fun yet there has not been one held in our region, therefore they are seeking hosts and say all farmers and growers are suitable for open farms– large or small, rural or urban, agriculture, permaculture and everything in between. If you are interested, Open Farms Ltd will support you with event planning, marketing, registrations and will connect visitors to you via a booking system. They will also support you with tips to help host and tell your story.

Registrations close late Feb, learn more by going to: www.openfarms. co.nz

lax in when they visit us,” Elise explains.

Fairfield Berries consists of a team of 15-20 staff including shop staff, picking staff and labourers. Elise says they have a great team which contains a few staff members who have been there for the past five years making them a helpful wealth of knowledge. They also have a great support network from people such as Hayden

French from Fruitfed Richmond who has created an excellent spraying programme and Glen Holland from Tasman Bay Berries who provides expertise and advice.

Fairfield Berries is open every day of the school holidays and they have plenty of sun kissed raspberries, boysenberries, blueberries and strawberries waiting to be eaten.

Nelson based company developing ground-breaking anti-viral treatment

A local Nelson company, Kimer Med Ltd, are working at developing an exciting broad spectrum anti-viral which can treat a range of viral diseases. Company communications representative Andy Clover says, “The goal is to bring an end to the suffering caused by viral disease to both humans and animals.”

The anti-viral compound, which is called VTose®, is a derivative of DRAGO which has been tested and found effective in vitro against 15 different viruses in 11 tissue types, and against influenza H1N1 in mice. The company plan to test against SARS-

CoV-2, HIV, Hepatitis B, and other human viruses, as well as viruses which affect animals. They are also conducting the necessary clinical trials here in Nelson.

Kimer Med was awarded a 2021-22 Project Grant from Callaghan Innovation, the New Zealand government’s innovation agency. This funding provides a boost to the ongoing R&D work by reimbursing NZD$150,000 of eligible expenses over the next two years. The key idea is to produce a drug that works differently, against a wide range of viruses, not just one, and provide another tool in the fight against

viral disease.

The company founder, Rick Kiessig, has a background in biology, organic chemistry, biochemistry, software and rocket science. He owned and operated a multi-person consultancy in the Silicon Valley for more than two decades and is an experienced entrepreneur and project manager. Rick has worked on many high-profile projects for NASA, Lockheed-Martin and other clients. He moved to Nelson with his family in 2006 where he and his team work on this project in their new science laboratory at their head office.

Dr Mike Schmidt, Andy Clover and Rick Kiessig of Kimer Med in Kimer Med’s new laboratory space at Cawthron’s Te Wero Aro-aramata facility. Photo: Tim Cuff.

Patrick and Elise Cotter, with their daughters Lucy (3) and Maddison (1). Photo: Supplied.

A punnet of Fairfield strawberries. Photo: Supplied.

Elite Viticulture looking smart

ELOISE MARTYN

The frosts back in October 2022 have had a minor impact on the quantity of pinot noir coming on this season. “At the time it didn’t appear the frosts had done any damage, there was no visual burning, however now we can see the bunches are reduced for Pinot Noir slightly and that’s throughout the whole district” John Selwood of Elite Viticulture explains.

However, overall, the season is “Looking smart with good crop levels, the field water capacity is good thanks to the rain we received a few weeks ago,” John says. “And in December we had perfect Sav weather.”

John is referring to ideal conditions to produce grapes for sauvignon blanc flowering which consists of hot, dry weather with a good wind. Wind is an important component to all vineyards as without the air flow the door is open for powdery mildew and downy mildew, both fungus water moulds, that infects the leaves and fruit, resulting in decreased photosynthesis leading to reduced yield and poor fruit quality.

“We spray every 7-10 days, however if there is a large downpour we will spray again,” states John. This additional spray is not only an additional cost but pulls time off other tasks that need to be done such as leaf plucking, trimming and grass mowing.

Elite Viticulture, a contracting company formed in 2008 and based in Brightwater, is involved in the management of around 300ha of fruit

spread out over around 17 different vineyards located in the Richmond Hills, Waimea Plains, Brightwater, Moutere Hills and Kina areas.

They are the only contracting company in the district with a Klima vine-stripping machine. The Klima machine strips the pre-pruned canes, mulches the canes that are not needed and spits the mulch back directly under the vine to compost down.

The previous and traditional method has been a labour-intensive process of pruning the vines, then tediously stripping each individual cane out of the canopy before coming back with the tractor to mulch the cut vines.

“An average row takes a person around an hour to strip out manually and four minutes to mulch, the Klima can strip and mulch in around four minutes total per row.”

The result of the machine has reduced labour requirements by 40% as well as a reduced tractor footprint.

“A contracting company needs good, reliable and maintained gear, we really focus on being sustainable

and this machine lines up with our goals and aims.”

John says that a big part of Elite Viticulture is around being efficient for their clients.

John credits the success of the company to the dedicated and experienced staff they have.

“Labour and staffing is a challenge, we couldn’t do what we do without our key people and man we have some good ones.”

The company employs around 50 staff who work on several small, local vineyards around Tasman pruning, wire lifting, canopy management, re-planting, hand picking, as well taking nets on and off rows, which is no small task.

“Tasman has high bird pressure due to the diverse range of produce in the area, net protection is key to us for a successful harvest,” John states.

The larger vineyards are picked via a harvester. The harvester runs 24-hours and over an 2-day period and picks around 2,000 tonnes of their contracted fruit. The first harvest are grapes that go into pinot gris, pinot noir and chardonnay.

The team then moves into the sauvignon blanc grapes which takes around eight days to pick operating again 24-hours a day.

Sauvignon Blanc grapes are harvested early to prevent the sugar getting too high which assists the wine-maker in producing a low alcoholic wine, which a majority of their sauvignon blanc fruit goes into.

Harvesting the grapes earlier also reduces the risk of vine fungus called Botrytis.

“The higher the sugar content the higher the risk of Botrytis.” John grins, “The demand for New Zealand wine has quickly grown in the past few years, this has made a strong market which is good for all involved. And they make a good drop, I get a real buzz out of helping producing a really good local wine.”

High demand for mastitis tool

The New Zealand company Farm Medix developed a diagnostic tool named ‘Snapshot’ back in 2015 to identify pathogens in bulk milk tanks. They quickly recognised this enabled them to better determine the root causes of mastitis infections at farm level, says Farm Medix chief executive, Foucauld Thery.

He explains that clinical mastitis is more a symptom than an illness. To fix the issue farmers need the whole picture. A study published in 2017 by The Journal of Dairy Science has highlighted that 70% of clinical mastitis cases do not require treatment. Process changes like equipment settings, teat care active ingredients, milking procedures are among the areas than can make the difference. If you know where to look, farmers can find quick and cheap fixes says Natasha Maguire, Farm Medix chief scientific officer. The doubling of ‘Snapshot,’ activity this year proves the effectiveness of this compre-

hensive approach to mastitis treatment.

Maguire says, to optimise impact, mastitis treatment must be adapted to pathogens. The usual suspects like strep.uberis, Staph. Aureus, E.Coli are bacteria that require specific approaches. Also, alfae like prototheca, or a fungi like candida are not cured by antibiotics. All of them are proven sources of high SCC levels. Maguire says somatic cell count measures are an immune response and therefore can’t be relied on for treatment decisions.

Side-by-side analysis of SCC based on interventions and systematic identification of pathogens made by Farm Medix confirms a gap. They have developed long term partnerships with farmers to proactively monitor and reduce their mastitis on farm. This approach to a number one problem for dairy farmers has seen Farm Medix win multiple awards at the Food and Agricultural Science awards.

The Selwood family, John, Hayley, Ollie and Chelsea. Photo: Supplied.

The Farm Medix team, from left field operations manager Eileen Hammond, lab manager Kathryn Coley, chief scientic officer Natasha Maguire and senior scientist Claudia K Barcellos. Photo: Supplied.

A comment on emissions pricing

DAMIAN O’CONNOR Biosecurity and Agriculture Minister

The summer months are here and it’s good to see some warm weather finally arriving after the very wet winter and spring that most have experienced. I hope tailing has gone well, that pasture covers are lifting and those with crops are getting a good strike. With consultation completed on the government’s response to the He Waka Eke Noa partnership’s proposal for pricing emissions, we are now considering the ideas that have come back. I want to thank everyone who made a submission – especially those who actually read both documents. I have always been optimistic that in working with the Partnership we will be able to find pragmatic solutions to the areas that we wanted feedback on.

Of these, the most significant is sequestration. Both the partner-

ship and the government agree that this is complex. So did the Climate Change Commission, for that matter. Complex in terms of accounting, science and management. For instance, the Canterbury plains are lined with shelter belts. And being tidy farmers and growers, what happens to shelter belts annually? They get trimmed. How much sequestered carbon is that? I don’t know. I guess you’d have to weigh it and see. What’s the best way to account for that?

You can see the dilemma.

Just as I believe product development through the new Centre for Climate Action on Agricultural Emissions will provide tools for sheep and beef farmers to reduce the methane they produce, I also believe better measurement technology will come on stream to help us determine sequestration on-farm. It will come, and when it does we will develop a system that helps farmers claim the work they’re doing.

In the meantime, I want to en-

courage farmers to keep planting natives, exotics and fencing bush blocks.

Our work will now turn to finding ways to include all sequestration on-farm, where it can be scientifically validated, so it can be rewarded.

I acknowledge that the prospect of change is unsettling, and the

questions raised in our response came on top of two years of hard work by the He Waka Eke Noa partnership to put together a good proposal – one which we’ve largely accepted.

Listening to farmers and reading the media during the consultation period there was one word that was largely absent in the dis-

cussion: customer. Our exports are nothing without a customer. In November our biggest dairy company indicated it would be expanding its emissions target to ‘Scope 3’ - that is to say including the emissions of its farmers. This has been prompted by the requirements of its customers. We need to adapt to a changing world before we run out of runway. Our work in this space is about being proactive, finding opportunity to create value, and incentivising and rewarding good practice.

As Christmas quickly approaches, I hope that everyone is looking forward to spending time with family and friends. I know that the work never stops for those in the primary industries, but I do hope that you all get the opportunity to connect with loved ones and enjoy a little R&R.

Thank you all for the hard work you do to deliver prosperity for all New Zealanders. We value your efforts. I wish you all a very merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year. And may everyone be safe on the roads, and in the rivers and at the beaches. I hope to use the time to get out and enjoy this wonderful country we all live in. If you see me, stop and say g’day.

Green hydrogen - a path for rural New Zealand

ELOISE MARTYN

The government aims to achieve a net zero carbon economy by 2050. This ambitious goal requires the transition away from energy systems that rely heavily on hydrocarbons (oil, coal and gas) to one that is based on renewable energy sources. In particular, green hydrogen could assist in decarbonising parts of our rural New Zealand economy.

The life cycle of green hydrogen is a journey from water and back to water. It is created from water using energy from the sun, wind or hydro. When utilised, there is no pollution by-product.

The use of hydrogen in fuel cells emits only water, with no particulates, sulphur oxides (SOx) or nitrogen oxides (NOx). Using hydrogen is particularly beneficial because it contributes to improved air quality.

The New Zealand Hydrogen Council was formed in September 2018 by private and public sector organisations

with seed funding from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment to support the progression and uptake of low emission hydrogen in New Zealand.

The New Zealand Hydrogen Council announced in Dec 2022 that they were facilitating the first of several strategic Hydrogen Roadmap Workshops on behalf of the MBIE to advance the planning phase of the development of the Roadmap for Hydrogen in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Workshops were held in December and there are more being held over January.

The purpose of the workshops is to provide Hydrogen Council members and other key stakeholders, an invaluable opportunity to directly contribute to the development of New Zealand’s Hydrogen Roadmap.

New Zealand is fortunate to have an abundance of renewable energy potential.

Individuals and companies are starting to realise the clean benefits hydrogen can offer

and are investing heavily in the development of green hydrogen production facilities, distribution networks and refuelling sites throughout NZ.

Hiringa Energy has already begun to build four green hydrogen production, distribution and high-capacity refuelling infrastructure networks located in Hamilton, Palmerston North, Auckland and Tauranga. These will be operational this year.

The company has a further 20 stations planned across the North and South Islands, including Tasman, due to be operational by 2026.

A combination of hydrogen and electricity could provide a robust, sustainable, green energy platform for the delivery of deep decarbonisation of our energy and transport sectors, as well as the manufacturing of petrochemical-hungry products such as agricultural fertilizers.

As New Zealand grapples with reducing its reliance on fossil fuels, and the New Zealand rural sector is challenged to

reduce total emissions, the government’s ambitious targets for a clean, green, carbon neutral economy by 2050 will require hydrogen and electricity to be used in tandem, so the most effective application can be used to maximise opportunity and positive energy outcomes.

Rural NZ in particular faces challenges around electricity supply and network capabilities to support a fully electric option for domestic, industry, and transport sectors.

Green hydrogen has real potential to provide an alternative in areas where technology has no viable solution and cost-effective alternatives need to be found for our farmers, growers and rural communities.

With the right policy signals, support, and engagement, New Zealand could lead the way in growing a robust green hydrogen industry, creating new skilled jobs, utilising existing resources and at the same time decarbonising industry across all sectors.

Regardless of the process used to produce it, hydrogen can be either compressed or liquefied, (very similar to natural gas which is mainly methane) and can be used:

• to fuel vehicles or stationary plants which are fitted with fuel cells or internal combustion engines

• for heat by direct combustion or fuel cells

• to generate electricity in dedicated hydrogen gas turbines

• to replace carbon in industrial processes such as steel production

• for energy storage

Biosecurity and Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor. Photo: Supplied.

I want to encourage farmers to keep planting natives, exotics and fencing bush blocks.

Damian O’Connor

www.ruralwomennz.nz

What is Rural Women?

Rural Women New Zealand is a nationwide membership-based organisation, which supports people in rural communities through learning opportunities and social connections. From our early days as the Women’s Division of the Farmer’s Union in 1925, Rural Women has become an authoritative voice on health services, education, environment and social issues in the rural sector.

In 1925, a number of farmers’ wives were on holiday in Wellington while their husbands attended the Farmers’ Union Conference. They shared their experiences of the often hard and lonely times on the farm with each other: the unceasing toil, the mud track roads and rivers unbridged. Stories of the backblock women’s loneliness, illness, and lack of support resonated with the sixteen founders of the Women’s Division of the Farmer’s Union later to be named Rural Women, who established the organisation to improve support systems for their fellow rural women.

The world has changed over this time, but the need for people to connect hasn’t – nor has the needs of the community. In the 90 years since, Rural Women has been at the forefront of rural issues, working to ensure that the voices of New Zealand’s rural women and their families are heard.

Why get involved? If you are looking to connect socially with likeminded women involved in the primary sector OR if you are wanting to make a difference to local education, health and safety or land concerns affecting rural people then Rural Women is for you! You don’t have to be living rurally or be a farmer to be involved, you could be a rural professional working in the ag industry or living in town with a passion or interest in the rural sector.

Rural Women focus on strengthening, supporting and connecting rural people in New Zealand’s rural communities. Rural Women branches can be found all across the country; while some groups meet for fun and friendship, others are focused on education and facilitate training days and workshops majority have a wonderful balance of both. Rural Women also seek to empower rural women and girls by nurturing their talents and encouraging members to develop their skills through leadership roles. We hope to see our members put these talents and skills towards leadership roles in their communities.

Black Heels and Tractor Wheels

Black Heels and Tractor Wheels is a series of Podcasts sharing stories from a range of rural women around New Zealand. Hosts, Emma and Claire join a whole raft of incredible New Zealand women to discuss topics ranging from starting your own business, navigating career and university changes, building confidence, and getting back to work with young children. The scope and the uptake of Black Heels and Tractor Wheels spans all ages and stages of life.

Some guests include: Laura Koot, Rowena Duncum, Sophie Hurley and Ele Ludemann. There are over 30 episodes that you can listen to anywhere, including on Spotify, iHeart Radio and Apple Podcasts. Or find the link on www.ruralwomennz.nz

What’s New?

Lorna Crane, Vice President of Murchison Rural Women’s branch, says “It’s a lot fun and full of humour, we have our serious side with discussions around anything troubling people or policies people want to have input into”

Lorna has been involved in different women’s agriculture groups, including Country Girls and Women’s Division of Federated Farmers, since arriving in New Zealand from England in 1964. “When I arrived from England, I didn’t know anyone, I know how important it is to meet and develop lifelong friendships” and that’s something that Lorna and the Rural Women team have been focusing on recently. “It’s nice to get together, just the ladies in the country and no judgement.”

Rural Women Murchison had an amazing uptake of 14 new members during 2022. “It was a tremendous boost for us, with the new members we now have a range of different ages and stages, which is great for our Rural Women community,” Lorna explains. The Murchison group has been active in charitable fundraising are have an upcoming event in February to raise funds for Hospice. “With the increased members we can achieve more for the community by each only doing a little bit, we also all have a lot in common but are each in different situations, so we learn more about not only each other but our community, it develops understanding for us all.”

“Mutual support, charitable fundraising, policy improvement suggestions are just some of what we do. We mainly enjoy being together, having friendship and support,” Lorna says. All Rural Women groups have the opportunity to enter yearly competitions such as a speech competition and a story writing competition which recently Lorna was proud winner of both! Rural Women host an annual Rural Women New Zealand Business Awards which not only recognises and celebrates the achievements of rural women but also showcases and promotes rural enterprises by lifting profiles in business networks and media. The Business Awards provides support for entrepreneurial rural women by providing opportunities for business review, clarity of objectives, achievements and plans. They offer all those that attend professional appraisal and feedback.

Murchison Rural Women are always welcoming of any women wanting to join in. “All Rural Women branches embrace anyone wanting to join in, being a Rural Women is amazing, living in the country is good for your soul, with the greenery around, the pace and being part of the community.”

Where?

Top of the South

West Coast: Marg Milne, 03789 8074: margarwpt@kinect.co.nz

Branch: Carters Beach

Golden Bay: Carolyn McLellan, 03524 8132: balmac@xtra.co.nz

Branches: Bainham, Pakawau, Takaka

Nelson: Diane Higgins 035424388: dmhiggins@xtra.co.nz

Branches: Brightwater, St Arnaud, Murchison, Maruia.

Marlborough: Dot Dixon, 0226397175:dotsf9@gmail.com

Branches; Rai Valley, Pelorus Sound- Havelock; Kenepuru; MahakipawaLinkwater; Blenheim/ Wairau.

Rural women are growing in numbers and strengthening in areas throughout the Top of The South Island and they have a lot to offer!

Anna Thomas at a Rural Women Pink Ribbon High Tea fundraiser in Brightwater 2022.

Margaret Fenemor and Dawn Batchelor, Brightwater’s longest serving members.

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Rural Community Noticeboard

Dairy Farming Level 3 - Brightwater

Thurs 16 Feb @10am

Ideally suited for Farm Assistants, this qualification provides learners with a solid knowledge-base across a range of on-farm tasks, and prepares you to tackle all seasonal activities throughout the farming calendar year.

The first topic you will start is ‘Personal Wellbeing, Biosecurity and Animal Health’ which is being held at the Wanderers Rugby Club in Brightwater.

Other topics include:

- Assist with Operating Dairy Effluent Management Systems

- Milk Harvesting and Optimizing Milk Quality

- Assist with Mating, Calving and Neonatal Care

- Livestock Feed Supply and Demand

For more information and to enrol, phone Regional

Coordinator: Karmyn Ingram on 027 253 3072 or email karmyn.ingram@primaryito.ac.nz

WEED SWAP

Golden Bay + Murchison

Do you know the difference between Bomarea and Boxthorn? What about Queensland Poplar, Cathedral Bells or Gunnera?

No? Well, they’re all weeds, nasty invasive types that can be identified by cross-checking our website under the Tasman-Nelson Regional Pest Management Plan and you can find out all about them.

As an incentive, members of our Biosecurity team will be at A&P shows around the district running a ‘Weed Swap.’

Check out our pest weed species, then hunt them down and take them to the team at the shows and they may swap it for a native plant.

Our Biosecurity experts are looking for the more unusual ones that are on our list, how ‘bout a Variegated Thistle or Purple Loosestrife?

It’s all about identifying these pest invader plants and hunting down where they have made themselves at home, then they can be dealt with!

Weed Swaps are happening at the following shows:

• Golden Bay A&P Show, Golden Bay Recreation Park, 21 January 2023, 8.00am - 5.00pm

• Murchison A&P Show, Murchison Sport, Recreation and Cultural Centre, 18 February 2023, 8.00am - 5.00pm

The team only has a limited number of native plants to swap, so it’s first in first served at each event. Be in quick and impress the team!

Welcome to Tasman Honda

Tasman Honda formally Morley Motorcycle & Marine is 100% New Zealand owned and operated. Our focus is on offering our customers in the Nelson, Tasman and surrounding areas a full Honda experience. Genuine Honda products, parts, maintenance and services.

Our showroom at 25 Elms Street is a destination hub for all things Honda. With our extensive Honda range there is nowhere you can't go, roads, dirt tracks, racetracks, NZ is your playground and what better region to explore than Nelson Tasman.

Honda’s all-terrain vehicles make farm life easy. No matter the job and its level of difficulty, Honda has the right hardworking ATV for you.

25 Elms Street, Stoke 03 544 8703

tasmanhonda.co.nz info@tasmanhonda.co.nz

The Nelson-Marlborough summer season brings an increased risk of unwanted wildfires. All it takes is one spark and in the right conditions a fire will take off.

Spark generation and the potentially disastrous outcome of accidental ignition is of special concern to rural and farming communities, some of whom may have experienced first-hand the devastation caused by the monthlong Pigeon Valley wildfire four years ago. This fire destroyed 2,400 hectares of land and forest after farming equipment generated a spark. Events such as this are devastating to the communities that experience them, which is why a community effort to reduce the risk of fires occurring is so important.

Spark generating activities: As the temperatures across the region are ramping up, BUIs (Build-up Index) are increasing - providing a timely reminder of the potential spark hazards that hot works and high fire risk activities pose during the dry season. BUIs are the availability of dry vegetation and light fuels (such as grass and pine needles) which could supply a fire. Activities like welding,

Living at the Wildfire Interface

mowing, chainsawing, ploughing or driving in dry, grassy or vegetated areas have the potential to generate sparks which could start a devastating wildfire.

Farmers and rural community members wanting to undertake heat or spark generating activities are encouraged to first check NIWA’s fire weather information site at fireweather.niwa.co.nz and checkitsalright.nz before beginning, to help you make an informed decision about the suitability of the fire weather for their operation. Farmers and rural contractors can also sign up to a mailing list by emailing our wildfire specialist jeff.white2@fireandemergency.nz to receive daily up-to-date information about the fire indexes in their area.

Doing your research and determining the suitability of current fire conditions could be the difference between avoiding an incident or accidentally starting a wildfire. It is important to consider potential outcomes of undertaking an activity, and the dangers that consequences may entail for you and your community, ruralfireresearch.co.nz is a highly informative tool with current information for creating effective

defensive spaces and other fire weather and hazard information. Remember to mow grass or use high-risk tools earlier in the morning or later in the evening outside of peak dry times to reduce the opportunity for accidental ignition from spark generation.

Protect your property: Wildfires are unpredictable, so preparing your property for the potential is an important step. A great way to do this is by managing the volatility of vegetation planted around your property by creating a ‘defensible space’. This increases the probability of your house surviving a wildfire. Removing highly flammable natives such as kanuka and manuka, in favour of low flammability species such as papauma/broadleaf or karaka reduces the volatility of surrounding vegetation, providing little

fuel for a wildfire. Planting low flammability plants away from the house can create a ‘green break’ to reduce fire hazard to the property. The first 10 metres around a house should be free from debris and potential fuels that could ignite (such as bark chips, leaves, firewood and outdoor furniture). The following 10-30 metres should be well-maintained with grass kept short.

Fire and Emergency need access and water: If we can’t get to you, we can’t help, our trucks require four metres x four metres of clear space to access your property. Access difficulties and a lack of water are common challenges for Fire and Emergency, we are very limited in what we can do if we have no access or water. Having a dedicated fire-fighting water supply makes a massive difference to our ability to protect your house and buildings. A dedicated water tank or static supply is invaluable, especially if it is fitted with a coupling system that is compatible with ours and has an area of hard-stand beside it for our truck to park.

This page was brought to you by Allflow Richmond, pleased to support FENZ

Backyard BBQ safety: It is true that visitors to the area bring added risk of a wildfire start but it is also true that our own behaviour in our own backyard can just as likely to be the cause of a wildfire start – braziers, pizza ovens, chiminea’s and fire pits do not require fire permits but carry a high risk. Make sure it is on a stable, non-flammable surface such as gravel, concrete or a metal tray. Keep a hose or buckets of water within five metres and stay with your fire until it has burned out. Close the opening with a mesh screen. When ash and embers are cool, put them in a metal container and cover with water.

Always have a no-go zone for kids and pets, monitor wind direction and speed, and make sure the fire is always supervised.

We are here to help: As part of helping our communities be ready and prepared, we are happy to visit your property and offer advice.

Loads of helpful information is available if you visit checkitsalright.nz with All Black legends Christian Cullen and Samuel Whitelock offering some very smart firesafe tips.

Changes to resource management planning in proposed legislation

ANNA BENSEMANN

The recent release of the Natural and Built Environments (NBE) bill has outlined the changes intended by central government to better provide for environmental management and land use planning moving forward. This incorporates existing National Policy Statements and standards relating to freshwater and highly productive land resources. The proposed legislation has a clear focus on outcomes to ensure there is an improvement in natural environment resources. This is proposed to be achieved through stronger central government direction and consistency in application by council’s throughout New Zealand. Environmental limits are proposed to be set in relation to air, indigenous biodiversity, coastal water, estuaries, freshwater and soil. Other limits may be set for other aspects of the natural environment and can be determined at a regional level. These limits will be for specific management areas and are likely to be measurable. For those areas where prescribed limits are not already achieved, targets will be set, providing the measures to improve the quality or quantity of the natural resource to achieve the identified limits.

The detail of targets and limits will either be provided directly through the National Planning Framework (due to be released for comment within 6 months of the NBE coming into effect) or alternatively, the framework may direct new regional entities (to be established as part of the NBE) to provide the specific limits and targets.

Another tool to be used through the NBE to achieve the anticipated outcomes, particularly for freshwater use, is an allocation system that

will require all consents to be called in at the same time for reconsenting.

This system is already used in some areas for aquaculture activities and requires a common expiry date for all consents so they can be reviewed and reconsidered at the same time.

This allows for an overview of the complete resource demand and allocation at the time of reconsenting. Day to day interaction with the proposed legislation will be with new Natural and Built Environment Plans (NBE Plans), which will be required to be developed using a public consultation process, but with reduced rights of appeal compared with current RMA plan making processes.

The NBE plans, replacing district and regional plans, will include rules that trigger the need for resource consents.

These rules will have a significantly stronger focus on the government directed outcomes, and little or no consideration of neighbour’s amenity values or views.

The effectiveness of the proposed legislation for better managing environmental outcomes and providing for appropriate land use planning, will not fully be understood until the National Planning Framework is released and each region starts working through what it means in the context of their natural resources.

Its also not clear at this stage what it will mean for landowners using the resources on the ground.

However, if recent freshwater and highly productive land provisions are a signal it will include highly prescriptive components which will work for some landowners and not for others.

Anna Bensemann, Senior Planner, Baseline Group Marlborough. Ph 03 578 7299 email: anna@blg.nz

It’s that time of year again!

It’s that time of the year, as we head through summer and the holiday season we reflect on the year just gone, and the year ahead. With lessons learned and hope on the horizon.

It’s been another disrupted and uncertain year and I know that for many Covid has left us tired and on edge, for a number of reasons. For others, things are slowly returning to some sort of pre-Covid normal. Though in an altered norm.

The after-effects of the pandemic are many; but quite clearly New Zealanders are in a cost-of-living crisis feeling anxious at the supermarket checkout, the petrol pump and when we pay the rent or mortgage. Inflation expectations have spiralled with Kiwi households believing inflation will be around for more years to come. The cost of living is real, not rhetoric.

As we head into what is meant to be a festive season, for many it will be a struggle. We all need a government with a real economic plan to tackle the crippling inflation families now face.

While this current government fail to address the underlying issues of the cost-of-living crisis, National has a plan. We will unblock bottlenecks in the economy by easing our immigration settings, reduce costs on business, bring back disciplined government spending, allow prudent tax reduction and solely focus the Reserve Bank on bringing down inflation.

Unfortunately, the ballooning cost of living is not the only issues facing this country.

migration settings and looking at opening up more training places, National is committed to building the health workforce and we will hold ourselves accountable.

There is a shameful statistic emerging from our schools. 60% of our children are not attending school regularly and we are going to pay dearly for this in a few short years. Covid has been taking the blame, but that excuse is wearing rather thin.

Resource Management Act, support competition in the building materials sector and reinstate interest deductibility on rental properties.

There has also been hits on our rural and farming communities – taxes and impositions galore – which has hit hard and taxing on the integrity of farmers as our nation’s food-producers. Our farmers are not villains.

The oil and gas exploration ban has had far-reaching effects for New Zealand. We had been considered a low sovereign risk nation in which to invest; the ban has changed that significantly.

National is committed to net zero by 2050, and we will reverse the offshore oil and gas exploration ban if we’re successful at the next general election.

National will focus on getting children back in the classroom and helping them to achieve qualifications to achieve their fullest potential.

The housing crisis has actually become worse under Labour and the much-vaunted Kiwibuild scheme promising 100,000 homes has built just over 1500. National plans to free up land, replace the

I predict that this time next year most New Zealanders will have seen through and felt the impact of Labour’s empty promises and will be seeking a more competent government in a number of key areas where Labour has made a lot of noise but failed to deliver. Five years of failure for our folk, our families, our friends, our future. Let’s hope for a more stable and settled 2023.

Anna and the team are land development experts and can help with all your resource consent needs around the farm.

Get in touch about your next project, and with their experience and expert knowledge they’ll save you time and unnecessary cost in preparing your resource consent, giving it the best chance of being approved without delays.

The health system is in crisis, despite a half a billion-dollar restructure carried out at the worst possible time (amidst a pandemic and lockdowns on living, working and simply coping). The focus needs to return to the frontline: we are desperately short of around 4,000 nurses, 1500 GPs and 1500 specialists. Based on im-

National List MP Maureen Pugh reflects on 2022 and makes some predictions for the coming year…

Maureen Pugh with National’s newest member Tama Potaka MP for Hamilton West. Photo: Supplied.

Our farmers are not villains.

Maureen Pugh

104

This bare land block on Quartz Range Road is fondly known by the owners and locals as “The Stables”. There is 180 ha approx. total with 116 ha approx in grass, some of which is in improved pasture and with a good fertiliser history, with the remaining land in native bush. Good fencing and water supply, a lot of the hard work is done and the property still has scope for improvements if the next owner desires. So, it is now up to you to do what you would like with the land. Options would be to continue as a runoff block, maybe run dry stock on the productive pasture, add in some beehives for extra income, and there are plenty of house sites with views out to the Kahurangi National Park. For further information contact Toby or Sharyn.

Price By Negotiation Over $1,680,000 + GST (if any)

Toby Randall M 027 233 9170 toby.randall@harcourts.co.nz

Pheasant

Price By Negotiation Over $1,480,000 + GST (if any)

Toby Randall M 027 233 9170

toby.randall@harcourts.co.nz

For the first time

Of the 51.87 HA,

The balance of the land is utilised for other

including large pack house, cool store, workshops and a bonus of approx 30 HA of easy to steep hill planted in exotic forestry and natives. Excellent accommodation options for seasonal staff with stand-alone workers cottages and a RSE accommodation unit, plus the main 4 bedroom dwelling, that has been renovated on an elevated sunny site – complete with a sea view. For more information or to register your interest, contact Toby Randall.

Toby Randall M 027 233 9170

toby.randall@harcourts.co.nz

Run Off Block, Dry Stock, or Getaway

Quartz Range Rd, Bainham

Waimea Plains – Hort or Landbank

Bryant Rd, Brightwater

Flat is a 9.76 Ha irrigated property located just outside of Brightwater in Tasman. The value in this block is either in the free draining productive Waimea plain soils and irrigation right or land banking with the future in mind as Brightwater and Tasman continue to grow exponentially, with developments moving closer and closer to this prime flat block. The property is Zoned Rural 1 and holds resource consent to take up to 2200 cubic metres per week to irrigate up to 8.64 Ha. The property also holds a current consent to build a 2nd dwelling on it, with the first dwelling being the recently renovated 1 bedroom, 1 bathroom cottage with adjoining large carport/ workshop. Other improvements include 2 x 3 bay farm implement sheds and cattle yards. If this ticks the box or has your mind ticking over, get in touch to find out more now.

Vaila Orchard, Riwaka, Tasman

85 Brooklyn Valley Rd, Brooklyn

in 150 plus years, this established family-owned orchard with quality production history is offered to the open market.

23.77 HA are planted in a variety of apple and pear trees, over 46,000 plants, with irrigation rights in place.

improvements,

Wash day at the farm

GARRICK BATTEN

There are not many Depression babies around now who can remember the 1930’s when export prices fell 40%, government revenue halved to be met by cuts in staff and pensions, and 40% of the male population was unemployed. Then the new Labour government came to the rescue with a guaranteed butterfat price that started our farming recovery and put it in a better position for the privations of WW2 and being able to help feed Britain. There are other farmers who can vividly remember another Labour government hellbent on creating a sunset agricultural industry. Back then the value of grazing lands dropped by a third and many farmers were virtually bankrupted. Current farmers will be able to remember an apparently similar objective and the end result could be the same.

Yet in the latter part of last century, and currently, it is farmers again putting NZ in a better position. Finance Minister Robertson said one of the main reasons we survived COVID was export earnings support as other self-claimed export leaders tourism and education collapsed. The forecast is for even better primary industry returns in 2023 enabling further government support to revive those failures.

Farmers will again not only save the economy but also enable other sectors to not significantly reduce and some cases to increase emissions like tourism. Government will claim ideological leadership to “retain the pole position of the most sustainable food producers in the world” to quote the PM. Apart from differ-

ent definitions of sustainability, all of which include people, the farm emissions policy ignores socio-economic effects - people and profit.

It callously proposes to significantly reduce spending, rural jobs and populations with consequent social costs and quality of living with increased stress and mental health issues. Oh - and significantly reduce farm production land and livestock directly with penalties, and by promoting plantation carbon forestry offsets for other sectors but not farming. Forest risks of windthrow, fire, monocultural disease and to the environment are ignored, while assuming an economic harvest for a market in 30 years time.

NZ will be the only country in the world to allow 100% offsetting in its ETS as another example of global leadership.

A major effect on NZ farming will be on hill country with few alternative production policies to replace lost livestock, a situation that MfE still does not seem to accept. The majority of these farmers are older, under stress, with less ability to cope with the current snowstorm of paper and regulations; the many single-owner operators also do not have the resources to digest or fully understand the impending consequences from artificially and ideologically driven change. Particularly when compounded by the short, illtimed consultation periods provided. Selling up for forestry is a logical remedy, especially when every +$10 per tonne carbon change results in +$2-3,000 per hectare increase in their asset value.

Others will just wonder why they are being hung out to dry.

OPINION:

Humpty Dumpty’s about knackered

BRENT BOYCE

I’ve been in the farming sector as a rural professional for over 30 years. I would have to look back to the 1980’s to see the current level of despondency, anger and sheer helplessness that is impacting the people who produce our food. In those days it was high interest rates, the entry of Britain into the EEC; the end of subsidies, the sharemarket crash – and the intention and policies of the Government at that time to consider farming a sunset industry.

Fast forward nearly 40 years – and the same thing is happening all over again. Now it seems that we don’t need any help from the outside – we are doing it to ourselves.

Even though we are celebrated as the world’s most efficient and cleanest food producers.

It is sort of like castrating ourselves because the neighbours have too many children. And

again – the intention and policies of the government right now seem intent on pushing too many good capable farmers right through the sunset and into the darkness.

In my 27 years working here in the Top of the South as a Farm Consultant – I have never had to deal with so many farmers who want to leave the industry they love. Some of them are very young – still in their early 30’s. And basically, it’s all the same story – “Death by a Thousand Paper Cuts”.

The shambolic economy, the vitriolic criticism, staffing issues, the endless bureaucracy, the spiralling on-farm inflation and expenses and the damnable compliance (and yes often in triplicate to report the same thing three different ways to three different entities). Change in some areas does need to come – and it is happening – but so much planting, fencing, nutrient budgets and consented work

has already been completed. And all at the farmer’s cost. But we work in a biological industry – it takes time to alter the course of the supertanker. This is not understood by the policies makers who dwell in the “bright ideas” room. There is an incredible strain that is crushing our farmers. In my role – I’m often right at the coal face where it can all unravel.

I am being regularly asked to step in and try and help what for many is an insurmountable outlook. The mental health of our rural folk is in a dire strait – and I as the sweeper in so many situations can say – we are bloody knackered. The blame must fall at the feet of the current overzealous and mis-guided policy makers.

The Humpty Dumpty’s of our farming world will need more than all the kings horses and all the kings men this time.

Brent Boyce – FarmWise bboyce@lic.co.nz

Books abound for summer

TONY ORMAN

Traditionally book publishers hit a high with new books in anticipation of the Christmas and New Year present time. Some varied ideas for gifts are;

“Wild Coasts” by Ned Barraud published by Potton and Burton, $21.99

An ideal book for youngsters by skilled artist and writer Ned Barraud. Full of information and eye-catching illustrations it tells of the amazing life abounding in the sea.

“Where is it in Town?” by Ned Barraud, published by Potton and Burton, $21.99

Another great younger kids book to instil an appreciation of the natural world into youngsters.

“Sylvia and The Birds” by Johanna Emeny and Sarah Laing published by Massey University Press, $39.99

This excellently illustrated book aimed at younger people tells of the remarkable life of Aucklander Sylvia Durrant, known as The Bird Lady, who ran a bird rescue service for 35 years. Featuring comic strip sections and photos the text is informative yet relaxed reading. While it’s aimed at teenagers, adults should dip into it too.

“Vanishing Ice” by Lynley Hargreaves, published by Potton and Burton, $59.99

Here’s a book for older kids (adults) who have an interest in the mountains, landforms or geology. It’s the stories behind New Zealand’s

glaciers, present and post, many which once existed in ice ages and the landforms such as morainic hills that they left behind. The author delves into history even back to the examining the pivotal role the sunken continent of Zealandia may have played in our emergence from the last ice age. Diligent research and often stunning photos make it a great, informative read.

“New Zealand -The Benefits of Colonisation” by Adam Plover. Published by Tross Publishing, $30.

Author Adam Plover has bravely dared to address the vexed issue of whether colonisation of New Zealand by the British was good or bad. Rather than rely on unreliable hand-me-down oral history, the author has researched written accounts of the time before and after the 1840 signing of the Treaty. Thought provoking!

Rural Hub team here to help

Our recently-established Rural Hub team is here to help farmers and landowners understand what is required in the implementation of the Essential Freshwater Package.

Intensive winter grazing

The EFP takes in the National Policy Statement on Freshwater Management (NPS-FM), National Environmental Standards for Freshwater (NES-F), stock exclusion regulations, and

updates to the regulations which cover the measurement and reporting of water takes. We have been working through the requirements and alongside various industry and catchment

groups as to how this work affects land users in the Tasman Region. Below is some information around legislation which has or is about to come into effect.

Nitrogen Reporting

Intensive winter grazing is where livestock (cattle, sheep, deer) are grazed on an annual forage crop such as swedes, kale and fodder beet at any time between 1 May and 30 September. These winter grazing regulations came into effect 1 November 2022 however we have been working with farmers over the past couple of seasons to ensure we all understand the permitted conditions and best management practice requirements.

Council staff undertook their annual winter grazing flights during July and August to check on high risk areas throughout the region. This was followed up with farm visits to ensure farmers understand the new intensive grazing regulations and how it will affect them with paddock selection, sowing and crop grazing next winter.

We have seen a lot of positive engagement and increasing awareness from landowners and industry groups about these winter grazing rules, and on the whole farmers are following good management practices and mitigating environmental risks well.

If you think that your farm may not meet the permitted activity conditions for your 2023 winter grazing or you have any questions please contact the Rural Hub team and we can advise options and whether a resource consent may be required in the interim prior to the roll out of Freshwater Farm Plans.

Stock Exclusion

Stock activity can damage the beds and banks of our waterways, dung, urine and sediment can also seriously impact water quality and the health of ecosystems.

New stock exclusion regulations are being phased in from 1 July 2023, stock (deer, pigs, dairy support cattle, dairy cattle and beef cattle) must be excluded from rivers, lakes and wetlands on pastoral land depending on the type of stock, slope and intensity of grazing.

These regulations apply to ‘new’ stock exclusion undertaken after 3 September 2020. If you had existing fences or riparian vegetation which excluded stock prior to this date then it does not need to meet the 3-metre setback requirement and you do not need to replace or move it. However, this fence must be a permanent fence and the fence and/or vegetation must be maintained to ensure that it continues to exclude stock from the lake or river.

For further information please see our website www.tasman.govt.nz or contact the rural Hub Team who can explain the requirements specific to your farming operation.

Our rural hub team are here to help you navigate and understand these regulations, we can provide best management practice guidelines and advice in relation to a huge range of land management, freshwater and environmental information. Over the coming year we will introduce our team and let you know how we can help you. Give us a call as we would love to hear from you.

Rural Hub email: rural.info@tasman.govt.nz. 03-543 4800

The application of synthetic nitrogen fertiliser to pastoral land is now capped at 190/kg/ha/year, and dairy farmers are required to report their annual synthetic nitrogen fertiliser use. The reporting deadline for the period 1 July 2021 to 30 June 2022 was extended for this initial season, we have had a great response so far from farmers and will shortly be following up with farmers who have not sent in their information for this past year. There are 3 online ‘portals’ available for inputting this nitrogen use data which in future years will be due by 31 July. If you require help, please contact your Ravensdown or Ballance Agri Manager or the Council Rural Hub team.

Join our team!

We are a busy yet growing team and are currently looking for three passionate Catchment Facilitators to work in our Golden Bay, Moutere/Motueka and Waimea Catchment areas.

These roles will engage with landowners, tangata whenua, catchment groups and primary industry sector groups with the aim of implementing and delivering catchment management plans and the freshwater farm plan program.

Other areas you’ll be involved in include promoting and advising on soil conservation, nutrient, land and riparian management and afforestation, managing grant funding applications to landowners, tangata whenua and community / catchment groups.

Ideally, you’ll have a relevant degree qualification in agriculture, forestry, environmental management and/or at least three years’ experience in a similar role within New Zealand’s agricultural / horticultural systems

You’ll also have proven abilities in farmer engagement, sustainable land management, soil conservation, sustainable farming practices, nutrient management, riparian management or catchment management.

However, if you believe you have the skills, experience and passion to be a valuable member of our team, we would love to hear from you!

More information on the roles and how to apply can be found at: careers.tasman.govt.nz

Turning thinking to the future

BARBARA STUART

“At the beginning of December, I was approached by residents in the Sounds to visit and speak to their community,” reports Doug Avery sitting in his tractor while he is driving around Stu Campbells Islayburn vineyard.

“I’m the kinda guy who thrives on being busy and working for Stu as his part-time tractor driver is the

spice of life for me.”

“Getting back to those Sounds residents, those poor folk have a huge predicament to work through, however I was not there in December to tell them how to get their road fixed. My job is always about ‘the mind’ and how we need to function mentally to cope with the problems those residents face. The important message from me is about helping

them to fix the full force of their minds on a pathway forward that personally benefits them and creates an even better life.”

Doug says, “Life on this earth is constantly changing and when I was going through the rough times while farming at ‘Bonavaree’ with my wife Wendy, she will tell you I got angry at my life position. I did not want to change, doing that is a big inconvenience!”

“For a long time, life was like backing a car in reverse trying to avoid the potholes, almost impossible. I learned, when life events intervene for whatever reasons, we need tools to help us re-adjust. Giving in to long term resentment and anger is a real challenge, you can’t move forward while trying to recreate the past.”

The best and only hope of turning things around and carving a

good future for everyone is not looking to the past. Look out the front window to the future, it’s the safest and best way to travel. We are one country and one people.

When we all focus on finding positive solutions to our problems, we can create that happy world for everyone around us. It’s our hard times where the opportunities of the future are born from.

Mindset needs to be ready for further education

BARBARA STUART

Luke O’Hagan left school as soon as he could. The school environment was not suiting him, and he just wanted to leave and work.

Initially he worked on a dairy farm for a time eventually getting into the forestry sector through his younger brother who got him a job on a chainsaw, manually cutting up logs. Reflecting on his teenage years, Luke says he was just sick of the classroom and was not ready to learn more, but that changed when he found what he wanted to do and applied himself.

In his younger years he always had a vision of driving machinery, which he progressed into over time, working for a series of companies. Eventually he landed a foreman’s job. Luke says, once he found out what he wanted to do he put a lot of effort into further education, accepted training opportunities and did extra study with NZQA. Barry Jones in Marlborough mentored him and gave him a chance to up-

skill. Then, after the death of a member of his logging crew, which he does not want to experience again, he took on Health and Safety seriously. The opportunity for training to be a ‘better leader’ came his way. Now in his early forties after several shoulder injuries, his physio recommended he find a less physical job than working on a skid site.

work with a professional team of work colleagues.

Luke O’Hagan

Luke says he was fortunate to have begun his career when there was a lot of manual work involving breaking out, attaching chains to felled trees to be hauled up to the skid site and tree felling. He says, he learned so much and it gave him valuable experience.

Fortunately for Luke, when he was chatting to a mate about this shoulder problems, the mate said, “I’ve got just the job for you.” Now he is involved in the management side of forestry as harvest supervisor for IFS Growth.

The job involves long work hours and lots of driving plus problem-solving with disgruntled people to find solutions.

“It’s a lot more stress because you carry the responsibility in the back of your mind even at the weekend.”

But Luke says, he’s enjoying the

Since those days the industry has changed, and he’s continuing to adapt with it. The next generation of foresters are different they are very skilful operators of big machines, but Health and Safety regulations, plus mechanisation, have changed the physicality of the job and it’s had a positive effect in saving lives.

But it also has its downside making the job more sedentary and technical, plus the next generation, Luke thinks, is a lot less self-resilient because of the stress associated with compliance.

Resilient Farmer, Doug Avery.

Photo: Supplied.

WEST COAST

“Call me Dumpy”

BARBARA STUART

Damian Kohrs smiled warmly and said, “Call me Dumpy, everybody else does! The only person who calls me Damian is my mother.”

Dumpy hails from South Africa where, as a 20 year old, he’d already set his sights on immigrating to New Zealand and was learning about the dairy industry and the Kiwi pasture-based system. He found an advertisement for a farm worker in a South African farming paper which eventually brought him to Reefton and Garveys Creek.

His father and stepmother have also joined him. Since that time twenty years ago, starting out as a farm worker, he’s concentrated on building up his knowledge and skills and worked at several different properties

in the area. In 2016 he and his wife Tiffany were married, and they now have three children, two girls and a boy.

Currently he and Tiffany are contract milking for Matt O’Regan, milking 530 cows.

The contract milking job involves milking, employing their own staff, calf rearing equipment, motorbikes, power to the dairy shed and day-to-day running costs.

Dumpy says, the season in his area just north of Reefton has been okay over the spring, calving and mating went well, production is up 9%, but rains at the end of November have set back silage-making and preparing for crops to be planted.

Zipping off to deal to some weeds, Dumpy says life in Reefton is good and he’s pleased he made the move to New Zealand.

From logs to veneer at International Panel and Lumber

BARBARA STUART

Many landowners have a block of trees, recently we followed a top line of our logs to the West Coast to learn first-hand how those logs were processed.

We were shown what happens to those logs by Sharon McCann who tells us she is a West Coaster born and bred. For the past fifteen years she has worked for the International Panel and Lumber company (IPL) based at Gladstone, 10K south of Greymouth, where she looks after Human Resources and Health and Safety for the company.

She says their team of around ninety-five staff is skilled at what they do and proud of the product they produce on the West Coast.

Sharon tells us IPL uses especially selected sustainably harvested pinus radiata from throughout the South Island to make a wide range of high-quality plywood which is used for architectural, construction and other specialty projects.

She explains the process from the log arriving on site to becoming the top-quality plywood that leaves the factory. On arrival at the plant every log is stacked in its size range, de-barked and cut

to size.

They are then chained together into a load and craned into a vat where they are steamed overnight for manufacturing the next day. Next the logs individually pass to the lathe, where they are peeled.

At this stage the fast-moving peeler machine cuts sheets of veneer from each log to a range of different thickness depending on daily orders.

These are then tidied up, edges clipped, and individual sheets go

into the drier.

The next part of the process involves gluing different numbers of sheets together to make the different grades using a special brew of glue made from white flour, resin and water.

At this point the sheets are cross layered, adding the strength to make a superior quality product. The glued sheets are then cold pressed with weights to bond the layers, and steam pressed. After this process the sheets are trimmed and filler is applied to any cracks to create a smooth finish, they are sanded, and then packaged for dispatch. IPL produce a wide range of sizes and veneers for both interior and exterior building.

Waste wood and sawdust is utilised to heat the boilers that provide steam and run the driers.

Sharon says the past twelve months has been very challenging for everyone because of Covid, with breakdowns and staff shortages for the three daily shifts.

There has also been a lot of demand pressure too due to building supply shortages creating the need to keep up production throughout last year.

By the end of the year people were ready for a break and the machinery was well ready for its annual maintenance when the company knocked off for Christmas.

Over the Christmas break machinery has been serviced and we are all hoping 2023 will be a normal, more predictable, year.

Reuben Lee looks on as Sharon McCann displays outdoor cladding. Photo: Barbara Stuart.

Dumpy Kohrs, happy he came to New Zealand. Photo: Barbara Stuart.

TASMAN

From Teapot Valley to the world

ELOISE MARTYN

Dorje was born in Nepal while his Kiwi parents worked for Sir Edmund Hillary, building and developing the Himalayan Trust.

The Trust is still operating today, focuses on education, healthcare and safe drinking water. It was under the healthcare section that Dorje’s father Lindsay, a keen mountain climber and respected doctor, accepted the opportunity to help the trust build hospitals as well as improve the health and well-being of the community there. It was here in Nepal that Dorje was introduced to bees, at the young age of two. Dorje’s father became a bee hobbyist, a hobby which continued when the family moved back to their family’s Banks Peninsular sheep, beef and small seeds farm.

Dorjes enjoyment from bees continued and during his OE in his 20’s he spent time in Montana bee-keeping.

He liked working with the bees, being in the outdoors, and often thought bee-farming would be an enjoyable livelihood. In the mid 2000’s there was a strong demanded from the world for naturally grown and formed foodsNew Zealand honey fell perfectly into this sector. The barriers to enter the industry were low and the export price was high, more reasons that helped Dorje continue his love for bees.

In 2015 Dorje and three long-

time friends gathered their many and varied experiences and skill sets to create 3Bee, a business that has quickly grown from bee-keeping and honey production for the New Zealand market to exporting multiple honey product formats around the world.

3bee is based in Teapot Valley, Brightwater, and their bees are located throughout the pristine wilderness across the top of the South Island as well as on local Kiwifruit orchards on the Waimea Plains.

Since 3Bee started, the team has grown to around 42 million bees and nine awesome staff. It all sounds wonderful, but Dorje explains that, initially, “It was a little worrying to come off stable employment and try something new. I was also concerned that with the long hours involved I wouldn’t see my family and kids much. A few years in and things settled down, as the kids got older they got involved. Our eldest son James, who is now 16 has spent the last three years bee-keeping each school holidays.”

He admits that bees are hard work.

“There are long days and heavy lifting, but it’s a great lifestyle”.

He also explains that a large part of what has made 3Bee successful is the staff “They are a 10 out of 10” he says. Staff are based in Golden Bay, Nelson and Teapot Valley.

3Bee products are sought after on the overseas market, they are well-known for producing perfect manuka honey, and manufacturing a high-quality, natural skincare range. 3Bee export finished products to 14 different countries including the US, England, Hong Kong, China, Malaysia, countries in the EU and to five countries in the GCC – Gulf Cooperation Council.

In December 2022 Dorje travelled to the US and Europe to visit clients. The month-long trip was the first time since the Covid pandemic that he had been able

to connect with his clients in person which Dorje says is, “Really important to us, we like to know our clients and for them to know us. I also enjoy catching up with clients we have worked with for years.”

With the wholesale honey market in a decline and increased fuel and road freight costs, exporting product is more beneficial.

Varroa Mite is still a challenge and Dorje and his team have been successfully managing the parasite using oxalic acid strips. The oxalic strips are inserted into the brood of each box and

changed frequently. The oxalic acid doesn’t affect or harm the bees but it does kill and deter the Varroa Mite. On the Varroa front some bee farmers have been trialing using a newly-developed ‘Hive Guard’.

The hive guard is a 3D-printed hive entranceway that is coated with a non-toxic, plant-based pesticide effective in killing the damaging Varroa Mite.

Dorje is not done yet. This year he is working on diversifying and getting into pet products such as dog wash, horse wash and manuka cream for dog wounds all destined for the American market. This diversification will create new job opportunities locally. As well as continuing to explore the pet market Dorje and his team have been working with local apiarists on marketing and exporting their own products.

“The pressure in our industry can be really tough, it’s nice to work together and all support each other.”

In 2022 Dorje supported local bee farmers and enabled them to export 150 tonnes of honey.

“I enjoy working with other bee farmers, this year I really want to spend more time doing this.”

3Bee are always looking to form long-lasting partnerships with landowners who have suitable bush blocks for bees and are located in the Nelson, Tasman or surrounding areas, if this is you, please email: dorje@3bee.co.nz

Perseverance is the answer to the climate dilemma

“It’s been a hard wet season in Golden Bay, and we’ve fed extra supplements all spring to make the cows happy and keep production up,” says David Hurst.

“And that’s with fewer cows than last season. But that’s farming,” says David, “we have to persevere and work through whatever the weather throws at us.”

Golden Bay dairy farmers David and Tania Hurst have farmed at Motupipi near Takaka for over forty years. The pair milked 240 cows this season with herd manager Emma Udell help-

ing. David also says, being prepared is the other ingredient to getting through adverse weather conditions. He has a couple of runoff blocks, one at East Takaka where it can be dry and another at Puramahoi where there are wetter, heavy soils. There has been had so much rain and now it’s mild, David’s making extra silage just in case the weather

suddenly becomes dry for a lengthy period.

He’s also having concerns about the emissions tax and regulations coming through from central government. Many farmers in Golden Bay have planted riparian edges alongside creeks and rivers over the past ten years, some have retired quite a bit of productive land, and this should be ac-

knowledged, he thinks. Personally, he and Tania have chosen to milk once a day, thereby not needing to irrigate, and, to make his farm more sustainable. It’s decisions like this, he says, that don’t get recognition, which he finds unfair.

He doesn’t mind paying toward emissions but worries the cost will be prohibitive and make it harder not just for himself but for younger people to maintain a sustainable industry in the future. We need incentives that encourage rather than a crippling tax, he thinks.

3Bee are based in Golden Bay, Nelson and Teapot Valley. Photo: Supplied.

David Hurst

TASMAN

Nelson Federated Farmers Report

The province has congratulated Tim King (Mayor), Christeen Mackenzie and Stuart Bryant (Ward Councillors) on their recent re-election, relieved to have a voice for the farming sector at the table amongst all the current craziness. The closing message from president Stephen Todd at the December board meeting was to be stoic, pragmatic and not think too far ahead tried to lift the gloom created by some earlier discussions

The scene was set by a presentation by Jenny Ridgen, MPI, about foot and mouth disease. This can also be obtained by contacting provincial support Eloise Martyn. It describes the disease and what it meant to animals, humans, farmers and the whole country, with programmes to keep it out of NZ relying on a specific multi-agency task force and on-farm biosecurity. Farmers do not really understand the potential risk from this disease that is much greater than anything the

government is currently imposing with regulations and legislation. There are specific animal and wind-borne spread risks created by 480 lifestyle blocks, most of which are carrying susceptible livestock, and the feral animal population roaming through over 80% of bush and forest of this region. Her closing message was that everyone has to work together to prevent FMD occurring here.

Stephen reported significant discussions at HO level to formulate a structure to cope with national board members overloaded by legislative demands and loss of key staff to government departments. With Meat and Fibre chair Kerry Irvine, he has been involved in numerous direct meetings regarding HWEN, with main points around ways to urge the government to rethink current methane emissions. He outlined the government’s disappointing response to the agreed and hard-crafted HWEN pro-

posal, the mandate from 87% of members who were unhappy with that cop-out response, the need to promote FF position, and now reconciling wording with Dairy NZ and B&LNZ, to conclude he felt farmers were now in a better place. He noted a night was held in Murchison for locals to discuss HWEN when National Party’s policy person Paul Le Miere Zoomed called in. He also reported some satisfactory progress with the Three Waters legislation. His remarks that in the end the government does what it wants and FF is unable to do anything about it were not encouraging. However, Stephen also reported on a productive meeting with TDC mayor and staff to develop a practical local format for winter grazing regulations based on a five-year consent and acceptable paddock plans with farmers using best practice and advice from B&LNZ and DairyNZ. MPI have recently appointed three local staff to assist

farmers in this and other activities driven by government regulations.

Dairy section Chair Brian Dineen noted a mixed season to date, and outlined bobby calf issues in this and potential changes next season with difficulties disposing surplus animals due to shortage of meat processing staff and costs and uneconomic problems with holding and feeding calves longer. He also commented on problems created by impending legislative changes compounding the busiest time for dairy farmers.

Similar themes were echoed and amplified by Kerry Irvine, Meat and Fibre section chair. Tight killing space through a lack of workers caused by Covid, compounded by bizarre immigration settings, was creating on-farm management issues. Lambs were not growing well and delays in killing old lambs risked carcase downgrades and $50-670 per head loss, and the ongoing Chinese Covid epidemic was drop-

Federated Farmers Golden Bay Report

TYLER LANGFORD Golden Bay Dairy Chairperson

Twice a year Federated Farmers’ provincial presidents from 24 provinces around New Zealand meet to discuss and decide on the future direction of the organisation. There are always remits and discussion items to work through as well as approving the budget, communication ideas and a couple of big hot topics.

Our first hot topic was none other than He Waka Eka Noa (the primary sector climate action partnership). There was some good discussion on ‘where to’ with the consultative process as well as the timeline for the next steps. The council held firm on our three key principals which are.

1. A scientific target for methane, based on no additional warming (that is, being zero carbon equivalent) by 2025

2. Exclusively incentivizing viable and cost-effective mitigation options that are available to New Zealand farmers.

3. No emission leakage or reduction in food productions occur. There were a couple of remits focused on the way in which Federated Farmers engages and communicates with its members. In an ever-changing world of

communication, it is becoming increasingly difficult to walk the balance of giving enough information (so farmers feel empowered) and giving too much especially via email, so farmers don’t feel they are being swamped and consequently tune out. There are multiple ways of communicating now, each with their own pros and cons and reaching different audiences. We agreed it was important to communicate with our members all the work we were doing and the groups we are meeting with, without overwhelming our farmers with too much detail. This is a constant evolving topic for national council and the organisaton at large. I really encourage any members and farmers out there if they have any suggestions in this space to get in contact with me.

There was a remit presented on the federation seeking more clarity on the impact of the government’s decision to ban the export of livestock. It was agreed by national council to work with the communication team on the timing, context and contents of any such communication.

We also discussed bobby calves at quite some length, both from the point of view of oversupplying the abattoirs and the long-term look of surplus calves. It was agreed that we would take a leadership

role and engage with a sector-wide working group to take on some of these bigger future-focused questions. There will need to be some out-of-the-box thinking on some of these issues. Regarding the lack of processing space, Federated Farmers’ leaders are meeting with the meat processing and transport companies to try and solve the issue.

The lack of space issue led easily into our last topic of discussion: the lack of staff available to all parts of the agricultural sector. There were several examples from all over the country about how this is becoming a major issue that needs some serious attention and focus. The board of Federated Farmers agreed to take the strength of this concern to government officials and champion some change for our sector, highlighting the domino effects on economy and community if this issue is not resolved. All in all, it was a fantastic couple of days in a room full of very passionate people. Our sector is in good hands with the presidents at these tables representing the voices of their farmers in their regions.

ping the lamb schedule 20-30 cents a week. Baleage crops were reduced by no bottom in pastures, but recent rain may improve pasture quality for crops and lamb growth although lambs are slow to finish this season and expectations for improved killing space are forlorn.

He concluded that farmers were battered by critical government actions that was not the Kiwi way.

Eloise told the meeting of the successful mid-November Waimea Rural Connections Burger Trial Night attended by 47 people, only half of whom were members. This function will be repeated in 2003 with dates and details to be confirmed. While this is not a platform to specifically increase membership it needs support from especially farm workers, and local members mingling and representing the province to open up the opportunities.

The next board meeting is set for Tuesday 24 January 1pm at Tapawera Fire Station.

Wayne Langford, Tyler Langford and Cherrie Chubb, at the National Council meeting held in November. Photo: Supplied.

marlborough

Funding boost for Avon Valley Catchment Group

STAFF REPORTER

A Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) grant of $445,000 has enabled the Avon Valley Catchment Group in Marlborough to accelerate its catchment restoration work.

The catchment encompasses approximately 5,000 hectares, and includes the Avon, Teme and Tummil rivers, up the Waihopai Valley.

The small but active catchment group consists of third to fifth generation farmers.

“The group’s members have a long history of land and environmental management, including fencing off sensitive areas, bridging waterways, farm forestry, retiring land and a focus on livestock health and performance,” said the group’s chair and landowner, Richard Dawkins.

“Recently, landowners have

self-funded pest control, planted over 15 hectares in native and exotic trees for biodiversity and erosion control, spent more than $40,000 on weed control and continued with fencing waterways.

environment and as an industry we need to do a better job of telling our story and sharing this kind of work with the public.”

The group aims to use the additional funding from MPI to undertake weed-control trials, begin predator trapping, collect and propagate seed for planting, release dung beetles and an old man’s beard mite, and expand its water quality monitoring programme.

“This environmental custodianship is not unique to the Avon Valley. The vast majority of farmers are seeking to enhance their

“We’re also investing in farm environment and biodiversity plans to future-proof ourselves post-funding. A large part of the catchment programme is about expanding our knowledge and implementing best practice. Anything that supports on-farm decision-making has to be a good thing,” Richard Dawkins said. The landowners are proud of the biodiversity of the catchment and are looking forward to ramping

Photo: Supplied.

up protection.

“The headwaters of the Tummil River contains the best piece of virgin beech forest in South Marlborough with a population of the rare kākāriki/yellow

crowned parakeet. This is where I want to put the trap line. It is the jewel in our crown, we must look after it,” said landowner Bernard Mason.

The Avon Valley Catchment Group is one of more than two hundred catchment groups across New Zealand receiving support from MPI to improve land management practices.

Catchment groups play an important role in protecting land and biodiversity, they showcase innovation and success, which enables farmers to share knowledge and learn from each other.

“One of the benefits of working collectively in a catchment group is the support we have received from organisations such as NZ Landcare Trust, MPI, Marlborough District Council and an array of knowledgable and enthusiastic professionals,” Richard Dawkins said.

System change at DairyNZ Marlborough Field Day

ANDREW RITCHIE

DairyNZ held the last Marlborough Field Day of the year at Jason and Amber Templeman’s farm at Linkwater.

Facilitator Mark Shadwick commented that performance had been recorded since 2011 when it was the monitor farm making it one of the most recorded farms in the top of the South.

During that period, it has consistently figured in the top ten performers rising as far as number three on the high achievers

list. The last three years have seen many changes including the sale of their runoff up the Keneperu Road, and the change to once-aday milking.

The change has allowed the Templemans to spend more time with their four children and to reduce staff.

“Labour was always a problem,” says Jason, “It was difficult to find good ones and if you did, they never stayed for long.”

Jason valued the time spent as monitor farm as it really focused his attention, having weekly re-

ports to fill out on pasture growth, animal health and performance. The discussion moved to how the season was progressing, with most attendees saying production was marginally down from last year.

This was put down to the wet, cold spring, the upside of this was the increase in grass growth resulting in fewer supplements fed and a surplus of pasture. Reproduction rates were spasmodic with some herds cycling but not showing obviously.

Those using bulls noticed they

were as busy as normal. Some were resorting to ciders and one member said an addition of iodine in drinking water had helped with cycling.

Winter grazing was the next topic. Jason said heavy soil made wintering the whole herd on farm problematic. Some attendees bemoaned the lack of control over cow condition when cows were sent off-farm for winter grazing.

It was regarded as an expensive exercise particularly when animals came home at a lower condition score than when they had left.

One farmer had a runoff for the

cows to winter on while running the lighter young stock on the dairy platform to minimise pasture damage.

The establishment of a winter crop was regarded as essential if wintering cows at home. Turnips and kale were popular choices. Despite this it was likely that a reduction in cow numbers would be necessary if wintering at home. As a compromise it was suggested that a proportion of the herd could be wintered on, with the addition of a winter crop, and the later calvers could be sent off farm to a grazier to take the pressure off the grazing platform.

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• High grade West Coast bituminous low ash coal

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• Bagged coal from 20kg to 1 tonne

• Bulk deliveries

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Avon Valley Catchment Group investigating stream health.

The vast majority of farmers are seeking to enhance their environment

Richard Dawkins

marlborough

Dairy farmer Evan White heads Marlborough FF

TONY ORMAN

Bees get a helping hand from Johnson’s Barge Service

TONY ORMAN

A hundred-year-old operation, Johnson’s Barge Service, has recently been transporting bee hives for honey companies to selected spots in the Pelorus Sound.

Owned and operated by a partnership between Nautilus Pacific Limited, O’Donnell Park Barging Limited and Kenny Barging Limited, all born and bred Marlborough businesses. It’s an annual job says Kim Weatherhead, logistics and office manager at the company’s Havelock base.

The beehives were transported for Manuka Health to Pohenui, Richmond Bay and for Rainbow Honey to Anakoha, Forsyth Island, Maori Bay and other places.

“Approximately three hundred hives were shifted each night during the exercise. It’s just part of each year’s jobs,” explained Kim.

Three hundred hives were transported for both companies to various parts of the Pelorus Sound each night over two nights making a total of 600 hives moved.

With the Kenepuru Road still out, Johnson’s also shifts hives for Tay-

lor Pass Honey company.

Johnson’s also works closely with the farming community to transport livestock and supplies to keep the farm community moving, especially with road access currently not possible.

Johnson’s Barge Service Limited operates five main vessels, four motorised barges named Pukatea, Mahoe, Titoki and Manatu as well as Hinau, a dumb barge which is coupled to the tugboat Tahwai The business operates throughout the Pelorus and Kenepuru Sounds and D’Urville Island and Queen Charlotte area, but also goes as far as Nelson and Golden Bay as required.

The work is extremely varied, ranging from carting logs from forest blocks, building supplies, whole house moves, gravel and heavy haulage, assisting the Kenepuru community with a daily weekday service, support services to salmon farms, transporting livestock and other jobs.

Johnson’s Barge Service’s team continue to operate the business at the southeast corner of the Havelock Marina.

Wairau valley dairy farmer Evan White is the new president of Marlborough Federated Farmers. His election at the November meeting of Marlborough Federated Farmers follows the stepping down of previous president Scott Adams, who was recently elected to the Marlborough District Council in the Awatere-Wairau ward.

Evan sees his role as president is to listen to members and ensure their voices are heard and lobby for them both at a local and national level.

“It’s so important to spread the word about how important and valuable the work Federated Farmers does for all of New Zealand,” he says. “I’m concerned about the amount of poorly thought out legislation coming from central government which just makes no sense at all. We have no option but to push back against unrealistic, unworkable rules.”

He believes New Zealand farmers are world leaders and will continue to become more efficient.

“We are constantly improving and changing our farming methods. You only have to look at our track record. We just need good solid data and reason to invest in future technology.”

Evan White grew up on the family farm at Spring Creek, owned by his parents Adrian and Marlene White. Adrian and Marlene still live there with Evan’s niece now share-milking the farm. Reflecting on those early years he described himself as fortunate to grow up on the family farm.

“From an early age I had plenty of opportunity to ‘muck in’ with pretty much everything on

farm. Our farm gave me a taste of everything. We were dairy, sheep, cropping and beef farmers all rolled into one. I probably didn’t appreciate or understand the skills we developed as we grew up,” he says.

move to Canterbury, managing a couple of dairy farms before 50/50 sharemilking for Dairy Brands (now Dairy Holdings) at one of the farms they then owned in Culverden.

Later Evan returned to Marlborough where he met his wife, Katrina. Together they sharemilked the Spring Creek family farm before entering into an equity partnership with his parents. Fifteen years ago, the couple expanded the operation to purchase and convert “Birch Hill” in the upper Wairau valley to dairying where 800 cows are currently milked through a 54 bail rotary.

Evan admits to probably not fully appreciating or understanding the skills developed as he grew up. The satisfaction of getting the cows milked, assisting in the birth of a newborn animal, getting hay or silage made and in the pit/shed before rain and growing a successful crop or getting animal up to weight (prime) cannot be under estimated.

“The rewards sometimes flow through to the financial side but not always and that’s farming but I always feel a sense of achievement knowing our efforts are helping to feed not only NZ but the world.”

Evan attended Lincoln University completing a Diploma of Agriculture and a Diploma of Farm Management and then travelled to the US on the Minnesota Agriculture Exchange Programme.

On returning to New Zealand, he went into partnership with his brother Spencer, 50/50 share-milking the home farm at Spring Creek. Then followed a

He sees a top challenge for farmers in today’s ever-changing and ever-evolving world faster than ever. These days, with the aid of technology, farmers aim to farm smarter, be more efficient and understand that what works today may not be good enough tomorrow.

“My challenge is while dealing with the day-to-day farm work, also constantly looking forward to the future and looking at ways to improve how I farm and to keep up with and knowing which new technology to implement on farm.”

The majority of farmers always aim to leave the land in a better state than found.

“Another challenge to us as farmers who love been outside on the land is how to deal with the constant flow of compliance issues and how to keep up with all the new rules and regulations which are taking up much of our time now,” says Evan.

Katrina and Evan have a son Thomas who, at 15 years of age, eagerly helps on the farm. Offfarm the family’s favourite activity is taking their boat out on the lower Wairau River.

Hives loaded and ready for transport under darkness. Photo: Supplied

Evan White

Demand for domestic timber higher than expected

SAM NUSKE

PF Olsen

Dothistroma

Needle Blight

Due to all the wet weather of late, dothistroma needle blight is particularly prevalent in the Top of the South this year. Dothistroma is a fungal infection

Radiata pine, it kills the needles starting at the bottom of the tree and if left untreated, it moves its way up the tree. It can severely impact growth rates and in extreme cases kill the tree. Dothistroma spreads via rain droplet splashes or fog, so lower areas in gully systems which get less air flow are more susceptible.

Treatment of dothistroma is carried out by spraying a copper solution from a helicopter, this is completed in late-spring/ early-summer each year. If the infection is bad enough (more than 30% of the tree crown has needle dieback) then a second application will be required in Autumn, the following year.

The goal being to keep the

trees at a low level of infection through the younger years, because after age 15 treatment is not practical as the tree canopy has closed in enough to stop the spray penetrating into the lower section of the tree crown.

Each year PF Olsen does a dothistroma surveying and spraying program across many different forest owners, keeping helicopter costs to a minimum as multiple forest owners can be sprayed in a single day. Please contact us 03 544 0066 if you would like to be involved in this program.

Log Market

The PF Olsen Log Price Index decreased $3 in November to $120 which is $3 below the two-year and five-year averages. At Wharf Gate (AWG) prices for export logs reduced an average of 6 NZD per JASm3 across ports in New Zealand in November. This was caused by a reduction in CFR log prices in China combined with the NZD strengthening against the USD. Log inventory in China remains stable. There is still a lot of uncertainty in China, especially with how the government will

continue to manage Covid. Domestic demand for sawn timber is holding up better than thought, defying inflation pressure on construction activity.

Carbon Market

As of 13th of December the carbon price was $83.40 per NZU. $22,900 – the amount an average hectare of farmland in the Top of the South will earn in saleable carbon credits at the above price

throughout the first 18 years of the timber crop, followed by log revenue from harvesting 6-10 years after that. These credits will not have to be paid back at harvest if the land is replanted after harvest.

Planting production forestry on your lowest productivity paddocks diversifies and increases your investment portfolio. For more information, visit www. pfolsen.com.

Moderate to severe dothistroma needle blight on the lower part of trees. Photo: Supplied.

livestock

2023 will be the final stud ram sale for the Irvines

BARBARA STUART

At the beginning of December Malcolm and Donna Irvine, stud ram breeders based at Brightwater announced the 2023 Stud Ram Sale would their final sale in twelve months time.

Malcolm also announced the dispersal sale of his stud ewes which is to be held on 17th February at the Brightwater Sale Yards.

Malcolm says the December ram sale went reasonably well, however, the Romneys were harder to sell this year, averaging $550. Suffolk Rams and the Suff.Tex first cross line averaged $750 each with the top six from each line making $1000 or more. The top Suffolk.Texel ram made $1500.

Malcolm says the impact of Wairoa Gorge dam on

land use means returns from his stud sheep operation are no longer a viable option. To join the water reticulation scheme is $5000 plus an annual fee of $1000 per hectare, whether or not he uses the water, making farming sheep uneconomic in this area.

Currently he and his wife are looking at other options hence the decision to sell off their stud stock.

“Add to this the emission tax and it’s clear the land now needs to be used for a higher value product such as grapes or a more intensive horticulture crop,” Malcolm said. This announcement brings to an end over sixty years of farming for Malcolm which includes forty years in the Wairoa Gorge and twenty-two years at his Clover Rd farm. The end of a family sheep farming era.

With the return of overseas tourists to New Zealand shores after a couple of years stand down, and despite on-going global COVID issues, there has been a feeling of almost normality returning to many of our top tourism locations, particularly noticeable across the South Island during the past couple of months.

Along with the return of tourists has also come the return of wool product manufacturers from various countries visiting their Kiwi based suppliers and exporters.

Representatives from several large companies manufacturing a range of products from apparel to carpet yarn have each spent time in both the South and North Islands during the past three months and all have taken away the satisfaction that New Zealand continues to produce some of the best, if not the best, wool on the planet due to the

free-range nature of our farming systems, excellent animal welfare, and an abundance of fresh pasture.

Being face to face with customers is an important part of conducting business for wool exporters, in that whilst there is the technology for plenty of interaction via emails and/or video conferencing, the ability to physically shake hands, make gestures, and observe body language when all parties are together in one place, forges a much more amicable and trusting business relationship.

From what I can understand, all recent European wool industry visitors who source wool supply via PGG Wrightson Wool and its subsidiary, Bloch & Behrens NZ Ltd, were reminded of farmer commitment to producing a first-class product as well as the absolute need for a much better financial return for wool growers.

Despite an apparent requirement for ethically produced, sustainable and traceable products, raw material price continues to be the front of mind topic due to an expectation of weaker consumer

demand into the 2023/24 periods as recession bites.

From a carpet yarn perspective, the revival of domestic carpet markets across Europe during 2020/21 appear to have taken a downturn but, as the tourism industry gains traction again, the commercial carpet requirements appear to be improving in the hotel, cruise ship and airline sectors.

From an apparel perspective, there appears to be still solid demand for active wear as well as traditional woven cloth, particularly from European manufacturers in the finer sector.

Chinese buying interests have remained somewhat subdued as manufacturers there struggle with production due to internal policies, although there may be a glimmer of hope for a return to normality.

Wool has drawn much media coverage in New Zealand of late with many brand-new uses touted for wool, as well as a replacement for previously synthetic products.

Whilst every new use is fantastic for the wool industry there are al-

ways questions about what quantities are likely to be consumed as a result, and how or if those new product uses will affect wool prices to wool growers and although there have been a few numbers suggested as desirable to return to wool growers, and whilst we all understand that anything new takes time to establish itself, in the meantime wool growers are disappearing at a quick rate of knots!

Hopefully when these new ideas begin to require commercially viable quantities, there will still be enough wool of the necessary specification produced in New Zealand to feed such manufacturing plants.

With the recognition that New Zealand coarse wool is the best in the world, in my view it’s probably always been a “niche product” but the price received certainly hasn’t reflected that for a very long time.

Surely things can only improve! That’s my view.

Brightwater stud sheep breeder Malcolm Irvine. Photo: Barbara Stuart.

fertilizer

Maintaining growth in dry conditions Replacing nitrogen naturally

JOHN BARNES Managing Director Fertilizer New Zealand

There often is a problem with pastures going to seed during the height of summer. This is what is often called summer stress.

The pasture goes from vegetative growth into a reproductive stage. Plants are quite interesting in this way; if everything is going well, most plants just keep on growing almost without a care in the world. There is no need to think about preservation; their world is a happy place.

It’s not until something happens like a dry spell or a cold spell that the plants switch to preserving themselves and put up a seed head and stops growing. To remedy this, pasture needs to be cut and let the growing process start over again. There are ways to help keep the plant in vegetative growth.

• Create a good friable soil. This is as important as good soil fertility.

• Have a good root system so that the plant can take up nutrients and water below the first few inches.

• Create enough energy within the plant so that it can withstand the shock of a change in conditions.

Clover seed farmers stress the clover plant so that it will produce a flower a seed head, the outcome is that the clover stops growing and goes into reproductive mode producing clover seed. Actavize when applied creates an environment where the plant continues in vegetative growth despite adverse conditions.

For more information on this give us a call on 0800 337 869 or visit www.fertnz.co.nz

I’ve often heard the comment, “there’s plenty of clover in my pasture but I still require nitrogen for growth.”

There’s two issues at play here. Firstly, clover fixes nitrogen in response to declining plant available levels in the soil.

Work at Ruakura Research Station showed that less N was fixed by clover as increasing amounts of synthetic N were applied.

Clover may be present but is it fixing? Only examination of the roots will provide that information. A healthy plant at this time of the year will have strings of plump nodules which when cracked open with a fingernail contain a sticky red substance, a clear indication of nitrogen being fixed. A healthy well-structured soil with a 25% by weight clover content is capable of providing enough nitrogen for 18,000 to 20,000kg of DM per hectare in a twelvemonth period. And where carbon is being steadily sequestered any excess nitrogen will be stored and not lost to groundwater.

It is under intensive grazed pasture, without reliance on synthetic nitrogen, that car-

bon is most readily sequestered and should therefore be encouraged in sensitive water catchment areas, not excluded.

Landcare Research work has shown that irrigated pasture throughout the country is losing carbon. In our view it’s not water that is the reason for that loss. When dry-land pastures are first irrigated new species are sown along with an application of synthetic N. With large amounts of carbon resulting from years of sympathetic farming the extra growth from synthetic nitrogen is impressive.

Applied nitrogen burns soil carbon, however a single application has little impact. It’s regular applications of nitrogen that results in the steady depletion of soil organic matter.

Secondly, removing any nutrient, nitrogen is a nutrient, from an existing programme without replacing it energetically will result in less growth.

Unless other tests are specifically requested a soil test measures only what is plant available nutrient, usually somewhere between 1 – 5% of the total soil held nutrient. It is however valuable information and particularly so when part of a comprehensive testing programme over time.

To make sense of a single test result it is essential to

have information on both the physical state of the soil and historical fertiliser inputs.

Soil moisture and temperature influence how quickly nutrient from dung, urine, and decaying root becomes available. With soils ideally 25% air and 25% moisture the amount of crumb in the soil is therefore a key component.

The excellent Visual Soil Assessment process provides not only information on this aspect of soil health but also a clear indication of carbon loss or gain, and with the proposed taxation of carbon loss knowing what is taking place is essential.

The incorporation of CalciZest in a nutrient programme is a way to minimise any lag effect when reducing and eventually eliminating synthetic nitrogen.

CalciZest is a product developed and made by Functional Fertiliser and successfully used by fam-

ers throughout the country for over 25 years. It is a mix of soft carbons inoculated with a wide range of soil friendly fungi and bacteria and calcium in the form of lime. Lime creates the environment which favours beneficial microbes, and earthworms, creating more crumb in the soil and increased nitrogen fixation by clover. Higher calcium input is essential for disease and pest resistant clover capable of fixing all the nitrogen required for maximum pasture growth.

Clover also is the best tucker for rapidly growing animals and all lactating animals. It’s higher in energy and more digestible resulting in extra total feed being eaten each day.

Because CalciZest is quick acting, early summer is an excellent time to apply. It’s available throughout the country and spread by conventional ground spread equipment.

For further information call Peter on 0800 843 809.

Contact us: sales@ nmf.co.nz Farming

Got something to buy, sell or promote?

Magnificent mixed pasture. Photo: Supplied.

horticulture

A new way to size fruit

ELOISE MARTYN

Leading-edge, mobile fruit-sizing technology called Spectre, developed by Hectre, a New Zealand software and development company based in Auckland, was developed in response to industry demand to assist with the stress and supply chain issues that can be caused by a lack of early and reliable size sampling data in the fruit industry.

Hectre has programmed a computer to detect the size and colour of apples. Major factors driving the development of this technology is the need for more accurate data and reduced labour needs in an industry struggling with labour shortages.

Spectre’s smart technology works simply and quickly. A photo, taken from an everyday iPad or phone, of the top layer of a bin of apples, cherries or other fruit, will return detailed information in the form of a size distribution graph in seconds.

Other information provided is colour and predicted weight – all from a photo. This information can be used to make decisions regarding the picking, pack line, packaging, storage and sales of the fruit.

A bin of 150 apples is scanned and sized in just a few seconds. The technology is proving to be

popular as it’s easy to use and produces fast and accurate results to help optimise the supply chain. Spectre has been trialled on various apple orchards on the Waimea Plains and in Hope over the past two years.

al sampling, it provides a much larger sample size which enables packing and selling with confidence.”

When trying to optimise the fruit supply chain many marketers are agreeing on export contracts based on last year’s crops, which is not the same as the current season. Having the incorrect information can increase problems such as increased costs due to repack or changing pack lines on the graders, wasted fruit (at the grower’s expense) and wasted revenue opportunities for the grower.

Without correct information growers and marketers also run the risk of impacting relationships with buyers.

“The people and teams we have worked with in Tasman have been awesome. They have been honest and open and are great operators. Our technology is exported around the world to the US and Chile, which is a credit to the Tasman growers who have worked with us,” co-founder and CEO of Hectre, Matty Blomfield, explains.

“It can be beneficial for the Tasman growers and packers regarding supply chain logistics. It takes away the guess work and manu-

“All export markets have specific expectations around what they are after and there is always variation between growers, different blocks, different colours and characteristics. It’s really hard for anyone to keep tabs on that ,let alone make export decisions. Spectre brings automation to the supply chain and clarity on the fruit coming through as opposed to small, manual samples that are not representative of the crop.”

The technology can help orchard owners to sell in a more competitive market.

“Buyers want accurate data; they want to know expected yields and

A photo, taken from an everyday iPad or phone, of the top layer of a bin of apples, cherries or other fruit, will return detailed information in the form of a size distribution graph in seconds. Image: Supplied.

metrics, our technology provides this easily and quickly. If your ambition is to sell your operation at some point then it’s ideal to get organised from a data point of view.”

In the US, Spectre has been used over the past two years at scale. The US and other countries such as Chile have an advantage of trucks that are open top, making the fruit easy to see with computer vision on a large scale.

Trucks simply drive under a camera and the fruit is detected and analysed.

Spectre was initially designed for apple growers and packers, however, Spectre now has models for lemons, oranges, mandarins,

cherries and, more recently, pears. Some trial technology is currently being used during the cherry harvest currently underway in Central Otago. For six years apple growers across Hope, Waimea Plains, Motueka and Riwaka have been using Hectre’s labour management tool that tracks yield and bins, records traceability of each bin picked as well as performance and cost of staff and the overall operation.

Matty says that since 2016 all involved have learnt a lot. “Every grower seems to do it differently and that’s a challenge when dealing with technology, but the dealings we have had with owners and growers have been fantastic.”

Great to see so many of you in person

NADINE TUNLEY HortNZ

Along with others from HortNZ I have visited seven different growing regions in the past few weeks and have talked with more than 200 growers and others in our industry.

At the same time, Michelle Sands has been talking to grower groups about all the changes that have been proposed as part of replacing the Resource Management Act (RMA).

It was heartening to see so many growers and enable them to connect with each other, especially in some of the smaller regions where (due to Covid) there have not been many meetings for a few years.

The get-togethers were also an opportunity for you to hear from HortNZ, as well as the Ministry

of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) about the Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme policy review. MBIE is wanting to revisit the regions in late February to early March, to share what they have captured from their first round of visits and seek further grower feedback on MBIE’s proposed policy changes for the RSE scheme. We are acutely aware that this timing is terrible for several of our regions, but this is an important piece of policy for many of you. Unfortunately, we cannot control the timing for these visits.

In terms of the new pieces of legislation to replace the RMA, HortNZ and product groups have written to the Environment Select Committee to ask members not to be swayed by political pressure and extend the consultation ending currently on 30 January 2023

to ending on 13 March 2023. I will let you know how we get on. ‘Eat more broccoli and save the planet’

This headline caught my attention late last month.

The Business Desk story was about ‘Growing for Good research conducted as part of the government’s National Science Challenges, which concluded that ‘New Zealand should be growing more grains and vegetables while keeping its primary export sector intact, if it is to meet emissions and water quality targets’.

The research looked at two land use scenarios. One that optimised land use for greenhouse

gas reductions and the other, that optimised land use for freshwater quality improvement.

The research found that if reducing emissions was the main target, farm profits would increase by $89 million ‘but going all out for water quality would lead to a net $526 million drop in profit’.

At the same time, a related study concluded that ‘if New Zealand adopted a healthier diet, there would be large gains in health and healthcare savings.

In other words, these two pieces of research support what we all know and have been saying for ages: that our industry holds the

key to New Zealand achieving environmental, health and economic outcomes!

So, with that in mind, why is it so hard to grow sustainably now, and why is government policy so misaligned, fragmented and contradictory?

Government policy must align and reflect the necessity of food production and export in New Zealand, to feed our nation, and the Pacific and in so doing, improve health, and achieve our economic and environmental ambitions. Individual pieces of policy must reflect an interconnection with other policies. For example, the world’s transition to lower emissions should mean that New Zealand is able to export more of its low emission fruit and vegetables, not be making it harder for growers to grow sustainably.

Our technology is exported around the world to the US and Chile which is a credit to the Tasman growers who have worked with us

Matty Blomfeld

motoring

As you read this I’m enjoying the latest offering from Suzuki over the holiday break for an extended drive time.

First up though, if you haven’t ordered and paid for the new car you’ve promised yourself, it will cost you more in 2023 thanks to new government ‘Christmas present’ taxes! Priced into these new taxes cost the S-Cross new model an additional $6000-8000, ouch.

The Suzuki S-Cross is a significant and important update on the model it replaces. While engine transmission and some electronic wizardry remains the same, the vehicle is almost all new. This, the third generation, has got it right for both the rural and urban markets.

The five strong model range include the only AWD JLX as top dog at $40,990, though the base offering $36,500 JX has most of the tech, and the wonderful 1.4l turbo petrol 103kW 220Nm that propels the 1200kg curb weight with unassuming alacrity.

I would like to have driven the 2WD version as well as my test car that proudly announces it’s underpinnings with ‘All Grip’ on the rear door. No not the same as the All Grip in the Jimny, for the S-cross is a six speed CVT auto compared to the high-low ratios with a hydraulic gearbox in the Jimny. Still the test car in Canyon Bronze delivered a respectable 5.1l/100km over 550km, using 95 octane, bettering Suzuki’s claim of 6.2. Makes you wonder if a hy-

brid version would be worth the extra cost and weight penalty? Well, one is available in Europe! Four-up we drove the 64km trip each way from Christchurch to Akaroa for a lovely seafood lunch. The road is very similar to the Takaka hill using plenty of throttle and steering wheel effort. Braking was kept to a minimum thanks to the paddle shifters on the six-speed auto-holding and diminishing velocity on the down hill runs.

Although the latest model feels bigger, the dimensions are exactly the same, so it’s well packaged, being Suzuki’s biggest and most expensive model. Yet I couldn’t not mention the budget feeling trim materials. It also needs to have electric seat adjustment to compliment the heating elements on the front pews.

One of the best camera optics [since Holden’s Arcadia] on the surround camera allows for impeccable views of the whole car

from the computer wizz-kid tech. This included Apple Car Play and Android phones being was easy to pair and stream music through the nine-inch central touch screen that has imbedded navigation. USB and AM FM radio are also easy to tune and use thanks to steering wheel controls. Nice touch too, is the left side view when parking or entering a tight space. This is accessed by a button immediately below the screen.

Five Star ANCAP safety is covered with seven air bags including one for the driver’s knees. Forward detection via the cameras and sensors as well as the little black radar box below the front bumper power the usual ABS ESP Cross Traffic Blind Spot and emergency braking.

I loved the comfortable seats; the ride was firm and the drive engaging. Unsealed roads are so easy with 176mm ground clearance and all-paw grip meaning the rural sector have another choice for sensible use on and off road.

I trust your Christmas was merry and you’re enjoying great weather for the crucial farming summer jobs.

with Ken Strungnell

Suzuki S-Cross in new clothes sample the Akaroa sea air. Photo: Supplied.

You Matter, let’s Natter

NIGEL BECKSFORD

With summer fast approaching, Farmstrong’s encouraging farmers to reconnect and schedule a decent catch up with mates and neighbours.

Farmstrong ambassador Sam Whitelock has spent his sporting career managing pressure on the rugby field and helping others do the same. He has helped Farmstrong create resources on how to have a listening conversation.

“I know myself, whenever there’s been a challenging time, it’s nice to be able talk about it and share the load. Just listening can be a huge help to someone who is feeling ‘under the pump’,” he says.

Sam’s take on what makes a good listener is: Choose a good time to talk. Begin with a simple question like ‘how are you getting on?’ Be comfortable with silence. Let the other person do the talking. Don’t jump in with your solution to the problem. Keep an open mind and be non-judgemental.

What farmers have to say about the value of a regular catch-up

Paparimu farmers Amber and Fraser Carpenter manage three farms

– one share milking 550 cows and two beef blocks stocking 450 units at peak. They also have two young kids, so life is plenty busy. Amber says regular catchups with her team and neighbours are an essential part of managing the ups and downs of farming.

“At challenging times like this, communication and connection are everything – people need people. Otherwise, it’s very easy to get stuck in the rut.”

“Farming can be isolating anyway. There are times during the season when you just don’t leave the property and sometimes it can feel like the world is closing in on you. That’s why you need to get off farm or get on the phone or Zoom and have those conversations. It’s mentally refreshing to talk to others and get things off your chest.”

“If you’re only having that conversation with yourself or your partner, life can get tunnel-visioned very quickly. When you catch up with others, you soon realise everyone’s experiencing the same thing, you’re not sailing the ship alone.”

“That’s why I think You Matter, Let’s Natter is great because sometimes farmers are reluctant to talk. The thing I’ve learnt is that any interaction can help if you’re going through tough times.”

“Just chatting with someone means you don’t have to think about your problems for a while. You get that mental break from the farm. If you keep every farming challenge inside your own head, life soon becomes overwhelming. That’s the stuff that wakes you up at three in the morning and no one working on a farm needs lack of sleep. That’s why it’s great to have a natter and get things off your chest.”

Being Farmstrong

Let’s leave the last word to Sam Whitelock: “Being Farmstrong is actually about enjoying farming. That’s something a lot of people do when they first start farming but then the negative thoughts come in and some of the pressures get on top of them. That’s why it’s important to look after your own needs and spend time with family and friends. Surround yourself with a network of people you can reach out to. It can be as simple as firing up the barbie or getting together to watch a game of rugby or having a conversation in the pub.”

“Whether you’re a farmer or a rugby player, staying connected with friends and community makes you much more resilient.”

In memory of Nicky Bavin

BARBARA STUART

There were shock waves through the rural community when we learned Nicky Bavin had been critically ill with cancer and she had passed away. The huge loss this is to Paul, Todd, Hayden and their family business.

Living through her loss and the first Christmas without her will have been very tough indeed,. Our thoughts are with them.

Throughout her years Nicky was involved with life and living, as if already she knew there was a lot to be done because her life would end too soon.

Nicky really was a farming super-woman. She was always busy giving time to her family, her animals and community. She and Paul worked as a team, starting out milking goats. After the arrival of two sons they began purchasing properties at Mahana, Win Valley, Dovedale and the Sherry River to arrive where they are now on their ‘Homestead Creek’ dairy farm situated on the Kawatiri - St Arnaud HIghway.

I first met Nicky and Paul around 2003 when the Sherry River Catchment Group became involved in ground-breaking research which was part of the tenyear Motueka Integrated Catchment Management Project, looking at the effect of cows crossings in the Sherry River Catchment.

Nicky and Paul always found time to host visiting people to the project and it was Nicky who stepped up

to give presentations and talks about the benefits of getting cows out of water to improve water quality. She was an active leader, an early adopter of new ideas. As a couple, she and Paul modelled good practice, sharing it through the media.

It was Nicky who worked with stakeholders like Fish & Game and Tasman District Council (TDC). Paul always supported her because she was so good at collaborating and resolving issues, which was a big part of receiving an Environmental Award for the Sherry River Catchment Group. During the Homestead Creek, dairy conversion Nicky, put into practice her collaborative skills once again working with Fish & Game and TDC to plant wetlands and shelter belts creating fish habitat and maintaining water quality this received media attention too.

Nicky was actively involved in the St Arnaud community and Rural Women NZ, through which she designed and ran fashion events. She also cooked for Fulton Hogan crews working on SH6 and supplied accommodation after the Kaikoura earthquake.

Her artistic flare added so much to community events, she made this appear effortless but, realistically it took planning and time.

The old saying if you want a job done, chose a busy person, certainly applied to Nicky.

The loss of Nicky is huge for Paul, Hayden, Todd, and families and for the St Arnaud community where she is greatly missed and remembered with affection.

Nicola Jane Bavin 1961 - 2022

Sam Whitelock, keep it social. Photo: Supplied.