Canterbury Farming, March 2013 by Integrity Community Media

28,850 copies distributed monthly – to every rural mailbox in Canterbury and the West Coast.

INSIDE Page 02

Tax changes to encourage conservation on private land Page 10

A triumph of ingenuity and determination.

Pages 22–24

Supplementary Feed

March 2013

Feds shopping for ship to break North Island drought By Hugh de Lacy Federated Farmers will hire a ship if necessary to get straw for stockfeed from Canterbury to the drought-ravaged North Island. Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy, declared the entire North Island a drought zone on March 16, and a massive effort is being mounted by the Feds, led by Mid-Canterbury Grain and Seeds chairman David Clark, to get ryegrass and barley straws across Cook Strait. But it’s not being helped by the virtual disappearance of roll-on/roll-off ferry services out of Lyttelton over the past few years — Pacifica Shipping no longer runs such a service — and by the shrinkage of coastal shipping capacity as overseas vessels plying between New Zealand ports soak up the local demand for space. There is little or no spare capacity on the Inter-Island and Bluebridge ferries on the Picton-to-Wellington run, and such as there is has already been cornered by existing freight companies and stockfeed traders. As a result, Clark and the Feds find themselves in the market for a ship. “Federated Farmers doesn’t normally give the nod to an elected member to go and hire a ship — it’s not in the Federated Farmers handbook — but if I can find a ship to hire, we’ll hire it,” he said.

He added that, “This is not a charitable exercise — we are not in an emergency situation. “This is a communal undertaking of putting buyer in touch with seller, and facilitating the movement of feed on a commercial basis.” Clark could not give a figure on the amount of stockfeed that could be shifted across Cook Strait in a hurry, but told Canterbury Farming it was “far in excess of the ability of the transport industry to shift in standard form.” An instance of the demand he was his receiving from the North Island, and passing on to suppliers in Canterbury, was the two unrelated orders each for 50 truck-and-trailer loads of big bales that he received in a single day this month. Though not of high nutrient value, ryegrass straw — known as ryegrass hay in the North Island — it is a good filler feed for cattle when presented along with a compound or other supplementary, or mixed with hay silage. “It’s as good as, if not better than North Island hay,” Clark said. Barley straw is more of a filler, and is fed to cows with a compound. Clark said there were good supplies of straw available in Canterbury at present, even though much of it was burned

Primary Industries Minister Nathan Guy, has declared the entire North Island a drought zone.

or chopped for lack of a market immediately post-harvest. “Supply’s good at the moment, but it will run out — make no mistake about it. “Unfortunately the straw market has been closed down to a very low level by in-market activities, and that resulted in a huge amount of straw being chopped or burned,” he said. At the same time as the North Island drought has reignited demand for Canterbury straw, South Island buyers have begun scrambling to secure additional supplies as the drought’s impact works its way down the country. “The coming winter will not be one in which you can ring up your local supermarket baling contractor and expect that straw will be available to you,” Clark said.

“It’s going to run out, and just as a prudent sheepand-beef farmer de-stocks and reduces his feed demand early, the early decision made by the dairy farmer to secure winter feed supply will be the good decision.” Primary Industries Minister Guy’s declaration of drought gives North Island farmers access to welfare and tax relief similar to that which Canterbury farmers were granted during the droughts of the late 1990s and early 2000s. The Canterbury media has characterised the effort to get feed to the North Island as a grateful response for the aid that Canterbury farmers received from the North Island during the big snow of 1992. The heaviest snowfall in 30 years arrived right in the middle

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of the 1992 lambing season, a month after the previous fall which had been the worst in 20 years. A million stock died and the event cost Canterbury farmers about $65m in today’s money. North Island farmers organised the shipment of hundred of tonnes of relief feed to Canterbury, and Clark conceded there was an element of reciprocal charity in Federated Farmers’ efforts to help the northerners through their drought. However he saw it as mainly just a commercial response to an opportunity created by the driest weather in the North Island for 70 years. “Let’s just call it farmers helping farmers, and that’s what people do,” Clark said.

March 2013

tax changes to encourage conservation on private land

Kate Wilkinson, MP Waimakariri

Many of our beautiful landscapes and special habitats are on private land. Farmers and landowners already do a lot of work to protect these special areas but there is always more to do.

We are lucky to live in what I consider to be the best country in the world, showcased by our unique and wonderful natural environment. We are surrounded by stunning landscapes which provide habitats for our native species including our charismatic birds. But of course not all of our beautiful countryside is under the stewardship of the Department of Conservation. I believe most (but not all) of our farmers are good stewards of their land with conservation work being a normal part of their farm management. However we do need to continue to encourage that

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conservation work which is why the National Government is committed to removing tax disincentives to encourage more conservation work on private land. The Taxation (Livestock Valuation, Assets Expenditure and Remedial Matters) Bill has had its first reading in Parliament and is now being considered by the Finance and Expenditure Select Committee of which I am now a member. Basically the Bill provides for deductions for expenditure that is incurred in planting or maintaining trees or plants for the purpose of: (a) preventing or combating erosion of the land (b) providing shelter to the land, and (c) preventing or mitigating detrimental effects on a water course or a body of water from the discharge of farming or agricultural contaminants.

Our water is a precious natural resource and contaminants entering our waterways are of concern to us all. The legislation will extend the current law which presently deals with the planting of trees for certain purposes, to allow an immediate deduction for expenditure on the planting of plants or trees in order to mitigate the detrimental effects on our water from the discharge of farming or agricultural contaminants. In many cases there will be a number of ways to achieve a particular conservation goal, for instance: reduced nutrient

discharges from a dairy farm could be achieved by a combination of stock holding/ feeding out arrangements; riparian planting; stream bridging, and efﬂuent management systems. This change will take effect once the Bill has being passed. Long term I hope that farmers and other private landowners and the environment will benefit from this change. This is not just about doing some good from a conservation and environmental point of view. It removes a tax disincentive and provides an economic benefit. Conservation and economic benefits can be a win-win — they are not mutually exclusive.

‘Farming conservationists’ and ‘conservationist farmers’ are not oxymorons! I believe that conservation is the responsibility of all New Zealanders. The Government, through the Department of Conservation, is the steward of public land. Farmers and landowners are stewards of private land. So whether the land is private or public the concept of stewardship is still the same. We all should be taking this responsibility seriously. The introduction of these new tax laws will help us all play our part in conservation and help us retain and appreciate what makes New Zealand so special.

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Canterbury Farming prints material contributed by freelance journalists, contributing columnists and letters from readers. The information and opinions published are not necessarily those of Canterbury Farming or its staff. Canterbury Farming takes no responsibility for claims made by advertisers. Canterbury Farming is published by NorthSouth Multi Media Ltd

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March 2013

From the Minister

Nathan Guy, Minister for Primary Industries It’s been a very busy first month for me as Minister for Primary Industries with some big issues to deal with, in particular water — or lack of it. This summer has been extremely dry for most of New Zealand, especially in the North Island, Canterbury and even the West Coast. It’s a tough time for many farmers which is why I’ve declared a medium-scale drought throughout many parts of the North Island. What this means is that extra Government funding is now available to co-ordinate support through local organisations like the Rural Support Trusts. They are able to sit down at the kitchen table with farmers and give practical guidance and support. In extreme cases there will also be Rural Assistance Payments (RAPs) available to farmers in severe hardship. Beef + Lamb New Zealand, Federated Farmers, DairyNZ and the Ministry for Primary Industries are all providing good support to farmers with things like feed co-ordination services. It’s important to note that support is available from Government agencies in all regions, even without a drought declaration. Farmers should contact IRD if they need help or ﬂexibility with making tax payments, and standard assistance is available from the Ministry of Social Development. Farmers have been taking practical steps to deal with the dry, such as destocking and switching to once a day milking. Most farmers

are resilient and are prepared for dry spells, but it’s important to ask for help when needed. Personally I’ve visited several farms around the North Island recently to see the dry conditions for myself. I’ve also visited the sites of potential irrigation projects in Central Hawke’s Bay and in Canterbury, which could help in future dry spells like this one. As a country New Zealand doesn’t have a shortage of water, it’s just that it often falls in the wrong places at the wrong times. This is why the Government has signalled around $400 million towards regional-scale schemes to encourage third-party capital investment. A few weeks ago I announced that experienced director, Alison Paterson, will oversee the establishment of a new Crown company to invest in these projects. The new company will be established on July 1, and will act as a bridging investor for regional projects, with $80 million to be set aside in Budget 2013. Done properly, this has the potential to deliver a major boost to our primary industries and support many new jobs. If current proposals are advanced there could be another 420,000 hectares of irrigated land available over time. I’m also working closely with Environment Minister, Amy Adams, on water reform, and recently we launched a discussion paper with ideas on improving water quality and the way freshwater is managed. We are encouraging people to give their feedback on these ideas which you can read in full at http://www.mfe.govt.nz/issues/water/ freshwater/freshwater-reform-2013.

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sell the sizzle not the sausage I know that you know but, why do fish mongers sell fish by the type of fish that it is, potatoes are sold by type and end use, and now several beef breeds sell their meat by the breed and not just as beef — and sheep farmers are still selling their meat as just meat.

gain the high ground by working on the breeds’ traits. Romneys are already doing it and doing it well. It is my understanding that there are people swinging back to the breed because they have heard about the research and development the breed is going through.

I suppose part of the problem is that the processing companies want to keep it simple.

Commercial farmers are now working off performance figures more and more and gone are the days of doing what was always done.

However I am sure that there must be restaurants that would be very happy to have specialist dishes as Elevates does with their own South Devon beef. Once that is established in the eyes of the consumer, they really want to buy it in their supermarket and butcher’s shop. The Angus breeders are so far ahead of everyone they seem to be in a separate race for the consumer’s dollar, but surely a sheep breed can follow suit. McDonalds hit the market with lamb but didn’t have any breed tag. Supply would be a problem with numbers being as low as they are in some breeds, but with a swing back to traditional breeds that will hopefully come right. Mind you the drought won’t help in that area. So what do breed societies do to build numbers and gain specialist markets? Well for a start I think they need to

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O’Connor Comments With Damien O’Connor, Opposition Spokesman on Agriculture

Lessons from coal There will be very few New Zealanders who have not now heard of Solid Energy after the adverse publicity on the company’s $400M losses. Our taxpayer-owned company is an export award winner and big player on both the West and East coasts of the South Island. No one likes failure especially when so many good people’s lives are thrown into chaos through job and income loss. Many people have their theories on how it happened. The previous CEO and Board Chair both believe it suffered from the perfect storm of plummeting coal prices, difficult and costly mining and a high Kiwi dollar. These challenges are all too familiar to farmers and most primary sector industries. Occasionally it all comes together and farmers make real money in return for their investments and hard work. But any farmer who has not planned for a setback such as the drought we all now face,

will eventually go broke. And no doubt there will be farmers forced to sell their livestock and farming enterprise. How then did a sophisticated company like Solid Energy with strong cash ﬂows, and diversification into potential growth areas, lose so much money so quickly?

The National Government’s insistence that Solid Energy increase debt to pay a greater dividend to the Crown at a time when coal prices were dropping was a suicidal directive and forced upon a reluctant Board. The removal of an obligation to incorporate a small percentage of biofuels

into diesel across the country that would have reduced our reliance on imported fuels, was another devastating decision for Solid Energy by the National Government. There are Canterbury crop farmers still suffering from this policy reversal who now have land planted for Oil Seed Rape that

is unsuitable for any other seed crop. There are many questions that need answering. If we can’t learn from mistakes we are doomed to repeat them. All primary industries are

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risky and require a level of management that must be visionary, adept and robust. For most farmers it sounds like business as usual but for Solid Energy it was unfortunately off the radar. A corporate culture of extravagance and self congratulatory bonuses can never be sustained in farming. Solid Energy’s demise is a lesson for every person involved in company governance and primary production. No board member can say they acted wisely when the end result is massive financial loss, employment destruction and social upheaval. The sustainability objectives of any company must take into account long term goals, challenges and unmanageable risks. Solid Energy did not. We must never lose touch with our business operations and always consider the risks across every part of the business and our wider economy. As individuals and as business operators we can never exist in isolation from our neighbours. Time to look out for them all and build a more secure future for everyone whose lives are built around our vital primary industries.

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March 2013

My point of view Exchange rate conundrums Allen Cookson

An increase in domestic interest rates leads to short-term currency appreciation followed by long-term depreciation. As Massey professor Srikanta Chatterjee put it in 2001, “The Reserve Bank’s use of monetary policy in meeting its statutory obligation of price stability (by controlling interest rates) had resulted in high exchange rates, driven by shortterm capital inflows. And the overvalued exchange rate made the tradeables sector uncompetitive, which in turn cost output and contributed to the adverse current account balance.” The accompanying graph shows how annual trade balance changes after a depreciation. There is initially an increasing trade deficit as more is spent on imports. As exporting and substitution of imports by home production proceed to develop, the trade balance moves over time into positive territory. This will occur only if there is excess exporting and import substitution capacity. Depreciation without excess export and import substitution capacity leads to increased inflation, with possible stagflation (stagnation plus inflation). These capacities are currently diminishing in New Zealand, thanks to government’s exchange rate policy. We are moving towards a debt trap.

a crowded island has brought high property inﬂation, with consequent upward rent and wage pressure and general retail price increases. Singapore has overlooked predictable effects of population increase. ANZ chief economist Cameron Bagrie, acknowledges the mismatch between our exchange rate and trade fundamentals. Then he takes the outrageous position that this will last for years and farmers

Systems theory tells us that several macroeconomic tools are necessary to manage inﬂation and our trading competitiveness. If our money were created debt-free by the Reserve Bank instead of as debt created by banks, that would end the harmful effects of the Reserve Bank setting interest rates. Add capital ﬂow controls and a managed exchange rate within a target band, and there would be the basis for a robust trading economy.

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and others need a ‘ruthless obsession to compete’. As if farmers haven’t been doing this for years! Considering his employer is complicit in making farming less competitive through persuading farmers to pay uneconomic prices for farms, and buy interest swaps, Bagrie has a nerve. Bagrie, Key, English and Joyce are mired in a failed neoclassical mindset — handsoff economic management.

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March 2013

Money Talk

W ith Andrew W yllie

The reality of Trusts Not everybody who sets up a trust and transfers property to the trust envisages the problems which may arise, and a large number of people do not appreciate what may happen if they lose the rights of ownership of their property. Most trusts work well, especially if they are managed properly, but occasionally unforeseen events occur. Recently I read an article about a trust which shows how harsh trust law can be. A husband and wife occupied a house which was owned by a trust set up by the husband for the benefit of his family. It was a second marriage for both and the wife was not a beneficiary of the trust. The husband left

a memorandum requesting the trustees of the trust to allow the wife to remain in the home for the rest of her life. The husband died and soon after his death the trustees requested the wife to vacate the home. They had taken legal advice which confirmed that as the wife was not a beneficiary of the trust she had no right to claim a right to reside there. The trustees were also advised that the trust had no available funds, but that is true of most trusts which are set up solely for asset protection. The husband’s memorandum of wishes was not enforceable by the wife. She had to leave the property and find alternative accommodation.

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When considering setting up a trust it is important to consider the needs of all interested parties and to have regard to all eventualities which may arise. There are ways of dealing with most issues and it is essential to try to avoid treating anyone unfairly. This article has been prepared by Bessie Paterson, a Partner with Ronald Angland & Son, Solicitors, who may be contacted on Tel: 03 349-4708 or e-mail bessie@anglands.co.nz

Like them or not, McDonalds is one of the most recognised brands in the world. They have a great job at getting the brand out there. Most young children including my own can see the glowing ‘golden arches’ signs from a country mile. The good news for investors is that if you had invested in McDonalds ten years ago you’d be patting yourself on your well rounded tummy. They will have not only increased you waistline but also your returns. The shares have risen from around USD$13 in 2003 to USD$97 today. A 747% return over ten years is quite nice. McDonalds is the largest and most well recognised fast food franchiser in the world. Another that you may not have heard of is Yum Brands, however you will know the major brands they own; Kentucky Fried Chicken, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell. Both McDonalds and Yum Brands are stock exchange listed and are headquartered in the United States. In fact Yum Brands is based in Louisville, Kentucky — the home of

Offeringthe the best best Offering in legal advice legal advice and john@anglands.co.nz and service service Bessie Paterson throughout Canterbury wide Hornby (03) 349 4708 Canterbury bessie@anglands.co.nz John Angland Leeston (03) 324 3033

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The above scenario brings into sharp focus the fact that once a property has been transferred to a trust it no longer belongs to the former owner or owners even though they may still reside there. Trust property is owned by the trustees and is held in trust for the beneficiaries of the trust. A memorandum of wishes is just that, and cannot be legally enforced.

Investing in the fast food sector

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Kentucky Fried and Colonel Sanders. The Colonel is a man of legend and his is an interesting story. He first started cooking what he called ‘home meal replacement’ way back in 1930 at a service station he operated in Corbin, Kentucky. His target market was busy, time-strapped families, and he called his food ‘Sunday Dinner, Seven Days a Week’. In 1935 he was made a Colonel of Kentucky for his contribution to the state’s cuisine and in 1955 he started franchising the business, increasing franchises to over 600 within just ten years. PepsiCo bought the company in 1986 and then sold off their combined restaurant assets KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell as Tricon Global Restaurants in 1997, before changing name to Yum Brands in 2002. If you ever wondered why you can’t buy a Coke at KFC or Pizza Hut, it’s because PepsiCo has a lifetime supply contract with the majority of Yum Brands’ franchises. You’d be forgiven for thinking that Yum would be the larger of the two companies, and so it is, based purely on the number of restaurants they operate. Yum has 38,000 whereas McDonalds ‘only’ has 34,000 restaurants. But Yum’s market capitalisation is around USD$30 billion and in 2011 they pulled in revenue of USD$12 billion. McDonalds on the other hand is worth around USD$97 billion and reported global revenue in 2012 of USD$27 billion. Whilst Yum is smaller than McDonalds in financial terms, it’s arguably a more diverse company, not only

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Within New Zealand, Restaurant Brands owns the local KFC and Pizza Hut restaurants which were spun out of PepsiCo in 1997. Restaurant Brands also owns Starbucks New Zealand restaurants. Restaurant Brands has made a dramatic turnaround from their post global financial crisis low of 57c and now sits around $2.80 just five years later. And then of course there is Burger Fuel which listed at one dollar in 2007 and has since climbed to around $1.70 today. There are plenty of options for investors to consider in the fast food business, but your decision to invest should never be a fast one. It’s important to understand not only the profitability of each, but also their model of operation and growth potential. Hopefully I’ve given you a little something to chew over. Andrew Wyllie is an Authorised Financial Adviser with Forsyth Barr in Christchurch. He can be contacted on 0800 367 227 or andrew.wyllie@forsythbarr.co.nz. To ﬁnd out more about Forsyth Barr visit www.forsythbarr.co.nz. This column is general in nature and should not be regarded as personalised investment advice. Disclosure Statements are available on request and free of charge.

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in its businesses and product range, but also geographically. Some 14,000 of McDonalds’ restaurants are located within the United States, whereas Yum Brands has over 4,000 restaurants in China alone and these contribute to nearly half of Yum’s total operating profit. The key here is that the vast majority of the Chinese restaurants are not franchises, but are owned and operated directly by Yum.

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March 2013

Six generations of great meat by rob Cope Williams

In 1886 a butcher’s shop opened in Cashel Street with a sign above the door that stated it was owned and run by S Timbs and Sons. Six generations of butchers later the sign says Peter Timbs, and the two shops are at Edgeware and Bishopdale. Current descendant Chris Timbs, says the family philosophy of excellent meat for the people of Canterbury applies as much today as it did in 1886. With much of the meat coming from the Harris processing plant in North Canterbury, he knows that the meat is well grown, well fed, and totally relaxed at the time of processing. Bryan Harris who runs Harris meats is extremely proud of the fact that he has total control of the quality of the meat they process and tenderness is paramount, hence the way they hang their beef differently to all the other plants in NZ. That total control of the product is a hallmark that Chris insists upon. Their small goods for example — they know exactly what goes into them and a raft of national prizes endorses that.

rather than a chiller is still very important to the consumers. Added to the old time butcher shop style of meat and small goods hanging around the shop, and trays of meat for you to choose from, there’s now an array of cheeses and wines to complement your meat. Six generations in any business has to be close to a

record. Most farmers can claim three or four, and to keep that total focus on the customer and quality is commendable. The seventh generation is still very young, but the odds are that there’ll be another Timbs picking up the reins and satisfying the needs of the hospitality trade and households all over Canterbury. People from all over Canterbury travel for miles for the fine cuts at Peter timbs

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Demand from those in the shop and their wholesale clients has led to a new and efficient factory on the Edgeware site. The Edgeware shop happens to be within a stroll of my home, so naturally I shop there, but I am always staggered when I meet people I know from all over Canterbury who have driven there specially to buy their meat from my butcher. I have talked about service before, but how many people do you know who are mourning the passing of the traditional butcher. The ability to cut whatever piece of meat the recipe requires, the fact that the staff will tell you how long to cook it for and at what temperature, and just dealing with a person

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March 2013

Roto-tiller re-engineering by retired men

by Lorne Kuehn

machines to rust away outside the pigpen.

For some reason, retired farmers like to have a go at re-engineering roto-tillers that are used for garden cultivation. Sooner or later, the thought will arise that their roto-tiller is too slow or too weak or too poncey to use in their garden. These devices are not of the ride-on type but are steered by the hands while walking behind a constantly-churning small tiller, so there is a lot of time to think about improvements while walking slowly behind. It is only a matter of time when the person doing the tilling decides to improve things.

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I recall that both my father and my father-in-law (and even my older uncles), at different times and in different countries, disassembled roto-tillers on the concrete ﬂoor of their garages. Whether it was because of the relatively small size of the gasoline engines involved or their deceptive simplicity, these gentlemen decided that they were up to the task of mechanical reengineering. In all these cases, the machines were re-constituted with several of the internal parts removed or re-built and sure enough, all seemed to run along the ground more quickly. The older gentlemen were much impressed by their handiwork and the thought that they had made

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the machines faster and more efficient. However, the grunt applied to the rotating tines was much weaker and the machines would stall and falter the instant that they had to do any real work in garden soil. With luck, they could be re-constructed to be as they were, with little more to be said but in some cases this proved too hard and the amateur engineers wandered off, leaving a severely ineffective machine in their wake, after days of tinkering. In two of the cases, these machines were donated to me.

At the time, I was looking for a small tiller to till up my pigpens so that grass could grow in the pens which were then rotated with the pigs to keep them in clover, so to speak. But as these tillers were now speedy devices with very little grunt, I found myself being pulled and yanked around the pens with little tilling being done. In fact, the machines were totally useless. Yet, because they were gifted to me by close relatives, I could hardly not use them. The feelings of these wouldbe engineers would be hurt. So I just left the useless

Eventually, two older gentlemen came out to the farm to empty out the septic tanks and spied the derelict machines by the pigpen. Being of retirement age, they were instantly seized with the notion that they could take apart the machines on the concrete ﬂoor of their garages and rebuild them to be faster than they were. Who was I to disabuse them of their folly? I only asked them for a case of beer and gave them the two machines which they eagerly strapped on to their truck, slavering with the thought that they were going to rebuild them. Needless to say, I have not heard back from them. Remember that these machines had already been stripped of important components and that, with the removal of any more, they would have been unable to work at all. Still, the beer would have been nice but I was cheered by the thought that the useless rototiller hulks were now off the property. I also now imagine that there are a couple of older housewives out in the province who wish that their husbands would get all that mechanical crap off the garage ﬂoor.

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March 2013

Brazilian fertiliser and limestone reps visit Ashburton Rural

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Owners and directors of Brazilian fertiliser and limestone companies recently took part in a fact-finding tour of businesses and farming operations in the Ashburton district.

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The 15 strong party spent six days visiting different businesses throughout New Zealand with a view to gaining a greater understanding of the fertiliser industry within New Zealand. One day was spent in Mid Canterbury and included a visit to Agri-Optics NZ Ltd at Methven. The group also visited two local quarries — Mt Alford and Mt Somers, and were given a fertiliser and lime spreading demonstration by Philip Wareing Ltd before heading to ATS Ashburton for

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a tour of the local rural farm supplies store. The group recognised and understood the importance of agriculture in New Zealand and the visit provided an ideal opportunity to ensure they were up to date with any technology, quarry management and lime products that may have been developed here. ATS General Manager Operations, Jono Pavey, says the visit was a great information sharing exercise

for all parties. “It gave the visitors the opportunity to see and touch products, and to have their questions on the local industry answered by those in the know.” Given the size and scale of agriculture in Brazil, it was also a good opportunity for locals to learn about its agricultural practises and needs. Brazil is 15 per cent larger than Australia and just one group of four fertiliser/limestone companies that market together in one state of Brazil produce more than all of New Zealand’s annual requirements. The tour was organised by Farm To Farm Tours Ltd (based in Rangiora) who bring overseas groups here to look at New Zealand’s primary sector, and also take Kiwi farmers overseas to look at.

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March 2013

A triumph of ingenuity and determination. by Andy Bryenton

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Working a large sheep station is a tough job — mother nature throws her harshest weather against the high country, and the terrain is tough enough to test the hardest men and machines. But it’s this beautiful, often unforgiving landscape which gives us the best merino wool in the world, as well as champion working dogs — and now a brand new idea which may give thousands of people back their freedom. Grant Calder has lived and worked in the high country of the south Island for over fifty years, first in North Canterbury, then at Lauder Station in St Bathans, Otago. His other great passion aside from working the land has always been breeding, training and competing with his dogs, and he’s an award winner in

the very competitive sport of dog trials. At the top of his game in both farming and the sport he’d loved since the age of five, Grant suffered a terrible quad bike accident which broke his neck, leaving him partially paralysed and unable to walk. “It’s not a great idea to break your neck,” he says, with wry humour. “But it’s not the end of the world . . .” This was eight years ago. Today, you’ll find Grant back out in the high country, enjoying the outdoors and putting in a full day of work on the station with his family.

Modifications to the Argo means easy access so Grant can enjoy his outdoor lifestyle

March 2013 You’ll also find him back out there with his dogs — the 65-year-old not only won championship honours in 2011, he’s also recently run a huntaway event against 240 other competitors — “and I beat the lot of them!” The key to his new found freedom is a very clever machine indeed — one which Grant and his friend Rick Beattie modified from the platform of a nimble Argo all-terrain vehicle. The Blairs’ automotive company in Geraldine and Christchurch sourced the ‘donor’ machine, an eight-wheel drive device which has been extensively adapted as a powerful extension to Grant’s electric wheelchair. With the addition of a ramp, modified controls, and a canopy the completed machine allows Grant to ‘dock’ his chair in place, powering up his mobility to conquer the high country’s rough stuff.

“It’s given me back my independence — really, it’s given me back my outdoor life,” says Grant, who notes that his new set of wheels allows him to tackle snow, rain, mud — just about

The key to his new found freedom is a very clever machine indeed — one which Grant and his friend Rick Beattie modified from the platform of a nimble Argo all-terrain vehicle. everything the changeable Southern weather can throw at him. “My wheelchair battery only lasts a quarter of a day, which isn’t much use running a big station!” Blairs are keen to see the knowledge they have gained from Grant’s development of the Argo shared with others who may benefit from it.

It’s already passed the toughest test of all working with Grant on his Kiwi farm, after all, and has allowed Grant to once again show his skill in sheep dog trials, a sport in which he has represented New Zealand abroad on two occasions. To Grant’s knowledge there is nothing else in the world like the machine he now handles with practicsd ease — it could make a huge difference to the lives of people with disabilities everywhere. Many people who suffer serious injuries simply give up on enjoying the life they used to lead — especially if that life was enjoyed out in the great outdoors. But that’s something Grant Calder refused to do, and he plans on spending as much time as possible training his dogs and making the most of his rural lifestyle. “You would be staggered to see what I can do and where I can go with the Argo,” he

Modified controls make this an easy vehicle to use

says. “There’s no way I could have done so without it.” Anyone who requires a wheelchair for mobility purposes should take a look at what Grant, Rick and Blairs have created together. It’s a true game-changer, and yet another example of Kiwi ingenuity making the world a better — and more interesting place.

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March 2013

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“While we are all worrying about when it is going to rain, the soil is busy getting ready for when it does rain — without us even realising it.” Soils in Canterbury fields have been storing up nitrogen, waiting for the moment when they can grow as much grass as possible in the shortest amount of time.

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“It is really interesting to see how farmers come out of tough times - most reach for the nitrogen not realising the soil never sleeps,” says John Barnes of Canterbury fertiliser company FertilizerNZ.

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John asks: “If there is nitrogen just sitting there waiting for the right moment, why are we about to get out the spreader to put on the white stuff? It makes far more sense to apply a tonic to the plant that will aid it to its full potential, not give what it already has plenty of!” “What I would be looking for is what I didn’t have. Trace elements (which are lacking in our soils), something to build up root systems which have taken such a hiding over the dry spell, organic

matter to build up the water holding capacity — but not more nitrogen.” There is often something else happening down under the soil that is unseen except in extreme cases — a poor root structure. This can be

“While we are all worrying about when it is going to rain, the soil is busy getting ready for when it does rain — without us even realising it.” seen as ‘pulling’. The pasture plants are literally pulled out of the ground by the grazing animals. Perfectly good plant mass can be destroyed in this way. The answer to pulling is a strong root system. This is built because of a strong biological soil — remember that the feeding ability of a

plant using a solid fertiliser programme comes from the roots of the plant. The bigger the root system the more fertiliser the plant can take up. “The soils are meant to have a breather, much like us,” says John. “But we are intent in working them 24/7 — if they stop we punish them. This is not sustainable, so how do we look after them?” 1) Keep our soils fully fed, but not overfed — that leads to pollution. 2) Revive soil health — keep the immune system working well. FertilizerNZ achieves this through our bio systems. This will lead to a profitable and environmentally friendly system — one which bounces back more readily from adverse conditions like the big dry! FertilizerNZ have all the information you need to affect these changes on your farm — call them today or visit their website.

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March 2013

Trough valve problems? ALWAYS KEEP EQUIPMENT AT LEAST FOUR METRES FROM POWER LINES

Sick and tired of unreliable, leaking or jamming trough valves? No end of farmers find this frustration an ongoing hassle, stealing precious time and energy away from the jobs that really need doing around the farm.

multiple connection options for every install, there are a few key ingredients to these valves that set them apart from the rest.

Hansen Products who are well known for their reliable poly pipe fittings, threaded pipe fittings and valves have taken on board these frustrations and designed an innovative range of trough valves that are proving to be very successful with farmers nationwide. Their unique and extremely reliable design goes a long way towards helping to completely eliminate several of the ongoing issues farmers have been having with other branded trough valves.

The unique ‘Slipper Fit Piston’ design is such that the Superflo Trough Valve has a very soft open/close action that virtually eliminates ‘Stuck Valve Syndrome’. Great! No more flooding around the troughs or empty troughs starving stock of their water requirements. Furthermore the soft close of the Maxflo Trough/Tank Valve eliminates water hammer which can put serious strain on a well worked system, as well as self cleaning the valve on closure. Add to that the super efficient operating range of just 0.02 bar all the way up to 12 bar makes these valves usable in just about any system.

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It’s no wonder Hansen states that they provide customers with ‘Best Installed Value’ since 1958.

The good news is there is a very simple solution at hand.

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The ‘Know to make it Flow’ Andrew Curtis, Irrigation New Zealand Ceo

Education key to overcoming challenges

It’s proving a challenging summer for farmers with drought tightening its grip on the North Island and dry conditions impacting on the south as well. In years like this, it’s very easy to become pre-occupied with the daily tasks of keeping the farm going. Anything extra is relegated to the ‘too hard’ basket or put off until things get better. My suggestion is to make sure you have all the tools you need to cope now and also to plan ahead effectively. With this in mind, IrrigationNZ has a series of workshops and courses coming up that will assist your irrigation performance. There are courses aimed at both individual irrigators and irrigation schemes. The training is part of a much bigger picture for IrrigationNZ which is about lifting the game of irrigators and how our infrastructure is managed. On March 26 and April 4, we will roll out our first ‘Irrigation Manager Training’

courses since our pilot course held at Synlait last year. The daylong training will be held at the Lincoln Research Dairy Farm (March 26) and at Pleasant Point (April 4). Anyone managing an irrigation system is welcome to register. Regulation, scheduling, operation and maintenance, and calibration will all be covered during the day and participants will go home with a practical resource kit. On March 27, the ‘IOD Financial Essentials’ course will give irrigation executives, aspiring and existing scheme directors an overview of financial essentials from a board perspective. This course will be held in Christchurch alongside the ‘INZ Scheme Finance’ workshop. On April 30, a ‘Governance Essentials’ course will be held in either South Canterbury or North Otago. Potential and existing directors of irrigation boards, as well as senior executives, will learn more about the governance environment.

As irrigators, we need to tackle environmental challenges and improve farming practices. The best way to do this is through education across the industry. Increased capability will ensure issues are not dealt with ‘silo’ style and will demonstrate to the community that we can proactively improve water management. IrrigationNZ has been supported by the Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) in the funding of these courses. MPI recognises that training and delivery of information is key if we are to advance the irrigator sector and also sustainably grow the irrigated area across Canterbury and New Zealand. The workshops and courses are not one-offs, but will be delivered on an ongoing basis recognising that staff and farm managers move in and out of the industry all of the time. Make sure you take advantage of these courses. The training is there to assist you and your participation will also improve the reputation of the industry moving forward.

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WAter

March 2013

Forecast Canterbury

February was dominated by anticyclones over and around New Zealand, which brought long periods of clear dry weather to the whole country. This period of anticyclonic dominance has lasted from mid-January through to mid-March. Unusually, these anticyclones have tended to be very slow moving over or just west of the South Island, whereas anticyclones more commonly stall (or block) east of the South Island, or near the Chatham Islands. This behaviour has lead to frequent periods of little or no airflow over Canterbury, or long periods of very light southwesterly airflow. As a consequence the month of February (and through the first half of March) has seen very little in the way of warm northwesterly or cold southwesterly airflows. There was only one significant rainfall event in February, and that occurred in the first few days of the month, bringing around 20mm to the region, enough to ensure that the month was nowhere near record levels for dryness, despite no further rain falling in many parts for the rest of the month. Rainfall was around 40-60% of normal for February, but the number of days with rain was at near record lows. Sunshine hours were above normal by 20-25% near the coast, but by 30-40% further inland. As a result of these clear skies and relatively light winds, night time minimum air temperatures were significantly colder than usual with departures of -2 to -3deg, while day time

maximums were above normal by similar amounts. Therefore, mean temperatures were overall near the long term normal, although generally a few tenths of a degree on the cool side. The month was noteable for very high mean air pressures, and a total absence of strong winds. In the tropical Pacific conditions remain mixed and rather confused. There is no clear trend towards either El Nino or La Nina, and although the Southern Oscillation Index has trended up and down during the month, no other indicators show a clear trend. There looks to be good reasons to expect ongoing neutral conditions in the tropical Pacific for at least the next few months, and probably through the winter into spring. Sea surface temperatures off the Canterbury coast remain near normal, while temperatures are becoming warmer than normal in the Tasman Sea. Computer models show no clear trend expected towards either El Nino or La Nina in the next six months, although trends may start to emerge in May and June, the time when ENSO events are most likely to begin to develop. With no clear El Nino signal to affect the climate over the next few months, our broad expectation for the rest

of autumn and through the winter season is uncertain. Westerly airﬂow generally is expected to be weaker than usual over the South Island, and this can sometimes lead to brief extremes, like two to three week dry periods, or brief cold spells with potentially heavy rain. Warmer than normal temperatures in the Tasman Sea may favour the development of low pressure systems there, which in turn could bring periods of easterly quarter airﬂow to Canterbury. We expect the second half of March to bring more unsettled weather than the last few weeks. However, there are good indications that April

may see a return of the slow moving anticyclones, bringing with them little rainfall, mostly clear skies, cooler nights with early frosts and mild days with light winds. May and June are expected to bring some clear fine frosty periods with cold nights, but also some periods of cloudy humid easterly airﬂow. These easterly periods will bring colder than usual day times, but milder night times. Some light rain is likely, and one-off heavy falls remain a possibility, but are unlikely. July may see more significant low pressure systems affecting the South Island with an increased risk of heavier rainfalls and more persistent cloudiness.

Rainfall

Temp.

Sunshine

Airflow

April

Drier than normal

Near normal, cold nights

Sunnier than normal

More anticyclones

May

A little drier than normal

A little colder than normal

Cloudier than normal

Light easterly airflow

June

A little drier than normal

A little colder than normal

Cloudier than normal

Light easterly airflow

July

Wetter than normal

Colder than normal

Cloudier than normal

Low pressure systems affecting the country

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Forestry

March 2013

Forestry Market Report Allan Laurie MNZIF Laurie Forestry Ltd

Scott Henry is a relatively new addition to the forestry establishment scene. Working for FML (Forest Management Ltd) he is one bright cookie always willing to think outside the square. I was talking to him recently where he confided that he has found that a multiple aerial kill spray over old man brushweed (gorse/ broom) is the best way to contain the weed as well as promote the best growth from his planted seedlings. The idea is to first apply a fairly hefty brew to the adult brushweed which is enough to make sure the root system is completely destroyed and leave it for a season to break down then follow up with a lighter brew to take out regrowing seedlings as well as other grasses. By this stage the vegetation has broken down enough so that the planters can walk through and plant. By not disturbing the soil regenerating weeds are

The price for the market indicator export A-grade log has increased to around NZ$100 at the wharf gate New Zealand, a two-year high. The fundamentals within the market suggest this price point is likely to be the zenith for the medium term with further small sales price increases expected in April in tandem with shipping cost increases.

Scott Henry from Forest Management Ltd

significantly reduced and the mulch which is formed not only helps to contain the weeds but also keeps soil moisture

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Export log prices have continued to improve with a NZ$4–5 per cubic metre at wharf gate increase being the order of the day for March deliveries. This improvement is the consequence of movement upward in the market price together with a softening in shipping cost.

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high as well as recycling valuable nutrients. Of course this practice isn’t new as us old folk will remember. It was first mooted by the late great John Balneaves from FRI Rangiora. He also proved the same advantages as Scott has found. Great minds must think alike. Well done Scott.

Joke time An usher in a local picture theater saw a drunk sprawled over three seats. When asked to sit in only one seat he just moaned and stayed put. When the manager came and tried to get him to move he got the same response. So they called in the local cop. “What’s your name?” asked the cop. “Fred” replied the drunk. “Where are you from Fred?” asked the cop “The balcony” came the reply.

Log Inventories on the China eastern seaboard have increased rapidly toward 3mil cubic metres as supply continued during the Chinese New Year when construction was in recess. Buyers have therefore been more difficult to negotiate with and likely to remain that way until the supply and demand pattern is re-established. Supply out of Pacific North West is expected to increase in May/June as the onset of the northern hemisphere summer usually sees increased volume availability. However, all eyes are on the US new house start statistics and what will happen to summer construction projects. For the moment the demand profile looks buoyant, therefore we would suggest a continuing upside in domestic construction. If this happens, it is likely the year will be one of continuing better prices for export logs from New Zealand and Australia to China and Korea particularly. On the domestic front, the volumes traded and margins appear to have been constrained for Canterbury sawmill owners

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Allan Laurie

in February. Indeed two respondents have reported weaker than expected sales, also expressing some frustration at the lack of vibrancy in the market generally. Out-door products like fencing materials continue to sell well but at margins that will not see profit celebration parties a likely event any time soon. However the mood of the market is generally of a more positive note than has been in the recent past with some segments performing at or about at expectation. Certainly, any earthquake re-build lumber demand appears to remain in the larger supplier sand pit from which the locals are pretty much excluded from participation by price. Although the large supplier volume sandpit is of a good size, there a few players in it and there is plenty of biff going on over who gets to supply. The pint of difference continues to be price. As a consequence lumber prices are constrained and unlikely to change in the short term. There is some current banter going on that lumber prices can be expected to lift mid 2013

as demand increases continue. Given the scraps over the toys in the sandpit of the past I have some doubts about this. It will take a larger than expected demand adult to step in and stop that fighting, thus it is likely, for the moment, we can expect more of the same. Shipping costs have generally been holding at December/January levels, helping to generate better wharf gate prices in NZ. For the moment the trend appears to be for stability although as reported last month some are suggesting we can expect firming late March and April as the northern Hemisphere summer approaches. This wonderful game of forests and forestry continues to show all promise of a future with wood fibre commodities holding firm as others decline or struggle to regain lost ground. The balance of supply and demand appears to be swinging slowly but surely the way we suggested it would as far back as the 1970s. Thus it is has never been more timely to remember the only way forward for climate, country and the planet is to get out there and plant more trees… please!

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March 2013

using traditional methods the plant would normally be grown to six — eight years old. Peter Clark writes...

Separating the wood from the trees

Genomic Selection holds huge promise of faster value gains from genetic improvement of commercial tree species. The Radiata Pine Breeding Company Ltd. (RPBC) is a New Zealand company focussed on the provision of superior radiata pine germplasm to its shareholders and customers in Australasia. RPBC is embarking a development programme which can halve the traditional 25-30 year breeding and deployment cycle. The economic impact is huge as the rate of improvement in key traits, eg growth and wood quality, is doubled. Genomic Selection is the key technology to enable this development. Genomic Selection is bringing changes to animal and plant breeding because it: • speeds the breeding and deployment cycle by reducing the need for progeny tests • allows the selection and evaluation of multiple traits simultaneously • reduces cost and time for assessing traits that are difficult or expensive to measure • allows the quick introduction of new traits such as disease resistance • establishes a platform for introduction of other molecular technologies

The major overall gain arising from genomic selection is that genetically improved planting stock is deployed more rapidly in commercial forests. Unlike GE, there are no regulatory barriers to uptake.

What is Genomic Selection? Traditionally, breeding values are calculated by observing and measuring the expressed trait in the subject tree as it is growing (phenotypic data). It can take some years before such traits can be observed or measured for. Genomic Selection, on the other hand

(and this is where it can get pretty technical), involves identifying patterns of molecular markers along strands of DNA, the genetic blueprint, of trees being tested. These patterns are compared to those of a pedigree of genotypes with known phenotypic data (called a training population). This allows individuals with good genetic matches to desired traits/phenotypes to be identified. Such diagnostics can be done in the nursery when the plant is less than one year old. By contrast, to generate phenotypic data

RPBC considers that Genomic Selection is sufficiently well developed and commercially proven in many plant and animal applications to be implemented in the New Zealand radiata pine industry. In addition, there is a small window within which the chance of obtaining government funding is high, after which the chance of funding will be seriously diminished as new processes and priorities are introduced. Work already underway, funded mainly by Scion with some RPBC assistance, has built a robust R&D programme and created a network of international technical experts to help guide the programme.

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March 2013

Cultivation

“In the field”

Pasture tips with Pasture First by Nigel Johnston

Re-grassing options post drought Depending on the severity of the drought in your area, there are a number of options available to help you get back to ‘normal’ conditions as quickly as possible. For those of you who have not been affected too badly, it is possible that nothing extraordinary needs to be done to get your farm back to a productive and efficient stage. It may be just a case of waiting for the rain and for the pastures to bounce back naturally. However for those of you who have been severely affected by the dry, and pastures are too severely damaged to recover, or you are facing big feed shortages heading into late autumn/winter, consideration might be needed to look at specific re-grassing options to ensure quick feed can be grown before the onset of the cooler late autumn/winter conditions.

There are a number of different options available, and often the decision comes down to when do you need the feed, and what are you going to do with that paddock long term?

Annual ryegrass Annual Ryegrass is the fastest establishing and most winter active of the ryegrass species available. Strategic use of an annual ryegrass will provide large amounts of winter feed and it will also be able to be cut for silage to help boost supplement levels if these have been depleted through the dry period. Being an annual, annual ryegrasses will only persist for six to nine months so consideration needs to be given to what you are going to do with the paddock after they have run out. Therefore the most useful way to use an annual ryegrass is in paddocks

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that you have earmarked for sowing into another crop in late spring.

Italian ryegrass Like annual ryegrasses, Italians are also quick to establish and have good winter activity. While not as productive as annuals in the first six months (although not too far behind) the biggest advantage of an Italian ryegrass over an annual is that they will persist for up to 24 months, giving you more ﬂexibility if you are unsure when you are going to re-grass/crop that paddock again. Like annuals, they can be grazed through winter and then shut up for silage or hay, but will then regrow again for another year’s production.

Hybrid ryegrass A Hybrid ryegrass is one that is a perennial ryegrass x Italian ryegrass cross. There are a range of hybrid ryegrasses on the market — some with more perennial parentage and some with more Italian parentage. Therefore hybrids will generally persist for two to four years depending on their makeup. Hybrids are a very useful tool in the current dry situation as they can provide feed for a much longer time than an annual or Italian ryegrass, yet

are more productive during this time than a perennial ryegrass.

Autumn sown brassicas For those farmers wanting to grow as much feed as possible in a short period of time, especially if you are targeting winter grazing, a winter brassica crop like winter turnips or forage brassicas such as rape or ‘leafy turnips’ are a viable option. These brassicas are ideal for sheep/beef or dairy graziers who may have lost feed earmarked for winter grazing

because of the dry. They can also be used by dairy farmers who winter their cows at home if you are also struggling to find feed for the winter. The time from sowing to grazing ranges from 50–70 days for leafy turnips through to 70–110 days for the various rape varieties and 90–110 days for the turnips. Tonnages of 6–10 tonnes DM/ha can be expected during this period. Nigel Johnston is an independent pasture agronomist and Managing Director of Pasture First.

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March 2013

Cultivation

Control without chemicals — nightshade by Dr tim Jenkins Black nightshade (Solanum nigrum) and hairy nightshade (S. physalifolium) are troublesome weeds from the potato family (Solanaceae). The berries are toxic when green and depending on genetic type can still be toxic when ripe. The toxin in the green berries (and to some extent ripe berries and leaves) is the glycoalkaloid solanine (the same issue found in green potatoes) and presents a problem for livestock grazing affected areas. The leaves can have high nitrate levels which are also a concern if grazing in infested areas.

With cropping the weed can be a headache as the plant is fast to establish, highly competitive and soon produces plentiful seed. The weed is a particular problem for pea crops where the still green berries can slip through with the podded peas and even a small amount of contamination can result in the rejection of a crop. Even when berries are unripe and green, they can still produce viable seed when dislodged so best practice for physical management is to get in while the plants are still young and definitely prior to berry formation. Each berry can contain many dozen seeds and it

is not uncommon to see almost monocultures of this weed come up in a ﬂush where adult plants have been allowed to drop berries. Since the seed is long lived in the soil this local curse of weed seed bank can last for many years even without recent seed set. The nightshades can be indicative of high nitrogen availability, good drainage and dry summer conditions but can also be simply a reﬂection of bare soil present in the late spring to summer allowing establishment of the weed at some time in the past. Much work has been done

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on non-chemical management of the nightshades in Canterbury including the Masters project of Sean Bithell at Lincoln University. Since germination is in late spring to mid-autumn with a peak in mid-summer it has been found that early pea crops in Canterbury (eg sown August/ September). Any other crops sown in winter or early spring and then harvested in mid-summer will fit in nicely with reducing the seed bank of nightshades since the mid-summer post-harvest cultivation will time in nicely for peak germination. False seed beds on early to mid-summer soils can be very effective especially on hairy nightshade seed reserves. Here the seed bed is prepared as if for planting a crop, even irrigation can be used to help stimulate weed germination. After the weed seedlings emerge they are controlled in such a way as to minimise soil disturbance (so as not to expose yet more seed from below) at the three or four true leaf stage. Thermal weeding (ﬂame or steam) or shallow hoe work are the alternatives to herbicide here. Within crops shallow hoe cultivation (avoiding stirring up seed deeper in the soil) is suitable for depleting the threat to the crop — since most emerging seedlings will come from seed 20 to 40 mm deep in all but the lightest soils.

even small seedlings of black nightshade in dry conditions can soon produce berries

Germination is often stimulated by cultivation (very much so for hairy nightshade) though some seed can remain dormant to produce later ﬂushes in the year or in subsequent years. Germination is generally higher in warm conditions where there is sufficient moisture and is promoted by reasonable nitrogen availability in the soil and good organic matter levels and soil biological activity. Black nightshade can sometimes be shown to require light stimulation for germination but cultivation in the dark was not found to be effective for reducing black nightshade emergence in Sean Bithell’s work. It seems

that variability in dormancy and stimulation requirements contribute to black nightshade having several ﬂushed in each year and often avoiding control mechanisms based on a single strategically timed cultivation. So there is a requirement to stay vigilant. Being members of the potato family, they are susceptible to the tomato potato psyllid (TPP) but while this may have some biological control effect, the real concern is that the weeds can contribute to the build-up of epidemics of TPP that threaten all Solanaceae crops so there is a further reason to be vigilant about these weeds.

March 2013

A dog’s tail…

Sinusitis

Sum things never change “Well, there ya go Dog. Whaddaya rekin?” Yep, it’s me Billy BC back again an’ I gess I’m a bit gobsmakt. See, Boss an’ his gerlfrend Sharlene have come back froma Feel Daze. They reckin they hada reel good time, an’ sez tha wether was so good, they had swim ina Rollerstun swimmin’ pool.

Thena Boss put downa brosha, ‘an he giva bitofa snigger. Uh oh, I thort. Wot’s Boss onto now. That’s win I herd a big veehikle commin’ ova tha cattilstop. Boss stood up, and we went roun’ ta the top ofa driveway. Well, I stopt in me traks. There was Gazza, froma truckin’ kompiny, sittin ina cab, an’ behind ‘im ona tray, was tha biggist, reddist, ginorrmiss tracta ya eva seen!

“She was pritty choyce too Dog. It was blimmin just about emtee. No one else wus swimmin’. So Sharlene wusn’t embarrissed ‘cos she’s prignint eh? Juss like we hada private pool.”

Tell ya readas, I was rilly gobsmakt this time.

That brings me ta tha Boss agin. Win he askt me wot I reckin, he’s sittin’ ona woolshed steps wiv a big glossy brosha. It’s got big pichers of swimmin’ pools, an’ Boss is lookin’ ova tha front paddick.

“Whaddaya reckin Dog?’ seda Boss. Well, wot I reckind is tha bluddy Fonterrer payout musta bin werth getting’ ifa Boss kin afford a giant tracta AN’ a swimmin’ pool.

“Ya see, Dog, Sharlene reckins we kin move tha fence fifty feet. Ta extind her gardin, and stick one of these pools ina ground.” I give Boss a bitofa Eye (‘cos that’s wot I do ona farm) an’ felt like askin’ wot’s rong wiva dam where I goes fer me swims. But I spose Sharlene’s not gunna wanna swim wiva eels eh? They get ina dam frum the creek wot fills it. Anyway, seems Boss come back froma Feel Daze wiv sumthin a bit moor konstructiv this year. Mos’ times he has a hole lotta stuff wot just rusts away unner tha woolhsed. Sumtimes he hasa clearout and give’s it all to his mate Alby, who runs tha St John’s auction over in Ash Vegas. But I guess ifa swimmin’ pools comin, it havta be hear ta stay eh?

Boss musta red my mine, becos he sed: ”She’s a trade off Dog. Tha swimmin’ pool is fer Sharlene, ta make this place a bit more like a famly home. Tha tracta’s ta make mor munny. Wen wear not usin’ it, gunna hire it out on spuds kontract.” “Gawd,” I thort, wot happind fer tha Boss to make sensible invistments ata Feel Daze? The Gazza swung down froma truck. “Ya fergot this ata show.” He give tha Boss a big packit, an I hada sy of releaf. It hada label with ‘super autamatik remote controlled gate opena’ writ on it. Good ona ya Boss. I new ya’d get sumthin’ fer una tha woolshed. Eh?

Plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose. Heh heh.

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Sinusitis just refers to inflammation of the sinus membranes. Usually the inflammation is caused by an infection like the cold virus, other times the inflammation is a response to an allergen or a faulty immune system response. Regardless of the cause, in most cases chronic sinusitis is an indication of a poorly functioning immune system. The target of therapy is topical, trying to sterilise the nasal passages, and then to target the immune system chaos. Our respiratory tract from our nose to our lungs is lined with special tissue called respiratory epithelium. The role of this mucus secreting membrane is to help protect us from airborne germs and allergens and then to act as our internal air conditioning system to filter air, to control humidity, regulate temperature and to protect our vulnerable lungs. When working well it is a brilliant piece of design effectively linking and regulating the outside world from our sensitive internal tissues and organs. However when it malfunctions it causes all sorts of misery. Last week I commented that I had 15 years of lower respiratory problems. During this period I also lived with chronic sinusitis which brings the joy of a sinus headache and regular

infections. Fortunately these are no longer part of my life. This is one group of problems that can respond really well to nutritional therapy. Nutritional medicine practitioner Robert Iker recommends developing a systematic programme for chronic sinusitis. This includes practising nasal hygiene with steaming and irrigating, having a healthy anti-inflammatory diet and taking antioxidant and antiinflammatory supplements. My advice is similar but I like to add colloidal silver as a nasal spray to help keep nasal passages sterile. To this I add a cocktail of antioxidants based on OPC’s (grape seed extract) vitamin C, bioflavonoids, trace minerals and many more. For adults my base supplements are up to 8000mg of fish oils and a comprehensive multi antioxidant/ mineral plus another 200mg of pure OPC, 2000mg of vitamin C and 500mg of mixed bioflavonoids. If low vitamin D levels are suspected or confirmed, we also add vitamin D, often with an intensive period then a lower maintenance level. This seems to help reduce mucous membrane inflammation, mucous secretion and help to reduce susceptibility of infections. Call me if you need help or more information.

John Arts is the founder of Abundant Health Ltd. If you have questions or would like a free nutritional plan contact John on 0800 423559 or email john@johnarts.co.nz. You can join his weekly email newsletter at www.johnarts.co.nz or visit www.abundant.co.nz.

Abundant Health Square Bale Pickers — 3 models to choose from — 4SR, 12SR and 16K 4SR picks up and stacks 4 of 4x4 and 6 of 4x3 bales 12SR picks and stacks 4 of 4x4 and 12 of 3x4 and 12 of 3x3 bales 16K picks and stacks 8 of 4x4 and 12 of 3x4 and 18 of 3x3 bales

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March 2013

Supplementary Feed The perfect mix for livestock success For over a decade now Canterbury feed specialist Dave Campion, has been providing nutritious, healthy sustenance for the region’s livestock through his company, Feedmix Ltd. And it’s not just the animals who benefit from his unique mobile feed mixing service — farmers (some of who have been seeing Dave regularly for eleven years) enjoy the versatility of having feed when they need it, in the right amount, with the right nutrients to boost their herd’s productivity. They’re also pleased with

the price of having Feedmix process their grain right ‘at the silo’. Having Dave and his processing truck pay a regular visit slashes overheads, and obviates the need to buy in expensive pre-processed feed for cattle, sheep and even deer. It all makes sense because of Feedmix’s smart technology — a ﬂeet of trucks fitted out

with American-made milling and mixing machines, able to turn unprocessed grain into a tasty, condition-building ‘muesli’ that’s perfect for filling in the nutrient gaps left by pasture alone. Livestock can’t digest unprocessed grain, but once it’s been through the roller mill and been fortified with minerals, nutrients, and added molasses, it’s not just tasty, but also the perfect way to balance an animal’s diet. Dave does it all from the back of his trucks — unique in New Zealand, and able to process up to 20 tons per hour. While Feedmix bring their Dave with one of the portable milling trucks in the Feedmix fleet.

mobile service to the Canterbury area farm by farm, their mixes also travel further afield in bulk, reaching the west coast and as far away as Nelson.

Fresh Feed to your Farm

Feedmix is growing, with a new custom-made truck being

built now in the USA, ready to roll next spring. Dave is currently looking for an experienced driver and operator to help take his successful business to even more farms, bringing a balanced and affordable livestock diet direct to the end user.

Stockfeed made fresh onsite or delivered premixed.

Mobile units specialising in Dairy and Calf meal. Large roller mill and hammer mill available. Additives can be supplied and mixed or blended with molasses if required. We fill your silos or supply in bulk. *see website for more details*

Advantage Plastics Rangiora call: 0800 668 534 or (03) 313 5750

FEEDMI Ltd Dave Campion. Ph 03 308 8665 | 027 608 6455 www.feedmix.co.nz

Rovimix BIOTIN HOW TO BUILD A BE T TER HOOF An essential building block for hoof horn. Helps reduce cost of lameness. lameness and increase in milk production. Easy to add to diary feeds or as a water soluble powder. Also available as a component of ‘Hard-N-Up’, a water soluble formulation of Biotin, Organic Zinc and other organic trace minerals. Rovimix trademark of DSM.

Free Phone: 0800 48 48 32 (4 VITEC) vitec@vitecnutrition.co.nz www.vitecnutrition.co.nz

March 2013

Supplementary Feed Meeting the drought challenge With the nation’s pasture covers having many weeks to go before they again become a viable part of the pastoral outlook, decisions are still having to be made on a daily basis for drought management.

squeezed out. It has a high protein content and with some remaining oil has a high energy value. Widely used by dairy farmers, it is also a choice for sheep and beef farmers, at around half the price per kilo of dry matter compared to other supplements. Another choice for sheep farmers has been nuts, mad up of copra, wheat and barley by-products. Storage and water are the

biggest issues if farmers are planning to use palm kernel as an alternative. While some sectors of the farming industry have been a little unprepared for what’s been described as the worst drought in decades, long, dry spells are forecast to double by the year 2040 as temperatures continue to rise and New Zealand heads towards a more Mediterranean climate. “This

historic,”

says climate scientist, Jim Salinger, who has calculated that the amount of rain needed for grass growth was the highest since records began. “It’s like comparing your income against expenditure in your cheque book. And we are in deficit.” Experts warn it could spell the end for farming as we know it and may cost the country billions of dollars in drought relief each year before practices are adjusted.

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Regional drought committees and rural support groups all recognise the need for selling stock to reduce the pasture feed demand and feeding of supplements — hay, baleage, grain and palm kernel among them. Selling some stock to protect the remaining ones is often the best strategy to implement in a drought. Small block holders who may have less experience of farming in drought conditions are urged to think hard about how many animals they can feed over the next few weeks, particularly as the animals will require substantially more feeding close to lambing and calving. If small block holders have not already got sufficient supplementary feed reserves

FOR

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on hand, they should act now as they may struggle to get supplies later in the winter. Animal health issues are compounded when stock are being underfed and losing weight. They will be much more susceptible to internal and external parasites, mineral deficiencies and diseases, which can finally kill them if left untreated. Death can occur very quickly in some circumstances. Ewes and cows are a lot more susceptible to metabolic diseases in late pregnancy to mid-lactation, basically due to inadequate nutrients and minerals. So it will be critical that they can be given more feed over this period. If in doubt about the

health of animals, seek advice from a veterinarian. On the feed front, farmers are turning to palm kernel as a supplementary stock feed because of its use as a replacement for silage. On two South Island dairy farms, palm kernel is fed via a mixer wagon, supplementing grass silage while on others, a mix of 50% palm kernel and 50% crushed barley is fed to cows through a meal feeding system. The grain is crushed and mixed with the palm kernel by Rural Feed Solutions, Winton, ready for use. Palm kernel is sourced from Asia, a by-product of the palm oil industry, left over after the oil has been

• Calf Meals/Nuts High-Low Protein • All Purpose Meal eg. Hen, Pig, Goat • Sheep Nuts

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Riverdown Steel Products 90 Zig Zag Road, RD 12, Rakaia Gorge 7782 | P 03 318 6934 | M 021 143 3469 Riverdown Steel brings to you a large range of UK manufactured livestock feeding, handling and yarding equipment. All products are manufactured from high grade steel and hot dipped in galvanise. The steel tubes of all products are double vented to allow them to fill when submerged in hot galvanise. This process gives protection, inside and out, from corrosion, giving them the longest possible working life.

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March 2013

Supplementary Feed From a garden shed to the world Seventeen years ago, retired farmer Bill Kirkham, was fed up with feeding rodents and sparrows, alongside the hens in his henhouse. So he decided to do something about it, and developed a feeding regime that has grown into Grandpa’s Feeders. It took several years to perfect his automatic chicken feeder. It was a project he embarked on only to solve his own problem, and had no intention of it being a commercial venture. It was a process of trial and error to get one that was guaranteed to work every time.

about this clever creation and in no time there was a growing demand from friends and neighbours who wanted and needed one.

In the process of field testing his invention at his friend’s chicken run, the word got around

“Once we set up a website we got continual offshore enquiries from people saying that they wanted one and that there was nothing available like this overseas”, said Bill.

Before he knew it, Bill was spending all of his time in his shed making chook feeders as word of mouth spread.

“We posted a few through NZ Post, but to most countries this was not a viable option as it cost too much and we realised that we needed to go international. “Grandpa’s feeders are now sold in Australia, the UK, the States, and are about to go to Europe also. “We have our feeders manufactured by the container load and with very tight quality control systems in place we have found them to be as

Nana and Grandpa (Jean and Bill Kirkham) with their flock of chooks.

good, if not better than the feeders that were hand-made in the shed.

thinking it is one of ours. We have a full money back satisfaction guarantee.

“Like anything popular, sooner or later the competition will pop up and in the last few years there have been a number of similar feeders on the market. We can’t complain as we did pretty much have the market to ourselves for more than 10 years.

“Very shortly you will find our feeders in Farmlands stores and since they are amalgamating with CRT they will no doubt end up in the CRT stores in the South Island also.

‘The only issue we do have is that some people don’t realise the difference between one of our feeders and the others. We have had complaints coming our way regularly from people who have bought a competitor’s feeder,

“Grandpa’s Feeders are strongly constructed from permanent materials. They are made from high quality galvanized steel with an aluminium treadplate. They are sturdy, reliable and built to last, with many customers who bought feeders in 1995 still getting faultless use from of them.

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Providing a bulk and general freight service twice daily through Canterbury to the MacKenzie Country. Curtain Siders, Flat Decks, Bulk Tippers, Container Lifter. MacKenzie Supply Services will cart your supplement feed and all other bulk or general freight requirements. Carting up to 24 tonne, 15m long and as the only freight company to offer same day transport services from Christchurch through South Canterbury and the MacKenzie Country we pride ourselves on the ability to respond quickly to your needs.

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March 2013

Farming families, Kiwi mums and dads, get ready for the big energy lolly grab That is if any of you have any money hidden away under the floorboards, in bank deposits and family trusts. My bet is that the average Kiwi battlers have very few bawbees left in the piggy bank as lifestyles sink under increasing prices of just about everything. Actually, when you think of it, this lot in parliament are just making us pay for assets we already own. The Goverment’s spin is that the billions of dollars expected from the partial sales ‘could’ be invested in other assets such as schools and hospitals. Please note the ‘could’ is in quotes. Try pulling the other leg, it is made of rubber.

closing down schools, limiting or cutting education funding. Ditto in the health services if these millions of dollars are earmarked for these sectors. Possibly just to hike up the bonuses to private and public sector directors, executives and their cohorts lurking on district health boards and various education authorities.

What’s the point in

somehow

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can scratch up a couple of thousand dollars to buy these preferential shares targeted at us mums and dads its supposed to save government borrowing, presumably from overseas banks, justifying selling assets in the first place. But aren’t these power companies paying considerable dividends into government coffers in the first place? Of course this is long term. And this administration wants to eliminate the national debt by the next election. Or so it says.

Now, I could have voted for the current lot on a number of policies rather than the single item of asset sales. Possibly to break away from the nanny state, but hoping the Key administration would come to its senses when a vast majority of the populace from across the

Us Kiwi and Iwi buyers are being bribed to hang onto those shares for the first two or three years and not be temped to ﬂog them off as share prices escalate when the big offshore institute buyers get stuck in after the first tranch offerings to locals.

political spectrum indicated they were decidedly unhappy with the move. Unfortunately we are blessed with a basically ineffective opposition to counter vote infatuation with Key’s disarming grin and blokey nature.

It so happens our family may be able to afford a few thousand shares if we release them from term bank deposits without too higher penalties. And if shares double in value in the first coupla years there would be considerable pressure to cash in. What is annoying is the oft repeated statement from PM John Key that the government was given a mandate to go ahead with these partial sales. One local newspaper has even termed it as good as a referendum, conveniently forgetting that referendums can only take place on contentious single issues. Not on a complete political party’s manifesto.

“

It’s the middle ground of the voting public that counts

”

Next on the list is dumbing down some aspects of the Resource Management Act to allow developers and miners a quicker route to resource consents. There could be merit in this in some scenarios (ie building consents). It still pays some lip service to environmental and sustainable factors but eliminates input from organisations not immediately affected by such projects. It can lead to increased violations of our publicly owned international heritage national parks, and suppression of public information. So the Department of Conservation is steadily having its funding cut, to look at more commercial ventures, and in the meantime the

Government is quietly implementing a far right neo-liberal market agenda, which can effectively eliminate community and social issues. The voting public could be termed a docile lot manipulated by some cunning PR. That is the 70% who actually vote. One can only hope there may be some positive outcomes contained in the various political party policies. I am personally bored with the continuous reference to left and right wing assertions promulgated by media political commentators and many politicians. It’s the middle ground of the voting public that counts. If you want to put colours to it, a mix of blue, green and red equals indigo — sort of.

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WHeeLs

March 2013

A tale of two litres A couple of vehicles I’ve driven lately have impressed for all the right reasons. The Ford Falcon and the Volkswagen Amarok, are similar in many ways though

appeal to entirely different markets. Both are automatic both deliver great fuel economy

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VW Amarok The first Ute with a five star rating meant I needed to take my time to give the Amarok a real workout, as it had been two years since I polished the seat leather in the Wolfsburg VW Ute. It was the long awaited new 8 speed auto. I took both the manual single cab and the auto double cab for nine days to come to grips with the European ﬂavour they bring to the predominantly oriental light truck segment. The single cab has a large cabin area with good behind seat stowage and a 2.2m long deck is manual only, though being lighter than a double cab is very lively on the road. Previously only available as a six speed manual the new auto double cab priced at $64,990 plus $3k for the leather is not a bargain basement truck nor is it short on luxury touches

Volkswagen single Cab Amarok

and finishes. However it’s what you don’t see that really makes this truck stand out! It’s now a permanent 4WD with 40/60 f/r split and centre torque sensing diff and brings an upgrade of power to 132kWs and 420Nms up from 120 and 400. Also up is the tow rating by 200kgs to 3000kgs braked — in line with most in the industry. Permanent 4WD: How often have you read in my stories about Utes that “I engaged the 4WD ratio to tidy up the tail happy rear end on the shingle?” Well, on every ute, short of the only other permanent 4WD — the Land Rover Defender. Yet almost every large SUV is equipped with full time all paw power. Why? Simply it’s safer and one less issue to think about. The usual argument of

fuel saving doesn’t wash either as the Amarok returned 8.3 litres/100km. The other immediately noticeable attribute was just how quiet and vibration free the cab is at 100km/h or more with the 2 litre turbo diesel spinning at less than 1700rpm. I was pleased to see this as concerns over use of high revs to achieve the power output are allayed completely. The only other ute that is as quiet is the Nissan V6 turbo diesel, interestingly also powered by a European engine — the Renault 3 litre. That’s not to say the Japanese utes are noisy — quite the reverse, it’s just that the Amarok sets a new standard in 4 cylinder diesel farm trucks. And that’s not all. The 8 speed box, curiously from sister

company Audi’s A8 and not the Toureg, with some electronic trickery has eschewed the low ratio box which saves 70kgs in weight and provides greater efficiency. 1st and 2nd are now effectively the low ratio gears though can be used all the time for very smooth take offs on slippery surfaces or with a heavy load. Slipping into downhill descent mode locks the gearbox in first or second and allows easy/safe downhill driving even with a trailer on. With eight speeds gearbox always selects most suitable ratio based speed and load, leading lowered fuel use.

ABS TC EBD and BA are standard as are eight air bags and trailer sway mitigation which really does work! Some

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WHeeLs touches include two 12 volt power outlets, one under the centre of the windscreen ideal for Sat Navs, as well as a rear tray mounted one. Both on and off the road the Amarok is hard to fault as it just gets on with every task without fuss. On the outside you can hear the distinctive diesel music, though you just can’t on the inside, even under hard acceleration it sounds silky smooth. Accommodation is both generous and comfortable for the front seat passengers and very acceptable for the three in the rear. I think side steps would help as this truck rides high off the ground. Optional parking sensors

[annoyingly] pick up a trailer when backing and there should be a rear camera, an option I’d have ahead of the leather seats that I think should be heated. I’d also like to see map pockets in the rear of the front seats. If this is an example of just how good a 2 litre turbo diesel can be, I can’t wait for the rumoured 3 litre twin turbo V6 from the Toureg. The Amarok, now with auto transmission, more power and stunning economy, presents a serious and credible alternative to the current crop of farm utes.

Falcon Ecoboost Flying low almost under the radar is a fuel sipping fullsized Falcon. Powered by a 4

March 2013

cylinder 2 litre 179kW 353Nm motor it easily delivers the claimed 8.1 litres/100km and could drop into the mid 7’s with careful use of the throttle. Compared to the venerable straight six 4 litre at 195kW 391Nm fuel use of 9.9l/100km, it really makes sense. Over the 900km we had it driving around Auckland and then on south to Wellington the six speed auto only XT Ecoboost Falcon was indiscernible in performance and handled better. This was in large part due to the two litre direct injected intercooled turbo with twin independent variable camshaft timing {Vi VCT} technology creating precise timing of both intake and exhaust cams. It broadens

Ford Falcon Xt ecoboost

the torque curve and gives instant power at lower engine speeds. Adding to that is the greater engine braking efficiency over its six cylinder sibling. We’re likely to see more Ecoboost models from Ford with the Mondeo already available with this motor in a slightly detuned state. Later this year the Kuga will arrive as a 1600cc Ecoboost, and Focus and Fiesta are tipped to also feature pressure fed motors. Being the base model Falcon like its rival Commodore doesn’t make it a stripper in terms of equipment. All the acronyms of safety ABS ABD

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DAIry

March 2013

So no matter how hard you make the hooves if the corium is unhealthy you will still end up with lame cows. I would argue that if you have lame cows you are better off to have your cows on soft feet instead. Soft hooves don’t penetrate into the wound the same and therefore are more comfortable for the cow. So why do you want to harden the hooves? It only makes hoof trimming a harder job.

Hoof Print With Fred Hoekstra

Are foot baths beneficial?

Foot baths should only be used as a disinfectant for things like footrot and Digital Dermatitis. Many of you may not know what Digital Dermatitis is — that is why I have included this photo with this article. Digital Dermatitis is an infectious disease in the skin above the heel bulb of the claw. This is a big problem in Europe and America.

How many of you use hoof mats or foot baths? What are you trying to achieve with it and how helpful do you find them? You may say that you are trying to harden the feet and find that it is very effective, and I would have to agree that footbaths can make cows feet very hard — especially when you use formalin. But does it minimise lameness? Scientific trials haven’t shown any evidence of that. There is no proof that hard hooves minimise lameness. If you believe that lameness is caused by physical forces then you should be very surprised. Consider this, our soldiers in the army wear proper army boots rather than sneakers. The army boots can handle the rough landscape much better than sneakers. If you harden up the hooves then they accordingly should be a lot more hard wearing, and therefore be able to cope with their physical environment better resulting in less ‘stone bruising’ and white line disease. But that doesn’t seem to be the case at all. How can you explain that? If you have been reading my articles then you probably know what I am going to say. Our experience is that we can go to a farm where the hooves are really soft

and yet there is very little haemorrhage in the hooves. Then we go to farms where the hooves are very hard to the point where it almost feels like we are cutting concrete and yet the hooves display much more haemorrhaging. How can you explain that from a physical damage point of view? The reason is that it is not physical force that causes the problem. The problem comes from the inside out rather than from the outside in. The live tissue (corium or quick) is unhealthy and this is where the haemorrhage and defects develop from.

Cows over there are very lame when they have it. Digital Dermatitis has arrived in New Zealand as well. Cows don’t seem to get lame from it like they do overseas but it is very important that we treat cases here because it can turn into a major issue. When you see a case the best thing is to take a photo and email it to us, make it dry with a paper towel and spray it with tetravet. Repeat this treatment in about five days. It is also a good idea to walk the herd through a foot bath with formalin. In this case it needs to be a bath and not a mat because the liquid needs to get up onto the skin above the claw. A mat can’t do that. Apart from that you don’t need footbaths or hoof mats. You will have better experience if you use that money to buy a bunch of ﬂowers for your wife!

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Soil Matters — with Peter Burton

Six reasons why farmers require more money

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Based on a payment of $6.00 per kg of milk solids, a 114ha dairy property producing close to 1,000kgMS/ha will receive a total of $668,040 income from milk alone. Unfortunately even at this payout a significant percentage of dairy farmers have expenses that exceed their incomes. Following are six reasons why more money in farmers’ pockets is good for everyone: • Land prices will reduce. Land prices tend to increase when profitability is under pressure as well established farmers look to increase their land holding in order to remain profitable. With lower land prices the ability of young farmers to purchase their own farms will again become an achievable dream; • More money will circulate in rural areas. With extra money in farmers’ pockets a greater amount will be spent on the purchase of goods and services locally. Small local businesses will once again ﬂourish along with a strong sense of community wellbeing; • Additional people will be employed, as farmers look to spend increased time with their families, resulting in the repopulation of rural schools, villages, and townships. A sense of belonging and

purpose can again permeate rural areas; • More people on the land leads to a less hurried approach to daily activities. As a result there is time to observe, and with observation the corner stone of sound sustainable farming practice, innovation will become common place. Those of us farming prior to the sweeping changes that took place in

1988 and 1989 recall a highly co-operative culture, not without fault, but one where there was time and a desire to work together on major issues; • Increased tax will be paid. With higher income the tax take increases and when the system is perceived as fair and equitable tax is paid willingly. Everyone benefits as extra money is available for roading, local schools, sport, and cultural facilities. And the steps necessary to having that money to spend are available now. An independent report by a reputable farm consultancy group showed the Berryman property at Otakiri near Edgecumbe to be substantially better off

financially compared to the District Average Dairy Farm on the Rangitaiki Plains. The Berryman property produced 1,344kg of milk solids per hectare in the 201112 season, 38% higher than the ‘District Average’, and based on Overseer grew 19.3 tonne of pasture compared to 14.8 tonne.

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Irrigation Issues Dr Tony Daveron

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We have decided to go underground this time round, but not as you might think. Time to dispel a couple of myths or misnomers about our/your soils.

these clay soils. So the vast majority of the soils as we/you know them are silt loam soils — obvious by the names — you all know them. Like Lismore silt loam, Templeton silt loam, Wakanui silt loam, Chertsey silt loam etc. So just what defines a ‘clay’ soil layer. In Soils 101 the textural triangle is tossed around to provide an understanding of the make-up of different soil types. The triangle is all about lines to the three axes, for example: • Clay ( arrows) yields about 67% clay size particles, 20% silt sized particles and only 13% sand sized particles; and • Loam ( arrows) yields about 20% clay size particles, 40% silt sized particles and 40% sand sized particles.

A B

We literally took you underground for the Field Days — not so far to feel you might be in a mine, but certainly far enough to get ‘down and dirty’ with the soil. The inspiration, if that’s what it is, has come from C the often heard comment or expression about the clay in the sub-soil. You know what I mean — that yellow-brown layer most of you have underlying that dark black topsoil (I hope) and sitting Fig. 1. above the gravels. The largest proportion of the soil on the Canterbury Plains, especially west of SH1 will be ‘Fifty Shades’ of: See fig. 1. A: Top soil – the organic and inorganic matter, water, air & organisms. B: Yellow-brown sub-soil. The “clay” Mostly inorganic and less organic matter, water, air & just a few organisms. C. The gravels – hundreds of metres deep. Inorganic matter, water, & air. The parent material, the building block of the soils on the Canterbury Plains is wind-blown fine sand or silt (loess) or alluvial material (silts, sands and gravels) laid down by braided rivers in flood. Most of the finest material (clays) are held in suspension and travel the furthest in the flood waters from the mountains — so they have ended up at the bottom of the plains — Irwell and Leeston farmers know all about

• Underpasses • Box Culverts • Dairy Lanes

Fig. 2

The soil names are the giveaway for the soil types, whether top soil or sub-soil. Soils like Lismore silt loam, Chertsey silt loam, Wakanui silt loam, Templeton silt loam, Mayfield silt loam are the giveaway — they are silt loams. Take a Lismore silt loam and its make-up is typically: Soil Type Lismore shallow silt loam

Depth, cm

% Stones

% Sand

% Silt

% Clay

0-20

5-30

45-80

15-25

20-40

10-15

5-30

33-75

10-22

40-onward

60-75

85-95

0-2

1-4

Not only are these soils lacking in clay size fractions, the clay minerals are not the swelling ‘stick like… to the shovel’ clay types — they are more slippery illites and hydrous micas. Excepting those of you that truly have clay soils (Temuka clay loam, Wakanui clay loam, Tai Tapu clay loam etc.) this yellow brown ‘clay’ layer is far from it — not clay but silt loam or something similar. A long winded story for our inspiration for the Field Days.

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rural security locked in (utes, quads, bikes, and power equipment), storing precious materials (diesel fuel, milk, feed and fertiliser) and often sited far away from law enforcement, a comprehensive security system is a must. Ross Galt are able to provide a ‘whole farm’ security solution, tailored to the individual property. From gateway sensors to detect entry and activate

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Gone are the days when a ‘she’ll be right’ attitude governed security consciousness on Kiwi farms — a spate of high-profile cases of theft, rustling, vandalism and even arson have prompted a new awareness among farmers of the vulnerability of their investment to unscrupulous criminals. Thankfully technology has kept up with social change, affording the modern farmer an arsenal of security options to deter would-be wrongdoers and bring offenders swiftly to justice. In Canterbury the

company at the forefront of this rural security revolution is one with a long history of security experience — Ross Galt Lock and Alarm Ltd. With 40 years’ experience in ‘mechanical’ security — that’s locks,

padlocks, and the like — the team at Ross Galt have moved with technology, with electronic solutions for deterrence, surveillance and detection. With farms operating expensive machinery

lights and alarms, through to cameras able to be remotely viewed via mobile devices, they have a repertoire of modern technology for any security task. The Ross Galt team can even site temporary infra-red cameras on your property to catch repeat offenders in the act! Protecting your investment in livestock, fuel, machinery — and even,

critically, the integrity of your milk production and storage facilities — is a top priority. That’s why a consultation with the Ross Galt Lock and Alarm team is a smart move. They can work within your budget to provide peace of mind and a practical ‘insurance policy’ against crime, often deterring criminals before they decide to prey on you and yours.

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Rob Cope-Williams gets ... If you’re reading this, then so are your customers. To advertise in Canterbury Farming, call now

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Drought - an urban view So, after a long hot summer with lots of outdoor living, suntans and fun in the sea and lakes around the region, the urban folk are being told that there’s a drought. But what does that mean to non-farmers, especially those who are still allowed to water their lawns and wash their cars. I think it is fair to say in most cases, very little.

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They see shots of dry grass with the sun glinting behind it on their TV sets and Federated Farmers’ types saying that it is desperate and it will really hurt farmers financially. So what is the reality? There’s the de-stocking of capital stock and rock bottom prices. That can lead to lower retail prices in the supermarket, but wait till next year when the farmers hold onto their replacement lambs in an attempt to re-stock. What about the drying off of dairy cows earlier than normal? Well the price of milk and dairy products may go up a few cents, but the unseen result

is a serious lack of money for servicing debt. If it is bad enough, banks will have to look at their exposure and act accordingly. Farmers will not be able to spend money on replacement equipment and keep their present machinery etc going for another year. That will certainly have a ﬂow- on affect. Those with irrigation will be OK in the eyes of the urban dwellers, but how many of them know that many farmers spend around $1500.00 a day on power to get the water onto the paddocks. If they knew that, they’d probably wonder why the power companies talk about power shortages in the winter. People should also realise that you can’t set up an irrigation system in a matter of months. Consents and

equipment are both expensive and take time to get into place. A decent drought can also affect land prices — irrigation properties go up, dry land goes the other way in many cases. Mentally, a drought is devastating, and will cause huge amounts of stress for the whole farming family. While people on town have their own stresses, watching your stock

suffer and with no help in the wings and no promise of an end to the drought has to be more stressful than a divorce or the death of a partner. I pray that city folk can be very understanding about the rural folk and share a thought as they drink their wine and eat the barbecued meat that was produced with so much stress outside the city limits.

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March 2013

HINDSITE Canterbury Branch NZ Deer Farmers Assn Sponsored By Mountain River Processors Ltd

Changing the way we sell The 2013 Rising Stars competition has recently been held with spectacular results. The average weight for this year’s top 10 two-year-olds was 5.9 kilograms, with the heaviest weighing 7.56 kilograms. These results are from the best animals in the industry, but the average velvet weight on-farm has been quite dramatically increasing for the last 30 years, and likely to continue. Whilst these gains are impressive and the deer industry PIP targets are ambitious, the improvements in production only tell half the story of farm profitability. How we sell is the other half. Much has been written recently about the red meat sector and the power we have as farmers to make changes to the way we sell our product. The departing minister of agriculture made it very clear recently that the avenues to sell our lamb and

beef at prices for a sustainable industry already exist. And that it is up to us as the producers

to take control. Velvet and venison are no different.

forty years ago, and on-farm costs have steadily risen. Velvet has also hovered both above and below the cost of production the last few seasons. This velvet season saw a breakthrough when for the first time in those forty years one company offered velvet producers a guaranteed price before the season had begun. It gave farmers a chance to set a realistic budget and to have certainty into the next year, but surprisingly not many velvet producers supported this initiative. ‘Playing the market’ seems to be endemic in older velvet producers.

We all know that velvet prices have steadily decreased since we first started exporting

The deer industry has had a push during recent times to increase the appeal of the

To help young deer farmers and entice new blood to the industry, gives us the ability to make our industry grow, compete with, and out-compete other land uses.

Roaring mad about Johne’s disease in your deer?

industry to the next generation sustainably and entice and of young farmers — young keep young farmers farming farmers who have the choice deer we need both stability of deer farming, sheep and and profitability. beef farming and dairying. The The mechanism for this lifestyle choice is not enough. exists already. We are stronger The numbers have to add if we act collectively. The up, and consistency between average age of sheep, beef and seasons is crucial. The change deer farmers is over 50. And of the NEW farming landscape has that is where the balance of HOLLAND AND MX... been asThe dramatic in Canterbury power currently sits. To help perfect combination over the last 30 years as the young deer farmers and entice increases in velvet production. new blood to the industry, In order to grow the industry gives us the ability to make

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There are many factors we can’t inﬂuence in farming — global economies, exchange rates and currently, the weather to name a few. But we must take control of those factors we can inﬂuence. Acting collectively and supporting initiatives that bring us innovation and stability would be a good first step.

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WooL

March 2013

Wool Perspective From Rob Cochrane GM, Procurement, PGG Wrightson Wool

Market solid – quantity threatened very little wool growth. At a time when sheep farmers are reeling from the horrendous drop in carcass values compared to the previous year, prolonged dry conditions will have a long term effect.

Whilst a large number of farmers across the country endure an horrific drought, no doubt animal welfare is foremost in their minds in their struggle to keep livestock alive and under the least possible stress. Wool production will undoubtedly be considerably affected by this continued dry spell and already we are hearing of a number of North

Island sheep farmers who simply will not be able to second-shear in the quickly approaching autumn due to low animal body weights and

Apart from a slight sluggishness in early February, wool exporters have been rather keen to source all wool types, and passedin lots from the auctioneer’s rostrum have been few and far between during March sales. Crossbred types have been the main-stay of recent sales with a noticeable high percentage of lambs’ wool on offer. At the most recent South Island auction at time of writing, March 14, approximately 34% of the total offering of 9710 bales was made up of either lambs’ ﬂeece or oddments. Many

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lines of crossbred lambs have measured coarser for fibre diameter than last year due to conditions prevailing during lambing, particularly in southern regions, with the majority of body wools coming forward for sale now displaying good combing length. Export orders for lambs’ wool have appeared quite healthy with most lines commanding good competition. Down cross lambs have also enjoyed very good support throughout the month with many lines reaching extreme prices. Preparation however has played a very important role in determining price and any lines of lambs which may have been ‘all-in’ have been discounted, a reﬂection of the quality requirements of processors further along the

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wool pipe-line. Adult fleece wool has also continued to flow, mainly from the Southland and Otago regions, with the most interest from exporters shown in the better washing-colour types. Tender fleece wools and any containing cotts have suffered discounting. Crossbred oddments have continued to draw strong competition from the buying trade. Corriedale and Halfbred wool types have remained in firm demand with prices reflecting the quality of the wools on offer at this time of year. Some very good prices for lambs of this breeding have been received providing vegtable matter levels have not been outside the required parameters. The earlier than expected shearing in Southland due to the long spell of dry weather in that province has allowed for a steady wool flow onto the market during the late February and early March period, but wool supplies will very quickly run out during late March. Because wool

supply is more than likely to become under pressure due to dry conditions, prices have remained solid and the benefits of a strong auction system are blatantly obvious. My thoughts are that growers who have wool ready to sell during the March and April periods should send it into auction in order to command the widest possible audience of exporters rather than entertain selling on-farm or via any other method which has limited buying power. PGG Wrightson Wool is able to offer attractive fixed price forward contracts for a range of differing wool types, and growers are encouraged to contact their local wool representative to discuss what may be available for wools being shorn during the late autumn or beyond. In the mean-time, we all remain hopeful of good rainfalls to come whilst the soil temperatures remain warm to encourage grass growth before colder conditions are experienced. That’s my view.

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March 2013

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Call Danie 021 875 462 03 980 2865 / 03 344 5744 www.spouting2u.co.nz

If you’re reading this Then so are your customers To advertise in the Canterbury Farming please call 03 347 2314 or email sales@canfarm.co.nz

We are expanding our sales division, due to our community focus and belief in the NZ economy. What you can bring: • Enthusiasm – heaps of it; actually you need truckloads! • The ability to build relationships – it’s true, some of your clients will become great friends. • Great communications skills and the ability to work as part of a team… Okay, so not just someone who can yak and socialise, but actually empathise with clients and commit to your workmates. WE arE oFFEring: • Opportunity – We are going places and we’ll take you with us! • Stability – our growth has been through the roof. • Ongoing Training – we know we can always learn more – and we’ll teach you! If you think you can keep pace with us (If you can then you will already know it…), then call in the first instance – we are local and we want your first contact with us to be easy – and we’ll all work out if we’re a good fit for each other.

0800 466 793 info@nsmm.co.nz Do you have what it takes to accept our challenge?

March 2013

DESIGNING AND BUILDING TELEHANDLERS

FOR DECADES,

MERLO WAS THE VERY FIRST TO DESIGN AND USE THE SIDE-MOUNTED ENGINE FOR GENUINE

360 DEGREE VISION. Merlo is the world’s leading manufacturer of telehandlers and offers models specifically designed for agricultural use – ALL FEATURING HYDROSTATIC TRANSMISSION.

COMPACT P 25.6

TURBOFARMER 34.7 PLUS

MULTIFARMER 30.6

A tiny package full of power, the innovative P25.6 is ideal for working in even the most restricted spaces.

PRICE INCLUDES BUCKET & BALE GRABS – ASK TODAY! The solution to all your agricultural handling needs.

The unique Multifarmer combines the handling ability of a 3 tonne telehandler with the features of a 120hp tractor!!

OFFERS 3 POINT LINKAGE

• • • •

2500kg Lift Capacity 75hp Turbo Diesel Engine 5.9m Lift Height Cab Comfort – the exact same cab size as other Merlo models • Speed – 36Kph

ONLY

• 4 cyl Deutz Tier III Turbocharged Engine • 102hp • 3400kg Lift Capacity • 7m Lift Height • 360 degree all-round visibility

1.9M HIGH AND

1.8M WIDE

• • • • •

6m Lift Height 3.4 tonne Capacity Direct Drive PTO (540 & 1000rpm) Independent 4 Aux Oil Outlets 4300kg Rear Linkage Load Capacity

ARRANGE A TEST DRIVE TODAY

YOU’LL BE CONVERTED TO MERLO

B&POW0167B

THEY’RE THAT GOOD

Contact your nearest Power Farming dealer.

CHRISTCHURCH ASHBURTON TIMARU

Power Farming Canterbury Power Farming Ashburton Power Farming Timaru

03 349 5975 03 307 7153 03 687 4127