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December 2019 Edition
Taranaki cows undergo traits assessment
Rescue helicopter provides vital service
Fast-tracking genetic gain
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Agricultural aviation top choice Page 4–5
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December 2019
TARANAKI FARMING LIFESTYLES
Integrity community media
The Taranaki Farming Lifestyles is published with pride by Integrity Community Media, a privately owned NZ company. Phone: 0800 466 793 Email: info@integrity.nz General Manager: Deb Wright | deb.wright@integrity.nz | 021 639 696 Editorial: Ann van Engelen, Denise Gunn Advertising: Braxton Epere Accounts: accounts@integrity.nz Distribution: Laurie Willetts Website: www.farminglifestyles.co.nz
Merry Christmas from our team to yours Braxton Epere, the leading salesperson of your Taranaki Farming Lifestyles, says that this has been a big year, with more news, more farming challenges, and more stories about what makes the rural heartland an extraordinary place. After an exciting year, the publication is more popular than ever, with a record number of you calling us with feedback and story ideas — more than ever before.
Audited Circulation Print run 9,487
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Braxton Epere — Account Manager
Denise Gunn — Journalist
“I’d like to thank all of our readership for their support and the ideas they send us, the positive feedback and the tips for great stories. Our advertisers are another group of great people who deserve special thanks for their unwavering support. We’re glad to be able to keep promoting local businesses to local people, helping the Taranaki economy thrive. It’s been a lot of fun helping produce this year’s editions, and I hope you have had an equal amount of enjoyment reading them.” Meanwhile, lead journalist of the publication and a regular byline on our Taranaki feature stories, Denise Gunn, reflects on a year of news that has spanned the tumultuous and the quirky. “As 2019 draws to a close, I extend warm wishes to you all for a wonderful, safe, fun, festive season. For the past seven years, from our own patch of land in the Manawatu, I’ve put together stories for Taranaki Farming Lifestyles.
With family in Taranaki, I feel a special connection to the region. It has been such a pleasure to share so many stories of hard-working individuals and families, on the land around the region. We are always keen to hear your feedback and story ideas, so please keep in touch. With 2020 just around the corner, we look forward to finding out about people in your communities who have stories to share. Thank you all for supporting our publication.” Braxton and Denise also wish to take this opportunity, on behalf of the entire team behind the Taranaki Farming Lifestyles, to wish all our readers, advertisers, supporters and locals a very merry Christmas and a safe, happy holiday season. Your monthly farming publication will return in mid-January with a fresh harvest of news, views, feature stories and valuable information to start the new year right!
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Taranaki cows undergo traits assessment
TARANAKI FARMING LIFESTYLES
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December 2019
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Trained inspectors are visiting hundreds of farms around New Zealand to assess the traits and characteristics of up to 50,000 dairy cows. Holstein Friesian NZ inspector Tony O’Connor said the data collected is hugely important. “It helps shape the genetics powering our multibillion-dollar dairy sector. We record a cow’s height and weight, and score her udder, legs, rump, capacity, condition and behaviour in the milking shed.” The data is combined with milk production records and is used to evaluate the performance of the country’s top bulls. Herd-owning sharemilkers Dean and Aimee Perrett are among around 400 Holstein Friesian breeders to have their cows assessed. The couple milk 260 cows on a 73ha property in Manaia. “It’s a really important informationgathering exercise for our business. It gives us more data to help improve our mating decisions,” said Dean. “Our cows have great udders, but the TOP assessments have highlighted rump angle as a weakness we need to consider when selecting bulls at mating.” It’s believed changes in a cow’s rump angle can be partly blamed for a decline in her fertility and ability to get in calf quickly. The Perretts have all their two-yearold heifers and a handful of older cows assessed under the TOP system each spring. They also herd test six times
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Dean and Aimee Perrett are among around 400 Holstein-Friesian breeders to have their cows assessed
a year. The coastal farm produced 110,000kgMS last season and is on track to produce 120,000kgMS this year. “Our herd sits in the top one per cent for Holstein Friesians in New Zealand for BW (breeding worth),” said Dean. “I’m trying to breed a cow that’s a solid producer with an udder built to last. Longevity is important.” The Perretts have sought-after genetics with breeding companies seeking to contract mate almost 40 of their cows this season. They are in the process of transitioning to a fully autumn calving system. “Our goal is to lower our stocking rate and have
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cows producing close to 600 kilograms of milk solids each. That’s the benefit of having Holstein Friesians, you can produce more milk with fewer cows,” said Dean. Holstein Friesian NZ TOP inspectors will assess more than 31,000 Holstein Friesian cows and two-year-old heifers this spring. Registered pedigree animals receive a classification score, which is awarded as part of the assessment. Last spring 413 Holstein Friesians achieved excellent or greater. Other breeds of dairy cows will be assessed by inspectors from their breed society.
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December 2019
TARANAKI FARMING LIFESTYLES
Agricultural aviation top choice by Denise Gunn Agriculture has always played a large part in Mark Tocher’s life, both on the land and from the air.
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rowing up on a Wairarapa sheep and beef farm equipped Mark with a sound agricultural foundation. His yearning to work on the land continued when he left school, taking up work driving tractors and machinery for an agricultural contractor. “I worked my way up through the ranks to become operations manager,” he said. As his father owned a microlight, aviation sparked Mark’s interest at a young age. This fascination grew after a flight in a top dressing plane, followed by his first flying lesson at the Hood Aerodrome in Masterton in September 2003. While continuing work as an operations manager for Andrew Tulloch’s agricultural contracting business, Mark
spent every spare moment learning to fly. Two years after his first lesson, he completed his commercial pilot’s licence at the Kapiti Districts Aero Club. Mark said it was during his work as an operations manager that he considered a career as a top dressing pilot. “I was drawn by the type of flying that is involved with agricultural aviation, and the way the flying coincides with agriculture.” In the autumn of 2004, Mark started area coordinating for Wanganui Aerowork. Wanganui Aerowork was one of the first agricultural aviation businesses in New Zealand, with the first load of fertiliser applied in 1950. In its early years, the firm operated between Whanganui and Waiouru. Gradually, it
Mark flies a Cresco 750, powered by Pratt and Whitney PT6, anywhere between Awakino to Patea
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Keith Reichardt and loader driver Tony Ingram. Mark’s aircraft is fitted with an IntelliSpread system, developed by Ravensdown Aerowork. This environmentally-compliant, hydraulic system is linked to a map in the GPS of the aircraft. It prevents fertiliser from going into environmentally sensitive locations, especially waterways. It also provides economic advantages to farmers through the application of accurate fertiliser quantities in areas where it provides the most significant benefit. “We also use a spreader that bolts on to the bottom of the hopper when we apply nitrogen-based products.”
Mark said it provides an even placement of the high-value product. “Linked with the IntelliSpread system, it gives a job quality second to none.” Every 1,500 landings, or 150 hours, the aircraft undergoes scheduled maintenance. “Usually we get to the landings first. Every four years the aircraft gets an overhaul.” Flying on still, frosty mornings is one of Mark’s favourite moments on the job. “It’s the crisp, clean, still air of the early morning that allows the aircraft, engine and pilot to work at full potential. That, in turn, makes life easy for me as I am not fighting with wind and heat,
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and the accuracy of product placement is easy opposed to fighting with adverse weather. Also, there is something about starting your day as the sun is coming up before the wind and weather play their part in the day’s challenges.” In the peak of the season, Mark and his team spread between 150 to 220 tonnes a day, depending on the product and sowing rate. “Between the three of us, we do our best to provide a quality service to our valued clients,” said Mark.
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Every 1,500 landings, or 150 hours, the aircraft undergoes scheduled maintenance.
Loading the aircraft expanded into the east coast of the North Island, Taranaki and Waikato regions. Soon after Mark began working for the business, it was purchased by Ravensdown. The company underwent a name change to Ravensdown Aerowork and further expanded into the South Island. Aerowork currently operates 14 fixedwing aircraft to undertake fertiliser spreading and aerial survey work from its nine bases nationwide. The aerial fleet is maintained from its Whanganui base and is the only agricultural aviation company in New Zealand with the capability to rebuild, maintain and operate its aircraft. Mark’s first opportunity to work as a top dressing pilot for Ravensdown Aerowork came in 2008. He now flies a Cresco 750, powered by Pratt and Whitney PT6, anywhere between Awakino to Patea. A typical busy day, when the weather is fine, starts at 4.30am with Mark airborne by 6am. Between 110 to 120 take-offs and landings in a day are common, with wheels touching down for the last time by 6pm. Although home by 6.45pm, Mark then organises the schedule for the following day in conjunction with two other key people in the team who keep the plane flying — area coordinator
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TARANAKI FARMING LIFESTYLES
RESCUE HELICOPTER PROVIDES VITAL SERVICE by Denise Gunn Since its establishment in 1992, the Taranaki Rescue Helicopter Trust has flown more than 4,300 missions. PHOTOGRAPHER JEREMY BECKERS
I
nitially formed to provide a rapid response rescue helicopter service for the region, the work is continually evolving. In the trust’s early days, the rescue helicopter often undertook agricultural work. When a call-out came in, the helicopter returned to base, offloaded equipment from the job, and was reconfigured for the rescue role. A fullydedicated, modern helicopter is now used to attend call-outs in the region. An expert team of pilots, crewmen and paramedics aim to have the helicopter airborne within 10 minutes during the day and 20 minutes at night.
In 2000, the trust moved all stored equipment from a 20ft container into a purpose-built hanger at the Taranaki Base Hospital. The facility provides an operational training base for pilots, crew and administration staff. In addition to attending accidents, the helicopter service is also used for medical transfers and rescues. Of the 171 missions completed by the rescue helicopter by the end of August, 83 were emergency services, followed by 61 hospital transfers, and 27 search and rescue operations. “In a life and death situation, it is the speed, agility and expertise that can make all the
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St John and the DHB, as well as our dedicated marine and alpine volunteers. “The volunteers are the real heroes of the organisation. Not only do we have operational volunteers who help with rescue missions; our trustees are volunteers also. These are outstanding community-minded individuals who give up their time to ensure that the organisation is financially sustainable and that we continue to be available for the community.” Andy recalls one of his most memorable rescue missions was winching a kayaker, who was attempting to paddle from Australia to New Zealand. “He was 50 nautical miles from land and 63 nautical miles from our base. One of our volunteer rescue swimmers jumped from the helicopter
into extremely large seas, secured the patient into the winch harness before we winched them both to the helicopter. The most satisfying part of that job and many others is reuniting a person with their family.” Annually it costs upwards of $1.6 million to ensure the continuity of the Taranaki Rescue Helicopter Trust. Income is generated from contracts with the National Ambulance Sector Office (NASO), which manages working relationships with ACC, the District Health Board, Ministry of Health and the Order of St John. “These services pay on a fee-forservice basis when the helicopter is in use. However, this is roughly only 50% of the cost required to keep the rescue
helicopter and crew fully equipped and operational,” said Bryce. To ensure the service remains free and accessible to the community, the trust developed a sustainable funding model. “It includes Friends of the Rescue Helicopter, which is our community annual membership, direct mail appeals to the Taranaki region, community trust funding, an annual corporate sponsorship programme and fundraising appeals.” The public can make donations, become a Friend of the Rescue Helicopter, and sign up as a corporate sponsor through taranakirescue.org.nz/ support-us or by calling the team on 06 753 7620. “We are incredibly grateful to all those who help us to deliver the service to our community. Every donation makes a difference and helps us to be there to help those in need,” said Bryce. In October 2018, the National Ambulance Sector Office (NASO) announced a new collaboration with four other North Island rescue helicopter trusts. “This collaboration meant that all nine helicopters, ours included, would be able to share crew and equipment should any of these regions need it. “This ensures that our community continues to have access to a resilient, sustainable rescue helicopter service available to undertake lifesaving rescue missions.”
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TARANAKI FARMING LIFESTYLES
Fast-tracking genetic gain BY ANN VAN ENGELEN Using genomic testing to identify calves with the greatest genetic potential, enabling breeding decisions to be fast-tracked by farmers who are using the technology to advance their herds.
D
avid and Pip Fullerton milk nearly 600 Holstein Friesians alongside their sons Alex and Dean. “We utilise genomic screening, which has been one of the biggest advancements in cattle breeding in the last 100 years. Through this we can tell before a heifer calf is weaned if it is going to grow into a profitable, highproducing dairy cow,” says David. “The process dramatically shortens the time it takes to identify important traits in an animal from five years to several months. The traits vary from a cow being a more efficient converter of feed into milk solids, through to being heat tolerant. We import our embryos
from Canada, the United States and Holland and are world-renowned for our genetics work.” The families’ stud, Waipiri Holsteins, holds the New Zealand record for the top registered three-year-old Holstein Friesian cow, which produced 1,292 kilograms of milksolids in the 2009/10 season. “We rear 160 to 200 replacement heifers a year and plan to genomic test 25 per cent of them using a service offered through Holstein Friesian NZ. We have exported bulls to Tanzania, China, Malaysia and South America and are exploring opportunities to sell semen into Zimbabwe, Vietnam, the
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TARANAKI FARMING LIFESTYLES
Hennie and Harvey Verwaayen with a bull born from an embryo imported from the United States Philippines and Ecuador. Most farmers in those countries can not afford cooling fans, so we need to know our animals can tolerate the heat. Genomic testing has huge potential to increase dairying’s profitability, and we’d be foolish to ignore the information it provides. The testing is most reliable and beneficial for New Zealand dairy farmers using semen sourced from overseas bulls. We can use the results to make informed decisions about which heifers to keep and breed from, or to sell.” Holstein Friesian NZ president Hennie Verwaayen says the reliability of the
information provided is similar to a bull with 100 daughters, which are producing milk and whose traits, such as udder conformation, calving difficulty and fertility have been assessed. Henni and his wife Kerri were both born into dairy farming families in Holland. “My family have mostly dairy farmed since the 1500s and my parents always had Friesians as the breed come from Holland. I stuck with them here as I want to milk a cow that is a good size and does good production. We are after a good cow, with a good udder and good
constitution that lasts long and allows us to lower the rotation rate, so we don’t have so many rotations for the amount of cows we milk. “With the testing, technology allows us to recognise good cows early on. In particular, the second and third generation of tested animals will give us a better direction of the breeding decisions we have made. “We will see if they gave what we want so we can adjust our breeding decisions and concentrate on animals that make a difference. In years to come with environmental issues, testing will enable us to know from an environmental perspective what the animal is like early on to use our resources as effectively as possible. “We milk 380 Holstein Friesian cows with our children Harvey and Lucy. We first used genomic testing in 2016 on four calves born from embryos imported from the United States. Two of the calves were bulls. They were almost identical to look at, but the testing revealed one was among the top five in the world for certain traits. We use the service provided through Holstein Friesian NZ to test all of the overseassired replacement heifers. If the results identify genetically superior heifers, we can do embryo transfer work with them or mate them using sexed semen.” The test has the added advantage of verifying parentage, which improves the accuracy of records and means they don’t have to pay for a separate DNA test. “New Zealand is languishing behind in adopting this technology, and our
December 2019
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association is endeavouring to change that,” he said. “In June, Holstein Friesian NZ teamed up with Weatherbys Scientific in Ireland to offer a genomic testing service. Farmers can choose whether the data is reported through DataGene Australia or the Council of Dairy Cattle Breeding in the United States. Animals can also be tested to determine if they will produce sought-after A2 milk and if they are polled. “Currently the annual value of genetic gain in the New Zealand dairy herd is worth around $11 per cow, which is almost twice as high in Australia where the use of genomic screening is more widespread.”
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December 2019
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December 2019
TARANAKI FARMING LIFESTYLES
SPOTLIGHT ON
HAWERA
The spark of progress and industry by Andy Bryenton
to deter settlers, who came to the region in the late 1860s and early 1870s, after the establishment of an army base in 1866. Former soldiers soon turned their hand to farming, while other European arrivals felt safer for the presence of Viking counterparts in the north, setting an armed camp nearby. The population the village ablaze to sow confusion and rapidly grew, increasing more than 60% disarray amid the enemy. Legend has it between 1878 and 1886. By the 1880s that a strong wind fanned the flames, the town’s te reo monicker had taken razing the village to the ground, hence on a new significance that could not be the reference to a fiery breath scouring ignored, however. Like many small towns the land. The ominous name did nothing in colonial New Zealand, Hawera was AUTOMOTIVE-HOME-COMMERCIAL struck by a series of disastrous fires. While these had come about by AUTOMOTIVE-HOME-COMMERCIAL accident, the product of a town built of
Standing close to the imposing cone of Mt Taranaki — Mt Egmont, one could be forgiven for thinking that the Maori name for the town of Hawera referred to the sleeping volcanic giant in the distance. The name Te Hawera, the breath of fire, comes not from nature but mankind. A taua or war party of the Ngati Okahu people is said to have descended on the Titahi, encamped at Whareroa in pre-colonial times. These warriors attacked by night, like their
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wood, fueled by gas lamps, candles and fireplaces and furnished in cloth, hemp and oiled canvas, insurance premiums went to extremes. Fires in 1884, 1888 and finally 1912 convinced the town to take action. The foundation stone was laid for the water tower that has become a Hawera landmark today, set down by the mayor of the time, Arthur Gillies. Its design, gothic and octagonal, 54 metres in height and inset with windows in the classical style, has even anecdotally been linked to the fantasy medieval architecture conjured by Kiwi
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SPOTLIGHT ON effects artists for Peter Jackon’s Lord of the Rings. Since the second world war, it hasn’t even been filled with water, though it almost became ‘the leaning tower of Taranaki’ close to its completion when secret repairs had to be carried out under cover of darkness to make it level. With a scenic water tower to tame any flames of destruction, the symbolic name of Hawera became associated with the flame of industry. Dairy flourished as the land was cleared and turned to pasture, and Fonterra’s giant Hawera plant grew to be the largest in the Southern Hemisphere. It’s not a coincidence that those who approach the great complex at Whareroa are greeted by Olive, a larger than life black and white cow beloved by locals. Vandals may have tried to damage this landmark earlier this year, but they didn’t get far; Olive is made of solid steel. That might be a fitting metaphor for the local mindset of Hawera farmers, who take what Mother Nature throws their way with stoicism and good humour. Some say that local writer Ronald Hugh Morrieson gave the town a bad rap in his novels. The Hawera-born and raised author often changed the name, but his gritty portrayal of small-town Taranaki life cut
December 2019
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Hawera’s high street bustling with commerce in the era before the automobile — wooden buildings contributed to the town’s disastrous fires and the construction of the water tower
local sensibilities to the quick in books such as The Scarecrow and Came a Hot Friday. While this last novel was adapted into a beloved Kiwi comedy featuring the late, great Billy T James, the seedy side of the original work was downplayed, painting the main characters and their gambling scam antics as the work of good-hearted larrikins. The true relevance of Hawera’s fiery name, however, perhaps lies underground. On the coast south of the town is the gateway to the Rimu/Kauri and Kupe petrochemical fields, a literal
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breath of fire from thousands of years in the past. Hawera may have gained its name in the act of warfare, but a metaphorical flame of creativity, industry and commerce has burned steadily here for nearly 150 years. No matter what has happened, locals have adapted and kept on, stronger. It’s also a beautiful place to visit, so next time you’re in the vicinity, come and enjoy some old-fashioned Hawera hospitality.
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December 2019
TARANAKI FARMING LIFESTYLES
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Christmas can often become a frenzy of last-minute shopping, pushing through the crowds at bigbox retailers to snag the last example of that must-have toy or seasonal bargain — but it doesn’t have to be. Around the world, people are turning away from the mass commercialisation of the season and embracing the concept of giving something sourced locally. There’s a list of very good reasons for this trend. Starting with the fact that a gift made or sourced from where you live is likely to be more unique or personal than one bought from the same catalogue that was delivered to a million other letter boxes. A work of art, some gourmet local cheese, preserves, smoked meat or turned wood, upcycled clothing, pottery, jewellery or crafts. All of these things speak of where they’re from — bringing a little of your home town to friends far away. Then there’s the benefit to local business. The adage ‘a dollar spent locally is spent thrice’ really does apply. First, you’re supporting a local person, be they a business owner, craft market stallholder or even the original manufacturer or artisan. They are then able to use that money to further their
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rituals, like carolling or decorating a town Christmas tree, were less about unboxing toys than about creating a sense of community. We may not live in times when we must unite against the ice and snow to survive as townsfolk in small communities, but the same message still applies economically. Make it a local Christmas this year, and spread some cheer among your neighbours and friends.
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business, invest in new stock, pay staff and create jobs, or, as so many small local firms do at this time of year, support charitable causes. Your dollars go another round instead of heading offshore, and that helps us all. Originally, Christmas was a smalltown celebration, situated in the middle of the northern hemisphere winter and all about pulling together to make it through the coldest part of the year. The good food, small gifts and shared
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TARANAKI FARMING LIFESTYLES
December 2019
15
SHOP LOCAL Local knowledge tastes better
New Plymouth Taxis
We’ve all heard by now about the number of air miles certain exotic ingredients clock up between where they were grown and the kitchens they’re eaten in. However, while reducing that everlooming carbon footprint is one reason not to resort to stocking the pantry with far-flung foodstuffs, there’s a better one. Fresher, locally sourced food is simply better for you. It has a lot to do with the fact that our farming practices in New Zealand are world-leading, delivering a delicious taste that foreign chefs are known to demand. Moreover, there is also the subject of ripeness. Food destined for long-haul delivery is often picked too early, as those selling it know it could be past its best before it sees the inside of a trolley. Food picked for the farmer’s market or sold over the gate is picked by the grower when he or she knows it’s just right, not on a commercial schedule. It’s likely not to be processed, chilled, bumped about or pawed over either, just plucked, sent to the stall, then cooked up. That is not just conjecture or a matter of taste. When researchers at Montclair State University compared the vitamin C content of broccoli grown in season with broccoli imported out of season, they found the latter had only half the vitamin C. Another study, published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, found that the healthy chemical anthocyanin, found in blackberries, was four times higher in berries straight from the bush than it was in processed ones. For those who avoid pesticide use, there’s also the bonus that many small growers are
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organic by choice or by proxy, in that they don’t use chemical sprays because of their small-scale operations. This philosophy doesn’t have to stop with vegetables, either. Locally sourced seafood tastes great fresh from the sea, we all enjoy the golden-orange yolks of free-range eggs, and of course, heritage and heirloom cultivars are kept alive by growers who specialise in local flavours. Cafes and restaurants are switching on to this trend, and dishes made with local delicacies and ingredients are a hot ticket for tourists. Living in rural New
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December 2019
TARANAKI FARMING LIFESTYLES
WATER MATTERS Drilling down into water issues
by Andy Bryenton
There are a few core inventions that have helped turn us, as a society, from nomadic hunters into civilised farmers and builders. The wheel isn’t even one of them; amazingly the Inca people got on well without it! Along with fire, pottery, language and grain storage, the well is one of those things which has taken us from caves to skyscrapers. The earliest cities, in places like Sumeria and Egypt, were built around wells. A well 5,000 years old is at the very centre of Cairo, for example. Water was scarce in these dry lands, and a well was an asset worth defending, as it was also a de facto trading post, army mustering point and hub for irrigation and animal breeding. Water makes farms, farms make wealth, and wealth, eventually, makes empires. However, today’s wells are very different from the hand-hewn stone-lined ones of antiquity. These days it’s not a dowser with a forked stick who seeks out underground
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water. Hydrologists can tell a lot from the shape of the land, as well as from the kind of rock that underlies it. These professionals can also use groundpenetrating waves to find water, acting like the sonar ‘ping’ a submarine uses to detect enemy vessels during wartime. Gravel, limestone, porous cracked-up rocks or underground sandstone can trap large quantities of useful water. Once a likely spot is found, the trick is to drill down deep enough to establish a productive well that will last the distance through all seasons. More than just a hole in the ground, a modern well is usually a bore sheathed with longlasting materials to prevent cave-ins and
Even in arid landscapes, rainfall on hills and mountains eventually reaches underground aquifers, ready to be used as a managed resource
erosion. Deep in the underground water table, the bottom of the well is made of sturdy mesh or perforated pipe to allow water in but keep it flowing and stop it from clogging up. Now a suitable pump is needed to lift water to the surface. Modern wells usually utilise electrical means of pumping, which vary in kilowatt power according to the depth of the bore and
the volume required. When it’s dry above ground, water reserves replenished by rains months or even years past await beneath the surface. Finding such reser ves, and engineering the means to tap into them, is no longer a job or superstition and guesswork, but one conducted with satellite maps, specialist drilling trucks and advanced technology.
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December 2019
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December 2019
TARANAKI FARMING LIFESTYLES
DAIRY
Putting health first The Ministry for Primary Industries has directed unregistered raw (unpasteurised) drinking milk suppliers across the country to stop selling their product until they comply with the legal requirements for sale. MPI Compliance staff executed search warrants at non-compliant raw drinking milk suppliers in Auckland, Hawke’s Bay, Manawatu, Horowhenua, Nelson and Southland following a yearlong operation. “The purpose of the coordinated site visits was to gather evidence of the offending and to allow further investigation of non-compliant sales,” says MPI’s manager of Food Compliance Melinda Sando. “We believe that the suppliers we visited are operating outside of the regulatory framework. By not adhering to the rules for selling raw drinking milk, they are putting consumer health at risk. There have been multiple instances in the past of people getting sick after drinking raw milk from some of these suppliers. We can’t let this continue.
“Raw unpasteurised milk is a risky product as it hasn’t been heat-treated (pasteurised) to remove illness-causing bacteria including E coli, listeria and campylobacter. These types of bacteria most commonly cause severe diarrhoea and vomiting. However, occasionally some have been linked with more serious complications that include miscarriage, paralysis, meningitis and serious kidney problems in children. Raw milk may also be a source of tuberculosis. “We support consumer choice. We are not saying people can’t drink raw unpasteurised milk. What we are saying is that when people do choose to drink raw unpasteurised milk, they are able to make that choice with a degree of confidence that the milk they are consuming is produced within the regulatory framework.
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“Purchasing from MPI registered suppliers who are being audited regularly to ensure they are managing risks and testing regularly helps consumers reduce the risks if they choose to drink this product.” Ms Sando says the suppliers in question have been using various tactics in an attempt to continue selling their product including selling it as bath milk or pet milk. “These tactics are not legal in our view and are a way of getting around the regulations and avoiding the costs associated with being compliant, including food safety testing costs, registration costs and audit costs. We make no apologies for holding to
Colin Kay
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B Agri Sc Certified Nutrient Management Advisor Dairy Effluent Warrant of Fitness Assessor
• • • •
A helmet is a must while riding a quad bike around the farm.
account, people who are breaching the regulations. The rules exist for a reason — to protect human health. “All suppliers were able to take part in the consultation process around the introduction of new raw drinking milk regulations, which came into effect on March 1 2016. “They knew what the rules were designed to do and why they were brought into effect. “The suppliers need to stop selling unregulated product immediately. “They will be able to resume selling once they have met all the requirements to make them compliant. We hope they put human health first. It is the responsible thing to do.”
Dairy Effluent System Warrant of Fitness Nutrient Management Plans Farm Environment Plans Resource Consent Planning
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TARANAKI FARMING LIFESTYLES
December 2019
RURAL WHEELS
19
Built into the bones by Andy Bryenton
Ask anyone who really knows automobiles, and they’ll tell you that the most important component is not the engine or the wheels, or even the gearbox that connects them. A well-sorted chassis is the underpinning of all the feel you’ll get back from the road, all the information that comes in via the steering wheel’s vibration and the seat of your pants. Get the chassis right, and it doesn’t matter if it’s a McLaren carbon-fibre tub or a Morgan’s stately beams of timber, it’ll pull the car together and give it a sense of completeness. That might be why the new Kia Seltos has achieved a lot of acclaim in a very short time. The company that surprised everyone with the powerful and sleek Stinger two years ago has done what so many have proven they could not; they’ve made a small SUV, which is both practical and fun. It’s been almost universally described as feeling responsive and planted on the road. Which brings us back to the concept of good bones, and what’s underneath the Seltos’ groovy two-tone paint and cheeky looks. The secret is in the super-tough advanced high strength steel that makes up the monocoque; the all-around cage and chassis, which cradles both the motor and, ultimately, the passengers. Ever felt that a convertible was a bit wobbly or bent like a banana in the
Seltos is Kia’s latest small sports utility, and it’s got the recipe right for practical use and fun factor in balance
corners? That’s the lack of rigidity in the chassis caused by the absence of a roof. Now, imagine the opposite. That’s the effect of using this new material tech to create a light, yet firm and rigid skeleton for the Seltos. The effect is to create a machine that’s compact without being flighty and keeps tight to the road when the going gets interesting.
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In fact, ‘sharp, not soft’ is a term that could fit a lot of the features of this small SUV. The looks are pop culture without being pop-eyed, the interior has a touch of design whimsy and a lot of practicality. The IVT transmission has been praised for being neither vague nor slushy, but smart and smooth. Also,
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it’s named for the son of Hercules. So there’s not only a good heroic image but also a nod and a wink to this little crossover following in the path of the famous Sportage, its ‘daddy’. Look at all you get on the EX model for under $40,000, and you’ll see that it’s a lot of machine for your money.
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December 2019
TARANAKI FARMING LIFESTYLES
DEUTZ-FAHR 6185G 185HP, 6 CYLINDER
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Google/Facebook Power Farming Taranaki www.powerfarmingtaranaki.co.nz
Sam Vickers 021 278 9040
Jade Sklenars 027 507 7656
Taranaki 63 Glover Road 0800 480 309
Normal lending criteria applies. Terms and conditions apply. Offer ends 31/12/2019. Contact your local dealership for more information. * Requires 30% deposit and full GST in month three, 2.95% interest for 36 monthly payments. ** Terms and conditions apply. Go to deutztractors.co.nz/trydeutz for detailed terms and conditions. † Requires 30% deposit and full GST in month three, 5.85% interest for 48 monthly payments.