Taranaki Farming Lifestyles, February 2023

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Value Farm Sheds

Education programme passes milestone

Wool in Schools has just seen the 25,000th student pass through its wool sheds.

Value Farm Buildings are constructed from quality materials that last at prices you can afford. Visit our website for full specs.

Building Supplies

The Wool in Schools programme, established by Campaign for Wool, is a global initiative spearheaded by the former HRH The Prince of Wales. In 2015, the project’s first converted 20-foot shipping container, known as the Wool Shed, was opened at Tawa Intermediate by His Royal Highness.

With interest from primary and intermediate schools around New Zealand snowballing since then, a second container was created in 2018 to support the South Island better.

The Wool in Schools experience takes approximately 30 minutes as children pass through a series of interactive stations inside the Wool Shed. Each station teaches them about wool processes and the different uses and benefits of wool in fun and engaging ways. There is also a mini loom in the container so they can try weaving.

Funding by Campaign for Wool, with sponsorship from PGG Wrightson Wool, ensures the Wool Shed visits are free of charge for schools. Containers are on-site at each school for up to two weeks, and teachers are provided with a comprehensive set of workbooks prior to the container arriving.

Wool in Schools will soon be taken to new heights with expansion into secondary and tertiary settings. The

containers will also be freshly painted with new interactive displays, and the charity will launch a digitised format for resources.

Advocacy for Campaign for Wool NZ general manager Tom O’Sullivan said being able to educate 25,000 New Zealand school students is a real privilege.

“We’re so pleased with the response to the Wool Shed project. It’s a fantastic milestone to have reached 25,000 pupils. My own two daughters have been through the Wool Shed themselves and still talk about it at home.

“We still have a long way to go and would like every school student in New Zealand to have the opportunity to experience our Wool Sheds and learn about wool in this way.”

Each school’s Wool in Schools experience usually includes a visit from a local PGG Wrightson team member to add an even greater depth of knowledge and provide inspiration to the students.

PGG Wrightson general manager of wool Grant Edwards believes the initiative is wonderful.

“It’s something we are delighted to be involved with.”

Teachers or principals can register their interest for a Wool Shed visit via the Wool in Schools website.

Students learn about wool processes and the different uses and benefits of wool, with the Wool in Schools programme

Name change and new members for awards

The new year has seen a name change for the executive of the New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards and two new members welcomed on board.

The name change from NZDIA Executive to the Advisory and Engagement Group is to reflect better the roles members have within the awards programme.

NZDIA general manager Robin Congdon said the team is thrilled to welcome Milton farmer Louise Sahin, and Manawatū farmer Maegan Legg, to the group and looks forward to working closely with them.

“We are excited to have new members on board who will bring different skill sets and experiences that will complement our existing members,” he said.

“They will work closely with the other members and the management team to help with the continuous evaluation and development of the NZDIA programme and help us engage with the regional committees and entrants across the country.”

Maegan and her husband Terry won the 2020 Manawatū Share Farmer of the Year title. Maegan was also the 2021 and 2022 regional manager and the 2021 and 2023 share farmer team leader. This year, she has taken on the role of the skills day coordinator for the region too.

“I have a passion for personal growth and believe the awards programme is an amazing avenue to really understand your own passion and drive, both within and beyond the dairy industry.”

“I feel very positive about the changes that have already been made to all the categories

and look forward to working with the team to solidify changes moving forward,” she said.

Louise and her husband entered the share farmer category five years ago. She is thrilled to now be in a position to give back to the programme.

“I found the experience to be a great opportunity to learn about our business, our strengths and our weaknesses, and allowed us to explore new business opportunities we hadn’t previously considered.

“I believe it’s important for industryled programmes to stay ahead of developments within the dairy industry and continue to share the good farming stories,” she said.

The NZDIA comprises of the New Zealand Share Farmer of the Year, New Zealand Dairy Manager of the Year, and the New Zealand Dairy Trainee of the Year programmes, as well as the Fonterra Responsible Dairying Award.

Maegan Legg is one of two new members welcomed to the NZDIA Advisory and Engagement Group (AEG)

“I found the experience to be a great opportunity to learn about our business, our strengths and our weaknesses, and allowed us to explore new business opportunities we hadn’t previously considered.”

GOVERNANCE AGRICULTURAL JOURNEY

BY DENISE GUNN

Jessie joined NZYF almost 10 years ago and has gone on to hold several governance positions. She said her governance journey began when she was appointed to Dairy Trust Taranaki as the NZYF-appointed entity in 2019.

“The following year, I was elected to the NZYF board, and this year, I was elected chair of the organisation.”

More recently, Jessie, a member of the Inglewood Young Farmers Club, was elected to Dairy Trust Taranaki as a trustee. She is now the vice chairperson.

BREWER’S UPHOLSTERY

“I’ve handed over the baton to the next Young Farmers-appointed trustee.”

Last year, after winning the Emerging Director Award from the Taranaki Institute of Directors, Jessie will sit on the Venture Taranaki board as an observer for 12 months.

Although Jessie didn’t grow up on a farm, she spent most of her life in rural Taranaki. As a secondary student, Jessie received top marks in agriculture and was often helping out on local farms.

She left Taranaki to follow a journalism career in Oamaru. It was while living in the South Island that Jessie joined the Five Forks branch of NZYF in North Otago, holding a number of committee positions.

In 2016, Jessie returned to Taranaki to take up an office management position for Taranaki Federated Farmers. Jessie also took on the Taranaki Ballance

position.

Farm Environment Awards regional coordinator

Jessie is also Dairy Trust Taranaki deputy chairperson

As chairperson of the New Zealand Young Farmers, Jessie Waite is focussing on seeing the movement grow into a sustainable organisation.

Two years ago, Jessie moved roles to become a regional partner at OSPRI, looking after Taranaki farmers. “This role supports and educates farmers and stakeholders with NAIT and also TB Free.”

As NZYF chairperson, Jessie is looking forward to giving back to the organisation. “Along with running the board meetings and representing the organisation, it’s also about ensuring that everyone’s thoughts on agenda items are heard. Having diverse thoughts around the table is so important.

“In terms of the organisation, the focus will be seeing NZYF continuing to grow into a sustainable organisation that those in the food and fibres sector, and with a passion for what we do, see huge value in being part of.

“I look forward to growing my skills in governance, especially in the leadership

space. We have independent directors on the NZYF board who have an incredible amount of experience and knowledge, so soaking up as much of that from them will be invaluable.”

In 2018 Jessie was one of three recipients in the NZYF Excellence Awards. She also held several NZYF club and regional committee positions.

“I have stepped back from committee roles since joining the board, but the clubs and regions around the country have some amazing leaders within their committees. It’s neat to see members take on these roles.”

She is a board representative on the NZYF content subcommittee too. “This committee focusses on the direction of FMG Young Farmer of the Year and ensuring it’s a showcase of the best young farmers from around the country.”

In her time with NZYF, Jessie said it is the people she has enjoyed the most.

“I truly value the friendships I have made around the country through connections made at NZYF events and at club level.

“The focus for 2023, personally, will be making the most of my time left with the organisation. Come the AGM in July, I will be leaving due to being aged out. I don’t think it’s sunk in yet after being an active member for nearly 10 years.”

Jessie plans to take up new opportunities and continue to grow her skills within leadership, both in governance roles and at work.

“I’m really proud to be part of the food and fibres sector. New Zealand is one of the most efficient when it comes to farmers and growers, and it comes down to the incredible people we have in our sectors.

“New Zealand Young Farmers has such a rich history and I have been proud to be on this leg of the journey.”

New Zealand Young Farmers chairperson Jessie Waite

Taking up new opportunities and growing leadership skills are among Jessie’s plans

FOR FOOD FARMING INSECTS

BY DENISE GUNN

Keeping sustainability and up-cycling in mind, Aaron and Melissa Jacobson have developed their rural Eltham property into a diverse ecosystem and haven of food self-sufficiency.

The couple always wanted a small amount of land to try to work towards self-sufficiency. Eleven years ago, they moved to their three-acre property and began to develop it.

Melissa said the property was like a blank canvas with steep paddocks and erosion issues near the house.

“There were no gardens; not even the usual backyard lemon tree. The greywater and septic system was a shambles. Early on we established where gardens and orchards would be best, but our plans have been continually evolving ever since.

“We started with planting a small orchard area and built some terrace garden beds, partly to help retain a steep hill that led right up to the house.”

As part of their sustainable goal, the couple utilises all greywater and septic waste. Aaron said the aim of their greywater mulch basins, composting toilets and humanure system is to model to others how to safely utilise their own waste.

“We now utilise all greywater and septic waste in a useful way. We also have a new food forest which aims to replicate systems in a natural forest. It is about working with nature rather than battling against it.

MotorBody Works

“No green waste leaves the property and is used to create as much compost as possible. We also create all of our own plant food fertilisers.”

The couple both grew up learning about gardening from their families. Aaron works as a laboratory technician, and Melissa is a secondary school biology and science teacher.

“Melissa has a zoology and ecology degree, and a lot of the scientific

knowledge is applicable to the work we are doing here,” said Aaron.

“Ultimately, we approach most of what we do with a scientific lens. Research and educated experimentation are part of the planning of all products.”

In addition to the numerous features developed on the property, the couple has completed earthworks to build a shed where they can start commercially farming insects.

Aaron and Melissa with their three children Lucas, Cohen and Alinka-Jean

“We have the breeding trays ready for mealworms and will be able to get that going this year. We also plan on farming locusts.”

Melissa said they like to dry-roast mealworms. “They taste nice. Nutty would be the best way to describe them. We hope that the insect farm will be fully operational by the end of this year.”

Many of their plants are grown from seeds and cuttings. Some vegetable plants are left to go to seed which is collected, but also creates food for beneficial insects.

Melissa said there are plans to plant companion plants in the vegetable garden and food forest to attract beneficial insects. Insect hotels have also been set up.

“Where possible, we look for opportunities to upcycle and utilise things that others don’t need or want with old tin for garden beds, barrel planters,

sheep dags as mulch and old hay as a component of our compost.”

The couple’s three children are an integral part of the property and enjoy helping out.

“They all have strong work ethics, and even our smallest, at seven years old, can haul mulch and compost all around the property,” said Melissa.

“Teaching our children about where their food comes from has always been important to us, as well as ensuring they have the skills to grow their own.”

When the family opens their Little Insect Farm during the Taranaki Sustainable Backyards Trail, the children enjoy sharing the property with visitors. “They have a wealth of knowledge,” said Melissa.

Phase two of the food forest will include an upcycled walk-through glasshouse with a thermal, earth-rammed tyre wall on the southern side. There are also plans to

construct a root cellar to help with food preservation throughout the year.

Hundreds of people follow the family’s project journeys through their Instagram and Facebook pages at instagram.com/ thelittleinsectfarm/ and facebook.com/ thelittleinsectfarm.

Their property is also open to visitors, with bookings made through secretgardens. co.nz/garden/the-little-insect-farm.

“The property is now an abundance of produce and wildlife. A property that is working towards several closed loop systems,” said Aaron.

Rural views from the Jacobson’s property near Eltham

Damian and Jane are milking 425 cows on their 270ha (158ha effective) farm near Alton. Together with their son, Jack, they received an Environmental Leadership in Dairy Farming award at the 2022 Taranaki Regional Council’s Environmental Awards.

The family is on a mission to restore biodiversity and return native birds to the region. For the past 15 years, they’ve planted close to 18,000 indigenous trees and worked with the Taranaki Regional Council to restore a damaged bush block. This block is now classed as a key native ecosystem and will be protected under a QEII Trust covenant in the near future.

Damian has a background in shearing, working in Australia and the United

Kingdom. He met Australian-born Jane while she was working in the hospitality industry. The pair travelled the world for a couple of years but after returning to New Zealand, Damian had a shearing accident.

“We then made the decision to go dairy farming. We started off not knowing anything and we got very lovely farm owners, Peter and Jan Campbell, who taught us everything,” said Damian.

The Ropers worked their way up the ladder to buy their farm in 2006. They continued sharemilking until 2016.

“In 2016 we moved on to our own farm after about 20 years of sharemilking. We worked hard and made a number of sacrifices to achieve that ultimate goal. It was preservation and dedication that really got us there.”

WITH THE LAND

BY DENISE GUNN

2 STAND

CONTRACTORS

CRUTCHING TRAILER

Since moving to their Alton property, the Ropers have completely redesigned the entire farm, widening raceways, building a 50-bale rotary cowshed and

a 500-cow feedpad. With nearly 70ha under effluent irrigation, the Ropers have been able to make a 50% saving in fertiliser.

The family milk 425 cows on their 270ha farm

Restoring biodiversity, planting trees and controlling predators has become part of the Roper family’s dairy farming journey.

“We grow 22ha of maize on-farm and eight hectares on our run-off. We also grow about 23ha of chicory and five hectares of turnips. It’s a summer insurance policy because we can almost guarantee our production from January through to the end of season. We run a lower stocking rate, so can manage climate weather events better.”

Last year’s production figures reached 255,000kgMS. All waterways are fenced and marginal areas of the farm have been retired permanently into native trees.

“After five years, we were seeing kākā and tūī numbers increase. That, combined with our strong predator control, gave the native side of things a good boost.”

Damian said the development of the Taranaki Catchment Communities has really brought the community together

and helped farmers become more enviro-sustainable.

“It’s helped them through their farming journey with litigation and all the things that have been happening. They realise everyone is in the same boat and not alone. The catchment community has been wonderful for that.”

A 2.5ha lake was created on the farm in 2014 with regional council consent. Water quality is checked annually by an independent ecologist. Surveys have shown a massive increase in eel and invertebrate numbers.

In March 2020, the family built a traditional Māori pā to protect their gardens and native tree nursery on the farm.

“We are learning about the Māori language, culture, history and how the Māori people are connected with nature, and how special they hold it in high

regard. So we have adopted a lot of those principles on the farm.

“I went through Ngāti Ruanui and they set down guidelines for us to follow. They came and blessed it at the opening.

“The nursery is designed for 10,000 trees. I was growing them in our garage previously. After about 15 months, that doubled to 20,000 seedlings. We now have 35,000 seedlings, all destined to plant out on the farm.”

All seedlings are germinated in the nursery, and then moved into a shade house before eventually being placed outside under a canopy. Within two to four years, the trees are planted out.

So far the Ropers have planted 18,000 trees, with a target to plant 20,000 this year. The total goal is to plant 300,000. Seeds are collected from the bush and other farmers in the area.

Award-winning dairy farmers Jane, Jack and Damian Roper

The Māori pā was built in 2020 to protect the farm’s gardens and the native tree nursery

Turn over a new leaf

Your animals don’t know it yet, but their life is about to change, for the better — so is yours.

Twenty-two years of research, input from a leading animal scientist, intense genetic selection and rigorous testing have led to a new, easy-eating perennial ryegrass with improved nitrogen uptake.

“That means your animals don’t have to work so hard to consume the thousands of bites they need to sustain themselves each day. It also helps you utilise nitrogen fertiliser more ef ciently,” says Barenbrug pasture systems manager Blair Cotching.

Bite me!

The new ryegrass is called Array. It was bred for high intake and easy grazing with dense, erect tillers that stand tall and literally put themselves closer to hungry mouths.

“A dairy cow might take 25,000 bites a day, while a ewe might take 35,000 bites. That demands a lot of energy. Array takes some of the physical effort out of this process,” Blair says.

In creating Array, Barenbrug sought advice from Dr Alastair Nicol, then senior lecturer in animal science at Lincoln University, renowned for

his work on grazing behaviour and plant preference.

Lean and keen

Like all the company’s new grasses, Array was subjected to restricted inputs during development to help ensure it could cope with real-world conditions on-farm.

B.J. Bishop Transport

Unlike others, however, it showed a rare ability to grow more than its peers under low nitrogen, Blair says.

A trial comparing the same cultivars sown and managed identically under high, medium and de cient nitrogen levels, con rmed Array had the edge when nitrogen was scarce because it could extract much more nitrogen from the soil.

Win-win

What does this mean for your farm?

First, more even pasture growth at times when soil nitrogen is de cient. Second, a win for the environment because it gives you the potential to utilise nitrogen more ef ciently.

Array is the highest-yielding ryegrass Barenbrug has bred and is unbeaten in the National Forage Variety Trials for both total yield, and winter growth.

It is the only diploid perennial ryegrass in the top 5-star category for all regions of the DairyNZ Forage Value Index. It has Barenbrug’s highest ranking for pasture persistence, so you can sow with confidence. Array comes with NEA2 endophyte and is available in limited quantities this autumn.

Talk to your seed merchant for details.

Standing tall — Array was made for easy grazing

Yellow is the new green for JCB

by Andy Bryenton

It’s world-famous for making big construction machines, but JCB is a force to be reckoned with in farming, taking out the coveted title of Sustainable Tractor of the Year in the 2023 international awards.

How does magnesium help cramp?

by John Arts

Those that experience muscle cramps know how this happens. Mostly at night, muscles can suddenly cramp with intense pain. Cramps can often be related to physical exercise, dehydration, low salt intake and other factors such as some diseases and medications.

JCB’s powerful Fastrac iCON tractor has won a major international award for its sustainable credentials

While the Tractor of the Year award has a decades-long pedigree, the top prize for a sustainable tractor is only four years deep. Previous winners have included machines designed to run on methane and others which squeeze every drop of power from diesel. This time around, JCB’s Fastrac iCON won praise as much for its interaction with the soil as for its innovative twin-turbo common railinjected engine.

Fabio Zammaretti, chair of the panel which awards the prize, says that while the six-cylinder, 335 horsepower plant was impressive and frugal, the Sustainable Tractor of the Year is not just about fuel economy.

“This is not an award to the greenest tractor. It’s all about how new technologies are making tractors more connected, more efficient, more reliable, safer, more effective on soil protection and less polluting,” said Mr Zammaretti.

The whole picture was taken into account, not the least part of which was the light tread of such a big and capable machine.

“Despite the generous dimension JCB Fastrac iCON is very agile thanks to the numerous steering options, including the ‘crab mode’ that makes this tractor gentile on soil,” said the judges.

Also noted were the advanced GPS systems, and integrated connectivity services such as fleet management and

predictive maintenance, which judges described as ‘a new level’ of quality. JCB is happy to fully customise a Fastrac iCON for its customers’ needs. That allows for a very versatile platform, seeing the big yellow tractors deployed across a multitude of farming roles.

“Creating a fully customisable experience was a top priority for JCB with the Fastrac iCON,” says Shane Coates, vice president of agricultural sales for JCB.

“In addition, our engineering team worked hard to integrate electronics technology such as ISOBUS and GPS guidance along with refining the driving comfort that the Fastrac offers.”

Last but not least, the maximum speed on-road was noted. With the ability to traverse from field to field at up to 60km/h, operators can spend less time en route and more on the job.

Shane’s team are not resting on their laurels. Less than a month ago, the company unveiled plans for hydrogen technology following the successful launch of a specialist hydrogen refuelling vehicle that could revolutionise construction sites and farms in the near future.

JCB’s range of machines for agriculture is available in New Zealand. This latest big win has cast a halo on the entire product range, making them a very attractive proposition for those looking to upgrade their fleet.

Muscle contraction starts with a nerve impulse that arrives at muscle bres (cells). It commences a process that results in muscles contracting and allowing movement in our body. It is worth noting that there are three types of muscles: skeletal muscles are attached to bones to allow us to move; cardiac muscle is the special type of muscle that makes up most of our hearts, while smooth muscle lines our blood vessels and organs.

Calcium is needed for muscles to contract by controlling the nerve-muscle junction. Magnesium is needed for the relaxation of muscles by its role in maintaining muscle electrical activity. Magnesium competes with calcium in this process as it binds to the same sites. A calcium/magnesium imbalance can cause cramps and cardiac muscle heart rhythm issues. That is often because of low magnesium intake, especially in relation to calcium intake.

Fortunately, increasing magnesium to help with cramp is relatively simple by using quality magnesium supplements. The challenge is nding a supplement that works for you. While some supplements use a single

form of magnesium, my preference is to combine three different forms as these are absorbed differently. Some are more rapidly absorbed, while others take longer but have longerlasting effects. I suggest you avoid supplements with magnesium oxide as it can upset digestion.

There are also wide variations in the magnesium doses people need. It is why my magnesium supplement has a dosage range of between one to four capsules daily. That allows for experimentation to get the ideal dose.

John Arts (B.Soc.Sci, Dip Tch, Adv. Dip.Nut.Med) is a nutritional medicine practitioner and founder of Abundant Health Ltd. For questions or advice, contact John on 0800 423 559 or email john@abundant.co.nz. Join his newsletter at abundant.co.nz.

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“Increasing magnesium to help with cramp is relatively simple”.

Field days unite town and country

by Denise Gunn

This year’s Central Districts Field Days mark the 30th anniversary since the event first opened the gates.

Recognised as New Zealand’s largest regional agriculture event, the Central Districts Field Days covers more than 33ha at Manfeild Park in Feilding. The event’s central location proves an ideal hub to cater for the heartland rural sector of the North Island.

Starting with 230 exhibitor sites back in 1993, the field days has grown and developed to now accommodate more

than 600 exhibitors from around New Zealand. The event draws more than 30,000 visitors each year.

In the lead-up to each event, the venue undergoes a steady transformation within just a few days. Farm machinery and tractors arrive, marquees are set up and stallholders display their products, turning the site into a village.

With the latest in cutting-edge technology, machinery, automotive and equipment on display, and stateof-the-art agricultural innovations and lifestyle products, there is plenty to interest visitors.

Top-notch regional food and local brews will be available. The destination hub will feature Brew Union as well as cuisine and lifestyle pavilions. Demonstrations, displays, exhibits and live music will keep the crowds entertained too. The National Excavator Operator competition will return, along with freestyle motocross and fencing contests.

The jam-packed three-day event brings farmers and townies together, giving visitors opportunities to yarn with each other and the exhibitors.

“This is a much-anticipated event that has become a highlight of the year for the rural sector,” said Central District Field Days event manager Jonathan Paul.

“From farmers and foodies, to tech-heads and townies, there is something for everyone. We know how much people have been waiting to reconnect with the greater community, support local brands, and of course, enjoy some great deals.”

There’s also an ultimate prize pack up for grabs with a wide range of goodies, including a Brent Smith trailer and a Honda outdoor bundle. Entry for this is on iPads provided at the event.

The Central Districts Field Days will be held from Thursday, March 16 to Saturday, March 18, 2023. Gates open at 9am over the three days.

Event tickets can be purchased online or at the gate. Online ticket purchases are available now and cheaper than gate sales at $20 for each adult and $50 for a family of five (children up to 15 years). Further ticket, exhibitor and visitor information at cdfielddays.co.nz.

The Central Districts Field Days will be held from Thursday, March 16 to Saturday, March 18, 2023

Drag Hose

Enjoy the experience

at the Central Districts Field Days.

From farmers and foodies to townies and tech-heads, New Zealand’s largest regional field days has something for everyone from Thursday, March 16 to Saturday, March 18, 2023.

If it is your first time visiting the event, there are some 535 exhibitors across 785 sites. There will be displays with the latest equipment and machinery, such as tractors and fencing equipment, cutting-edge machinery and the latest developments in rural innovation, thrilling FMX shows, lifestyle trends, top-notch regional food and local brews.

Eventgoers can obtain a variety of exclusive deals and have the chance to chat with exhibitors. Take the opportunity to stock up on special treats while enjoying fun and freebies for the whole family.

Exhibitors include Brent Smith Trailers, specialist manufacturers of bike trailers, car trailers, heavy duty commercial trailers, tipping trailers and ute decks, canopy trailers, horse floats, dog trailers and boxes. The 100 per cent owned and operated New Zealand family business has had one owner for more than 35 years.

Whether you are local, or travelling from afar, the Manawatū has many hidden gems to offer, including rural adventures and urban city sights. After hours, enjoy

some of the many eateries off-site while catching up with new friends and old, in the city and in the countryside.

In Feilding, some standouts include Piccolos, Amayjen the Restaurant and The Strong Room. In the wider region, Ginger Bird in Colyton is a cafe not to be missed, along with The Herb Farm Cafe in Ashhurst.

If you want to take in some natural sights, put on your walking boots or hire a bike and check out the stunning scenery. Feilding on a Friday has the award-winning farmers’ market held in the town square providing tasty treats, fresh produce and artisan delights. Another not-to-be-missed experience is Feilding’s world-class Coach House Museum.

Manawatū caters to everyone’s tastes and comforts. While you are off the farm, consider having an extended stay at one of the many hotels, motels, B&Bs, farm stays and glamping sites, or stay close to the field days activity at Āpiti or Kimbolton. These spots are known for their selection of activities and are sure to turn your stay into a memorable experience.

The Central Districts Field Days is the success it is thanks to the partner family, who continue to help provide a memorable event, and support and share what field days are all about.

Harvest time is nearly here Get organised now

Protect your machinery with lanolin

The protection comes from Prolan, an iconic by-product of New Zealand’s sheep industry — lanolin. Prolan makes natural, environmentally friendly lubricants and corrosion inhibitors, which are getting noticed on the other side of the world.

Prolan owners Murray and Julie Shaw now export their product to Denmark, Sweden, Iceland, UK, Netherlands, Canada and even Guam. Prolan is used for wind turbines and cranes as well as by pump manufacturers and trucking rms.

Prolan NZ Director, Murray Shaw, said the company has an extensive range of products made from lanolin (wool grease), which is secreted by sheep to protect their eece in harsh conditions. We’ve replicated that action to protect a range of surfaces.

“We spent a lot of money researching how to take the lanolin and blend it with natural products to make industrial lubricants,” says Murray. “I’m so proud of the ground we’ve made in our export markets. We’re well ahead of our competitors. It’s solid progress, and it’s exciting.

“Prolan’s rust treatment more than doubles the life of farm machinery.

A quad bike, for example, costs around $20,000 and often only has a life of four to ve years on a dairy farm. Washing and drying that bike and applying a coating of Prolan will prevent the chassis of that bike (or any other farm implement) from developing rust — effectively doubling or tripling its life.”

The Prolan can simply be applied by a compressed air paint system and, once dried to a waxy surface, will withstand water-blasting.

“Where paint hardens and cracks as the implement exes under use, the Prolan coating remains exible, preventing any ingress of moisture,” Murray said.

“It’s so versatile — everyone should have a can. We live in a coastal country, so anyone with a motorhome, a boat, a trailer or a quad bike would bene t from the anti-corrosive properties. Even small jobs like a squeaky door hinge or a sticky shower door are an easy x with Prolan.”

It’s also environmentally friendly — taken from nature to protect nature. See us at the Central Districts Field Days — Site S43. mooreyanimalbedding

Vehicle chassis coated with Prolan Extreme

A small investment to stop rust will lengthen the life of farm machinery, like quad bikes, ATVs, trucks, loaders and fertiliser spreaders, just to name a few.

Technology for changing times

by Andy Bryenton

While Northland Field Days is huge, it and all other farming shows are dwarfed by the ‘mother of them all’, Hanover’s vast Agritechnica, held biannually to showcase the best in farming technology.

The next of these massive events occur at the end of this year, and registrations are already set to close as the mammoth undertaking of staging the show gets up to speed. The theme for the next of these colossal events resonates with our field days this year; seamless green productivity through uncertain times.

“We expect the world’s leading trade fair to provide answers to the question of how a seamless supply of food is possible in light of current events,” said Tilmann Köller, a spokesperson for machinery heavyweight John Deere. “With its innovative technological solutions, the agricultural machinery industry is making a significant contribution to this.”

Mechanisation and automation have played a key role in making it possible to feed a growing world population effectively. Through the destabilising

times of the Covid-19 pandemic, farming was one sector that proved resilient and remained productive.

Agritechnica has seen the debut of many new technologies, from satellite navigation for fertiliser spreaders to undersowing with added precision and even hydrogen power for tractors. Now, the organisers are taking the show on the road to explore automation for other environments, above and beyond the pasture and croplands of Europe, which are only partially replicated in New Zealand.

While we have a lot in common with European automated farming practices, there are crops and environments in New Zealand that share similarities with places closer to home in the Asia-Pacific region. Hence why all eyes were on the first-ever Agritechnica hosted in Vietnam late last year.

Agricultural machinery innovation is seen as the best way to increase farming productivity, and shows such as Agritechnica and the

“It is necessary to boost mechanisation in agricultural production, apply smart and environmentally friendly technologies towards digitalisation and automation to increase labour productivity,” said Vietnam’s Agriculture Minister Le Minh Hoan. Everything from rice-planting aerial drones to specialist tractors for steep hillside orchards was rolled out in the city of Can Tho to a packed audience.

“Our demonstrations of the efficient irrigation systems for saving water while achieving higher yields resulted in many new ideas coming from our discussions with decision-makers and farmers,” commented Mr Klaus Ferk, Sales Director Asia, Australia and New Zealand at Röhren- und Pumpenwerk Bauer.

His company, like many others on the global stage, includes New Zealand in the Asia-Pacific bloc, and innovations made for the conditions of some other nations in this sphere are applicable to niche crop and farming practices taking hold in parts of our own country. Northland, currently the site of large investments in dam-based irrigation for cropping of exotic new fruits and vegetables, is one area which could well benefit from modular, off-grid water saving and deployment insights.

With advanced mechanisation, the driving force behind local agricultural contracting businesses, all eyes are on the world’s biggest showcase of new, greener tech, both at home in Hanover and now in the east.

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Rolling into the future

by Andy Bryenton

Tyre tech is more important to tractor and machinery operation than many outside the agricultural industry know, with its impact on soil compaction, fuel usage and pasture management.

Recent years have seen major advances in tyre design, with increased flexion, smart technologies to manage internal air pressure on the fly, and even tread patterns designed to mimic evolved grip ideas from nature. Where the rubber meets the turf is a vital zone. The more science tells us about the importance of the biota just beneath the surface of our fertile fields, the more tyre technology adapts to let heavier, more powerful machines make a lighter footprint.

There’s some irony to the fact that innovators at the cutting edge of tyre manufacture envision a full circle of the ‘wheel of ideas’, back to an era when inflatable tyres are missing from the machinery shed. Of course, in earlier times, tractors were fitted out with cleated steel wheels, providing excellent grip but no cushioning for the soil or the posterior of the operator either.

A new generation of airless tyres has been posited by companies like Bridgestone and Michelin, which have been working on the concept for roughly a decade now. While it seems counter-intuitive to move away from recent advancements in flexion, strength and durability in air-filled tyres, the engineers behind this new, airless concept have some good points in their favour.

Bridgestone, for example, says that as well as eliminating the possibility of a flat, its concept airless tyres will provide reduced carbon emissions, as close to 90 per cent of rolling resistance in conventional tyres comes for the repeated deformation of the tyre’s shape as it rolls. It is exacerbated by heavier machines, so Bridgestone hopes that it can slash overall CO2 by taking the air out of tyres.

Michelin has taken things a step further with a series of airless tyres for zero-turn mowers. While these are not the same weight class as big agricultural machines, lessons learned in this arena are transferable. It has found that air-free tyres mean a far more even cut, a steadier, smoother ride, and importantly, for future farm innovations, the ability to ride smoothly over stubble. With new cultivars of forage and food crops bred to have former stalks, stubble resistance is something farmers are looking for in their machinery tyres today.

Computer modelling and even AI design may be the key to developing airless tyres that are strong and reliable enough to cut it in the world of agriculture. When that time comes, current tyre manufacturers and local installers will no doubt lead the way, tackling the new challenges associated with the shift toward a whole new way of rolling.

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Airless tyres are already appearing on some heavy equipment and ride-on mowers; how long before this tech can catch up with the latest knowledge on soil compaction in agriculture?

The men who circled the square

by Andy Bryenton

Round bales in pastel green wraps are a feature of the rural landscape in modern times, but it took more than half a century for the concept to cotton and replace the square bales many still think of when hay is mentioned.

While the humble haystack was supplanted by a clever invention commercialised by Cyrus McCormick in 1874, round balers never caught the public eye until they went large. A round baler powered by steam was shown off in Paris in the late 1800s, but it didn’t offer any kind of big advantage over the square bale concept.

A production baler that rolled and compacted hay went into production after the second world war, with Allis-Chalmers making a go of the concept until 1960. However, it was just after this that the big innovation in round baling came about as part of a farming student’s dream in Iowa.

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STEPPING BEYOND THE NUMBERS

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Virgil Haverdink didn’t just have a great name for an inventor. He also had a burning need to come up with something special to use for his master’s thesis on mechanised agriculture. Stuck for a project that could earn him his degree, Virgil paid a visit to Professor Wesley Buchele, who was a local authority in farming engineering. Whether or not the professor’s name, which rhymes with ‘bushel’ gave them inspiration is lost to history. What we do know is that the master instructed the student to think laterally on round baling and why it had never taken off.

What Virgil came up with led to a group of other students and their professor

disrupting the whole baling process. They thought beyond the feat of parcelling up hay and considered what happened next. The group realised that a round bale of considerable size could be handled by a tractor with the right implements and that it would be easy to wrap and feed out with machines. The days of small bales slung by hand would be over.

Australia was all over the concept, with the Econ Fodder Roller Baler debuting there in 1969. Later that year, as the world was rocked by Woodstock, an Iowa machinery company, Hawkbilt, talked to the team led by Haverdink and Buchele, and secured the plans for their invention. The Australians had beaten them to the punch. Still, the final word would go to another Iowan who gave the concept its final twist. Gary Vermeer switched up the machinery with belts to compact the hay, hashing out the design in chalk on his shed floor. Thanks to him, the first truly modern baler was created, debuting in 1972. It wasn’t long before tractor drivers worldwide were learning to handle a bale spike or a set of grips, to tote the new round bales about the farm. Packing the equivalent of 40 small square bales, a single one of these compacted masses of hay can feed 20 to 30 cattle each day, making for more efficient farming.

Gary Vermeer took an Iowan invention and made it a worldwide success with some clever additions and on-farm acumen in 1972

Biofuel mandate up in smoke

by Andy Bryenton

The government’s planned biofuels mandate is set for the political scrapheap, with some calling the decision literally ‘cheap and dirty’, while others praise its pragmatism and the end of a possible new cost for farmers.

Prime minister Chris Hipkins admitted that scrapping the biofuels mandate would leave a hole in the nation’s carbon budget, which would have to be ‘plugged’ by other means.

“We’ve got work to do to identify how we fill a hole that’s created by the decision around biofuels, and we will do that with haste,” Hipkins said.

“The mandate would have increased the price of fuel, and given the pressure on households, that’s not something I’m prepared to do,” he said in making the announcement.

The rural sector in New Zealand uses more than 295 million litres of diesel each year, at a cost approaching $1 billion. Even a small percentage point lift in per-litre costs could equate to major expenses for farmers. That’s aside from the possible need to tune, alter or otherwise upgrade machines to run smoothly on the new mix.

Conventional bioethanol can be cost-competitive with petrol on a per-litre basis, but its energy content is about 50% lower than mineral petrol, according to the Ministry of Transport. In the United States, the retail price of biodiesel in neat form is about 20 cents higher a litre than that

of mineral diesel. The energy content of biodiesel is about 90% that of mineral diesel. It would all contribute to a higher cost of operations for diesel-powered machinery and vehicles, which would place additional pressure on a rural sector already hit by regulation and compliance costs for environmental reforms.

Those costs may have been exacerbated by the need to import fuels thanks to the closure of Marsden Point oil refinery. Biofuels are not a major crop for New Zealand; hence these, too, would be subject to import and the whim of global markets.

The Motor Trade Association submitted against the Biofuels Obligation Bill last

month. It said in a statement following the prime minister’s announcement that they had foreshadowed major price hikes. However, they admitted that measures still must be taken against climate change.

The biofuels mandate would have reduced carbon emissions by one million tonnes by 2025, with a further 7 million tonnes in the following decade. Now, all eyes are on whether or not the scrapping of the bill, backed not just by Labour but also by Greens leader James Shaw, will lead to a further tranche of alternative taxes and fees to offset carbon.

Prime minister Chris Hipkins has axed a new biofuels mandate, which is good news for anyone who must use diesel to power their fleet

“We’ve got work to do to identify how we fill a hole that’s created by the decision around biofuels.”