Manawatu Farming Lifestyles, March 2016

Manawatu

FARMING Lifestyles

March 2016 Edition

15,060 copies DELIVERED FREE to every rural delivery address in Manawatu

Picking up new shearing skills in New Zealand

Getting the keys

Fresh start for a new year

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A journey with Red Devons Page 4–5

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MARCH 2016

MANAWATU FARMING LIFESTYLES

Manawatu Dairy Industry Award winners selected

The Taranaki Farming Lifestyles is published with pride by NorthSouth Multi Media Ltd, a privately owned New Zealand company.

This year’s big winner at the Manawatu Dairy Industry Awards, Stephen Shailer, was a first-time entrant.

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The 2016 Manawatu Share Farmer of the Year winner Stephen Shailer

The 2016 Manawatu Dairy Manager of the Year winner Renae Flett

Mr Shailer took out the 2016 Manawatu Share Farmer of the Year title, taking home $10,540 in prizes.

The 30-year-old registered valuer is contract milking 420 cows on the Foxton farm owned by his parents, Wayne and Denise Shailer. His wife, Vera, is a registered nurse working at Palmerston North Hospital. “We think this is one of our strengths as we don’t have all our eggs in one basket — I’m the farmer and Vera is the nurse.

“As contract milkers, we were able to set out budget and stick to it, although we have made some changes to make sure the best decisions are being made for the farm owners.” The couple is keen to progress to 50 per cent sharemilking, have a goal to own land and to run a profitable business.

Renae Flett took out the 2016 Manawatu Dairy Manager of the Year title and collected four merit awards. The 29-year-old is farm manager on Peter

and Kim Bill’s property near Palmerston North, milking 250 cows. She and her partner, Brayden Bills, have set their goal to go contract milking or sharemilking in the next 12 months. “Our 10 to 15-year plan is farm ownership, so everything we do now is aimed towards achieving that goal,” she said.

This year’s Manawatu Dairy Trainee of the Year winner, Karl Wood, took up work on his family farm during a university break and hasn’t looked back. The 21-year-old works as a farm assistant on his parents’, David and Johanna Wood, farm near Palmerston North, milking 275 cows. Mr Wood began working on the home farm during a university break and found dairying developed into a passion and a change of direction. “I now plan to own my own farm business.”

The Manawatu Dairy Industry Awards field day will be held on March 24 on the Foxton farm where Share Farmer of the Year, Stephen Shailer, contract milks.

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MANAWATU FARMING LIFESTYLES

Forum launches new action plan for river

MARCH 2016

3

The Minister for the Environment, Dr Nick Smith, joined Iwi/hapu, council and community leaders in Palmerston North recently for the formal launch of the new Manawatu River Action Plan.

Iwi/hapu, local and central government, industr y, farming, environmental and recreational leaders have committed to the plan with includes more than 100 collaborative actions put forward to improve the state of the Manawatu River over the next five years.

The plan builds on work achieved under the original action plan launched in July 2011. Minister Smith also attended that launch.

Horizons Regional Council deputy chair, Paul Rieger, said when Minister Smith visited the region in 2011 he stated it was not enough to just have an action plan.

He said forum members would need to work hard to implement it.

Since then over 380km of stream has been fenced, over 120,000 plants have been planted, 98 Environmental Farm Plans have been completed to assist in reducing the environmental footprint of farming, 15 barriers to fish migration have been fixed or removed, six wastewater treatment plants have been upgraded or are in the process of being upgraded and 23 community-led projects

have received funding and support with a further six currently underway.

Councillor Rieger also announced a new round of River Accord community grants, with applications to open later this month.

“Much has been achieved under the original action plan,” he said.

“Relationships have been forged and the open discussion enabled through the forum has seen the culture shift from one of blame to progress.

“However, the journey is just beginning and we are far from ready to down tools and head home.”

Independent chairperson of the Manawatu River Leaders’ Forum.

Richard Thompson, said the vision of the forum is to improve the Manawatu River and the mauri (lifeforce) of the Manawatu River Catchment such that it sustains fish species and is suitable for contact recreation in balance with the social, cultural and economic activities of the catchment community.

“Achieving this vision is a long-term project. No single action led to the river’s current state and no single solution

The Manawatu River Action Plan was formally launched recently

will fix it but forum members are here, they’re committed and our community is determined to ensure our rivers and streams can be enjoyed both today and into the future,” he said.

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MARCH 2016

MANAWATU FARMING LIFESTYLES

When Ken McDowall established foundation stock

A JOURNEY WITH RED DEVONS

for the Rotokawa herd of Red Devon cattle over 30 years ago, he never imagined this would lead

BY DENISE GUNN

T

he Rotokawa herd, and Ken’s ability to breed top quality stock, has seen him become renowned as a premier cattle breeder, and in demand as a speaker, breed advisor and a judge.

Ken’s interest in cattle began at a young age, when he helped out as a steward at the Palmerston North Show. Although not from an agricultural background, Ken decided early on to make farming his career when he finished school. Work on a few different farms, including a Romney sheep stud,

followed. The opportunity to establish a Red Devon herd arose when Ken was managing Rotokawa Estate’s farm near Wanganui.

“The owner had knowledge of the Red Devon breed and expressed a wish to have some on the property,” he said.

The stud’s foundation cattle were bought from retiring breeders Graham and Helen Holmes of Rakaia. The couple had originally imported pure stock from England and Australia. Ken carefully added more bloodlines over a period of several years to develop five genetic lines.

A stockman’s eye for his animals is one of his biggest assets and it is gained by experience.

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showgrounds and farming, he developed the ability to evaluate livestock conformation and recognise bloodlines. This led to successfully selecting matings that improved desired traits in their progeny.

Ken said getting back to basics as nature intended were the key factors to building up the Rotokawa herd.

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“We need to get more in sync with nature.”

The Rotokawa herd were bred to grow and perform well, with an ability to thrive in any conditions, and pass those genetics to the next generations.

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The herd was bred to grow and perform well

“I cleared the bracken fern off the property with my stud stock,” said Ken. This ability has made Red Devon an ideal breed for New Zealand farmers with a total grass-grazing system. Ken said the quality of the meat is consistent in any farming situation and is the envy of other breeds.

“The docile nature and general temperament makes them easy to manage and a pleasure to be amongst.

They really are an ideal, resilient breed of cattle, and under-utilised.”

Mating decisions were well thought out with a carefully considered, common-sense approach. By casting his eye over the cattle, looking at progeny, and studying the paperwork outlining the family trees, Ken would make his selections. Any inbreeding was meticulously avoided.

Ken waited until heifers had matured as two-year-olds before putting them into calf. Not only did this give the animal a chance to grow before carrying a calf, but enabled Ken to see how the heifer had developed.

“We had cows still rearing calves well into their teens and producing a calf every year.”

A strict culling practice was in place to avoid undesirable traits

continuing through to the herd’s next generation. Any animal not up to scratch was sent to the works.

“You have to be ruthless with culling and not hand on bad traits, it pays off.” said Ken. Close to 30 years after initially establishing the Rotokawa herd, a surprise visit from a North American cattleman, Gerald Fry, drove Ken and his stock onto the world stage.

Gerald, a beef genetics specialist from Arkansas, had been sent on a mission by Massachusetts cattle farmer Ridge Shinn to find the world’s best Red Devon cattle. After viewing the Rotokawa herd, he believed he had found them.

Ridge began breeding cows with semen bought from Rotokawa, followed by importing 13 in-calf heifers.

Word spread as Gerald and Ridge spoke at seminars around North America, and introduced the Rotokawa herd’s genetics to United States cattlemen.

When Ken decided he was due to retire, he contacted Ridge and gave him first option on the herd. Ridge didn’t hesitate. Several years ago, the herd was put into quarantine for 60 days, and then flown to California for a further 45day isolation period. After a further two months in a purpose-built quarantine

facility, the cattle began a five-day road journey towards the east coast. Ken said after 30 years of building up the herd, it wasn’t easy to see the herd winging its way to the United States.

“Fortunately the involvement with the breed has carried on for me which softened the blow.”

Rotokawa genetics are now found in many countries, and Ken is still in demand around the world to advise, speak and judge.

“It’s been a wonderful opportunity,” said Ken.

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MANAWATU FARMING LIFESTYLES

PICKING UP NEW SHEARING SKILLS IN NEW ZEALAND

BY DENISE GUNN

A temporary job shearing sheep in New Zealand is giving Norwegian shearer Anne-Lise Haugdahl Humstad the opportunity to learn more skills and see the country.

A

nne-Lise arrived in New Zealand in early January and shortly afterwards picked up work with Paewai-Mullins Shearing Limited.

“I chose New Zealand because you can learn [to shear] more efficiently here,” she said.

“I’ve learned heaps and had a great time already.”

Working with the Paewai-Mullins shearing crew has also given Anne-Lise a chance to explore the region while shearing. She plans to compete in a couple of North Island shows and enter the Golden Shears before returning to Norway.

Raised on a dairy farm near a small town, Afjord, on the coast of Norway,

Anne-Lise milks close to 50 Norwegian Red dairy cattle with her family.

“The farm’s annual quota is 350,000 litres of milk.”

She said the cows produce a good milk yield, averaging about 35 litres of milk per day with around four percent fat content in it.

“The Norwegian Red is a good combibreed for milk and meat with high fertility.

Our dairy cows calve year-round and we just use AI (artificial insemination).”

The farm covers close to 140 hectares which is mostly spruce and pine forest. During summer the herd grazes outdoors but in the colder months the cows are housed in a winter shed.

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Norwegian sheep tend to be larger than those in New Zealand

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and learnt to shear during a course held at an agricultural high school close to her home.

“I’ve also done a couple of other courses in Norway where I was taught by a Kiwi, Neil Perry, and a Norwegian, Onar Lima, who has worked in New Zealand for Paewai Mullins Shearing Limited earlier. I started working as a shearer late 2014 and did spring and autumn seasons in Norway in 2015.”

When she isn’t shearing, Anne-Lise also works in business development for the local government, with a particular focus on agriculture, local food production and young farmers.

“My background is a master’s degree in biology combined with a teacher education, as well as the farming background.”

Prior to travelling to New Zealand, the 25-year-old spent time shearing in the Faroe Islands and participated in a couple of shows in the United Kingdom.

She found shearing in the Faroe Islands to be a great experience, with beautiful scenery and friendly people.

“The sheep were a bit difficult to shear because of their overall condition, and wool in particular suffered from the poor spring of 2015 with low temperatures and rain.”

Anne-Lise said shearing in New Zealand is more efficient than in Norway and the Faroe Islands.

“There is less driving and no time spent setting up machines, since we don’t have to bring our own machines in New Zealand, and you usually stay in the same shed all day, whereas back home we often do three to five sheds a day.”

The sheep in Norway are generally larger than in New Zealand, with decades of breeding for meat and high fertility.

“The ewes weigh 100-140kg when we do pre-lamb shearing,” she said.

“We also have horned, short-tail sheep breeds that kick a lot but they are not as big thankfully.”

Due to harsh weather conditions, sheep in most areas of Norway are kept in sheds all winter.

“In Norway the shearing is less dependent on weather since we have sheep inside in winter sheds.”

Anne-Lise said the downside means the sheep can be a bit sticky to shear pre-lamb.

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“In autumn, sheep are shorn straight from the mountain.

“Then they shear beautifully with nice, open wool and no wool on the points.”

Adjusting to New Zealand sheep and lambs having wool everywhere has been Anne-Lise’s biggest challenge.

“I got some very good help from my shearing instructor Tuma Mullins.”

The extra training paid off as Anne-Lises’s tally increased from 155 on the first day on the job with the Paewai Mullins crew, to 211 by the third.

She said there are lots of great shearers and instructors to learn from in New Zealand.

As she is not organised through a shearing contractor in Norway, Anne-Lise has her own independent company where she deals with everything from the paperwork and invoices to contact with the farmers and the Anne-Lise at work shearing in New Zealand actual shearing.

“Yet I usually go shearing with a colleague that also has his own company, just because it’s a lot nicer to work with someone, rather than shearing alone.

“We mostly have second shears in spring and autumn seasons, and some full wools in the summer.”

Concentrate on the riding.

When Anne-Lise leaves New Zealand Look where you’re going, not where the she is heading back to Norway for the stock are going. spring-shear.

During the northern hemisphere summer, she plans to go to the United Kingdom to attend a few shows. Her bucket list also includes the Norwegian Shears in September.

“Seems I’ve got sheep grease in my veins, so I’m going to continue as a shearer,” said Anne-Lise.

“I want to come back to New Zealand next year and improve my technique, and my tallies even further.”

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A partnership between industry training organisation Competenz and the New Zealand Milking and Pumping Trade Association has resulted in New Zealand’s first nationally recognised apprenticeship qualification for dairy engineers.

The qualification, the New Zealand Apprenticeship in Dairy Systems — Engineering, will build the skills and careers of a group of people who play an essential role in supporting New Zealand’s biggest industry — the engineers who design, install and maintain the milking, pumping and effluent systems that keep dairy farms running 365 days a year.

Learners will gain the qualification through a three-year apprenticeship training programme.

“The NZMPTA has been championing an apprenticeship programme for the dairy industry for many years and we’re thrilled that, with the expertise of Competenz, it’s now in place,” says NZMPTA president and country manager of Grundfos Pumps, Simon Fletcher.

“This nationally recognised qualification addresses the shortfall of skilled tradespeople in the milk harvesting, pumping and water application sectors of the industry.

While it’s largely engineering-based, the apprenticeship delivers a range of skills, knowledge and workmanship.

“It will help the industry attract new people and offer them career paths, lift the level of skill in the industry and

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MANAWATU FARMING LIFESTYLES ADVERTORIAL

Dairy leader backs safety campaign Federated Farmers Dairy Industry Group chairman Andrew Hoggard is backing a Powerco initiative to keep farmers safe around power lines on their properties.

The safety campaign, being run initially in Manawatu, is being fronted

by Mr Hoggard who runs a 300-hectare dairy farm at Kiwitea near Feilding.

High voltage power lines cut across his farm and provide electricity to other properties in the Kiwitea area.

“There is a lot of focus right now on farm health and safety and safety around power lines should be a simple one — if you are doing work around them, you certainly don’t want to hit them. Contact with power lines can be extremely dangerous or fatal.

“Over time they just become part of the landscape and you can be complacent around them and not register they are there.”

Powerco Group Health Safety Environment and Quality Manager Julie McAvoy says “Safety is a top priority for Powerco and it is important to educate farmers about the dangers above their heads.

Complacency around power lines can kill. You or your tools don’t have to touch a power line to get a shock. Even close contact can cause serious injury or death to you or others near you. It’s particularly important at this time of the year when large harvesting equipment is being brought onto land, for farmers and their contractors to know where the power lines are and stay well clear.”

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23 Manchester Street, Feilding Andrew Hoggard Federated Farmers Dairy Industry Group chairman

To keep safe around overhead power lines on their properties, farmers should: • Be aware at all times where the overhead lines are in and around their property; • Keep themselves, machinery and workers at least four metres away from the lines. If you simply can’t avoid working near overhead power lines or passing underneath them, be on your guard. Keep equipment in the lowered position; • Before using high machinery, plan a route that keeps you away from power lines; • Treat every power line as live at all times — even downed lines.

Powerco is New Zealand’s second largest electricity and gas distribution

utility with around 430,000 consumers connected to its networks in Western Bay of Plenty, Thames, Coromandel, Eastern and Southern Waikato, Taranaki, Whanganui, Rangitikei, Manawatu and the Wairarapa. Its gas pipeline networks are in Taranaki, Hutt Valley, Porirua, Wellington, Horowhenua, Manawatu and Hawke’s Bay. Mr Hoggard is the face of a video Powerco is showing on www.youtube. com/user/powercoNZ1, through social media and at its stand at the Central Districts Field Days. He will also be popping into the Powerco stand at the field days, from March 17 to 19 at Manfeild Park, Feilding.

For more information email media@ powerco.co.nz or phone 06 968 4557.

Wear a helmet.

A helmet is a must while riding a quad bike around the farm.

9

10

MARCH 2016

MANAWATU FARMING LIFESTYLES

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MANAWATU FARMING LIFESTYLES MARCH 2016

11

ADVERTORIAL

A new way to farm

by John K Morris CEO of Agrissentials

For Agrissentials these are positive times, as farmers look for alternative methods to help reduce their on-farm costs. Now the most cost effective move to begin with is to start fixing your nitrogen requirements directly out of the atmosphere, with the help of soil micro-organisms and start storing that nitrogen in the organic matter of the soil, courtesy of the soil biology.

The best thing about this atmospheric nitrogen is that it is completely natural; it is there for the taking, it is environmentally friendly and it has no cost factor. Plus it has the added advantage of regenerating clover growth in your pasture. The clover seeds are sitting in your soil ready to germinate.

(Note In the presence of artificial nitrogen, clover is negated — Dr Barry Commoner’s book The Closing Circle).

Although some consultants say that it is impossible to fix atmospheric nitrogen, one has to wonder how plants have managed to do it for the past 460 million years. The natural forests, jungles, savannahs and the oldest farm on the planet, the Serengeti Plains have always fixed not only nitrogen but also gaseous elements, carbon dioxide, hydrogen and oxygen straight out of the atmosphere.

These four gaseous elements make up 97.5 percent of the plant’s mineral requirement. The 2.5 percent of minerals are made up of calcium, phosphorus, potassium, sulphur, magnesium, sodium, silica, iron, manganese, boron, copper, zinc, cobalt, molybdenum and

selenium all in a completely natural form, recognised at the cellular level for plant growth and development.

These are the essential minerals for life.

Soil and water are the two most precious elements on our planet; without these two wonderful products, life cannot exist. According to Doctor Morgan Williams’ report to the government in 2004, we are losing between 200-300 million tonnes of topsoil each year. If we continue at this rate we will lose the topsoil we rely on to furnish our income. Chemical production is not in line with today’s consumer call for safe, certified, nutritiously dense food. It is a good time to make a switch to a more lucrative market.

Agrissentials was born out of a need to produce better quality food, to regenerate and remineralise soil and take care of our environment. It’s a simple, uncomplicated system which recycles all waste on the farm, back into topsoil, building humus in the soil, which not only holds the minerals but increases water retention capacity in the soil, helping farmers increase production

Kumara grown with Agrissentials best on earth fertilisers

and giving them a live, living soil that will keep them farming through those dry drought periods.

The new consumer is crying out for safe certified food and it’s not just a fad; it’s a reality — people want top quality food. New Zealand with its isolation, its enviable farming status and its clean green image is well positioned to take

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Agrissentials can take you there. Call us today on 0800 THE KEY for a FREE INFO PACK, that’s 0800 843 539, for the key to a better way of farming.

Alternatively you can contact your best on earth fertiliser representative Ben Tippins on 021 738 601 to snap up a special deal today.

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12

MARCH 2016

MANAWATU FARMING LIFESTYLES

TO BUILD OR RENOVATE Getting the keys The construction of the new house is over, and thoughts are turning to getting the keys.

But contemplating moving in needs to be balanced with some practicality. It is a time also to be most careful.

There is the builder to pay out but before you call the moving company.

Certified Installer Monier concrete tiles Metro (pressed metal) tiles Long run New roof Reroofs Repair and insurance work carried out

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You need a code compliance certificate, CCC — a formal statement issued under section 95 of the Building Act, that construction carried out under a building consent complies with that document.

It can also affect financial considerations as a mortgage holder will need to be satisfied that finance is properly secured over the property.

Homeowners need to be happy that their builder will complete any oversights that a compliance certificate may identify.

Ask the builder for a clear council inspection showing your home has passed, or that the items outstanding are of a minor nature. The certificate also underpins the value of your new build. Construction finance company NewBuild advises that ‘in today’s environment, having a CCC is like gold, so do not compromise anything to ensure you receive this certificate. If you don’t get one, the value of your home could fall dramatically.

‘To take possession you must have accomplished the following: ‘Your valuer must revisit the home and declare it

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finished and also advise what, if any, work is incomplete; ‘You may want to complete your driveway later, but if your valuer has included this in his original valuation, then the home will be deemed incomplete; ‘The CCC comes from the council, and is normally sought by the builder, but it is obviously important for the client to be aware of the process; ‘NewBuild recommends you plan on taking possession several days after the council inspector provides a clear field inspection to avoid that unnecessary “mad rush” and stress at

hand over’. And there is the vital matter of insurance. ‘You must arrange to have homeowner’s insurance cover in place because your builder’s cover normally expires at the time you start putting your belongings into the new home.

Caution here, once you start putting personal items in the home, even if the home is not quite finished, your builder’s insurance — Builders Risk Cover — may not protect your belongings, and in fact may not cover the house.

‘So give yourself a week before handover to review the final invoice, and don’t allow this to be left to the last minute’.

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MARCH 2016

T O B U I L D O R R E N O VAT E

First things first The architects have sent in the bill for the plans for the new build, and your wishes have been faithfully incorporated in the the the blueprint and the section has been signed up.

But before the hammer hits the first nail of course, there is the matter of a building consent.

This is quite simply, permission to build a structure with the assurance that it complies with the rules and your first stop is your local council to obtain the formal approval issued by a Building Consent Authority (BCA) that certain works meet the requirements of the New Zealand Building Act, Building Regulations and Building Code.

Some minor work is exempt under the Act, but consent is required for most work, including of course, new buildings.

However the consent also applies to a wider range of construction including the following: • swimming pools, spa pools and fencing, retaining walls over 1.5 metres (no surcharge) • retaining walls any height incurring a surcharge • decks over 1.5 metres high • pergolas attached to buildings • free-standing non-habitable buildings larger than 10 square metres • plumbing and drainage work • demolition • relocation of buildings • additions, alterations to existing buildings • change of use (may include an increase in occupant numbers) • heating including fireplaces • ventilation and air-conditioning systems (commercial) • small dams (more than 35,000 litres of water) Consents can be organised online with application forms that can be obtained from council’s websites or from offices, and these are valid for 12 months from the date of issue.

All building work should be completed within two years from the date that the building consent was granted.

Building consent applications can be

complex — councils recommend that you engage a professional person to help with design work and drawings.

Fixed fees are available for some types of applications.

If your project does not meet the fixed fee criteria, the cost will depend on things like the type of application, cost of work involved and the level of detail provided.

Council’s charges are listed on their websites and are based on the length of time it takes to process an application.

An estimate of the fees involved may be provided, however the final cost will not be known until the application is processed.

When your application is ready for issue and all fees are paid, your building consent will be posted, or sent electronically to the contact person nominated on the application form.

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MARCH 2016

MANAWATU FARMING LIFESTYLES

DAIRY

Uncommon sense

David Law, Managing Director of Forward Farming Consultancy

In every sector of society we see the emergence of growth industries. These new industries are usually triggered by a problem which needs addressing.

In 2008 a Nationwide drought saw the need to bring in feed from offshore.

Thus began the Palm Kernel Expeler (PKE) market and it caught on like a match thrown into a haystack. 330% growth since 2008.

Yes, there was demand at that time and it necessarily filled a feed deficit when nothing else could. Yet since that time, farmers have become addicted to using it. Ships have been assigned to bring it into New Zealand. Massive storage sheds have been erected and a transport industry has grown to cope with the demand. Farmers have even built PK Bunkers to store it.

All this, in spite of the years of good weather since 2008. Why? Three reasons. First, feeding animals with PK is convenient. Second, it’s relatively cheap. And finally, due to a steady stream of sales pitches from socalled experts, we’ve come to believe that using PK is all benefits with no down sides. But that isn’t true. Here’s a fact that might make us all think twice

us about over-using PK. Analysis has shown that the digestibility of PKE is 52%. That means that if a farmer buys 100 tonne of PK at $250 per tonne ($25,000), his cows will only utilise 52 tonne of that feed. Only half of that feed investment will go towards animal health. Only half will end up contributing to money in the vat.

Where does the remaining 48 tonne of unused PK go?

It either ends up on the ground or in your effluent pond. After examining hundreds of ponds throughout the country, we have established that the crust and sludge is mostly undigested PK. High users of PKE have a distinguishably browner colour to their effluent arising from the increasing amounts of sludge buildup.

What are the unseen costs of PK? Tangibly, there is the cost of excavation which farmers are forced to carry out when sludge builds up to critical levels.

Then there are the less obvious costs.

Pond crust gone for 10th the cost?

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be that other people are making the profit out of this PKE growth industry, not the farmer.

Is there a better way?

Let’s contrast the PK approach with a basic all-grass system.

In an all-grass system, biological activity naturally produces the correct enzymes to help the cow digest the feed she eats.

Studies show that cows are able to digest and utilise 80% of grass feed. That means tonnes more food goes into animal health and vat profits, and tonnes less ends up in your pond.

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Going back to our ‘who pays $250 per tonne for PKE’ — what he’s actually paying is $480 per tonne of usable feed since 48% of PKE is indigestible.

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MANAWATU FARMING LIFESTYLES

MARCH 2016

LIVESTOCK

Soil Matters with Peter Burton

Magnesium — the basis of good farm health The last dolomite article contained the quote by the late Tom Walker, a past Emeritus Professor of Soil Science at Lincoln University, ‘It makes good sense to me to correct animal deficiencies through the soil and the plant’.

When animal deficiencies are corrected in this way, not only is animal performance enhanced, soil health and subsequent pasture performance also improve. There is now a growing awareness of the inexorable link between soil, plant, and animal health.

Persistent animal health issues in spring are a symptom of less than ideal soil health, and supplementing cows with magnesium via water troughs or dusting is little more than a temporary quick fix.

By addressing the real issue, the availability of magnesium for plant uptake, plant and animal performance lifts, costs come down, and the frustration of not knowing when the next animal will require attention rapidly diminishes. In our experience the only fail-safe way of doing this is by an annual

application of Golden Bay dolomite. It may be applied at any time during the year. However, with the greatest demand time for magnesium being prior to calving, autumn is the ideal time to apply.

Animal systems are unable to efficiently store magnesium, so it is essential that sufficient is eaten each day to meet their demand. The obvious and most effective way of doing this is to ensure that every mouthful of pasture contains a healthy amount of magnesium.

Last autumn a property, with a history of numerous severe and persistent calcium/magnesium related metabolic disorders in spring, applied a fertiliser mix containing 217kg/ha of dolomite, which applied 25kg/ha of magnesium.

Calving in spring was largely trouble free, with only a handful of animals requiring

treatment, and all responding rapidly. A marked and welcome change for a farmer in a district where severe metabolic problems are regarded as normal. This is only one of many instances reported over the twenty eight years of supplying dolomite to intensive high performing dairy properties, and the reasons for the outstanding performance are now well documented and understood.

Trial work conducted at Massey University on magnesium fertilisers highlighted the superior performance of dolomite in lifting Soil Exchangeable Magnesium, when compared with other magnesium products currently available.

Dolomite is naturally occurring carbonate rock, different from limestone in that it contains 11.5% magnesium, and 24% calcium, compared to around 35% calcium and no magnesium in high quality agricultural lime.

Fineness of grinding of dolomite is a key to the almost immediate lift in the magnesium content of pastures, and the subsequent improvement in animal demeanour and overall health. Animals with sufficient magnesium in their diet become content and increasingly docile, making yarding and handling an easier and more pleasurable activity.

Magnesium also aids the uptake of phosphorus by plants. An important factor to bear in mind when deciding on nutrient inputs this autumn. Having a pH modifying, or ‘liming’, effect greater

15

than limestone, means that where soil calcium and pH levels are already generally adequate, dolomite is an ideal maintenance product.

The outstanding improvement in overall animal health and performance may not be solely attributed to the magnesium and calcium content of dolomite. The Golden Bay deposit was initially a seabed deposit and, as a result, also contains a wide range of essential trace elements and minerals.

As soils weather over time, mineral content of the topsoil is steadily lost.

Although only present in very small amounts, the boron, cobalt, copper, manganese, molybdenum, and zinc contained in dolomite will be beneficial, particularly on soils where those elements are deficient.

There are very few pastoral situations where more than 220kg/ha (25kgMg/ ha) of dolomite is required to obtain the animal health and performance benefits discussed. At this rate a truck and trailer load of 28 tonnes is sufficient for 127ha.

Dolomite is available nation-wide and, if not in stock at your local fertiliser supplier, it can be delivered within a few days.

It may be mixed with any non-nitrogen fertiliser product or applied separately at any time, as the only effect on animals eating it is beneficial.

For more information call Peter on 0800 4Dolomite (0800 436 566).

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MARCH 2016

MANAWATU FARMING LIFESTYLES

RURAL WHEELS ADVERTORIAL

Recharge — the message is getting through “Finally,” says Gerard Anselmi of Recharge the Battery Additive, “after 18 years on the market in New Zealand and 13 years in Australia, the message is getting through. Don’t put Recharge in dead batteries, they are dead,” he says.

“The big issue is every battery you buy is sulphated. Treat batteries early with Recharge, repeat the process every two years and keep batteries charged by backing up with a mains powered charge every six months or so and most batteries will go a long time — 10 years or more. Yes you will get some failing batteries back but not all so worth a go at $4 or $5 per car battery.”

Anselmi says every show he and his wife Debbie do, and that is about one a week these days either in NZ or Australia, they get Recharge customers with batteries that are 10, 12 and 14-years-old and often still going. “I had a farmer at the Southland Field Days in Waimumu in February who told me he’d been using it for years and wasn’t sure but then took a battery out of a tractor that had just died and it was

17 years old so he figured it must have done something.”

Lead acid batteries usually die prematurely from sulfation build-up on internal lead plates, corroding the lead plates and compromising the batteries’ holding capacity,” and according to Gerard Anselmi, “most batteries are ready sulphated when you buy them so treating them early and keep them charged will prevent premature battery failure with the simple Recharge Battery Conditioning Programme.

RECHARGE is available from Farmlands. The 500ml farmer pack works out at $4.50 per car battery or $8.50 to treat an N-70zz light commercial battery. A more cost effective 2-litre commercial pack is also available and can also be purchased on line at www.recharge.net.nz or on

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TradeMe. As RECHARGE is acid based it is dangerous goods and expensive to freight; the 2-litre bottle is therefore, the only one that we sell directly. The 2-litre pack treats 42 x N-70 batteries or 22 x N-150 truck batteries or about five sets of electric golf cart batteries, about $6,000 to $8,000 worth of batteries treated for $340 delivered.

And yes you can treat sealed batteries simply by drilling into each cell, treat and reseal with silicone, sika-flex or a plastic bung. Recharge is also great for deep cycle batteries like forklifts, golf carts, scissor hoists and lighting system batteries.

“The big deep cycle batteries we get a very good result with,” says Anselmi, “they should go for a long time but usually don’t.”

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MANAWATU FARMING LIFESTYLES

MARCH 2016

RURAL WHEELS

17

Fresh start for a new year

by Andy Bryenton

With farmers seeking economical options and eschewing needless luxury on their working rolling stock, it’s nice to see a new model in the ATV market which does not at all seem like a compromise.

Introduced just a year ago, the Can Am L series of off-road machines represented an entry level into to the popular brand.

Now, after 12 months of feedback from customers worldwide, Can Am have sharpened up the L series into something even more practical — offering new engines with more power, more towing capacity, more rack space and the option to jump into a ‘fully loaded’ model right off the showroom floor.

The updated Outlander L series is led up by the 570 for 2016 — a powerful addition to the range. With a brand new 48 horsepower Rotax v-twin providing the get up and go, the 570 is a step up from the single-piston 430 which is also available to L riders. With eight valves and a classically ‘bulletproof’ single overhead cam system, the new Rotax gains faster acceleration without compromising top end speed.

Petrolhead purists will appreciate how this has been achieved — not through computer tinkering, but by beefing up the size of the pistons and lengthening the stroke. It’s old-school engineering,

As one of the best trailers on the New Zealand market, when you purchase a Prescott Trailer you can be assured that your trailer will go everywhere you need it to go, do everything you need it to do, and still be doing the hard yards well after the competition have given up. Fully welded construction, fully galvanised and proudly NZ Made.

but it works perfectly at the heart of what is assuredly a multi-functional tool on the farm.

Combine that new mill with tried and tested torsional trailing arms at the back and independent A-arms at the front — plus a healthy ride height — and there is not much the L 570 can’t slog through.

It’ll attack the paddocks towing 590kgs, with a further 163 onboard.

That’s plus a full-sized rider — so it’s a good thing that Can Am have fitted out their new model with their proprietary Visco-lok automatically locking front diff for acres of grip.

A popular choice for those interested in taking the L 570 to work is the option of an ‘LE’ package — a collection of ‘most wanted’ optional extras bundled together to further reduce costs.

Notably, this package includes Can Am’s tri-mode power steering, along with upgrades such as beefier front and rear bumpers and a super-tough seat skin.

We’re sure to see a lot of Can Am’s new Defender in the farming press this year, but the 570 L — especially when fitted out with that bundle of extras — is bound to cause a stir as well.

If you missed us at the Central District Field Days ring us now!

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Price listed is GST exclusive and is based on a 5075E ROPS tractor with a John Deere H240 loader.

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18

MARCH 2016

MANAWATU FARMING LIFESTYLES

Prices valid until the 31st of March

MANAWATU FARMING LIFESTYLES

Hoof Print

with Fred Hoekstra

MARCH 2016

19

HOOF TRIMMING SERVICES, EQUIPMENT & TRAINING

Preventing laminitis Having explained the steps of preventative trimming last month we can now take it a step further and talk about the treatment of lame cows.

Remember how we said that the outer claw is often higher than the inner claw? This means that the outer claw is carrying a greater portion of the weight, with the result that the live tissue inside the outer claw is under more stress than the inner claw. Well, when a cow gets laminitis (a disease in the foot that damages the blood vessels of the claw and weakens the live tissue) the outer claw will suffer more because of this extra stress. So when we trim this claw preventatively we spread the weight evenly over the two claws and the effects of the disease will be minimised.

If however, it has got to the point where the outer claw has become too badly affected and the cow has ended up lame, then we need to go further. If this claw has suffered more because of the extra pressure then the logical thing to do for this cow is to minimise the pressure as much as we can.

Step 4: We now lower the claw even further so that the outer claw ends up being lower than the inner claw. In this case the inner claw will end up taking a bigger part of the weight. You may now ask, “How will that help the cow because now the inner claw is going to be over stressed. Won’t that cause further problems?” That would be true if the inner claw had to deal with this extra pressure for a long time, like two or three months. But because the outer claw will grow back in time it is not an issue. Having trimmed the outer claw thinner the live tissue inside this claw is getting rest and can heal. Taking the

pressure off the wound is the key to overcoming lameness and most people know this. We often see lame cows that have been trimmed by a staff member where the wound has just been dug out, the theory being that you take the weight away from the wound and spread it out over the rest of that claw. But this is wrong. The weight has to go to the other claw. The whole lame claw needs to be released from weight.

Step 5: Finally, we now need to take all the loose horn away. If you can put your fingernail underneath the horn then bacteria and dirt can get in there and this is just a recipe for infection. So, when you see an underrun sole all that horn needs to come off. That may mean that the whole sole has to come off in some cases. Don’t be afraid to do so; just try to not make the claw bleed. If the lame claw ends up with the live tissue exposed and you can’t create enough height difference between the two claws, then you should glue a claw block to the healthy claw. This way the sore claw is artificially raised off the ground. The theory here goes — if in doubt use a claw block.

Claw blocks are always cheaper than lame cows.

On our website www.veehof.co.nz you can find the full five-step schedule on hoof trimming. I highly recommend you print, laminate, and display it in the cowshed. You can always call us if you have any other questions or would like to sign up for one of our training workshops.

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Manawatu Rural Marketplace

MANAWATU FARMING CLASSIFIEDS

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Phone 0800 466 793

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Animal Health Products HIGH CELL Count? Apple Cider Vinegar, Garlic & Manuka Honey 20L $49.95, 200L $450 or 1000L $2,000 +GST with free delivery. Black Type Minerals Ltd. Phone 021 185 1501. blacktypeminerals.co.nz.

Calf Milk Powder MARCH SPECIAL MILK POWDER. Brytec NZ Calf Milk Powder made in Matamata. $2600 Inc GST & Freight N.I, S.I + $150/tonne. 15% Fat, 35% Protein. Ted 020 4061 9534. tedcharlton@gmx.com. www.facebook.com/calfmilkpowder.

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20

MARCH 2016

MANAWATU FARMING LIFESTYLES

Local > Reliable > Fast > Broadband

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