Country-Wide December 2017 (DL)

GROWING NZ FARMING

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December 2017

Country-Wide December 2017

Maintaining good relationships in their equity partnership has been key for Vaughan and Jen Marfell. p40 1

02083 MSD SPV 003

We make vaccines trusted by farmers around the world.

But first, they’re made for New Zealand.

MULTINE. MADE FOR NEW ZEALAND. 2

Country-Wide December 2017

New Multine AVAILABLE NOW

Multine® is the leading 5-in-1 clostridial vaccine in New Zealand1.

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It provides protection against pulpy kidney, tetanus, blackleg and malignant oedema in sheep cattle and goats.

And it provides – if you need it – a little bit of pride because what makes those vaccines trusted in New Zealand is what makes them in demand and trusted by farmers around the world.

It provides reassurance because it’s made for the toughest sheep farmers in the world. And Multine now comes with the convenience of vitamin B12 – Multine B12.

Ask for Multine at your veterinarian or animal health retailer.

ACVM No: A11311. ®Registered trademark. Schering-Plough Animal Health Ltd. Phone 0800 800 543. www.msd-animal-health.co.nz. NZ/MLT/0817/0005(a) Ref 1: Baron Audit Data. September 2017.

Country-Wide December 2017

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Country-Wide December 2017

EDITOR’S NOTE

Cooperation

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ride with a shuttle driver recently gave me a good lesson on how cooperation can be more profitable than competition. The driver, who owned the company told me how he started with just one van. The airport then decided to give exclusive rights to one taxi company.

It put other companies out of business but the driver-owner continued to pick up passengers who booked ahead. He couldn’t stop and wait for casual customers. His business grew and he employed more drivers. He eventually convinced the opposition taxi company’s board their mutual goal was customer service and they should cooperate. Instead of leaving travellers stranded at an airport, they work together for the customer. It has been a fruitful relationship and he now sits on the board of the taxi company.

In this issue we recap on the clever scientific work by New Zealand ag scientists which hit the world stage 16 years ago. The ryegrass novel endophyte technology was a major breakthrough for pastoral farming and deserves greater recognition(p50).

When the AgResearch science team were climbing to the top of the science world, the Crown Research Institute(CRI) was struggling for money. The commercial model forced on CRIs by government, had AgResearch out with the begging bowl for research funds. It ended it up selling exclusive rights to AR37 to several seed companies. The other seed companies were shut out and went in-house or offshore for their research. So instead of collaboration, AgResearch now has competition from within and outside NZ. However, not all commercialisation is bad. Up until the 1970s plant breeding was run by the government’s DSIR Grassland division and was too socialist and inefficient.

The man responsible for the first proprietary ryegrass to be marketed in NZ was Trevor Ellett, a humble south Auckland dairy farmer.Trevor had all the seed royalties due to him to paid into a charitable trust which funds education and research in NZ agriculture(p51).

The lack of research in hill country farming was again highlighted at the recent Grassland conference. What a shame a chunk of the $700m plus thrown into the Primary Growth Partnership programme wasn’t invested into AgResearch and pastoral farming. Imagine the collaboration and wealth it would have generated.

NEXT ISSUE • TOP 10 IMPACT PLAYERS FROM 2017: We take a look back at the top 10 things that impacted agriculture in 2017. From biosecurity, science, foreign investment to weather and politics.

• GOING BUSH: What’s what in hunting, howto guides and handy tips and trips from seasoned hunters.

• GRASSLANDS CONFERENCE: A look at some of the research highlights from the 2017 Grasslands conference.

• SUMMER CROPS: Maintenance and best practice on keeping your summer crops growing over the dryer months.

• FARM EQUIPMENT: A round-up of the latest pieces of kit from the world’s major machinery show Agritechnica in Germany.

FACEBOOK VIDEOS

Terry Brosnahan Got any feedback? Contact the editor direct: terry.brosnahan@nzfarmlife.co.nz or call 03 471 5272.

From the team at Country-Wide we wish you a Merry @CountryWideNZ @CountryWideNZ Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Joanne Leigh from Top Notch calves gives tips tricks and myths about calf rearing and weaning. @DairyExporterNZ

Country-Wide December 2017

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More: p34

BOUNDARIES

Winning scholars.

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HOME BLOCK 9

Never mind the sea fog, Joanna Davies writes.

Paul Burt reckons wealth is a relative notion.

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Gaye Coates witnesses mission impossible.

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You can be certain of change, Dan Shand finds.

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Nick Loughnan evaluates the beehives.

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Guido Cousins heads south like Canadian geese.

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Andrew Steven makes the most of 20 summers.

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NOTEBOOK

What’s on when and who’s doing what.

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FACTS

All positive until Christmas – then what?

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BUSINESS Lean concept sharpens farm business.

Benefits of a tune-up.

Contents

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Keeping a grip on spending power.

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Fine-tuning our elite farm athletes.

Deputy Editor: Cheyenne Nicholson, ph 06 280 3168; cheyenne.nicholson@nzfarmlife.co.nz Managing Editor: Tony Leggett, ph 06 280 3162 mob 0274 746 093, tony.leggett@nzfarmlife.co.nz

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Dog food guide 2017.

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LIVESTOCK Development gives King hit.

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Ram selection indices: keep them simple.

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The Marfells of Mahoe.

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Deer Farmer Editor: Lynda Gray, ph 03 448 6222, lyndagray@xtra.co.nz

Editor: Terry Brosnahan, ph 03 471 5272; mob 027 249 0200; terry.brosnahan@nzfarmlife.co.nz

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RMPP: Subsidy not a real subsidy.

Ram harness revival.

Country-Wide is published by NZ Farm Life Media PO Box 218, Feilding 4740 General enquiries: Toll free 0800 2AG SUB (0800 224 782) www.nzfarmlife.co.nz

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Sub Editor: Andy Maciver, ph 06 280 3166, andy.maciver@nzfarmlife.co.nz Designer: Joanne Hannam, ph 06 280 3167 Production Planning: ph 06 280 3164 Reporters Andrew Swallow ph 021 745 183 Anne Calcinai ph 07 894 5069; Lynda Gray ph 03 448 6222; Gerard Hall ph 03 409 8386; Jackie Harrigan ph 06 280 3165; Robert Pattison ph +64 27 889 8444; Marie Taylor ph 06 836 7018; Sandra Taylor, ph 021 1518685; Tim McVeagh 06 3294797; James Hoban 027 2511986; Russell Priest 06 328 9852; Jo Cuttance 03 976 5599; Amanda Bowes 0274 998 421; Cheyenne Nicholson, 06 280 3168.

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Account Managers: Warren McDonald, National Sales Manager, ph 06 323 0143 Janine Gray, Waikato and Bay of Plenty, ph 0274 746 094 Donna Hirst, Lower North Island & international, ph 06 323 0739 Shirley Howard, real estate, ph 06 323 0760 Debbie Brown, classifieds & employment, ph 06 323 0765 Nigel Ramsden, Livestock, ph 06 323 0761 Subscriptions: nzfarmlife.co.nz/shop ph 0800 224 782 or subs@nzfarmlife.co.nz Printed by PMP Print, Riccarton, Christchurch ISSN 1179-9854 (Print)

ISSN 2253-2307 (Online)

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Country-Wide December 2017

More: p27 Update represents a step change for sector.

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Genetalk: Breeding for the future.

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Stock check: Pointing the finger with alternatives.

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The novel endophyte programme which lead the world.

Lifting biomass production with cropping.

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YOUNG COUNTRY

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Lifestyle opportunity at Miranda.

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Bark off: Key moments in training.

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Grasslands conference: A river runs through it.

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Silage: The good, the bad and the ugly.

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ARABLE

COMMUNITY Training: Rights and wrongs on the washing line.

How good’s your grain store hygiene?

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PLANT AND MACHINERY

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Forage Harvesters: John Deere 8600.

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Forage Harvesters: New Holland FR850.

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Sheep Handling gear boosts efficiency.

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ENVIRONMENT

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SOLUTIONS Endophytes: Pasture put to the test.

Forage Harvesters: Krone BigX 700.

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Wide track makes Kodiak pleasure to ride.

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ESTATE Knee-deep in feed at Matapuna Station.

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All set up in Gore.

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Snapshot: Vines, dairy put pressure on Top of the South. 81

Riparian planting: Grow your own natives.

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Politics of forestry: The devil in the detail.

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Online guides to doing things right.

TECHNOLOGY

How fit are you?

A rural way with death.

FORAGE

More: p62

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FARMING IN FOCUS More photos from this month’s Country-Wide.

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OUR COVER Stay... Leading dog trialler Vaughan Marfell works with his dogs on his Mauriceville farm.

More: p59

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More: p40

Photo: Mark Coote

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BOUNDARIES | PLOUGHING

Ploughmen under way

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he World Ploughing Championships are on December 1 and 2 in Kenya this year and for the first time outside of New Zealand, both our representatives will compete with their own tractors and ploughs.

“I reckon it gives us about a week’s head start,” Timaru’s Bob Mehrtens says, who is competing in the reversible. It is Mehrtens’ ninth time competing at the worlds having qualified for this year’s event by winning the reversible at the national championship in 2016 at Palmerston North.

Blenheim’s Ian Woolley won the conventional class at the 2016 nationals, so is our other man in Kenya, having also made the worlds in 2015. The pair bought a 40-foot container to ship their tractors and ploughs to Mombassa which, all being well, arrived mid November, about the same time as their flights.

“We’ll have not quite two weeks to get a feel for how it’s going to plough,” Mehrtens said before they left. Good luck guys. We’ll be watching www.worldploughing.org for the results.

Timaru’s Bob Mehrtens ploughs ahead.

EU lamb promo filip for NZ? In October the United Kingdom, France and Ireland announced a circa NZ$17 million campaign to boost lamb consumption. It’s 90% funded by the European Union with UK levy-body ADHB, Ireland’s Bord Bia and France’s Interbev providing the rest.

“Our shared commitment and efforts to tackle the decline in consumption in this sector meant we secured a €10m deal, with an investment of only €1m,” AHDB Beef and Lamb Board Chair Adam Quinney said at the launch.

The new campaign targets 25 to 35-year-olds, following a more general NZ$13m EU-funded campaign Tasty Easy Fun Lamb (see www. tastyeasylamb.co.uk). Here’s hoping there isn’t an unreported protectionist angle to the new campaign and New Zealand lamb sales benefit too.

Study grants Five students have won Tom Cranswick Memorial $2000 study grants from the Farmlands Co-operative.

They are Smedley Station cadet (pictured left to right) Rory Harrigan, of Feilding; Courtney Bragg, Te Puke; Emily Fraser, Palmerston North; Zac Johnson, Kakanui Valley; and Nick Simpson, Tuakau.

The awards honour the co-op’s founding director Tom Cranswick.

Scholars named

New Zealand’s Nuffield scholars for 2018 were announced recently They are: Simon Cook, Te Puke kiwifruit grower; Andy Elliot, of Nelson, Wakatu Incorporation; Turi McFarlane, Canterbury, Ravensdown; Solis Norton Otago, NZ deer industry and Kate Scott, of Central Otago, Landpro.

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Country-Wide December 2017

HOME BLOCK | COLUMN

Never mind the sea fog Selling now: eight sections, stunning sea views, sea fog a reasonably rare occurrence.

Joanna Davies Toko Mouth, Otago

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ate October the Otago Daily Times ran a headline saying, Heatwave: a week in the 20s.

This was worthy of a lead because I cannot remember any time in the previous 12 months of having five let alone seven sunny days in a row.

Unfortunately, this “blocking high,” did not have us basking in sunshine, rather it was a week of sea fog. There was occasional sunshine, teasing us to put on our shorts, just get them on, and the fog rolled back in. To be fair the back of the farm was in sunshine, however the house is at the front. This weather pattern sums up our 2017.

The year started with Simon’s younger sister continuing her battle against a lymphoma cancer, diagnosed late in 2016. We’d been told it was one of the “good” cancers and she had a reasonable chance. However, it was aggressive and all too soon we were saying our final goodbyes just before Easter.

A fortnight before Sarah’s passing she held a great big party for herself at Okato beach, in Taranaki, with about 200 people attending. It was a great day, a lot of laughter mixed with tears. It was a blessing to be able to say goodbye,

Country-Wide December 2017

as I never had the opportunity to do this when my own sister died in a car accident, when I was young.

While we were spending time with Sarah, our subdivision project was progressing. We employed Emma Peters to take care of the paper work, and be our representative. An expert in this field, she kept things professional, particularly when a couple of people launched in with personal attacks.

We had some opposing submissions but as the district council report pointed out they were of a minor nature. Now we are selling eight sections, stunning sea views, sea fog a reasonably rare occurrence.

However had anyone asked me I could have told them what he was like and saved everyone hours.

Spring was kind and we experienced a good lambing. Hogget scanning was disappointing and we were given plenty of theories why – we aim to do better next year. Sold half of our cull ewes with lambs at foot at the end of October, the rest heading off mid-November.

The 19 Angus beef cows we bought have turned out to be very late to calve.

A lot of jobs were ticked off by the beginning of November, tailing, fodder beet and new grasses in the ground and pasture and fences destroyed by the logging operations earlier in the year are back.

Simon has done pretty well this year

and is now on the Clutha Development Board, Beef + Lamb farmer council for the south of the South Island, vice president of the Otago Federated Farmers, and completed the first half of the Fonterra governance course.

This course involved a lot of personal awareness and how best to communicate, Simon came home buzzing about what he learnt about himself. However had anyone asked me I could have told them what he was like and saved everyone hours.

A highlight of the year was being invited to another surprise wedding. My friend married earlier in the day on the beach outside her home with just two witnesses present.

Then at a party that night they played a montage of their wedding photos, much to the surprise and delight of their guests and mothers.

Our daughters, Georgina, 4, and Juliette, 1, have an amazing sister relationship. I love listening to their conversations.

Today I overheard Georgina teaching Juliette to say “please”. Georgina loves teaching Juliette how to do things, although I often hear her yelling “Oh Juliette” or “No! Juliette.” One thing 2017 has reminded me of is once you are gone, photos are all your children have of you. Take photos with a real camera, photos taken on a phone when projected at a funeral look terrible.

The big news for our local township Milton is that it is going to get a facelift in 2018. This has been a long-awaited project and if done right could turn this little rural support town into a vibrant place again, where people stop rather than just drive on through.

I’m hoping the sea fog will blow out to sea taking the negatives of 2017 with it and 2018 will be welcomed in with bright sunshine and lots of positivity.

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HOME BLOCK | COLUMN

Collectively there must be a lot of guilt in the big city over the recent doubling in value of family homes.

Wealth a relative notion

Paul Burt

Matata, Bay of Plenty It’s mid-October as I write and by now I expect you are as tired as I am of witnessing democracy in action. If you dispute the description, just remember, a majority of us did vote for MMP. The problem is I can’t recall the clause that makes it possible for the tail to wag the dog.

Left-leaning voters have declared capitalism is not working and it is time for a change. Two characteristics of capitalism are private ownership and capital accumulation. Collectively there must be a lot of guilt in the big city over the recent doubling in value of family homes.

I expect to see all that ill-gotten gain re-distributed to the needy.

Wealth is a relative notion. Try explaining to a slum dweller in Mumbai as he adjusts his cardboard roof that ordinary Kiwis live in million-dollar houses. We take freedom of enterprise for granted but human beings will never be equal in their inclination to take up the opportunities on offer. Civilisation has always been led by the visionary few and the rest of us make our place in their wake. A society with an uneven spread of resources is just as poor as a society where risk, talent and effort go unrewarded.

The hurried promise National made late in the campaign to consider Landcorp property as possible first farms

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caught my interest. Despite being a failed participant, I thought the original scheme which in one form or another ran from 1918 to 1985, was good. I say failed rather than unsuccessful because I became caught between two contradictory requirements of entry.

Prospective ballotees had to have saved a deposit (from memory 25 to 30% of farm value), have completed some form of agriculture training and worked fulltime on farms for six years.

I had a Dip Ag but soon realised farm wages weren’t going to cut it so I bought a stepping-stone farm and spent my six years in woolsheds to pay it off. I sought a meeting with the commissioner of Crown Lands asking for dispensation on the grounds that I had sweated for my capital and given a chance on a farm I wouldn’t be dumb enough to lose it.

My argument wasn’t convincing enough for him to bend the rules. Despite this I went along to one of the briefing/ inspection days Lands and Survey conducted. I remember being a little disgruntled at meeting young men there (along with their dads) who had gained their experience and deposits by working on the family farm. Consequently I took a job as a farm manager but the scheme was wound up in 1985 before I became eligible.

Of course there is now no chance for National to wrestle with its promise but I doubt the idea would fly in today’s economic and social climate. I say this because of the substantial shift in relative farm profitability during these last 30 years and the hardening of attitudes of the urban majority towards farming, especially anything that smells of subsidy.

The original scheme was concessionary because of the controlled environment under which the farms were settled.

Interest rates were capped and farm supervision was part of the deal. In saying that, the ballotees I know would have made it anyway such was the skill and

effort these new farmers and their wives put into their golden tickets.

Timing, as it always does in farming, played a big part. A friend who drew a ballot in 1974 paid $6.50 a head for the 1400 ewes to stock his $210,000 farm.

Within a year or two prices had lifted to the extent that his annual gross farm income was equal to 25% of his farm value.

I remember being a little disgruntled at meeting young men there (along with their dads) who had gained their experience and deposits by working on the family farm.

Take a $3.5 million, 4000-stock-unit farm today and that would equate to $875,000 GFI (about $2000/ha ) which is a long way above average. If you do the figures on servicing that farm debt on a more realistic $1000/ha GFI the amount of equity required would be way above a first-farmer’s means.

Leasing with right of purchase was an option and at 4% of farm value (using the above example) $140,000 of rent would be due annually. Assuming stock and plant were freehold lease costs would still eat up 35% of GFI. The Landcorp chief executive would be knighted because of the 300% improvement in rate of return but the poor lessee would end up working for less than the minimum wage. At least he would get some sympathy from the new Government.

Whether you are wealthy or aspire to be wealthy it is worth pondering the plight of the man who was so poor all he had was money.

Country-Wide December 2017

HOME BLOCK | COLUMN

Witnessing mission impossible

Gaye Coates Haupiri, West Coast

I don’t know that we will ever experience a spring we can truthfully say was easy – it is all varying degrees of difficulty. In our part of the country we can’t escape the fact that a good part of calving falls within what are traditionally our most unhinged months in terms of weather and pasture growth rates. It is not until we are a good way into September before we begin to see growth rates that hit figures compatible with definitive feed available and even then it can oscillate.

We began spring this year with optimism, buoyed by kind weather and believing the ramifications of the disastrously wet summer had receded and we were moving beyond salvage mode.

We had, however, underestimated just how long the effects of the excessive wet of last summer would linger. Winter simply did not allow the pastures to recover and they remained sodden, persisting still at the end of October, a problem ramped up thanks to another bout of rain poured on at a consistent rate through all of September and little relief through October.

This has meant it has been beyond difficult to put in place the ideal and we are behind in everything in comparison to other years. The feed wedge has been on a knife edge and pasture growth rate has been less than demand.

We have continued to feed silage Sean doing a pasture walk.

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when we would usually be making it.

The positive is that we have all seen on farm that by through monitoring, sound planning and sticking to the rules of residuals and rotation we can with some assurance put panic aside and adapt best practice to fit the current scenario.

The plan is working. The cows are looking good as we move into mating.

While they are holding their own in weight and body condition, the downside is it has been a challenge to move milk production to a peak comparable to other years and keep it stable. The forecast into November is predicting some sun and good drying weather. That, combined with the extended daylight hours, will hopefully be the catalysts to switch things into an upward momentum.

I marked the end of calving by joining the parent team on my daughter’s primary school class camp. This was reminiscent of those from my childhood where the emphasis was on interacting with others and team building. The kids had to think about objectives, planning and strategies. They were encouraged to identify individual strengths and use the greater group to overcome “mission impossible” challenges and achieve goals.

“....it seemed ironic to be part of something on a much smaller scale that shared the very same objectives of collaboration and team-building.”

Watching the processes unfold over the week was a quite profound experience.

There were the conspicuous typically self-appointed leaders, unwavering in self-belief and possessing a kudos that earned them a cross-section of respect, disfavour and fear from their peers. They were the talkers, the quick deciders (not always paired with thought) and the starting gun.

Then there were the understated, an eclectic mix of quiet and modest thinkers; the uncertain and the just plain disinterested – but none of them proved to be unremarkable, all adding value at

At the school camp the kids had to think about objectives, planning and strategies.

some point and stability to the team.

Sometimes the tasks faltered because the group didn’t have a plan, hadn’t considered the bigger picture, forgot a critical component or were not able to adapt when things went askew. At other times, everything seemed to come together with astounding results. Both outcomes reflected the significance of a working team.

At a time when leadership and governance of our country has just begun transitioning to a new team and is establishing its foundation for the work ahead, it seemed ironic to be part of something on a much smaller scale that shared the very same objectives of collaboration and team-building.

It also drew parallels with the recent task requested of Westland Milk Product shareholders to review the governance of our dairy company.

As farmers we were challenged to think about the depth of thought we had put into electing our board members and to consider how our choice of individuals combined to create an effective and performing team.

And while not nearly as significant as governing our country or having the task of ensuring the viability and sustainability of our dairy company, observing this group of children performing “mission impossible” was incredibly insightful. It was a highly visible example of the importance of creating a governance team fit for purpose and how those of us with a vested interest in those teams should give our rights of say in the process high consideration.

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HOME BLOCK | COLUMN

Practise what you preach

Dan Shand

Culverden, North Canterbury As I sit in a hotel room in Wellington, having spent last night at the Beehive for the announcement of our new Nuffield scholars, I am also thinking about the lambs I should have tailed and the broken barb on the driveway I haven’t got around to fixing.

I do however take solace in the fact that I am not still thinking of how I am going to feed everything like this time last year, during the drought, and the fact that my time in Wellington is an investment in the future.

Over the past 18 months I have had the privilege to sit on the Rural Leadership Board that governs the Kellogg and Nuffield programmes as the associate trustee.

During this short time the change in issues that has occurred has been significant from health and safety, environment, nutrient discharge, artificial proteins, precision agriculture, carbon dioxide emissions, biodiversity, licence to operate, value, New Zealand story, government – the list goes on.

So I thought I would mention three of the issues front of mind. The requirement for quality leadership, the conundrum

Government and vision of the future for NZ Inc. The recent election has shown the popularity contest that can occur in the change of governance. I believe we as farmers should take this example to understand that we too are guilty sometimes of selecting leaders of our future on popularity and not on whether the person has the skills to lead our organisations into the fast-changing, disruptive future. We must consider our own approach to farmer-elected directors.

If we still feel this is the right model then we must empower them with the skills and reward required to govern what can be billion-dollar businesses and more importantly change the prospects of our farming businesses also.

Immigration, environment and monetary policy all require a fine balance to ensure the change does not impact heavily on those who elected you.

“The conundrum Government” This Government is faced with a conundrum; they need to follow through on their policies but also keep the economy in the black. Immigration, environment and monetary policy all require a fine balance to ensure the change does not impact heavily on those who elected you. You must also practise what you preach as true leadership always leads by example and this is often expensive.

An example of this is our braided rivers which have been neglected by Land Information New Zealand, the Department of Conservation and regional councils for many years while the farmers on either side have been busy fencing, spraying weeds and planting riparian areas.

Braided rivers have been neglected by central and local government for many years leaving farmers to maintain the land either side of them.

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This Government must now act like farmers have in recognising and accepting responsibility and then investing in the change required.

Although we must continue to improve on our farms, finally there may be some understanding and acknowledgement for all the great work our sector has done to protect and enhance our environment.

“Make your vision so clear that your fears become irrelevant.”

As we hear through the media of the potential impacts of lab-grown food and alternative proteins on our future, we must not continually worry about the ‘what-ifs’. For the last few years we have talked of increasing the value of what we produce.

The problem is that we have not been given a clear vision of what this means.

Value can be successfully and profitably added to commodities so maybe we as the farmers should start by focusing on how we want our products to be perceived globally rather than the end product. That way we will create value.

I am not talking about red meat or dairy in particular I am talking of a panindustry strategy whatever it may be.

“The most environmental food on earth.”

“Always Healthy Food” are a couple of examples. Whatever the experts decide we should embrace it and go.

We are all in this together and the image of one industry directly impacts on the others. Maybe we should be teaming up with NZ tourism and taking this to the world together. They would obviously have to lift their game and invest also.

At least then we would have clarity about our future and we can decide with who and how we invest. It means that we would be doing it for us (the carrot) not them (the stick).

This is not easy as you must consider what it is our consumers of the future want and also at what we already do well to enable a transition rather than a regulatory burden.

Because the one thing we can be sure of is change – if we don’t change we will be left behind.

Country-Wide December 2017

HOME BLOCK | COLUMN

One of the hives (left and top) is the home of high-level order and extraordinary teamwork.

Meanwhile, down at the Beehive...

Nick Loughnan Alexandra, central Otago

I promise to not mention a single word about the recent election.

But I will make passing comment on the place politicians operate out of in Wellington. It is certainly a distinctive building, designed of course by architects who have long held the deserved reputation for drafting expensive plans for grand buildings that leak.

For the Wellington Beehive however, its circular design has always presented its inhabitants with drier challenges.

The most common problem is that they continually get lost inside, particularly around the central lift lobby. With no straight east-west, or north-south facing walls, the continuous circular corridors guarantee regular disorientation. And the elegant Banquet Hall, because of its curved shape, means that once the dining guests have eventually managed to find their way to it, only a few seated in the middle of the grand table on the outside of the room can actually see everybody present. Our Beehive, where the laws of our land are vigourously debated and enacted, has all those inside going round in circles.

By comparison, I have 90,000 stock units operating in a couple of modest boxes – three beehives not far from the house, and the order, precision and sheer effort contributed by every bee is fascinating. A few facts will help to explain why. Each hive has one queen only. She makes one single mating flight, her only trip outside the hive (unless she decides to move house and take a swarm with her).

She mates with drones who can detect

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her in flight, from up to 3km away, such is their acute sensitivity. Once back home, she simply lays tens of thousands of eggs over her short life, ensuring the colony continually has an adequate number of worker bees to forage for the sustenance of the hive.

The worker bees are busy. They forage for pollen and nectar, build the intricate hexagonal wax comb cells, all at a ninedegree upward angle to keep the liquid honey from dribbling out, they feed the hatched larvae, they clean house, and regulate the temperature within the hive.

Our Beehive, where the laws of our land are vigourously debated and enacted, has all those inside going round in circles.

However, bees the world over are in trouble. Nearly every country has the cursed varroa mite which reproduces exponentially within a hive. The mites lay their eggs inside the same cells as the queen lays hers. The hatched mites then feed off the developing bee larvae to the point where their growth is compromised and can emerge deformed. A common deformity is small and mis-shapen wings.

Young bees with this are often unable to fly.

Without human intervention by way of miticide treatment, bee colonies simply succumb to the invasion of these countless mites. The hive dies, its honey stores are robbed by bees from other hives who leave with mite hitch hikers, and the next hive gets infested.

Wild hives, once common, have all

disappeared. We certainly appreciate the importance of healthy bee numbers throughout the country, and here in Central Otago, beekeepers earn good money by providing hives for the critical period of orchard pollination for stone and pip fruit. And New Zealand’s kiwifruit crop is totally bee dependent.

We take these little insects so much for granted. However would we manage without them?

Parts of China know. During one of their “great leaps forward” in 1958, Chairman Mao decreed sparrows were eating too much of the nation’s grain crops, and ordered an extermination programme, killing hundreds of millions of birds. The unforeseen consequence of this action was a serious explosion in insect pest numbers, mainly locusts, without their feathered predators.

The ruler’s wisdom then struck again with a massive programme of insecticide use, which wiped out bees from many regions. Today in China, with bees still struggling to recover, there is an essential industry in pollen sales. This pollen is labouriously collected by hand, sold in the markets by the gram, and then used

by Chinese labourers who climb fruit trees, pollinating blossom with small earbud sticks carrying the precious pollen.

It’s a telling reminder of what to expect when we attempt to tip the balance of the natural world too far in our favour.

New Zealand agriculture, as in the rest of the world, is becoming reliant on the use of neonicotinoids, a new seed treatment chemical which protects germinating and growing crops from fungal and insect damage, and it’s one that bees are struggling with.

For all the help they give us, we need to watch out for our bees.

13

HOME BLOCK | COLUMN

Heading south like Canada geese

Guido Cousins Saskatchewan, Canada

Like Canada geese, I headed south, for the winter months, from Saskatchewan, Canada, to the Florida Keys, where I spent two months plying my hand to yacht maintenance, learning about fibreglassing hulls and extracting engines through small spaces, all done at island time. A major perk to the experience was the opportunity of learning to sail a Catalina 22. In February, my brother, Edmund, joined me for the return journey to Canada.

We headed west, hugging the Gulf of Mexico, passing through New Orleans, coinciding our arrival with Mardi Gras – a very popular jazz festival, where the youth dress in costumes, laden with beads and party into the early hours, on Bourbon Street.

Continuing west, through Houston, Texas, and on to El Paso, we helped at a sheep and goat farm on the Mexican border, in an extremely desert-like environment. The farming was primitive but the farmer, AJ, was a real character.

We witnessed a multitude of guards, utes, quad bikes and helicopters patrolling the Mexican border, in a frenzied fashion, in an effort to slow the drug traffic into the States.

Continuing north, we ticked off the Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam and the bright lights of Vegas. Our wheels, Blue Bertha, suffered altitude sickness as it struggled into Steamboat Springs, at 7000 feet, a ski resort in the Rocky Mountains, Colorado, where we lent a hand on a selfcontained, organic pig farm for 10 days.

The business supplied half a dozen pigs a week to local restaurants, marketing a great story of organic, free-range pork,

14

produced by a local family. The potential was massive but the inclination was dismal as it was run by an alcoholic, on a shoestring!

Continuing north, through the heart of rural America (Colorado, Nebraska, Wyoming, the Dakotas), we had the opportunity to visit numerous large-scale cattle and sheep (25,000-head) feedlots where all animals are fed on a corn-based, TMR diet, a system the Americans have fine-tuned with great efficiency.

Spring was approaching in Canada and the annual, main shear, was happening.

We managed to connect with the local shearing contractor for 10 days.

The contractor supplies the shearing shed and equipment, which had to be erected every morning, before any shearing commenced. This was a most interesting experience, making us appreciate how lucky the shearers are in New Zealand, as the ewes were big, fat, 80kg, huas and still full of grain.

This ended a five-month, 16,000 mile road trip, through 32 states for Blue Bertha but the highlight was the absolute characters we met along the way and the sheer generosity we experienced from the American people.

Returning to complete my second season at Big Sky Grazing, implementing NZ-style pastoral farming techniques, I thought I was more in tune with the prolific feed curve experienced in Canada. However, I discovered, as pastoral farmers, we are very reliant on the weather, irrespective of where we are in the world. This season was the driest in eight years, where summer rainfalls had averaged 300mm, reducing to only 100mm. Remarkably this had a very positive effect on the stock performance, due to a number of contributing factors.

Better feed quality through the summer, reduced foot root and the local theory, cattle won’t grow on lettuce. In a drier summer, the grass is harder as it has a lower moisture content.

Due to the drier conditions, the cattle returned to the feedlots, (1200km away) in early September, a month earlier than usual. The cattle had greater weight gains, in fewer grazing days, than ever, with the steers averaging 1.1kg/day while the heifers averaged .86 kg/day over an average of 115 grazing days.

A component of cow/calf pairs were added to the grazing system, this season, to create an additional class of stock, to massage pastures behind the yearling cattle. This policy is bread and butter in NZ but very rarely implemented on a Canadian ranch, as pasture management is not a priority on most Canadian grazing regimes. I squeezed in a trip to Anchorage, Alaska, rendezvousing with my parents and Blue Bertha, for a 10-day road trip. Our destination, Deadhorse, 300 miles north of the Arctic Circle, up the Dalton highway to the shores of the Beaufort Sea, in the Arctic Ocean.

Deadhorse is home to the Prudhoe Bay oil fields where crude oil is extracted and pumped 800 miles south, down the Trans Alaskan pipeline to Valdez on the Alaskan south coast, before being shipped to the lower 48s, for refining.

Blue Bertha is now on a port tack, heading west, to Kelowna, BC, for a couple of month’s work on a construction site and a few weeks’ sailing on the west coast, in the inside passage, before returning to NZ, in mid-December.

• Guido is from the Manawatu and on his big OE.

Perkins engine, removed from a ketch in Key Largo, Florida.

Country-Wide December 2017

HOME BLOCK | COLUMN

Making the most of 20 summers

Andrew Steven Rosewill, Timaru

We are enjoying a very good spring. On a sunny day there is a vivid intensity to the colours which brings joy to the heart.

At the time of writing, we are in a sweet spot with plentiful feed and at long last starting to get some warm days. The farm is looking great.

Lambing went without any issues except for the line of bought-in ewes which were responsible for the bulk of problems. It is a good idea to buy some sheep occasionally to demonstrate that your own breeding is quite good.

We have stockpiled wool for 12 months but have just moved it on. We have been in this situation before and I concluded last time that the best policy was to move wool as soon as it was shorn. Somehow, I forgot the lessons of the past.

I notice a lot of farmers wearing polar fleece tops?

Are you aware of a book titled ‘Twenty good summers’? I haven’t read it myself but the title says it all. When you reach 50 years of age, you can reasonably expect to enjoy another 20 years of active life. What you do with those 20 years is up to you.

With the average age of the NZ farmer being 58, I am sure many of you are having similar thoughts. We are not yet at the average age but we have been

Country-Wide December 2017

Art in A Garden, at Hawarden, North Canterbury.

thinking about the things we would like to do. Farm activities include getting all of our infrastructure up to an acceptable standard, planting a lot more trees and maintaining those already planted. There are male fantasies of buying a portable sawmill to exploit some of our own wood resource.

Off-farm, there is a lot more of our wonderful country to see and adventures in the mountains to be had. In the short term, a weekend off would be good.

I have long been interested in organics so with a sense of time running out, we took a close look at the options.

The main driver for organics is to have a marketing tool. Consider a tonne of organic wheat is worth $900 and the conventional is only $350, you see what I mean. There are premiums for beef, less for lamb and none for venison. There are opportunities in dairy support.

“So organics has been considered and declined.”

We are quite chemical-dependant and do have a disquiet about that. On the other hand, direct drilling is very useful technology as is the ability to spray gorse.

Our merino trading lambs would be impossible without drenches.

Conventional farming runs harder, smarter, faster, in a futile attempt to compensate for poor price.

While the principles of organics remain interesting, we decided an organic conversion doesn’t quite fit with our

“Twenty good summers” concept given that it would mean working harder than ever. A bit like doing Dry July, it is easy to abstain from chemicals for a month but doing so indefinitely would be difficult.

So organics has been considered and declined.

We have attended three events worthy of mention.

Art In A Garden is a North Canterbury community fundraising event featuring sculpture set in an extensive country garden near Hawarden. Check out the pictures. I love the Rodeo and our local is at Winchester at Labour weekend. In this day and age, it is wonderful that young men and women have the opportunity to do a ridiculously risky activity. There is a happy laid-back atmosphere among the crowd and it is a pleasant way to spend a day. A lot more action than watching cricket.

Vicky and I had a two-night stay at the Greta Valley hotel to attend a holistic management introductory programme.

These courses are run by John King. John has been around for years, gathering a massive amount of knowledge. We visited two properties where the farmers had organised their operations in such a way that they had time to pursue interests offfarm. It is very stimulating to get away and meet new people and learn new things.

Finally, when we look around the world and see toxic political situations and have witnessed an unpleasant election campaign in New Zealand, we need to remember the words of the late Helen Kelly: “Just try to be nice to each other.”

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NOTEBOOK Battle of the bands

Battle of The Bands – 2017 National Championship National finals of the 2017 Battle of the Bands is at The Kings Arms, Auckland, December 16 and 17 with the announcements and prize giving at the end of the 2nd night.

Straight furrows

www.battleofthebands.co.nz

Kiwi ploughmen Bob Mehrtens and Ian Woolley represent New Zealand at the world ploughing championships in Kenya on December 1 and 2.

www.worldploughing.org

Feed the world

Feed the World 2030: Power of Plants Hackathon, Are you interested in future agrifood production platforms? Sign up for The Feed the World 2030 Innovation Event at Lincoln University, December 2, 3. www.creativehq.co.nz

Youth camp Street racers

Cemetery Circuit, Wanganui’s Boxing Day event where the best New Zealand and international motorbike racers come to compete on the tight 1.6km (one-mile) street circuit. It is the third round of 2017 Suzuki Series, following the first round on December 10 at Bruce McLaren Motorsport Park, Taupo; and the second round on December 17 at Feilding’s Manfield circuit. www.cemeterycircuit.co.nz

Yusuf – Cat Stevens

Yusuf – Cat Stevens’ Peace Train Tour commemorating the 50th anniversary of his first major hit single and debut album Matthew and Son kicks off on December 13 at Auckland’s Vector Arena, followed by New Plymouth’s TSB Bowl of Brooklands on December 16 and Christchurch’s Horncastle Arena on December 19. www.tinyurl.com/ya53yefn

ElemenoP

Kiwi pop-rockers Elemeno P and Jordan Luck hit the road for a North Island tour starting in Hamilton on December 21 to December 30.

www.tinyurl.com/ycocks9u

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Registration for the National All Dairy Breeds Youth Camp closes December 1. The event is at Manfeild Agri-Centre in Feilding, January 27-30, and is open to any young person 15 years or older.

www.nzdairyevent.com

ARIA Field Day

Foundation for Arable Research’s major South Island Field day will be held at Chertsey on December 6.

www.far.org.nz/events

NCRS Field Day

FAR Northern Crop Research Site annual open day.

Matangi, Tamahere, December 14. www.far.org.nz/events

Showtime

Whangarei A&P Show, Barge Showgrounds Events Centre. December 2, 3. www.whangareishow.co.nz Tokomairiro A&P Society, Taylor Park Showgrounds, Milton. December 9.

www.tinyurl.com/yd5fayrw

NOTEBOOK If you have something you think might be suitable for the Notebook page please send it in a word document (.doc) to andy.maciver@nzfarmlife.co.nz along with any pictures as jpgs.

Country-Wide December 2017

FACTS

All positive until Christmas

– BUT THEN WHAT? AGRIHQ ANALYST

North Island prime s teer s laughter price 6.0

$/kgCW

Reece Brick

Y

ou’d be hard pressed to find anyone complaining about the new sheep and beef season. The weather’s made a long-awaited turn for the better bringing some muchneeded warmth to the country, while the money in beef and sheep is well up on a year ago – at both the saleyards and the works.

Of course the good times won’t last forever, and the question on everyone’s lips is how long will this positivity last?

A key dictator will be how resilient overseas markets prove for exporters. For beef, all eyes are on the United States.

It was only in early October that the outlook there was quite glum based on increased supplies from Australia, New Zealand and the US. However these fears have proven unfounded – for now.

A significant portion of NZ’s beef is traded into the US as frozen lean grinding beef, and supplies in this market have not

5.5

5.0

4.5

Oct

Dec

Feb

5-­yr ave

2016-­17

come forward with as much volume as originally thought.

Rain relief through Australia has slowed production there, while good grass growth is also muting the NZ kill.

Both these factors combined are forcing US buyers to fight harder than they originally thought for product, giving the market a small lift lately. Strong consumer demand has also absorbed the higher US kill without any negative effect on prices.

Signals are pointing to a drop-off occurring come the New Year, however.

Forward sales into the US for early-2018 are below any 2017 contract levels, at which point the NZ bull kill will be in full

North Island lamb s laughter price 7.5

$/kgCW

7.0 6.5 6.0 5.5 5.0 4.5

Oct

Dec 5-­yr ave

Country-Wide December 2017

Feb 2016-­17

Apr

Jun 2017-­18

Aug

Apr

Jun 2017-­18

Aug

Oct

Source: AgriHQ

swing and Australia will likely be back in the game too.

All the focus for lamb and mutton is on China. Buyers there are fighting over any product available from both NZ and Australia as they prepare for the Chinese New Year celebrations.

This will support lamb and mutton values through to mid-December, but what happens beyond this point is a bit of a guessing game. There’s the risk importers will be left with large volumes of stock in storage following the Chinese New Year, similar to what occurred three years ago.

Exporters are aware of this risk, and are attempting to forward-sell product where possible to minimise their exposure here. Sheep meat exports from NZ and Australia to China were more than double a year ago through October.

Elsewhere, lamb cuts are selling well, but these markets haven’t been tested by big volumes of product since at least mid-2017. Prices have approached record levels for a number of lamb cuts, and there is the potential end-users will switch to alternate meats in response, softening demand by the time the lamb kill gains some proper size.

Oct

Source: AgriHQ

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BUSINESS | LEAN MANAGEMENT

Who took the hammer? The tag on the peg top right will tell you, just one of many management tweaks Scott Whyte’s implemented thanks to adopting lean on his family’s Southland farm and quarry.

Lean concept sharpens FARM BUSINESS Most of what you read about the lean management concept refers to manufacturing firms with many employees and if you do find something relating to farming, it’s probably targeting large-scale dairy, pigs or poultry. So can lean help in an owner-operator situation on a sheep, beef or crop farm? Andrew Swallow reports.

D

o you think about every action, in every farm operation, and ask yourself if it adds value and if not, how it could be eliminated?

If you do, you’re practising lean management, even though you might not realise it.

The term was coined in the 1980s to describe the process of continuous improvement in manufacturing which Japanese car manufacturer Toyota had been leading for decades.

Today, it’s practised in all sorts of production businesses globally, including, in recent years, farming. Mostly that’s been in large-scale pig, poultry or dairy operations – factory farms as some like to call them – but there’s no reason the principles shouldn’t be applied on more traditional units, Venture Southland’s Alistair Adam says.

“We have had a few sheep and beef farmers, of various sizes, go through [Venture Southland’s Lean] programme

18

and I think they have found it useful,” he says.

“The courses are not about the technical skills required to farm, but about the little things that fall in between the cracks and can add up to a lot of waste.”

As a concept, lean gives workshop participants a common language to use about the challenges a farm or business faces, he says.

That common language is one of the key benefits Southland farmer Scott Whyte cites having attended a Venture Southland workshop last year.

“It has made us more proactive and there’s a lot more planning and communication… Our health and safety’s improved too.”

Besides Scott, his father, brother-inlaw, and a worker are full-time on the 280-hectare farm and gravel quarry.

They now meet every Monday to ensure everyone is “on the same page” as to the week’s work and priorities.

The meeting’s a chance for all to raise existing or potential problems and collectively work out solutions. True to lean principles, they keep asking “why” until they get to the root-cause.

“There definitely are cases where it is human error but the process gets you away from that instant reaction of blaming people.”

Tools are now kept on shadow boards, managed by a tag system. When a tool is taken, the user puts a tag with their name on it in the tool’s space. Scott says that not only tells everyone else who has that tool, but works as a motivator for the user to return the tool to its proper place.

“It’s pretty simple but very effective.”

They’ve also had a good sort out, disposing of things not used with the result it’s easier to find, access and maintain what they do use. While that “took some time up front”, day-to-day operations are now more efficient.

“You forget how dysfunctional it was.”

Country-Wide December 2017

Lean’s seven wastes Waiting Over-producing Rejects/defects Motion/movement Processing Inventory/stock Transport.

HOT-WIRE TEST Another simple example he cites is testing hot-wires in winter. That’s now an agreed, standard practice after setting a new break. While it takes only five seconds to do, and occasionally a few minutes to sort out why there’s insufficient charge and put it right, that simple step has eliminated the costly problem of going back the following morning to find a breakout, trampled crop, and possibly sick or dead cattle.

“We also replaced the hot-wire with lacing wire because even though we were using the best quality hot-wire, the bulls would still occasionally break it. It’s a good example of a process improvement where we’ve taken a series of steps to eliminate a recurring problem.”

“It’s about changing your mindset. Rather than going through the day accepting frustrations you find the root cause of the problem, fix it, and it stops happening.”

Taking the time to get off farm and take a formal course on lean was well worth it, he believes, and while the benefit is probably greater in a team situation, he thinks a lone operator would gain from it too.

“It’s about changing your mindset.

Rather than going through the day accepting frustrations you find the root cause of the problem, fix it, and it stops happening.”

Bronwyn Campbell, who farms 160ha with husband Grant near Winton, has also done a Venture Southland Lean workshop.

“I thought lean was just for the big

Country-Wide December 2017

Engines roll along a Toyota assembly line.

players but as (workshop tutor) Clinton (Yeats) leads you through it you can see even individuals can go home and make big strides in their business,” she says.

Besides doing the books and flock records for the farm – they have a Romney and TefRom stud – Bronwyn works as an ACC health and safety consultant. It was that off-farm work which alerted her to the potential of lean.

“I’d visited lots of businesses and I could see the ones that were doing really well were there ones that were applying lean management really well.”

Even though none of those were farms, it prompted Bronwyn to take the workshop which she says she’d recommend to other farmers.

“Farming’s a whole-year process so you want things to be timely. Lean helps ensure that.”

While Grant didn’t attend the course with her – “it would have been better if he’d been there too rather than having to hear it second-hand” – it has enhanced their communication and implementation of farm activities and processes, Bronwyn says.

For example, they now not only make sure they order tags for the stud flocks in good time, but check the content of the packets on arrival. Once, prior to having that system, the tags had arrived in good time but they only realised one set was missing when they started tagging.

“It involved a lot of writing on tags which took extra time and turned out to be useless because the ink wore off.”

But Bronwyn stresses lean is not about looking at tasks in isolation: it’s about looking at processes from start to finish – in her example identification of stud lambs from birth to sale.

“Lean allows you to work on the business rather than in it. It allows you to see where you might be able to improve.”

Lean specialist Clinton Yeats, who runs the workshops for Venture Southland and several other organisations, says lean is simply a continuous process of improving the work environment through elimination of waste.

“Sadly, in New Zealand, it [lean] has been corrupted by many people.” ›› p20 The term was coined in the United States in the 1980s, based on the

Five S concept Another management concept often included in implementing a lean approach is 5S. While the original S words were Japanese, they’ve been translated as: Sort, Set, Shine, Standardise and Sustain.

There are many descriptions of what those entail but in summary: • “Sort” means removing unnecessary tools and equipment so you only have what’s required for the job.

• “Set” is set in order materials, tools and processes so work flows uninterrupted.

• “Shine” means keeping the workplace tidy and all tools and equipment clean and well maintained.

• “Standardise” means ensuring key tasks are done the same way and to the same standard by all.

• “Sustain” is to maintain standards, training and continuously improve.

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Suranga Durage, Miguel Herrera and Will Clarke on the farm.

BUSINESS | LEAN MANAGEMENT GRANTS

Benefits of a

tune-up Claire Cameron For South Otago farmer Will Clarke the opportunity to participate in the FarmTune programme offered by DairyNZ was one he couldn’t resist.

The Clarke family own a self-contained dairy farm just south of Clinton, in South Otago. They employ five full-time staff on the dairy unit, and although only part-way through the programme, all agree the benefits are already clear.

FarmTune is a DairyNZ initiative that uses the “lean management” principles that originated in Japanese manufacturing to embed a culture of efficiency and continuous improvement into a farm business. The primary focus of lean management is – as the name suggests – reducing waste in the system to become more efficient and therefore leaner. Efficiencies can be achieved through a systematic and continuous process of identifying and reducing waste.

Introduction of lean management

‹ ‹ p19 Japanese manufacturing culture of Kaizen: kai meaning to rotate, and zen to improve, he explains. Lean management is about creating that culture of continuous improvement through eliminating waste. Seven categories of waste are defined (see panel).

“In the farming world there are a lot of these wastes, the movement one especially,” Yeats says.

Non-lean manufacturers typically waste 40% of work time looking for and retrieving things: in farming it could be 50%, he suggests. Identifying where the waste is can be hard because most farmers have learnt their trade

20

to the dairy sector began when Synlait Farms (now Purata) in Canterbury applied the concept to their farms.

Venture Southland, the agency responsible for economic and community development initiatives in Southland, also ran a mini-pilot programme about the same time. Based on the success of these programmes, DairyNZ decided to develop a programme tailored specifically for dairy farms. Canterbury-based consultant Sarah Watson is contracted to develop FarmTune and co-ordinate the roll-out to a wider audience at a national level.

FarmTune introduces farmers to key “lean” concepts and helps them implement them in their own businesses through a step-by-step process.

“Last year the FarmTune progamme was piloted across 10 farms in Southland and we had great results,” Sarah says. “We took the feedback from participants in that pilot and improved the programme into the version that is now being delivered to participants in Southland,

organically, from father and grandfather, and much of the waste is “normalised” in what are considered standard ways of doing things.

With wastes identified, lean management tools such as “five S” (see panel) can be used to re-engineer processes and re-organise workplaces to eliminate them. Visual stimuli, such as green ticks and red crosses for the right and wrong way of doing things, on the tool or site of the operation, are powerful stimuli to do the job right, providing knowledge at a glance, right where it’s needed.

Accountability is another key principle – “putting the worker in charge of the

Farm facts Farm owner: Clarke Agri Limited Location: Clinton, South Otago Milking area: 315ha Production: 450,000kg MS from 940 cows at peak Full-time staff: Five Dairy: Fully automated 50-bail rotary

Canterbury and Waikato.”

The Southland FarmTune Programme consists of 10 farm businesses, with 15 dairy units between them. It involves a series of eight workshops and includes onfarm activities that involve the whole farm team, delivered over a three-month period. A key principle of FarmTune is all employees are empowered to take responsibility for maximising value and minimising waste through all the processes.

workplace” – as is doing things right first time (“Jidoka”).

“In New Zealand we’re very good at getting the job done, but then we spend half our time getting it put right.

Basically Jidoka is ‘measure twice: cut once’… It’s all about building quality into the process.”

Ongoing motivation to use lean is essential, Yeats says, who likens it to a gym: using it will make you stronger and faster but if you don’t have the skills and leadership to use the gym, it’s not going to happen.

“It’s having a mindset to drive continuous improvement of the work environment and the way you work.”

Country-Wide December 2017

Principles of lean management

Will Clarke with staff Suranga Durage, Miguel Herrera and Gareth Ward and the pink Post-it notes.

“It’s not about the boss putting a system in place – the team have to own the systems and have input into them,” Sarah says.

Another key point emphasised in the course is “people don’t fail, processes fail people”. Where there is wastage it isn’t the person’s fault, it’s a problem with the process.

A major outcome Farmtune is improved use of time.

“This means either staff can go home earlier or they can focus on other areas that need improving and refining,” Sarah says. She also adds the focus is on continuous improvement, saying “there is no end to it – lean thinking becomes embedded into the business and the team have to constantly be looking for ways to improve and refine systems”.

The course starts off by defining what waste is and how to find it. Participants then develop a ‘process map’ for the milking process on their own farms.

“We have 15 key steps in our milking process, from getting the cows from the paddock to the dairy, milking them, and shutting them away. Some of these steps are happening simultaneously. For example while the first herd is being milked the second herd is moving to the dairy,” Suranga Durage, assistant farm manager for the Clarkes, says.

Once the milking process is mapped out in detail the next task is to identify waste that occurs in the milking process.

“Each time we have an issue with the milking process we write it on a pink Post-it note and stick it on the process map at the point where the issue occurred,” Will says.

The issues are referred to as OFIs – an acronym for ‘opportunities for improvement’. The staff were surprised they found 98 OFIs in their milking process.

“It just goes to show how many minor things can crop up that you don’t really think about until you have to record them,” herd manager Gareth Ward says.

The OFIs might seem minor but

Country-Wide December 2017

• Focus on the system and the people • Identify and understand how the work gets done • Manage, improve and smooth the process and workflow • Remove non-value adding steps and waste • Reduce variation and sustain changes • Involve and equip the people in the process • Take action to continue improving

collectively they can add up to a lot of time, cost, and frustration for the business, and addressing them can improve efficiency and make the process work better for the whole team. Farm staff also record the start and finish time of each milking on a chart in the dairy. This lets them monitor how often milking exceeds the targeted time for completion, and helps keep them focused on looking for ways to improve the process.

The Southland programme is now at its half-way point and the focus is to identify the root cause of each OFI. “We have put our OFIs into a spreadsheet and we then identify the root cause of each issue,” Will says.

‘It’s not about the boss putting a system in place – the team have to own the systems and have input into them.’

FarmTune teaches participants how to drill into the root cause of each problem to find the key reason for the issue happening. The root cause needs to be correctly identified before an appropriate solution can be found.

“We’re not at the point yet where we can jump into finding solutions but we have made a few small changes to our milking process based on what we’ve already found,” herd manager Miguel Herrera says.

They have also started to re-organise storage places by eliminating clutter and having a designated place for everything in and around the dairy and workshops.

This will reduce the time they waste looking for the tools and equipment to do a job. Will says the ultimate goal “is to walk into the workshop and find any piece of equipment we need in under 60 seconds”.

Although there is a reasonable time commitment involved in attending workshops Will says with a bit of extra planning it has been manageable.

“It hasn’t been too bad. We’re in a quieter time of the season now and the benefits to come will far outweigh the time and effort that we’re putting in right now,” he says.

Gareth adds “the whole team is on board with this programme and we are looking forward to reaping the benefits of working smarter not harder.”

The Farmtune programme is aimed at teaching and showing the how-to of the lean management approach so participants can apply lean management thinking to their individual situations.

By the end of the programme they will be able to use the lean management approach to map any process in their business and identify waste in that process, identify the root true cause of waste and problems in the process, and apply repeatable solutions to remove the waste and improve the process.

They will also have developed a culture where everyone in the team is focused on continuous improvement and using their initiative when they do their job to achieve small, incremental changes every day. Will predicts FarmTune will be “an absolute game-changer” for his business.

“We expect to see savings across the board. A more efficient business means everyone has time to do important jobs, there’s less frustration, less time being wasted, and staff will be happier in their jobs.”

Farmers who would like to start implementing some lean management concepts in their own business should sign up for the Waste Hunt Challenge through the DairyNZ website. If you are interested in participating in FarmTune or would like more information about it contact Sarah Watson on 021 800 887 or email sarah@peoplemad.co.nz • From the NZ Dairy Exporter’s Special on Lean management in 2016.

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BUSINESS | RED MEAT PROFIT PARTNERSHIP

Subsidy not a real subsidy Terry Brosnahan The Red Meat Profit Partnership programme leaders say it is no gravy train nor is it a subsidy.

Programme steering group chairman Malcolm Bailey said the RMPP costs were well-scrutinised.

This was in response to a cartoon and an article in Country-Wide’s November issue. It questioned the effectiveness of the programme and the scrutiny of its costs.

On his last day at work, the departing RMPP chief executive Smith finally spoke to Country-Wide. Both he and Bailey denied the programme was a gravy train.

Smith’s sudden departure has raised eyebrows as there was no public announcement at the time. Smith said he was leaving for personal reasons, New interim RMPP chief executive David Wright was only in the second week of the new job when approached by Country-Wide and referred comment to Bailey.

Bailey said Smith had left to pursue other opportunities and the board was happy with his performance as chief executive.

The RMPP is a partnership between the Ministry for Primary Industry, Beef + Lamb New Zealand, six meat processing companies and two banks. The total maximum funding for the programme is $64.3 million ($32.15m from government and $32.15m from industry co-investors).

The RMPP partners’ contribution can be in-kind as well as cash. How much is inkind is unclear. The programme contract was signed in November 2013 and is to run for seven years.

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The RMPP is part of the Primary Growth Partnership programme and has spent more than $21m in three-and-ahalf years. Critics say it is a gravy train and question whether or not the money is well-spent.

Incoming Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor said there was a lack of transparency around PGPs. He called the PGP programme “bullshit” and said a full review would be carried out.

Bailey said he was surprised by the minister’s comments as he had tried to

Facilitators An email from the RMPP office said the number of trained Action Network facilitators expected by the end of September next year is 150 and the number of farmers, 1500.

Farmers, facilitators, and “subject matter experts are required to register with RMPP. It stated, invoices were to be sent directly to RMPP and subjected to a number of checks to validate the people were an expert in their subject matter. The invoice then goes to the group nominated by the primary contact farmer.

The group would confirm the work had been undertaken to a satisfactory level and approve the invoice for payment. Group members would be surveyed on a regular basis to see if they are happy with the service they are getting.

The RMPP is focussed on giving farmers greater transparency between the farmgate and the processor.

tee up a meeting with him while he was in Opposition.

Bailey said the RMPP is well-scrutinised and is not worried by a review.

“We’ve got no desire to hide anything as it is public money.”

He sits as an independent chairman of the programme steering group which acts like a board of directors. Further scrutiny is carried out by MPI and the independent advisory panel for the Primary Growth Partnership programme.

Bailey was a staunch opponent of subsidies in his days as Federated Farmers president. The RMPP plans to pay $4000/ farmer to join farm discussion groups.

He said it was not a subsidy in the sense it paid farmers directly to increase farm outputs. It was broader research and development funding which wouldn’t normally come from the private sector.

He also said the RMPP’s action network programme was setting up action groups, not discussion groups, even though Smith called them such.

“With a discussion group you may turn up and listen, but there is no obligation to put a plan in place.”

The programme aims to bring groups of seven to nine farm businesses together per group. Each farm business will be paid $4000 in year one to pay for experts’ time into whatever issue the group decide they want to cover. Farmers will have to put in $800 the second year.

It is not known how many farmers will take up the offer to join the groups, but farm consultants spoken to believed it would be small. They said time away from the farm, not money, is the limiting factor plus farmers are reluctant to share information.

›› No guarantees p24

Country-Wide December 2017

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Country-Wide December 2017

23

BUSINESS | INVESTMENT

Keeping a grip on spending power Anne Hughes

The RMPP says its action groups are not farm discussion groups because farmers have to make a greater commitment.

NO GUARANTEES Bailey said there was no guarantee they would get 3000 farmers and the programme would work.

“If we were sure it would work we couldn’t justify the use of public money.”

A budget of $14m has been set aside for 3000 farmers to join by 2020 as well as money for administration. However, Bailey said the RMPP was expected to come in under budget by about $10m.

He mentioned several projects where the RMPP had burned dough.

It invested $120,000 in supporting a million dollar research project between Tru-Test and AgResearch in developing a rapid weighing system. Stock would run over the device in a gateway and give the average weight. The software let it down and the project was scrapped.

Another was looking at inefficiencies between farmgate and processors such as transport. Deloitte was used to analyse mainly NAIT data but after spending about $1m the project was stopped because a number of “heroic” assumptions needed to be made which wouldn’t give a meaningful picture.

For example, an animal born on a farm stays there until it goes to slaughter but farmers have breeding and finishing country.

Bailey said RMPP was focused on giving farmers more transparency so they knew the true costs and make the decisions which in turn gave greater efficiency.

24

Extra income is often invested straight back into the farm.

In many cases this may be necessary, but off-farm investment can be a prudent way to create and build a passive income, reduce risk through diversification of assets, and help with succession planning or retirement. Craigs Investment Partners investment adviser Fleur Gardiner says deciding how to invest your money depends on investment objectives, the timeframe, tolerance for risk and income requirements.

“Everyone has different financial needs and goals and attitudes to risk so it’s about understanding these before determining what you do with your money to help you achieve your long-term goals,” Gardiner says.

One of the more important goals of investing is the maintenance of the real spending power of the money, she says.

‘Some are simply diversifying their assets, rather than having it all in the farm.’

Shares can help in building wealth over the long term, depending on age, circumstances and stage of life.

This type of off-farm investment might fit a range of situations.

Circumstances might change, such as having some extra money in the bank due to selling the farm, downsizing, or coming into some money in another way. Farmers might then choose to invest these funds in a variety of asset classes, including shares.

Gardiner says it can also be a good option for those wanting to build some capital outside the farm for retirement, or as a way to create some security and fairness for a child who

Fleur Gardiner.

won’t be involved with the farm long-term.

“It can also be good for farmers who aren’t quite ready to move off the farm, but are starting to think about that next step.

“Some are simply diversifying their assets, rather than having it all in the farm.”

If you are looking to build capital to enter into farm ownership, these types of investments may not be appropriate.

You can buy shares on the New Zealand, Australian and global markets through a broker, or opt for a managed fund such as a portfolio investment entity (PIE).

“These funds make it a lot easier to get started.”

For example, a Craigs Investment Partners mySTART account can be opened with as little as $1000 and any income earned from the investments is automatically reinvested on your behalf. You select the fund that will best suit what you want to achieve and fitting your risk profile and objectives.

Talking to an investment adviser can help you understand your options and how to get started.

• Fleur Gardiner’s disclosure statement is available on request.

Country-Wide December 2017

BUSINESS | DOGS

Fine-tuning our elite farm athletes Muff and her dogs Fri and Juno.

Annabelle Latz Shell, Chloe, Lou, Coco, Fi, Juno, Tilly, Ziggy, Lass and Tane love running the rolling country of Kaituna Ridges, the 960-hectare steep sheep and beef property in northern Marlborough, which they call home.

Day-in day-out they work the land, helping their owners Muff and Paul Newton run their 4500 predominantly Romney ewes, and 200 head of cattle – historically Angus but getting more into the Hereford side of things.

‘We put a lot of effort into ensuring all other stock on the farm have dedicated animal welfare systems, so it makes sense to do the same for our dogs.’

There is also a farm tourism business involving sheep dog demonstrations, and the organisation of the local and centre championships for dog-trialling competitions this upcoming season.

The Newtons are entering their second year with Working Paws – a

Country-Wide December 2017

marketable tool designed for farmers to assess and monitor the overall health of their dogs; a crucial cog of most farming businesses.

Muff says the farm visits and assessments really changed the relationship they have with their vet, who they work closely with to maximise the form of their dogs and prevent illness and injuries, rather than only work with in times of strife.

“This is really a bit of a mind change for farmers; preventing rather than waiting for issues,” Muff says.

These canines may not know it, but they have something big in common with the All Blacks; they are all elite athletes.

Marlborough-based veterinarian Stuart Burrough is the developer of Working Paws and director of The Vet Company and The Vet Centre Marlborough.

A huge advocate for quality working dog nutrition and health, Burrough likes to use the All Blacks analogy.

“You wouldn’t expect the All Blacks to perform without excellent nutrition, so neither should your working dogs,” he says.

The loyal heading dog and huntaway will start working as a one-year-old, and a successful career will span nearly a decade, with these hard workers running up to 30km a day at busy times of the year.

With the right care and nutrition,

Paul and Chloe.

25

these dogs could delay hanging up their working collars for another one or two years.

“An average team is 10 dogs, which is over $30,000 worth. That is a very valuable asset,” he says.

Dog coats, quality kennelling, and a focus on the right protein and fat levels in a dog’s diet are all topics now commonly chatted about among farmers and their vet.

Burrough sees Working Paws as the opportunity to take the well-known and utilised annual vaccination and head-to-tail assessment a step further – to also carry out an onfarm assessment and capture all this annual data.

“It’s about maintaining health and wellness, rather than waiting for problems.”

Orthopaedic and dental assessments, skin health, eyes, heart, ears, abdomen, body condition score, and nutrition are all looked at, then the information is put on a template and emailed to the farmer.

Monitoring kennel temperatures helps to establish the importance of coats at night.

“If dogs are restless to keep warm this burns up energy.”

Burrough says a lot of farmers are using these now, the nylon exterior and

26

fleece-lined layers now a common sight on farms and at dog trials.

He has worked closely with Massey University Associate Professor in Small Animal Medicine and Nutrition Nick Cave, and says attention to quality nutrition means fewer physical injuries.

Late summer and early winter are the

Marlborough-based veterinarian Stuart Burrough, developer of Working Paws and director of The Vet Company and The Vet Centre Marlborough, says working dogs are like elite athletes, and need to be treated as such.

best times to catch up with farmers, when the job list onfarm is a little less hectic.

There are two other similar working dog health programmes in New Zealand, and overall Kiwi farming is embracing ideas and issues involving their best four-legged mates.

“The Hilux gets a service, so should the dogs,” Burrough says.

The numbers of farmers taking up Working Paws is growing steadily.

“It comes down to attitude, rather than an age thing… there is always changing attitudes towards dog health.”

The 10 working dogs at Kaituna Ridges have always been very well looked after – they are worked or run every day, and at night are put to bed in their spacious, clean kennels with plenty of shade and shelter and fresh water.

Sleeping mats and wearing a coat in the cooler months is a bonus that further ensures these dogs get good rest.

“We were keen to be up to speed with any animal welfare issues relating to the dogs,” Paul says.

A big homecoming was last year when their very good heading bitch needed two canine teeth removed, something picked up at the medical.

“We were able to get her into surgery and have them removed much earlier than we would have if the vet hadn’t picked it up... We put a lot of effort into ensuring all other stock on the farm have dedicated animal welfare systems, so it makes sense to do the same for our dogs,” Muff says.

“Our dogs are invaluable for the farm business, we could not run the property without them. We love our dog work and especially enjoy the early morning and evening musters on the big hill blocks,” Paul says.

Country-Wide December 2017

BUSINESS | DOG’S FOOD

GRUB’S UP Getting the right food for a farm’s working dogs is vitally important for optimum performance. In the annual round-up, the Country-Wide team present the dog food guide reviewing data, claims and manufacturers’ assertions.

The latest dog tucker product specs provided by manufacturers are presented in three tables; general information, nutrtional data, and ration/cost data.

The basics of farm dog nutrition, as presented in Country-Wide, each year remain unchanged.

Farm life is unpredictable.

With the right food, you can rely on your dogs every day.

Grant McMaster has been a farmer for over 40 years. He knows only too well how uncertain farm life can be.

Black Hawk® Working Dog has been developed specifically for New Zealand working dogs. Packed with 32% real meat proteins and 22% high quality fats, the formula promotes strong lean muscles and provides sustainable energy throughout the day.

Since Grant has been feeding Black Hawk Working Dog to his dogs he’s noticed a very real difference – “you can see them improving in their muscling, their coats are shinier and they have more energy.”

Grant McMaster – General Manager, Closeburn Station

Available at your rural vet clinic. ® Black Hawk and other associated trademarks are registered trademarks of Masterpet Australia Pty Ltd.

Country-Wide December 2017 workingfarmdogs.co.nz

27

Dog tips

t an Dog kennel be dding. Gea cafe m empty coffee sack froor belly d tte co th wi fill d an rm over wo ol. It keeps dogs wa re duce to lps he ich winter wh ritis. (Fill the likeliho od of arth s an d llie be pillowcases with he d an d pieces fro m the wo olskennels – g do r fo sew them up is worth it’s not like the wo ol well be as t anything so it migh warm!) keeping yo ur dogs

NOTES FOR TABLE 1 • AAFCO status: “Approved” indicates the dog food has passed independent AAFCO testing, is considered non-toxic and is a complete and balanced diet.

“Formulated” indicates good intent to meet AAFCO standards but does not include AAFCO testing.

“FEDIAF” indicates the product complies with the European

In w inter h ose the mu d off th e dogs.

After they have a shake th ey ’re virtually dr y – it beats them go ing to be d cold , wet an d mu ddy .

Federation of Pet Food Manufacturers’ (FEDIAF) standards. “Exceed” indicates the product exceeds AAFCO standards.

• Ingredients list: Ingredients are listed in order of proportion, with the highest listed first. Only the first three ingredients are listed in this table – in general, where the first is a high-quality ingredient, the shorter the full list, the higher the food quality.

• Mighty Mix recommends feeding their frozen concentrate with Mighty Mix Large Dog Formula, either together or alternately.

• All products listed are claimed to be “complete and balanced” diets.

Table 1: Summary of general information provided by dog food suppliers Product name

Type

AAFCO status

Ingredients list (first three only). Listed In order of proportion (highest listed first).

Refrigeration needed?

Made in

Acana Sport and Agility

Kibble

Formulated

Chicken Meat (16%), Chicken Meal (16%), Turkey Meal (14%)

No

Canada

BlackHawk Working Dog Adult Formula

Kibble

Exceeds

Lamb meat meal, Beef meat meal, Oats

No

Australia

Champ Max Biscuits

Biscuit

Formulated

Wheat, meat and bone derived from beef and lamb, animal fat.

No

NZ

Chunky Pet Food; Original

Pet Roll

Formulated

Beef, Lamb, Selected Cereals

Once opened

NZ

CopRice Working Dog Food

Kibble

Formulated

Animal protein meals & by-products (poultry, beef), Cereal grains, Rice bran

No

Australia

Country Mile Vitality Biscuit

Biscuit

Formulated

Cereal & cereal by-products; Meat and meat-meal; Animal fat.

No

NZ

Country Mile Vitality Kibble

Kibble

Formulated

Cereals & cereal meals; Meat and meat by-product meals; Animal fat

No

Australia

Eukanuba Premium Performance

Kibble

Approved

Chicken, Chicken By-product meal, Corn Meal

No

Nth America

Hills™ Science Diet™ Adult Active

Kibble

Approved

Corn, Chicken by product meal, Animal fat

No

USA

K9 Natural Frozen Beef Feast

Frozen Raw

Exceeds

Beef, Beef Liver, Beef Tripe

Yes

NZ

Mighty Mix Large Dog Formula

Biscuit

Formulated

Cereal; Meat Products and Fats (Beef and mutton);Honey

No

NZ

Mighty Mix Frozen Concentrate

Frozen Concentrate

No

Fats, meats and products derived from meat (beef, mutton, pork) salmon, cereal

Yes

NZ

Nutrience Performance 30/20 Formula

Kibble

Approved

Chicken meal; Oatmeal, Chicken fat.

No

Canada

Pedigree Working Dog Formula

Kibble

Formulated

Meat and meat by-products (Poultry, Beef &/or Lamb), Wheat, Wheat bran

No

Australia

28

Country-Wide December 2017

Product name

Type

AAFCO status

PROPLAN All Sizes All Ages Performance with OPTIPOWER

Kibble

Approved

Possyum

Pet Roll

Formulated

Royal Canin Endurance 4800

Kibble

FEDIAF

Ingredients list (first three only). Listed In order of proportion (highest listed first).

Chicken, Wheat and Animal Fat

Possum Meat,Lamb and/or Beef, selected cereals Dehydrated poultry protein, Animal fats, Rice

Refrigeration needed?

Made in

No

Australia

Once opened

NZ

No

France

Royal Canin Trail 4300

Kibble

FEDIAF

Dehydrated poultry protein, Rice, Maize flour

No

France

Tux Energy

Biscuit

Approved

Cereals &/or cereal by-products, Meat & animal by products & fats derived from Beef/Sheep/Poultry/ Goat or Venison

No

NZ

Tux Energy Nuts

Biscuit

Approved

Cereals & cereal &/or vegetable by products; Meat & meat by-products &/or poultry by-products, Tallow

No

Australia

Ultra Active Working Dog

Kibble

Exceeds

Beef meal, Ground corn, Dried blood

No

NZ

Wag Original

Dog Roll

Formulated

Chicken, Beef, Lamb

Yes

NZ

Wag Garlic and Rice

Dog Roll

Formulated

Chicken, Lamb, Rice

Yes

NZ

Brush dogs t o remo ve w inte r un der/coat; it re duces them licking coat a nd ingesting hair .

It’s all abo ut bree ding. M uch like race horses yo u might get t he o dd mongrel th at’s a star but go o d b ree ding is a must.

ba d Don’t let o p evel habits d rage – disco u sirable. the un de

t. akfas e r b a dogs peo ple go Fee d many no fo o d?

How h rk w it tter to wo work be all Dogs ving a sm in ha its after dog biscu f . cup o e morning h t

� � � � �

NZ Made Natural Ingredients Cost Effective Premium Nutrition Urban / Rural Delivery

MIGHTY MIX DOG FOOD LTD 0800 MIGHTY MIX (0800 644 489) WWW.MIGHTYMIX.CO.NZ Country-Wide December 2017

29

When buying a new dog get a detaile d run down of all your new dog’s com mands.

Always try to copy com mands use d by the previo us owner when working your new dog – this wil l help the dog adapt to the cha nge over.

Table 2: Summary of nutritional information provided by dog food suppliers Product

the ut fro m Sort o boss. e o’s th h w t r sta ans n d hu m Dogs (a tter) lo ve t ma for tha cause ries, be bo un da at if now th they k in them ay w ith e. they st be saf they ’ll

Fat (%)

Protein (%)

Fibre (%)

Carbohydrates (%)

Moisture (%)

M Energy kcal/kg

Acana Sport and Agility

22

35

5

18

12

3725

BlackHawk Working Dog Adult Formula

22

32

3

23

10

4090

Champ Max Biscuits

15

20

2

40

10

3200

Chunky Pet Food; Original*

10 min

21 min

1.1 max

62

No data

4000

CopRice Working Dog Food

15

25

4

30.0

8

3870

Country Mile Vitality Biscuit

18

18

4

Not tested

5.0

Not tested

Country Mile Dog Kibble

15

20

4

No data

No data

Not tested

Eukanuba Premium Performance

20 min

30 min

4 crude max

31.3

10 max

3912

Hills™ Science Diet™ Adult Active

24.4

28

1.7

33.1

7.5

4211

K9 Natural Frozen Beef Feast

37 min

35 min

2.6

3.7

8 max

5269

Mighty Mix Large Dog Formula

12

23

1.9

42.3

11

3729

Mighty Mix Frozen Concentrate

53.0

25

5.1

11.7

31.1

5800

Nutrience Performance 30/20 Formula

20 min

30 min

3.0 max

23

10 max

3920

Pedigree Working Dog Formula

15

24

2.5

45

9

3600

PRO PLAN All Size All Ages Performance with OPTIPOWER

21

30

4 max

27

12

3860

8 min

21.5 min

1.09 max

65

No data

4000

Royal Canin Endurance 4800

30

32

6

15.9

8 max

4549

Royal Canin Trail 4300

21

28

7.1

28.3

8 max

4085

Tux Energy

18

20

1.7

46.4

8.7

3750

Tux Energy Nuts

16

24

4.5 max

40

7.9

3570

15 min

30 min

4 max

No data

10 max

3187

Wag Original

28

39

3.7

18

Dry Basis

4350

Wag Garlic and Rice

28

39

3.7

17

Dry Basis

4400

Possyum*

Ultra Active Working Dog

NOTES FOR TABLE 2 Suppliers describe the content of fat, protein and other ingredients in various ways.

These may be specific like “20%”; or quite vague such as “at least 20%”, “up to 20%” or “20% maximum”.

• Fat content: Fat provides the energy for endurance work. Guidelines provided by the Veterinary Enterprises Group (VetEnt) indicate dog tucker for hardworking farm dogs should have at least 20% animal fat.

30

• Protein content: Good-quality protein is needed for repair and recovery. VetEnt’s recommendation for hardworking farm dogs is a minimum of 30% animal protein.

• Fibre content: Fibre is the indigestible carbohydrate portion and as a general rule should not be more than 10%.

• Carbohydrate content: Carbohydrates are needed for sprinttype energy.

• Energy: Farm dogs get most of their energy from fat. Energy may be quoted

as “energy”, “gross energy”, “digestible energy” or the most relevant, “metabolisable energy (ME)” which is the energy available to the dog. Energy requirements should consider the intensity, frequency and duration of work.

The consensus of most veterinarians is that a working dog’s diet should be based on high fat and protein and “low” or “low to moderate” carbohydrate.

• Nutritional data is presented on a drymatter basis.

Country-Wide December 2017

NOTES FOR TABLE 3 A dog’s nutritional requirements vary with size, age, workload, reproductive status and climatic conditions.

Daily rations quoted are those recommended by suppliers and may be based on different nutritional assumptions.

Monitoring body condition is the best way to fine-tune ration sizes for a particular food.

It has been considered that farm dogs should ideally have a condition score of 4 on the Nestle Purina Body Condition System, “Ribs easily palpable, with minimal fat covering. Waist easily noted, viewed from above. Abdominal tuck evident”.

Recommended retail prices given by suppliers may vary from those seen at retailers, and bulk purchasing and specials reduce costs. Actual prices may vary from those in this table. Prices include GST. Dog food prices can be misleading.

Different bag sizes make the price for each bag irrelevant. Price per kilogram also has little relevance because daily rations vary widely between products.

The calculated cost for each dog per day must be balanced against food quality, which should be the major consideration for working dogs.

For hard-working farm dogs, energy is an important factor in assessing rations. A 25kg dog has a resting energy requirement (RER) of about 820kcal per day. For dogs’ mustering, it’s more likely to be three to five times their RER, equating to about 2500kcal-4000kcal.

This is a wide range but then so is their workload. Knowing the ME of a specific food means a daily energy requirement (DER) can be used to determine the daily ration of a food needed to provide this energy.

• Daily ration (kg) = DER (kcal) / ME (kcal/kg) For example, the daily ration of a dog food of 4000kcal/kg to provide 2500kcal DER = 2500 / 4000 = 0.625kg or 625g.

Don’t rush your dogs or put too much pressure on them as pups. Like kids if you put too much pressure on them they’ll go off it.

Country-Wide December 2017

Table 3: Summary of daily rations recommended by dog food suppliers 25kg highly-active dog required/day Product

Pack/price details

Grams of food/ day

$/day

Pack size (kg)

RRP ($) Price subject to change

Acana Sport and Agility

315

3.17

17

172

BlackHawk Working Dog Adult Formula

478

3.09

20

129

Champ Max Biscuits

510

1.33

25

64.99

Chunky Pet Food; Original

440

1.58

2.2

7.90

CopRice Working Dog Food

510

1.53

20

59.99

Country Mile Vitality Biscuit

500

1.16

25

57.99

Country Mile Dog Kibble

563

1.41

20

49.99

Eukanuba Premium Performance

355

2.29

20

129

Hills™ Science Diet™ Adult Active

297

2.62

22.67

199.95

K9 Natural Frozen Beef Feast

500

4.87

20

194.99

Mighty Mix Large Dog Formula

352

1.65

20

94

Mighty Mix Frozen Concentrate

225

0.85

25

94

Mighty Mix Frozen + Large Dog

288.5

1.25

25 + 20

94+94

422

3.62

15

129

20

79.50

Nutrience Performance 30/20 Formula Pedigree Working Dog Formula

No data given

PROPLAN All Sizes All Ages Performance with OPTIPOWER

405

3.14

20

154.90

Possyum

400

2.00

2

9.98

Royal Canin Endurance 4800

550

4.37

20

159

Royal Canin Trail 4300

450

3.76

17

142

Tux Energy

490

1.50

25

76.50

Tux Energy Nuts

450

1.68

20

74.50

Ultra Active Working Dog

200

1.25

20

125

Wag Original

1200

2.96

3

7.39

Wag Garlic and Rice

1200

2.96

3

7.39

Register dogs in the dosing program me with the vet, each month the correct dose (for the weight of each dog) simply arrives in the mail. This makes dosing easy and means they are always done on time. Record the treatments (dog name, what given, date treated) on an Excel spreadsheet.

This is also good practice from an Ovis point of view, in being proactive and ensuring it does not become a problem onfarm.

31

Specialists in deer performance

PGG Wrightson Deer provide a comprehensive service to enhance the performance of your Deer property.

Our dedicated team of Deer Specialists operates throughout New Zealand, servicing all aspects of the Deer industry.

From Pasture to Processor, Venison, Velvet and Trophies, Breeders and Finishers, Stud and commercial Deer farmers, Genetics, buying and selling.

The expertise within the PGG Wrightson Deer Specialist team could prove invaluable in the management of your Deer property.

Contact your local Deer Specialist today.

Ron Schroeder

Graham Kinsman

John Williams

Murray Coutts

Ben Beadle

Canterbury/West Coast/Marlborough 027 432 1299

Deer Stud Co-ordinator 027 422 3154

Otago 027 241 4179

South/Mid Canterbury 027 403 9377

Southland 027 728 1052

Freephone 0800 10 22 76 www.pggwrightson.co.nz 32

Country-Wide December 2017

PGG Wrightson New Zealand Red Stag-Hind/Wapiti Bull Sales Itinerary 2017/2018 December 2017 Sales Fri 8th

Peel Forest Est. 1.00pm Venison Genetics Geraldine

Tues 12th National Velvet Awards Dinner Invercargill.

Wed 13th Ruapehu Red Deer.

1.30pm Taihape

Sun 17th Kelly Oaks Deer. 5.00pm Rotorua Mon 18th Crowley Deer. 10.00am Hamilton Mon 18

th

Tower Farms Deer.

1.30pm Cambridge

January 2018 Sales Mon 8th

Deer Genetics NZ. 7.00pm Geraldine

Tues 9th

Forest Road Farm.

10.00am Hawkes Bay

Peel Forest Est. 1.00pm Peel Forest

Tues 9th

Rupert Red Deer. 4.00pm Geraldine.

Fri 15th

Wilkins Farming Ltd. 3.30pm Hawkes Bay

Weds 10th Rothesay Red Deer.

11.30am Methven

Sat 16th

Sarnia Woburn Deer.

12.30pm Cambridge

Thurs 11th Netherdale Deer. 1.30pm Balfour

Sat 16th

Raroa Red Deer. 3.30pm Cambridge

Sun 17th

Pampas Heights Deer.

1.30pm Rotorua

Wed 13th Fairlight Station.

11.00am Northern Southland Fri 15th

Fri 12th

Arawata Red Deer.

12.30pm Invercargill

Fri 12th

Altrive Red Deer. 5.00pm Gore

Sat 13th

Black Forest Deer Park.

1.30pm Outram

Sun 14th

Lochinvar Wapiti Farm.

11.00am Te Anau

Mon 15th Wilkins Farming Ltd. 2.00pm Athol Tues 16th Littlebourne Wapiti.

1.00pm Winton Tues 16th Tikana Wapiti. 3.30pm Winton Weds 17th Clachanburn Elk. 1.00pm Ranfurly Thurs 18th Edendale Wapiti.

12.00pm Mt Somers Thurs 18th Raincliff Station Wapiti.

5.00pm Pleasant Point Sat 27th

Wapiti Elk Society Dinner.

Raincliff-Pleasant Point

Sat 27th

Wapiti Elk Society – Sire Bull/Cow Auction Sale.

Helping grow the country Country-Wide December 2017

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LIVESTOCK | ONFARM

Development gives

KING HIT

A northern Wairarapa sheep and beef farming business is developing at a cracking rate. Russell Priest went along to find out what is driving it. Photos Sarah Ivey 34

Country-Wide December 2017

K

eeping the farming operation simple and doing the basics well is working handsomely for Ronald (Ronnie) and Justine King.

In fact it has worked so well the Kings were finalists in this year’s Ahuwhenua Maori Farmer of the Year competition. Even though they didn’t win, they still impressed the judges.

Competition organiser, Beef+Lamb New Zealand’s Mark Harris says the couple may not be quite there yet, but in a year or two they will be a force to be reckoned with.

The Kings’ “keep things simple and do the basics well” is a philosophy which is working for them.

Ronnie says early in their farming career they had a lightbulb moment.

“We realised we were not feeding out stock well enough.”

So they started weighing and condition-scoring which gave them some tangible information from which to make informed decisions.

“It turned everything around for us.”

Puketawa Station 45 minutes east of Pahiatua is the hub of the Kings’ business. When Ronald (46) and Justine (42) bought the 1108-hectare (917ha effective) station in 2014, it was in need of considerable development. The Kings however could see the station’s potential and have set about realising this with the help of Justine’s father Ron Falconer (shepherd/general). They are developing the land and infrastructure while also improving livestock productivity.

It is all part of a long-term goal to reduce debt and buy either a separate finishing farm or a larger station incorporating a significant area of finishing country.

Finishing all stock they produce is one of their goals.

Puketawa is mainly medium-to-very steep hill country with only about 12% flat-to-rolling and is run as a sheep and cattle breeding and finishing business wintering 7150su (7.8su/ha). Soils are predominantly sedimentary and the strong north-westerly winds particularly in the spring create a summer dry environment.

To achieve their goals the Kings involve a number of agribusiness professionals and experts. Financial targets include gross farm revenue (GFR) of $800/ha with costs of 55% of GFR and annual debt repayment of $60,000 a year ($300,000 has been repaid over the last 3½ years).

The station has required substantial capital development and the Kings have achieved significant financial progress.

Over the financial period 2014/15-2016/17, the GFR is forecast to increase from $211/ha to $823/ha. FWE is expected to decline by $63/ ha to $382/ha and earnings before interest tax and rent (EBITR) to increase by $274/ha to $441/ha.

The FWE was initially high due to large Tiraumea capital fertiliser applications required to kick-start the production process.

Key points: • Bought the station in 2014 • Weighing and condition scoring lifted productivity • Targeting GFR of $800/ha, costs 55% of GFR and annual debt repayment of $60,000/year • About $300,000 repaid over three years.

• EBITR forecast to increase by $274/ha to $441/ha.

• Meat and wool risen 16%, from 129,279kg to a forecasted 150,401kg this year.

• Goal to reduce debt and buy either a separate finishing farm or a larger station

›› Knocking into shape p36 Country-Wide December 2017

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Romney ram hoggets from the station’s stud flock.

Knocking into shape A carefully planned development programme is financed entirely out of income using cost/benefit analysis methodology.

The state of the fencing at takeover was average-to-poor. All fence lines were investigated on foot and appropriate repairs and renewals made. With some new fences the station now has 77 main paddocks, up from 35 at takeover. Two new sets of satellite sheep yards have been constructed taking the total to five.

An extra set of cattle yards has also been erected.

Stock water is supplied via dams, water courses and four separate gravity-fed systems supplying 65 troughs. These were

damaged at takeover and have since been restored.

Subdivision has enabled the Kings to establish longer rotations, a more even spread of dung and urine and achieve better pasture utilisation and quality.

As part of the Kings’ goal to farm in both a financially and environmentally sustainable manner, a whole farm plan has been completed through Horizons Regional Council resulting in 150-400 poplar poles a year being planted for soil conservation, 5.2ha of riparian planting and 25.2ha of manuka and bush being retired from grazing. Eradication programmes for possums, feral deer and pigs have also been implemented.

Gorse is the most serious weed however tawhini and manuka are both present.

These are progressively being eliminated by spraying and cutting. Ronnie is conscious of not clearing too much at a time so as not to compromise control of regrowth.

Improving soil fertility is one of the most important objectives in the development programme. When the Kings bought the station Olsen P levels were in the range 5-13. The goal is to increase these to 15-22 in the next three years with capital fertiliser inputs of 2-3.9kg P/su as income allows.

The early-lambing country receives a dressing of 175kg/ha DAP to provide

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Country-Wide December 2017

Farm stats: • Puketawa Station, Tiraumea, • Area: 1108ha (917ha effective).

• Contour: 12% easy, 43% medium steep-to-steep, 45% steep-to-very steep.

• Summer dry, rainfall 1050mm average a year.

• Total stock units: 7150 • Sheep-to-cattle ratio: 70:30

feed for the 950 old ewes mated early.

Strategic applications of urea at 40-50kg/ ha on 100-150ha are made in the autumn to increase covers going into the winter.

Lime at 1-1.2 tonnes/ha is applied before areas are cropped and where areas of gorse have been sprayed. Soil pH is 5.7 to 6.0. A more recent addition to the development has seen small areas cropped as part of a pasture-renewal programme. Last year 6ha of swedes were sown by helicopter on to a sprayed gorse area and fed to cattle during the winter.

A 12ha area of hill country was also sown in plantain/clover using a helicopter and will be used to feed triplet-bearing ewes and finish lambs.

Ronnie and Justine look out of the hill country that’s been cleared of scrub on Puketawa Station.

High-performing ewe flock drives production gains Impressive production gains on Puketawa have followed increasing Olsen P levels. Over a two-year period total kilograms of meat and wool have increased from 129,279kg to a forecast 150,401kg this year (a 16% increase).

“When we came here I quizzed the locals about eliminating weeds and they told me first of all soil fertility must be raised otherwise the regrowth will beat you,” Ronnie says.

Areas of manuka on steep sidlings are left uncut to provide nectar for bees, shelter, soil stabilisation and carbon credits. All carbon on the station has been measured, mapped and credits applied for. Beehives are placed by helicopter on Puketawa under a share farming agreement with local business, True Honey.

A Romney ewe with twins.

Production figures soar Lambing has increased in the past two years from 109% to 148% last year.

Scanning percentage has gone from a flock average of 121% to 182% (MA ewes), 176% (2ths) and 91% (hoggets). Females are only scanned for twins and singles and obvious triplets.

Ewes on Puketawa at takeover were of a type Ronnie believed did not suit the country (big-framed with high maintenance requirements) so he was not prepared to breed replacements from them. Instead they were all mated to terminal sires and have been ever since.

Country-Wide December 2017

Breeding ewe replacements were initially sourced as hoggets from ram clients of Chris Bendall with some coming from Forbes Cameron. Ronnie continues to buy 200-300 ewe hoggets annually in February from one of those original sources. He was also fortunate to buy Chris’ small Romney stud flock and is now breeding most of the station’s commercial Romney rams from this flock as well as supplying a couple of other clients.

The Kings’ ewe mating dates are to some extent determined by the environment.

Ronnie prefers to delay mating until target condition scores (3 to 3.5) and pasture covers of at least 1200kg/ha have been reached. These generally occur in mid-March for the 950 five and six year ewes mated to terminal sires (Suftex and Growbulk), mid-April for the MA ewes (A and B flocks mated to Romney and terminal sires respectively) and 1 May for the hoggets and stud ewes.

Of the 750 five-year ewes weaning lambs, the best 200 are retained, 120 are killed and the remainder sold annually to two Hawke’s Bay farmers.

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Average target mating weights are 67kg (MA ewes), 62kg (2ths) and 42kg (ewe hoggets). Of the 800 ewe hoggets retained this year 540 were put to the ram and 460 conceived. In future Ronnie would like to put all ewe hoggets to the ram and cull any that are dry.

A small trial was undertaken to compare the lambing performance of those two-tooths that lambed as hoggets and those that did not. The difference was 7% in favour of those that did.

Rams are out for two cycles at a ratio of 1:80.

Ewes are wintered in mobs of generally no more than 1400-1500 with cows in rotations of between three and four weeks. Cows are often left behind in a paddock until the roughage has been removed to Ronnie’s liking. Lighter ewes are drafted from the main mobs whenever near yards and given a drench and preferential treatment.

Lambing begins in early August with the ewes on easier DAP- boosted country closer to home. MA ewes lamb towards the back of the station with singlebearing ewes lambing on the steeper, more-exposed paddocks. As the older ewes are weaned, the younger ewes and their lambs are brought forward ready for weaning, drafting, drenching and shearing.

Ronnie aims to kill 50-60% of the lambs from the old ewes off their

Ronnie King with some of his Romney stud ram hoggets.

A Romney-Sufftex lamb calling for its mother.

mothers in mid-December at 16.6kg.

“We don’t go for big weights in our lambs as our aim is to get as many killed as possible before it gets dry.”

Last year 640 were killed. Those not killed (550) went on to be finished on Ronnie’s brother-in-law and sister’s farm near Eketahuna under a share-farming

Rising 2-year-old steers in the hill country of Puketawa Station.

arrangement. This added another $15 a lamb to what would otherwise have been store lambs. Early lambing cast-for-age ewes are also killed at this time.

“We try to avoid selling store lambs on a weak market and now with the arrangement with Rob and Marama we can finish a good number of our homebred lambs.”

The first pick of the later-lambing MA ewes occurs in early January when last year about 660 lambs were killed off their mothers and another 600 sent to Rob and Marama’s for finishing. By mid-January the Kings will have sent 2500 lambs off the station – an important drought strategy. A further 800 lambs are killed between January and April and 900 sold store.

Most lambs are killed at Affco’s Whanganui plant and marketed as part of a King whanau collective representing 37,000su.

Connections The business and their children, Dallas (11) and Bridie (9) benefit from strong whanau connections. Regular community involvement in shearing, mentoring and training youth and horse club affiliations are a feature of the Kings’ off-farm activities. Ronnie is a NZ-certified shearing judge and referee.

In 2015 he travelled to the United Kingdom with the NZ shearing team as manager and NZ judge.

Robust cows needed While the ewe flock drives the engine room of the business the cow herd does the vacuuming. It is their role to maintain pasture quality for other stock classes and still produce a calf.

Puketawa runs 144 Hereford-Angus cows and 36 R2 in-calf heifers generated

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by crossing Hereford-looking cows with Angus bulls and vice versa. Only 15-month heifers that have reached 350kg by mating time in late January are run with the bull (for 21days) achieving an in-calf rate of 85-90%. Two-year-olds achieve a conception rate of 92%.

Bull-out date for the MA cows is between Christmas and January 5.

Bulls were out for 42 days achieving a conception rate of 91% this year.

MA cows calve on the hills amongst the lambed ewes and R2 heifers behind a hot wire on easier country close to yards.

“I need robust cows on the station so I don’t want them to start their productive life too small otherwise they’ll drop out of the herd.” Ronnie says.

Most of the steer (minus the small ones) and some of the heifer calves are sold as weaners with 60-70 being wintered and retained for breeding.

When selecting bulls Ronnie targets growth (particularly the 400-day weight EBV), the milk EBV, the ease of calving EBVs and the days-to-calving EBV, as well as soundness and a compact type.

Country-Wide December 2017

LIVESTOCK | RAM SELECTION

Indices: keep them simple Anne Hughes A new tool for easier ram selection has been long awaited by some, while others in the industry worry it is overly simplistic.

A leading livestock geneticist says ram indices needed simplifying, but he questions the inclusion of wool as a core trait for the new maternal single index.

Lincoln University professor Jon Hickford says indices have been too complex and confusing and many commercial farmers have no idea what they mean.

“We need a system where commercial ram buyers know what they’re getting and not getting,” Hickford says.

Under the new single index, the New Zealand Maternal Worth figure is derived from five core traits – growth, adult size, reproduction, survival and wool. The New Zealand Terminal Worth figure has three core traits – meat, survival and growth.

Additional traits of interest – meat, facial eczema and worm (faecal egg counts) – can be added on.

Hickford thinks B+LNZ Genetics have mostly selected the best core traits for each index, with the exception of wool, which he says would have been better placed as an additional trait.

“I would rather people focusing on meat don’t have to worry about wool.

“I’d rather leave wool quality to people that are passionate about wool.”

B+LNZ Genetics general manager Graham Alder says wool prices are low, but the core traits are weighted according to their economic value.

Coopworth breeder Tom Abraham says the new single index is good for commercial farmers who don’t deal with index figures regularly.

“Particularly if it changes in the way it’s presented year-to-year – it can put people off.”

Getting the same information from different breeders should help put everyone on the same page, Abraham says.

He agrees with the inclusion of wool as a core trait for the maternal index and the Abrahams are adding meat as an additional trait to their New Zealand Maternal Worth figure.

Country-Wide December 2017

Lincoln’s Jon Hickford wants the focus on meat not wool traits.

Abraham says it will take time to adjust to the single index and it is important to ensure the system is monitored and continues to be robust.

Coastal Waikato commercial farmer Tom Whitford says claims relating to the new single index that ‘the higher the figure the better the ram’, is a generalisation.

“All this means is that one index of the five is greater than the others, not

He wants farmers to focus on meat and not have to worry about wool.

necessarily taking into account the type of sheep you want to breed,” Whitford says.

Without sufficient linkage between breeders nationwide, he says the single index is hard to take seriously.

“My suggestion would be to look at

the breakdown of the single index and make sure you are getting what you want specifically and there is no substitute for stockmanship.”

Canterbury Texel and Romney breeder Paul Gardner doesn’t believe the new single index will help his commercial farming clients. Gardner says few of his clients buy rams based on figures and he doubts this will make them more inclined to use ram indices.

Alder says B+LNZ Genetics have received many requests from breeders to attend field days and events to explain the new single index.

He says indices like this have been proven to increase profitability of commercial producers.

Some breeders are concerned the emphasis on the index distracts from the importance of structural soundness.

Alder says there is no doubt soundness is important and any rams for sale should be sound.

• Have you just bought rams for the 2018 mating with help from the single index?

How do you rate it?

• Send your feedback to Anne Hughes at aahughes@gisborne.net.nz or comment on our Facebook page.

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LIVESTOCK | ONFARM

The Marfells of Mahoe Cheyenne Nicholson When Country-Wide last caught up with Vaughan and Jen Marfell they were riding high on their success after being name Wairarapa 2011 Sheep and Beef farm business of the year.

A few years later the kids have grown up, the farm’s been through some tough years with the dairy slump and tough weather.

Despite this, Vaughan and Jen are happy as ever at their property on the hill and hope to grow their equity and remain working and living on Mahoe station.

The Marfells first began working for Graeme Tulloch in 1995 when he bought Mahoe to secure consistent grazing for young dairy stock from his then wintersupply dairy farm.

Jen says they had admired Mahoe for

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many years and it was a stroke of luck they were given the chance to manage it.

Seven years later and keen to enter into farm ownership or lease.

Graeme was keen to keep control over the dairy grazing aspect of the farm and to keep the Marfells on so he proposed a then-unique offer.

In 2002 they were offered a 20% stake in TSM Farms Ltd along with the Searle family who run the dairy side of the business. The Tullochs retained a 60% stake in the business.

The equity partnership agreement was struck for a 10-year period, a shareholder agreement drawn up and a new pathway up the farming ladder created.

Fifteen years later the partnership has been renewed once and comes up for renewal in another five or so years.

The partnership suits Vaughan and Jen to a tee.

“The original idea would have been to buy our own place, but none of our kids are interested in farming. Graeme’s kids aren’t either so the partnership suits us both,” Vaughan says.

“The Tulloch family see us as part of the family and vice versa, we’ve been in this a long time and we want that to continue as long as it keeps suiting everyone,” Jen says.

The key to the lengthy success of the innovative partnership between the three families comes down to trust and communication.

“Seventy to 80% of the income for the business is dairy-related so we have to put a lot of faith and trust in other people to ensure their side is a success,” Vaughan says.

They have regular meetings to deal with any issues that might arise.

“The good thing about everyone is

Country-Wide December 2017

that none of us are afraid to question individual farm decisions and the direction the business is heading. It’s really important to have people like that in a set up like this otherwise it just won’t work.”

The TSM partnership was tested when the dairy payout took a dive. The business took a hard hit like many other farmers. With dairy making up a large proportion of the business they had to make a number of changes across the business in order to survive.

“We cut right back on fertiliser. All up we only did 160 hectares, the rest of the farm missed out for the first time in 21 years. We didn’t like doing it but we had to.

“Fortunately we had put ourselves in a position where soil fertility was ideal and we could afford to miss a year. We would not even consider missing another year as not only would that start affecting fertility but we were also mindful that it’s Graeme’s land,” Jen says.

Fencing and general maintenance went on the back burner but one of the biggest cuts was on casual labour.

“Vaughan began (and still is) working very long days to compensate and get day-to-day jobs done on his own.

Because I work four days in town I couldn’t be of much assistance. But my wage paid for the kids to attend two very

good schools, a sacrifice that was well worth it and we know the kids appreciate their education.”

‘The good thing about everyone is that none of us are afraid to question individual farm decisions and the direction the business is heading.’

The partnership pays a market rental on the land, owned by the Tulloch family and other entities. Graeme has foregone a significant amount of this rent during this period.

“That’s how serious it was,” Vaughan says.

The payout put a damper on some of the financial objectives for the business.

Keeping expenditure in check and consolidating the business was and still is paramount for Vaughan and Jen. “Our main focus at the moment is to pay down debt, so as to put us in a position to either grow TSM or Jen and I farm as a separate entity.”

Part of their original vision was

Farm facts • 645 effective ha • 6500 stock units: 3000ewes, 900 hoggets, 250 dairy heifers and 120 Hereford-Friesian cross steers and heifers, R1 + a few odds and sods.

• Supplements: grow about 30ha of kale and grainfeed heifers through the winter with maize just to try and get them through winter.

• Staff: casual staff when needed.

Vaughan and Jen Marfell.

Country-Wide December 2017

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to expand their asset base through increasing livestock and reducing debt in order to help get themselves and the Searles into a position where they would buy the Tulloch family shares in TSM. The downturn in dairy prices had a major impact on this happening in the near future but they say the goal is still in their sights.

After going through their budget with their farm adviser they discovered they had come out better than most dairy farms.

“One of the reasons we came through okay was because we had sheep and beef in the mix as well and that helped keep

A dogs life Vaughan has been a keen dog trainer and trialist for 25 years. He’s had many wins and this year took out the national dog trial championships with dog Torque in Gisborne.

It was the second time for Vaughan winning the title, the first being 1996 with Steele at Omarama. He’s very humble about his achievements in the dog-trialling world but wife Jen says he’s incredibly good at what he does.

“It’s really great for him. It gets him off the farm and talking to other people. Admittedly they all talk about their farms but it’s still a break for him. “He’s very good with dogs. He takes them from a pup and trains them up.

It’s his passion.”

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us afloat and offset the hit we could have taken,” Vaughan says.

“We’re really in need of a good dairy payout this season to help things back again for the business and balance us out,” Jen says.

Having a switched-on accountant certainly helps.

“When you’re farming you can get blindsided by not seeing what’s dropping out the bottom line, so Steve keeps us on our toes with our financials,” Jen says.

One thing Vaughan and Jen are passionate about is promoting equity partnerships as possible paths into farming for young people.

“What we are seeing more and more is families whose kids aren’t interested in the farm.

There is such a great opportunity for landowners to help young people into partnerships like ours.”

But he warns it has to work both ways. Having a good relationship and a shared vision is important to making it work.

“We’ve been lucky with Graeme.

He wants this to succeed for all parties involved and he’s made concessions to help ensure that.”

More photos p82

Vaughan says a good working dog is worth their weight in gold.

When it comes to training he says it isn’t a huge burden of time. A few minutes each day does the trick.

“Breeding is everything. I liken it to race horses. You might get a fluke bred from an old nag that does well, but good breeding is key to success.”

“Vaughan won’t persist with dog he knows won’t cut the mustard and he’s really good at making that decision early on,” Jen says.

When it comes to getting his dogs ready for trials he doesn’t rush them.

“It’s like kids, you put too much pressure on them too young and they will go anti.

I wait until they are ready, normally around three. It’s a lot of pressure for them and they need to enjoy what they do.”

Jen says the dogs enjoy doing something

different and they know that it’s different to normal day to day work.

“I think it’s just because they don’t get sworn at at competitions – it’s a big no no that can get them disqualified!”

Country-Wide December 2017

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Helping grow the country Country-Wide December 2017

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LIVESTOCK | MATING

Ram harness REVIVAL There are pluses and minuses to using ram harnesses – but they can provide valuable information that can help in the allocation of feed resources and management around mating and lambing.

Used correctly, ram harnesses are a management tool that can help farmers make the most effective use of their feed resources at both mating and lambing.

In autumn, harnesses will indicate whether a ewe has been mated and these ewes can then be taken off high-quality “flushing” forages and put back on to maintenance rations (with a back-up ram).

The Hodgen family, who farm in North Canterbury, found the use of ram harnesses has thrown some surprising results. They discovered 93% of the ewes were mated in their first cycle and so could be put straight back on to maintenance feed with a follow-up ram.

“It’s phenomenal how much feed we have saved for the price of ram harness and crayon,” Dan Hodgen says.

The ewes remain marked and at setstocking are run in mobs according to their mating dates. This means the family is not set-stocking earlier than they need to and management over lambing is much more targeted.

Reece Cleland manages the 2700-hectare Annavale Station near Springfield in Central Canterbury. With limited cultivable country to grow high-quality feed for flushing their 4500 ewes, he has found ram harnesses to be a cheap and easy way to ensure this feed is partitioned into the ewes that need it.

He says he begins flushing the ewes a fortnight before the harnessed rams go out. The rams are out with the ewes for 32 days. When the ewes are marked they are removed from the mob and run out on to the hill country with a follow-up ram.

Reece drafts the ewes every three to four days and finds that 90% of ewes are mated within the first cycle.

Scanning results showed the ram harnesses were “surprisingly accurate”.

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Of the 50 ewes that weren’t marked 25 % were dry.

Canterbury-based farm consultant Wayne Allan says there are pluses and minuses to using ram harnesses – but they can provide valuable information that can help in the allocation of feed resources and management around mating and lambing.

The downside of ram harnesses is the work involved in changing crayons and, on properties with a lot of scrub, there is always a danger of the harnessed ram getting caught up, or losing crayons.

Today’s ewes tend to be heavier and more fecund, so a higher proportion of the flock can be mated within the first cycle (80-90%). If marked, these ewes can be put back on to maintenance – although Allan cautions against underfeeding ewes at this stage.

At lambing, the marked ewes can then be managed according to their lambing date, so later-lambing ewes can be setstocked later which again provides an opportunity to be more strategic with feed resources.

Allan points out that foetal aging at scanning does provide this same information, but it is slightly more expensive and doesn’t allow for feed management over mating.

The downside of ram harnesses is the work involved in changing crayons and, on properties with a lot of scrub, there

is always a danger of the harnessed ram getting caught up, or losing crayons, he says.

On larger, extensive, properties with large numbers of rams, the logistics of finding rams and changing crayons can make them a less-impractical option.

Where the focus is on determining when rather than whether the ewes have been mated, Allan suggests not putting the harnesses on until 10-17 days into mating. This reduces the workload and means unmarked ewes will be early lambing or are dry.

HARNESSES A TOOL FOR SELECTING EWE REPLACEMENTS In a recent Beef +Lamb New Zealand podcast Massey University’s Dr Paul Kenyon described how ram harnesses can be used to identify ewe lambs that ovulate early in flocks where hogget lambing is not practiced.

Studies have shown that these early-cycling animals will be more fertile and fecund during their lifetime.

“There is a genetic link there.”

In a bid to increase the productivity of their ewe flock, some farmers are keeping more ewe lambs back than they need as replacements, then running a harnessed teaser (vasectomised) ram with them in late April and May. The marked lambs are retained as replacements as these are likely to be the most fertile as adult ewes.

“It’s an early screening tool and it does work.”

- Supplied by Beef + lamb NZ

Country-Wide December 2017

GENETICS | SHEEP 5K

Update represents a step change for sector International collaboration is behind New Zealand’s latest leap in maternal sheep breeding technology.

The popular Sheep5K tool was launched in 2013 and has just undergone its fourth re-calibration in as many years.

Due for release this spring, the latest version is more accurate, the number of traits available for assessment has risen from 22 to 34, and five breeds can now use the tool (Romney, Coopworth, Perendale, Composites and, in part, Texel).

The work was overseen by Beef + Lamb New Zealand (B+LNZ) Genetics, with FarmIQ and the Pastoral Greenhouse Gas Research Consortium contributing additional genotypes and Zoetis distributing the tool.

STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS B+LNZ Genetics General Manager Graham Alder says the upgrade embodies a bigger story.

“It’s a great example of New Zealand recognising its strengths, but also its weaknesses. We need to partner strategically - and that means internationally - if we want to keep pace with the leading edge of genomic technology.

“While New Zealand farmers own the intellectual property behind Sheep5K, it needs strategic partnerships - financial and expertise - to improve the technology.”

To that end, B+LNZ Genetics engaged with experts in Australia, the United States, Finland and Ireland.

“The ‘competition’ here is not sheep producers in other countries; it’s other protein-producing industries around the world. They are using genomics and other science-based approaches to make productivity gains.

Sheepmeat has to keep up or it will be relegated to the status of a cottage industry.”

Country-Wide December 2017

ADOPTION AND EDUCATION NOW PRIORITY B+LNZ Genetics Technology and Extension Manager Sharl Liebergreen says the Sheep5K re-launch is doing more than simply keeping NZ current.

“It’s a step change, along the lines of what we experienced with the inception of SIL, the across flock and breed evaluation SIL-ACE, and the establishment of the Central Progeny Test. Genomics technology, like Sheep5K, give us another lift - potentially double the lift of the other technologies cited.

“It can be done, but adoption and education are the issue. There are still a lot of non-believers who are bagging it – holding New Zealand’s GDP back.”

If we apply genomics effectively, we could proactively decrease the flock size even further, but maintain the same level of lamb production. That ticks a lot of boxes.

From a breeder perspective, the improved tool generates a return on their investment by helping identify superior animals earlier in their lives, improving selection accuracy and therefore speeding up genetic gain, Leibergreen says.

“For commercial farmers, it’s about purchasing a more reliable genetic package.”

Nationally, there is also a significant opportunity.

“The national ewe flock is in decline. If we apply genomics effectively, we could proactively decrease the flock size even further, but maintain the same level of lamb production. That ticks a lot of boxes

Coopworth is one of the five breeds that can use Sheep 5K.

– financial, environmental, sustainable.

There are also massive gains to be made in the health traits, which will have a big flow-on effect for commercial farmers’ bottom lines.”

Zoetis Genetics Area Manager Johanna Scott says genetics is part of the platform driving onfarm profit.

“Farmers need to trust that the science works and understand what their own breeding objectives are and where they want to go.”

Scott urges commercial farmers to choose their breeders objectively, based on all of the information available to them - including whether or not they use genomic tools.

“Sheep farmers in New Zealand are lucky to have B+LNZ Genetics investing in areas, such as genomics. I hope this new calibration encourages farmers to believe in the science. Breeding values work. Genomics work. Genetic gain is a real concept.”

THE AGE OF BIG DATA B+LNZ Genetics Lead Scientist Dr Michael Lee says we are in an age of big data.

“New Zealand can adapt technologies, but - if we want the latest for sheep - we can’t rely on others. Without decades of commitment to R&D from New Zealand, we would not be in a position to have our current ambitions and would be significantly behind, compared to other species, such as chicken, pig and cattle.”

Lee says the next step is singlestep evaluation. “This will also allow us to simplify and streamline the software infrastructure used for genetic evaluations.

“In principle, the single step system will provide a recalibration each time a normal evaluation is done, which is weekly. This means a more optimal use of data.”

- Supplied

45

LIVESTOCK | GENETALK

Breeding for the future Clever products include grass-fed wagyu beefe.

Nicola Dennis In the late 1990s, the folks in charge of breeding dairy cattle all around the world began to realise that they had been inadvertently destroying cow fertility.

In New Zealand, years of intensive selection for milk yield had caused a disturbing genetic trend in the six-week in-calf rate (about -0.5% a year). Daughter fertility had not been a consideration in sire selection until then. Now, after nearly 20 years, the genetic merit for fertility in the average NZ dairy cow has just about recovered to where it was in the 1980s.

My point, and one that you surely already know, is that genetic selection is a slow game. It takes a long time for the breeding decisions you make now to improve on (or correct) the breeding decisions made in the past.

So, it is never too early to start thinking

hand when you take up protein-isolate farming.

Traditional farmers who remain may need to improve their game with product placement. Meat will need to compete.

There are already some clever products hitting the pipeline, such as high-omega lamb and grass-fed wagyu.

Stepping away from the meat for now, there is also some innovation in the wool space such as Lanaco’s breeding programme for wool used in air filters and face masks. Wool is also finding itself in other funky places such as the Allbird’s footwear and yoga mats.

Even in the absence of the vegan apocalypse, these initiatives fulfil the long-held ambitions to move NZ primary industries away from trading commodities and towards specialist products. What will our primary industries’ next gold kiwifruit be?

Being far from a visionary in product development (it seems I never saw the DVD player coming, does anyone want the large box of video cassettes from my garage?), I will refrain from guessing.

What about the problems of the future?

A well-meaning town dweller recently asked me if I had got my farm “whipped

Farms don’t really take to crash diets, instead the best you can do, is to keep the list of things that need repairs down to a trim 20 items. about the future. Where do we want to be in another 20 years? What fancy new traits could we be including in our selection indices?

The vegans in my life like to remind me plant-based or lab-based meat is to cause the imminent demise of the red meat industry. If this is true, many of us may switch to growing whatever precursors these meat-like things are made of – please remember to keep your friendly breeding consultant at

46

into shape” yet. I tried to explain that, at least in my experience, farms don’t really take to crash diets, instead the best you can do, is to keep the list of things that need repairs down to a trim 20 items. So yes, there will always be problems.

Climate change and the environmental impact of farming are probably going to play a part in those future problems.

First, it is likely farmers will come under considerable pressure to reduce emissions from ruminants. The idea of breeding

low-methane-emitting stock or breeding low-emissions fodder for them to eat has been around for a while. In other parts of the world, emissions breeding values seem close to becoming a reality.

Lower emissions generally mean greater feed efficiency (producing methane is kind of a waste of energy for a ruminant) which we have been indirectly selecting for since the beginning of farming. We might be a little further ahead with this trait than we have been giving ourselves credit for.

Another aspect to climate change that is not so rosy is the part that presents some challenges to livestock. Stock don’t mind some extra sunbathing, but they will not enjoy extra health challenges.

The weather is predicted to get much warmer and wetter. This means facial eczema is projected to intensify in the North Island and spread down the South Island. Although it will take a while (year 2090, by my calculations), my stomping ground in Dunedin will eventually be at high risk of facial eczema.

Ticks also enjoy the warmth, so it is likely we will see a rise in tick-borne diseases such as Theleria. And, not to belabour a point, but there are also concerns that the future climate of Northland will sustain subtropical diseases we have yet to experience in NZ. I’ll wager that disease-resistance traits will become an important part of breeding programmes.

Especially since, if we are to push the boundaries of feed efficiency, we run the risk of inadvertently reducing the animal’s energy expenditure on important things (like the immune system) if we don’t also keep an eye on animal health. We need to keep things balanced otherwise, in 20 years we may be discussing that time we started inadvertently destroying stock disease resistance in NZ. • Nicola Dennis is a consultant for AbacusBio in Dunedin.

Country-Wide December 2017

LIVESTOCK | ANIMAL HEALTH

Pointing the finger with alternatives STOCK CHECK Trevor Cook I was not sure whether to be frightened, defeated, challenged or just dismissive after reading a very comprehensive article in a national magazine about the likely demise of the ruminant industry producing meat and milk, with replacements made directly from plant protein or grown from bovine DNA. I had always considered our cattle and sheep did this, but this article highlighted a multitude of ways that by getting cattle and sheep to do it, the planet and its inhabitants were doomed.

It heaped most of the blame for high greenhouse gas levels, nitrous oxide contamination, inefficient use of water, heart disease, diabetes and cancer on the aforementioned creatures.

While the arguments presented were plausible and logical, they ignored other players in these outcomes and was short on critical analysis by people not involved with the alternate process. The defence or comment from some New Zealand farming leaders were standard responses from people who did not want to rock the boat, except that producing quality product that had proven benefits was suggested as a good response.

But what of the process of making plant protein taste like beef? What of the process that uses bovine DNA to create meat? There is no critical analysis of those processes, the additives or the safety. But that is being very defensive of the status quo in response to something that will challenge traditional approaches.

Another reading source tells me the problems and solutions are not necessarily all of ruminant origin. Lawns are the third most widespread crop behind maize and wheat in the United States, consuming billions of dollars of resource, a major one being water.

In the Middle East lawns are one of the biggest crops. Consumption is massive

Country-Wide December 2017

such that more people die annually from obesity than from famine and terrorist attacks. There are 400 million domesticated dogs in the world and 600 million cats.

This all creates a story of massive demand that serves to exaggerate negative consequences of resource supply.

It is much more logical to look at our overall systems before we heap blame on one corner. We seem to specialise in singling out bits but that is probably because individuals promote, explore or highlight their area

We seem to specialise in singling out bits but that is probably because individuals promote, explore or highlight their area of expertise or concern and we get the impression that that is all-important. of expertise or concern and we get the impression that that is all-important.

That applies to so much of our lives, especially in farming. I have long criticised our veterinary educators for turning out vets who see animal health as the cornerstone of farming and being a discrete component. Neither of these is anywhere near reality.

Animal health is important but is intrinsically linked to management, policy and production planning. Fertiliser reps so often behave like the major limitation to farm production gains is the lack of fertiliser being applied. Just like animal health, soil fertility is vital, but is similarly linked to the same factors.

Of course, the ram and bull breeders certainly see their genetic package for sale is the major factor that will drive production lifts. Holistic views and analysis of whole farm systems is not a strength of the way we farm. Hence the struggle that companies have that produce and promote whole farm management programmes. It is much easier to focus on a single component

of a farming system, such as lifting the lambing percentage or lifting steer slaughter weights to 340kg. Neither is linked to profit on its own.

Knowing what to focus on can prove difficult. I recently went around a farm and noted the red buckets in some paddocks. These had contained, or maybe still did, minerals and trace elements that were supposed to stimulate rumen function.

The fact the stock had cleaned up the contents was taken as a sign that they Lawns are the third most widespread crop behind maize and wheat in the United States.

needed the contents. If the contents were nothing but molasses and/or salt the buckets would have been emptied. If that was the case the outcome would have been exactly the same and the cost much less. The beauty of giving supplements to animals there is no placebo effect other than what the owner observes. But of course, if nothing is monitored other than by observation a positive outcome is highly likely. Many, if not most of the amazing lamb weight gain responses to being given Vitamin B12 are imaginary in my opinion.

Lambs will grow much faster in response to a B12 supplement if they are low in Vitamin B12. Such a low level is not that common and the reference levels being used to indicate a responsive level are way above the published response levels. Not enough monitoring is done to know if or how much supplement is needed. But if it makes someone feel better by delivering that additive then there must be a positive outcome. • Trevor Cook is a Feilding Veterinarian

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FORAGE | ENDOPHYTES

When NZ ag science was king Terry Brosnahan

I

t is 16 years since AR1 was released in New Zealand when the scientists involved in the novel endophyte research programme were world leaders.

AR1 gave ryegrass plants protection against the devastating Argentine stem weevil (ASW) but unlike the widespread standard or wild endophyte, didn’t cause grass staggers in livestock.

Six years later, AgResearch’s subsidiary Grasslands released the groundbreaking AR37 which had wider pest protection.

Chief executive John Carradus said the AR37 team of scientists was world class. The team led the world in commercialising novel endophytes in temperate grasses Today AgResearch has competition from within and outside NZ. There are other novel endophytes on the market including NEA2 and U2. Melbournebased AgriBio which is part of the Victorian Department of Agriculture has larger facilities and funding though has yet to commercialise a novel endophyte, but is filing patents.

There is no one single ‘silver bullet’ endophyte yet which can deliver widespread pest control and without affecting animal health. So farmers have to choose the cultivars with the novel endophytes which best suit their farm.

Ryegrass endophyte was first noticed

Agriseeds marketing manager Graham Kerr and chief executive Michael Hales evaluate a perennial ryegrass trial plot.

50

in the 1940s but its connection to plant protection against ASW was not made until the early 1980s by MAF Ruakaura entomologists. Until then, it wasn’t realise the endophyte had limited viability and died in seed if poorly stored after a number of months. On a farm, endophyte in seed is usually viable for six months if stored out of sunlight in a cool shed.

The standard endophyte produces a range of alkaloid metabolites including lolitrems, peramines and ergovalines which protect the plant from attack by insects and overgrazing. The downside is that lolitrem B is a major cause of ryegrass staggers.

AgResearch scientist Lester Fletcher made the breakthrough with his work on lolitrem B and ryegrass staggers.

The novel endophyte programme led to Endosafe, the first to be commercially released in the 1990s.

It was in a tetraploid hybrid ryegrass and in a standard diploid ryegrass, but it was quickly phased out. It didn’t cause staggers but it had high levels of ergovaline, a toxin which at these levels caused ill-thrift and serious animal health problems.

AR1 was released in 2001 which had no lolitrem B avoiding grass staggers or ergovaline. It did have peramine which makes a plant tolerant to Argentine stem weevil and had no effective tolerance to black beetle.

So farmers had the choice of standard endophyte and potential ryegrass staggers, nil endophyte and no pastures or the novel endophyte AR1.Widespread planting of AR1 ryegrasses took place and by 2007, 17 varieties were on the market.

Then the wheels came off AR1 during the 2007-2008 drought in the upper North Island which coincided with a plague of black beetle. AR1 ryegrasses were susceptible to the beetle and there was widespread pasture collapse north of Taupo. In hindsight a possible solution for farmers could have been to mix seed with AR1 and standard endophyte to give greater pasture protection while lowering the risk of grass staggers.

Endophyte is a fungus which grows inside the plant cells of many grass species.

When the plant emerges the fungus grows into the shoot and is mostly found at the base of a plant. When the plant sends up shoots the endophyte grows up into them and the seed.

It produces chemical compounds known as alkaloids which help protect the plant from insect damage. However, endophyte can also affect animal health and performance.

Another novel endophyte was also released in 2001, NEA2 which Agriseeds supplied in a cultivar called Tolosa which proved popular with farmers. It gave wide pest resistance without staggers.

The only problem was it was hopeless at producing seed and after about five years had to be pulled from the market.

Agriseeds next released NEA2 in Trojan but it didn’t come on to the market until about six years after Tolosa was pulled.

It takes time for a company to carry out animal and insect testing to make sure a cultivar works well.

Endo 5 was released in 2005 which contained peramine but no lolitrems. It also contained some level of ergovaline which allows for agronomic robustness, especially in areas where black beetle is an issue. Grasslanz decided to not sell novel endophytes with ergovaline in NZ so it was pulled but still sold in Australia.

In 2007 AR37 was released which did not contain lolitrems, peramine, or ergovaline, but janthitrems. Janthitrems are alkolids which give plants resistance to range of pests. AR37 still caused grass staggers but not as severe as the standard endophyte. Grasslanz does not recommend AR37 pastures for deer or horses.

At the time, AgResearch chief executive Andy West did an exclusive deal with PGG Seeds, Wrightson Seeds and Agricom companies which all later merged to become PGG Wrightson Seeds. The deal shut other seed companies out of the AR37 technology for four years.

Country-Wide December 2017

FORAGE | ENDOPHYTES Trevor Ellett (top row, far right) with other teaching staff from Massey Agricultural College’s Dairy team, photographed about 1947. Top row, from left: Fred Barnes, Sam Green, Alan Johnson, Jack Singleton, Trevor Ellett; bottom row: Jim Hodgson, M Cooper, Professor William Riddet, Jack Sargent.

good harvest seed could sit in some silos for years and be worth little. Then there would be a shortage and prices would rocket. Little was known then about endophytes’ impact on pest and unwittingly, storage killed off the fungus in plant seed.

DSIR Grasslands director at the time was Ray Brougham who believed the government, not commercial companies should be involved in plant breeding.

He ostracised Trevor and the company, Arthur Yates for its commercialisation.

Brougham wrote to seed companies saying they shouldn’t deal with Yates because they were making money out of the seed.

It is with some irony, Trevor went on to be awarded the Ray Brougham trophy by the NZ Grasslands Trust in 1995 for his contribution to grassland farming.

In an obituary for Trevor, scientist Errol Thom and agronomist Graham Kerr, said he farmed two dairy farms at Mangere and Karaka which were managed as one unit. In the 1950s he sowed governmentbred ryegrasses on his farm but they didn’t last more than a year.

A Massey University ag science graduate and ex-dairy husbandry lecturer, Trevor harvested his own seed and sowed it beside DSIR Grasslands varieties in trials on his farm.

His plants thrived, Grasslands’ didn’t.

Grasslands took plants from his farm and bred Nui in 1973. It still didn’t thrive on the farm because the endophyte on stock seed would have died in storage.

In the early 1970s Trevor teamed up with Yates which agreed to develop and market Mangere. Yatsyn1 was the first successor to Ellett. In the 1980s and 1990s, Ellett, Nui and Yatsyn1 dominated the NZ ryegrass market - all originating from Trevor’s farm.

Trevor inadvertently helped launch the endophyte work. The significant persistence difference between Ellett and Nui led to MAF Ruakura entomologists discovering the link between endophytes and insect control.

By 2006 about 20 marketed ryegrasses had at least 25% of their genetics from Trevor’s farm.

Trevor had arranged that all the royalties paid by Yates and later Agriseeds, went into a charitable trust.

Millions of dollars has gone into the TR Ellett Agricultural Research Trust which helps with education and research in agriculture. Over the past 38 years the trust supported four or five projects each year.

Trevor had a special focus on helping masters and doctoral students who were working on pasture-based topics.

the science underpinning Agriseeds’ endophyte development.

Even though Agriseeds now has a licence to use AR37, Kerr said it was also a significant advantage to the NZ pastoral industry having additional science providers, such as AgriBio, working on endophyte technology. Since partnering with Agriseeds, AgriBio’s novel endophyte programme has exploded. Kerr said they have genotyped 400 endophytes and the first of its products will come on the market in about three years’ time.

“So there are a lot of products in the pipeline.”

He said it was a shame the Crown Research wasn’t stronger.

“Also the reduced Government funding

into good pastoral science recently is disappointing.”

Even with hindsight Carradus wasn’t sure the companies not in the deal would have invested in AgResearch’s novel endophyte programme.

He said all the companies were asked to put in money to keep it going but only the three companies which later became PGG Wrightson Seeds did.

Caradus said the focus now was on improving AR37 and looking at new endophytes. In the celebrations earlier this year to mark 25 years of Crown Research Institutes(CRI) each CRI chose a top team. The AR37 team was AgResearch’s clear winner.

See more on novel endophytes p77

Pasture champion Terry Brosnahan New Zealand agriculture owes a huge debt to a south Auckland dairy farmer who spent a lifetime improving NZ Grassland farming.

Trevor Ellett, who died in October last year aged 95, was synonymous with good ryegrass pastures. He had a major impact on ryegrass plant breeding and the pastoral seed industry.

In the early 1970s seed was harvested off his farm and sold as Mangere ryegrass. Because it was fresh seed sold and sown, it was inadvertently full of endophyte so protected plants against pests and outperformed government-bred ryegrasses.

It was also the first proprietary ryegrass to be marketed in NZ and changed the plant breeding system. In the 1980s it was certified as Ellett ryegrass.

Until then the government-run DSIR grasslands division carried out plant breeding in NZ and supplied stock seed to seed growers.

This was an uncontrolled system with surpluses and deficits. After a

NEW RESEARCH PLAYERS When AR37 was tied up with the exclusive deal it put other seed companies on the back foot and they had to find alternative research options.

DLF went offshore to Denmark and Cropmark went in-house.

Agriseeds marketing manager Graham Kerr said the company turned to AgriBio in Melbourne which had large research facilities and budgets. It is funded mainly by the Victorian Government with a range of industry funding bodies and works with private enterprise for plant, animal and microbial bioscience research.

Kerr said AgriBio facilities and capability were significantly bigger than AgResearch and had now done a lot of

Country-Wide December 2017

51

FORAGE | CROPPING

Lifting biomass production with cropping Jackie Harrigan A four-year trial concluded on the South Taranaki Waimate West Demonstration farm has proved growing supplementary feed crops on 25% of the milking platform can improve whole-farm productivity.

An earlier five-year trial proved increasing cropping to 10-12.5% of the milking platform showed an increase of biomass yield of one tonne drymatter/ hectare/year and milksolids production increase of 100-200kg MS/ha and further demonstrated that an increase of 3.6t DM//ha/year biomass could be obtained by increasing the cropping area to 25% without higher inputs of nitrogen.

Further improvements were shown by including a greater land area and growing a higher yielding summer crop like fodder beet.

The one-year extension to the Sustainable Farming Fund-supported project was to validate the results and confirm increased production levels at the higher cropping level of 25% of the platform. Three local farmers, all of whom had been using intensive cropping to increase their biomass production, were included in the trial to validate the results at the research farm.

The objectives of increasing the cropping percentage from 12.5 to 25% were to increase annual total farm biomass by up to 4t DM/ha/year and to lift MS production per cow by 15%.

While the trials missed the four-tonne biomass target, they came close at 3.6t, Plant and Food research crop scientist Emmanuel Chakwizira, who ran the trials along with fellow Plant and Food research scientist John de Ruiter, says.

“Longer durations than planned between successive crops was the main limitation – the original plan was to sow the autumn crop within two weeks of harvesting of the summer crops, but this was not always possible due to wet soils after harvesting or fitting in with the contractors’ busy schedules during that time of the year. So some paddocks remained bare for up to four weeks, reducing the overall DM yields,” Chakwizira says.

“Farmers need to work towards reducing the gap between harvesting of the summer crops and sowing the autumn crops, and arranging contracting services well in advance.”

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Results showed a highest annual yield with fodder beet or maize included in the sequence as a summer crop over chicory or turnips, with maize yield ranging from 17-29t DM/ha and fodder beet between 25-28t DM/ha compared with turnips, sorghum or chicory which yielded less at 8-12t DM/ha. The sequences that were assigned crops of turnips, chicory and fodder beet for the 2015 summer rotation yielded totals of 63, 59 and 77t DM/ha respectively, after 3.5 years.

Nitrogen uptake was high for all crops ranging from 255-326kg N/ha for maize, 400-560 for fodder beet and kale, 290kg N/ha for turnips and 360kg N/ha for chicory based on 72kg N/ha/grazing with five to six grazings a season.

‘The key to N management, especially when cropping paddocks are coming out of longterm pasture, is soil testing before sowing and only applying nitrogen fertilisers if required.’

Over the four years, at least 50% of the cropped paddocks had higher soil nitrogen content after the crops at both the WWDF and the three trial farms, thus, better control was needed of N inputs to achieve a better environmental outcome. In all cases, the initial soil N content was adequate for crop production with no additional N needed, Chakwizira says.

“The key to N management, especially when cropping paddocks are coming out of long-term pasture, is soil testing before sowing and only applying nitrogen fertilisers if required. This is even more critical in paddocks that are receiving effluent or where the previous crops have been grazed in situ.

“Our experience at both WWDF and on the three commercial farms is that most of the cropped paddocks had enough soil N to grow crops such as maize without added N fertiliser. However, small amounts of N are needed after each grazing of the other crops such as chicory, or when growing crops into the

Emmanuel Chakwizira, Plant and Food Research crop scientist.

second and subsequent years of crop sequences.”

Across the WWDF and three trial farms crude protein was highest for oats/Italian ryegrass, chicory and sorghum at 21-31% and the lowest for barley, fodder beet and maize at an average of 7%, with the brassica crops in the middle at 17-19%.

The metabolisable energy (ME) was within 10-13.6 megajoules ME/kg with fodder beet producing the highest total energy. Fibre content also varied with neutral detergent fibre (NDF) high and averaging 43%for all crops excluding fodder beet and acid detergent fibre (ADF) averaged 25% for all crops except chicory (17-19%). Fodder beet NDF and ADF levels were less than 13.6%. Overall, 14 of the 16 cropping sequences achieved the target yield of 40t DM/ha over an 18-30-month period, starting from spring sowing to the second or third autumn harvest, and four of the 14 sequences attained the target yield in 18-19 months.

To achieve high yields, the summer crops must produce more than 50% of the targeted yield, Chakwizira says.

“This limits the crop choice in summer to maize and or fodder beet, because the other crops used in the trial like turnips and chicory do not produce sufficient biomass to meet the target yields. However, if the objective is the availability of quality feed and not biomass in the summer months then these other crops like chicory are a better fit.”

Chakwizira says Taranaki farmers, and indeed most NZ farmers crop 5-10% of their milking platforms and the research shows lots of room for expansion of the cropping programme with associated improvements in the amount of biomass and milk produced.

• This article was first published in NZ Dairy Exporter, January 2017.

Country-Wide November 2017

FORAGE | GRASSLAND CONFERENCE

Research preview

Morrison Farming hill country farm.

A river runs through it Cheyenne Nicholson Pesticides were never going to be the complete answer for broadacre agriculture in New Zealand, a top entomologist says.

Stephen Goldson told the 79th Annual NZ Grassland association (NZGA) conference in Wanganui, invasive pests found it easy to gain a foothold in the grassland ecosystem. This was due to the incomplete transplant of European plants.

The ecosystem did not interact with the adjacent native ecosystem.

The AgResearch scientist reflected on his work with “a trio of invasive weevils” over his career. He was involved with the introduction of biological control agents and plant resistance to help control them.

He considered himself to be employed at a time when he and fellow scientists could work on long-term research. Goldson also decried the fragmented short-term funding model for research.

This year’s conference covered off the usual array of scientific papers, gave farmers the chance to rub shoulders with the people at the leading edge of pastoral science and get a sneak peek into farming enterprises like the OB Group, Morrison farming and Rathmoy Farm.

A key message from the recent conference was more research was needed for hill and high country farms. Much of the research for ‘hill country’ was done on highly fertile research farms which provide little to no insight for farmers, like himself, who battle with low fertile and fragile coastal properties.

Another take-home message came from farmer and NZGA organising committee member David Pearce. He said a morefocused effort was needed to be put

Country-Wide November 2017

into grazing management research and updating the ‘tool-kit’ available to nondairy farmers. His message was echoed by other presenters and attendees.

Pearce opened his presentation with a quote from Johnathan Swift’s Gullivers Travels.

“Whoever can make two ears of corn of two blades of grass grow upon a spot of ground where only one grew before, would deserve better of mankind, and do more essential service to his country than the whole race of politicians put together.”

He was swimming in unbiased advice from DairyNZ for every aspect of his dairy farming operations but the same could not be said for his 1900ha coastal dryland sheep and beef farm.

“For pastoral farmers grappling with what information to take note of and where to seek advice that isn’t thrown at us is hard. The huge piles of unsolicited mail on my kitchen table every week is testament to that.

“You only have to look back at previous Grasslands papers on grazing management to see that they are few and far between.

“The time taken for such research that we need isn’t matched to the time it takes to complete a PhD. Agri-science is skewed towards seed and fertiliser research because that’s where most of the funding is coming from. Understandably scientists follow the money.”

The thought that science and research were not set up to serve the long-term game required for grazing management research was backed by LandVisions’ Lachie Grant. He also added that high country farmers can’t begin to make improvements unless they learn and have the tools available to measure grass.

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Sediment and nutrient loss under winter cropping on hill country soils Grazing a winter crop on hill country resulted in large sediment losses. The losses highlighted the need for active management to reduce this which will have a flowon effect to reducing the impact on waterways. Further research was needed to assess the practicality and effectiveness of mitigation options.

Reducing N hotspots Reducing N concentrations and potential loss around troughs and gateways could be as simple as using non- N application zones around these areas. Nitrogen applied close to gates and troughs runs the risk of not being taken up by plants due to irrigation exclusion, trampling by animals and higher faecal and urine N application by cows moving through these areas.

Armin Werner, group manager of precision agriculture at Lincoln Agritech recommends a 10-12-metre exclusion zone and definitely non-application in any areas where pasture is not growing.

Poor ryegrass persistence Farmers in parts of the upper North Island will be pleased to know they can’t be blamed for the poor persistence of perennial ryegrass in pastures. David Chapman from DairyNZ outlined research showing pastures analysed over six years showed the species is only a three-four year option due to environment, climate and pest interactions with particular soil types, despite using best practice ryegrass/endophyte genetics and management. Equally Chapman said plant breeders cannot be blamed as new cultivars were not inherently poorer in their ability to physically survive.

Alternative solutions were clearly required and many farmers have already adopted them with much trial and error.

Footnote: Research highlights from the conference in the next issue.

When making silage it’s important to preserve the nutrients present in the crop or pasture out in the field.

FORAGE | SILAGE

The good, the bad and the ugly Cheyenne Nicholson Dr Limin Kung Jr, a University of Delaware professor, is an expert in dairy nutrition and silage fermentation. He discussed aspects of silage from paddock to stack and says it’s important now more than ever that farmers understand the science behind what they are doing with their silage stacks and to not just go off the law of averages.

“A lot of the time farmers do things but don’t understand the ‘why’ element. If you know the ‘why’ you can adapt the recommendations to fit your system.”

THE RUMEN Kung says it’s important to first think about the quality of forages going into the stack, in particular their digestibility. The first thing affecting digestibility is the stage of maturity of the plant at the stage of harvest.

“If you think of the rumen as a tub with a limited size, and we want to absorb as many nutrients as possible from the feed in that tub, filling the tub up with low digestible forage will mean lower nutrients absorbed and slower feed throughput.”

The average particle length of feed leaving the rumen is 2mm. In order for a cow to get feed down to this size she needs to chew it and it has to be digestible.

“That’s the problem with low-quality feeds, long particles that aren’t digestible build up in the rumen and can’t leave it, stuffing the rumen and limiting intake.”

Although biologically the process is more complex, the barrel analogy drives home the message of feed quality.

“With high-quality feeds that are highly digestible, they go in, nutrients are absorbed and eventually converted into milk or tissue and the rest moves through, emptying the barrel so the cow can re-feed increasing intake.”

Intake is the key driver to milk production and is particularly important during early lactation where cows are not able to eat enough energy relative to the energy they are putting out in milk or meat and as a result, lose weight.

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“It’s a physiological phenomenon that cows in early lactation cannot consume enough energy to sustain their milk production on reduced intakes.

“This then relates into the issue of peak milk, for every kilogram of milk extra you get from her at peak yield you get an extra 150-200kg more milk during the rest of her lactation. So this is why it’s important to really drive that feed intake in early lactation to get the peak milk as high as possible to set her up for a more successful lactation. If you mess up peak milk early on, you mess up the rest of that lactation.”

GOOD AND BAD FERMENTATIONS When making silage it’s important to preserve the nutrients present in the crop or pasture out in the field.

When looking at the stages of maturity of forages, leaf through to the bloom, a compromise needs to be made when it comes to the time of cutting.

“Protein, digestibility and intake are all highest at the leafy stage, but fibre and yield are highest towards the bloom stages, whilst digestibility and protein decrease. So ideally you want to be somewhere in the middle of the leaf and bloom stage when you cut the forage.”

Kung says if you start off with poor-quality pasture, you’re stuck with it, no matter how good stack management is. On the other hand good-quality pasture can easily be ruined by poor stack management.

WHAT HAPPENS IN THE STACK The first thing that needs to happen once the forage has been cut is create an anaerobic environment in the stack, plastics, tyres/gravel bags , sealing and packing-rate are all important elements in the process.

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Once the forage has been cut important elements were creation of an anaerobic environment in the stack with use of plastics, tyres/gravel bags , sealing and packing-rate.

Key points • Ensure good quality forage standing up in the paddock at point of harvest • Aim for the correct drymatter and don’t over-wilt • Pack it tight and keep air out of the stack • Minimise ‘bad’ bacteria contamination to encourage a rapid fermentation • At feed-out, maintain a clean and compacted stack face • Plan the harvest and work as a team to deliver attention to details.

When a pasture or crop is chopped sugars and moisture are released from the plant. Over time the sugar content in the stack will decrease, this is because bacteria in the stack convert the sugar into lactic acid (during quality fermentation).

Lactic acid is a strong acid and causes the pH of the stack to decrease. It’s this low pH combined with an anaerobic environment that stabilises the stack. The temperature of the silage will increase to a point during the stabilisation period and stays there until fermentation is complete. Technically the stack can remain stabilised for years if you keep everything under the right conditions.

“A friend of mine at Wisconsin university has a mason jar of orchard grass silage that he has had in his office for 35 years. It looks just like it did 35 years ago when he put it in there and that’s because there has been no air let in it so it’s completely stable.”

shouldn’t base the time of cutting on maximising sugar content.

“Sugar content is highest in the field on a sunny day when the plant is photosynthesising and lowest when it’s in the stack. Timing mowing to maximise sugar content is a bit controversial because it is very rare that a plant in the field is limiting in sugar content for the fermentation process. What is important is getting the drymatter (DM) right, reducing ‘bad’ bacteria contamination and reducing drymatter losses.”

‘Protein, digestibility and intake are all highest at the leafy stage, but fibre and yield are highest towards the bloom stages, whilst digestibility and protein decrease.’

FACTORS AFFECTING QUALITY FROM FIELD TO STACK Reducing the time it takes for the stack to stabilise is important as the longer it takes to stabilise the more dry matter and energy is lost.

Reducing the time between pasture or crop chop to stacking is also important.

“The longer the plant sits in the paddock the more sugar it uses up trying to stay alive via the respiration process. The plant can’t actually make anything with the sugar so it’s just burning it up, so the recommendation is to minimise the amount of time it lies in the field.”

However, Kung says farmers

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KNOWING THE DM TO CUT The target DM for grass silage is around 30-35 %. This is due to the probability of Clostridia fermentation. Clostridia bacteria are on the forage when it is mowed and put into the stack. A clostridia fermentation is likely to occur if forage has been left out in the rain after cutting, extended respiration due to poor packing and excessive moisture in the stack. It is characterised as green, slimy, stinky silage and contributes to a heavy DM loss.

“The probability of having clostridia fermentation increases when you have less than 30% DM, soil contamination can also cause this. Certain inoculants can help prevent clostridia fermentation from occurring however good pre-stack management is the largest factor – attention to detail!”

DENSITY AND COMPACTION RATE If compaction rate and the stack density is too low, air will penetrate the stack and begin a chain reaction of events that occur once the environment is no longer anaerobic.

“Air gets in, bad yeasts grow which degrades nutrients, and temperatures spike causing spoilage. In winter it happens slowly so you might not see hot mouldy silage but in the summer the higher temperatures accelerate the process. This is why compaction rate is so important, it keeps the air out which prevents that chain of events.”

Once mould is seen in the stack the question is often asked – what can I do now? Kung says it’s a little like putting a plaster over a badly bleeding wound and that prevention is always better.

“There isn’t much you can do once you see mould, it’s better to take all the steps to prevent it from happening in the first place. Toxin binders may have a place, but the real damage is done through the loss in both drymatter and nutrient loss from continual fermentation, animal intakes, digestive health and therefore production are also compromised”

cheyenne.nicholson@nzfarmlife.co.nz

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ARABLE | GRAIN HYGIENE

FAR’s Tim Brooker sampling silos as part of the SFF project.

How good’s your grain store hygiene?

Storage guides

New Zealand’s cropping industry is world-leading in terms of yields and field hygiene, but when it comes to grain storage, it seems we’re a little off the pace. Andrew Swallow reports.

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n alarming number of New Zealand grain stores are infested with insects, raising suspicions mainstay protection product, pirimiphos-methyl may be waning in efficacy.

Whether or not that’s the case – and work is underway to find out – it’s important to give stores a thorough clean before this summer’s crops start pouring in, FAR says.

It is leading a Sustainable Farming Fund project which last year found 77% of 58 samples collected across 42 stores were infested with one or more insect species. The survey was randomised so there was no bias.

Some of the grain had been in store since before the previous harvest, which could have been a factor, but nonetheless, FAR’s Jo Drummond says 77% is “an awful lot”.

“Previous surveys, done in the 1970s, found 38% infested and 50-63%,

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so it’s substantially up on that. At this stage we’re not sure whether it’s a result of grain being in store longer because prices have been low or a function of the products and processes we’re using failing.”

The average period of storage when the samples were taken (September and October 2016) was nine months, with a 7-20 month range. All but 10% of stores had been treated with an insecticide before filling and 79% treated during storage.

“The list of agrichemicals used is fairly OP (organo-phosphate) heavy. The vast majority of those treated (93%) had used pirimiphosmethyl.”

Overseas several species of grain store pests have developed resistance to the chemical and there are anecdotal reports of reduced efficacy here, Drummond says.

Part of the SFF project is to establish if there’s been a sensitivity shift or outright resistance develop in populations of sawtooth grain beetles, grain weevils, flour

FAR released two Arable Updates (C210 & C211) on grain storage earlier this year, the first summarising the SFF project findings to date, including pictures of pest species found, and the second outlining best practice including a graphic showing the interaction of grain moisture and temperature on storage risk. See www.far.org.nz/ resources/publications Alternative sources freely available online include the United Kingdom Home Grown Cereal Authority’s comprehensive Grain Storage Guide for Cereals and Oilseeds (www.cereals. ahdb.org.uk/cropmanagement ), or a similar guide from the Canadian Grain Commission (www.grainscanada. gc.ca). For more detailed storage pest lifecycle and distribution information try www.cabi.org/isc

beetles and flat grain beetles derived from the samples taken.

While psocoptera spp (booklice) was the most widely found (55% of samples), saw-tooth grain beetle’s presence in a third of the samples was the really worrying survey result, Drummond says.

Unlike booklice (psocids), which are a secondary pest* of stored grain, saw-tooth

Saw-tooth grain beetles were found in a third of all silos surveyed.

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A breather tube can help prevent moisture build-up in the centre of silos.

grain beetle (Oryzaephilus surinamensis) is one of the world’s most widespread store pests and in many countries, including Australia, populations resistant to insecticides have developed. It can multiply rapidly in bulks above 15C and once active, infestations further raise the temperature and humidity of surrounding grain, accelerating an already short lifecycle.

It can also bridge one season to the next in minute residues of grain.

“You literally only need a handful of grain for it to survive,” Drummond says.

“That’s why pre-harvest hygiene is so important.”

United Kingdom advice (see storage guide panel) is to clean stores then place bait bags or insect traps to determine if pre-harvest insecticide treatment of stores is warranted. Similarly, insecticide treatment of grain in store is only practised in response to a problem.

In FAR’s survey, all growers said they cleaned stores pre-harvest but given the mobility of some grain storage pests, saw-tooth grain beetle in particular, Drummond says pre-harvest clean-up must include store surrounds, as well as aeration ducts, augers, bags and other equipment that could harbour pests.

That’s echoed by Doug Gough of Gough Agritech, who is on the SFF Grain

Storage project management team.

“I’ve seen silos swept out and the sweepings dumped outside the silo.

There needs to be a bit of hygiene around the outside of stores too.”

Completing the clean down several weeks before harvest is likely to start is also important because it allows time to deal with any problems found, he says.

Reflecting on the results of the FAR survey, he believes many farm stores have a pest problem but growers often aren’t aware of it. Increasing header capacity and store size is probably a factor.

“You can sometimes have 200 tonnes harvested in a couple of hours over the hottest part of the day. That grain’s going in at 35C and then people just shut the lid on the silo when they finish at night!”

What should be happening is continuous aeration from start of filling to remove field heat as fast as possible and, long-term, bring grain bulk below the 12C grain weevils need to breed.

A common problem once grain is in store is condensation on the surface of the grain, particularly in the centre of conical heaps.

“The cold air sinks down the walls, warms up, and comes back up the centre. The moisture in it condenses

at the surface, capping it and the heap can’t breathe.”

Perforated tubes running vertically down the centre of silos, such as the Gatco GrainAir tubes he recently started supplying from Canada, can solve the problem without having to have power at the silo.

Another tip Gough has is to take a little out of several silos with each sale.

That will pull the top of the grain heap down into the centre of the heap, and out the bottom, removing the conical top to the heap which is prone to the condensation problem.

He believes a lot less insecticide could be used in NZ stores if cooling techniques are better, reducing the risk of insecticide resistant pest populations developing and the amount of agrichemical entering the food chain.

Elsewhere in the world storage protocols have already shifted that way, he notes.

Drummond also stresses the need to improve monitoring of stores, checking temperature and moisture at least monthly.

“Crop monitoring doesn’t stop when it goes into the silo. You’ve spent a lot of time and money looking after that crop in the paddock, protecting it from weeds, pest and diseases and storage is the final hurdle. A failure there can be a very costly one.” *The Canadian Grain Commission defines primary grain storage pests as those able to infest, feed and reproduce on whole, sound grain. Secondary pests require mould or damaged grain kernels to survive, and their presence indicates grain is going out of condition.

Aussie insight at ARIA Australian grain storage expert Peter Botta, of PCB Consulting, will be a speaker at FAR’s Aria event at Chertsey, December 6. www.far.org.nz/events

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PLANT & MACHINERY | FORAGE HARVESTERS

QUALITY and RELIABILITY king British machinery writer Nick Fone checks out what new forage harvesters farmers and contractors are using.

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iltshire farmer Will Nutland set up a shared silage syndicate with neighbours.

Initially the venture bought a Claas Jaguar 695. When demand for the service grew that first machine was swapped for an 860. That was followed by an 880, an 890 and in 2008, a very early 950.

“It was great in grass but we had a frustrating maize harvest with the hollow cylinder constantly stuffing up.”

Will said Krone came in with a demo BigX 650 at the just the right time and put together a good package.

Sticking with a two-year replacement policy that had worked well in maintaining a balance between depreciation and reliability, the 650 was swapped for a new 700. It did a further

Vital stats • Krone BiXX 700 • 2014 model on 1200 engine hours (800 cylinder hours).

• 707hp, 16.16-litre MAN V8.

• 3m grass pick-up, 6.2m disc wholecrop header, 12-row maize header.

• 800mm wide, 28-blade chopping cylinder.

• Six feed-rollers.

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two seasons and was replaced by another almost identical 700. This season that will be superseded by a brand-spanking 770. Maximum output from the BigX 700 can get more than 80 hectares/day in first-cut grass but generally working days are kept sensible.

The big MAN motor was initially tight and felt sluggish compared with the 650’s Merc but after 400 hours it began to sing and 1200 hours in, it’s flying.

Krone’s Varistream spring-loaded backplates on the back of the impeller and under the drum is reckoned to do a good job of smoothing crop flow in lumpy swaths. The anti-blockage system is a real headache saver. When engine revs drop below 1300rpm it kicks out the feed-roller and header drive to stop any chance of a blockage.

Six feed-rollers are reckoned to be a big contributor in presenting crop evenly to the chopping cylinder and smoothing engine loading. The other less-obvious advantage is that there’s a greater distance between the metal detector and the blades so the chance of anything nasty getting through is minimised.

They also do a good job of crushing and flicking out stones in Wiltshire’s flint-rich soils.

The cab on the 700 is felt to be a big improvement over the 650, being markedly quieter and offering significantly better views to the sides – critical when the 12-row maize header is hitched up.

In maize the BigX 700 generally guzzles

its way through 22-27-litres/ha. In firstcut grass it’s down around 12-20-litres/ha.

“All three BigXs we’ve had have been unbelievably reliable – the build quality is one of the major selling points.”

He said the 90degree feed-roller gearbox was so well-guarded, they couldn’t see when a seal had gone and it had dropped all its oil. That was sorted with a heavier-duty box replaced under warranty and it hasn’t been a problem since. What would they change to improve it?

Driver Bob Strange said getting the corn cracker in and out was a pain.

“Unlike other machines, it’s not just a case of rolling it in and out.”

Instead it has be winched in from underneath.

“If you’re swapping between grass and wholecrop it’s a real chore.”

Although the Bosch hydrostatic transmission on the 700s is much smoother getting up to 40kph on the road than the 650’s Poclain, it’s still not the best for inching.

Strange said coupling up and dropping off headers can be tricky, partly because of the narrow hitch points but also because the hydrostatic transmission is hard to control at inching speed.

Having to engage the chopping gear just to raise or lower the pick-up hitch is a slight niggle. As it blocks the bonnet, drivers have to remember to leave it down at night if they’re to check the oil in the morning. The 12-row EasyCollect maize header gets top marks for the job it does but has a couple of weak points.

With chains rather than rotors to gather the crop to the feed rollers, in thin crops small cobs can drop to the floor rather than being gathered in with the plants.

Contour-following could also be improved. Height sensors on the outer wing sections do a good job on flat ground but without a central sensor the header can end up scalping in the middle where there are significant lumps and bumps. Despite this it’s by far the best header they’ve had for simplicity and the way it folds flat-pack for transport is great for visibility – much safer than any other make. Having rear axle suspension helps make it extra smooth on the road.

The chunkily-built cam-less grass pickup has never given an issue and, with a central depth wheel, faithfully follows the lie of the land.

Would they have another BigX? They would look around, but like the build quality and reliability of the Krone.

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PLANT & MACHINERY | FORAGE HARVESTERS

Major upgrade worth the wait Since they first made the move from a JFtrailed forager to a self-propelled machine in 2006, the Swinnertons, ag contractors based in Shropshire, have stuck with John Deere.

They were part of a trial and ran their 625hp 7750 alongside the Deere prototype machines.

Mikey Swinnerton said at one point they had both a 585hp narrow-body 8500 and a 625hp 8600 wide-body machine in the same field as their three-year-old forager.

“Although it was the same power as our machine, the 8600 was covering at least an extra acre an hour – it was unbelievably different.

But it wasn’t just about output. The cab was a massive upgrade and the prototypes proved to be really reliable, “We had virtually no issues at all with them.”

That clinched the deal and they ordered an 8600 for the following season.

The 8600 typically clears 6.5-7.5 hectares/hour in first-cut grass and 3.54ha/hour in maize. Much of this increase in output is put down to the redesigned chopping arrangement which sees crop flow streamlined. Material no longer has to make a 90degress turn as it goes around the accelerator and up the chute.

There is now a much smoother, gentler curve which means less power is required to blow chopped crop out the spout.

Vital stats • John Deere 8600 • 2015 model on 900 engine hours (600 cylinder hours).

• 625hp, 13.5-litre Deere 6-cyl.

• 3m grass pick-up, 6.2m Zurn disc wholecrop header, 10-row Kemper maize header.

• 850mm wide, 40-blade chopping cylinder.

• Four feed-rollers.

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The 7750 had the power but couldn’t make use of it because of the bottleneck at the blower. It was also restricted by the feed-rollers and header-drive.

“The slip-clutches would give out too easily when you really loaded the machine up and crop flow into the drum would suffer.

He said all those issues have been sorted on the 8600.

A much-beefier grass pick-up with a chunkier driveline and bigger diameter feed-rollers with hydraulic damping to even out lumpy swaths have massively improved crop flow into the machine.

The latter change has overcome one particularly annoying feature of the 7750 which saw the metal detector regularly tripping out as the feed-rollers bounced up and down.

From a driver’s point of view the new cabin and controls are a big improvement and things are smoother on the road.

The cab is a huge step forward and the touchscreen controls are just so much more operator-friendly.

With the engine mounted right over the tail there’s much less transport bounce.

“In the field the taller tyres have significantly improved traction and clearance – I haven’t had it stuck yet.”

The 8600 did suffer a few electrical gremlins and software issues last season.

Whenever a stone or lump of wood went through the feed-rollers it had a tendency to crease or put a dent in them.

John Deere has apparently rectified this with extra bracing bars for this season.

What would they change to improve it?

Add a swivelling seat.

“We load to the right and with your body planted facing straight ahead, by the end of the day you’ve got a very stiff neck.”

Also the additive tank filler is sited below the engine hood, so they can’t tip up a decent sized can.

“All it really needs is a bigger filler neck.”

As well as a beefier driveline and clutches, the grass pick-up has had a couple of tweaks that have markedly improved its performance.

The auger flights now overlap to draw crop to centre of the feed-roller opening which has proved a big plus-point in sticky grass. Auto speedmatching for the pick-up tines means there’s one less thing for the driver to think about.

Being 35% wider than the previous version, the 6.2m Zurn whole-crop disc header has helped to steady up forward speeds in the field. Previously the stick would be pushed right forward to the stops to try and keep the forager full but now things go on at a much more dignified pace.

Headers are generally not an issue on Deere foragers. “...and the 10-row Kemper has proved bomb-proof for maize – but then it ought to for the money.”

The Swinnertons have upgraded for the coming season to the range-topping 843hp 8800. It has the big 19-litre Cummins Tier II motor plus extras like the folding auto-fill spout and heavier rear axle. The 12-row maize header means they should never have to hitch up a trailer again to strike out – that will help lift output.

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PLANT & MACHINERY | FORAGE HARVESTERS

No regret changing brands The Butt Brothers have been looking after Somerset’s dairy farms for more than four decades.

The family have had all makes and shapes of self-propelled forage-harvesters – in the late 1990s it was John Deeres, then a Claas Jaguar 900 in 2004. That was followed by an 820hp New Holland FR9090 in 2009 – the first of the yellowliveried flagships sold in the United Kingdom.

Andrew Butt said they were impressed with the first FR. “It had heaps of power, was reliable and most importantly, the chop quality from the big chevron cylinder was 10-out-of-10en.”

He said the size of the drum meant it acted like a flywheel, particularly in lumpy grass, smoothing crop flow and helping to keep output up.

After five years’ hard labour, it had clocked more than 4000 hours and was due for a change. New Holland put together the best deal so they went for the FR850.

After two seasons, the Butts’ second FR has performed exactly as expected.

Thanks to a redesigned chopping set-up with smoother crop flow, work rates are up by between 10-15% over its predecessor so in first-cut grass daily outputs regularly exceed 97 hectares/day.

In maize that figure is closer to 40ha/ day although a long shift can see that pushed above 55ha/day.

Big improvements come in the cab which is quieter than before. Being able to alter the speed of the feed-rollers, pickup and auger independently from the cab makes a huge difference to work-rates in

Vital stats • New Holland FR850 • 2014 model on 1650 engine hours (1500 cylinder hours).

• 824hp, 20.1-litre Fiat/Iveco V8.

• 3m grass pick-up, 6.1m Marangon disc wholecrop header, 12-row Kemper maize header.

• 884mm wide, 16-blade chopping cylinder.

• Four feed-rollers.

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‘The new pick-up has five tine bars and runs faster than before but the 5mm tines are the same and they just keep snapping.’ varying crops of grass. And the automatic matching of pick-up speed to forward pace means there’s one less thing to think about and tweak.

Set-up is generally easy for the blades, blower paddles and shearbar. In seven seasons with both FRs, only one blade has ever been knocked back. Having the shear bar fixed in the middle is felt to be a good idea too.

The FR’s pivoting crop accelerator sits tight in behind the cylinder when the corn cracker is removed but swings up and away when it’s needed for wholecrop or maize. That feature is felt to have a big impact on fuel and power use.

The 20-litre Fiat/Iveco V8 in the FR850 will generally get through 12-17-litres/ha in first-cut and 27-32-litres/ha in maize.

That’s reckoned to be about 10% less, hectare-for-hectare, compared with the 605hp Mercedes V8 used in the Jaguar 900.

That said, the 1220-litre fuel tank still isn’t enough for a long day’s chopping so a second fill is often required.

One of the 710/65R42 Trelleborg tyres developed a bulge between the lugs early on meaning a replacement was necessary.

But the biggest issue so far has been its appetite for pick-up tines. In the heavy grass season of 2014 it pretty much got through an entire set in six weeks.

“The new pick-up has five tine bars and runs faster than before but the 5mm tines are the same and they just keep snapping.”

The FR9090 had New Holland’s standard wear plates which needed replacing every few weeks. The FR850 was specced with Hardox which has significantly extended their working life.

In its five seasons with the Butts

the old FR needed a new set of blower bearings every year and it appeared the new machine was following that pattern.

However, with heavier duty bearings fitted last season things look to have improved.

What would they change to improve it?

Andrew said the blower box is the main weakness. Because it’s only 3mm sheet there’s a lot of flex. This means setting the blower paddles to a 3mm clearance can be a challenge. Instead they position them at a calculated angle to the bottom of the chute. This means we get optimum blow in mid-season after they have undergone some wear and we are in the heavier crops of first cut grass.

“It needs to be a lot stronger. I’m convinced that if it didn’t flex as much we wouldn’t have to keep changing bearings.”

The build quality of the chute also comes in for criticism. With the spout extension fitted to accommodate the 12row maize header there is a huge amount of leverage on the turret. New Holland says it will have a stronger version this season.

“In work you can see how much strain the whole spout is under. It was a real weak point and we were not sure how much longer it would have lasted.

Although a seemingly minor issue, the parking brake is also a big bug-bear.

“It collects dirt and then doesn’t release properly so it’s constantly dragging. It’s just not man enough.”

And would he have another New Holland FR? “We’re always open-minded, especially when it comes to shelling out £500,000 (NZ$953,000) on a new forager.”

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PLANT & MACHINERY | SHEEP HANDLING

Handling gear boosts efficiency Joanna Cuttance Many contractors have taken an opportunity to become self-employed by purchasing high-end sheep handling equipment which enables them to handle large numbers of stock in an efficient manner.

Michael Gorinski of MG Shearing, based in Otago, handles hundreds of thousands ewes and lambs through his contracting business each season, covering an area from Waikouaiti, north of Dunedin through to Owaka in the Catlins.

After 30 years of being a shearer, the last 20 being a shearing and lamb tailing contractor, he expanded his operation four years ago to include a mobile crutching trailer and sensor-jetting service.

Michael uses a Hecton tandem contractor’s crutching trailer. The unit has two sheep handlers, two shearing heads, compressor, frame and cover, lead up races and is registered for road use.

Michael also had modified lead-up ramps made, making them narrower for lambs.

When in use, there are two crutchers and someone who keeps the sheep up the ramp. Despite being a shearer all his life Michael says it was not easy mastering the timing for catching the sheep.

“It didn’t happen in five minutes.”

The crutchers manually clamp the sheep as they come through, once clamped the machine rotates the sheep into position for crutching. This keeps the sheep in a safe, stress-free position and the person crutching the sheep also has no strain on their body.

Using a jetting system provided by a contractor makes a lot of sense particularly from a health and safety viewpoint.

Lambs can be crutched tail or full crutch and ewes can be crutched tail, full or half belly and a conveyor can be used for wool sorting. A complete single contractor’s Hecton crutching trailer costs from $18, 295.

Using a jetting system provided by a contractor makes a lot of sense particularly from a health and safety view point. Dangerous chemicals don’t need to be stored onfarm, nor do farmers need to handle the chemicals, because the

The “MG system” is used for tailing.

Country-Wide December 2017

contractor provides the chemical and the people using the jetters are trained and have undergone a full health and safety briefing.

Michael uses a CraigCo Jetter. He likes the CraigCo because it can move water fast and with variable pressure settings available he can manipulate it to suit the requirements of the stock. A jetter reaches the areas most likely to be affected by flystrike, from the poll, over the shoulders, down the back line, over the crutch and around the pizzle.

Wetting to the skin maximises the efficacy of the pesticide giving maximum length of protection. Ideally, sheep walk through the jetter. Michael says the smallest change in direction in the leadin can have a massive impact on how the sheep go through the jetter. The way sunlight reflects off the spray also has a huge impact.

Michael also uses flexi-panels to make a curved entry to the jetting or crutching trailer and Perkinz Anti-Backers as a super-easy way to keep sheep moving forward.

The “MG system” is used for tailing.

A design Michael has developed and improved over the past 20 years, a period of which he has tailed more than 2.5 million lambs. Michael commissioned a hydraulically driven conveyor, made

by Offroad Engineering Services, based at Clinton, north of Gore, after he saw another conveyor the company had made. The tailing chute holds about five lambs and each lamb takes between seven and 10 seconds to make its way down the chute.

The conveyor ensures stock safety and welfare, because there is no need to manually pull the lambs down, making for happier lambs.

It is also user-friendly with less physical demand required so no stress on elbows and back.

Michael uses a double-drafting Prattley yard system which he and his crew set up in the paddock where the tailing is, which ensures smooth and efficient flow of stock. This system can accommodate mobs of 250-800 ewes.

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ENVIRONMENT

Lisa and Pippa, 3, check out a home-grown hebe in Lisa’s propagation shed

Grow-your-own natives Jackie Harrigan A cheeky entry into the 2014 Ballance Farm Environment Awards switched Paul and Lisa Charmley on to what they could be doing to enhance and protect the environment on their 350-cow Dannevirke dairy farm.

While they managed to win the Hills Laboratories Soil Management Award for their soil management, they say the big win for them was the fantastic feedback and suggestions they received from judges.

“They suggested planting our fencedoff riparian areas, retiring some areas and other things to really lift our environmental performance,” Lisa says.

Paul is a fourth-generation farmer on the block at Te Rehunga, close to the Ruahine Ranges. When the couple bought 80 hectares and leased a further 36ha of their 106ha effective farm in 2013 from a family partnership they were fired up with ideas and enthusiasm.

“We bought on a high market too, so we were pretty motivated by the high debt level,” Paul says.

After the BFEA judging, Lisa launched into buying and planting riparian natives along the seven kilometres of fenced off waterways, with varying success.

“I didn’t really know what I was doing and we lost some because we had planted the bare-rooted plants in wet spots.”

Then her mum suggested lots of the natives could be grown from seed and cuttings so Lisa started down that track – within a year she had 600 plants growing in her back garden.

A real enthusiast who throws herself into projects – but with a keen eye on the bottom line – she now has a dedicated propagation area and potting sheds

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with 1500 potted native plants happily growing under a new timer-controlled watering system that Paul installed for her for Christmas.

Growing a wide variety of natives, she has learnt which are best-suited for wet and dry areas and which take easily from cuttings or grow successfully from seed.

She taps any resource she can – friends with bush blocks for seed, help from her mum, cuttings from friends’ stock bushes and empty pots from people in Dannevirke who have been collecting them in their sheds for years.

Having reached the stage where she could no longer hide her potting mix buying habit in the family budget, Lisa says she has gone commercial and found a supplier of bulk native plant potting mix from Napier to keep feeding her habit – at much less cost.

Repotting plants into bigger pots as they grow is a big commitment but she estimates riparian planting will be completed in five years by growing the plants herself, at a cost of only 60 cents a plant.

Paul is gearing up to get this year’s crop of plants planted in autumn, using farm workers Jay Singh and Andrew Campbell to help plant and also release last year’s plants from the encroaching grass.

The Charmleys have also constructed a bridge over the largest stream on the property for total stock exclusion and fenced off a stand of totara to regenerate ferns and native trees along with another small retired block around the cow shed.

“It has been so heartening to see the bugs and bees and frogs and birdlife coming back,” Lisa says.

Lisa’s environmental work led to her being nominated to attend the Dairy

Lisa’s native plant emporium: Hebes, pittosporums, lance wood, ribbon wood, coprosma robusta, ake ake, olearia, carex secta, tenax, mountain flax, cabbage trees, manuka.

Environmental Leaders Forum, setting up and working with a regional group and looking for outreach opportunities to further the message and work.

SIMPLE FARMING SYSTEM REFINED While Paul had always worked in the dairy industry after attending Taratahi and working locally then on his family farm, Lisa came from a background of study and working in manufacturing of aluminium windows in Napier before marrying Paul and shifting to Dannevirke.

His practical knowledge combined with her strengths in processes and systems and their mutual love of budgeting and knowing the numbers driving their new business has formed a powerful and strongly analytical partnership. They also have a bent for technology.

After buying the farm in 2013 they

Country-Wide December 2017

looked at the strengths and weaknesses of the business from a lean management point of view and decided to borrow more money to improve infrastructure and upgrade facilities.

The effluent system was due for an upgrade so they retired their old slurry tank, installing a pump and rain gun which applies three times the effluent in an hour. The 17ha effluent area is now treated differently for soil sampling and fertiliser application.

They also invested in Protrack for the dairy and a dosatron unit and dung buster yard scraper – identifying that saving time would mean saving money in the long run and enable them to keep farm working expenses low by savings in labour.

“Keeping our FWE to $2.36/kg MS has meant we weathered the storm of low payout years quite well,” Paul says.

Resiting their calf-rearing operation to a pole shed behind the cowshed with milk piped under the tanker track has been life-changing and meant a huge time saving for the operation.

“We saved a couple of hours each day not having to cart buckets of milk to outlying haysheds and in springtime that time is really valuable.”

He also built a small sleepout for the children to play in and to act as a farm office next to the calf shed and shifted an old shipping container close by. Lisa kitted out the container with all of the fencing and water tools so they are always on hand, easy to replace back where they belong and always easy to find – another lean management principle, saving time by being methodical and organising your equipment so you never need to search for it.

The infrastructure upgrades meant the Charmleys were able to save on staff in the low payout years and afford to take on another worker this season.

Investing in a CDAX tow-behind last season has saved more time – with the unit connecting to the home computer

by Bluetooth, the feed wedge can be

One of the first riparian trees planted on the Charmleys’ farm. Now they grow their own.

Lisa’s tipsplant emporium:  Just get started  Go to your local regional council

for advice on what plants thrive in

your region  Be proactive, ask for advice and

free seeds, cuttings  Trial and error – some grow, some don’t  Get your local community involved  Involve your children – they are

great helpers 

updated as readings are taken, and all done in a morning. While other bank managers and accountants might have shuddered at the outlay on improving infrastructure, Lisa and Paul managed to keep theirs onside by creating and presenting up-to-date budgets and cost benefit analysis using their good friend and ally, CRS Cash Manager Rural.

“We didn’t do a detailed cost benefit analysis for each investment but with mental arithmetic we were able to get a pretty good idea of what each upgrade would do to our bottom line,” Lisa says.

Through the journey they didn’t waver from their low-input System 2 approach, saying they want to farm the low-impact way, like farming 20 years ago but refined with modern technology to make it more time-efficient and more fun.

The Charmleys weaned themselves off urea after an approach to Doug Edmeades company AgKnowledge gave them the confidence that they could do it.

“It’s a bit like coming off the sugar – but the clover has thickened up really well and has helped us hold on to the production through our dry summers,” Paul says.

Plant by the moon phases – it works.

Palm kernel doesn’t feature on t he farm – “it’s always been too expensive for us” according to Paul and they also prefer to use their grass silage from the runoff and milking platform as supplement.

“It’s the old-fashioned way – saving the surplus to fill in the gaps.”

A result of higher clover content and bloat worries was a new grazing system Paul developed after break-feeding a few part-paddocks around the cow shed one day. He noticed how much better the cows utilised the pasture and it showed in the vat, so he did some research and introduced his “bit-by-bit” grazing system.

Basically the cows are break-fed chunks of the paddock throughout the day rather than getting the whole paddock.

“It works really well – the cows always have fresh feed to go on to, we do very little topping and we have had an increase of 10% milksolids in the vat,” Paul says. “And there have been no cows lost to bloat.”

• This article was first published in NZ Dairy Exporter, February 2017.

Gadget man

Following the Ballance Farm awards and Dairy Environment Leaders Forum Lisa and Paul Charmley are stepping up the environmental work on their Dannevirke dairy farm.

Country-Wide December 2017

Paul has had great success spotting cycling cows with his DJI Phantom 3 drone, adding to a 78% six-week in-calf rate and 11% empty rate last mating.

Mating for nine weeks of AI, Paul says he was getting a little tired by the last three weeks and silent heat cows are harder to spot at that end of the season.

Sending his drone up for a 20-minute spotting run it’s easy from 100 metres to spot the dots of cows that are restless and tracking around the paddock after each other.

Swooping closer he can capture their markings and number them – and spraying their numbers on their backs works well for any hard-to-identify cows.

Paul enjoys figuring out and flying the drone and is excited by its prospects for future use, saying he has used it to deliver ice creams to the worker’s house and is looking forward to being able to spot-spray weeds and measure pasture mass with updated versions of drones.

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ENVIRONMENT

Denis Hocking As people get to grips with the reality of a new Government and a new, and largely inexperienced, ministerial line-up, I can’t make any claims about either understanding or being a credible commentator on politics, but at this stage I have rather mixed feelings about the changes for forestry in general and farm forestry in particular.

On the one hand I am encouraged that forestry has surfaced as an issue with probably more visibility than it has had for a couple of decades. On the other hand I am not sure that a simplistic, populist approach will really serve the industry particularly well.

I certainly haven’t seen any good economic, technical or environmental analysis to justify some of the plans being discussed, though this doesn’t necessarily mean they are wrong. But a lot of detail will be needed to fill out simplistic, broad-brush policies and much of the industry is waiting for the detail before saying too much.

I am not confident Shane Jones will delve below the superficial to provide well-reasoned, long-term policies for an industry where long-term consistency is so important. I think he has the ability, I hope he has the instinct. On the plus side it has lifted the forestry portfolio up from its ‘trainer wheels for future ministers’ role under National.

The export of unprocessed logs is a

POLITICS OF FORESTRY: The devil in the detail good example of populist politics in action.

It’s an easy target and indeed it may be causing supply problems for some processing industries, especially in Northland. But it also needs to be recognised that the majority of export logs are second and third rate, young timber.

Youth here is defined by the number of growth rings, and the percentage of the log contained in the first 10-12 growth

rings of low-density, unstable juvenile core.

This wood is fine for concrete boxing, packaging, etc., which is where most of the export logs are heading, but you wouldn’t want it in structural, or other long-term, higher-value roles.

Certainly my harvesting manager sends the pruned and better-quality structural logs to local processors, the top logs to the wharf.

Being told by a politician where to

Online guides to doing things right Keri Johnston Technology – there are those who embrace it with open arms and those who don’t, but love it or hate it, there are some very good pieces of technology that could be extremely useful for farmers wanting help with environmental compliance, or even just some advice and support.

With the increased need to be accountable and “doing things right”, these are some of the technology tools and resources I have come across in my day job that I thought were worth a mention.

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RIPARIAN PLANNER This is an online tool developed by DairyNZ. It is a step-by-step process to design, budget and prioritise water management onfarm. It is extremely user-friendly and a good starting point if you are considering riparian planting on your farm. This is a useful tool for all types of farms. riparian-planner.dairynz.co.nz/plans CHECK-IT BUCKET TEST APP This is available for both Apple and Android devices via the App Store or Google Play Store. The app walks

you through an annual performance assessment of your irrigation system, provides the results instantly to your device and emails a final report to you.

This is a great way to check whether your irrigation system is performing as you expect. Is water being applied evenly? Are you putting on what your control box says you are putting on?

You do need to own a few buckets to carry out the test, but the insight into your irrigation system’s performance is well worth the trip to town to invest in the buckets. Some irrigation schemes do have buckets that you can borrow for this purpose, so ask around too.

Country-Wide December 2017

Certainly my harvesting manager sends the pruned and betterquality structural logs to local processors, the top logs to the wharf. Being told by a politician where to send your logs must be a retrograde step and certainly won’t encourage more new planting.

SOIL MOISTURE MONITORING Soil moisture monitoring equipment is by no means new technology, but the amount of it now on the market has increased substantially and understanding what is the right tool for you can be difficult to work out.

You must choose the right equipment for your soil, land use activities and irrigation system type, and then locate, install and, if necessary, calibrate it correctly.

Accessing, managing and understanding the data is also important.

If soil moisture monitoring is to be successful, each of these aspects has to be carefully worked through. Irrigation New Zealand has developed a resource book for this very topic and it can be found at:

irrigationnz.co.nz/wp-content/uploads/ Book11-SoilMM.pdf

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send your logs must be a retrograde step and certainly won’t encourage more new planting.

There are other situations where the log export market may well be important.

Recent plantings of cypresses (macrocarpa etc.) have been so limited that there has to be some doubt as to whether there will be any processing industry left, beyond mobile mills, in a decade or two. Will anyone bother to plant it if there isn’t the fall-back of log exports?

Splitting the Ministry for Primary Industries back into separate agriculture and forestry ministries I can support, though can’t comment on fisheries.

Twenty years ago I thought Lockwood Smith’s amalgamation of agriculture and forestry made sense because it should have resulted in more holistic, rational and informed land use policies.

It didn’t – agriculture consumed and subsumed forestry rather than amalgamated with it.

I certainly share the belief that we need more forest planting, both for commercial reasons on much marginal land and also to meet our climate change commitments. However I doubt the billion trees in 10 years is realistic. First they need to be clear whether this does or does not include our annual replant of about 50,000 trees, I have seen claims both ways.

We did manage 100,000 hectares of new plantings in 1995, but to get back there would take some years’ rebuilding the infrastructure of seed supply, nursery

capacity, planting gangs, land prep, etc..

And this only gets harder if we are to include alternatives to radiata pine in the mix.

I guess as a farm forester I should support the prospect of more subsidies for forestry, but I remain disappointed that so many farmers with land that should be in trees, and would be much more profitable in trees, seem so reluctant to plant.

NZ farmers are supposedly committed to a subsidy free and sustainable future, but still demand subsidies for some things, especially afforestation and irrigation.

I have always found tax deductibility plenty good enough for successful forestry investments, now you can add rising carbon prices. However on tax, I’d like a rethink of the “cost of bush” taxation system to try and improve the liquidity of forestry assets.

We also need better sources of information and advocacy, something that probably won’t come from the private sector. After all, how many other, regular farm forestry columns are there?

Finally, as an indication of wider attitudes, I note that long time National minister Nick Smith has been appointed opposition spokesman on forestry. The political commentariat immediately described it as a major demotion, which suggests they also regard forestry as a minor irrelevance. On the positive, I think Smith is potentially a good forestry spokesman.

You do need to own a few buckets to carry out the test, but the insight into your irrigation system’s performance is well worth the trip to town to invest in the buckets.

ONLINE GIS SYSTEMS For those of us here in Canterbury, Canterbury Maps is an amazing resource.

Not only can you create farm maps, but it can be used to search for information about any property, consent information, bore information, and any other relevant information that you may need such as nutrient allocation zones, the location of wetlands or Runanga-sensitive areas. This can be found here:

canterburymaps.govt.nz Other councils have online GIS systems, but none are quite to the level of Canterbury Maps. But check out what your local council does have.

Understanding what is of interest and/or

significance on and around your farm is key these days.

FDE CALCULATOR APP Dairy NZ has developed an app to allow you to work out how to manage your Farm Dairy Effluent (FDE). You can easily calculate nutrient loadings and application rates, therefore enabling application of effluent with greater precision. It can be used for diluted dairy effluent as well as for slurry tankers and muck spreaders. This is also available for both Apple and Android devices via the App Store or Google Play Store.

I hope you find this information useful, and please let me know of any others that you think might be worth checking out.

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TECHNOLOGY | HEALTH

Media Release 22 July 2016

www.farmstrong.co.nz

Farmstrong Challenge crosses the finish line with over 630,000kms travelled

Farmstrong congratulates all those who took part in the first ever Farmstrong Challenge with 1,003 participants collectively travelling 633,216kms over 13 months.

The Challenge promoted the benefits physical activity can have on farmers’ overall health and wellbeing, with participants making a pledge onwww.menshealthnz.org.nz the Farmstrong website to run, walk, cycle or swim a distance and then committing to deliver on that pledge.

our audience

The Challenge was based on research which shows that when people publicly commit to The Men's Health Trust is targeted at all men living in New Zealand. something they’re more likely to carry it out.

“We’re rapt with how the Challenge has gone,” Farmstrong spokesperson Gerard our website Vaughan says. www.tinyurl.com/yabkag5v

We provide health information for men, connect men with support a

health scholarships, run workplace health talks, and create inspiring “Physical movement goes a long way to helping you to relax and unwind from the daywork collaboratively with other health organisations to provide the to-day challenges of farming. If you’re joining with others this also helps youWeconnect available. are an information hub for all men's health services in with friends and get off the farm, which many farmers have told us they struggle to do.

Monthly traffic: Monthly page views:

“Involvement in the Challenge and the events around it really showed the spirit ofnewsletter rural database: Email Facebook communities, as farmers connected with friends, workmates or family members and followers: encouraged them to get involved.

Active10 - bit.ly/2gy4XCw

“We congratulate everyone who participated in the Challenge - in particular those who dusted off gear for the first time in a while and rediscovered the benefits of becoming more active,” Mr Vaughan says.

How fit are you?

Each participant who registered for the Challenge and completed at least 1,500kms went into the draw to win a brand new, hand-built Farmstrong Mountain Bike. The bike is the only one of its kind in New Zealand and is heading to Sam Letham of Ashburton.

Public Health UK- goo.gl/DPp2Ui Farmstrong is exploring new ideas for future Challenges and is inviting farmers to share their ideas via its website www.farmstrong.co.nz.

T

he days of Colin Meads tramping the hills of the King Country have long gone for a majority of you farmers.

You only need to watch a couple of episodes of Country Calendar to see that the ute and quad bike have taken over from tramping all over the farm on foot.

As an ‘older’ person, deliberate attention to fitness has come very much part of my daily life. In fact, I believe I am fitter now than when I was farming.

I will lead you through some recent data on the fitness (or lack of) in the New Zealand farmer. I will point you to some of the simple tools that you can use to improve the situation.

According to Farmstrong (Live Well, Farm Well) – see panel for web address – when nearly 3000 farmers were surveyed, the results showed how this changing, mechanised approach to farming impacted on farmers’ fitness.

About one in three were carrying too much weight; a third had cholesterol levels that needed medical attention; more than half had high or moderately high blood pressure; many were at significant risk of heart disease and a third complained that pain interfered with their work.

The Men’s Health site is devoted to NZ men’s health. It notes “that we need to keep our hearts in top condition.

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A brisk walk most days (see later for a smartphone app to test how effective your For walking programme is)contact will give our more information please Wright heart,Colin lungs and legs a work out. media@farmstrong.co.nz “Keeping active also helps keep our bones strong, warding off osteoporosis, and our joints working. If you’re missing the routine of work, having a regular FOUNDING PARTNERS exercise routine can help. WeSTRATEGIC need PARTNER to work all our muscles and do a little load-bearing exercise to stay strong and protect our hips and shoulders, so activities like lawn mowing and gardening are great.

‘Get as much exercise as you feel comfortable with, but pay attention to aches and pains which might be warning you if you’re overdoing it.’

“Get as much exercise as you feel comfortable with, but pay attention to aches and pains which might be warning you if you’re overdoing it.”

On the front page of the Men’s Health site, by clicking the arrows you can get a screen to enter your age on a slider and get a summary of health awareness issues, checks recommended and steps to better

health for your age group. As an ‘older’ person I favour some of the exercise programmes that can be done at home and in your own time (getting up and going to bed).

One of these is that developed by Sport Canterbury using ‘resistance bands’.

These low-cost bands are available from CO-FUNDING PARTNERS PARTNERS are for most sport retailers.OFFICIAL The MEDIA exercises upper and lower body and ‘core’ strength improvement.

Evidence from the United Kingdom (Public Health England) shows the following health benefits could be achieved from 10 minutes of brisk walking per day for seven days – increased physical fitness; greater ease of performance of everyday physical activities; improved mood; improved quality of life; increased body leanness and healthier weight and a 15% reduction in risk of early death (I am not sure at what age this cuts in).

I noted earlier the use of a smartphone app to measure the health effectiveness of a simple walking programme. The one I use, and which is recommended by the above British article is Active 10.

You can download the app for Android or Apple, to help you increase your physical activity levels and improve your health. It has a good description of its programme.

A hard copy of this article, complete with the hyperlinks, can be had by contacting Alan Royal at foundusually@gmail.com.

Country-Wide December 2017

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TECHNOLOGY | MENTAL HEALTH

Under Pressure Kirstin Mills Hardly a week goes by without a story about mental health issues in the rural community.

According to the Rural Health Alliance Aotearoa New Zealand, over the last decade the annual rural suicide rate per 100,000 people in NZ is on average 20% to 50% higher than the urban suicide rate.

Ideally, if you are suffering from depression and anxiety you should ask for help, whether that’s from friends and family or the likes of health professionals or community agencies (see numbers at the bottom of this column). But if you are not yet ready to seek help or feel like some self-help might be all you need to get back on track there are myriad of apps that aim to help people relax and be less anxious. Potentially these could be a good launching point for you to seek help when you are ready or that help maintain good mental health after seeking support. Here is a selection of useful apps.

Breathing, relaxation, meditation, mindfulness Breathe2Relax This app by the National Center for Telehealth and Technology touts itself as a “portable stress management tool”. It is really quite simple – it guides you in a breathing exercise. You can turn off the new age music if you wish and just listen to the voice (or turn off the sound altogether and be guided visually). There is also a section where the app explains what happens to the body in fight or flight mode.

Smiling Mind Psychologists and educators developed this app to help bring balance to people’s lives. It has many meditation and mindfulness sessions with different lengths and goals. There are programmes for adults, but also for all ages and circumstances (eg sport, workplace).

Gratitude, feeling good Three Good Things A Happiness Journal This is a very simple app, based on the idea that gratitude helps your mental health. The app encourages people to be grateful by journaling three good things about their day every day. The app makers say people can rewire their brains to focus on the positive by writing down good things that happen. You could also use a notebook, but the app provides reminders and keeps track of your good things’ number.

All Right App The All Right App is from the Christchurch initiative led by the Canterbury District Health Board and the Mental Health Foundation of New Zealand. The idea is that you are reminded to do simple things that make a difference to your wellbeing. You can choose what sort of goal you want – it might be being more active or it could be connecting with others. As you complete these “missions” the app rewards you with positive feedback and beads that show how many missions you’ve completed.

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Anxiety Pacifica for Stress & Anxiety This app says its tools to deal with stress, anxiety, and depression are designed by psychologists and based on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, mindfulness meditation, relaxation and mood/ health tracking. The trackers let you notice patterns and there are also groups where you can get peer support from others using the app.

Below is a list of some of the services available in NZ that offer support, information and help.

• Free call or text 1737 for support from a trained counsellor • Lifeline – 0800 543 354 or (09) 5222 999 within Auckland • Suicide Crisis Helpline – 0508 828 865 (0508 TAUTOKO) • Healthline – 0800 611 116 • Samaritans – 0800 726 666 • Depression Helpline – 0800 111 757 or free text 4202 • Anxiety phone line – 0800 269 4389 (0800 ANXIETY)

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WORK HARD, PLAY HARDER

BARK OFF Key training p73

Opportunity

Seized

When opportunity came knocking, Gareth and Juliet Levers answered with a resounding yes! p70

Country-Wide December 2017

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ONFARM

Lifestyle opportunity L

A farm next door to his parents offered chance of change of lifestyle for Gareth and Juliet Levers. Anne Hughes reports.

Gareth and Juliet Levers had planned to invest their savings in their first home, but instead are leasing a farm.

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easing a farm may not be their best financial decision yet, but the lifestyle change is paying off for Gareth and Juliet Levers.

The couple, both 29-years-old, took on the lease in April last year, after struggling to get into the housing market at a time when prices were soaring.

When the farm at Miranda – almost next door to Gareth’s parents’ property – came on the market, it offered the opportunity for a lifestyle change.

Gareth’s family bought the farm. It is owned by their trust, from which Gareth and Juliet lease the farm.

Juliet was raised on her family’s sheep and beef farm west of Huntly and Gareth grew up on his parents’ beef and cropping farm.

The couple met at Lincoln University, where they both studied commerce and management. Gareth majored in finance and agri-business, Juliet in finance and operations management.

After graduating, Gareth spent four years overseas – working more than 4000 hours/year running harvest crews during the United States harvest season and working in the Canadian oil fields during winter.

He returned to New Zealand, working for an agricultural contractor near Te Awamutu.

Meanwhile, Juliet was working for her family’s engineering business in Tokoroa. They had saved about half the equity needed to get started on the lease block, taking out a small loan to stock the farm.

“We have now got rid of the loan because the way the cashflow from the farm worked out it was cheaper to do it on a revolving credit/overdraft set up,” Gareth says.

“If any sizable improvements are needed in the future it may be cheaper to go back to a loan set up.”

Juliet continues managing the engineering business – spending three days a week in Tokoroa (one hour and 40 minutes’ drive from home) and two days working from home or travelling to meet clients.

Country-Wide December 2017

They can live off Juliet’s income while the farm gets going, but insist the farm be a stand-alone business with no contributions from off-farm income.

Farming so close to Gareth’s parents allows them to share resources and also makes it easier for them to spend time off-farm now that their son is nearby to take care of it when needed.

Gareth and Juliet aspire to buy their lease farm one day. There is no specific plan in place yet, but that is the goal they are working towards. Managing or buying Gareth’s parents farm could also be an option in the future.

“Succession planning is vital if we are to maintain the farm and all family interests,” Gareth says.

Bulls seemed the best choice when deciding how to stock their lease farm.

LEFT: Gareth says bulls become used to them and being shifted, but it pays never to become complacent.

BELOW: Gareth and Juliet Levers are doing what they can to protect water quality.

Farm facts

• Gareth and Juliet Levers • Farming at Miranda, on the Firth of Thames, near the eastern end of Auckland/Waikato boundary • Leasing 210ha (170ha effective) • Mostly rolling country, with bush in gully bottoms • About 20ha in pine trees of varying ages • Equity built up through working long hours, including overseas • Farming a lifestyle change from working 4000 hours/year • Finishing Friesian bulls • Fencing streams • Five minutes’ drive to firth at southern end of the Hauraki Gulf • One hour’s drive to Auckland or the Coromandel beaches

Entering the bull market Bulls were the clear choice for Gareth and Juliet Levers when deciding how to stock their lease farm.

It was already well subdivided into paddocks of about 0.7ha, with a gravity-fed water system.

The mostly two-wire electric fencing wasn’t suitable for sheep and Gareth says they would have considered dairy grazing if they couldn’t raise enough capital to buy their own stock.

Bulls seemed more financially viable than steers or heifers and they currently run about 300 – mostly bought in at 400kg, taken through winter and sold before Christmas.

Bulls can do a lot of damage during winter. Gareth wants to start buying in bulls as weaners, to winter a range of ages rather than a single stock class.

This would also improve cashflow, but Country-Wide December 2017

stocking the farm from scratch has been more challenging and expensive than he expected.

Their first two winters have been tough.

This year was especially wet, with persistent rain damaging farm tracks, making it more challenging to put weight on bulls and get into that routine of buying weaners.

The young couple say there is a definite awareness of mental well-being amongst the rural community. Friends and neighbours showed concern for them experiencing tough winters at the start of their farming careers and made a point of asking if they were okay.

They made it through both winters without supplement feeding. Rain damage this winter would have prevented Gareth from being able to get supplement to the bulls anyway and finding somewhere to feed it out with minimal damage would have been challenging too.

Gareth says EID makes it so much easier to monitor bulls’ weight gain.

“Our tracks took a hammering in March really bad. I gravelled the tracks two days before we got 300mm of rain,” Gareth says.

“Since then it hasn’t dried up so I haven’t repaired the tracks.”

Instead of supplement feeding, Gareth divided the cells into half again and shifted the bulls daily, sometimes twice.

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The farm was well set up for bull finishing.

Learning the numbers

•

They always had the option of off-loading bulls to a buyer who was in a position to put more weight on them if needed, but it didn’t come to that.

The bulls still gained some weight, about half a kilogram/day. Gareth is targeting an average weight gain on 1kg/day over the entire time they are on the farm, to finish bulls at around a 650kg liveweight (LW).

Most paddocks are divided by a two-wire electric fence. Gareth then moves a polywire to divide the paddocks the way he wants.

He uses a remote to switch the electricity off every time he does a shift. It’s easier than having to go back to the mains every time a mob needs shifting and also means he’s less likely to forget to switch the power back on.

Gareth says it doesn’t pay to become complacent working with bulls and he wears a bull riding vest for protection in the cattle yards.

“I thought if I’m going to do this for 30 years the chances are I’ll get hit at least once.”

Any money the farm makes goes straight into improvements such as drainage, cultivation, fertiliser, tracks, water and fencing.

They have worked to reduce fixed costs, such as running the electric fencing off fewer power meters and only using the petrol pump for the water system as a back-up.

The farm is operating about half-way between their worst-case scenario budget and the more moderate version.

“The first year we said we would accept break-even and we did slightly better than that, but over the next couple of years it really has to start paying a return (as it is a

Bulls tucking in on a new break.

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business), but we want to do this sustainably,” Gareth says.

“The aim is really to have a highperforming beef unit with a zero (regenerative) effect on the environment.”

Gareth and Juliet have worked with Living Waters Partnership to fence and plant around the streams running through the farm and to control pests – mostly goats and possums – in the bush. The streams are an amazing natural resource – home to mussels, fish and eels – and the couple want to preserve that.

So far, they have fenced about 3km of stream edge and have another 5km to do.

“The main thing now is getting the water system right, so the bulls can’t drink out of the stream.”

The water system was already in place, so they didn’t have to start from scratch, just having to buy more troughs as new areas are fenced. This summer Gareth will be busy repairing the winter damage and replacing old fencing with two-wire electrics.

“Now everything’s getting fenced off from the streams, it changes the dynamic of the paddocks.

“It’s a good time to be planning and building new fences.”

Gareth’s plans to start some regrassing in April this year were put on hold after some good advice from his father, who didn’t think it would be wise being at the whim of weather and contractors one week before Gareth and Juliet’s wedding.

“Dad said it would probably backfire on me.”

When the timing is right, Gareth plans to try different methods, such as direct-drilling

Gareth and Juliet Levers’ university education has given them a good grounding in finance, particularly managing and prioritising spending in their farm business.

Gareth’s graduate diploma in sustainable business covers the Resource Management Act and environmental, cultural and social management aspects – issues becoming more relevant to farming.

Gareth and Juliet run the farm as a company, making it easier to keep it separate from off-farm income. It was easy to set up, mostly online, with stepby-step guides to show them how.

They manage the farm accounts themselves, using accounting software CashManager.

The couple have considered farm management software for more day-today operations, but can’t justify the cost for the scale of the farm.

Instead, Gareth uses the free app Google Maps for managing bull rotations, water lines, troughs, tracks and bush in different layers on the mapping system.

It is even helpful for deciding where to put a new fence. By drawing the fence line on the map, he can see the exact size and look of the new paddocks before going ahead.

and cultivation, to see which has the best cost benefit. New pasture will probably be a perennial ryegrass/clover mix. Gareth is also keen to see if lucerne will grow well in their summer-dry environment.

Maize could even be an option in the future for feeding to bulls.

They’re both happy with the decision to take on the lease. Juliet enjoys having her own career off-farm.

Depending on her schedule, she might spend one night a week in Tokoroa, but isn’t finding the travelling too taxing and helping out on the farm provides a nice change from her day job. If the farm doesn’t pay its way, they have options. Gareth could work fulltime off-farm and de-stock enough to be able to do both, but their financial discipline and patience has them on track for success so far.

“It’s not my best business decision yet, but the best lifestyle choice,” Gareth says.

“I was never hell-bent on being a farmer, but I definitely wanted a lifestyle at some stage.”

aahughes@gisborne.net.nz

Country-Wide December 2017

BARK OFF Words by Lloyd Smith

Key moments in training

Training is all about getting your dog to conform to your wishes.

I

n any contest or challenge some defining moments determine whether the outcome is successful or not. We often hear this terminology applied to sporting contests, rugby tests, yacht racing, car racing and the likes where the commentator stresses the importance of winning those key moments to gain an advantage and any advantage gained in a close contest can be crucial to the outcome.

When you apply this to training dogs some key moments are important and if negotiated successfully will provide an advantage that will assist with the rest of your training. While each and every step in training is important some require a more tactful approach where patience and perseverance are essential but when completed they give you much better control.

However, if not handled carefully and correctly these key steps can be where many trainers have a confrontation with their dog which they are unable to resolve. Consequently their programme fails or does not achieve the results it possibly could have. To be successful an amicable relationship needs to be maintained with your dog (and your wife/partner) which at times can be hard to achieve on both fronts. But in both instances any problems encountered need to be dealt with and resolved.

I believe the three key moments in dog training are: The first and possibly most important happens early in your programme where you push your pup down until it submits. This impresses upon your pup that you are in control and as such it needs to conform. If you fail to get your pup to understand and appreciate the need for this then you will struggle to train it as training is all about getting your dog to conform to your wishes.

The puppy stage (eight weeks to eight months) is where you prepare your pup to be trained, setting the platform and developing the right frame of mind where recognition and response to the tone of your voice are vital. It is also important to remember that at all stages of training progress made needs to be acknowledged and rewarded.

The Wayleggo Command – This is a non-negotiable command that is essential on any and every dog. However some dog owners fail to understand its importance and do not take the time required to teach it. You will never achieve an acceptable level

Country-Wide December 2017

THE PUPPY STAGE (EIGHT WEEKS TO EIGHT MONTHS) IS WHERE YOU PREPARE YOUR PUP TO BE TRAINED, SETTING THE PLATFORM AND DEVELOPING THE RIGHT FRAME OF MIND WHERE RECOGNITION AND RESPONSE TO THE TONE OF YOUR VOICE ARE VITAL. of control on your dog until you can get it to come to you on command. Good response to this then allows the owner to take the dog out and about confident in the knowledge that they can make it come back to them on instruction.

Another benefit is it provides the owner with an added degree of control because the dog now appreciates that you do have control. It is a psychological advantage that allows you to override anything else the dog wants to do.

The third defining step is where you teach your dog the “stop” command. This is a crucial step that provides you with the level of control required to enforce every other instruction remaining in your training programme including sides. This becomes possible because if you can stop a dog and pin it to a given spot you can then position yourself to create situations to your advantage once again overriding anything else the dog wants to do.

It becomes a mind-set with the dog whereby they understand and appreciate that you do have control and as such they need to conform. Consequently you have good reason to recognise and reward which the dog appreciates and works wonders for the trainer-dog relationship. Now you have control of your dog it becomes so much easier to control your stock. You will struggle to achieve a good level of control on your dog if you do not gain good compliance to the “Stop” command.

These three key steps will have the most influence as to the success of your training programme. Good recognition and response will allow you to negotiate and complete these steps successfully. It will also result in a beneficial flow-on effect giving you an important advantage which will assist with the outcome of all the associated steps.

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COMMUNITY |

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TRAINING

Crossing the line



Domestication of the human male has taken thousands of years, but apparently they are still not there yet. The Country-Wide team investigates.

Terry Brosnahan

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man’s work is never done and when it comes to hanging out the washing it seems to be poorly done.

Too often his best efforts fail the inevitable audit by wife or partner. Of course there are other duties us males with our single focus excel at like vacuum cleaning and dishes, but we fall down on tasks like cleaning the toilet (isn’t that what pushing the button does?) and washing clothes. However ask any female and the universal gripe will be with the way we hang the washing out. I tried to master the art, but failed. Like in the movie ‘The Karate kid’ I spent minutes in front of

the washing line taking clothes off and putting them back on under my wife’s glare, but I just didn’t get it. Peg it on, take if off. Drop it on the ground, pick it up, peg it on. It is not in my DNA. I can shear a sheep (was a long time ago), make a mean bacon and egg pie, and the children have all survived on my watch.

But with clothes lines I’m useless. So why are males crap?

I asked Country-Wide male subscribers around the country for possible reasons for our shortcomings. These are some of their responses: • No seat or steering wheel involved, not interested.

• Can’t be done with a front-end loader, unlike gardening which should always be done this way.

• Had too many sisters in my family so was never trained.

• Often you can see other jobs that are more important from the clothes line.

• No patience, it takes too long.

• The pegs are all different so you don’t how to make them stay in a nor-wester.

• Don’t like being told off for putting holes in the clothes by pegging in the wrong place.

• Like the challenge of trying to get as many things in the line with as few pegs as possible.

• Why learn when a robot will soon be doing it anyway?

• It’s Darwinism. It is only the ladies who can carry out such tasks correctly as it is a way to attract a mate.

One bloke said he was very particular

Advice to young farm workers Staff writers Being an inept guest is a terrible burden on a host and without a thorough understanding of houseguest etiquette you run the risk of having your stay cut short and inadvertently ruining your chances of ever being invited again.

To properly offend your host from the offset, turn up late, bring nothing, leave your shoes on after walking over the muddy yard, while announcing your uninvited dog is still in the car and needs a bed and blanket inside as it does not like being tied up outside.

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Declaring your dietary requirements as dinner is being served may not be the best time particularly if, in that same instance you are trying to post a photo of the meal on social media.

Then as your agitation grows upon discovering there is no mobile phone coverage, and with increasing erratic behaviour you finally calm down after demanding the hosts give you the password to their private locked Wi-Fi. Walking away, leaving your meal unfinished, plate on the table, wiping your nose on your sleeve as you

Take your boots off at the door.

retire to the guest room sometime around 7pm, to spend the next five hours on your hosts’ Wi-Fi, will be starting to get you close to having your stay made considerably shorter.

Country-Wide December 2017

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 on how he hung out the washing, almost down to whom the clothes belong to as it helps when sorting at the folding-up end and putting away. He is also criticised on how he stacks the dishwasher and the grocery trolley. Maybe a touch of OCD? Others believed the reason younger males are so useless is that they have not watched or helped their parents around the house. Kids skills develop from learned behaviour.

Is a manual the answer?

Contributions from female subscribers were also quick to come in: One woman appeared to have said it is “a woman’s job”, but it turned out to be sent by her husband using her email.

The long-suffering wife said there could be a full washing basket blocking every exit in the house and her man would

Redemption can be made during ablutions and toileting, provided you have remembered to bring your own toiletries and before unlocking the door, have taken the time to conduct a brief forensic examination of the room, ensuring sweet-smelling cleanliness before leaving. However, all will be lost when you throw your wet towels on the bed, floor or antique wooden chair in the corner of the guest bedroom.

The next day, as you have kindly offered to help out on the farm, the previous day/night will nearly have been forgotten, until your hosts notice you haven’t bothered opening the curtains, let alone a window and there is a deposit from your dog on the front lawn. Then they watch as you relax on the sofa, wearing the pants which got

Country-Wide December 2017

climb out a window or up the chimney to make sure he doesn’t “notice it”.

She said the real reason for male inadequacy (around clothes lines) is the same reason they can’t make beds properly and see the pile of empty toilet rolls lined up in the bathroom. They believe by doing a crap job there will be no expectation on them to do these tasks.

“As the saying goes if you want a job done properly (and we do), then do it yourself.”

For blokes

covered in mud when you slipped over in a puddle, after you got all excited by finding a mobile phone coverage area. Then five minutes before dinner is served you decide to have your second 25-minute shower of the day.

Just in case you haven’t done enough to ensure there will be no return visit, leave the bed in the same state it was when you rolled out of it and head off with a wave saying “Catch you round”.

To become a master of houseguest etiquette: • Let your hosts know if you will be late • Do not bring unannounced guests or pets • Bring something – a two-litre bottle of milk never goes amiss • Pick up on house rules by being in tune with your hosts or ask how

willing to give hanging out washing a go she offered simple mantra “hang the tops by their bottoms and the bottoms by their tops”.

Other women gave guidelines: • Peg towels from the shorter edge with two pegs. Do not fold over the line in half. On a Hills rotary line put sheets in the M or U shape, hung by the edge pegged between two lines.

• Peg delicate tops under the armpits with the upper third of top folded over the line – so should there ever be a peg mark it can be hidden when arms are at sides.

• Knickers from the waistband – two pegs • Bra from the back strap – one peg • Heavier washing on the outside with smaller stuff to the middle.

Don’t hang long washing on the inner-most line of the rotary – it will wrap around the central post which may be oily or just ruin it.

There has been a suggestion that Rural Women NZ should apply for funding through the Primary Growth Partnership to develop a domestic duties manual men can refer to.

However, there is doubt over whether or not males would read the manual. Of course there is an obvious solution.

Buy a clothes drier.

something is done if you are not sure • Discuss dietary requirements before you arrive, perhaps you may have to bring your own food • Offer to help and don’t even ask before you clean up after yourself • Open curtains and air room each day • Discover the art of conversation and forget social media • Think tank water – short showers, do not leave a tap running • On your last day, triple-check the bedroom and bathroom for your belongings, strip the sheets, fold and leave at the end of the bed • Thank your hosts.

If there is one thing to take away from these tips, it should be this: Be of as little interruption to your hosts’ life as possible.

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COMMUNITY

Curing washday blues Lynda Gray Pegging washed clothes on to a line is a simple, straightforward household chore, right?

Wrong, especially if you’re afflicted by CRAP (clothesline routine and peg) disorder, a little talked about but widespread condition in millennial males.

Casual observation will not immediately reveal those affected; typically these young males can and sometimes do, without repeated nagging, get washed clothes out of a machine into a washing basket and out to a clothesline.

Most would regard the final step of pegging the clothes an easy done-deal but for the CRAP-afflicted the brain and associated thought processes goes AWOL at this point, resulting in some outlandish clothesline antics. Take, for example, the extreme one-armed-wallpaper manoeuvre where the said male places their right hand deep into the pocket of their jeans before attempting to peg out a washed item using only their left hand.

At best the end result is an indistinguishable blob of clothing straddling the line with the anchor of a single peg; more usual however is a line weighed down by randomly hurled and unpegged clothes which end up on the ground, wrapped around the fence or both when an afternoon breeze takes hold.

Reasoning with the CRAP-afflicted is a wasted effort. Explaining that well-hung clothing is not about how it looks but more about how it dries and that pegging to reduce the fabric layers to expose a greater surface area so that sun rays and air flow can penetrate and dry the garment in a timely and efficient way invariably falls on deaf ears.

There is no known cure for CRAP disorder which appears to be brought on by a rush of oxygen to the male’s brain at precisely the wrong time leading to an apparent loss of normal dexterity and problemsolving skills. It’s a distressing condition, especially for family members forced to look on and eventually retrieve musty dank clothing items from the far corner of the lawn or out behind the dog kennels.

However, repetition of clothesline activity and the following of a 101 Peg It Pointer and Code of Conduct should help alleviate the CRAP disorder and wash-day blues.

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SORT IT No need to get too carried away but sort dirty clothes into like-withlike heaps. Jeans and work gear in one pile; light-coloured shirts and tops in a second pile and darkercoloured shirts and tops in another.

Keep woollens separate and follow the recommended washing instructions.

GET IT ON Place all the similar stuff in the machine and don’t exceed the maximum load weight. Add powder or laundry liquid following the recommended dosage.

A lot of laundry detergents are highly concentrated meaning only a capful, rather than a cupful is required.

DON’T WALK AWAY The Wet and Forget man says to ‘Wok Away’ but that’s exactly what not to do with a load of washed clothing that if left for one, two, three days will be musty and fusty. Deal to it within a day and get it on the clothes line.

BE WELL HUNG Jeans and pants: match the inner leg seams together and peg the hems of the legs to the line with the waist hanging down.

Shirts and tops: peg by the bottom hem at the side seams.

Socks: put together in pairs and catch one corner of the pair with a peg so the socks dangle open for quicker drying Sheets and blankets: Fold in half and clip the corners of the open ends to the clothesline. Use one or two extra clothespins in the middle if it’s sagging or is windy.

Country-Wide December 2017

Covered pots used in Agriseeds’ trial of different ryegrass/ endophyte combinations for their tolerance to predation by black beetle, Argentine stem weevil, root aphid and pasture mealy bug.

Pasture put to the test

JH0085140©

Research trials starting in Canterbury next month aim to create the perfect conditions for something no farmer wants to see in their livestock – ryegrass staggers.

Under careful supervision, separate mobs of lambs will be grazed for eight weeks at the height of summer on pure swards of perennial ryegrass deliberately allowed to become overgrown and stalky. available to farmers in Tolosa ryegrass in 2001; NEA, As the trial progresses, the lambs will graze the which is the endophyte in Shogun or NEA4, which swards right down, increasing their exposure to is our new endophyte.” potentially toxic plant material at the base of the Nor has the company ever had a reported case of pasture. ryegrass staggers on any NEA endophyte grazed by Those which succumb to staggers will be removed dairy cows, cattle or sheep. as required.

Collecting animal safety data is not cheap.

Those which don’t will further improve 20 years Over the years Agriseeds has invested hundreds of of animal safety and performance testing for New thousands of dollars in this part of its endophyte Zealand’s longest-running, privately funded ryegrass programme, Eady says. endophyte programme.

To be included in the animal safety rankings “We would never encourage anyone to manage collectively administered by the pan-industry their animals or their pastures in basically what is Endophyte Technical Committee, each endophyte the worst possible way,” Agriseeds science manager must be in three years of animal safety trials.

Colin Eady says.

It’s a similar story for insect testing, which is also “But we have to know our NEA endophytes are undertaken by the company each year. safe before they are released to the market, so since This involves both pot and plot trials. The 1988, we’ve been testing ryegrass/novel endophyte bioassay pot trials are conducted in a highly combinations in this manner.” controlled environment, and assess different Agriseeds markets the widest range of endophytes ryegrass/endophyte combinations for their tolerance in NZ, including both its own NEA family (NEA2, to predation by black beetle, Argentine stem weevil, NEA and the new NEA4) and AgResearch-licensed root aphid and pasture mealy bug.

AR endophytes (AR1 and AR37).

This method guarantees the quality of both plant Colin Eady says animal trials are a critical part of and insect populations, as insects are placed in each the company’s endophyte research. pot by hand, Eady says.

Each trial contains three replicates of one ›› p78 treatment known to cause severe staggers (standard endophyte) and one that is known to have no effect on animal health (AR1 or nil endophyte). These are compared to several new lines with an NEA endophyte(s).

Superaxe and Aussie Chopper WS3150 Aussie Sheep are used because they are more Chopper shown Hydraulic Log Splitters here. susceptible to ryegrass staggers than cattle and higher numbers can be run on the Australian made direct to you same area, providing more robust statistical in New Zealand data.

Setting new standards in safety, Every year, lambs grazing ryegrass with design and performance standard endophyte exhibit signs of staggers to a greater or lesser degree. Every Built tough by two to three years, this is severe enough for Whitlands Engineering the lambs to removed for welfare reasons.

Call for your free brochure and DVD pack By contrast, “since 1988, we have never seen severe staggers in lambs grazing www.superaxe.co.nz 0800 702 701 ryegrass with NEA2, which first became

Country-Wide December 2017

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SOLUTIONS | ATV

Wide track makes agile Kodiak pleasure to ride Bryan Gibson Yamaha’s new Kodiak 450 has been launched with farmers firmly in mind and a range of new features that makes riding more comfortable.

The Kodiak replaces the Grizzly 450 model and is what Yamaha calls a multi-purpose workhorse -- small enough to have mustering agility but big enough to tow 600kg.

One major change from the Grizzly is the frame, which has been redesigned to give it a wider track and wheelbase for improved rider comfort and safety.

But it’s a group of minor changes that together make the Kodiak a pleasure to ride.

The seat shape has been altered to make it easier to move on but also more comfortable on a long ride.

The throttle has been tweaked to go a bit easier on the thumb -- it’s possible to shift the thumb position from time to time and still have good control.

The foot wells have grown as well, adding to the comfort.

The gear select lever has also been moved forward, making changes a breeze.

With “active riding” essential to safe operation, these small improvements

Yamaha’s new Kodiak 450.

certainly all add up to a smoother experience.

The Kodiak managed uneven surfaces with ease and felt very stable on inclines.

The engine braking is exceptional and made descending steep slopes easy and safe.

The Kodiak also has the mechanically minded covered with a full-length protective skid-plate along the bottom of the vehicle that has handy access points to the main service regions.

As well as the 600kg towing capacity, the Kodiak can take another 40kg on the front and 80kg on the back.

The Kodiak also fits a range of accessories, from a windscreen and front and rear storage to a gun carrier.

In launching the Kodiak Yamaha have also introduced a new ATV helmet, the Shark, which has been developed by Ficeda.

While it’s the law to wear a helmet here in New Zealand, in Australia it’s not.

It is hoped the Shark will address some of the gripes many farmers have with helmets.

The Shark looks like a road bike helmet and is in fact roadworthy itself, ideal for farmers who need to use public roads to move between blocks.

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But it is light and is vented to allow air flow in the summer. It is also very easy to get on and off with just one hand needed to unclasp the buckle.

Like the Kodiak, the Shark can be upgraded with some trimmings including a sun pack, a fly pack, a noise pack and a dust pack to give protection in any conditions.

Yamaha is going big on the safety message too. Dealers here and in Australia will be promoting ability and safety training at point of sale.

We have to know our NEA endophytes are safe, Agriseeds science manager Colin Eady says.

‹‹ p77 Plot trials better reflect real-world farm pasture conditions, but can take longer, because researchers effectively have to wait for the insects to show up.

“It comes down to that question of persistence. In many of our trials we’ve sought out farms with known pasture persistence problems, and placed our material there.”

Again, every ryegrass/endophyte combination Agriseeds considers for commercial release is put through this protocol. Tests have been running since 1991, and will continue as long as the company pursues endophyte discovery, Eady says.

More? visit www.agriseeds.co.nz

Country-Wide December 2017

ESTATE | HAWKE’S BAY

Knee-deep in feed at Matapuna Station

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hrough summer, Matapuna Station in Hawke’s Bay can be knee-deep in quality feed due to the welcome rain that reaches it from the nearby Ruahine Ranges. Its climate combined with contour has enabled it to run an intensive dairy grazing and beef finishing on the three separate blocks that make up the 815-hectare property.

Now for sale by tender, the station with three blocks of 303ha, 291ha and 217ha sits at the end of the no-exit Mangleton Road at Kereru, where it is bounded by the Ruahine Forest Park to the west and the Ohara Stream to the east.

Hadley Brown from Colliers International says the majority of the station is flat-to-easy rolling contour, with about 160ha of “pretty easy” hill country.

On this mix, dairy cattle are grazed on contract for various farmers, along with a lamb trading and finishing programme, plus a mob of breeding ewes that clean up the pasture behind the cattle.

“The contour allows them to cut a large quantity of balage, depending on the season. Over the last few years they’ve done a high proportion of cropping as part of an extensive regrassing programme, focusing on quality pasture growth and supported by good fertiliser inputs.

“The summer rain is the key to it all – when the majority of Hawke’s Bay

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is feeling the effects of a dry summer, this property is enjoying a strong growing season.”

The no-exit road acts as a laneway and connects to a substantial lane system around the station to facilitate stock management and movements.

Extensive subdivision has resulted in 200 main paddocks and a number of smaller holding paddocks, with quality water reticulated to troughs in most of them. About 10 storage tanks around the property are fed from a series of elevated springs, while some dams and spring-fed streams add to the water supply.

A high standard of infrastructure has been developed to handle the dairy grazing enterprise and three separate blocks all have their own facilities from woolsheds, yards, hay sheds and implement sheds, to houses.

The main house is a fivebedroom, three bathroom executive homestead that covers 338 square metres and has multiple French doors opening to extensive outdoor

entertainment areas. Two of the bedrooms and one bathroom are incorporated in a guest wing. Another block has a renovated 1960s threebedroom home and the third has a weatherboard home with five bedrooms. About 700ha of the station is effective grazing, with another 33ha covered by a QE2 Trust covenant and about 13ha in forestry. In the middle of the property sit two gravel pits that provide an on-site supply for tracks and maintenance.

A real feature of the station, Brown says, is location which offers a multitude of recreational pursuits on its doorstep. At the rear of the station is a modest hunter’s hut with solar power that provides a base to access both hunting and fishing.

Tenders for Matapuna Station close on December 7. It can be viewed at www.colliers.co.nz/143824.

More? Contact Hadley Brown on 027 442 3539 or Mike Heard on 027 641 9007.

‘The summer rain is the key to it all – when the majority of Hawke’s Bay is feeling the effects of a dry summer, this property is enjoying a strong growing season.’

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ESTATE | SOUTHLAND

All set up in Gore for fi FInishing and cropping The flat-to-easy rolling terraces on a 259-hectare property for sale near Gore in Southland have proven to be highly productive for finishing stock and cropping.

Enfield is a well-planned farm in a favoured location run in conjunction with a 98ha bareland block 2km along the road and although the two properties are being offered for sale separately, they can be purchased together.

A lane through the middle of Enfield enables easy stock movement for the cattle finishing operation which buys in an assortment of cattle to finish. The combined properties generally winter 1000 cattle and up to 1500 in summer and autumn.

This year Enfield has had 38ha of winter feed including 8.9ha of fodder beet and 30ha of swedes, with 30ha

put into new grass, while the 98ha block had 12ha of swedes planted in new grass. The farm usually produces between 500 and 800 bales of balage each year.

Extensive farm infrastructure on Enfield includes a four-bay hay barn, nine-bay lean-to shed including workshop and chemical storage, ex-grain shed with a concrete floor, four-bay barn including fertiliser bay, 15-aside herringbone dairy and yard used for calf-rearing, three-stand raisedboard woolshed and a three-bay garage with enclosed workshop.

Capping it off is a substantial, stylish homestead that spreads over two stories. Downstairs alone is 450 square metres and features the kitchen, lounge, four bedrooms, independent guest room with ensuite and even a toy room and mud room.

Upstairs is another lounge, games room with kitchenette and the master bedroom. Other features include a surround sound system, a store room and a built-in gun safe. Diesel radiators, a multi-fuel burner, open fire and under-floor heating ensure the house is warm throughout winter.

It sits on an elevated site overlooking the attractive farm which has been planted with native and exotic trees, together with three established duck ponds. Two other homes add further accommodation options.

Enfield and the 98ha block have deadline sales closing December 8. To view Enfield, visit www.southernwide. co.nz ref SWG1765 and for the 98ha block use SWG1784.

More? Contact Mark Wilson on 03 208 9283 or 027 917 078.

OPPORTUNITIES APLENTY Multiple agricultural opportunities are possible on 527-hectare Aorangi Downs in South Canterbury where nearly half of it is used for arable cropping in an operation incorporating dairy grazers, beef and sheep.

Offers of more than $15,000/ha are invited on the property, which Noel May from Bayleys says is reasonably priced for a farm capable of such diversity. On 200ha, the farm has been producing barley, wheat, oats and triticale, with three 250-tonne silos catering for the grain. It also trades bulls, steers, heifers, and has run up to 500 R1 dairy heifers and 500 R2 heifers, as well as grazing up to 3000 of the neighbours’ sheep after the crops have been harvested. Aorangi Downs is near Albury, a small village in South Canterbury, with the farm enjoying expansive views across the Fairlie basin to the high country of Fox’s Peak.

“It’s a good property in a good area and diversity is one of its strengths,” May says.

“About 200ha is used for arable

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cropping and the balance is arable hill country that is very well fenced.

“Infrastructure is really awesome with cattle yards that have a TePari cattle handler and scales, three 250t silos, a good four-stand woolshed with covered yards and a large 30m by 12m implement shed with two lockable bays.

“The other thing that is unique is a rotten rock quarry in the middle of the property which is consented for commercial use, so contractors come in and use that.”

The consent allows for up to 24 unit loads of rock to be removed six days a week and various contractors in the district use it. A 300 square metre brick homestead with four bedrooms, two bathrooms, two living areas, office and a large mud room enjoys views across the farm and basin toward Fox’s Peak.

To view Aorangi Downs visit www.bayleys.co.nz/554321.

More? Contact Noel May on 021 457 643 or Kurt Snook on 027 256 0449.

Country-Wide December 2017

ESTATE | SNAPSHOT

Vines, dairy put pressure on Top of the South Anne Hughes Northern South Island offers competitive entry level dairy farm prices and the viticulture lifestyle, but dry stock land of scale and forestry blocks are increasingly hard to find.

PGG Wrightson real estate agent for the Tasman region Joe Blakiston says there is high demand for forestry blocks of all sizes.

Blakiston says the recent Government policy announcements around new plantings will only serve to build on demand.

He says forestry is a popular choice for pension funds and attracts strong interest from overseas investors, which may now be under more scrutiny.

Dairy farm sales have been fairly active, with new listings in Havelock and the Rai Valley.

The milk price outlook is more positive and Tasman is attractive to entry-level buyers, who can often buy a dairy farm for $30,000/ha less than the more intensive dairy areas like Canterbury and Southland.

Dairy farms in many parts of the country suffered from a very wet winter and early spring and the northern South Island was no exception.

Real Estate Institute of New Zealand rural spokesman Brian Peacocke says record rainfall created soil moisture levels bordering on capacity through much of the country.

Peacocke says a strengthening milk payout, stable interest rates and a steady exchange rate have helped lift rural morale after the deluge.

Blakiston says while pastoral farms were looking good by mid-spring, dairy farms were generally not as far ahead as usual for that time of year, which could have some impact on the market.

Wet weather impacted viticulture too, but these sales don’t typically take off until summer.

With subdivision and viticulture

Country-Wide December 2017

development, sheep and beef properties have become harder to find.

PGG Wrightson is marketing an 1100-hectare hill block, where the lower land has been subdivided for other land uses.

The remaining hill block is bare land, with an asking price of $3 million, and has already attracted considerable interest.

It has been running Merino ewes, but could run Perendales or breeding cows.

The block, just 15km from Seddon, consists of easy to medium Marlborough hill country and could also be suitable for honey, deer or carbon farming – with detailed ecological reports available.

The block is extensively tracked and well-fenced, with more than 100ha of partially developed flats.

There are no buildings, but coastal and mountain views from several potential building sites.

Blakiston says that while there is strong demand for all land types, buyers require a lot more information as part of due diligence, especially around compliance issues.

In the past buying decisions have relied on input from buyers and close advisers.

“Now we are commonly seeing extended due diligence periods where buying decisions are scrutinised and analysed to ensure the correct longterm decision is made.”

Bayleys Marlborough rural real estate agent Andy Poswillo says while lifestyle is a big attraction to Marlborough, it is also an area where stock do well on good, low-cost farming systems.

He says properties with potential to carry more than 4000SU seldom come on the market, but when they are available, attract strong inquiry.

“Anything that’s flat has gone into grapes. We’ve seen a huge change in land use and even had dairy farms converted to grapes.”

Bayleys recently sold a 100ha block for almost $20,000/ha at Rai Valley, which was bought by a sheep and beef farmer as a beef run-off.

Poswillo says vineyards are also popular with farmers looking for a change in lifestyle or semi-retirement, and viticulture land prices have firmed with ongoing confidence in the industry.

Bayleys is marketing a 7.5ha Sauvignon Blanc vineyard near Blenheim.

The 2016/17 harvest produced more than $200,000 of income and Poswillo says this would be ideal for people new to the industry or buyers looking for a hands-off investment.

For sale by tender, the property has a five-bedroom architecturally designed home in a stunning setting, with inground swimming pool.

aahughes@gisborne.net.nz

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FARMING IN FOCUS A selection from the Marfells’ farm.

Photo’s by Mark Coote.

Vaughan doing some dog training.

It’s go time!

The gang enjoying a quick dip after a hard days work.

Docking time on Mahoe station.

Vaughan with his working dogs on the picturesque Mauriceville farm.

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Country-Wide December 2017

FARMING IN FOCUS

More photos from this month’s Country-Wide.

A ewe with her twin lambs in the hill country of Puketawa Station

ABOVE: Shearing, Canadianstyle.

LEFT: Daniel Iosefo feeds bulls.

LEFT: Juno heads off to round up sheep.

RIGHT: Justine King with her horses at Puketawa Station BELOW: The Levers enjoy stunning views across the Firth of Thames to Coromandel Peninsula.

Country-Wide December 2017

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BUSINESS MANAGEMENT

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R E S O U R Country-Wide C E M A N A G EDecember M E N T 2017