Taranaki
FARMING Lifestyles
December 2017 Edition
9,541 copies DELIVERED FREE to every rural delivery address in Taranaki
Decades in dairy genetics
Utilising the wild
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The choice of farming
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Ditching heels for boots Page 6–7
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TARANAKI FARMING LIFESTYLES
December 2017
Record lambing percentage for NZ sheep farmers
The Taranaki Farming Lifestyles is published with pride by NorthSouth Multi Media Ltd, a privately owned New Zealand company. Phone: 0800 466 793
Research undertaken by Beef + Lamb New Zealand’s (B+LNZ) Economic Service estimates the number of lambs tailed nationwide in spring of this year was 23.7 million head, up 1.9% (436,000 head) on the previous spring.
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Beef + Lamb New Zealand’s Economic Service chief economist Andrew Burtt
The B+LNZ Economic Service’s Lamb Crop survey is drawn from its Sheep and Beef Farm Survey, which covers a statistically representative sample of over 500 commercial sheep and beef farms. The average ewe lambing percentage for 2017 was 127.2, up 4.4 percentage points on last year and up 6.4 percentage points on the 10-year average (2008-09 to 2017-18) of 120.8%. Overall, this means 127 lambs were born per hundred ewes compared with an average of 121 over the last 10 years. For spring 2017, a one percentage point change in the New Zealand ewe lambing percentage is equivalent to 178,000 lambs. Chief economist of B+LNZ’s Economic Service Andrew Burtt, said the record lambing percentage and more lambs from hoggets offset fewer breeding ewes. North Island lamb numbers boosted the overall rise in the country’s lamb crop with growth of 4.9% (551,000 head) to 11.7 million head. The North Island’s average ewe lambing percentage for
2017 was 128.0, up 8.6 percentage points on last year. “This was a record high, and was due to good climatic conditions and ewe condition at both mating and lambing for most regions,” said Mr Burtt. “However, after autumn and winter conditions were generally good, but wet. “Lamb growth rates were lower than normal due to a lack of sunshine, cool damp weather and more lambs. “This has had a negative impact on lamb growth.” In the East Coast and TaranakiManawatu, bearings and subsequent losses negatively impacted the lambing result. According to the survey, the number of breeding ewes declined 1.9% to 17.8 million at July 1 2017. “The most significant decrease was in Taranaki-Manawatu (-3.6%) in response to strong mutton prices and culling of old ewes to take advantage of strong prices.” Numbers decreased 1.0% (115,000 head) to 12.0 million head in the South Island.
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TARANAKI FARMING LIFESTYLES
December 2017
Partnership a boost for rural health and wellbeing
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Tackling health and wellbeing issues in New Zealand’s rural communities has received a boost with the announcement today of a new collaborative partnership between the Rural Health Alliance Aotearoa New Zealand (RHAANZ) and life sciences company Bayer New Zealand. A key focus of the partnership is supporting rural youth, especially those at risk from suicide. Other initiatives include a rural youth health challenge, support of the RuralFest NZ event and tailored suicide prevention training for veterinary and rural health students. RHAANZ chief executive officer Michelle Thompson said the organisation is thrilled to be working with Bayer New Zealand on initiatives targeted at improving rural health and wellbeing. “The collaboration is our first major partnership of this kind and will significantly boost our ability to progress the top priorities outlined in our Rural Health Road Map — our 10-year plan for growing healthy rural communities in Aotearoa New Zealand. “We are really impressed with Bayer New Zealand’s community investment programme and believe it aligns well with our Rural Health Road Map — we are very much looking forward to working
with the team at Bayer New Zealand to help make rural New Zealand healthier.” Bayer New Zealand managing director Derek Bartlett said the company has a close affinity with rural New Zealand. “Two thirds of our New Zealand business is focussed entirely on the rural sector, particularly animal health solutions and crop protection products. “Many of our employees themselves have farms or lifestyle blocks and we have a large team of veterinarians dedicated to supporting farmers. “Many of the rural health issues RHAANZ is trying to resolve we come across every day. We want to make a difference to health and wellbeing too — it’s a core value of the company which is why we’re delighted to lend our support to RHAANZ.” As well as an initial investment of $80,000, Bayer New Zealand will support RHAANZ with educational material and initiatives on a wide range of health and wellbeing topics.
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December 2017
TARANAKI FARMING LIFESTYLES
by Ann Morgan Don Shaw has been surrounded by dairy cows his entire life and is responsible for bringing thousands of calves into the world in his role as an artificial insemination technician for CRV Ambreed.
A
fourth generation dairy farmer — for the past 62 years the 79-year-old has inseminated an estimated 250,000 cows. At 17 years old he started his artificial breeding training with South Auckland Herd Improvement. “You weren’t supposed to train until you were 18 years old, but I turned 18 by the time the AB season started so I was able to do so” says Don. “It was quite different back then compared to today. Every morning we were picked up by the supervisor and taken to the town milk herds in the Hamilton area. “One of the other trainees in my group was Sir Dryden Spring. He eventually became the chairman of the New Zealand Dairy Board, so I was in good company.” Dairy herds today can
be upwards of 2,000 cows — herds in the mid-1950s were much smaller. “Most weren’t any bigger than 100 to 120 cows. My father had about 90 cows,” says Don. “Visiting smaller farms with three other trainees meant I only had the chance to inseminate one or two cows at each farm. Today they go to a school in a freezing works in Morrinsville and get to inseminate 100 to 120 cows over five days.” He later worked with South Auckland Herd Improvement and then did private work as an independent AI technician before spending more than 40 years working at CRV Ambreed — as a technician and sales consultant. Three years ago he retired from CRV Ambreed as one of its top-ranking sales consultants. CRV Ambreed National AI
Don Shaw started his AI career at 17 years old and has been inseminating cows for more than 60 years
TARANAKI FARMING LIFESTYLES
manager Cara O’Connor says Don is an institution in the AI industry and is happy to share his knowledge and skills with others. “It’s been a busy but rewarding role. I remember my first year I only sold 275 straws, and by my last year of working there I was selling 30,000,” says Don. “The secret to success is building strong relationships with clients. I was on the phone at night or visited them at least five times a year.” He has seen many changes to the industry over the years. “Health and safety standards are stricter now and the tools of the trade have evolved. I once badly injured my knee thanks to a kick from a cow. It probably wouldn’t happen nowadays as there is a bar behind the cow’s back legs. “We had rubber gloves and used soap to get a lather on them, as a lubricant. Today you have plastic gloves, obstetric lubricant and you use thin, stainless steel pistolettes. The old plastic pipettes we used to use were half as big again. I look back and think, how did I impregnate cows with them? “Frozen semen has become more widely available and gives farmers more choice about herd genetics. When I first started there was little of it. “Today there is more focus on breeding worth and the ‘thinking’ farmers want improvement in udders and production — they can choose sires from several cow genetics’ companies. “I think animal evaluation could take more interest in educating farmers on the value of traits other than production. BW isn’t everything. I tend to focus on the New Zealand Merit Index where the traits are part of the index.” He says more women are joining the profession and has advice for others who want to work as an AI technician. “Women often make good technicians — they tend to have an empathy with
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A fourth generation dairy farmer, Don has inseminated approximately 250,000 cows of different breeds
animals, and often have smaller hands and wrists which makes it more comfortable for the cow. “You don’t want to be in a rush; just be quiet, calm and get the job done. You need good hand skills and to be gentle with the cows.” CRV Ambreed has a team of 200 trained and certified AI technicians working across the country. Collectively, they inseminate around 500,000 cows a year and they also offer AI training schools throughout New Zealand. When he’s not doing AI, Don works as a TOP inspector, sire-proving heifers and inspecting older cows for Jersey NZ members, and consults for several farming clients. Don and his wife Lynne are active in encouraging the next generation into dairy farming, and support youth members of Jersey NZ and set up a scholarship fund for tertiary education
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December 2017
TARANAKI FARMING LIFESTYLES
for boots by Denise Gunn When Sophie Brown was growing up, the only connection she had to farming was visiting family friends who had a sheep and beef farm. Now she is living on a 530ha Taranaki drystock farm with her husband Nick, and producing video blogs about farm life.
W
ith her sights on becoming a speech language therapist whilst at secondary school, Sophie headed to Canterbury University and studied towards a Bachelor of Speech and Language Therapy — a four year degree. In the final year of this degree, Sophie met Taranaki farmer Nick Brown. Nick had moved to Canterbury to work on an Ashburton farm. The couple moved to Taranaki once Sophie had finished her studies. “Nick worked on the family farm and I secured a job in New Plymouth as a speech and language therapist. I worked here for just under two years, predominantly in early intervention, working with families with under five-
year-old children.” The couple wanted to travel before committing to a farming business, so Sophie left her job and they moved to Canada. Both Nick and Sophie took jobs on a ski field in Jasper, Alberta — Sophie working in a retail store and Nick as a snowmaker. “After about five months, we bought a van, decked it out with a bed base and made it our temporary home.” The couple drove around the United States and picked up work as Woofers on a sheep farm in Wyoming and at a goat ranch in California. They also travelled to Cuba and Mexico. On their return to Taranaki, Sophie worked for Tegel as a management cadet. However, the 2015 floods that battered the region
Nick and Sophie are members of the Central Taranaki Young Farmers Club
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TARANAKI FARMING LIFESTYLES
altered those plans. “I quit my job and helped Nick out, working part time at the local supermarket.” Following her move to the country, Sophie found living on the family farm quite tough and felt like a fish out of water. “I had no clue what anyone was saying when we met neighbours or other farming people in town. They may as well have been speaking another language, talking about crops, sprays, yields, the schedule, different types of sheep and the payout the dairy farmers were getting.” Sophie was determined to understand more so began asking questions, listening to what people were talking about and reading farming newspapers and magazines. “Stock sense was harder for me to learn than my degree, and I still don’t have it.” The isolation that comes from living in the back blocks of Taranaki also took some adjusting. “I found it really challenging to meet people and make friends initially,” said Sophie. The couple joined the Central Taranaki Young Farmers Club and earlier this year, Nick was also elected chairman of the Taranaki Federated Farmers’ Meat and Fibre section. “Our social lives are a lot more lively these days,” said Sophie. Despite the challenges, Sophie is growing to enjoy farming life. The purchase of a drone last year gave Sophie the perfect opportunity to showcase life on the farm to her friends through her video blog ‘Heels 2 Boots’. In June she began filming video blogs demonstrating calf-feeding, shifting sheep and fencing. Spectacular drone footage of dogs mustering
December 2017
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Sophie and Nick Brown admiring the view on the family farm
sheep on steep hills features in a vlog about scanning. The vlogs, available on YouTube and Facebook, are now gathering national and even worldwide attention. “Like other people from town, I didn’t understand a lot about farming practices, but I judged.” “I thought some things farmers were doing were awful,” she said. “The problem was education — I didn’t understand ‘the why’.” Sophie had been under the impression that it was cruel to dock tails but that view changed after seeing flyblown sheep die. She also wanted to explain that farmers care for the animals and the environment. So far, with Nick operating the drone and Sophie in front of the camera, the
couple have made five videos. “I plan to make more, following the seasons, what we do and when,” said Sophie. It’s
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December 2017
TARANAKI FARMING LIFESTYLES
by Ann Morgan
Mawera Karetai is a lecturer of business strategy, a hunter of pest animals and birds, and teaches people to cook with wild foods available around the country as a healthy food option.
“H
unting meat is a big part of my life. My dad was a hunter and I grew up looking at pest species such as hare and turkey as healthy food sources,” says Mawera. “As part of my master’s degree I did a study on opossums and wallabies. It is sad that as a society we look at pests animals as an evil demonic thing to kill at all costs, when in actual fact they are a serious source of nutrition. “My favourite food is wallaby meat — it is seriously good. “We have the little dama wallaby and the other is the red neck. Those are two of twelve species that were liberated
into New Zealand in the late 1800s and early 1900s by Governor Grey through the Climatisation Society. They were the two types to survive on the mainland.” Mawera and her husband Dave Barrett hunt pest animals including peacock, turkey, rabbit, goat, pig and deer, and she enjoys feeding her family food that they have got some control over. “I know that the animal was running around happy and healthy in the bush — it died without suffering when it became food for my family. There is a healthy feeling about complete engagement with your food source. Our children’s favourite food is peacock fingers. You
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take the breast off and fillet the meat from the outside connective tissue. You end up with really soft delicate meat.” They shoot a least 100 peacocks a year on farms. Turkeys are also a pest food. Every five peacocks or turkeys eat as much grass in a day as one sheep. “Dave came from Canada and had always hunted so he provides our meat and we haven’t brought any in 12 years. We got into peacock hunting when we heard the regional council was poisoning them to control the population. “We asked them to let us manage the population and use them as food. One farm was contending with 3,000 birds and this caused major damage.” The couple sell the bird feathers across the country and overseas as a way to ensure nothing is wasted. “We clean the feathers thoroughly and have never been declined with an inspection. They do arrow fletching in Germany so we send quill feathers, and in America the turkey tail feathers are used for Native Indian headdresses as that is their endemic species and our feathers were used in the Hobbit movie for the hand made arrows.” Feathers are also used for quill pens and kapa haka costumes. “Goat is a big staple in our family along with peacock, and hare. Rabbit are also beautiful — especially in winter with the grass so green — the meat is sweet. We pluck the opossums and the meat goes to pig farms as food to grow the pork — it is more important for the pigs to eat them than us.” Mawera says wallabies can be destructive because
December 2017
9
Dave with a kingfish he caught on one of his fishing adventures
they graze the grass and any little shoots, killing the pasture. “There has been a spread in the wallaby population because they weren’t contained. They actually like confined spaces but where there is food pressure they spread out. If you keep them culled they stay in one spot. Goats meat is beautiful and better than lamb. We make mince and sausages which are not filled with chemicals and other unhealthy products.” Dave moved here from Canada as a scientist in 2000. “When he landed here he says he found paradise and
in summer his is a trout fishing guide. Hunting is a wonderful thing and as a family we go off into the bush and we involve other families as well and teach them. “We show people how to cook peacock and other wild pests foods and I present public demonstrations and judge at wild food competitions across the country. It is awesome to be connected to our food. This is something I value most highly in my cooking life. It feels so much better to be working with something that we went and got ourselves. It’s not cruel, it is completely the opposite. The animals
are happy and then they are dead, it is that quick. I write a wild food blog, thewildcook.co.nz, where I endeavour to take readers on a culinary journey to wild and wonderful places you might never otherwise have gone.”
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December 2017 TARANAKI FARMING LIFESTYLES
ADVERTORIAL
The truth about plants and nitrogen
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University of Oregon, Dr J. Fox has found that communication links between plants and nitrogen fixing bacteria are damaged when synthetic nitrogen is used. This leads to less nitrogen fixed naturally, increasing reliance on artificial synthetic urea. The more you use synthetic nitrogen, the more you will need to use synthetic nitrogen. In essence, agro-chemicals are cutting the communication lines between the ‘host plant’ and the ‘soil biology’ — not a good idea; it is essential that plants and biology communicate with each other, that is how the natural system works. Artificial nitrogen sales are increasing every year, but also increasing is the erosion of topsoil and
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pollution of both farm and environment with synthetic nutrient leaching. It’s amazing that the farmers accept carbon dioxide straight out of the atmosphere for free, hydrogen for free, and oxygen for free, but line up to purchase artificial nitrogen for big money. It doesn’t make sense. Over every hectare on the planet it is estimated that there is approximately 30,000 tonnes of atmospheric nitrogen, completely natural, environmentally sustainable, which is fixed by both plants and micro-organisms and stored within the organic matter of the soil, ready for plant uptake on request. Why wouldn’t you use this ultimate, free serving system? It’s a money saver. Atoms — it is an astounding notion to consider that atoms are mostly empty space and that the solidity we experience around us is an illusion. When two objects come together — like billiard balls — they don’t actually strike each other, rather the negatively charged fields of the two balls repel each other. When you sit in a chair, you are not actually sitting there, but levitating above it at one angstrom (100 millionth of a centimetre) — your electrons and the chair’s electrons are implacably opposed to any closer intimacy. All living matter is cellular — life cannot arise spontaneously, but must come from existing cells (at
Agrissentials we see the future of fertilisers being targeted at the cellular level of plant life, then passing on through to the cellular level of animals and people). Feed the cells the right frequency and they will do the rest of the job. To make a ‘human being’, the first cell splits to become two, and then two becomes four and after 47 doublings, you have 10,000 trillion cells in your body and are ready to spring forth as a human being. Every one of those cells knows exactly what to do to preserve and nurture you. Each cell carries a copy of the complete genetic code — the instruction manual code for your body — so, it knows how to do not only its job, but every other job in the body too. Every cell in nature is a thing of wonder. Even the simplest cells are far beyond the limits of human ingenuity. When you eat, they extract the nutrients, distribute the energy and carry off the waste — when you drink alcohol, they all get pissed as parrots and fall over. A cell is like a refinery in that it is devoted to natural mineral activity on a grand scale filled with interactions that appear confused and random, but clearly have some system to them. There is activity everywhere and a ceaseless thrum of electricity. You may
not feel electrical, but you are. The food we eat and the oxygen we breathe are combined in the cells into electricity. Compare your genes with any other human beings and on average they will all be about 99.9% the same. That makes us a species. The tiny difference in that remaining 0.1% is what endows us with our own individuality. Here at Agrissentials we are working as close as possible to Mother Nature, focussing fully on the soil, with our multimineral, microbial rich fertilisers, bringing health and vitality to the soil, the plants, the animals and the people. Through the micro-organisms and the worms we are recycling and regenerating topsoil, keeping all productive units in top health and pumping. As the health of the productive unit increases, so will the health of the surrounding environment. Get it right with Agrissentials Best on Earth Organx™ fertilisers. Visit us at www.agrissentials.com or give us a call on 0800 THE KEY for a FREE INFO PACK, that’s 0800 843 539 to find out how we can partner with you to find a better way of farming. Alternatively you can contact your best on earth fertiliser representative Ben Tippins on 021 738 601 to grab your special deal today.
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12
December 2017
TARANAKI FARMING LIFESTYLES
Pembroke Jubilee
Celebrations by Denise Gunn
Pembroke School near Stratford, and the surrounding district, will celebrate its 125th jubilee in March 2018. A committee of former pupils, residents, and parents of current students are planning the event with interest received from as far as Australia.
T
hree brothers from the Rogers family are amongst some of the earliest pioneers in the Pembroke district. In the late 1880s the brothers purchased adjoining blocks of land totaling 300 acres on upper Pembroke Road. The road, which at that stage was barely a bridle track, later became a surveyed road to the mountain reserve boundary. It took settlers a half-day trip to deliver their milk to the Stratford dairy prior to a creamery being built in 1894. By 1917 the Pembroke Co-op Dairy Company had been built on the corner of Pembroke and Cardiff Roads. Following
amalgamation with the Stratford Dairy Company, the company was wound up in 1958. Settlers petitioned the Education Department in 1892 for a school to be built but the request was declined. The following year, a second application was agreed to after an acre of land was donated by Mr Isaac Holloway. On July 10, 1893 the original Pembroke School opened with 26 pupils in attendance on the first day. By the end of that year, 41 pupils were attending the school. The grounds were enclosed to accommodate the students’ ponies and a small room was attached to the school as the
1893
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A group of Pembroke School pupils with principal Junior Togia, a parent Zoe Maketoni and school administrator Amanda Cavey.
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TARANAKI FARMING LIFESTYLES
teacher’s residence. In 1925 a new Pembroke School was opened a mile down the road, near the dairy factory. When the school on nearby Waingongoro Road closed in 1941, seven children from Barclay Road, who had previously walked across farmland and two streams to attend the school, transferred to Pembroke. Other children on Waingongoro Road would have transferred to Cardiff School. Ownership of the original school building was transferred to the newlyestablished Pembroke Hall Society. Dances, socials, farewells, card parties and political meetings were regularly held in the hall. Kerosene lamps were used for lighting and it is believed one of these may have been left burning after a function, causing a fire which destroyed the hall in 1928. A new hall was then built on the corner of Pembroke and Monmouth Roads. The school has gone through numerous changes over the years. As the roll increased, extra rooms were moved onto the site, and a completely new school, administration block and toilets built in 1975. Following the roll reaching 51 pupils in 1992, a third classroom was added. Further improvements have included a larger, more modern administration block and a library in 1997. Pembroke School’s first recorded calf day took place in 1926. Ten years later, the local branch of the Farmers Union (Federated Farmers) donated a challenge shield to be contested annually between Pembroke and Cardiff Schools. The challenge
shield became a hotly-contested event until the closure of Cardiff School. Former pupil, Lewis Thompson (82), still remembers the day his calf won the shield in 1946. A dozen principals and many teachers have taught at the school since its establishment. The longest-serving of all teachers, Mrs Caroline Beissel, resigned at the end of 2016 after 27 years. Currently the roll is at an all time high of 80 pupils, with three teachers, two teacher-aides and one administrator. Mr Junior Togia is the current principal. Registration for the event will take place on Friday, March 9 from 4 — 6pm. A social gathering, ‘Chatters and Platters’ will follow. Jubilee committee chairman Peter Bayly said the jubilee celebrations will be held in a huge marquee at the school from March 9-11, 2018. “Saturday, the school will be open for viewing, and the day will include official opening, speeches, cake cutting and decade photos,” he said. A barbecue lunch will be available for purchase, and Vintage Machinery Club members will be making scones on a portable coal range oven. “The evening will include a dinner and dance, and a few select items of interest from past and present artists/ photographers will be auctioned off.” A thanksgiving service will be held on Sunday morning. “The school will be open for viewing again and a barbecue lunch available before we bid our guests a fond farewell.” Peter has salvaged some timber from the original macrocarpa trees
planted around the first school in 1893. Wood-turner and former pupil Tony Waterson will use the timber to create some mementoes which will
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Jubilee committee chairman Peter Bayly on the stump from which blocks were taken to be turned into memorabilia by former pupil Tony Waterson.
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December 2017
TARANAKI FARMING LIFESTYLES
Advertorial
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The success of the award winning Clean Green Effluent System has been its simplicity. We start by filtering out the solids through a patented weeping wall. The solids are retained in a concrete bunker and the liquid portion weeps through to a pump chamber. This green liquid is then pumped to a storage tank which is used for external yard wash. This fresh green water is recycled across the yard and back to the weeping wall. The yards are washed clean without having to hose off with fresh water. This reduces total fresh water consumption to
about 20lt/cow/day instead of the normal 50 to 70lt/cow/day. As we are now only using 20lt/ cow we only have to deal with 20lt/cow per day for storage and distribution to land. The Clean Green Effluent System has a unique distribution system that was designed for all soil types as its super low application depth (0.25 mm or ¼mm) can be applied to any soil type without risk of leaching or run off. This totally automated system removes the risk of over application when soil conditions are not suitable for standard systems. The super low application depth allows for
application to soil over periods of the year when soils are near or at field capacity. As the super low application depth allows us to apply farm dairy effluent virtually all year round, the storage requirement is minimal. The Clean Green Effluent System utilises 33,000 litre water tanks for total storage to exceed the requirement of the Massey University Pond Calculator. Comprehensive research over the past ten years is looking positive for the Clean Green Effluent Company System. Testing has indicated that the super low application system will cause no environmental ill
effects even in the winter. The removal of open ponds reduces the rainwater footprint and reduces the overall liquid farm dairy effluent having to be applied to land. Rainwater catchment with conventional ponds can contribute to millions of litres per year. This liquid has to be dealt with via your distribution system. Rainwater contribution in open ponds can equate to more liquid than is produced in the dairyshed. The patented distribution system is fully automated and only requires about three hours work per month to maintain this problem free effluent system.
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TARANAKI FARMING LIFESTYLES
December 2017
WATER MATTERS
15
Dairy sector needs shakeup Dairy NZ’s strategic vision for the dairy sector has been criticised by Fish & Game, saying it is a decade late and the industry must act sooner to protect the environment and regain public support. The unveiled strategy’s number one pledge is to protect and nurture the environment for future generations, and to lead efforts to improve the health and swim-ability of rivers and streams. “Public patience has finally run right out and the corporate dairy industry is now trying to catch up and rescue its credibility,” says Fish & Game chief executive Martin Taylor. “Dairy NZ is promising to develop a 50 year blueprint for sustainable land use by 2025 but it doesn’t go far enough. This is all too little, too late. “The dairy industry has had a decade to come up with a blueprint for sustainable farming and land use and now the strategy is to wait another eight years to develop one. “The reality is the present dairying model is unsustainable. Kiwis need action now and aren’t prepared to wait until 2025. “Dairy NZ’s plan highlights the fact the industry is now acutely aware it is losing public trust and its social licence to operate.” Clean water was one of the election’s defining issues as voters
expressed their anger about declining water quality and the loss of traditional swimming spots because of pollution. “Dairy NZ needs to be much braver with its strategy and provide better leadership. A good place to start is by accepting a future based on fewer cows, less water use, less nutrient loading, and producing less milk but with more added value. “If they don’t do that, dairy will continue to be unsustainable. Cow numbers have grown astronomically over the last 20 years. Regions like Canterbury and Southland which weren’t traditional dairy areas are now among the biggest, with a combined herd size of over two million animals. “This explosion in intensive farming has had a huge impact on the environment. “It takes a thousand litres of water to make one litre of milk and to meet that sort of demand, more and more water is being taken from our waterways and aquifers. “Canterbury is now using two thirds of all New Zealand’s irrigation take. On its
own, a single big corporate farm can use the same amount of water as a town does in a year.” The volume of sewage each cow produces also has an impact. “Every day, New Zealand’s more than six million dairy cattle produce the same amount of waste as 90 million people. “It is untreated, so that is another body blow for the e nv i r o n m e n t . “If corporate dairying is to regain public support, it needs to admit its present operating model is unsustainable. The sector has to stop resisting the need to reduce environmental impacts and commit to hard, measurable targets in the next year. “Corporate dairying can only achieve this by working with environment groups, communities and the government to put these in place.”
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December 2017
TARANAKI FARMING LIFESTYLES
CHRISTMAS HOURS PROUDLY SUPPORTING NEW ZEALAND’S RESCUE HELICOPTERS
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TARANAKI FARMING LIFESTYLES
December 2017
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December 2017
TARANAKI FARMING LIFESTYLES
Robin ‘Cookie’ Cooksey grew up in the township of Dargaville and often holidayed at his cousin’s farm at Awakino Point where he learnt the basics of farming from a young age.
U
pon leaving school at 16 he joined the navy for five years before leaving to get married and moving on to a farming career. “The navy was a good experience and then I worked on dry stock farms for 15 years. They didn’t pay very well in those days and I had a growing family down in Pouto so we moved to Kaikohe to work on a Lands and Surveys block, and then to a Maori Trust farm,” says Robin. “At Lands and Survey I was on a horse all day especially during my lambing beat. It was great wandering around on horseback with a dog running beside
you. Mustering sheep and crutching only lasted a few days so we never had the opportunity to get fit like a shearer would. “It was simple back then but the whole 15 years that I was shepherding we only got $20-25 per fat lamb, now they get $70-120.” Robin was into horses and played polo cross but it became expensive so he secured a job on a horse stud in Karaka and was there for nine years. “It was a sheep and beef farm with a thoroughbred horse stud. Before the horses would go to the races we rode
Fishing on the Kaipara Harbour is one the ways Robin Cooksey and his friend Trish Sattler relax
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TARANAKI FARMING LIFESTYLES
get them used to people. They were probably more dangerous than the big horses because they are a bit wild until they calmed down. “At one stage I personally owned seven horses. If you get one, they mostly need grass and a bit of hay, and exercise is important. “They only need oats if they do major work, teeth checks, and their hooves need shoeing every six weeks.” He eventually decided to try dairy farming and moved to the Waikato. “I started as a worker and the next season became a manager so I must have worked well. We used to feed maize silage but just a taste — we didn’t know the benefits of supplements back then. Things have changed quite a bit.”
19
Robin understands farm management and appreciates the opportunities relief milking brings his way
Robin believes ensuring cattle are not sick or stuck in drains is an important part of being a relief milker them around the farm for six weeks for fitness. “I hadn’t ridden a racehorse before and I asked the owner what the first horse I rode had achieved.” It was the Wrightsons’ three-year-old filly of the year which Robin says was a bit daunting. “I spent the rest of the day looking around the paddock for rabbit holes so I didn’t injure it. That horse won another cup and many more races — it was worth half a million dollars. The owner let me open it up across the paddock one day. You could feel the power and understand why it won so many races. “We spent most of our time getting the yearling horses ready. We would handle them as much as possible to
December 2017
Robin worked on a hill country farm and he utilised one of the first feed pads. “They are a great invention as you don’t mess up the paddocks and save food wastage,” he says. “Later in life I decided to bring the caravan to Pahi Holiday Park and work in the area as my mum is still in Dargaville. Unfortunately my wife died so I finished the season and started relief milking. “Relief milking is good because you milk the cows and go home. It gives you a bit of pocket money and stops you sitting around doing nothing. The sheds can be quite different with machinery, and each farmer has their own way of doing things. The biggest thing is learning where the paddocks are on each farm. It is important to be
reliable and have an understanding of farm management and be useful to the farmers so they can rely on you when they need time out. “When I am wondering around I kick the troughs and ensure no cows are in the drains or sick. You can train your eye and always check more than you need to. If you haven’t milked before, find someone to teach you — it is a good stepping stone into the industry. If you are good you can get plenty of work. “I have a launch now and go out on the harbour and fish when I want a feed or to relax. “Even for full-time farmers, it is important to get off the farm and have a break. Fishing is just one way to do that.”
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20
December 2017
TARANAKI FARMING LIFESTYLES
DAIRY
In defence of dairying Recent criticism of the dairy industry in relation to water quality has led Dairy NZ chief executive Tim Mackle to counter with the statement that 59 per cent of the public surveyed has a favourable opinion of dairying, and more than 90 per cent of the media coverage about dairying is positive or neutral. “However, we still have a big job ahead of us to get more people thinking positively about dairying, especially when a handful of strongly opinionated people are driving an anti-dairying message,” he said. “DairyNZ, along with many other organisations, is actively investing in informing public opinion. But it’s a long game and there is no silver bullet.” In addressing dairy farmers across the
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country, Mr Mackle said: “Firstly, and most importantly, we represent you and your positive work on-farm. It’s your stories, your effort and your passion that will ultimately make a difference. When members of the public listen to you, read your story or visit your farm, it has a profound impact on how they view dairying. “It’s not just about what you read in your local paper or online news. In the coming months, we’re launching new initiatives to generate positive coverage in a range of media spaces, from TV to social media. This is about getting dairy stories into locations they traditionally haven’t appeared: business, environment, technology and
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innovation pages; and home, lifestyle, travel and food magazines. We want the dairy story to focus on you and the great things you’re doing on-farm, in your communities and in the wider sector. Taking a stand As we all know, media outlets have a tendency to home in on anything negative and sensational, and this can cast dairying and farmers in a bad light. There are a small number of farmers who don’t do the right thing – and that lets us all down. Together, we need to stand up and say it’s not okay to treat animals poorly, or knowingly mismanage effluent. There’s no place for these kinds of farmers in our sector.”
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027 599 9273 www.irrimax.co.nz
WE HAVE Effluent storage solutions. Big or small. Also sand traps, Green wash storage etc.
SIMPLE • SAFE • SELF SUPPORTING • COST EFFECTIVE Anton Meier
M 021 289 5999 P 07 829 5940 E anton@flexitanksnz.com
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A 251 Lee Martin Rd, RD1, Cambridge, NZ W www.flexitanksnz.com
Design, Consent, Earthworks and construction.
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301 Norfolk Rd,Ingelwood P: 027 223 6699 dgpcontracting@xtra.co.nz
Price $99.50+GST EACH Freight free anywhere in NZ • Buy 10 receive 12 and 2x service kits • 3 models available – all the one price • Nearly indestructible • Only NZ Manufacturer providing lifetime guarantee on the body of the ballcock
QUAD BIKE SAFETY Wear a helmet.
www.sisballcock.co.nz | 0800 175 720 Only available direct from manufacturer
A helmet is a must while riding a quad bike around the farm.
TARANAKI FARMING LIFESTYLES
December 2017
DAIRY
Uncommon sense
21
David Law, Managing Director of Forward Farming Consultancy
Mycoplasma bovis — is this a cause? POND DEATH There is some big picture information in which I believe farming itself may be indirectly connected to the initial cause of this disease. My own experience connected to other biological scientists and specialist vets specifically working on this disease in Europe have led to this theory. • Effluent, good or bad, is spread on pasture; • This feed, whether directly or after harvesting is fed to cattle; • Clostridia, Botulism, Mycoplasma bovis are all anaerobic bacteria; • Clostridia is generally present when anaerobic effluent is present in feed; • A symptom of cattle with clostridia is the inability for the animal to suck water in the normal way. They lick at it instead; • Nutrients from the rumen need water to transport around the body past the rumen; • With the inability to physically drink adequate water, the animal effectively starves after the rumen; • The animal is unable to fight disease; • Mycoplasma bovis, which is always present takes advantage and becomes prevalent; • Mycoplasma bovis is generally present and associated with botulism and clostridia, • Testing for clostridia and botulism
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CONTRACTING SPECIALISTS WITH OVER 50 YEARS EXPERIENCE Merry Christmas to all our customers and thank you for your support in 2017.
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will, if present, confirm the origin of the Mycoplasma Bovis. If this information checks out then we can treat the disease, manage it and prevent it in the future. My vet colleague in Denmark stated that, after the death of hundreds of cows in Germany, anaerobic effluent is not irrigated to pasture anymore. Of course, MPI have already made their decision and they seem to think differently — killing cows will definitely fix the symptom. David Law owns Forward Farming Biological Consultancy Visit for more — forwardfarming.co.nz
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The following are a list of basic observations I have collected: • Dairy farm effluent is generally either anaerobic or aerobic; • Symptoms of anaerobic ponds are crusted and have an effluent pH below 7. The thicker the crust, the lower the pH; • Symptoms of an aerobic pond show lesser crust with a pH of the effluent above 7. The higher the pH over 7 the clearer the pond is of crust and sludge; • Both these bacteria types have exclusive competition, so as the conditions change further away from pH 7, either way, the bacteria which enjoy those conditions dominate; • Chemicals used in dairy farm cleaning, particularly chlorine, kill aerobic bacteria; • Good biology beneficial to animal health is generally associated with aerobic bacteria; • Bad and pathogenic disease causing biology is generally associated with anaerobic bacteria;
Do we have to kill the good guys to get the bad guys?
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December 2017
TARANAKI FARMING LIFESTYLES
RURAL WHEELS
Transformation games by Andy Bryenton
When they first said perhaps a decade ago, that the era of the four door sedan was drawing to a close, people laughed. As the hot hatch began to be slowly replaced with the micro-crossover SUV, disbelief was the order of the day. As in fashion and art, the auto world carries a sea-anchor of memories and pre-suppositions. But the hour is at hand. Proof that the landscape has definitely shifted. No, we don’t mean the end of production for the Commodore
Oi! DON’T TXT & DRIVE
and Falcon. Take a look at the current range from Nissan. The people who brought us the Maxima, that consummate big sedan, the Pulsar, available as a hot hatch with a bonnet scoop that could swallow medium sized animals, and ancestrally machines like the Sunny and the 120Y have a very different offering on the forecourt for 2017. It breaks down like this. Perhaps the single best value for money supercar-thrashing sports machine on four wheels — the GT-R. Under that, a coupe which builds on a history stretching back to the Fairlady Z, and which would make some folks second-guess a Porsche. And afterwards — it’s sports utilities all the way through.
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There’s some very good ones, at that. The Juke may not be everyone’s stylistic cup of tea, but the crossover market is all about pop art style. Then we have the best-selling Qashqai, the X-Trail, the Pathfinder and the big Patrol as daddy of the family. The Navara ute finishes off a lineup that has no hot hatch, no sedan — and feels like there’s really nothing missing. The shift has happened, we’re in the 21st century, and the car DNA has split. Understanding this has allowed Nissan to create a range that caters to modern tastes with a spectrum of closely gradated SUVs for every niche, and left their car division free to fly
into new realms of lateral Gs and tyre smoke wizardry. Yes, the 370Z is good fun. In New Zealand it comes in only one option, but that’s because you don’t put tomato sauce on a perfectly crafted slice of sushi. But the GT-R is better than good. It’s transcended the hooligan past of the Skyline which went before it, in the same way Dodge’s Viper transcended their range of huge pickup trucks. If a clean split between the SUVs the public desire and the car as kinetic art and science is needed to make this happen, let it happen. In this case, the results have certainly justified the means and the method.
FARMERS WORLDWIDE CHOOSE... The NEW JIALING FARMER 150 GENERATION 3 has arrived! Why buy second hand when you can buy new for only $1,985+GST* Still the same price as when we launched in 2012
Farmer 150 – 150cc 4 stroke – Electric start / kick start – Front and rear racks – 9L fuel tank – Fully enclosed chain guard – Protection bars on engine and chain – Hand control protection bars – Workshops with huge stockholding of parts
Created by Jialin g and Hon da in 19 81 and still unbe 31 years atable later.
Unequalled for strength, quality and reliability at this price. * Ex works (Putaruru) (delivery and build up costs may apply)
We have trade in bikes from $595+GST. These bikes are as we received them. We also have a selection of trade in bikes that have gone through our workshop for inspection and service from $995+GST. We would like to welcome a new dealer,
Anyone interested in becoming a dealer please contact us on 07 883 3236
Mechanics @ Pahiatua – 06 376 6537
Jialing Farm Bikes • 58 Kensington Street, Putaruru
TARANAKI FARMING LIFESTYLES
December 2017
RURAL WHEELS
Virtual practice for driving success
QUAD BIKE SAFETY
by Andy Bryenton
Concentrate on the riding.
With top titles in the world of automotive gaming storming the Christmas gift wish lists, it’s little surprise that young Kiwi car enthusiasts know every twist and turn of tracks like Bathurst and the Nurburgring. But can this technology be taken down a gear from the world of racing to the world of daily driving? The answer is a resounding ‘yes’ from the ACC, who have recently launched a virtual driving simulator of their own.
Look where you’re going, not where the stock are going.
Rather than debuting the massive horsepower and empty tarmac of games such as Forza Motorsport and Gran Turismo, this VR sim is designed to build practical driving skills for learners in real life. Because here’s the truth — while young Kiwi drivers are great at tests on paper, easily remembering the technical rules of the road, many are daunted by real practical tests behind the wheel. It’s a high pressure situation, often described as more frightening than academic exams, and the new virtual programme seeks to remedy this. “This is truly a world-first in driver education,” said ACC Road Injury Prevention Manager, Simon Gianotti. ACC research says that the most difficult group of drivers to reach are males aged 18 and 19, and they’re also some of the most at risk of serious injury. “We spoke to hundreds of young Kiwis and we know that many of them feel daunted by practical driving tests. We also know drivers who are better at spotting hazards are safer drivers.”
The VR programme is designed to work with a headset which accommodates many popular brands of mobile smartphones — there’s no need to own an expensive PS4 or PC with a dedicated virtual reality interface. Running on Apple and Android, the DriveVR immersive programme puts you behind the wheel of a test car in a typical Kiwi suburb. You’re marked for such points as window and mirror checks, handling traffic, moving through intersections and more. While nothing can replace real-life practise, this is an innovative step in the right direction, allowing young learners a chance to brush up on their skills anytime, any place, without having a sometimes anxious mum or dad in the passenger seat beside them. That confidence is sure to come through when the real driving test is sat, and, it’s ACC’s hope, translates into a more skilled new class of motorists on our roads. Visit the ACC’s website to download a free copy.
Oi!
23
DON’T TXT & DRIVE
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DARYL
SEE DARYL Phone (06) 278 4160
Mon-Fri 8am-5pm Sat 9am-12pm
141 Glover Road Hawera • 027 456 7875
Taranaki Rural Marketplace GORDYS FLYTRAP FITTING®
Available from PGG Wrightson & Farmlands. UV Protected Polycarbonate. Fits on any container with a flat surface. Instructions supplied with the fitting. 06 278 4756 | 309 South Road, Hawera facebook.com/baileymotorcycles baileymotorcycles@xtra.co.nz baileymcparts@xtra.co.nz
$20 plus p&p
GORDYS FLYTRAP FITTING 21 LITCHFIELD ST, BLENHEIM
Email: elaine.gordon@xtra.co.nz www.gordys-flytrap-fitting.com Patented in New Zealand/Australia
Greg Lewis 027 453 0326
Darrel Nicholas Darrel Nicholas Level 1, White Hart, 47 Queen Street PO Box 1058, Hart, New Plymouth Level 1, White 47 Queen4340 Street PO Box 1058, New Plymouth 4340 Office (06) 758 2484 Mobile (06) 027 248 Office 758 4011 2484 Email 027 darrel@robertangus.co.nz Mobile 248 4011 Email darrel@robertangus.co.nz Robert Angus Real Estate Ltd MREINZ - Licensed Real Estate Agent (REAA2008) Robert Angus Real Estate Ltd MREINZ - Licensed Real Estate Agent (REAA2008)
Justin Robinson 027 445 9162
Top Of The Line Electricity Services LTD Line Mechanics — topofthelinetaranaki@gmail.com
Free Quotes Powerline construction maintenance fault repair services overhead and underground
Servicing the Lower North Island for all rental equipment
FREEPHONE 0800 447 392 Wellington | Palmerston North www.hireways.co.nz | E: hire@hireways.co.nz
TARANAKI FARMING CLASSIFIEDS Phone 0800 466 793
Financial BANK SAID NO? We specialise in Farm Finance, working capital and debt consolidation. Also welcome applications from property developers, builder’s and first home buyers. Call 0800 888 449 or email bill@gfbl.co.nz.
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.
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December 2017 TARANAKI FARMING LIFESTYLES
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