Taranaki Farming Lifestyles, March 2023

Poultry passion

Pages 6–7

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New chair for dairy trust

Farming background helped form career

Rural scenes inspire

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BY DENISE GUNN

Richard and his wife Emma are share farming on Bryan and Wendy Kilsby’s coastal Horowhenua dairy farm. A herd of 450 cows, the majority of those Friesian, are milked on the 190ha effective property.

“We split calve, autumn and spring calving, which is a way of managing climatic risk,” said Richard.

“We also rear 600 calves. Our calves, plus neighbour’s non-replacement calves, and then we also lease a 180ha drystock block down the road. We raise replacements, grow supplements for the dairy farm and raise beef cattle.”

Although Richard grew up in Taupō and Palmerston North, he always enjoyed spending time on farms, hunting and being outdoors.

Throughout his school years, Richard planned a career as either an accountant or lawyer. On finishing his seventh form year, he decided to take a gap year and worked on a dairy farm. At the end of his gap year, Richard went on to university, studying towards a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Business Studies.

However, Richard found he really missed farming, the cows and the sense of achievement that comes with each day on the farm.

“I really enjoyed challenges on the farm. You would overcome them and get a sense of satisfaction from that. So I went back to farming after completing one year of university.”

Richard worked his way up the dairy farming ladder, starting as a farm assistant, followed by assistant farm manager before he went sharemilking.

“I’ve been a herd-owning sharefarmer for the past eight years,” he said.

Winning the 2013 NZDIA Manawatū/ Horowhenua Sharefarmer of the Year was a huge career highlight. The couple found the judging process, followed by winning the title, taught a lot about themselves and their business.

Winning the title opened a lot of doors and opportunities.

“We bought our herd just before the milk price crashed in 2015. Although it was a difficult time for us, I look back on those first few years with a real sense of achievement.”

Richard said the progression system through dairy farming assists people to get ahead.

“I enjoy the fact you can start at the bottom and work your way to the top. Start as a farm assistant, work hard, make good decisions, and you can end up owning a farm.”

Richard is also chair of the Federated Farmers Dairy Industry Group and is a Federated Farmers board member

Horowhenua dairy farmer, Richard McIntyre, has been selected as the new chair for the New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards.

Richard has been an NZDIA trustee since 2017. His experience in governance and representation includes roles as an elected member of Federated Farmers, representing sharemilkers in the Manawatū/Rangitīkei, and former chair of the national sharemilkers’ section. He has held a position on the Dairy Executive since 2016.

Last year, Richard was elected chair of the Federated Farmers Dairy Industry Group and is a Federated Farmers board member. He is also an elected member of the Wellington Fish and Game Regional Council.

Richard is excited to begin his role as NZDIA Trust chair while the programme is in a stage of change.

“The awards programme must continue to change and evolve to ensure relevance in an ever-changing dairy industry,” he said.

“The programme’s core role is to promote and celebrate excellence in the New Zealand dairy industry, and what that actually looks like, is continually changing.

“Our entrants will be our farm owners of the future. Encouraging best practice and excellence from the beginning will give New Zealand farmers the skills and abilities needed for the years to come.”

Richard replaces outgoing chair Natasha Tere who guided the awards and trust through a challenging phase in the programme’s history with Covidrelated adversities.

New NZDIA chair Richard McIntyre

RURAL SCENES

INSPIRE

BY DENISE GUNN

Mark grew up on his family’s farm at Tarata in the eastern Taranaki back country, and it was here that his interest in painting began.

“I started as a kid. It’s always been a thing,” said Mark.

Although painting was put on the backburner when he headed overseas in his 20s, Mark picked up a paintbrush again in his late 50s. Meantime, his interest in photography evolved.

On his return to New Zealand, Mark taught in the art department at the Western Institute of Technology at Taranaki for 15 years. Mark was also keen on computer graphics, writing a course and teaching.

“I left there and went full-time as a professional photographer, and that’s what I’ve done up until now.”

Weddings, landscapes and commercial photography are Mark’s main focus. Riding his trusty Royal Enfield motorbike, Mark tries to head out to Taranaki’s backblocks once a week to photograph and paint.

“All my personal photography is based around landscapes, and my paintings are the same. I paint both outdoors and in the studio, and also take a few workshops.”

Images, shapes and lighting draw Mark in to photograph or paint a scene.

“There will be something that will appeal to me. Whether you paint or photograph something, it’s shapes or the light cast on objects that allows you to see something special or different.

“Photography is quite different to painting. With photography, you have to make something out of what’s there.

I don’t tend to do too much manipulation with the computer. Whereas with painting you can control the view more. You can take what you see and rearrange it to create a more pleasing image.”

Mark likes to find interesting points of view in the ordinary every day. He paints

in oils using the direct painting method, where the artist paints on the canvas in one sitting.

“Although people will recognise the scene, I don’t paint exactly what is in front of me. You move things around to make the painting work.

Mark’s photographs are based around landscape with images, shapes and lighting drawing him in

While travelling the back roads of rural Taranaki, photographer and painter Mark Bellringer is capturing the landscape through his camera lens and on canvas.

“Whether you are a photographer or a painter, you reconstruct the view. The finished painting may not be an actual representation of what’s there. With photography, it’s all about the light and what you choose to include in the view and from what angle you shoot it from. Both have to be a thought-through process.”

Mark’s studio is inside the former Bank of New Zealand building in Eltham. He and his partner, Barbara Valintine, live in the building and also operate a store filled with eclectic treasures on the ground floor.

“When the shop is open, I tend to paint in the studio,” said Mark.

The couple is in their 17th year living in this historic building, which they have renovated and decorated. Their efforts have appeared on the pages of a couple of home design magazines. “We’ve been in the Taranaki Garden Festival as well.”

Mark has held exhibitions throughout the region and further afield.

“I probably hold an exhibition once or twice a year. I’ve also entered the Taranaki Art Awards and the Taranaki Arts Trail.”

His tunnel tour exhibition focussed on the historic tunnels scattered around eastern Taranaki.

“There are 15 tunnels you can still drive through. I hold tunnel tours where I take people out there all day, driving around the back blocks. It’s a big circuit around the tunnels.”

Now in his second term as a councillor for the South Taranaki District Council, Mark said his position is a way to contribute to the local community.

“I wanted to have a say in where I live. A councillor is a long-term planner for the district.”

Throughout March, Mark’s latest exhibition, Taranaki Landscapes 2023, can be viewed at the Lysaght Watt Gallery in Hāwera.

Mark uses the direct painting method, painting in oils on canvas in one sitting

View from the Strathmore Saddle captured on canvas

POULTRY PASSION

BY DENISE GUNN

Sharon bred Khaki Campbell ducks in her teens, but her love for poultry was reignited when helping a competitor prepare birds for the Taranaki Poultry and Pigeon Club Show 10 years ago.

“Silver Spangled Hamburgs and Plymouth Barred Rocks were my first poultry. Just a trio of each,” she said.

“I was lucky enough that two breeders, seeing my enthusiasm, gave really excellent birds to me. Most breeders are so happy to help people start up or improve their breed.”

More than 90 birds are now under Sharon’s care on her Lepperton farmlet, along with 35 miniature horses and an assortment of other animals.

“The Wyandottes really took my eye. I started off with Partridge Wyandotte bantams. Then my love of Wyandotte grew to include lots of Wyandotte colours. It is neat to see the bantam birds running around free-range with their large, samecoloured counterparts.”

Sharon spends around an hour each day tending to her poultry’s daily

requirements and tries to keep her birds free-ranging as much as possible.

“In the breeding season, we do pen them up, so the eggs are purebreds. We’ve built a lovely three-bay chook shed especially for this.

“I also have a few pigeons that I let out for a big fly-around. They are really friendly, so they tend to fly around me as I’m feeding all the birds.”

Each year, Sharon breeds her own chicks from her birds and enjoys seeing each generation coming through. In addition to the day-to-day enjoyment Sharon gains from her poultry, competing in shows is another highlight.

The

Sharon has shown her poultry around New Zealand

An interest in poultry as a teenager led Sharon Stevens to breeding and showing her own birds around New Zealand.

“I love travelling away to the shows, especially down to the South Island national shows. They are awesome, and there is great camaraderie with our fellow poultry fanciers.

Sharon’s first national show, in Oamaru in 2015, saw her birds win Best Wyandotte Silver Pencilled Bantam and Best Sussex.

“Again, that got me hooked to compete at the big shows. The South Island hospitality is amazing.”

Although Sharon has won a number of national championships since. These first wins are the most special to her. She travels to shows all over the North Island, usually exhibiting up to 40 birds.

“The National Poultry and Pigeon Show is held alternately in the North and South Islands each year. I try to go to each one.”

For the past six years, Sharon has held the show secretary position for the

Taranaki Poultry and Pigeon Club. The club holds a show in Waitara each year with more than 700 birds exhibited and competitors from all over the North Island.

Sharon said her role as show secretary also brings her joy. “We have a really awesome team that works well together. It is always nice as a team to have a show run smoothly and people enjoy themselves.

“I’m also secretary of the North Island Wyandotte Club and the Mediterranean poultry clubs. It is nice to give back to the poultry, as they have made me so many great friendships and experiences.”

A couple of years ago, Sharon began judging in the light breeds section. “I am thoroughly enjoying this, also.”

Heritage breeds are the easiest birds for beginner poultry keepers to start out

with. Plymouth Barred Rocks, Wyandottes, Sussex and Orpingtons are among Sharon’s recommendations.

“The colour birds are definitely harder to get correct for showing. That’s why some people prefer a straight black or white bird. Start out first with just one or two breeds, get them going well, then branch out. Not sure I took that advice. I just love a colourful bunch of birds freeranging in the paddocks.”

Sharon plans to continue her breeding programme to improve the birds each year, watch the new chicks grow, and see them colour up.

“It’s always exciting to see if your breeding programme is working,” she said. “I have definitely made some amazing lifelong friends through the poultry world. That, too, has to be a success for sure.”

A range of animals are cared for on Sharon’s Lepperton farmlet

One of Sharon’s Columbian Wyandotte bantam show winners

Sharon’s Barnevelder, a Dutch breed, has also performed well

Sharon won Best Hamburg at the 2022 National Poultry and Pigeon Show with her Black Hamburg

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How does magnesium help heart rhythm?

by John Arts

Someone I know well has been treated by a cardiologist for atrial brillation, one of the more common heart rhythm issues. What was interesting was that the cardiologist recommended a high-grade magnesium supplement along with prescribed medications.

One paper (European Heart Journal, 2017) stated: “As such, magnesium plays an integral role in a variety of functions related to cardiovascular disorders. Reduced dietary intake of magnesium has been linked with a higher risk of hypertension, atrial fibrillation (AF), ischaemic heart disease, and new-onset heart failure and heart failure-related hospitalization. Similarly, a low serum magnesium level is associated with up to a 50% higher incidence of new AF, left ventricular hypertrophy, and is an important predictor of sudden cardiovascular death and overall mortality.”

Perhaps my friend’s cardiologist is aware of this and similar studies. The American Association for Thoracic Surgery and the European Society of Cardiology now incorporate magnesium therapy into the treatment and management of some heart arrhythmias.

As an electrolyte, magnesium has a critical role in maintaining normal electrical function in heart muscle. One study showed that patients receiving supplemental magnesium were three times more likely to get

Farming background helped form career

by Denise Gunn

DairyNZ’s new strategy and investment leader, Alyce Butler, grew up on a Taranaki dairy farm and understands the challenges farmers face.

Alyce’s parents sharemilked near Stratford and Eltham before buying their farm in Kaponga. Both grandparents were also dairy farmers.

their heart rate below 100bpm than those on a placebo.

This central role of magnesium in heart muscle is because it regulates energy needed for other electrolytes, notably calcium, potassium and sodium. If magnesium is low, these electrolytes become imbalanced and can start processes that affect heart rhythm.

I use magnesium supplementation in two ways. Firstly, I add it to my multi-mineral/vitamin/antioxidant complex. The levels in this are suf cient for a healthy person. However, for those with arrhythmia, we need to add therapeutic levels. For this, I have combined three bioavailable forms of magnesium (natural marine, glycinate and citrate) in one supplement. I then allow a dosage range of between one to four capsules daily to meet individual needs.

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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“Depending on my age and stage, I went from being at the cowshed to looking after siblings while my parents were milking, then milking with my dad or farm workers we had.”

Working full-time on the farm between university semesters also gave Alyce an understanding of the lifestyle challenges that come with dairy farming.

Alyce, a chartered accountant, holds a Bachelor of Laws (LLB), and a Bachelor of Commerce and Administration (Accounting), from Victoria University. She worked for Deloitte for several years in New Zealand and the Netherlands. Before returning to New Zealand, Alyce was director for Future of Food at Monitor Deloitte in Amsterdam.

“A lot of multinational food and agricultural companies have their European headquarters in the Netherlands,” said Alyce.

With a background providing strategic advice to many of the largest food and agriculture players in New Zealand and internationally, Alyce will assist DairyNZ to deliver a better future for dairy farmers.

“My dairy farming background helped form my career. I was most comfortable and passionate about that. The most interesting challenges are in the agricultural sector. Every value chain has slightly different vulnerabilities, opportunities, and levels of maturity.”

As DairyNZ’s strategy and investment leader, Alyce is working on solutions to key dairy sector issues. She will particularly focus on delivering solutions for staff shortages, dairy careers and considering how DairyNZ can engage and partner better with farmers.

Alyce said she is excited to be returning to her farming roots and having the

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opportunity to support farmers, helping them feel more confident about the sector’s direction.

“Farmers are facing some difficult times, with a more volatile climate, changing consumer demands and government requirements, both on a national and international scale.

“My work will help support farmers through some of these key challenges while also opening new opportunities. I want to help build a resilient and successful dairy sector, where dairy farming is a career people are proud of.”

DairyNZ chief executive Dr Tim Mackle said DairyNZ is thrilled to have Alyce join the team.

“We are lucky to have someone with a global perspective and wealth of knowledge join our leadership team as DairyNZ continues to work with farmers to deliver our vision of a better future for New Zealand dairy farmers.”

Alyce Butler, DairyNZ strategy and investment leader

A runaway success story

The DR200SE Trojan took the benchmark for farm two-wheeler motorcycles to new levels upon its introduction more than 20 years ago.

When the engineering team at Suzuki New Zealand Ltd rst set about making a purpose-built farm bike for our unique conditions, they started from scratch. Listening to the needs of farmers meant Suzuki could add features that made the Trojan a step ahead of the competition.

Using the already robust DR200 trail bike, Suzuki custom-built a list of modi cations, packaged the bike and returned it to Japan for manufacture. The result was a runaway success story rocketing the Trojan to the top of the farm two-wheeler sales virtually overnight.

Since that introduction, the bike has had several colour changes and many minor model changes, but underneath, it is still the farm workhorse of its predecessors. One of the most popular features on the Trojan has been its large 12-volt headlight, a real bonus if you ask any dairy farmer about those early morning starts.

From our discussions with farmers, we also found that when you have the occasional slip, or the bike gets knocked over, you need something to protect vulnerable handlebar levers. The tting of quality aluminium protectors not only gives the levers a second chance but has also saved a few knuckles on the way.

Being built in Japan means a quality that has some competitor products looking less than value for money. For instance, the exhaust header pipe is stainless steel. The motor is not only a four-stroke for fuel savings but has an oil cooler and oil filter, meaning that engine problems should be the last thing on your mind. Dual side stands are a winner on any farm when solid ground is hard to find. When the going gets really tough, you can rely on the chunky Bridgestone knobbly tyres front and rear for real traction.

Low-gearing with a quality O’ring chain allows slow-speed riding to be completed with ease without continual stalling or heavy clutch use, and the fuel tank holds a massive 13 litres, enough to last most farmers all week. There are a lot more features we could list. The strongest and most compelling reason why Trojan is a genuine Kiwi farm bike is the sales history it has achieved since its introduction.

So, if you are looking for a new farm two-wheeler and need more information on the Suzuki DR200SE Trojan, call your local dealer or visit our website suzuki. co.nz.

The DR200SE Trojan has taken the benchmark for farm two-wheelers to an entirely new level

The Trojan has been designed for Kiwi farmers

Making short work of hedges

Luckin Hedge Mulching is a small family-run business based in Stratford but servicing the wider community.

We specialise in mulching hedges, mainly dairy, sheep and beef, although we also do lifestyle blocks and town sections. Anywhere our tractors t — we can mulch. We run a modern eet of Massey Fergusons with McConnel hedge mulchers.

As a family-run business, we like to provide a top-notch service to ensure our clients are always happy. We both grew up on dairy farms and have been involved in the agricultural industry throughout our careers. As a small business, it is really important to us to support other small local businesses, as that is what keeps our small rural towns alive.

Our team consists of Sarah on accounts/of ce, Sam, a jack of all trades on xing and maintaining gear and driving the tractors and mulchers.

This season we have also employed a local lad, Quinn, full-time to help us keep up with demand and ensure we can get to clients in a timely matter. It also allows us to be able to spend some quality family time with our two young children, as a good work-life balance is also important for any young family.

We have thoroughly enjoyed meeting new people and forming a good rapport with all our clients during the past two years. We look forward to seeing how much our small business grows in the future. A big thank you must go out to all our existing clients — we appreciate you all.

No job is too big or small. Get in touch today — we are more than happy to discuss your needs.

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Luckin Hedge Mulching makes short work of hedges

Communities rally for Hawke’s Bay

Farmers from around the world are banding together to support their peers in the cyclone-affected east coast region.

Te Pari marketing manager Corban Blampied, coordinating the fundraising effort, travelled to the region to speak with farmers.

“The devastation was much worse than we expected,” he says. “The clean-up will be nearly insurmountable, and local farmers will be hurting for a very long time. We’re asking farmers and people in other rural communities from around the world to band together and offer these guys some financial support to help get the sector moving again.”

A Give-a-Little page has been established by global AgriTech company Te Pari, based in Oamaru, to raise money for the region’s agricultural sector. The funds will go directly to the Rural Support Trust for distribution.

“One hundred per cent of donations will go to impacted communities,” says East Coast Rural Support Trust chairperson Clint Worthington.

“These donations won’t just go towards the next month or two but will be helping farmers set up for the long-term as well. The process of recovery from an adverse event like this is in three stages — response and ensuring safety during the first few weeks; recovery, which can take three to four months, and then rebuilding.

“There is massive damage, and it will take years to recover from, so we need to have that long-term focus. Many Hawke’s Bay farmers share similar stories of devastation. While the community is resilient, they do need support, especially during this rebuilding process.”

Dave Martin, who runs a 2,200-hectare sheep, beef and crop farm in Wairoa, had only just recovered from the damage after the March 2022 floods when cyclones Hale and Gabrielle hit.

Repair costs from Cyclone Gabrielle are expected to exceed $13 billion. Te Pari has instigated successful crowdfunding campaigns before, having raised more than $15,000 for a Victorian farmer after the 2019 Australian bushfires.

It is the second consecutive year that flooding has destroyed ready-to-harvest crops in Hawke’s Bay.

Farm manager Dave Martin says: “Contractors will do the best they can to try to see what can still be harvested, but obviously, the corn cobs will have silt all through them, so it remains to be seen if this is able to be processed.

“Our squash was already picked before the cyclone hit, but because of the power outages in Gisborne, it sat in crates for 10 days. So now we’re throwing that crop out. It is just devastating.”

Rissington Cattle Company fifth-generation farmer Daniel Absolom in front of his flood-affected shed and paddocks

To view the videos of farmers telling their stories go to tepari.com/au, or to donate, visit

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This Deere’s a robot

by Andy Bryenton

John Deere has scooped a fourth consecutive award for design and automation at the Consumer Technology Association’s CES show in Las Vegas, this time by turning an entire full-sized tractor into a robotic farmhand.

When you think of robots helping out on the farm, you may picture the two famous droids Luke Skywalker bought to help his uncle Owen in the first Star Wars movie. However, the reality of farm automation has leaned away from humanoid robotics and toward fully autonomous machinery. John Deere took home the prestigious CES award this January by gaining top honours in the Best of Innovation Robotics and Vehicle Tech and Advanced Mobility categories.

The modified 8R tractor was kitted out with fully integrated cameras for a 360-degree view, sensors to determine distance and move around obstacles, and ultra-fast GPU processors loaded with next-generation artificial intelligence programming. The upshot is a full-sized tractor that can navigate in the field with no operator in the cab. In a rural sector with staffing shortages, this kind of thinking could be the way of the future.

“Autonomy offers the next major stepchange in productivity, profitability and sustainability gains in agriculture, and John Deere strives to continually invest in autonomy and automation to support our customers in the adoption of industryleading technology,” says John Deere Australia and New Zealand managing director Luke Chandler.

“We’re incredibly proud of our innovation being recognised at the

prestigious CES Awards. It also offers a reflective moment in John Deere’s 185year history to celebrate its continuous transformation of agriculture machinery.”

The idea of a fully autonomous tractor is not new, but this latest breakthrough from John Deere represents a turning point in the practical application of the technology. That’s borne out by the combination of awards the modified 8R took home. The CES robotics category is all about intelligent machines which can do human jobs, while the advanced mobility prize goes to machines which improve safety, efficiency or navigation using technology. Add them up, and you have a tractor that’s unique in all of John Deere’s 185 years of history.

Giving the 8R a brain is only one way that the team in green and yellow have been winning awards. They’ve also taken home an AE50 engineering award for the new eight series EVT transmission system, a new kind of drive that does more than put power and torque to the ground. By swapping out hydrostatic motors for an electric generator set-up, John Deere has given its eight series tractors the ability to generate power as well as drive.

The future of agriculture may be in robot hands if advancements like these continue to stack up, and while a fully automated tractor is not available just today, it’s a distinct possibility tomorrow.

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John Deere’s popular 8R was the platform for an award-winning experiment in automation that delivered a fully autonomous tractor to CES awards judges

Makes friends wherever it grows

Great news for those of you who want to get more cocksfoot into your pastures this autumn — there’s now one available that mixes well with other species instead of taking over.

Rede ne is tailor-made for anyone who wants the bene ts of cocksfoot without the clumpy, aggressive behaviour and clover suppression often associated with older varieties.

That means you can add diversity and climatic resilience to summerdry pasture mixes because cocksfoot is tougher than ryegrass with more summer growth. Even ner

Since Kara was released back in 1980, we’ve made great progress developing finer, more tillered cocksfoot cultivars.

Rede ne is another big step forward. At more than 5,000 tillers a square metre, it has more than twice as many tillers as Kara. You can clearly see the difference between it and other cocksfoots.

Clover friendly

Rede ne is a better neighbour for clovers than older cultivars, and clover returns the favour by feeding it with naturally- xed nitrogen.

Why does this matter? Without enough nitrogen, which shows up as yellowing leaves, cocksfoot becomes low in crude protein. It doesn’t taste great; your animals don’t enjoy eating it, and their performance is affected.

Great teammates

Rede ne and ryegrass are ideal partners, giving more reliable pasture establishment than sowing cocksfoot as the sole grass.

Rede ne sown with ryegrass will be faster to grazing than cocksfoot only, with fewer weed issues, and it will provide more feed during the rst year. Good against grass grub

Once established, cocksfoot has good tolerance of all pasture pests. Notably, it is much more tolerant of grass grub than ryegrass.

Seed for Rede ne is available now for autumn sowing. Order yours from your seed merchant today.

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Redefine Cocksfoot

TOTAL REPLACEMENT THERAPY: COULD THIS BE NZ FARMING FUTURE?

I haven’t written for a while, but an update on where we are is in order. With the launch of Total Replacement Therapy in November 2019, we felt we had answered the call to help farmers dramatically reduce synthetic nitrogen without loss of profit.

By rigorously following a strict, 8-step plan, the 20 farmers that went on the plan have had outstanding results, in a very short time.

We have not only seen an 86% drop in synthetic nitrogen within 18 months, but increased clover ground cover by up to 70% and pasture roots descending to one metre in the same time.

Seeing these consistent results was enough to safely say the 8-step plan is working.

Having reported, marketed and shared all the data we gathered, we felt we had completed the marketing plan of the Total Replacement Therapy concept. So, we thought, what’s next?

We decided to peer review our pathway, using Dr Lucy Waldron. We aimed to find out what established science already existed in the programme, so we performed a literature review of peer-reviewed, established science that was part of the 8-step plan, at our own cost.

The next part was to work out the areas that were not covered, and needed to be scientifically proven. This needed 8 replicable, funded new farm trials to measure the science.

To do this, we needed to apply for funding. We were encouraged by funding administrators to apply for large amounts of funding because we had a corporate structure. We put an extensive presentation together, but two days after it was received, the application was declined.

Apparently, after seeking outside advice they were told that our results –replicated on 20 farms – were “impossible”, and, “we don’t fund impossible”. We were also told that any further applications from us would be declined. So, we’ve taken a new tack. We won’t bother to apply for funding again; instead, we will focus on what we do best – helping farmers reduce synthetic nitrogen without loss of profit.

“We are still actively looking for farmers to volunteer to be part of the trial,” Dr Waldron said. “Once we undertake the scientific trials on farm, we get that science peer reviewed, which will give the 8-step plan integrity and give farmers confidence to use the programme.”

With Total Replacement Therapy, we are totally replacing synthetic nitrogen with a biological system. As we strictly go through the 8-step plan, there is a transition period, which includes that the soil be balanced before any liquid fertilisers are added.

We also don’t restrict a farmer if he wants to use synthetic nitrogen during this time.

As we follow the 8-step plan, we see a change in the soil, and once we start applying the liquids, we start seeing a reduction in the dependence on synthetic nitrogen at around 8 months. Our scientifically formulated liquid combinations change the farm completely, and totally replaces a chemical system with a biological system.

We are against the concept of regenerative farming, because of its lack of transition time and advocation for no fertiliser. Regenerative farming bases its theories and programmes on land that has balanced soil already; but if the soil is not balanced, and you stop applying fertiliser abruptly with no transition plan, the farm will not cope.

One such farm on a regenerative programme was failing with reduced fertility and reduced feed grown on the farm. So, we put that farm on Total Replacement Therapy and we are seeing exactly the same trends that our other farmers have experienced.

Scientists have proved that without a transition plan, the cost to the farming industry will be huge.

If you are going to a new system, you need to understand what system you are moving from. For example, a chemical system is a plant-feeding system; when the plants are given synthetic fertiliser as a plant feeder the plants use up what is needed, grow the grass well and when the plants have used what they need they deliver the unneeded synthetic nitrogen to the roots. To the roots, this is like breakfast in bed; they don’t need to do anything.

In extreme cases, our measurements have shown that the roots in a chemical system are only 75 millimetres deep, which do not help the reduction of leaching. In farms under the Total Replacement Therapy programme, we are seeing plants that start with these short roots extend root growth to 500 millimetre over 9 months, and 1 metre at 18 months.

Trials and tests on a farm with a chemical system will show that there is an absence of biology, because the conditions aren’t right for biology to thrive. Synthetic nitrogen will survive in the absence of biology, whereas biostimulants will not work if there is an absence of biology – because there is nothing to stimulate in the first place.

The Total Replacement Therapy programme is very strict, and with the results we are seeing and the products we are using, we are confident we can transition farmers to a biological system without loss of profit, totally replacing synthetic nitrogen.

Biological Soil Fertility Course with Albrecht consultant, Neal Kinsey

The Albrecht concept of biological soil fertility is simple: Tests carried out on soils that consistently grew the highest quality crop yields revealed that all these soils had a similar chemistry: Calcium levels between 60-70% , Magnesium between 10-15%, Potassium at 5%, Sodium at 1.5% and definite levels for Nitrogen, Phosphate, Sulphur and trace elements. Agricultural crops and high production pastures grow best within this range of soil chemistry.

HEAR NEAL KINSEY AT THIS UNIQUE 3-DAY SOIL FERTILITY COURSE

Today, Neal Kinsey is the leading consultant and advocate for this Albrecht biological system. For over 40 years in over 70 countries, Neal has proven that this balanced approach to soil chemistry is the key to successful plant growth and animal health. He has demonstrated, scientifically and practically, that when this nutrient balance occurs, soil pH, aeration, drainage, structure and beneficial soil biology inevitably improve.

THIS 3-DAY COURSE IS WILL COVER THE MAIN MINERALS:

Calcium, Magnesium, Potassium and Sodium as well as Phosphate, Sulphur and Nitrogen. The importance of trace elements will also feature.

Neal Kinsey has been called a ‘consultant’s consultant.’ His understanding of micro and macro nutrients in the soil is hard to match.

GOLDEN BAY DOLOMITE, KIWI FERTILISER AND TOP SOILS INVITE YOU TO ATTEND

Whether your business is orchards, vineyards, cropping or pastoral farming, we invite you to take this opportunity to participate in this seminar to hear Neal Kinsey speak about the most important issue facing our industries today – soil health.

FOR ENQUIRIES PLEASE CONTACT EITHER:

• Ross Wright 027 2462114 ross@goldenbaydolomite.co.nz

• Don Hart 0274320187 don@topsoils.co.nz

• Ron McLean 027 289 4258 ron@kiwifertiliser.co.nz

• Trevor Pearce 027 230 9934 trevor@sollys.co.nz

Or register online at www.goldenbaydolomite.co.nz

VENUE:

mission is to respect biological life in all areas of the farm

1st, 2nd & 3rd May 2023

Next summer’s comfort now

by Andy Bryenton

Now is the time to start planning for next summer’s poolside relaxation by making the most of the remaining good weather and breaking ground on a swimming pool project. Where did the idea of a ‘fake lake’ at home come from?

The oldest known swimming pool comes from Pakistan, where the long-lost people of Mohenjo-Daro once commanded a mighty kingdom. Their major achievement was using brick with a tar sealant to create elaborate plumbing. Most homes had washrooms and baths, and their biggest temple featured a 7m x 12m swimming pool that could be refilled and used today, 3,000 years later.

The people of Crete once ruled the Mediterranean with their fleet and trained their military to swim. Swimming became a sport the famously competitive Greeks took a liking to, and numerous swimming pools were set up so athletes could train in all weathers. Finding that it provided good exercise with little wear and tear on older bodies, wealthy Greeks and their Roman successors built pools to adjoin their hot baths and saunas. It led to the invention of the heated swimming pool in the first century BCE by a wealthy Roman senator named Gaius Maecenas. Put off by nippy winter

Today, a swimming pool is not a massive endeavour to install nor a herculean task to maintain. Modern technology means that enjoying the therapeutic, fitness and relaxation benefits of a pool in the backyard is easier than ever, and solar heating systems far outpace old Gaius’ fiery basement idea, allowing for a greater scope of use throughout the year.

The great pool at Aquae Sulis gave us the word ‘bath’, as that is the Britannic name of this Roman spa town temperatures, he ordered his pool to be built over a kind of vaulted basement of fire bricks so that wood could be burned underneath by his servants, heating the pool to a more convivial temperature. Modern swimming pools found favour in England, where the Medway Swimming

Club was formed in 1844 to train life-savers near this notoriously treacherous British river. They built a pool with a diving board so these early lifeguards could strengthen up and practise before diving into the currents, where many had previously been lost along with the people they were trying to rescue.

BUILD OR RENOVATE

No nails — only computers

by Andy Bryenton

The practice of making an entire building without using nails is an ancient one, dating from when wooden frame construction didn’t have the luxury of cheap steel on hand.

Timber framework is making a comeback for those who wish to make a statement with big, signature open space or architecture reflecting their ancestry. While construction time is slashed with this method, the cost of making the often large, always vitally precise pieces to build with no nails used to be prohibitive. That is changing due to two new technologies; digitally assisted cutting machines and advanced timber lamination.

While most homes of the near future will assuredly be built from traditional timber framing, the options to be expressive and creative with long arched spans of modern laminated products are enticing for designers. Moving from a three-dimensional model to a crisply computer-assisted cut means there’s more scope than ever before to do away with nails and embrace some very ancient design principles.

Some of these are by no means weaker for their lack of steel components. Some of the world’s oldest buildings were

assembled using no nails, with just the woodworker’s artistry of joints, pegs and interlocking beams to see them through the centuries. A good example is the temple and castle architecture of Japan, which almost exclusively utilised a nail-free method.

This traditional art has proven so successful that the oldest company in the world is the one with the longest pedigree of nail-free woodworking. Kongō Gumi remained strictly in family ownership for 1,400 years and still continues to repair, restore and manufacture traditional Japanese ceremonial buildings to this day. That’s 40 generations of builders, going back to 578 CE.

Timber framing can be big, bold and beautiful, allowing for leaps of design not available using other methods fifth the weight of concrete but still strong enough to frame a home.

Other nations also embraced nailfree wooden construction. Think Viking longhouses based on that culture’s legendary shipbuilding or the entirely nail-free Pattaya Temple of Truth in Thailand. Using the strong timber joinery ideas of multiple civilisations, modern designers can make use of superior wood products, some of which can be less than 10 per cent the weight of steel and one-

Value Farm Sheds

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farmstay, the 10th-century style design of the house is a source of wonder for international guests. With computer-assisted design and strong, light laminates to assist, this kind of construction may be the inspiration for the future as well as a love letter to the past. Award Winning New Plymouth Builders 60+ Years of Experience Delivering Beauty, Functionality and Quality We pride ourselves on our personal approach to understand your unique requirements, turning your concept into a beautiful home built with quality materials, outstanding workmanship, and excellent communication 027 555 3146 • isiah@profoundgroup.co.nz GET IN TOUCH TODAY

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