Dairy Exporter June 2021 by NZ Farmlife Media

June 2021

Learn, grow, excel

BUILDING STRONG WOMEN SPECIAL REPORT: The regenerative journey - where are we going?

COVERAGE FROM: • BOMA conference • Resilient pastures symposium • Once-A-Day milking conference

$12

JUNE 2021

$12 incl GST

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2021

DAY

PASTURE SUMMIT NZ - IRELAND FORUM 2021 Pasture Fed dairy

Wednesday 7 July (evening session) & Thursday 8 July (morning session)

7th-8th JULY 21 2

PASTURE FED DAIRY IN THE GLOBAL FOOD SUPPLY

7PM-9:30PM (NZ TIME) (Live link to Ireland for Irish morning session)

18:00 - 19:00

REGISTRATION & light finger buffet

19:00 - 19:05

WELCOME & OPENING ADDRESS Colin Armer – Pasture Summit NZ Chairman & NZ Dairy Farmer A/ THE FUTURE OF PASTURE FED DAIRY Topic chaired by Dr John Roche, Chief Science Adviser, MPI

19:05 - 19:25

A-1/ Is there a market for pasture fed dairy? John Jordan, Chief Executive at Ornua (Ireland’s largest exporter of dairy products)

19:25 - 19:40

A-2/ Global food company perspective Robert Erhard, Corporate Agriculture at Nestlé; President of the Executive Committee of Sustainable Agricultural Initiative (SAI) Platform

19:40 - 20:00

A-3/ Feeding a growing global population - the role for dairy? Jeremy Hill, Professor - Sustainable Nutrition, Riddet Institute, Massey University; Chief Science & Technology Officer, Fonterra Cooperative Group

20:00 - 20:20

A-4/ Pasture fed dairy and its role in nutrition and health Dr. Tom O’Callaghan, Food Science and Technology Lecturer, University College Cork, Ireland

20:20 - 20:40

QUESTION & ANSWER SESSION Chaired by Dr John Roche with John Jordan, Robert Erhard, Jeremy Hill & Dr Tom O’Callaghan

20:45 - 21:20

B/ Where is farming & research at when it comes to the environment and where does it need to go? Dr Pat Dillon, Head of Animal & Grassland Research and Innovation Programme at Teagasc Dr Bruce Thorrold, Strategy and Investment Leader at DairyNZ

& Water Quality Is pasture still the way forward?

SESSION ONE - WED 7 JULY

Chaired by Leonie Guiney, Dairy Farmer, Canterbury 21:25 - 21:30

BRIEF WRAP UP OF SESSION ONE Mike Magan, Pasture Summit Ireland Chairman, Irish Dairy Farmer and Chairman of Animal Health Ireland

CLAUDELANDS EVENT CENTRE IN HAMILTON ATTEND IN PERSON OR JOIN VIA VIRTUAL LINK

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2021

DAY

SESSION TWO - THURS 8 JULY DEEP DIVE INTO WATER

7AM-9:30AM (NZ TIME) (Live link to Ireland for Irish evening session)

06:00 - 07:00

tea/coffee & light breakfast refreshments

07:00 - 07:05

WELCOME & OPENING OF SESSION TWO Mike Magan, Pasture Summit Ireland Chairman, Irish Dairy Farmer and Chairman of Animal Health Ireland

07:05 - 07:40

C/ Cause & Effects - Farming practices and their relationships with water quality Eddie Burgess, Agricultural Catchments Programme at Teagasc David Burger, Strategy and Investment Leader: Responsible Dairying at DairyNZ

07:40 - 08:15

D/ Enhancing profit while protecting the environment. How? Dr Laurence Shalloo, Researcher dairy farm economics and sustainability at Teagasc Mark Neal, Farm Systems Specialist at DairyNZ Chaired by Paul Bird, Farm Business Specialist at DairyNZ

08:15 - 08:50

E/ View from inside the farm gate; Reducing the environmental footprint while building a stronger dairy business Gillian O’Sullivan, Dairy Farmer, Co Waterford, Ireland Glenn Jones & Sarah Brett, Sharemilkers, Canterbury, NZ Chaired by Dr Brendan Horan, Project Leader, Grassland Research & Innovation, Teagasc

08:55 - 09:20

F/ Where to now? Leading dairy farmers summarise their take-home messages from the event and discuss the next steps for the Irish and New Zealand dairy industry. Eddie O’Donnell, Dairy Farmer, Ireland Colin Glass, Chief Executive at Dairy Holdings Limited, NZ

09:25 - 09:30

FINAL WORDS AND CLOSING Michael Murphy, Dairy Farming Leader, Ireland

09:30 - 10:30

MORNING TEA

PASTURESUMMIT.CO.NZ GET IN QUICK AS EARLY BIRD PRICING ENDS ON 25 JUNE 2021 3

22 FARMING WITH A HIGHER PURPOSE

CONTENTS MILKING PLATFORM 10 Nic and Kirsty Verhoek recharge for the next season 11 George Moss wants to get farm sellers and buyers together 12 John Milne is a champion of change 13 Frances Coles reflects on life’s changes for Nana

UPFRONT 14 Spotlight on the Irish dairy sector 18 European dairy market rebounding as Chinese demand increases 26 CREAM CHEESE TEA IN CHINA

20 Steady as she goes for dairy market

BUSINESS 22 Farming with a higher purpose 26 Hunter McGregor checks out cream cheese tea in China 28 One shot at wintering right 30 Connecting on the rural business journey 32 NZ Merino embraces regenerative agriculture

SYSTEMS 34 Oaklands Farm has reaped the benefits of OAD 38 Want to change milking frequency? Plan for it 39 Eliminating the human error element 34 OAKLANDS FARM HAS REAPED THE BENEFITS OF OAD 4

40 Once-a-day milking stigma a “thing of the past”

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2021

THE REGENERATIVE JOURNEY

- where are we going?

Regenerative agriculture is sparking debate around the country with some people huge advocates and others railing against practices they’ve labelled pseudoscience. For many others it’s all a bit of a mystery. We’ve gone out and talked to a range of people involved in regenerative farming and talked to scientists and funders of research as well as hearing from marketers responding to calls from consumers. The New Zealand Dairy Exporter has always prided itself on fact checking and sharing information with you that’s backed by science. It’s fair to say the jury is out on some practices used in regenerative systems and we aren’t advocating for or against. Instead we hope this gives you more insight into a term you will be hearing more about. We’ve gathered up some links so you can read further and we hope we’ve sparked your curiosity. We’d love to hear what you think and we’re always open to hearing from you on topics you’d like our team to explore so we can all learn, grow and excel.

SPECIAL REPORT CONTENTS: 42 46 49 52 54 58

Aligned for the future To be regenerative: verb, not noun Engage but ground the practice in science On a regen journey Taking grazing to the next level The science-based organic advocate

MORE READING Landcare and Our Land and Water white paper bit.ly/3yRMggq NZIAHS magazine issue on regenerative agriculture: adobe.ly/3p8Wtkc DairyNZ Dairy Tomorrow: www.dairytomorrow.co.nz/ MPI and Primary Sector Council vision for agriculture: fitforabetterworld.org.nz/ Te Taiao Report bit.ly/3fErGZg Regenerative farming practices projects bit.ly/3uISZpu

SPECIAL REPORT: REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE 42 46 49 52 54 58

Regen ag a continuous journey for Align Farms To be regenerative: Verb, not noun Engage but ground the practice in science On a ‘regen journey’ Taking grazing to the next level The science-based organic advocate

ENVIRONMENT 62 The effluent efficiency experts 65 The good soil: Reducing nitrogen fertiliser 66 Making a game plan to improve the whenua

STOCK 70 Kitted out for calving 72 Off for a comfy liedown 74 Vet Voice: Don’t feed your cows metal

YOUNG COUNTRY 76 Jaimee and Chris Pemberton bonded over farming

RESEARCH WRAP 80 Improved plant breeding could help pastures cope with global warming

WELLBEING 82 84

Strong Woman founder Sarah Martelli helps rural women build strength and fitness Harriet Bremner urges everyone to talk about onfarm dangers

DAIRY 101 66 MAKING A GAME PLAN TO IMPROVE THE WHENUA

86 Are you ready for the minimum wage change?

SOLUTIONS 88 iFlow20 milking platform with automation 89 Generating value from dairy beef

OUR STORY 90 The Dairy Exporter in 1971

OUR COVER:

77 JAIMEE AND CHRIS PEMBERTON BONDED OVER FARMING Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2021

Our photographer Emma McCarthy and Dairy Exporter deputy editor Sheryl Haitana visited Strong Woman founder Sarah Martelli and her friend Karla Shaw, AKA Coach Karla, in Reporoa. Sarah and Karla are committed to helping rural women stay flourish onfarm. 5

DAIRY DIARY June 15-16 – The MINDA roadshow continues to Rolleston. The LIC-run MINDA training sessions include the MINDA LIVE and the MINDA app. Visit https://www.lic.co.nz/ products-and-services/minda/mindalivetraining/. Other dates/locations: June 21-23, Ashburton; June 24, Geraldine; June 29-30, Timaru; July 1-2, Oamaru; July 6-7, Balclutha; July 8, Gore; July 13-14, Invercargill; July 15, Lumsden. June 16 – Calving Smart workshops continue around the country. The DairyNZrun workshops cover calving, the cow and its calf. Dates/locations: June 16, Carterton; June 22, Matamata; June 22, Winton; June 23, Edgecumbe; June 23, Winton; June 24, Gordonton; June 24, Gore; June 29, Tokoroa; June 30, Reporoa; July 1, Otorohanga. For more details visit https://www.dairyevents. co.nz/. June 16-19 – Tickets for the Fieldays at Mystery Creek near Hamilton can be purchased online. Visit https://www.fieldays.co.nz/. June 21-24 – Holstein Friesian New Zealand conference is being held in Whangarei. Visit https://nzholstein.org.nz/event/holstein-friesiannew-zealand-conference-2021-northland/. June 22 – Dollars and Sense of Going Green are DairyNZ/BNZ field days that talk about farmers meeting national and environmental goals, reducing costs and becoming more profitable. Each day runs between 10.30am and 1pm. Dates/locations: June 22, Bay of Plenty; June 22, Wellsford; June 23, Poroti; June 24, Okaihau; June 30, Bulls; July 1, Carterton. For further details visit https://www.dairyevents. co.nz/.

June 22-23 – Evolve is the theme for the 2021 South Island Dairy Event that is being held at the Ashburton Event Centre. The annual event provides leading research, technologies and farming systems from industry leading farmers and business people. To view the programme and register visit https://www.side.org.nz/.

June 29 – A Calf Rearing Expo run by Dairy Women’s Network is being held at the Claudelands Events Centre near Hamilton. The expo is aimed at providing the knowledge, tools and resources for farmers to raise healthy calves. From calf housing and pen design through to achieving liveweight gains for heifers. The day runs from 9.30am to 2.30pm. For more information visit https://www.dwn. co.nz/events/calf-rearing-expo-waikato/.

June 22-23 – A five-day Rural Governance Development Programme run by Business Torque Systems and funded by DairyNZ is being held in Taupo. Another course is being held in Christchurch on June 29-30. More details at https://www.dairyevents.co.nz/ media/1955/2020-rgdp-info-pack_opt.pdf.

June 29-July 1 – The West Coast’s first DairyNZ-run Mark and Measure three-day course is being held in Greymouth. Visit: https://www.dairynz.co.nz/events/west-coast/ mark-and-measure-2021-west-coast/.

June 23 – Dairy Women’s Network is holding a Successful Calf Rearing workshop in Dargaville. Other dates/locations: June 25, Carterton; July 1, Mid/South Canterbury; July 2, North Canterbury; July 7, Southland; July 8, Gore. For more details visit https://www.dwn.co.nz/ events/.

July 6-7 – The 2021 Primary Industries Summit is being held in Christchurch. To view the programme and to register visit https:// primaryindustries.co.nz/.

June 24 – SMASH Conference 2021 is being held at Karapiro near Cambridge. This year’s conference addresses the global forecast going forward, pastures of the future and key reproductive measures. Chef de Mission of several international sports events, Dave Currie, will share how elite athletes set meaningful goals and tackle challenges to emerge as winners. Register by June 21. To view the programme and to register go https://www. smallerherds.co.nz/smash-events/smashconference-2021-back-around-the-tablewaikato-june-24th/.

July 7-8: Pasture Summit NZ-Ireland Forum 2021 “Pasture Fed Dairy & Water Quality – Is pasture still the way forward?” is being held by Pasture Summit NZ and Ireland. The NZ event at Claudelands in Hamilton will be live linked to the Irish venue. Attendees can join in person or via virtual link. For more information, visit: www. pasturesummit.co.nz July 8 – A NAIT basics workshop in Whangarei covers the responsibilities of traceability. Visit https://www.dwn.co.nz/events/nait-basicswhangarei/.

TALK TO THE EXPERTS FOR FARMING SUPPORT CAL/MAG To assist in balancing calcium and magnesium

HOMEOPATHIC FARM SERVICES einfo@farmservices.nz 6

TUBERCULINUM Immunity support for the winter season.

p 07 858 4233

HERBAL DIGESTIVE DRENCH Herbal Digestive Drench is a natural health tonic and nutritive, to support a healthy faecal egg count and to maintain a healthy animal. Suitable for calves, cows, lambs, sheep, goats, alpacas and horses.

w farmservices.nz Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2021

Editor’s note

WE ARE ALL

STRONGER TOGETHER

taying strong onfarm portrays an innovative programme run by Reporoa dairy farmer and cancer survivor Sarah Martelli, who helps other women find their balance and build strength and wellbeing to be the best they can be. Strong Woman is an online community for women to work on their fitness with a workout to do at home, find quick and easy healthy recipes, goal planners and to connect with other women on the same journey. Her philosophy is to help women create healthy, sustainable habits around moving and feeding their bodies and their families. If women can prioritise their own health and fitness, they can inspire their partners, their children and their community around them, Sarah says (p82). She is an inspirational woman creating a moment of lift for many women. In this issue we take a look at the regenerative agri journey some NZ farmers are already on, and that the government has signalled they want others to join in on, in our Special Report. The regen debate has divided the farming community in a big way - many scientists are affronted that NZ would need regenerative methods from overseas countries with highly degraded soils - would that then infer that our conventional methods were degenerative? They say the methods won't work, and that research has already shown that, and also our farmers are already following regenerative practices. Others say that the methods are not prescribed and each farmer can take out of it what they want. It has been called a social movement rather than a science and the claimed benefits of improved soil and stock health and building soil carbon through diverse species, use of biological fertilisers and laxer and less frequent grazing practices along with less nitrogen is something that resounds emotionally with many. We have taken a snapshot of thinking by scientists in MPI and DairyNZ (p46) and portrayed what farmers using the practices are finding, including ongoing coverage of the comparative trial work by Align Group in Canterbury

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2021

(p42). We also cover the Heald family of Norsewood (p52) who have transitioned to organics, OAD and regen philosophies and are enjoying the less intensive and more resilient system they have moved to, along with improved profitability. There is more research to be done in the NZ farm system context, says MPI’s chief scientist John Roche, to figure out what will and won’t work, but he encourages farmers to engage and learn more, and to embrace regenerative as a verb - saying all farmers could work to be more regenerative, more resilient, lowering carbon loss and building carbon storage. If you are interested in getting into farm ownership or getting out but retaining an interest, read about George Moss’ innovative idea for a speed-dating weekend for potential partners (p11). We think it could be a winner!

NZ Dairy Exporter @YoungDairyED @DairyExporterNZ @nzdairyexporter

Sneak peek JULY 2021 ISSUE

• Special Report: Farming/business investment portfolio – if you are starting out or bowing out. • Wildlife onfarm • Ahuwhenua winners • Sheep milking conference coverage

NEW ZEALAND

NZ Dairy Exporter is published by NZ Farm Life Media PO Box 218, Feilding 4740, Toll free 0800 224 782, www.nzfarmlife.co.nz

ONLINE New Zealand Dairy Exporter’s online presence is an added dimension to your magazine. Through digital media, we share a selection of stories and photographs from the magazine. Here we share a selection of just some of what you can enjoy. Read more at www.nzfarmlife.co.nz PODCASTS:

Thriving Southland - Ep 2 This episode Angus talks with Richard Kyte, project lead at Thriving Southland, a community group based in Invercargill working with the primary sector and rural communities. He Waka Eke Noa - Hilton Collier Hilton Collier, an experienced farm consultant working for several iwi and farming families mostly on the East Coast and Hawke’s Bay. Interview with Genevieve King, Middle Hill Station Angus checks in with Genevieve King from Middle Hill, north of Kaikoura. Middle Hill is a multi-generational family farm changing things as part of a succession plan. Find these episodes and more at: buzzsprout.com/956197

Staying strong onfarm Sheryl Haitana chats to Sarah Martelli about her Strong Woman programme. nzfarmlife.co.nz/staying-strongonfarm

Deputy Editor Sheryl Haitana M: 021 239 1633 sheryl.haitana@nzfarmlife.co.nz

WHAKAPUAWAI PROGRAMME

Sub-editor: Hamish Barwick, P: 06 280 3166 hamish.barwick@nzfarmlife.co.nz

The Dairy Exporter visited the Stewart family of Ashburton when they had a big job on - planting 8000 native trees, shrubs and grasses along 2 kilometres of waterways in just three days in partnership with their milk company Synlait’s Whakapuāwai programme. Three generations of the Stewart family on hand in late April were helped out by keen Synlait staff and ecological contractors Brailsfords – with their innovative planting methods.

Reporters Anne Hardie, P: 027 540 3635 verbatim@xtra.co.nz Anne Lee, P: 021 413 346 anne.lee@nzfarmlife.co.nz Editors note: We are feeling for the Stewart family, along with all the other farmers affected by the flooding in Canterbury earlier this month. The Stewarts farm is right beside the Ashburton River and it burst its banks. All the people and cows are safe but the farm was inundated. All the plantings are likely washed away, reports the family. Hopefully when they get their farm back together, the planting will be reinstated, with more excellent help from Synlait staff and contractors.

Check out the video on YouTube ‘Dairy Exporter’ channel.

MILK PAYOUT TRACKER:

Average $8.12/kg MS

2021/2022 Fonterra forecast price 10 9

9.20

$/kg MS

Factum Agri is dedicated to New Zealand’s primary industry, working with the Rural Support Trust. Each week Angus Kebbell talks with farmers, industry professionals and policy makers to hear their stories and expert opinions on matters relevant to both our rural and urban communities.

Editor Jackie Harrigan P: 06 280 3165, M: 027 359 7781 jackie.harrigan@nzfarmlife.co.nz

8.20 7.70

8.31 7.80

7.60

8.75 Mid 8.00

8.00

7.25

Karen Trebilcock, P: 03 489 8083 ak.trebilcock@xtra.co.nz Chris Neill, P: 027 249 1186 waipuvian@gmail.com Phil Edmonds phil.edmonds@gmail.com Elaine Fisher, P: 021 061 0847 elainefisher@xtra.co.nz Design and production: Lead designer: Jo Hannam P: 06 280 3168 jo.hannam@nzfarmlife.co.nz Emily Rees emily.rees@nzfarmlife.co.nz Partnerships Managers: Janine Aish Auckland, Waikato, Bay of Plenty P: 027 890 0015 janine.aish@nzfarmlife.co.nz Tony Leggett, Lower North Island P: 027 474 6093 tony.leggett@nzfarmlife.co.nz David Paterson, South Island P: 027 289 2326 david.paterson@nzfarmlife.co.nz Subscriptions: www.nzfarmlife.co.nz subs@nzfarmlife.co.nz P: 0800 2AG SUB (224 782)

6 5 4

Fonterra forecast

CONNECT WITH US ONLINE:

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Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2021

MILKING PLATFORM WAIKATO

Breaking barriers Autumn is the favourite season of Nic and Kirsty Verhoek as it’s their last chance to take a break before calving begins.

his is often our favorite time of the season – autumn and the lead up to spring calving. It is also a time to finally have some space to think, reflect and look to next season. The rains have arrived in the North Waikato; everything has greened up and our newly sown pastures and winter crops have their heads raised well above the ground. The heifers have come home, and we are continuing to feed out a fair bit of supplement to allow pasture covers to build after almost being killed off over the summer. However, the cows are in great condition and continuing to milk well in the lead up to drying off. The autumn period is one of our last chances for us and our staff to have some time off before calving starts. This year we visited Great Barrier Island for the first time. We spent our days off-grid, fishing, beach frolicking and exploring nooks and crannies of Great Barrier Island. This is a destination we highly recommend – especially if you are wanting some time away from that constant busy feeling. The month of May also highlights the opening of duck shooting season – a very important time in our household with a year’s worth of preparation behind it. Much to Nic’s dismay, there were more ducks on the farm’s effluent pond and new grass paddocks than there were on the lake, but good times were had regardless of the final duck tally. Kirsty was also fortunate to attend the Pioneer Maize Conference in Rotorua. A conference is always a good one when you go home afterwards feeling rejuvenated and excited about sharing the messages you have learnt – so thanks Pioneer for putting on a great event. The conference highlighted 10

Some key messages that re-emphasised our own goals were the importance of homegrown feed and our desire to rely less on imported feed.

Exploring walks on Great Barrier Island.

barriers that the farming industry is facing and gave great examples of how the industry is working through them. Some key messages that re-emphasised our own goals were the importance of homegrown feed and our desire to rely less on imported feed. The other was viewing compliance requirements as a form of business transparency for meeting consumer demands and giving our products value-add, rather than being just another set of rules. There was also discussion on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and agriculture being bought into the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS). The aim of He Waka Eke Noa (We are in this together) is to work together with farmers and growers on practical solutions to reduce New Zealand’s emissions and build resilience to climate change. So, in our mind, this is our opportunity to influence policy and we need to support this programme. An outcome of He Waka Eke Noa is that by the end of 2022, 100% of farmers and growers in NZ are expected to know their annual total onfarm emissions. We are on board with this as it will highlight areas within our business

that we can improve on and give evidence to the consumer of our efforts. Further, the body of individual farm GHG data could prove to be invaluable; it could show the variation in onfarm emissions across farms, thus serving as a good starting point for GHG mitigation. This could mean that those farms with the higher emissions may be able to mimic, to some extent, simple management practices already used successfully by farms with low emissions, thus reducing our overall GHG output over shorter timeframe than what some of the longer-term mitigation strategies are proposing (e.g., methane vaccine). We are not naïve to the fact that we will be facing many challenges as an industry going forward, but our view is there are ways around these barriers and collectively, as an industry, the future is bright with the quality of the products we produce and the technology that is emerging to support us. We are looking forward to starting our second season, free of a Covid-19 lockdown. After having some decent time away from the farm as a family we are also feeling rested and ready for the hectic pace of calving.

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2021

MILKING PLATFORM SOUTH WAIKATO

George Moss with his favourite cow, tag number 138.

Younger than 50, older than 60 Helping the next generation into dairy farm ownership while the value of land keeps rising is concerning George Moss enough to try to get mutual parties together for a weekend.

ounger than 50 and older than 60, then this might be of interest to you? To the heading later. What a difference a bit of timely rain makes in the autumn. Both farms significantly up and doing farm records with a lot less purchased feed. One farm’s production is up 7% and the other 11%. We kept the dry-off dates early again this season, and selected April 7 and May 5. The early dryoff herd is hitting just over 1200kg MS/ha and 482kg MS/cow which is 100% of measured liveweight. The later dry-off herd was just behind. Indicative greenhouse gases (GHG’s) appear to be around 11.6t/ha and GHG per kg milk solids around 9.7kg CO2e /kg MS. You decide whether that is good, bad or otherwise. Nitrogen looks to be about 77kg N/ha. Again I’m not saying that is good or bad. The other farm will be better on both metrics, but I’m still to do

the numbers. While early dryoff in these years of high milk prices seem counter intuitive, Dairybase would indicate it is the right answer for our bottom line. We are taking fixed milk prices again even though we have been “out of money” over the last few times. We note that financiers are pricing certainty of cashflows and environmental management into their pricing models and this has helped when negotiating. Why the heading? Well, progression of the next generation of dairy farmers into land ownership is challenging this industry as the value of land appreciates faster than the “younger ones” can accumulate capital. I do not see dairy land values going any way other than up because of the multiple pressures of land use change to horticulture and regrettably, houses, the performance of dairy relative to other livestock classes and inability to convert land to cows easily.

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2021

On the other hand, I see many farm owners of our generation who want to maintain an investment in dairy, but either do not have the energy or inclination to tackle the “new world”. The thinking is to pull the two together for a weekend at a resort, where there will be speakers on governance models, contractual expertise and on relationship management. With six or seven formal meals the idea being that owners and aspiring owners will be able to meet and dine informally to get a feel for common values and interests or otherwise. If you are a farmer looking to pull back, maybe retire and you are prepared to enter into a formal governance structure (potentially with an independent director involved) that gives all the parties equal influence and say regardless of percentage stake. If you are merely looking for someone to milk cows and do the ‘donkey work’ then this is not for you. If you are serious about a managed exit or creation of an enduring dairy business meeting all stakeholders goals, then this might be for you. Equally, if you are a younger couple with a proven track record of performance and see the merits of working with existing ‘old money’ to create a stronger business for all parties, then we are interested in you. Key is for both parties to be absolutely honest in laying all their cards on the table, both business and personal. Both parties need to appreciate that they are equals around the decision table even if the ownership is not 50/50. In bringing the parties together for a weekend, we do not know the outcomes or even if it will work. If we could get 10 couples from each side for a weekend of enlightenment and potential opportunity that would be good. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, but we need a new model to create more enduring and robust dairy businesses. Thoughts are to come together prior to Christmas. Expressions of interest to NZ Dairy Exporter. If you are not a reader of the Exporter, you are probably not open minded enough for the new possibilities. Contact: Jackie.harrigan@nzfarmlife.co.nz for initial expressions of interest.

MILKING PLATFORM WEST COAST

Left: Maximum load! Jo-Anne Milne encounters Martin’s Creek Road Bridge on the rail cycle journey at Kawatiri, West Coast. Jo-Anne is walking the Pūwaha section from Westport to Carters Beach.

Embracing change for good John and Jo-Anne Milne are proponents of trying new ideas onfarm. Jo-Anne has also taken the opportunity to walk a recently opened cycle trail on the West Coast.

e like change, and always enjoy trying new ideas. From flexible milking regimes to growing suitable crops and all the way through to improving paddocks through improved drainage. For example: • We use satellite pasture walk information (S.P.A.C.E) and find this invaluable and extremely accurate. • Dissolved urea liquid fertiliser in the spring – with great results. 12

• Whole farm soil test – so we don’t over do anything (or waste anything). • One thing that we haven’t really tampered with is the breeding of our herd. This herd was put together on a conversion that we did back in 1993. Milking 200 cows the first season (170 in-calf heifers in four lines out of Taranaki, and the remaining numbers made up out of budget cows). Everything is fully recorded. Breeding worth for breeding, and production worth for culling and later using liveweight as

well, that’s how we have stayed ahead of any bad traits creeping into the herd. • Why not milk a good cow instead of a poorer producing cow? It costs the same to feed them and the returns are better. • Four herd tests per season (Single sample now, originally two samples years ago). • Seven weeks artificial breeding to daughter proven bulls. (Trying the Forward Pack this next mating). That’s pretty much how it goes year on year. However, this season, we embarked on using some sexed semen for the first time (LIC fresh sexed semen). I can remember this being talked about years ago by my parents, when our family had a huge involvement in LIC. As it was in its infancy then it was too costly at that time to use, particularly as cow numbers were climbing in New Zealand to chase the huge appetite for dairy products worldwide. Now times have changed and it stacks up for it to be commercially viable. We ran with three straws per day for 21 days and got 27 in-calf. 90-95% of those will be heifers (there is still a 5-10% chance of a bull). We had no preconceived ideas on how this would go and ran with the traffic light programme given to us, which told us the most suitable candidates for breeding on the day. So, the next part of the exercise is to maximise the best return from the replacement calves we have arriving this coming spring. What are the options? • Larger number of replacements to choose from. • More condensed replacement time frame, which relates to a tighter weaning pattern. • More chance of selling surplus heifer calves (it’s a very fickle market for this now). What’s around the next corner? I’m sure the image of bobby calves going to slaughter is going to be one of the trickiest areas in our remaining time as dairy farmers. Is there any one idea to fix this? I don’t think so. We will have to wait to see what new innovations come to the forefront to ease this problem.

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2021

MILKING PLATFORM WAIMATE

Oh, the changes I have seen: Frances and Aaron Coles spend time with her 97 year old Nana.

A lifetime of memories Frances Coles reflects on how much life has changed since her Nana, who recently celebrated turning 97, was born in 1924.

s I write this column, my Nana celebrates her 97th birthday, and it got me thinking about how things have changed in the world throughout her lifetime. Mankind’s world view was rapidly expanding in 1924, as astronomer Edwin Hubble formally announced the existence of other galactic systems at a meeting of the American Astronomical Society. Today, we are searching further and further into space with exploration of Mars currently underway. An influential New York City concert ‘Experiment in Modern Music’ saw composer George Gershwin’s ‘Rhapsody in Blue’ premiered in 1924. I wonder what Gershwin would have made of today’s artists such as Cardi B, Justin Bieber and Six60? In 1924 the first ever winter Olympic

Games were held in Chamonix, France – fast forward to today and the viability of the upcoming Olympic Games in Japan is in doubt due to the global Covid-19 pandemic. In 1924 Mahatma Ghandi was released from jail – one of many sentences served during his ongoing campaign for India’s independence. Today’s influencers such as Greta Thunberg campaign against climate change rather than oppressive governments. Dairy farming has also significantly changed over this time – from hand milking a couple of cows for the family to fully automated systems harvesting milk from hundreds of cows per milking in order to create products for customers on the other side of the world. In 1924, the Dairy Board was only a year old – formed to control the export

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of all New Zealand dairy products and be responsible for marketing them to the world. Electric fences on farm, herringbone sheds and milk tankers were a long way off yet. This reminds me that my Nana was my first family link to dairying – she and my Grandad used to drive a truck collecting the milk and cream cans from local farms around the Hororata/Darfield area in MidCanterbury. My granddad then went on to build a successful engineering business, so the values of hard work, community service, and an appreciation for the importance of the agricultural sector run deep in my veins. Aaron and I were recently invited to speak at our youngest daughter’s primary school about the contribution dairy farming makes to the local economy and how it has changed over the years. When I think about how much it has evolved during our relatively short time in the industry, I can only begin to imagine what it may look like when I am as old as my Nana. As the saying goes, the only constant is change, and changes are on the horizon within our own business. A long-serving employee finished up with us recently – looking toward his own new challenges – and we have part of our equity partnership farm being sold to facilitate the exit of one of the company’s three shareholders. While we’re sad to see the end of these chapters in our farming journey, we’re also excited about new possibilities ahead and open to new ways of doing things. So when I think of my Nana on her birthday, I reflect on her ability to embrace change and technology (we often touch base through WhatsApp), her resilience when faced with challenges, and the pleasure she gets from seeing the plentiful opportunities laid out at her greatgrandchildren’s feet. As we head into a quieter time onfarm over the coming weeks, it would be nice if we could all take a moment to reflect on where we’ve come from over previous generations or seasons, and think big about just where we could head to in the years to come. 13

INSIGHT

UPFRONT MARKET VIEW

Irish margin biggest in Europe The Irish milk pool grew by approximately 30% between 2014 and 2017 and the margin on Irish dairy farms in that period averaged 8 Euro cents per kilo of milk, a margin twice that of other European Union (EU) countries. Sjoerd Hostee from Langs de Melkweg reports on a comparative analysis from the Munster Technological University and Teagasc.

reland is the land of grass-based dairy farming where farmers often work with a low milk price and low-cost price. This image exists of the country and it appears to be correct, as is also evident from the analysis “Irish Dairy post quota” presented by researchers from the Munster Technological University (MTU) in Cork and Teagasc in November 2020. They compared the results of Irish dairy farmers and Irish dairies with those of fellow farmers and dairy-processors in Denmark, the Netherlands, Germany, the United Kingdom and France. The comparison was made for the period 2014 to 2017, with reliable figures from Farm Accountancy Data Network (FADN). Other 14

data sources have also been used where possible; this confirms that from 2014 to 2019, Ireland saw its milk pool grow by more than 40 percent. The average of the other countries was only 7 percent. In the period up to and including 2017, the Irish milk pool had already grown 30 percent. With such an enormous drive for expansion, it is to be expected that costs will rise and the margin will come under pressure. However, that hardly happened. Even in the years after 2015, when the European milk quota was dropped, the Irish scored a clearly higher margin per litre of milk than their colleagues in other countries. On average, this margin was 8 cents per kilo of

milk in the period 2014-2017 with a cost of production of 24 cents (excluding own labour). Dutch farmers recorded the highest cost of production (35 cents) after Denmark (38 cents).

LOTS OF CONVERTERS

The Irish realised their lower costs by constraining costs for, among other things, the purchase of feed, contract work, depreciation and interest. However, farmers do spend more on fertilisers per kilo of milk on the island. The fact that the cost of production among the Irish, despite their enormously rapid increase in total milk production, did

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The success of the high Irish margin, due to a low cost, is clearly achieved through their grass-based system. not increase after April 1, 2015 has to do with a few things. First of all, many arable farmers and beef farmers have switched to milking cows, because dairy farming in Ireland is more profitable. Their land was converted into productive pasture grass for dairy cows and this greatly expanded the total dairy sector. In Sjoerd Hofstee. addition, the Irish say they have started to use their grass much more efficiently after the limitation of the milk quota was dropped. And the average production of kilos of fat and protein also increased by almost 20 percent between 2014 and 2019, without increasing the costs for purchased feed.

GRASS-BASED SYSTEM

The success of the high Irish margin, due to a low cost, is clearly achieved through their “grass-based system”. The vast majority of cows mainly graze outside from early spring to late autumn and receive minimal additional food. The relatively low milk production by European standards, which increased to

5,307 kilos per cow per year in 2019, is also a result of this. This seasonal system, which means that the vast majority of cows are dried off in winter and reach their peak production in May and June, logically also has a lot of influence on the Irish dairy industry. The average utilisation of the processing capacity in the Irish dairies is 62%, while in the other EU countries, which are included in this comparison, it is on average over 94%. In 2019, Irish dairies processed about 8 billion kilos of milk supplied by Irish farmers. In addition, another 710 million kilos of milk was imported and processed in that year. In May, Irish milk production is at its peak and more than a billion kilos of Irish milk arrives at the factories. If this production were achieved every month, the Irish would produce nearly 13 billion kilos on an annual basis and the factories operating at 100% capacity based on milk supply from their own country.

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“High margin possibly partly due to low milk prices” COMMITMENT TO A FLAT MILK SUPPLY CURVE

If a seasonal milk supply is maintained, expanding the capacity requires considerably higher investments than with a flat milk curve. Around 2014, when Irish dairy farming started its growth spurt in production, there was already a lot of talk about efforts to flatten the milk supply curve. Farmers should be actively encouraged to either divide the calving of the herd between the two times of the year (spring and autumn) or allow the cows to calve throughout the year. Better utilisation of the capacity of Irish dairies would them more competitive. At least, that was the hypothesis. Various studies, included and further elaborated in this analysis, show that this does not work out that way. First of all, the switch to a system of 50% calving in the spring and 50% in the autumn. On an average Irish farm, this results in a deterioration in the margin of an average of € 76 per cow. Split calving increases the average capacity of the dairies to an average over 69%, still far behind the average of 94% in other European countries and therefore hardly helps in the competitive battle. The companies being more competitive would require a much stronger leveling off of the milk supply over the year, but the benefit to the dairies does not outweigh the margin level that it would be destroyed at farm level. Abandoning the grass-based system costs Irish dairy farmers more than 5 cents in margin per kilo of milk. Irish dairy farmers have shown a clear commitment to their free months around December and January when their cows are dried off in the current system. These dairy farmers do not want to abandon their seasonal pattern at all. “In the interest of the Irish dairy sector as a whole, the best strategy for Irish dairies is therefore: stick to the current system,” analysts noted.

hy did you want to perform this analysis? “Irish dairies have been dangling at the bottom of the LTO Milk Price Comparison for years. We wanted to find out why and demonstrate that farmers have to look beyond the level of the milk price alone. “ Which results and new insights have surprised you the most? “First of all, we found out that setting up and maintaining a good milk price comparison is really very difficult. In addition, it is striking that our dairies are doing relatively well in the commodity trade. “ Doesn’t the enormous drive for expansion put pressure on land prices and financing? “Because many beef farmers and arable farmers have converted their land to grassland, in order to be able to switch to dairy cattle, this pressure is relatively low. There is more competition when there is land for sale, but the increase in land prices is limited in most regions. Irish dairy farmers already had low funding levels in the quota era. Some increase is now visible, but that is also not that much.”

Irish Dairy post quota lead researcher Declan O’Connor.

But such a rapid increase in milk supply cannot continue for a few more years, can it? ‘That’s right. It is estimated that our industry and markets can handle an average growth of 2.5% milk per year up to 2025. The factories are demotivating the strong growth in supply nowadays. The rapid growth is over, but Irish dairy farming will continue to grow for a while. “ And that is despite, or thanks to, low milk prices? “We say despite. But I know some people say it’s because of the low milk price. That Irish dairy farmers are not tempted to intensify due to low milk prices. I think there is certainly some truth in that. “

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A forecast you can count on

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GLOBAL DAIRY EUROPE

European market rebounding, but Chinese risk Words by: Sjoerd Hofstee

ilk prices are going up in Europe. Both on the spot market and the price paid by dairies show a shaky but rising picture. The persistent demand from China also helps in Europe, but in silence there is fear: political tensions could prompt the Chinese to make export much more difficult. By the end of May, the Dutch spot market showed a price of € 37.50 per 100 kilos of milk at 4.4% fat. In Germany, for example, it was around € 36 per 100 kilos of milk with 4% fat. These are higher prices than the dairy market has seen here for a long time. In September and October 2020, the price rebounded briefly and then again suffered a serious decline. Dairies such as FrieslandCampina, Arla Foods and various smaller players have also been paying milk prices around € 37 per 100 kilos of milk since this month; and the trend is for further rises. There are several factors that cause this price increase. It goes without saying that there is a continuing demand from Asia, and especially China, for dairy products. Cheese sales are also clearly picking up. In addition, the European catering industry and shops are slowly but surely opening up doors again. For many European dairies this is at least as important as the improving commodity markets. Cheese and all derivatives for bakeries and the catering industry account for a significant part of the turnover for many dairy plants, and importantly the margins on dairy for the catering industry are better than the margins on commodities like milk powder. What also helps, of course, is the higher oil prices. Recently, for example, it tempted Algeria to put out a large tender for dairy. These kinds of initiatives clearly give the market a boost, providing positive 18

Prices are on the up in Europe but some farmers are covering price risk fears with milk futures.

sentiment for traders. In addition, milk production is relatively low throughout Northwestern Europe. Or rather: less high than you would expect in a rebounding market. This has to do with the cold and wet spring and the high feed prices over several months, with farmers paying at least 15 to 20% more for feed than six months ago. This means that many dairy farmers consciously hold back the brakes a bit. When the weather finally improves and the milk price continues to rise, that brake will certainly be released again, but now it is actually still influencing the market in a positive sense. Against all these positive noises for the short term, there are also worries. Among other things about the “inflation ghost”. Governments have pumped so much money into the economy that it has lost value. There is a strong idea that this will soon lead to significantly higher inflation. An interest rate hike is then also obvious. In times of low interest rates, which seem

to persist, there is really only one way for the interest rate: up. In addition to concerns about inflation and interest rate hikes, there is currently the stronger Euro against the dollar that is hampering the European dairy market. The biggest fear, however, is China. The country may continue to buy a lot of dairy, but there are also many tensions about human rights such as the situation with the Uyghur Muslims. This is so politically sensitive that there are fears every day that the Chinese government will become irritated and want to punish certain countries for it. It is obvious that dairy exports to China will have a harder time. A Dutch saying goes: “You shouldn’t cry before you get hit.” From this point of view, dairy farmers worldwide should enjoy the improved milk prices. However, the risks on dairy farms are also increasing causing a number of farmers to protect themselves against risk, with buying milk futures clearly gaining popularity.

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2021

Pasture & Forage News

June 2021

Maximising Maxsyn If you’re one of the many farmers who sowed Maxsyn perennial ryegrass this season, congratulations and thank you.

Prevent pugging

Small changes add up to a lighter environmental footprint Every dairy farm is different, and every plan to minimise environmental impact is unique, too. With pastures, however, science has shown us even small changes can make a big difference. So why not take a bit of time this month while things are relatively quiet, and see how your business might benefit this season from the tips below? They don’t mean more work; in fact some will save time and improve environmental outcomes. Grow in winter – Winter and spring are the main risk times for N leaching. The more grass you grow in winter, the more soil N is captured before it is lost to the system. Today’s perennial ryegrasses grow 20-30% more winter DM than their 20-yearold predecessors. Hybrid, Italian and annual ryegrasses are even better. Prevent pugging – Compacted, waterlogged soils release more GHG than soils with healthy structure; are more prone to runoff and soil loss and require more tractor work for seedbed preparation and sowing. Graze higher – As ryegrass tillers grow to have 3 leaves, water soluble carbohydrate (WSC) goes up and protein (N) goes down. Mostly we graze around 2 leaves per tiller grazing closer to the 3-leaf stage

means less N comes out of livestock. Break later – Use 24 hour grazing to give cows a new paddock in the afternoon, when protein (N) levels in grass are lowest. MS production remains the same as 12 hour grazing but less N comes out of the cows. Utilise more – Raising per cow intake and MS production with tetraploids and optimal grazing management can give the same total MS yield from fewer cows. For example, LUDF now milks 120 less cows for similar profit, in part thanks to this. Min til – It means more careful weed and pest control, but minimum tillage releases less N and carbon than cultivation; uses less diesel and is better for long-term soil structure too. Fix for free – Legume-rich pastures need less artificial N fertiliser. Oversowing clover seed in spring is useful to boost it. Cover up – Nothing loses N in winter like bare ground! Catch-crops mitigate this risk. Visit www.barenbrug.co.nz for more, or contact us.

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It’s a stand-out cultivar for today’s farm systems, and we’re sure you will benefit from it. As with any newly sown pasture, careful management in year 1 will help it thrive for the future. Once established Maxsyn has 3040 million tillers per hectare, all of which want to work hard for you. Look after them, and they’ll look after you in return. Following the first nip-off grazing 4-6 weeks post sowing, it’s really important to maintain consistent residuals for subsequent grazings. New pasture grows rapidly; it needs frequent grazing to encourage tiller formation, and develop big strong plants. Graze it at the 2.5-3-leaf per tiller stage. Letting new Maxsyn get too long at this stage of its life weakens the pasture, and is bad for clover too. Do whatever you can to prevent pugging or treading damage in wet conditions over winter and early spring, and don’t plan for heavy silage or hay crops off new Maxsyn paddocks this season – this is very stressful for young pastures. Check out our website for more good advice on managing Maxsyn and other new pastures.

UPFRONT MARKET VIEW

INSIGHT

Steady as she goes for dairy Words by: Amy Castleton

PRODUCT MIX VALUE COMPARISON

airy markets are largely steady Product mix value comparison as she goes at the moment. May Product mix value comparison 1.30 has continued to be quiet for 1.30 dairy commodity prices. There 1.20 1.20 have now been four consecutive auctions 1.10 with very little change in the Global Dairy 1.10 1.00 Trade (GDT) price index. 1.00 Prices were down 0.7% at the May 4 0.90 0.90 auction and eased another 0.2% at the 0.80 May 18 auction. 0.80 0.70 Whole milk powder (WMP) prices Apr 19 Oct 19 Apr 20 Oct 20 Apr 21 0.70 remain well over US$4000/t. This is a price Apr 19 Oct 19 Apr 20SMP+AMF/WMP Oct 20 Apr 21 WMP/WMP SMP+Butter/WMP point where we would usually start to see WMP/WMP SMP+Butter/WMP SMP+AMF/WMP some downside pressure, especially with some of the milk production data we have seen out of New Zealand over the past couple of months. New Zealand milk production was for the 2021-22 season. However the NZX However demand remains strong, up a huge 8.7% year on year in March. forecast is currently sitting at $8.36/kg MS, particularly from China, and there doesn’t At the same time last year we were and it’s quite likely that the midpoint of appear to be much pressure on in a drought, but even so the leap is Fonterra’s range will start with a $7. prices any time soon. big. The NZX forecast has priced in some China has continued to buy Market expectations are that we downside in dairy commodity prices, as more product than last year will see another big lift for April indicated by the NZX Dairy Derivatives across most commodities on milk production (data is yet to be market. But, given we are only at the start offer on the GDT platform. published at the time of writing), of the 2021-22 season, there is plenty of This has particularly been with pasture growth conditions room for movement yet. the case for WMP and butter, having continued to be very good We are certainly not far enough through Amy Castleton. for this time of year. both products for which to confidently say that there will be an $8 Fonterra has added volumes We expect there are also still more milk price this season. to the GDT platform in recent cows around than usual as it has been months. difficult to get cows into the works. • Amy Castleton, senior dairy analyst at At the May 18 GDT event, WMP offer Furthermore the excellent milk price NZX Agri. volumes were up 28% compared to the forecast and likelihood of another high May 19, 2020 event and butter volumes milk price next season will have some were 59% higher. farmers milking a bit longer The extra volume has had some impact than usual. The NZX on butter prices, but very little impact on forecast for the full WMP prices. 2020-21 season was Following the May 18 GDT event, it +0.9% in mid-May, remains marginally more profitable for though it’s likely there NZ processors to produce butter than to is some upside in that produce anhydrous milkfat (AMF). forecast. However the price ratios of a mix of At the time of writing, SMP and butter, SMP and AMF or WMP Fonterra is yet to are virtually the same, meaning demand release its opening for certain products is likely to be driving farmgate milk processing decisions at present. price forecast 20

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If we didn’t have the Tow and Fert we couldn’t apply the FishIt. It has changed everything. The grass is so much healthier, the crops are better, and both the grass and kale hold on longer. We really rate it. I think, as farmers, the Tow and Fert is definitely the way of the future.

It might seem counter intuitive at first, but we have seen the results on the farm, and we would argue that we are getting better and better by changing our systems and moving away from the status quo. Hopefully, this will become the new status quo.

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BUSINESS HOHEPA FARM

Farming with a higher purpose Hawke’s Bay assisted living facility Hohepa runs a small dairy farm which not only produces artisan goods but provides life experiences and work opportunities to people with intellectual disabilities. Jackie Harrigan visited the farm to find out more. Photos Brad Hanson.

farm with a higher purpose, Hohepa is a small dairy unit in the heart of the Hawke’s Bay region offering living and working opportunities to people with intellectual disabilities to interact with nature through dairy farming and market gardening. The opportunity to have meaningful work and experiences relates to the ethos of Hohepa as ‘every life fully lived’. A small dairy farm, cheesery, farm shop, vegetable growing patches, and fruit trees exist on the outskirts of Clive on Hawke’s Bay’s dry coastal strip and a further block 22

at Poraiti on the hill make up 60 hectares in total, housing and providing dairy products and vegetables for up to 180 residents. In this magical place, the Rudolph Steiner philosophy and the creativity and compassion of a dedicated group of people make Hohepa a living community enterprise where cultural, social, environmental and financial practices are the key elements that make Hohepa and its people succeed and grow through time. The farm is Demeter and Organic certified and runs according to biodynamic principles.The milk is sold fresh and

pasteurised and made into artisan-style cheeses. Selling the dairy products at the farm shop, along with other Hohepamade products alongside locally produced organic vegetables and fruit, sweets, meat, breads and dry goods, provides a small income for the farm, and an opportunity to interact with the public. The shop also acts as an ordering point to keep all of the Hohepa homes and the Hohepa school in fresh produce, dry goods and dairy products - including cheeses and fresh milk delivered in stainless steel milk billies. The refrigerated Hohepa truck is a regular at the Saturday Napier Farmers

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2021

Left: Hohepa farm manager Carl Storey says the interaction with so many people makes the milking Shorthorn herd very quiet. Below: Interest is growing in the Hohepa organic bottled milk, with glass bottles that are returned, washed and refilled. Right: Oliver works in the Hohepa farm shop, serving costumes and restocking shelves and helps with the deliveries to the Hohepa homes around Napier. Below, right: Award winning artisan cheese is produced at Hohepa.

market and the huge Sunday Farmers Market at Hastings Showgrounds. Alongside the 40ha at Clive, the original Hohepa block is a 12ha support block on the hill at Poraiti with an expansive view out over Napier where children and young adults live in supported homes and attend the Hohepa Special School. Biodynamic gardens and tunnel houses produce vegetables for the homes and young stock and dry stock from the dairy farm graze the paddocks that also grow grass for supplements in the form of hay and balage. A further arm of the Hohepa organisation maintains a creative space in Napier, with a candle making enterprise for dipping, dyeing and forming a range of beeswax candles that are packed and distributed to 120 retail shops around New Zealand. At the creative space there is also a weavery producing handwoven fabrics and garments, and a small shop sells these products and wooden toys and garden furniture, crafted at the wood-working shop at the Hohepa, Clive campus. A total of 180 residents, ranging from seven to over seventy are supported by over 500 staff, making Hohepa one of Hawke’s Bay’s larger employers.

HISTORY

Hohepa was established by the joint venture of Marjorie Allen (later Dame Allen) and Hawkes Bay farmer Lewis Harris (later Sir Lew). Marjorie had been inspired by the work of Rudolf Steiner and wanted to provide a nourishing developmental

community for her nephew with Downs Syndrome, so joined forces with Harris who had a Downs Syndrome daughter and wanted a good education and outdoor experience for her. The Hohepa community was founded on the Poraiti hill close to the Harris home farm in 1957. The first houses and the school were originally set up for Downs Syndrome children, but the remit over the years has widened to all people with intellectual disabilities, of different levels of need, who come from all over NZ. Some live in houses on the property with live-in carers, meaning they walk to and from school past fruit trees, grazing calves and vege gardens, surrounded by a community of people who know them and take time to stop and chat and befriend them. Three eldercare houses have residents up to 70 years of age. Many of the people Hohepa supports live in the wider Napier community in a number of home settings.

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Through living, working and taking an active part in community life alongside staff, the people Hohepa support grow to experience satisfying lives with as much independence as possible, according to Hohepa general manager, Santiago de Marco. The Steiner philosophy is that every child or person has the capacity to become as independent as possible and to be able to impart purpose and direction in their lives, encompassed in the mantra of Hohepa, ‘every life fully lived’. The people Hohepa supports are able to work in the area of their own interest. The aim is to be involved in real life and work processes thus participating and contributing in a meaningful way to their communities, said Farm and enterprises manager Alfred Busch. Hohepa now has three other centers of residential support in Wellington, Auckland, and Christchurch. 23

People supported by Hohepa create a range of artisan products sold around the Hawke’s Bay and across the country: cheeses, candles, wooden and woven goods.

BIODYNAMIC AND ORGANIC FARM

Milking 52 cows on 22 hectares through a 6-bail walk-through dairy shed is far from the norm in the dairy industry, but Hohepa farm manager Carl Storey says it means people can be supported and work in a meaningful way. Balancing year-round milk supply with seasonal grass growth and maintaining genetic growth in a small herd are challenges Carl grapples with, while the pleasure and growth opportunities afforded to the people at Hohepa by working and interacting with the farm, cows and products definitely makes it a great experience. The Hohepa farm herd is mainly Milking Shorthorn and Ayrshire cows, now transitioning to straight Ayrshire as the

Milking Shorthorn semen is no longer sold by LIC. The cows are split into an autumn herd, with 20 cows calving on 20 March and a spring herd of 35 cows, with a couple of carryovers. Up to 50 cows are milked from spring through till after Christmas when the autumn calvers are dried off for 12 weeks. Carl prefers a longer dry-off period to give the cows a good rest and to help manage somatic cell counts, which are not able to be treated with antibiotics under the biodynamic and organic farming guidelines. “It’s a totally different philosophy, we always go to homeopathic products first, and also second - and we use True Health products for intra-mammary treatments with their garlic, herbs and echinacea.”

If really necessary for animal care they work with the veterinarian to use the most appropriate mainstream medication, then that cow leaves the property. Having said that, Carl said he hasn’t had a case of clinical mastitis for 12 months and only two sub-clinical cases during that time. The milk is tested each week and all of the milk is pasteurised as 700-800 litres each week is bottled and sold through the shop or markets or delivered to the Hohepa houses and school in stainless steel billies.

CREAMERY FOR CHEESES

The excess milk is made into cheeses in the cheesery next door to the dairy with each cow producing an average of 3800l/ lactation and over 200,000 litres each year. The cows are all milked twice each

Above: The community also produces biodynamic and organic fruit and veges for sale and for community consumption.

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2021

Left: The weavery at the Hohepa creative place. Right: The oldest walk-through dairy shed still in use in NZ provides great opportunities for interactions with the cows by the helpers who work on the Hohepa farm.

day, at 4.30am and then at 1.30 in the afternoon when Carl has an ‘open shed’ for the milking, with a number of residents helping out. David loves to help get the cows into the yard, Jamie and James are adept at cupping the cows and giving them a good pat and scratch and Katherine often comes to help with hosing down the shed and yard. Others love to help rear the replacement calves - four heifers for the spring herd and four for the autumn herd - before they are weaned and transferred up to the 12ha Poraiti farm. ‘The residents are totally animated by the connection with the cows and by helping with them - it’s all happy smiles and excitement - it’s like animal therapy,” Carl added. The walk-through shed is the only one used for commercial supply left in NZ and although the dairy is being largely rebuilt this year, the walk-through setup is being retained and renovated. “This style of shed gives us really good cow contact. Hohepa is all about the residents - it’s great for them to be able to help out and give the cows a pat and a scratch,” said Carl. As a result, the cows are super quiet and Carl said they love the interactions with the milkers. There are up to 22 people daily, enjoying coming to the farm for some meaningful work all year round.

FARMING IN ABUNDANT SUNSHINE

Supplying customers and residents with organic dairy products is a 12-month

business, but anyone who has visited the sunny Hawkes Bay knows it’s difficult to grow pastures in the long hot summers. Carl says it’s always a challenge - he runs three small irrigators on manual shifts and spends lots of time walking the farm to measure how much pasture is in front of the cows. The small farm up the hill grows supplement, usually 80 bales are transferred down to Clive to feed the herd and Carl says they are lucky to be able to access and buy hay and baleage from a local biodynamic farm. A small crop of winter oats is resown into new grass - and Carl says the 5% of non-organic inputs allowed under the Demeter certification system usually ends up being grass and crop seed. “We also grow sugarbeet through the summer and Japanese millet, fed off during the winter as green feed but generally having enough feed is always a struggle.” Hohepa farm has different opportunities and challenges than a commercial farm which makes it so interesting to be involved in, Carl said. “It’s a different pressure to commercial farming - but we need to keep the factory going and our customers around the country supplied.”

SAY CHEESE

Recently Hohepa invested in a certified milk bottling plant and set up and now supplies pasteurised milk in reusable glass bottles through local shops, in their Clive shop and at the weekly Hastings and Napier farmers markets. The empty bottles

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2021

are returned and reused in a twice-weekly bottling. There is a growing demand for glassbottled milk and Hohepa Farm is exploring sales to further regional outlets, shops, supermarkets, cafes and restaurants. One of the residents works in the bottle washing station and another works the filling machine recently installed to automate the process. There is no home delivery service to customers at the moment, but it is something the staff are contemplating for the future. Residents who are able to work are paid for their time and enjoy having an income to spend on themselves. Others have secured work in the community and many of the residents enjoy community activities like Riding for the Disabled, special Olympics, swimming, bowling and football. Three residents work in the make room at the cheesery, where the milk is split into curds and whey and the different cheeses formed. Most of the Hohepa range are European-style cheeses, made by three passionate professional cheesemakers. Their Danbo, vintage and tasty cheeses have over many years won NZ Champions of Cheese awards along with cumin, fenugreek and biodynamic blue cheeses. They also produce a range of soft cheeses like mozzarella, halloumi, cream cheese and herb-flavoured quark. The maturing rooms hold 6kg rounds of the Danbo and European cheeses that are matured for up to 18 months before being sliced, packaged and sold. 25

BUSINESS CHINESE DAIRY USE

Hey Tea shops have popped up all over China, with a clean modern look and an online ordering service through WeChat. The shops offers more than 50 different flavours of cheese tea, along with bubble tea and a few hot drinks. The first HeyTea shop in Shanghai opened a few years ago with a 4-5 hour wait time to collect your order.

Chinese tea, with a cream twist Words by: Hunter McGregor

ne of my favourite quotes is that the “Chinese consumers are not westernising but they are modernising”. This means that there are a number of unique Chinese trends that are happening here and many of them are changing consumer behaviours. The rise of cream cheese on top of tea drinks is a new and interesting market trend. This trend is credited to be started by a 21-year-old named Nie Yunchen. In 2012 he opened a milk tea shop in the small city of Jiangmen in Guangdong province near Hong Kong. He started selling milk teas topped with a salty layer of cream cheese. By 2020 Nie’s HeyTea has 695 stores in 67 cities around China and the private company has an estimated value of around $3.46 billion NZD (16 Billion RMB) as of the middle of last year. 26

Like anything in China, there are a number of other large cream cheese tea players as well so it is a very large and competitive industry. By the end of 2020, the number of new style tea consumers reached 340 million and this is growing. The market is predicted to reach 365 million people by the end of 2021. As luck would have it, one of HeyTea's 102 shops in Shanghai is near my home. I don’t normally drink HeyTea’s products but I did ‘go out for tea’ for the purpose of this article. First impressions of the shop is that it's modern, bright and has a great feel about it. The four people working behind the counter were busy, and as I was about to find out, they were flat out! The only way to order is via scanning a QR code to use their WeChat shop. (WeChat is the Chinese equivalent of Facebook messenger but with ecommerce functions). WeChat is a super app, which covers just about

“Cream cheese with that Sir?”

everything, messaging right through to news, shopping and payments. Scanning a QR code within the WeChat app to purchase something is very common now and is easy to use. To my surprise,

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2021

their WeChat shop was in English. Not knowing what to order, I asked one of the employees which was the most popular drink at the moment? They said the Cheese Peach tea (the Chinese name sounds a lot better). So that’s what I ordered. The cost was about $6.49 NZD (30 RMB). Immediately my app told me it would be a 42-minute wait for my drink, as there were 26 orders (47 cups of tea) ahead of mine. So as I waited in the shop I watched plenty of delivery guys pick up most of the orders, and a few people picked up their drinks directly. These people picking up their drink were a lot smarter than me, as they ordered well before they arrived at the shop. “Hey Hunter, Stay Inspired” is the inspirational message on Hunter’s HeyTea drink. The peach tea is topped with ice chips and fruit and then layered with salty cream cheese.

The drink: • The top third of the drink – It was the cream cheese which tasted not like

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2021

normal cream cheese as it was a little bit salty (on its own it was not too bad). • The middle third of the drink – mainly crushed ice and some small pieces that tasted like peach. • The bottom third – was a very strong peach flavoured liquid that was super sweet. Once I got my drink I decided to carry it home first as I wanted to see what it was like after a “delivery”, as my research needs to be thorough. The first thing I noticed when I got home was that the drink layers did not mix and it looked the same as in the shop. I then proceeded to try all of the layers of the drink individually and just as I suspected, a sweet creamy peach flavoured drink is not my cup of tea. Luckily for millions of Chinese consumers it is, and according to the HeyTea website all the cream cheese they use comes from New Zealand.

BUSINESS WINTERING

One shot at wintering right Farmers have been warned that they will be scrutinised this winter over grazing situations where cows are standing in mud for long periods of time. Karen Trebilcock reports.

nvironment capability manager Beef + Lamb New Zealand Tom Orchiston told farmers at a joint B+LNZ and DairyNZ field day at Telford in early May this winter was the one shot they had to get wintering right. “Everyone is looking at us this winter and we’ve got to show them we’ve got this. “We have to show them we don’t need rules and regulations and dates where we must have things done by. We can

achieve successful wintering without them.” He said all winter grazing, whether on grass or crop, was considered as intensive winter grazing and farmers had to do the best they could at minimising the effects of it on the environment and on their animals. “Yes, you will have bad weather, yes, you will have unexpected events and things you have not planned for, but do the best you can do every day,” he said.

Farmers at a wintering field day at Telford in South Otago in early May work on a written wintering plan for the swede paddock.

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2021

WINTERING TIPS: • Use buffer zones to protect critical source areas, such as swales, and waterways from sediment and nutrient runoff • Use back-fencing and portable troughs to limit cows damaging soils on ground already grazed • Graze down slopes so uneaten crop forms a barrier for sediment and nutrient runoff to critical source areas

• Write your wintering plan down and share it with your farm team so it is followed • Have an adverse weather plan so when bad weather hits there is shelter and dry areas for animals to lie down while still having access to feed.

MAKING IT EASY TO LIE DOWN Young cows, cows with lower body condition scores and cows which have early calving dates are less likely to achieve the minimum of eight hours lying time per day during winter. In a trial, called “How Much Mud is Too Much Mud” at the Southern Dairy Hub last winter, 21% of the cows consistently had less than eight hours lying time per day on fodder beet and kale crops.DairyNZ senior scientist Dawn Dalley said she didn’t know whether older cows made sure they got enough lying time because, like people, they had more aches and pains, or because they were dominant in the pecking order.

“It could be that the bossy cows are taking the best lying spots in a paddock,” she said. Past research, both in New Zealand and overseas, shows cows prioritise lying over eating and if cows did not have enough rest their body condition was adversely affected. Behavioural monitoring equipment (CowManager tags and HOBO accelerometers) were fitted to 30 cows in four mobs on kale and fodder beet for the five-week trial. “It’s important to make sure there are enough dry areas in a winter crop paddock break to make sure all of the cows can lie down,” she said.

To ask for help for your own wintering paddock or if you are concerned about someone else’s, ring 0800 FARMING 0800 327 646. The number is answered by Federated Farmers staff.

SHEDS

Calf Sheds Cattle Yards Hay Barns Farm Bridges Workshops Implement Sheds Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2021

greenwoodinfo.co.nz

0800 347 259 29

BUSINESS DWN BUSINESS GROUPS

Connecting on the rural business journey

Muffins and champagne are on offer at the Dairy Women’s Network (DWN) Business Groups meeting.

Helping each other succeed is all part of being a member of the Dairy Women’s Network Pukekohe Business Group. Sheryl Haitana reports.

he Dairy Women’s Network (DWN) Pukekohe Business Group is an example of farmers and rural professionals connecting on their personal development and business journeys. DWN trustee Mark Heer says the strength of the Business Groups is women are creating connections, relationships and trust to help each other on their personal and business journeys. “From my observation of the business groups, they all have that magic moment when the group comes together. There is good sharing within the group and that trust builds and there comes a point where something just clicks.” Mark says he has been in the privileged position to be invited to join the Pukekohe group which has been running for almost two years. The Pukekohe group is diverse, ranging from dairy farmers to rural bankers and consultants. They meet 10 times a year to discuss a range of topics of interest, from climate change to personal wellbeing. 30

Each member of the group has an opportunity to share their story and their business and personal goals. The group regularly checks in with each other on their progress. “There is a nice element of accountability to ourselves and our group to stay true to ourselves,” Mark says.

PUKEKOHE BUSINESS GROUP

• How many people in a group? Eight. • Where do they meet? Usually in a Farm Source meeting room. • Does it involve cake? Of course. • How often? Monthly (10x a year). • Meeting format? 10am-2pm. We always start with a ‘thought of the day’ that is inspiring, then we move into a number of topics that we address including top of mind, business finance, health and wellbeing, farming technical and professional development. • Cost? $500/year + GST.

BUILDING CONFIDENCE AND KNOWLEDGE

Karaka dairy farmer Sally Guy says being part of the DWN Pukekohe Business Group has helped build her confidence and knowledge of her business. Sally and her husband Chris milk 200 cows and have just opened a daycare on the farm. Coming from a farming background, often farmers don’t have that business background and have to develop those skills that are common in the corporate world, she says. Being able to pick the brains of the rural professionals in their Pukekohe group is a great way to pick up those skills as well as to get a different perspective on her business. “I think it’s a real positive having a diverse group, people wear different hats and have different experiences.” People with a corporate background get to learn how farmers are operating and doing things on the ground, and the farmers get a more corporate insight. Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2021

“You get to discuss what’s going on with you and your business, what’s keeping you up at night, and you get constructive feedback.”

Karaka dairy farmer Sally Guy says being part of the DWN Pukekohe Business Group has helped her gain confidence running an onfarm daycare.

“We get to learn more about things that are really common in the corporate world.” The members of the group have built a really close connection where they can share their personal goals and personal business details, Sally says. “You come into a space where you can be vulnerable. You get to discuss what’s going on with you and your business, what’s keeping you up at night, and you get constructive feedback.” The group helps come up with solutions or offers ideas of where to go next, and most importantly keeps each other on track. “We check in with each other and follow up again and again. Whereas with personal development you might have takeaways but there is no followup.” The business group has been exceptional for her personal development, Sally says. “I walked in the door not knowing anything about governance and I’ve now set up a board and I am applying to be an associate on a board.” IrrigationNZ chief executive Vanessa Winning is also a member of the group and says it offers a fantastic opportunity

for personal development. “It’s an opportunity to get that cup filled back up again each month. When we get together we really focus on us as individuals and how we engage with people and how we grow our leadership skills.” The honesty and friendship that has developed allows everyone to share in a safe space, which offers the chance for genuine feedback and mentoring, she said. “The Business Groups are a great avenue for women to help each other so everyone can be the best they can be.” DWN Business Groups offers the next phase for DWN members who have been involved in regional events and want to take the next step, Mark says. The groups are designed to focus on broadening people’s development around leadership and business. They offer more insight than just cows and grass, into the wider industry and can be targeted on areas of interest to the individual group. Each group is diverse and contains women at different stages of their farming journey, creating a range of perspectives and insight.The groups provide a valuable experience for members, and conversations are focused on the topics that are relevant to them. “Each group will find its own path,” he says. DWN Business Groups have been established in Rotorua, Putaruru, Canterbury, Gore, Northland and Pukekohe. If you are interested in joining an existing group or starting a new Business Group get in touch with DWN.

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2021

“We expect to milk double the number of cows, with the same number of staff“. John Wilson - 3rd GEA iFLOW 60 bail rotary. At Bluemont Dairies, John’s latest conversion project, he is set to milk 900 cows through the new 60 bail iFLOW rotary with just one milker – doubling what they milked last year, in the old shed. Looking for a system that would support a one-person operation, was reliable and produced a quality product, John thinks he’s ticked the boxes with the iFLOW. Need all-round milking efficiency like John? Call us to book your on-farm consult today. 0800 GEA FARM. Drive dairy efficiencies? We can help.

BUSINESS BOMA CONFERENCE

NZ Merino embraces regenerative agriculture Words by: Anne Lee

he New Zealand Merino Company’s approach to regenerative agriculture could provide an example for other primary sectors on how to engage with and harness the growing movement. Dave Maslen is the general manager of markets and sustainability at the New Zealand Merino Company and says the ZQRX index, launched in February, shows where farmers are on their regenerative journey and allows customers and consumers to engage more closely with the producers of the clothes, shoes or wool products they’re using or wearing. He explained the genesis and development of the index at the Boma New Zealand Ari Summit: E Tipu in Christchurch last month. The index has the company’s quality assurance standard ZQ at its heart with farmers having to meet the standards that cover animal welfare, environment and social responsibility.

“...we needed a model that reflected the nuances of regenerative agriculture, that reflects the interaction between land and people and animals and soils and plants.” The ZQ standard also provides traceability from the consumer back to the grower and brand partners such as Allbirds, Icebreaker and Smart Wool make use of the 32

Merino Ewes waiting to be shorn at Ben Dhu Station, South Canterbury. Wool used from Merinos which ends up in products such as Allbirds shoes can be traced using NZ Merino’s ZQRX index.

standard in their own marketing. The system is audited but Dave says the problem with auditing to a minimum standard is that it doesn’t recognise those who are going beyond that and can drive mediocrity. “We find growers all the time who are doing extraordinary things, going way above and beyond the minimum acceptable standard. “They’re regenerating indigenous forests, working with their communities, their local iwi. “And that’s what regenerative farming is all about – it knows no destination, it’s a journey not painted in black and white. “So we needed a model that reflected the nuances of regenerative agriculture, that reflects the interaction between land and people and animals and soils and plants –

something that’s so unique to every farmer involved with it.” The company got farmers, scientists, regenerative farming proponents and brand representatives together to discuss how they could meet the consumer’s desire for something that went beyond sustainability. “What we landed on was that it is a mindset – a mindset of progress not perfections, about continuous improvement and about underpinning that with sound science and data.”

ANIMALS, ENVIRONMENT AND PEOPLE The ZQRX index developed out of those discussions has three pillars – animals, environment and people. “Within each of these are five key

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2021

A REGENERATIVE INDEX A spider chart can be used to show strengths and weaknesses in a range of areas.

5 4 3 2 1 QUALITY ASSURANCE STANDARD

The All-rounder performance indicators that growers can use to measure themselves, their performance and their cadence of change. “The beauty of this is that a grower who is really passionate about biodiversity can score highly in that but maybe not so high in other areas – and that is absolutely fine.” The ZQ requirement is there at the core and beyond it, within the RX index it’s about building tools not rules. The index looks at key performance indicators such as biodiversity, waste, water, climate and land under the Environment pillar But it goes beyond the typical sustainability factors and looks at factors such as community, learning and development and health and wellness under the people pillar. The index allows farmers to learn and adapt practices that are regenerative and holistic and suit their own farms and own situations rather than prescribing a set of practices that must be adhered to. Dave says it was with a fair bit of trepidation that the company held a zoom meeting for 350 farmers to explain the index and talk about regenerative agriculture with brand partners joining the meeting to explain what consumers are looking for. “Virtually overnight we had 173 farmers sign up to be part of it,” he says and similar numbers are waiting to join. “The index and being part of the programme means farmers are focusing specifically on how they can drive a

regenerative future and how they might customise their farming system specific to the values their customers are asking for,” he says. Dave praised climate change and environmental activists for raising the bar and the awareness of how important the issues are. “I want to celebrate the activists but more than the activists I want to celebrate someone else. “I want to celebrate the actionists. I want to celebrate those farmers who are out there everyday living a regenerative mindset, actively driving their farms to leave them better than they found them – because they are the heroes. “They are the ones taking the messages from the activists, the messages from the scientists and implementing them – and they are being rewarded for doing so, as they should be, by their markets.” Brands looking at what’s driving consumer decisions have found consumer guilt can be a key incentive. They have listened to the activists and are aware of the problems facing the planet and they’re asking themselves how they can be part of the solution not the problem, Dave says. “How do they mitigate that guilt? They can do it by purchasing products that align more effectively with their personal value set. “If consumption is the cause, can consumption of the right products be part of the cure?”

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2021

For all-round milking efficiency choose GEA‘s iFLOW rotary parlour. Whether you’re looking to improve cow throughput, increase cow knowledge, reduce staffing requirements or simply operate a system that won’t let you down, the iFLOW will help you drive efficiencies on-farm. Custom-built to suit your farming goals, the iFLOW’s proven on pasture-based operations, here and around the world. Want all-round milking efficiencies? We can help. 0800 GEA FARM.

Drive dairy efficiencies? We can help.

SYSTEMS ONCE-A-DAY MILKING

Once-a-day

‘OKIE DOKIE’ for Oaklands

Nelson-based Oaklands Milk have grown from one milk truck eight years ago to a fleet of seven. The Raine family credit a move to OAD milking and A2 genetics ticking the boxes for them and their customers. Anne Hardie reports.

he milking platform may have shrunk over the years on the home farm, but Oaklands Milk on the edge of Nelson has grown exponentially since it sold its first bottles of fresh milk eight years ago. When the Once-A-Day (OAD) Milking Conference visited in May, autumn calves were in the paddock and the herd was cranking up for its season which will run through to Christmas. In eight years, the business has grown from one little local delivery truck to a fleet of seven, with deliveries of its glass-bottled milk to local customers as Oaklands Milk or via its Aunt Jean brand to supermarkets in Blenheim and Christchurch. It also supplies its A2 pasteurised milk to a couple of ice cream and cheese businesses. The latest addition to the business is a full-sized tanker to 34

replace the smaller version that collects milk from its other farm at Motupiko, plus milk it purchases from another local dairy farmer. Today the factory attached to the dairy processes 1500l of milk an hour and bottles it, has a staff of about 12 and then another seven behind the wheels of the trucks. At the heart of the operation is the Raine family farm of about 300ha that rises steeply up hills behind the tiny area of remaining flats adjoining the Saxton Field Sports Complex. The milking herd grazes the flats and the steep lower hills of the property, while beef cattle from the farm operation graze still higher and forestry is tucked around the edges. The family has farmed there since 1842 and the fresh-milk business was created to keep it economically sustainable into the future.

FARM FACTS:

• Oaklands Milk • Owners: Raine family • Farm managers: Aimee and Michael Bates • Location: Nelson • Herd: About 100 cows • Production: Peak 33 litres/cow/day • Milk: A2 • Season: March 10 – December 23 • Milking Frequency: OAD for animals/environment and dryland conditions

As its boundary fence struggles to hold back population growth and a city council throws its weight on a rural enterprise, the business inevitably has a few added farming challenges. But the family has taken an educational approach to work

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2021

Above: Farm managers Aimee and Michael Bates. Right: Autumn-born calves. Left: Aimee and Michael admire the view. The farm climbs steeply behind the town.

with the public and the year before Covid the farm had 1,700 visitors through its gate. In the past, the family milked about 200 cows on the home farm – through a 13-aside dairy – whereas the herd now sits around just 100 cows after the council told them to reduce their effluent footprint. Eight years ago they upgraded the existing dairy on the farm with a small attached factory but quickly outgrew that complex and built a new factory further up the farm track. The growth of the business now has them planning a new complex in the next couple of years.

their ethical farming policy for customers. On the home farm, OAD suits the 80ha milking platform that wanders up steep hills and has no irrigation through summer. They used to irrigate the flats, but the council required them to reduce the size of the irrigation pond in the hills for safety and once the tap was turned off, they decided to continue as a dryland farm.

“Several factors prompted the move to OAD. Most importantly was a herd and environment that met customers’ expectations…”

SORTING THE A2 COWS

Julian Raine says they sorted out A2/A1 cows from day one for their Oaklands’ journey, which “buggered our production and breeding index”, but formed the basis for an A2 herd on both the home farm and at Motupiko, which gave them another selling point to customers. Since then, they have been working toward improving the quality of the herds which today are milked OAD. Several factors prompted the move to OAD. Most importantly was a herd and environment that met customers’ expectations – happy cows in good condition, fed predominantly grass and little impact on the environment. It also fits the council’s requirement to reduce its effluent footprint on the home farm. At Motupiko, a planned herd home will better capture effluent and being a colder farm, it will keep the cows warmer which meets

cows back to the paddock by the time the factory kicks into action for the day. Plus, they can have the cows milked, calves fed, fence breaks moved and still be back home in time to get their two kids ready for school. The steeper paddocks aren’t the easiest to get the cows at that hour of the morning in wintery rain, but the help of a dog, spotlight and 15 years of practice works well.

Aimee and Michael Bates have managed the farm for the past 15 years, from the time the farm winter milked for town milk supply and then briefly seasonal supply for Fonterra before supplying its own fresh-milk factory. They now begin calving on March 10 to milk through winter and finish the season about December 23 as milk production is dropping off and the farm’s pasture is also drying out. The rationale behind this is that it’s easier for the business to source extra milk from other farms through summer, whereas other farmers aren’t milking through winter. Even though they are milking OAD, Aimee and Michael still choose to have the cups on the cows at 4.30am. That way the milking is done and dusted, with the

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2021

When the herd first went to OAD, Julian says some of the cows struggled with milk volume and they had a few issues with somatic cell counts but over time they have developed a herd that suits the operation. Somatic cell count at the beginning of May this year, as calving came to an end, was 89,000 cells/ml. The average age in the home herd is four, with the oldest stretching out to 14. Forty-four of the cows in the herd are two and three-year-olds which drag the average production down a bit, but it still peaks at 33 litres/cow/day and averages 18 litres. Within the dairy, Aimee and Michael follow a strict hygiene policy to ensure the milk that goes into the factory is the best quality. Plus, it’s a picture of healthy cleanliness for the groups that visit the farm. 35

“It has to be audit-ready 24/7,” Aimee says. “And the same with the paperwork. And we’re pretty strict about what cows go into the milking herd.” That includes ensuring cows are milked eight times after calving before their milk goes into the vat. Colostrum goes to the calves, but the milk is too valuable to come out of the vat and they are brought up on milk powder.

PRODUCING WAGYU-CROSS

With public perception in mind, another policy is no bobbies. That policy has led to Wagyu-cross calves from a portion of the herd. A few top cows in the two herds are given semen from selected sires, about two thirds get bull of the day and the bottom third at Motupiko get Wagyu semen. Sexed semen is out because Julian says it’s too expensive and not always correct. The resulting Wagyu-cross calves are reared to a minimum of 90kg and sold under contract to LIC. Last year there were about 40 Wagyu-cross and this year 20. Some of the crossbred bull calves find a home as four-day-old calves with farmers mothering them onto empty cows they want to keep in milk. The rest, plus Hereford-cross from bulls run after artificial insemination, are grazed on the hills to around 18 months, depending on the season, then sold to finishers. Rearing the Jersey-cross calves is far from being a money spinner, but Julian says it fits their no-bobby policy. “We use a lot of milk (powder), particularly on the Jersey cross that will probably be five years old before we can sell them,” he laughed. Mating begins on June 8 and they have had empties as low as 2% and usually around 5-6%. However, during 2020 it climbed a bit higher to 10% with no

Oaklands A2 milk and glass bottles to fill are sold through vending machines, at the farmgate and at three other urban locations.

obvious explanation. The bulk of the herd calved within four weeks this autumn, with the tail end trickling out to nine weeks. Aimee says autumn calving has worked better for them than spring because it’s warmer, drier and the calves are weaned by the end of May when they head off to a nearby support block.

BREED ‘EM AND FEED ‘EM

Through the farm’s season, the herd gets brewers grain from a brewery at 0.5kg/cow/ day, plus 4-5kg maize grown off farm and 1.5-2kg of local apple pulp to mix with the feed. A kilogram of distiller’s dried grains per cow per day is fed in the shed, mainly through winter, with balage fed out when needed. About 280 bales of balage is made on 16ha of flats at the front of the farm, with a similar amount of hay cut. Keeping grass quality is a challenge with just 100 cows and hills that are too steep to be topped. It’s mostly older pasture and native species on the hills, so through spring they bring the Hereford mob down from the higher hill country to speed up the round, while locking up the flats for supplements.

The flats neighbour the sports’ field and suburbia, so to avoid complaints they don’t spread effluent in those boundary paddocks. They don’t calve in those paddocks either as just about every calving cow prompts a phone call and Julian says “everyone knows more about calving than I do”. In a bid to educate the public and show their customers what they do, they invite them onto the farm. Aimee and Michael are used to showing school groups, in particular, what happens on a dairy farm. Because they milk so early, they sometimes get a couple of cows into the dairy to milk in front of a group or show them the calves and there’s always a quiet cow that will be looking for a scratch. They’ve also taken cows to the A and P show for a milking display. “Kids often don’t know where anything comes from,” Aimee says. “It’s good to get the public here to show them what we do. We’ve got nothing to hide.” Julian says the public question them about dairying and management practices and it’s a chance to have a conversation with them. “They’ll be critical and sometimes we agree to disagree, like taking calves away from cows.” He says it’s important to have those conversations and at the OAD Conference he advised other dairy farmers to not hide behind their practices, but either change those practices or get involved in a wider conversation. Left: Oaklands Milk is already outgrowing its factory.

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2021

Oaklands Milk have built their milk business to a fleet of seven delivery trucks.

Adding value to milk Oaklands Milk bottles up to 10,000l of milk a day and its future growth is aimed at adding value to milk rather than growing milk sales which would lead to storage challenges. Julian says that means investing in the plant and processing further up the chain rather than simply processing more milk and in doing so, getting closer to customers with the end product and capitalising

on the intellectual property it has been building. It’s the next step for a business that has grown in leaps and bounds rather than a steady rise and each leap has required substantial capital which has all been done without outside investors. Part of that was achieved by selling out of hops and also selling a chunk of the home farm for a retirement village to be built. The family had plenty of experience

in business through its involvement with horticulture, but it didn’t have processing experience when it first stepped into milk processing. For that reason, it changed its board structure early on, from a familybased board to a fully commercial board with independent directors. Julian says bringing that outside experience to the business has helped it progress. “Sometimes they don’t see it the way I see it, but you’ve got to suck it up if we want to still be here in 100 years.” So far they’re working on a 10-20-year strategic plan to achieve a common goal and it’s provided the opportunity for son, Tom, to take up the reins by processing and selling their milk direct to customers. Julian says there is a lot of satisfaction seeing their own product on shelves and he enjoys the interaction with customers. When they first stepped into milk processing and set up vending machines at the gate, they sat for weeks beside the machines to talk with customers and find out what was important to them.

WE WON’T LET THE RAIN SLOW YOU DOWN.

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SYSTEMS MILKING FREQUENCY

Want to change milking frequency? Plan for it Words by: Anne Hardie

f you are going to change your milking frequency, make a plan about how you are going to achieve that goal because there’s no greater risk than changing the frequency and doing nothing else on the farm. That was the advice from DairyNZ senior scientist, Dr Paul Edwards, at the Once-ADay (OAD) Milking Conference in Nelson. On the average New Zealand farm, about 50% of the season is spent milking cows, which is a good incentive to look at reducing the number of milkings. Nationally, about 45% of herds are milked twice a day (TAD) throughout the season, which shows it is no longer the norm, he said. More than half the herds in the country have some form of alternative milking frequency at some stage of the season. Around 14% of those farms use 3in2, 31% use OAD and 8% are full-season OAD. Regionally, Northland uses OAD the most with 25% or more of herds, while the South Island is home to 3in2 milkings and then there are farmers using a combination of milking frequencies through the season. OAD is the ultimate for flexibility

DairyNZ senior scientist, Dr Paul Edwards.

because cows can be milked at any time through the day and he said that was hugely beneficial for improving the pool of labour. Milking at 9am meant the stayat-home parent down the road could still drop the kids off at school and pick them up again at 3pm. “There’s a lot of people out there that potentially haven’t been employed on farms before, that once we start tweaking our milking intervals we can open up that pool of labour.”

than the TAD herd though when they were dried off at the end of the season. However, the experiment was just a one-year study with 31% heifers and no carry-over effects.

VARIED MILKING TIMES

A second experiment varied the milking times for 3in2 to see whether it was the number of milkings that drove results or the timing of the milkings. The results showed no statistical difference between different milkings and

Milking at 9am meant the stay-at-home parent down the road could still drop the kids off at school and pick them up again at 3pm. HERD TESTING

When it comes to switching to OAD milking, herd testing records showed herds with lower production per cow were more likely to lift production or regain their original production compared with higher production herds that dropped production. However, Dr Edwards said the higher-production herds probably also had other changes in the shift to OAD such as removing feed from the system and he said that also had an impact. Many of the lower-producing farms were still profitable and he suggested a fifth to a quarter of herds in NZ were potentially well suited to OAD milking, while higherproducing farms might be better suited to 3in2. An experiment using farmlets on the Lincoln University Farm that compared TAD and 3in2 milkings, resulted in a 5% decrease in milksolids produced in the full season 3in2 herd, with protein more negatively affected than fat. The 3in2 herd was a quarter of a condition score higher

his conclusion was that it was possible to use more attractive 3in2 milking times. He said longer milking intervals did produce slightly less protein, but the difference was too small to matter. His key message was that there was so much variation from farm to farm that farmers needed to do their own numbers when they were considering changing their milking intervals. Even if farmers don’t want to change to OAD or 3in2, there were still options for moving milking intervals around to change the timings of the morning and afternoon milkings. If they brought the afternoon milking forward he said they needed good milking regimes in place to handle the larger morning milking. His challenge to farmers was to question whether their current milking regime was the best option for them. Understand the why, he said, then work backwards from what you want to achieve and make a plan about how to achieve it.

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2021

SYSTEMS INSURANCE CLAIMS

Eliminating human error Words by: Anne Hardie

ntibiotic contamination is the main reason for insurance claims for milk in the country and it’s usually due to human error. Speaking at the Once-A-Day (OAD) and Flexible Milking Conference in Nelson, FMG manager advice services, Stephen Cantwell, said just under 1500 claims are received each season for milk-related problems that total about $4.5 million, with antibiotic contamination towering above other claims. He said farmers can’t change weather-related claims, but they can work on reducing human error claims and less claims can trickle back to lower premiums. The words employee and staff often come up in claims and he said it highlights the importance of running through procedures in the dairy and reminding staff about even simple things, including turning on the vat. Beyond the dairy, human error leads to more claims and he said there are some Stephen Cantwell . simple procedures to set in place on the farm that can help reduce accidents and damage. For instance, checking the tyre pressure on the quad bike to reduce risk of rolling and checking the tractor for birds’ nests during the nesting period. The latter point led to the company’s Stop and Pop campaign to encourage farmers to pop the hood and check for bird’s nests, which saved $2.64 million in three years. “If we can give better advice, we can lower claims and stabilise premiums.” Farming has its risks and as more farms operate as companies, he said they need to be aware that every director takes on responsibility. Many farming companies are family based and sit around the dining room table for their meetings and he said it is very easy to forget they each have the legal responsibilities of a company director. His final message to farmers was about the risks associated with connectivity. While technology needs to be embraced, it increasingly has risks. In one case, a dairy farmer was basically locked out of their dairy and ransomed after their system was hacked. In another, a farmer paid an invoice and was then asked to pay it again a month later after it was intercepted and they were given a different account number. “People don’t like to talk about this. If people get hit they don’t want anyone to know they’ve been scammed.” He advised farmers to get tips for cyber security from Cert NZ at https://www.cert.govt.nz/ and if they followed those tips they could at least ensure their business was 80% secure. Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2021

It saves me a lot of time not having to mix up teat spray. It’s fresh and it’s mixed daily – straight out of the drum and straight onto the cow. – Craig & Tracey Fisher, Stratford. Craig and Tracey Fisher are 50/50 sharemilkers, milking 210 cows on 86 hectares at the base of Mount Taranaki. They use Iodoshield Active with Active Teat Conditioner because it’s the right option for wet and muddy conditions typical to a mountainside environment. The teat spray and emollient is automatically mixed and delivered to the spray nozzle with FIL’s automatic teat spray system, eliminating guesswork while being a huge timesaver. With the combination of FIL teat care products, teat spray automation and on-farm support from their local Area Manager, they’re proud to have achieved a somatic cell count of 60,000 and treating less than 8% of the herd for mastitis. For straight-up advice on udder health and mastitis prevention, get in touch with your local FIL Area Manager on 0508 434 569.

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fil.co.nz 39

SYSTEMS OAD MILKING

Once-a-day stigma a “thing of the past” Zealand’s point of difference is having the lowest unit cost of production in pasture. uarter of a century ago, “That pasture first mentality needs to getting finance from the bank stay. It’s not pasture only – it’s pasture first. when you milked the cows It’s around how we grow and harvest it just once-a-day was a battle. and as much as possible because it is our DairyNZ’s South Island leader lowest unit cost of production. It’s our Tony Finch remembers being point of difference on a world scale.” on the banking side of one However, the industry needs of those discussions back to tell its story better because then, when finance focused NZ’s dairy farmers are the most on total milksolids and sustainable in the world and OAD milking wasn’t yet an he said they need to get that accepted practice. message out to the public and Times have changed and their consumers. Tony Finch. the stigma surrounding OAD Finch said the industry needed to is a thing of the past, he told sit back and reflect on how far it had the OAD Milking Conference in Nelson. come, because it had delivered the Instead, it now ticks the boxes for the environment, staffing, public perception and business profitability. “The system fits nicely with what people want to see,” he said. “The bottom line didn’t change and (was) sometimes lifted. My argument is: why would you spend more time doing your stuff if you could do it in a different way and do it easier for the largest voluntary investment in the same result?” environment - in excess of $1 billion While it ticks the boxes, he said it was and farmers shouldn’t lose sight of that part of a wider industry that still has a way achievement. to go to understand its consumers instead “We are environmentalists at its peak.” of focusing on how much milk goes in the Many dairy farmers have been feeling vat each day. down and out; “kicked in the guts”, but Overseas customers want ethical, reliable they needed to feel proud about who production of nutritious milk and New they were and what they produced. That

Words by: Anne Hardie

has led to DairyNZ’s campaign, Rise and Shine, which is aimed at encouraging pride within dairy farmers of their achievements. It’s also about telling the NZ dairy story better for farmers wellbeing as well as getting that story to the public and consumers overseas. Farmers in Aotearoa are the world’s leading efficiency producers of milk in a carbon footprint – the best at it in the world – and he said they should be proud of it. They lead the world in animal care, with animals roaming outdoors, produce good ethical milk and are the highest producer of value nutrition while having the lowest footprint that comes with that. And they

. . . “Why would you spend more time doing your stuff if you could do it in a different way and do it easier for the same result?”

“making milking easier and faster”

deliver $20 billion into the NZ economy. “We’re very good at what we do. We are innovators like you can’t believe. We’re efficient in what we do and we can’t lose track that our people matter. The wellbeing aspect of our farmers is being challenged more so now than ever before and we need to feel proud of what we do.”

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THE REGENERATIVE JOURNEY

- where are we going?

SPECIAL REPORT CONTENTS: 42 46 49 52 54 58

Aligned for the future To be regenerative: verb, not noun Engage but ground the practice in science On a regen journey Taking grazing to the next level The science-based organic advocate

Special report: Regenerative agriculture

ALIGNED for the future Making a profit from regenerative agriculture is the next priority for Align Farms. Anne Lee spoke with chief executive Rhys Roberts and head of environment and innovation Clare Buchan. Photos by Holly Lee.

lign Farms’ budgets for this season show it would need a premium of 20c/kg milksolids (MS) to bring the regeneratively run operation up to par with its conventionally run area in terms of operating profit. That’s based on a $6.25/kg MS payout used as a long-run average, Align Farms chief executive Rhys Roberts says. “Based on a $6.25/kg MS payout the regen is about $300/ha less profitable so we’d need that 20c/kg MS premium or we’d need to see other productivity and efficiency benefits like a 10% drop in our empty rate to bring profit to the same level.” At an $8/kg MS payout the difference runs out to $900/ha. “Even at $900/ha difference I’m reasonably content with this from a trial perspective because the budget doesn’t include any financial benefits we might get in animal health or mating performance from the regenerative system. “It doesn’t take account of the environmental benefits we’re getting either. We’re using very low bought-in feed and no synthetic nitrogen on the regenerative side. “But it’s important to note we’re content with it as a trial at this stage – if this was

put across all dairy farms in New Zealand, it would knock about $1.5 billion out of the country’s economy. “This further illustrates the importance of taking a laser focus to the financial performance of this trial. “We cannot lose sight of the importance of profit to a farming system remaining sustainable.” Even though he’s ok with the additional cost, particularly at the $300 difference based on the longer term payout he says he would be happier if it was $300 ahead not behind. “I feel like we won’t get too much interest from conventional farmers until we’re ahead so we either have to get some value for what we’re doing or see some improved efficiencies if this is about where we end up.” This month Align Farms kicked off the first full season of its comparative study running half its Clareview farm using regenerative practices and the other half using conventional practices. Longfield farm is transitioning and is expected to join the trial next season. On Clareview that means 148ha is now established in diverse perennial pasture species, no synthetic fertiliser and a pasture grazing regime that sees higher covers and

Regen ag field of dreams: Clare and Rhys.

residuals and more frequent shifting of cows. Farm working expenses are significantly lower on the regenerative area at $4.12/ kg MS compared with $4.42/kg MS due mainly to lower fertiliser and supplementary feed costs. The farm team is using a science advisory board to help ensure the comparative study is robust and Rhys says the decision

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2021

to use 223kg/cow of grain as a boughtin supplement was one that sparked some good debate across the whole team including the board members and others they sounded out. “In the end we decided to keep some supplement going into the regenerative side this season with the view we’re likely to be able to phase it out in coming seasons.” There was also some debate about the higher stocking rate on the conventional farm but Rhys says it’s realistic given the type of system they have been running. Cows on the conventional side will get 600kg/cow of grain, 100kg DM/cow of pasture silage and 100kg DM/cow of maize silage. Fertiliser on the regenerative area includes fish fertiliser, guano, lime and compost or bought-in manure. No urea or synthetic nitrogen is applied. The Dairy Exporter will be taking a deeper dive into the fertiliser regimes at Align later this year.

GETTING FACTS AND DATA Rhys says the budget has been set based on the typical costs they’ve run in previous years so the proof will be in the actuals spent. “We’ve just divided our animal costs per cow for instance so there’s no difference in what we expect in terms of the budget between both sides. “It may be that we see a reduction in animal health costs on the regen side and then again it could be higher.” That’s what the study is about – getting the facts and data and then reporting back, he says.

Clareview has been transitioning to the diverse pastures and different fertiliser regimes over the past two seasons and in the last season Rhys says there was a notable improvement in somatic cell count (SCC). “Typically, we see a bowl shape in our SCC graph so it starts high, drops and then climbs again at the end of the season but this year it started out as usual and dropped as we expect but it didn’t rise again. “We’ll be tracking the animal health data this season very closely with the cows all fitted with Allflex collars.” They’ll be able to monitor rumination and other health indicators and reproductive indicators using the collars and reports they generate. “We’ll be able to compare rumination for instance between the two systems but we’ll also be able to see what’s happening compared with cows on our other farms going on and off other crops. They’ve seen differences in water use with up to 40% less irrigation water going on regenerative paddocks at times last season. “We’ve split the budget evenly for irrigation power costs in the budget but again we’ll see what the actuals show in terms of difference, if any, this season.” Rhys says they had confidence in setting the budget based on some of the learning from last season. “Pasture production on the regenerative side kept up with the conventional side to date but we have noted that while there were no real differences at peak growth times in the season we did see some differences that surprised us a bit in the shoulders. “There was slightly reduced performance in the regenerative diverse pastures in

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2021

Healthy roots: Rhys holds up a healthy root mass.

Clareview farm facts with budgeted production and costs: Regenerative Conventional Area

148ha

Cows

511 cows

592 cows

Stocking rate

3.5 cows/ha

4 cows/ha

Production/ ha

1450kg MS

1800kg MS

Production/ cow

420kg MS

450kg MS

Supplement/ 223kg grain cow

800kg DM

Fertiliser cost (including nitrogen)

$67,000

$120,000

Feed cost

$84,000

$217,000

Farm working expenses

$4.12

$4.42

Operating profit/ha

$3,601

$3,925

the shoulders, particularly in the autumn which went against what we thought would happen. “What we’re asking now is whether that’s a soil fertility thing, or a diverse species thing, are we grazing at covers that are too high or are we grazing them down too low.”

REGEN WINTERING Align Farms is also testing out a regenerative wintering system on its 497ha effective support block, Hinterlands, near Mt Somers. The large scale property will winter 1500 mixed-age cows, 774 rising-two-year heifers and 1000 calves plus about 60 R2 bulls. Although it’s dryland, in late May it was anything but, with the South Branch of the Ashburton River taking a detour across swathes of land in the Canterbury floods. In January 77ha had been sown in diverse pasture and forage crop species but ironically the summer/autumn drought had taken its toll on both the diverse species and a late kale crop sown in January. “In the end, although it wasn’t good it wasn’t as bad as we thought and both the diverse forage and late kale yielded 7t DM/ ha when they were measured in May. “Kale sown in November had also been drought affected but it came out at 12t DM/ha.” The diverse forage included oats, barley, sunflowers, lupins, faba beans, buckwheat, quinoa, ryecorn, linseed, clovers, vetch and phacelia as well as brassicas – rape, swedes, kale and radish. “I think we’ll find that we should have had the mix 60:40 brassica to cereals in favour of the brassicas but it’s the other way around.” It was direct drilled into a barley crop that had been taken for cereal silage. It wasn’t sprayed out before the diverse crop was sown and they did get regrowth from the barley.

“We would have preferred the cows from the regenerative areas of the dairy farms to be solely grazing the diverse crop but because of the lower yield they’ll be on kale until July.” The questions they want to answer from the diverse winter forage is whether it will regrow, how well it can regrow and can they get a second grazing out of it. Cows will be strip grazed and back fenced. Align Farms head of environment and innovation Clare Buchanan says they’re aiming to carry out mineralisable nitrogen monitoring which may indicate how well the diverse crop and its regrowth can soak up excess nitrogen and act as a catch crop. They’re also trying bale grazing one mob of cows on one of the diverse paddocks. Bale grazing is a regenerative practice where bales of meadow hay are positioned throughout the crop. Rhys says they’ve purchased 158 bales with about 10 bales put into each break on the diverse crop. “So there’s a lot more hay than you’d normally put in with a crop and it’s just left out there for the cows to push around, eat, lie on with the aim to get them eating it but also spreading it around and transferring nutrients. “I’m not sure just how commercially sound it is but we’ll trial it and see what we find out.” Cows on kale will have a wintering diet of about 11kg DM/cow kale and 3kg DM/ cow ryegrass straw while cows on the diverse forage outside the bale grazing trial will have a diet of closer to 8kg DM/cow forage and 6kg DM/meadow hay. Having the Allflex collars will allow rumination times for cows on the two forages to be compared. “It is exciting to be underway with this first full season of the study – we’ll have a lot more data and experience to share from now on.”

Rhys and Clare checking for rhizobia on the roots.

REGENERATIVE VERIFICATION Align Farms has been working with Ata Regenerative to carry out an Ecological Outcome Verification, Align Farms head of environment and innovation Clare Buchan says. Monitor paddocks have been assessed for a wide range of indicators such as biodiversity, soil biology and soil chemistry and based on scores it’s determined whether the paddock and soils are deemed to be regenerating or degenerating. The programme was developed through the Savoury Institute and is affiliated with the Land to Market programme – a regenerative verification programme connecting consumers with food coming from regenerative farms. Clare says it involves both short and long term monitoring carried out annually and every five years respectively to assess the outcomes of farming practices. The Dairy Exporter has been following Align’s transition into regenerative agriculture since last year and we’ll be continuing to keep you updated through the coming season on their findings. Take a look back at our December 2020 issue and March 2021 for our previous stories.

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2021

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Special report: Regenerative agriculture

TO BE REGENERATIVE: verb, not noun

MPI chief science advisor Dr John Roche says researching regenerative agriculture is about testing what works for New Zealand farmers. Anne Lee reports.

he Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) chief science advisor Dr John Roche says MPI’s call for project submissions on researching regenerative agricultural practices is not about funding a fad. Late last year MPI said funding applications were open through the Sustainable Food and Fibres Futures coinvestment fund for projects that could develop sound, evidence-based research to test and confirm what works in New Zealand soils, climates and farming systems. “We’re very clear – we’re not looking to support or fund a fad. “Over the last 100 years we’ve had farmer-led innovation and scientists have worked hand in glove with farmers to refine, understand and develop those innovations. “What’s disappointing to me in the discussion and debate around regenerative agriculture is that we’ve seen some scientists stepping out of the discussions, not being prepared to look further at this, when actually we need them engaged.” Some questions on regenerative practices may be answered by research that’s already been done but there were still questions that needed answering with new research. “Some practices being considered

won’t stand the scrutiny of scientific investigation but we want to marshal the research so we know what practices are true and have positive outcomes in our situation and which ones don’t.” Evidence from funded research needs to be: • Measurable • Quantifiable • Easily understood • Shared freely. Proposals for two studies are about to be announced – one on incorporating biodiversity into productive land and one on farm systems more able to withstand drought. Many more proposals are being processed. An MPI Technical Advisory Group (TAG) for regenerative agriculture includes about 25 people. They met earlier this year to agree on a vision rather than definition, discuss key principles and both the technical and social outcomes regenerative agriculture should strive to achieve. Both MPI and the Primary Sector Council have recognised regenerative agriculture in the “Fit for a Better World” vision for the primary sector. It includes the Te Taiao report which outlines a four-year programme of actions relating to improving on farm practices for better environmental outcomes as

well as outcomes for animals, communities and economic resilience. The overarching aim is to keep making those improvements but also to position NZ’s primary sector and John Roche, Chief science advisor, Ministry for exports as world Primary Industries. leading to enable greater returns from increasingly discerning consumers. “We know there are consumers out there willing to pay more for regeneratively produced produce but we also know they don’t exactly know what that means.” “Let’s take our story to the market.” John says the concept of Taiao – look after the natural world and it will look after us - is at the heart of primary sector strategies and regenerative agriculture principles sit well alongside that. There’s an acceptance that regenerative agriculture isn’t a prescriptive set of inputs or practices as it is for organic agriculture and the aim is to keep it that way, John says. It’s more outcomes focused and should be viewed as a verb rather than a noun, he says.

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2021

REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURAL PRACTICES There is a whole suite of practices which are regenerating, improving the system across a wide range of outcomes. So practices that are, for example, improving moisture holding capacity of the soil or lowering nitrogen loss can all be called regenerative. “The important thing here is it doesn’t mean that just because you’re not using a specific practice, sometimes associated with regenerative agriculture overseas, that you’re degenerative.” Farmers sit on a continuum for a whole range of outcomes and have priorities depending on where they sit. “Being regenerative doesn’t mean turning your back on conventional practices either. “We have to get past the issues some people have with the word regenerative.” John’s science career in the dairy sector

saw him champion NZ’s ryegrass-white clover pasture-based system and loudly decry practices and products that weren’t science based and cost farmers money. “The regenerative narrative we have here, isn’t at odds with that at all. “We want evidence-based practices, innovation and continuous improvement across the whole spectrum of soils, animals, environment, people’s wellbeing and profitability. “Over the years NZ farmers have been the ones to work out ways to get through challenges, they’ve been the ones to come up with step-change innovations and this is a very farmer driven movement.” “We have to make sure the research is there to support the right practices that achieve the outcomes we’re all looking for.”

THE VISION FOR REGENERATING AOTEAROA Primary sector principles and practices that in isolation or collectively can: • Achieve improved outcomes for our productive landscapes, rivers, coastal and marine environments, biodiversity and natural ecosystems and animal welfare. • Promote health and wellbeing for humans. • Ensure we can grow and consume our food and fibre products sustainably. MPI technical advisory group 2021

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Milk price ($/kg MS)

8.00

Sprayfo Blue Premium CMR Milk price ($/l)

0.70

Premium quality Calf Milk Replacer Can be fed to calves from 4 days’ old

Sprayfo Blue CMR price ($/bag)

Whey protein for faster digestion

73.00

Milk bag size (kg)

Milk replacer price ($/kg)

3.65

Milk replacer mixing rate (g/l)

125

Milk replacer cost ($/l)

0.46

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1L of whole milk from the vat is worth $0.70 compared to 1L of milk replacer which is worth $0.46

Moisture 3%

2. The cost of rearing calves on milk versus milk replacer Number of calves reared

Rearing system: Milk replacer required per calf (kg)

100

Once a day

Expected age at weaning (days) Expected age at weaning (weeks)

Lactose 39%

8.00 Fat 20%

(based on a mixing rate of 125g/l) or equivalent for once-a-day systems)

31.3

Milk replacer cost per calf ($)

114.06

Total milk replacer required (t)

3.1

Total milk replacer required (bags) (rounded to a pallet)

150

Milk required per calf (L) (assuming

250.0

Whole milk cost per calf ($)

174.00

Total milk required (kg MS)

2,175

Whole milk cost total ($)

17,400

125g milk replacer = 1l milk)

Protein 23%

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Special report: Regenerative agriculture

Engage but ground the

PRACTICE IN SCIENCE Words by: Anne Lee

here’s a bigger peril to conventional farming in New Zealand than engaging with regenerative agriculture – not engaging with it. Bruce Thorrold is a strategy and investment leader at DairyNZ, responsible for allocating funding to research and extension programmes, in particular those relating to new systems and competitiveness. The discussion around regen has become polarised, he says, and that’s not a good situation to be in. The philosophy or vision of what is “essentially a social movement” actually parallels the dairy sector’s own vision – Dairy Tomorrow, he says. It’s also in line with the Ministry for Primary Industry’s Te Taiao strategy. “If you look at the philosophy of regen ag, which basically says let’s farm in ways that make things better with a spirit of continuous improvement, a spirit of trying new things, a spirit of taking a holistic view of your farm, your community, your business, your people, your animals and your environment – that’s our strategy, that’s Dairy Tomorrow.” Many of the practices too are in line with what farmers do now as good or best practice. But there are some practices that just

aren’t based on sound science or evidence, he says. “That’s the risk, so instead of solving the problem, farmers spend scarce capital and mental energy on making the problems worse.” To avoid that risk, farmers, funders and sector groups should be embracing the overarching philosophy, engaging in the discussion and ensuring that the research and farm systems being developed are done so based on science together with farmer experience. “If we do that, if we ground this in science and economics and then we use the creativity of researchers and farmers and find new ways, good ways of doing things – then we’ll be right,” he says. To disengage means leaving it to someone else. He believes one of the reasons some scientists and farmers have come out so strongly against regenerative agriculture is they think that by accepting it as a philosophy it means accepting “conventional” farming is bad. “It’s this feeling that it means accepting blame. “But the farmers who look to regen don’t do it for that reason. They do it because they’re looking for ways to do better, just the same way we’re looking for continuous improvement in Dairy Tomorrow. “It’s not about feeling blame.”

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Bruce Thorrold, Strategy and investment leader at DairyNZ

Like many social movements or philosophies regenerative farming has attracted some “fringe elements” and some of the practices have no scientific backing. Emphasis for instance can go onto creating soil conditions where fungi populations increase and they then work in harmony with plants to extract nutrients the plants need from the soil, limiting or eliminating the need for fertiliser inputs. “We know from earlier research that when you stop putting fertiliser on, the fungi will get cracking but they mine the soil so over a period we’re exporting nutrients (through meat and milk). “You run your phosphorous status down for example and become phosphorous deficient and no amount of fungi will solve that.” But there’s no need to throw out the

PRACTICES EMPLOYED IN RA SYSTEMS

(FROM LANDCARE RESEARCH WHITE PAPER)

Practice

Description

Diverse cover crops

Short-term non-cash crops sown between cash crops in arable systems, including species with different plant functional traits (>8 species). Seed growers may be limited to 4–8 cover crop species to avoid cross-contamination risks.

Diverse forage crops

Forage crops usually with >8 species that have different intended functions (i.e. animal nutrition, plant health and/ or soil health). Commonly grazed in summer, autumn and winter.

Diverse perennial pastures

Diverse pastures are sown (16 to 40+ species sown using direct drilling) to assemble perennial plant communities with high functional diversity. Species composition and diversity change through time.

Bale grazing

Placing hay bales throughout paddocks that are strip grazed during winter. Hay is balanced with fresh pasture. Intentional bale ‘wastage’ creates a fertiliser effect and improves soil health.

No-till and residue retention

Sowing of crops or pastures without cultivation. Retaining some or all crop residues on the soil surface as protection.

Integrated pest management

Managing arable land to promote beneficial insects, especially those that predate crop pests.

Minimising synthetic fertiliser inputs

Multiple different strategies, including shifting to foliar application, increasing nutrient cycling and nitrogen fixation, changing fertiliser sources.

Minimising chemical inputs

Reducing/eliminating chemical inputs where practical, including seed dressings, weed sprays, fungicides, insecticides, drenches, dips, cleaning products, and/or substituting with biological alternatives.

‘Buffering’ synthetic and chemical inputs

Using carbon-based products such as humate-derived substances to chelate fertiliser and chemicals.

Inoculants, biostimulants and carbon-rich amendments

Inputs designed to enhance the function of soil, plant and animal microbiomes in either a targeted or general manner. Common products include fish hydrolysate, seaweed derivatives, diluted seawater, compost, aqueous compost extracts, biochar, isolated fungi/bacterial strains.

Mineral balancing and trace elements

Ensure sufficient amounts of soil minerals are present for optimal soil and plant function. Ensure minerals are ‘balanced’ so as not to antagonise the ability of plants to take up what they need. Some practitioners use the Albrecht– Kinsey soil audit methodology to diagnose balancing requirements.

Timing interventions using the lunar calendar

Some practitioners take into account lunar and other astral cycles to determine the timing of particular interventions on their systems, such as planting or harvest.

Regenerative grazing management

Adaptive multi-paddock grazing, deferred grazing.

whole concept because there’s evidence a particular practice doesn’t work. Farmers want to know what works and what doesn’t, he says. “Instead, farming could pick up on the Te Taiao, New Zealand farming Inc-take on regenerative agriculture with its culturally unique flavour and ground it in science and farmer experience. “There’s work to be done in understanding what some of these regenerative practices lead to in the soil and the wider range of values pasture diversity can give.” Research projects are in development for structured scientific studies together with farmlet work and work with farmers already using regenerative practices, he says. DairyNZ principal scientist Ina Pinxterhuis was involved in the discussions that resulted in the Our Land and Water white paper, Regenerative Agriculture in Aotearoa New Zealand – Research pathways to build science-based evidence and national narratives. (link on page 41) She says the white paper lists both principles and practices with some compatible with profitable, sustainable best practice dairying but some aren’t and some need research. One of the 11 principles for instance is to manage livestock strategically. On the face of it, not a problem, but the regenerative agriculture practice of “adaptive multi-paddock grazing” isn’t proven to give the benefits claimed, Ina says. It involves using high stocking rates on high pre-grazing covers of diverse pastures for short periods (6-12 hours per day but some farmers up to six shifts per day) leaving higher residuals so drymatter is trampled into the ground with an aim to recycle nutrients, increase carbon and promote biological activity.

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Ina Pinxterhuis, DairyNZ principal scientist

“There are a lot of unanswered questions with this. “Do animals at very high stocking rates on these diverse pastures really get to select what they want? “Does the lower pasture utilisation (70%) compared with (85%) in conventional grazing simply increase the

risk of lower intakes of poorer quality feed given longer covers mean more dead material in the base and stalkier, more fibrous plants? “Does it increase the risk of diseases such as facial eczema?” “Is it really better for pasture for organic matter to be trampled in for nutrient recycling or does it work just as well if more, high quality feed passes through the animal first and is then deposited on the ground as dung and urine? “We know that biodiversity above the ground increases the biodiversity under the ground but what soil biology is actually beneficial to the environment and the farm system? “Could four plant species give us the biodiversity underground that will carry out the ecosystem services we need – so do we really need 16 or more? “It may depend on how much organic matter you already have in your soils or where you’re at in terms of soil

improvement so it may be that there are a range of answers. “We know there are benefits and risks to some of these practices but do we have enough tools for farmers to make the decisions on what might work for them and how can they experiment onfarm and learn? “When our aim was to increase production, it was easy to see if something worked or not because farmers could measure it in the vat. But if we have different goals – such as supporting functional biodiversity, animal wellbeing, reducing nitrogen loss or greenhouse gas losses – as scientists we need to give farmers meaningful measures they can use.” Research, both component, structured research and research onfarm with farmers is needed to answer the myriad of questions so farmers can benefit from the good aspects of regenerative farming while avoiding possible downsides, she says.

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Special report: Regenerative agriculture

On a

‘REGEN JOURNEY’ Russell and Charlotte Heald have transitioned to regenerative agriculture and organic farming over the past four years. Jackie Harrigan spoke with them to find out more about their journey.

R Russell and Charlotte Heald with their children.

FARM FACTS: • 322ha farm area • 170ha milking platform, 108 ha eff runoff • 460 cows 4 years ago reducing to 430, 400, now peak milking 385cows • Production: 157,000kgMS prechange, dropped to 125,9000, drought hit last season reducing to 106,000kgMS (300kgMS/ cow) • Target: 350-400kgMS/cow

ussell Heald discovered his regen pasture mix was like a blast from the past when he found, in his grandfather’s diary, the seed mix used on their Norsewood property in the 1927/28 season. “It was almost identical to the nine species we are using.” Russell and Charlotte have been on a ‘regen journey’ for the past four years, also transitioning to organics, trying to find a less stressful system of farming, and are more than happy with the outcome. The couple says the holistic regen/organic system is proving just as profitable as the previous conventional operation and they have less work, less worry, less animal health issues and less bills to pay. Moving to biological fertilisers (fish slurry), to a diverse pasture species mix and longer grazing rounds, while transitioning to organics, using all homegrown feed and going OAD milking has been a lot of change in the past four years - with mixed results from a couple of dry summers thrown into the mix on their 170ha milking platform. Production has taken a hit, say the couple, but dropping out $200,000 of PK and silage from the supplement budget helped, while cutting animal health costs from $60/cow to $15-18/cow has shaved

another $15,000 from the farm working expenses. “The high payout has certainly helped ease the bit of a hit we took.” While income is down, so are stress levels - for cows, staff and owners, Russell and Charlotte, who have just bought the family farm from Charlotte’s family trust and formed an equity partnership for the trading company. The OAD has reduced lameness and mastitis has dropped, and reproduction has improved with an empty rate of 5% over the past two years - although this year it jumped to 12% for reasons not yet known. Visits from the vet have dropped to two times last season.

BRINGING FUN BACK INTO FARMING With labour of one full time team member and a couple of permanent part timers helping with relief milking and calf rearing, staff retention is no longer the massive problem it was. “Our fulltimer is so happy, he has come from System 4-5 farms, and is now working a 11:3 roster with every second Friday and weekend off and cups on at 7am. He is much happier with his work life balance.”

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In fact Russell says the system change has brought the fun back into farming. “It’s made it more enjoyable for everyone.” With support from Calm and Farm and Regen advisor Greg Barclay from Soil Connection, the couple have worked their way through the very different way of farming that regen involves. Fertiliser consists of fish slurry - which has naturally occurring N,P,K and S along with a host of trace elements, sprayed on with an ocean-based dry mix with lime, dolomite, Se, B, Co, and sea salts. Russell says they don’t focus on the chemical element breakdown rather that the fertiliser boosts the soil biology and increases organic matter - which Brookside Labs in the US has tested as having increased from 5% to 9%. “We don’t follow the NPKS replacement model, it’s more about getting the soil biology going and getting the carbon sequestered and cycling from the atmosphere,” Russell explained. Pastures are sown with nine different species and grown to higher covers, running different and longer rounds up to 35-45 days long at different times of the year so the plants are fully energised and full of sugar. The grazing regime consists of trampling 1/3, eating 1/3 and leaving 1/3. The trampling is about getting the trash recycling through the soil biology for the plants to use again. The longer round allows time for the plants to recover nutrients and cycle them through the fungi network, and makes the system far more resilient if the weather turns against them, Russell says. Under a 20-30 day round the rye/clover pastures tended to suffer heat stress and gave up in a hot summer, Russell explained, but the longer round and variety of species were much more resilient, with the longer round and higher covers meaning grass grows for longer and less feeding out is needed.

“With the greater number of species there is always something that keeps growing and the feed quality holds on longer in the sward - there is a better balance of protein and carbs and that translates into better animal health,” he says. The summer cropping mix has 12-13 species in the mix and the couple have learnt that some plants are for the soil and some are for the animals. ‘Our cows tell us that the approach is working - they are so much more relaxed and chilled out.” While production has dropped through the journey to organics and regen practices, Russell and Charlotte have a goal to increase to 350-400kgMS/cow by compacting their calving and having more days in milk. They have a zero bobby calf policy that works by using Wagyu semen and rearing and running the calves contracted to First Light on their runoff before they transfer to the finisher. “Some people get hung up on production but our sustainable and environmental approach is more profitable than what we have been in the past and it’s more resilient to adverse events. “Healthy soils equals healthy plants equal healthy, happy cows equals happy farmers - that’s our motto onfarm.” The couple says their journey has turned heads with other local farmers, some who have challenged what they are doing and some who have shown immense interest. “We do what we do and what works for us - every farm is different and every farmer is too.” “You just have to do what you do and what makes you happy - that’s the most important thing - and knowing that we can run a lower stress system with a better environmental footprint in the world while building carbon and resilience is important.”

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“WE DO WHAT WE DO AND WHAT WORKS FOR US - EVERY FARM IS DIFFERENT AND EVERY FARMER IS TOO.”

A dairy cow in regen pastures at the Heald’s property.

DIVERSE PASTURE MIXES INCLUDE: • Red Clover • White Clover • Plantain • Chicory • Phalaris • Cocksfoot • Timothy • Prairie Grass • Fescue • Tetraploid perennial ryegrass • Italian Rye

Special report: Regenerative agriculture

TAKING GRAZING to the next level

Words and photos by: Karen Trebilcock

R Next Level Grazing regenerative farming coach Siobhan Griffin.

“GROWING SUNFLOWERS AND OTHER ANNUALS IS FOR ARABLE FARMING. FOR ANIMAL GRAZING WE WANT PERSISTING DIVERSE PERENNIAL PASTURES.”

egenerative farming coach Siobhan Griffin is not a big fan of sunflowers. “The colour yellow I like to see in paddocks is that of dandelion flowers.” The long tap roots of the dandelion plants plus their ability to grow in early spring and in summer dry puts them on Siobhan’s list of perennial pasture species for dairy, sheep and beef farms along with ryegrass, cocksfoot, timothy, chicory, plantain, brome grasses, red and white clover and a host of others. “There has been a little bit lost in translation with regenerative farming coming to New Zealand. “Growing sunflowers and other annuals is for arable farming. For animal grazing we want persisting diverse perennial pastures.” And her Next Level Grazing clients throughout the country are proving it’s working. “Regenerative is any type of farming that grows soil carbon. And the more soil carbon you have the more grass you will grow and we want to grow more grass each year per hectare than the year before it.” She said farmers should monitor their pasture production per hectare and make

sure it is growing year on year. She teaches farmers how to keep track of this data on grazing plans designed to help farmers achieve optimal pasture recovery all year round and grow more grass. Although New Zealand farmers knew to wait to graze ryegrass until it reached the three-tiller stage, she said few managed to do it, especially in the summer. Instead, most farmers grazed pastures when ryegrass was not optimally recovered at the two or two and a half leaf stage, which was at the same time as the faster growing but less palatable brown top and fog grasses were at the four-tiller stage. “And as we know grass grows so very quickly (that) brown top and dogstail and all the other grasses we don’t want start to dominate.” It was one of the reasons why our ryegrasses were not persisting, she said. As well, perennial ryegrass root structures were not good enough to hold up cattle in wet weather, especially in winter. “And then you get mud and you damage your clovers and your ryegrass roots. A web of deep diverse roots from pasture plants including timothy and cocksfoot hold up livestock better in wet conditions.”

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SYMBIOTIC RELATIONSHIP OF RYEGRASS

Siobhan examines the leaf stage of ryegrass on the sheep farm in South Otago where she lives.

Siobhan said pure swards of ryegrass and clover is not what nature intended. “Ryegrass likes being around other grasses. They have a symbiotic relationship, not a competitive one, and it can grow easily to the four or five leaf stage if it’s supported. Clovers are the same. “You don’t lose clover growth because of shading.” A mix of perennial grass and clover species also provided protection from drying winds and sun if allowed to reach optimal recovery which is just before plants put up a seed head. This keeps soils moist and cooler for longer in summer – the conditions ryegrasses like. “We get the most solar energy from the sun at the height of summer but often our pastures are very short by then from drought and we get no benefit from it. “Our farms are big solar energy collectors, and we have to think of them like that.” But getting to a mixed sward, if not starting with a bag of seed, takes several years. “If you start slowly you will get there. Don’t try to do it in one year. Mother Nature takes her time but she gets it all done. “Start with grazing ryegrass at the three-tiller stage all year round, then the following year target the three and a halftiller stage and then the four-tiller stage and you will start to see the difference in the pasture species coming through. “On most farms the seeds of timothy and cocksfoot and other plants are already there. You just have to give them the recovery time and the residuals they need to grow.” As covers lengthen, she said it was important to lengthen residuals by the same amount.

The grass left behind, if most of it is trampled, builds soil organic matter. “I used to think it was just cow dung and urine that fed the soil but they’re just like the compost inoculant. It’s the trampled grass that is important. That’s what feeds the worms and everything else living in the soil.” Appropriate mob sizes and shifting stock four times each 24 hours made sure all of the sward was evenly eaten, instead of fussy cows eating what they wanted. What is not eaten should be trampled if animal density is correct. “In regenerative grazing, quality is achieved by non-selective trampling instead of high utilisation and this allows the soil biology to have a feed as well as achieving the best animal performance since the livestock gets the best quality at the tops of the plants. “Each time of the year has an optimal recovery time for pasture. In late spring it can be between 15 days to 22 days and in March it will be about 35 to 45 days, depending on where you’re farming.” “Don’t look at your plate meter, look at your grass. You want all of the leaves to have points before you graze it again.” Siobhan is not against fertilisers, though she prefers fertilisers like fish and seaweed which do not damage soil biology. “The land used to be covered in bush and we have imported to it a Eurasian ecosystem – the pasture species, the animals, even the worms and we’re still changing it. “This country probably used to raise more kilograms of poultry per hectare than it now does in lambs. “So we’ve got to focus on building soil carbon, top soil, to recover what productivity we’ve lost.”

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“REGENERATIVE GRAZING WITH LIVESTOCK IS THE ONLY FORM OF AGRICULTURE WHICH CAN BUILD TOPSOIL ON A LANDSCAPE SCALE AND THIS CAN RESULT IN FAR BETTER ENVIRONMENTAL OUTCOMES THAN GROWING ANNUAL CROPS FOR FAKE MEAT AND MILK.”

SPREADING THE PASTORAL FARMING STORY Worried by increasing supermarket space taken up with “fake” meat and milk in the United States, Siobhan Griffin believes New Zealand’s pastoral farming systems is the good news story that will make sure we stay a premier food producer. The former New York State dairy farmer, and now a Next Level Grazing regenerative farming coach based in South Otago, said the way our soils sequester carbon using livestock made a joke of vegan’s claims that cows were not good for the planet. “There is the consensus out there that cows are causing climate change, but it couldn’t be further than the truth. “Cows grazed on regeneratively managed pastures create a deep carbon sponge underneath them in the soil. “Green growing plants supply liquid carbon via their living roots to trade with the network of soil life including fungi who make minerals and water available

to the plants in complex symbiotic relationships. “This is how regenerative grazing can increase mineral associated soil organic matter which sequesters long lasting carbon. “Regenerative grazing with livestock is the only form of agriculture which can build topsoil on a landscape scale and this can result in far better environmental outcomes than growing annual crops for fake meat and milk. “Having animals grazing grasslands sucks carbon out of the air and if only half of the farms in New Zealand were regenerative it would offset all of the country’s climate change emissions. “My farm in New York State increased soil organic matter by 0.5% per annum which worked out to be 7.54 tonnes of carbon/ha or 27 tonnes CO2/ha. (7.54t/ha x 44/12 = 27t CO2/ha) “If New Zealand pastoral farmers

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increased soil organic matter half that, the 7.8 million ha of grassland would sequester 105 million tonnes of CO2 per year. New Zealand emits 81 million tonnes per year.”

Special report: Regenerative agriculture

The science-based

ORGANIC ADVOCATE Former climate change scientist turned organic vegetable grower, Dom Ferretti, says farmers can use pasture to remove carbon from the air. Anne Hardie reports.

ou don’t expect an organic vegetable grower to say there’s nothing better for the soil than pasture and cows, but that’s exactly what Dom Ferretti advocates. As a former climate change scientist with a PhD who worked for NIWA on greenhouse gases (GHG) including carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide, he’s qualified to make that statement. He says farmers can use pasture to remove carbon from the air and store it in the soil, reduce methane emissions from their animals and also reduce nitrogen leaching. After 12 years working on climate change issues, he now puts science into practice, using regenerative agriculture methods on an organic market garden in Nelson with his partner, Jeanette Ida. Ferretti Growers is a small business near Brightwater where they grow half a hectare of vegetables outside, plus 600m2 under plastic, with most packed into weekly boxes for their regular customers. For years they made copious amounts of compost for their soils and it cost them thousands of dollars each year, plus time to mix, load and spread it onto their gardens. Any imbalance in the compost caused an imbalance in the soil. It got them thinking about alternatives and when they learnt they could get enough nitrogen for their vegetables from cover crops, they decided to try that route. Dom says their first trial

with cover crops was a “lightbulb moment” for him that showed they could grow their vegetables with a lot less work and spend just a couple of hundred dollars a year on a mix of seeds. Within the mix are plants with roots to open up the soil, add nitrogen and other nutrients, or produce flowers to attract beneficial insects. The positives don’t stop there. There’s less risk of nitrate leaching, the plants provide a stable form of nitrogen and improve the soil health, while providing the invisible benefit of sequestering carbon from the air and storing it in the soil. He says it’s not just about the nitrogen and carbon though. In the soil there’s the increased microbial activity and fungi networks that connect individual plants together and transfer not just nitrogen and carbon, but also water, other nutrients, minerals and trace elements.

GREAT POTENTIAL FOR PASTORAL FARMERS It works well for an organic market garden and Dom says the potential is even greater for pastoral farmers who can make a difference in the battle against climate change. He says regenerative agriculture has the ability of increasing the soil carbon by 1% per hectare per year by sequestering

Climate change scientist turned organic vegetable grower, Dom Ferretti, in his organic garden.

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IF JUST 10% OF FARMERS ACROSS THE WORLD ADOPTED REGENERATIVE AGRICULTURE PRACTICES, THEY COULD ABSORB ALL THE CARBON THAT NEEDS TO BE STORED. A typical mix of seeds used for Dom’s cover crops. Dom is an advocate of regenerative agricultural practices and encourages pasture farmers to give it a try.

it from the atmosphere and storing it in the soil. “Grasses are so good at absorbing carbon because of their extensive root systems. That enables them to draw carbon out of the atmosphere quickly and in big quantities. “It’s the fastest way to sequester it out of the atmosphere and store it in the soil.” He says the best way of drawing that carbon from the air is to let the grass grow as long as possible – the longer round the better on dairy farms – which increases the root system in the soil. Stalky grasses are high carbon crops that are particularly good to store in the soil. Cows enter a paddock as a herd, eat it down and trample stalks and stems into the soil which stores that carbon and feeds the soil biology below the surface. Farmers need to keep the soil covered in pasture or crop though. If the surface is bare, the microbes head deeper to avoid the sun, the soil surface dries out and carbon will oxidise back into the atmosphere, depleting the soil. If just 10% of farmers across the world adopted regenerative agriculture

practices, Dom says they could absorb all the carbon that needs to be stored. New Zealand farmers, with their pasture-based agriculture, only need to tweak their systems to do their part. “We’re in a pretty unique position as a country to make major changes.” But he acknowledges it is a mind shift for farming and help is needed from the Government to fund New Zealand, research, workshops and seminars to show farmers how it can be done and the results. He says there is plenty of research with proven results in North America and Europe. Storing carbon in the soil has benefits that go beyond climate change. For every percent of carbon stored in the soil, Dom says the topsoil will store another couple of hundred litres of water. “You’ve got a longer stand of grass and root system which stops water running off. If you’ve got a drought, you’ve got that extra water held in the topsoil so pastures keep going longer.” Storing extra water reduces leaching and runoff, which for dairy pasture means more nitrogen is held in the soil profile rather than leaching into the water table.

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In the market garden, they are replanting with cover crops as soon as vegetables are harvested to stop the soil drying out and also stop weeds taking over. Next, they plan to work out ways of interplanting rows of vegetables with green cover crops to keep down weeds and actively feed the soil biology while simultaneously cropping. Basically a path of living mulch. Pastoral farming gets the same benefits. As well as storing carbon and reducing leaching, Dom says growing a diverse mix of grasses and legumes to a decent length and time is simply good for the soil. The longer the grass the better as that increases activity below ground and more decaying plant matter becomes food for the microbes, worms and everything from beetles to slaters and centipedes. Grazing itself is one of the best practices for the soil as manure and urine add beneficial microbes and the process of trampling forces biomass into the soil to feed its living food web. “In a forest, the leaf litter layer between the soil and mulch teems with life. Properly managed pasture can achieve similar results.”

LOVING THE LEGUMES A broad mix of plants also reduces the fertiliser bill as he has discovered for their organic vegetables. “The first thing for me was you can get enough nitrogen into the soil through legumes, so I don’t need to make mountains of compost. For farmers, you can get that nitrogen into the soil through clovers and other legumes. There are so many different types of clovers. The second realisation for myself, which is just as applicable to pasture farmers, is that you don’t need as many inputs when the microbial activity is more diverse and is functioning in a better way. They’re accessing a wider web of nutrients in the soil that plant roots can’t get on their own and they are making it available to the plants. They’re working in a symbiotic relationship and partnering up, they can bring in more water, more nutrients and minerals so the resulting growth is better.” Spraying a paddock out to plant a crop destroys much of that activity in the soil. He says it kills microbial activity, especially when it’s a systemic spray that travels down the roots of the plant where microbes and bugs feed. “After spraying with glyphosate, the little guys come in to feed on the dead material and get a big hit on their populations.” With fodder crops, he says those crops would benefit from other plants planted with them because of the benefits to the soil and also to reduce pests. “Whenever you have a monoculture you have a great magnet for whatever pest likes that crop to come and have a massive party and invite all its friends.” When it comes to methane belched into the atmosphere from cows, Dom says regenerative agriculture can reduce the amount of methane produced. In his time with NIWA, he worked on the development of instruments to measure methane from animals. Though he now thinks that was tackling the wrong end of

the stick because we should be researching what goes into the cow’s diet. Methane, he says, is a waste product of ruminant digestion and if the gut bio doesn’t have the right microbes or doesn’t have big healthy populations of them, the gut won’t be able to digest that food well. Ruminants were designed to eat a varied diet in the wild, he points out. A varied diet leads to a healthy population of bacteria in the gut and therefore better digestion to absorb more minerals and goodies out of the food that bodies need. “We just need to put more grasses that already exist into their diet - a little tweak and a tune -and we won’t have so much of a problem. We could still have cows roaming around emitting lots of methane and it actually wouldn’t matter that much if we had healthy soils absorbing carbon through regenerative agriculture practices because the large farmed areas would soak up so much carbon into the soils.” A mix of plants in the diet is the equivalent of ‘five a day’ of fruit and vegetables, he says, that provide different compounds, minerals and oils that are nature’s medicines. “Animals respond well, you don’t need as many chemicals or fertilisers and farmers and stock lead happier lives.” The reason methane is such a big deal in New Zealand is because of high stocking numbers, the use of herbicides, monoculture crops and tillage which he says results in a net carbon source to the atmosphere. Those practices also mean the soils aren’t thriving, he says. If more farmers could switch to regenerative agriculture, soils wouldn’t lose as much carbon and it would start going back into the soil. Again, he says it’s a mind shift for farmers to move toward regenerative agriculture though. Which is why he suggests farmers try regenerative planting methods on just one paddock of their farm. He says all they need is a good mix of pasture species with different root systems to direct drill into existing pasture.

Love that smell. Dom says that if the soil is healthy, it will give off a good aroma.

A mix of plant species in cover crops benefits the soil.

“We all need to be aware of the important role plants and soil have in affecting climate change. We can capture carbon in the soil and keep it there. The soil can literally save us. This is our chance to stop major climate change and clean up our waterways. Rather than being blamed for the problem, farmers can actually be our heros.” He says there are now groups being set up to support farmers wanting to know more about regenerative agriculture. He also suggests interested farmers look online for podcasts, documentaries and short films to get them started.

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2021

TAKE TIME BEFORE YOU SIGN

PLANNING YOUR NEXT DAIRY PARTNERSHIP. As you progress, it pays to have good people on your side to help with due diligence. DairyNZ, Federated Farmers and the team at FMG are here to help so that your sharemilking and contract milking relationships can be the successful business partnership that you intend it to be. Check out DairyNZ’s ‘Progressing Farmer Checklist’ at and have a chat with your FMG Adviser to help you understand your insurance options and provide you with risk advice to help you establish a successful partnership. You can download the DairyNZ checklist here at dairynz.co.nz/progressing-farmers Pictured: Sophia & Bert Vanden Bogaard (Sharemikers), Ben & Fieke Meyer (Farm owners) and FMG Senior Rural Manager Candice Batty.

We’re here for the good of the country. FMGINDDEFP_T

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2021

ENVIRONMENT EFFLUENT INFRASTRUCTURE

The effluent efficiency experts Size does matter. Mike Visser talked to Sheryl Haitana about how well designed infrastructure is making easy work of the farm’s effluent several years after it was built. Photos by: Emma McCarthy

rom the natural gravity fall to the capacity and shape of the sludge beds, a Te Awamutu dairy farm is benefiting from a sophisticated effluent system design. Haerepo Trust Farm at Te Awamutu has no expensive solids separator or vibrating screens, just separation mesh screens the effluent filters through, which is so efficient there is no stirrer required in the pond. It’s a design which has taken away the headache of dealing with effluent on a daily basis, sharemilker Mike Visser says. “It’s really turned a liability into a huge asset. “We are fortunate here that it is all natural fall, so there is no pumping at all

to get from the feedpad to the pond. It’s all gravity though the sludge beds into the pond.” The only pumping required is from the pond to the Weta low-rate irrigator and the flood wash tank. “We are not reliant on power to get the effluent into the pond so if there is a power cut we don’t get caught out. And we don’t get the wear and tear on pump gear. “Because anything that has to deal with effluent needs a high level of maintenance. Effluent is very corrosive, it’s horrible stuff.” MIke and Sue Visser have been sharemilking for the Barton family between Te Awamutu and Otorohanga since 1997. The position was originally

170ha milking 550 cows, but grew in 2001 when the family purchased 120ha across the road. They now are milking 950 Friesian and Friesian crossbreds in a split calving system, milking 200 cows through winter. The farm’s original effluent system consisted of a feedpad which they scraped daily into a tiny pond at the bottom of the feedpad. That pond only had about four days worth of storage, half of that storage was taken up by the solid crust on the top, Mike says. The pond had to be daily stirred by a tractor power take-off stub shaft and the irrigation lines were constantly blocked or the flow was so low the travelling irrigators hardly worked.

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2021

“We are fortunate here that it is all natural fall, so there is no pumping at all to get from the feedpad to the pond. It’s all gravity though the sludge beds into the pond.” It was a daily stress trying to spread effluent in ideal conditions and meet regulation in ideal irrigation weather, let alone in high-risk weather. “I think we did exceptionally well with what we had to work with, but looking back the risk was pretty high,” Mike says. The farm is predominantly Mairoa Ash soil with some Punui silt loam soil on the river flats next to the Waikeria Stream, which borders part of the farm. Running an intensive DairyNZ system 3-4 split calving operation on high risk soils, they needed a better system to mitigate risk and turned to Agfirst engineering consultant Davieth Verheij to design a solution. The new effluent design involved slightly extending the feed pad and building a

FARM FACTS:

• Farm owner: Haerepo Trust, Barton family • Sharemilkers: Mike and Sue Visser • Location: Te Awamutu • Area: 290ha effective • Cows: 950 Friesians • 2020/21 Target production: 380kg MS/cow • Farm dairy: 50-bail rotary, Milk Hub milk metres, auto drafting and teat spraying, ACRs

Above: Hungry girls: Some of the Friesian herd at the feed pad. Left: Mike Visser says dealing with effluent has become an easy job.

concrete gutter at the end, falling from 500mm to 2m deep. There are two green water jets at the bottom of the gutter to help solids move along. They installed a green water floodwash, which does not reach the entire feed pad so they still have to scrap the corners with a scraper on the back of a quad bike. But that is only a quick 10 minute job, Mike says. From the gutter the effluent flows into two sludge beds, each 76m x 8m. The beds have no vibrating screens, just two AgFirst segregation screens which don’t need to be cleaned. The screens achieve a three stage filtration process through each sludge bed which catches the finer fibre. This system prevents the effluent solids being forced to the end, blocking the weeping wall up, which you often see happening on other farms, Mike says. “Our sludge beds are fantastic, the size does matter apparently and that’s where a lot of them go wrong. It’s all to do with hydraulic power from one end to the other, and it’s your ratio of length to width. A lot of square sludge beds don’t work.”

FILTERING THE LIQUID

The end result is more liquid can filter through and the solids remaining are drier, giving another three months of additional solids storage in the sludge beds. “The pond does not require a stirrer because the size of any particles that can get through the Agfirst three stage weeping wall system should be small enough that they stay suspended.” The pond is 8m cubic litres which gives them months of storage over winter and Dairy Exporter | w

spring and a great irrigation asset to use in summer. They irrigate over 55-60ha using a Weta travelling rain gun, which automatically shuts down if there is no pressure or low pressure. “This makes the system a lot safer - a lot more manageable.” The sludge beds are cleaned out every six months with a digger, once in spring and the next one then in autumn. Because of the filtration system they are left with very dry solids, making it easier for the digger to clean out as it’s not slop. It is spread onto the maize paddocks and down the sidlings. They grow 25ha of maize onfarm each year, rotating the crop around the poorest performing paddocks. They plant via strip tillage which suits the fragile soils instead of full cultivation. Using effluent on those maize paddocks generally means they don’t have to use synthetic fertilisers, Mike says. However, they soil test biannually and test their effluent to ensure the balance is right. “We wanted to quantify what was in the sludge so we had it tested, which was an eye opener. Because the potash stays with the water, it means there was very little K (potassium) left in the solids, so it meant the sludge wasn’t an ideal maize fertiliser on its own.” They use a DAP or MOP fertiliser mix and 140-150kg N/year over the rest of the milking platform. They also buy in another 17ha of maize silage, 350-400t palm kernel and hay for the winter which is all fed out on the feed pad. 63

Above: Mike Visser says dealing with effluent has become an easy job. Right top: Dealing with the brown stuff: Effluent flows into the sludge bed. Right below: AgFirst’s three stage weeping wall system in the sludge beds is key to not requiring a stirrer in the effluent pond.

They feed all supplements on the feed pad, which has a 400-cow capacity, eight months of the year. Not having to feed out in the paddock prevents a lot of wear and tear on machinery and avoids tractor error on some of the hillier terrain, Mike says. The farm is 80% flat to easy rolling country, with 20% of medium rolling land. There are a few steep sidlings that are not part of the milking platform. They harvest about 13t DM/ha pasture in a good year, Mike says. “One thing we’ve found that works really well for us is to plant ryegrass with no clover in it. “That means we can use a strong weed killer without having to protect the clover and then we oversow the clover the following autumn.” They winter milk 200 cows and graze 200 cows off farm in the winter for six weeks, with the remainder staying onfarm. The cows are generally run in three

herds, with a herd of heifers and young and lighter cows, a herd with the bigger Friesians and the other herd with the smaller Freisian/crossbred cows.

LEAPS AND BOUNDS

The maximum walk to the farm dairy from any direction is 2km. The farm as it is today was amalgamated from three smaller dairy farms and each farm still has its own dosatron and electric fence unit. Mike still runs it like three farms, with a herd manager each looking after one herd and essentially their own farm. That sets them up to take on a farm manager role because they are looking after everything, from the cows to the water on their block, he says. “It’s a great training position so it’s not such a big jump up to farm manager.” Staff share every job onfarm from milking to the tractor work, because it

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gives variety in their job and they are all important skills to have, he says. Mike and Sue won Waikato Sharemilker of the Year in the 2005 Dairy Industry Awards. When Mike looks back now they were doing a good job onfarm when they won the sharemilker of the year, but they were doing a lot of cultivating, using a lot of synthetic fertiliser, and poorly utilising effluent. “We have come along leaps and bounds, in our understanding and our practices and use of technology. I think that is true of a lot of farms.” They have chosen to keep their sharemilking job and invest off farm. “We are very fortunate to have a great relationship with the owners, and we treat this farm like our own.” They had a share in an equity partnership dairy farm which they have since sold and bought 12ha of hops in Nelson.

ays d l ie tF a us 3-75 t i s Vi G7 Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2021

ENVIRONMENT CO DIARY

The good soil: reducing nitrogen fertiliser Words by: Hugh Jackson

round the Mid Canterbury region, I have seen a lot of farmers who have been proactively working towards reducing their nitrogen losses over the past few years. Managing nitrogen loss onfarm is good farm practice and can be done in a variety of ways. Reducing the volume of nitrogen coming into a farm system and becoming more efficient at using that nitrogen is a great way to reduce nitrogen loss. One way to reduce the volume of nitrogen coming into your system is by reducing nitrogen fertiliser application. This brings environmental benefits, including improving water quality and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. It is also essential for some farmers to make changes to meet national and regional regulation, such as the nitrogen cap.

SYNTHETIC NITROGEN CAP DEADLINE

As most of you will be aware, the synthetic nitrogen cap is coming into effect on July 1 this year. This means all pastoral farmers will be required to ensure the amount of synthetic nitrogen fertiliser applied is less than 190kgN/ha/year. Farmers will also be required to record and report their synthetic nitrogen fertiliser use to their regional council.

DairyNZ consulting officer for Mid Canterbury, Hugh Jackson.

For farms not ready to meet the incoming nitrogen cap, there is the option to apply for a resource consent this year, which gives time to adjust your practices accordingly by 2023. Contact your regional council for more details. It can be difficult working out where to start when reviewing your fertiliser use, so here are a few tips to help plan. Even farms not affected by the nitrogen cap can make changes to on-farm management, to reduce overall nitrogen fertiliser use.

STRATEGIES TO REDUCE TOTAL NITROGEN FERTILISER

• Have a monthly nitrogen fertiliser plan and monitor it, to check you are on track to stay within your fertiliser budget throughout the year. • Reduce application rates to no more than 40kg N/ha in early spring and then to 0.8kg N/ha per day of round length. • Optimise conditions for clover growth

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2021

and get paddocks soil tested to help identify if a lack of nutrients is limiting pasture or clover growth (pH, P, K and Mo). To avoid the shading of clover, careful grazing management is also important. • Skip a few paddocks when pasture growth rates are high and silage making is not wanted/needed. • Consider missing areas of higher fertility within paddocks, such as the front of paddocks, and areas around troughs. DairyNZ also has great examples of this work in action, through the Selwyn and Hinds project. Farmers in these regions have been on a journey to reduce nitrogen loss and have great real farm examples to support on-farm change. Have a look at dairynz.co.nz/selwynhinds. • For more information about the regulation, visit dairynz.co.nz/nitrogen-cap • Hugh Jackson is a DairyNZ consulting officer for Mid Canterbury.

STEP CHANGE EVENTS DairyNZ’s Step Change programme is supporting dairy farmers to reduce their footprint while improving profit. During June and July, a series of events will help dairy farmers respond to environmental limits and find out how environmental progress could be used in discussion with banks. • Visit dairynz.co.nz/stepchange.

ENVIRONMENT WATER QUALITY

Nikau Trust owns 88 hectares (ha) that borders Lake Waikare, the most degraded and contaminated lake in the Waikato Region, due to an invasion by koi carp.

Making a game plan to improve the whenua From rugby league to research on improving water quality, Tawera Nikau is involved with multiple projects on his farm land in the Waikato. Sheryl Haitana talked to him about Maori plans for koi carp control and getting involved with the science of riparian planting. Photos by: Emma McCarthy

he best tomato plants Tawera Nikau’s grandmother ever grew were planted on top of fish heads. It’s that ancestral Maori knowledge that has inspired Tawera to kickstart a business harvesting koi carp out of lakes in the lower Waikato and turn it into organic fertiliser, pet food, berley and bait products. New Zealand produces high value niche products, and koi carp could be another one - as it’s a delicacy in Japan and China, Tawera says. Tawera’s family owns 88ha at Ohinewai, which borders Lake Waikare, the most degraded and contaminated lake in the Waikato Region. Tawera lives onfarm and is actively 66

involved in the management of the land and numerous restoration projects for the Lake. Tawera also chairs Riu o Waikato (The valley of the Waikato), a collective of local marae who have secured the first commercial licence to harvest koi carp on a large scale. “We have 14 lakes in the lower Waikato and they are all infected with koi carp, doing immense damage to our native species, our eels and our waterways. When you talk about pollution one of the key influences on water quality is koi carp.” They’ve got a processing facility employing six people and have two boats out fishing on Lake Waikare harvesting koi carp in nets, which will be scaled up in the next few years when the products are

tested and ready for the market. It will not only provide a solution to reducing koi carp numbers, but it’s creating jobs for their people and producing great products, Tawera says. “It meets a lot of targets, environmentally, socially and culturally. We are ticking all the boxes, eradicating koi carp, putting stuff back into the ground that needs to be there. “The lakes are all infected with koi carp and they do a lot of damage. It makes sense to help eradicate the koi carp and produce a product where there is zero waste.” Using their Mātauranga (ancestral knowledge) together with scientific evidence to create sustainable products is exciting, Tawera says.

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2021

“For us as Maori, the fertiliser is a classic example. My grandmother used to have fish heads under her tomato plants and they were the best tomatoes. Everyone raved about them. We grew the best kamokamo because we used all the fish and eel heads - it’s free, it’s organic. Aligning that knowledge with the proper testing and support is really important.” The Nikau Trust has used a batch of fertiliser on one of their maize blocks this year. “We didn’t use any other fertiliser, it’s looking a lot healthier, a lot greener,” Tawera says.

WIDER ENVIRONMENTAL PLAN

The Trust finished leasing out their land to a dairy farmer two years ago and now grow maize and grain for Corson (for more details on this, check out the Corson maize publication). The koi carp control is part of the Trust’s

wider environmental plan, which has involved land use change from intensive dairying to growing crops and a riparian project for the lake. “The trust has been really instrumental in looking at different ways of doing things from an environmental wellbeing perspective.” They started doing riparian plantings and removing willows, but the Trust wanted long term sustainability and wanted to partner with credible institutions to record evidence of the effect of what they were doing was having on the lake, Tawera says. “There are a lot of things happening in this space that the Trust has been at the forefront of and we have built some great relationships.” Nikau Trust has partnered with stakeholders in a research programme which is investigating the potential of mānuka and other native species to reduce the impact of farming activities on the

An extensive riparian margin has been planted between the farmland and the lake edge as part of the Trust’s environmental plan.

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Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2021

waterways, to provide diversified incomes to farmers, and to improve the cultural relationships of the communities with the lake. Lake Waikare is the most degraded and contaminated lake in the Waikato Region. Inputs of nutrients, pathogens and sediments from the surrounding farming activities, the deforestation of natural vegetation, and the Flood Regulation schemes since the 1960s, are the main drivers that led to the low quality of the lake. The strategic importance of Lake Waikare and the Whangamarino wetland as the lungs and kidneys for the Lower Waikato Region are recognised by local Iwi, since in the past the lake was a source of sustenance for the whānau of the region. The research programme is funded by Waikato River Authority, Waikato Regional Council (WRC), Vision Mātauranga Capability Fund, and ESR SSIF Funding. With these funds a programme was created in collaboration with WRC, Waikato District Council, Nga Muka Development Trust, Te Riu o Waikato, Waikato-Tainui, Matahuru Marae, Nikau Farm Trust, and EcoQuest Education Foundation. The project has planted 40,000 plants in 4ha at Lake Waikare, a mixture of native species typical to the area.

MANUKA, KANUKA COULD REDUCE NITRATE LEACHING The objective of the project is to investigate the potential of mānuka and kānuka to reduce pathogens and nitrate leaching. The properties of these plant species were previously proven in laboratory and greenhouse experiments, but it has proved challenging to test it in the field, ESR scientist Maria J GutierrezGines says. 68

Above: Tawera plans to harvest koi carp from Lake Waikare (pictured) and process it into organic fertiliser. Left: Tawera shows some of the sweetcorn he is growing at Ohinewai, Waikato.

“We are trying to understand which plants work better and create scientific evidence that proves the potential of native plants to mitigate water pollution. “It has proved to be very challenging. It’s very easy to control what you want to measure in the lab, but one of the things we wanted to measure in the field was runoff, but measuring runoff has proved to be very complicated because the site is a swamp in winter and in the summer the soil just cracks so there is no runoff.” In collaboration with Waikato University they are now trying to measure the different layers of the soil and trying to understand how water and nitrogen moves in the different layers of the soil. The real time data of movement of water in the soil, helps to work out how nitrogen moves in the soil. “All of the plants suck up nitrogen, but different plants have different nitrogen needs. Manuka and Kanuka affect the

bacteria transforming organic nitrogen into nitrate.” They are also looking at which plants establish better in the area and are studying the insect biodiversity, Maria says. “As soon as you fence off the waterway and remove livestock, the insect biodiversity increases in just one year.” The riparian planting has been a whanau project, with everyone coming out to help plant, giving people the access to be on their land, Tawera says. “A lot of our whanau (family) are living in the cities and they haven’t been out to the farm since they were kids, so it’s neat they can come back with their kids and grandkids. “My grandfather used to tell us about being able to see the bottom of our lake and swimming in it as a kid. “The next generation coming out and helping plant riparian species might be lucky in 40 or 50 years time to see some of their work pay off with improved water quality.”

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2021

STOCK CALVING KIT

Kitted out for calving We asked Manawatu farm manager Hayley Hoogendyk to give us a rundown of what’s in her calving kit. MILK FEVER BAGS

RED SPRAY PAINT

DEXTROSE BAGS

TORCH

There are 10+ in a box. We keep them as spares as we have them on all our bikes anyway, but it’s super important to have them available and not have to muck around going into the shed to get some more.

This is a bag of glucose to go in the vein only. It gives the cow a quick energy boost after a hard calving, or if she is down with milk fever on a cold wet day.

For marking any cow that’s had Engemycin, as she is in milk withholding, and doesn’t want her colostrum kept, as the bobbies get colostrum and we can’t have them getting any with drugs in it.

A spare torch in case our headlamps go flat.

ENERGY DRENCH

A few 1L bottles of energy drench. It has all the goods in it for a cow that needs assistance calving as long as she doesn’t have milk fever and we have checked she can swallow, it just gives her an extra boost.

CALVING ROPE

We keep a spare as we each have one ready on our bikes anyway.

CALVING HANDLES

This gives more grip on the calving rope when it’s wet.

KETOMAX

Every cow that we assist with calving gets a 10ml jab of ketomax straight away to help reduce swelling and help her feel better faster. Faster recovery from calving = better start to season. Also beneficial to give the calf a weight relevant dose if the calving was tough on the calf.

ENGEMYCIN

To give any cows that had a hard calving, or that we think is likely to have retained membranes because it’s better to get it in her sooner rather than later.

HEMOPLEX

A boost of vitamins and minerals for animals during stressful times, given to any cows we assist with calving.

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2021

Nedap CowControl™

Do you know PINK SPRAY PAINT

SNACKS

SYRINGES AND NEEDLES

CALF NECKLACES

We mark any cow that wasn’t treated but that we want to identify at first milking for other reasons, eg lameness.

For giving injections.

SPARE PENS

Pens magically disappear all year round so it’s helpful to have spare pens for calving notebooks. Pens also get wet and stop working, so spares are good.

LUBE

You can never have enough lube, the cows appreciate it a lot.

Muesli bars, choc bars, lollies - we get hungry and if dealing with an issue, or waiting for vet assistance it’s great to have a boost to keep you going.

Keep spare calf necklaces in the calving box, in case we turn up to a sudden flood of calves on the ground since last check and don’t have enough on the bike.

What your cows are telling you?

LONG EXAMINATION GLOVES

To protect our pretty hands and the boy’s hairy arms from the calving juices, and to reduce the chance of infection for the cow as much as possible.

TEAT WIPES

Helpful for random things, wiping muck off clothes etc. We have hot water, soap and towels in the shed where we calve cows, so we use that to clean up ourselves and the gear as well.

SPARE CALVING NOTEBOOK In case someone left it at home, at the cowshed, dog ate it, dropped in mud!

PHONE NUMBERS

Written in vivid on the inside of the lid of the box ie. Manager, vets emergency, neighbour etc. everyone has them saved on their phones but handy access in the calving box as well.

POWER BANK

Cell phones always go flat at the most inconvenient time and when you’ve had a flat out day, sometimes haven’t had time to stop and recharge your phone.

CALF RESUSCITATOR

Not in our box currently but it’s on the wish list! Note: We don’t have anything for the calves in the calving box, as we have everything at calf sheds we need if we take a calf straight to calf shed anyway. Ie, iodine for naval spray, towels for drying them, calf cover for cold calves, straw to fill up in the calf cover to keep it extra warm, gold colostrum, tuber, bottle feeder etc.

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STOCK DAIRYNZ

Off for a comfy liedown you were to pick up a handful of soil you could clump it together, but your hands armers often tell me that would still be relatively clean from mud. caring for their cows and the To truly assess this onfarm, try using environment lies at the heart the gumboot scoring method. If you put of their dairy farming your gumboot into the ground, observe practice. Over winter, the pooling of water in the print. If ensuring we are doing daily it quickly fills up with water or the checks and reacting to our soil oozes into the footprint, then animals’ behaviour and the ground is too wet for a cow to to weather conditions is find comfortable. essential. You want to see a boot imprint Implementing good with no liquid pooling. management practices will Wet mud and surface pooling of Dawn Dalley. help you make a difference this water will have a negative impact on winter. Below are some of the lying time, so a suitable lying area main areas you should be considering, to should be provided, especially if weather support your animals’ health and comfort. conditions do not improve within 24 hours.

Words by: Dawn Dalley

LYING TIME

Cows need to lie for at least 8 hours per day to maintain their health and comfort. We have observed that these needs are often met, but some animals do not achieve this throughout winter. Research has shown that during and on the day after rainfall events, some animals do not sit down for up to 24 hours due to sodden soil conditions with water pooling. Once the weather improved, they spent more time lying down, to compensate.

IDENTIFYING SUITABLE LYING AREAS

We need to provide cows with a comfortable lying surface, but what does that look like? Cows prefer soil which is ‘crumbly’. If 72

PROVIDING A COMFORTABLE LYING SURFACE

Here are a few suggestions of how you can do this: • Move the break fence regularly to provide fresh ground, as long as it does not result in overallocation of crop and create potential nutritional risks. • Strategically graze the paddock, avoiding wet areas. • Protect the area closest to the feeding face by grazing animals into the prevailing weather conditions. • Save drier areas, especially any with shelter, for your contingency plan. • During wet conditions allow cows more space by giving access to ground behind

STRATEGIC GRAZING There are a few different options to consider. • Graze towards critical source areas (CSA) or water bodies to protect them from overland flow. • Ensure grass buffers around CSA’s are left ungrazed until the end of winter. • If you have cultivated your CSA, create a buffer of ungrazed crop to protect the CSA and eat this off at the end of winter. Next winter remember to identify and leave CSA’s uncultivated. • Graze from the top of the slope down to reduce overland flow, by maintaining soil structure and allowing water to soak into undamaged soil. • If you don’t want to graze your animals downhill, graze across a slope with a buffer at the bottom. • Save breaks near shelter or drier areas for your contingency plan. No two farms will have the same threshold for implementing a plan B. Plan with your team in advance, so everyone is on the same page for implementing your contingency plan and understand daily expectations during winter. • Winter grazing plans and additional information to support farmers this winter are available at dairynz.co.nz/wintering.

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2021

Animals: • Are you able to see where the animals have been lying? Finding ‘lying bowls’, the marks cows leave in the soft crumbly soil, indicates that animals have been lying there. • Do your cows have a lot of wet mud on their flank? This indicates they have been lying on a sodden surface, and alternatives need to be provided. • How are your animals acting? Calm and content, or getting restless? Is this normal behaviour for your herd?

the back fence if that ground is suitable for lying. • Keep supplement feed and water troughs near the feeding face, not in any swales or hollows, which may create excess mud. • Roll out hay or straw for cows to lie down on. • If you have limited options, put cows that will be most affected by a period of poor weather (younger, lighter, earlier calvers) into paddocks with the most shelter, best soil condition or best feed.

IMPLEMENTING CONTINGENCY PLANS

It’s important you and your team know when to implement your contingency plan. Assessing the main three factors paddock, animals and weather will help you make an informed decision. During daily checks, consider the factors below for deciding when to implement your contingency plan.

A dairy herd enjoys a winter crop on a dairy farm operation in Southland.

Paddock: • What does the current break look like? • What is the gumboot score? • What is the next break like? Would the cows be moving into a drier area? • Has the next break got any shelter?

Weather: • What are the conditions? Are you only experiencing rain, or a combination of rain, wind and low temperatures? This combination means extra feed may also be required. • Is the weather likely to improve or worsen? • Dawn Dalley is a DairyNZ senior scientist.

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Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2021

STOCK VETS VOICE

Words by: Lisa Whitfield

Meal not metal

pregnancy, calving and riding cows during oestrus, can increase the risk of metal piercing through the reticulum wall.

ardware disease must be one of the most practically named animal diseases. RUMEN MAGNET A CURE, AND I remember hearing about PREVENTATIVE it when I was in vet school and thinking The treatment for hardware disease is to myself – how interesting to a long course of antibiotics, antihave a disease which is basically inflammatories, and giving her entirely man-made – it can’t be a rumen magnet. blamed on bacteria, viruses, the Unfortunately for many weather or the mud, it is solely cows, they are found when a human-made disease. the disease is at a stage where Most farmers will have had the damage is already done, a cow diagnosed with hardware the infection is overwhelming disease at some stage in their career. and the cow is not likely to survive Lisa Whitfield While it is not something that I and thrive. see every day, most people have a story Did you know that a rumen magnet is to tell of the cow they had which died not only part of the treatment for hardware of it. disease, but can also be a very effective The worst case I have been involved with preventative? Giving a rumen magnet to was when a piece of fencing wire each cow in your herd reduces the risk of was accidentally chopped into silage, them getting sick in the first place. and the farm lost eight cows over just a few weeks. In one of those cows which I did a postmortem, a 1 inch length of fencing wire had lodged in the space between her liver and rumen, and many litres of infected fluid had formed into an abscess. Hardware disease occurs when a cow accidentally eats a sharp, often metal, object such as a nail, fencing staples, or offcuts of fencing wire. The reticulum is the sorting compartment of the cows stomachs, where large food particles are separated and sorted from fine particles. Dense objects such as metal can become The humble rumen magnet is a very lodged in the reticulum, and may puncture low-cost item. Would you spend $3.35 on the stomach wall. a cow, once in her lifetime, to reduce the Once this has occurred, the object can risk of her getting hardware disease? This track through into other parts of the body. is less than 0.001% of the average cow’s Bacteria from the gut will also track with production per season – less than 0.5kg the object, and major infection will form milk solids. leading to sickness and often the death of Administering a magnet to a cow the cow. only has to be done once as the magnet Predilection sites for infection are the lodges in the rumen or reticulum and stays abdominal cavity, liver and through the there as it is too big to pass further through diaphragm into the lungs and the heart the cow. Rumen magnets are given using – all of the structures which are in close an oral bolus applicator. proximity to the reticulum. The magnet attracts stray metal that she It is thought that anything which may accidentally ingest. With the level of increases abdominal pressure, such as concentrates going through mixer wagons,

‘The worst case I have been involved with was when a piece of fencing wire was accidentally chopped into silage, and the farm lost eight cows over just a few weeks.’

The type of metal objects commonly found onfarm which can be picked up by cows can be collected by a rumen magnet.

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2021

as well as the many kilometres of fencing wire and thousands of staples used around our farms, the risk of a cow being exposed to stray metal fragments in her day-to-day life is real enough. Practically, the idea of bolusing your whole herd may seem like a nightmare. An alternative to doing the whole herd at once is to bolus some of your herd each year, and gradually build up the numbers. For example, you may bolus your replacement heifers when they are tagged each season. Consider the value of your cows and the risk of them consuming stray metal fragments – for the cost of a magnet, why wouldn’t you do it? • Lisa Whitfield is a Manawatu veterinarian with Lisa Whitfield Farm Vet Services, Palmerston North.

Liver

Lungs

Rumen Reticulum

Heart

The areas where metal commonly travels to once a cow ingests it.

Accuracy. No Less.

www.senztag.co.nz 0800 220 232

More Moments That Matter "We put the increase in our 6 week in calf rate to mating cows on time and also picking up those silent heats that would have otherwise been missed."

-Mike Marshall

For More Information

We Increased Our 6 Week in Calf Rate by 15% up to 78% It saves time, it means you are able to spend time with your family without having that stress or worry of missing cows or the costly Dairy Exporter of | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2021 implications having down cows.

Dairy grazing R1s and R2s is vital for cash flow for Chris and Jaimee Pemberton.

Jaimee and Chris Pemberton bonded over a love of farming. Now they’re grazing dairy heifers and running Fresian bulls on grass supplied by PGG Wrightson Seeds at Becks, Central Otago. Story and photos by Karen Trebilcock.

t must be close to the perfect match – an agronomist passionate about growing pastures and brassicas and a farmer with a contracting business. Jaimee Pemberton met her husband Chris when she was working for Ravensdown. He was farming with his parents in Millers Flat in Central Otago and she was his fertiliser representative. With Chris’ parents retiring and the sale of the farm, plus Jaimee beginning work for PGG Wrightson Seeds, the couple went looking for a new property and a long 18 months later found Clynelish – 170ha at Becks on the road to the Blue Lake. Now, a year later they’re grazing 200 R1 and R2 dairy heifers and about 100 of their own Friesian bulls on some of PGG Wrightson Seeds’ newest grasses as well as kale, rape, fodder beet and swedes.

“One of the great things about working for PGG Wrightson Seeds and being on our own farm, is that I can be the first to put my hand up to test out the latest cultivars,” Jaimee said. One of these is Vast, PGG Wrightson Seeds latest tetraploid perennial ryegrass which has a heading date of plus 35 days, keeping its feed quality going longer into summer. “Vast has been very impressive so far. However, I’m excited to see how it recovers after a winter with the minus eight degree frosts we get here.”

CHALLENGING BUT REWARDING Jaimee grew up in Timaru and was planning on studying a Bachelor of Arts at Massey University but a summer of rousing changed that. Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2021

Jaimee Pemberton checks the Firefly kale crop in April on their Central Otago farm.

“I loved it. I asked Massey if I could do a double degree in agriculture and arts and they said it was an unusual request. Every lecture clashed.” Instead she went to Lincoln and did a Bachelor of Agriculture. “Lincoln was amazing but those first few weeks were tough. There were things the lecturers were talking about that I had no idea what they were. I didn’t know what a heifer was. I didn’t know how a pivot went around. She spent her summers at university working on a dairy farm near Geraldine and was accepted into the Ravensdown graduate programme. After nearly four years with the fertiliser company she was “itchy” for a new challenge and the position at PGG Wrightson Seeds came up. “Working at PGG Wrightson Seeds is challenging but very rewarding. I get to visit all sorts of farming businesses across Otago and meet a wide range of people. “Most farmers will deal directly with their local retail rep. Often the retailers will bring me along to farm visits for a range of things. Something as simple as helping to diagnose a crop disease to something as complex as creating a whole farm agronomy plan.” “Sometimes people have used a certain crop or farmed a certain way for years,

usually with very good reason, but often we can still make small tweaks to a system to get that extra bit of production for the client, and that’s where the real satisfaction comes.” Each year Jaimee likes to keep her knowledge up to scratch by attending events like the annual Grasslands Association conference, local field days and this year she attended the Resilient Pastures Symposium in Hamilton. “I really look forward to these events as I always come away with lots of new information and ideas which I can pass on.” One of Jaimee’s favourite parts of Clynelish is her regional research site which is set up on a hard, dry corner of the farm near State Highway 85. It’s where Jaimee’s day job and the farm collide. “At PGG Wrightson seeds we have regional research sites set up all over the country but Otago has always lacked a large site. “We have a wonderfully wet site in Gore where we take clients and farmers to, so I always had my eye out for a dryland site to contrast this. “When we moved onto Clynelish we just happened to have the perfect little corner which wasn’t adding a lot of value to the farm. “With the help of my colleague, Ethan

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2021

Butcher, who works as our agronomist for Otago and Southland, we’ve drilled a trial site with about 40 different species and mixes. “We’ll record data and make assessments on how all the different species perform. We can then hold field days and share data with retailers and farmers in the area. “This site has already surprised us with some annual clovers and dryland grass species really starting to prove their worth under the challenge of dryland conditions. “Our list of species we want to try is growing quite long, so we will have one part of the trial which each year is drilled into a new crop. “However, the perennial plants will be untouched long term to gather more data on how long plants like Cocksfoot, Fescues and red clover will persist in our environment.” Clynelish is split by two roads and has 100ha under pivots and another 35 to 40ha irrigated by K-lines. “We use our water strategically over summer to establish crops and top up our pastures. “Having variable rate application means we can adjust the water rate on different parts of the farm. “Going forward, our plan is to use more drought tolerant plants like lucerne and tall fescue to improve our water use efficiency across the farm so we can be even more targeted with our irrigation. Chris said the beef operation was where the profit was but the steady cash from the dairy grazing was needed especially as they were just starting out. “Also, the dairy yearlings and heifers are lighter on the soils compared to the larger animals. We’ve got quite heavy soils here and we need to look after the soil structure,” he said. “In the future we could look to incorporate some trading lambs into our system but for the time being we are just set up for cattle and that’s what works well for us. “We also both have a keen interest in exploring some of our arable options going forward.” They farm in an equity partnership with Karl and Ro McDiarmid. It was the McDiarmid’s second farm and a change of lifestyle also saw a change in their priorities. 77

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FAIRNESS THRO UGH SUCCESSION

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EQUITY PARTNERSHIP They put the farm on the market but Jaimee and Chris couldn’t quite manage to purchase it alone. The idea of an equity partnership was suggested and, after many meetings and much careful consideration on both sides, they decided to set up the 50:50 equity partnership. “When we were considering an equity partnership, we wanted to make sure that we all got on and that our values and farming philosophies aligned,” Jaimee said. “We were advised by many people that the key to a successful equity partnership is open and honest communication and that has been working well for us so far.” Jaimee and Chris get paid for managing the farm and the profit is shared on the percentage of ownership. During the next 10 years the plan is for the Pembertons to buy a greater proportion of the farm until they own all of it. “We talk to Karl and Ro every week, but they’ve said to us to treat it like it’s our farm and farm how we think we should farm,” Chris said. Already planned is riparian planting with their own home-grown natives and fencing off and forming a wetland in an area that goes under in heavy rain. Keeping the finances flowing is their contracting businesses. Between the start of November and into the autumn they make 8000 bales of balage along with some cultivation and drilling work for their clients. The dairy grazing is from a farm nearby at Omakau and the bulls are bought through ANZCO, coming onfarm between 300kg and 400kg. “We get really good growth rates from them in the spring, 2kg/day from September through to November and we sell them at about 600kg.” They use the TechnoGrazing system which keeps the bulls in small mobs of up to 10 animals behind wires with portable troughs. They’re shifted every second day. It reduces bulling and stress on the animals, grazes pasture more evenly, and stops animals walking causing damage to soils. As well as the bulls destined for the works, they have another 40 ready as dairy service bulls. Jaimee helps on farm and with the contracting when she can, however working full time for PGG Wrightson Seeds consumes most of her time. Jaimee says Chris is the farmer of the two of them. “I still manage to get soaking wet when I shift the K-lines. “I like being challenged. My personality type is a learner and with PGG Wrightson Seeds you don’t even have to ask for professional development, it’s just there.” Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2021

Above: Chris and Jaimee Pemberton with one of the pivots that irrigate 100ha of the 170ha farm.

I don’t need a Milking Machine Check

Yeah Right!

Your Milking Machinery is one of the most expensive and by far the most vital piece of equipment on your farm, which is why it is crucial to ensure it is always working at its best.

Milking machines that perform at full capacity maximize profitability and minimize risks for your herd

Book your test now with a Registered Milking Machine Tester listed at www.nzmpta.co.nz

It is now a requirement to have your milking machine tested annually by a MPTA Registered Tester.

Ph: 027 449 7402

Refer NZCPI: Design & Operation of Farm Dairies - Code of Practice (page 48)

E: info@nzmpta.co.nz 79

RESEARCH WRAP RESILIENT PASTURES

How resilient are New Zealand pastures?

Improved plant breeding and other innovations to help pastures cope with global warming were discussed recently at the NZ Grassland Association Resilient Pastures Symposium. Sheryl Haitana reports.

esilient pastures are defined by having the capacity to survive and recover quickly from periods of stress. At the recent NZ Grassland Association Resilient Pastures Symposium held at Karapiro in May, scientists and rural professionals amalgamated to discuss research findings and predictions on how to make NZ pastures more resilient in the future - from improved plant breeding, different farm systems such as deferred grazing, using diverse species like ‘sexy cocksfoot’ for regions like Northland, or even planting multiple species together. The future of pastures in NZ is that these will have to cope with climate change along with increasing environmental 80

regulation that will see restricted inputs, Grasslands chief executive John Caradus said. “Providing resilient pastures is what plant breeders are seeking to AgResearch senior scientist achieve. Plant Sarah Mansfield. breeding has traditionally sought to improve onfarm productivity and profitability through increasing drymatter production, feed quality and increased persistence.” Increasing environmental regulation, however, adds an extra layer of complexity and plant breeders also need to consider

climate change and the effect this will have on plant performance such as the potential of new pests, he said.

CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACT ON PEST ECOLOGY

As it gets warmer insect pests will be able to squeeze more generations into a year, which will cause more issues to pasture resilience, AgResearch senior scientist Sarah Mansfield said. “Just one extra generation over a season might not seem like much, but they’ll arrive earlier in a crop, which will naturally bring more challenges.” Black beetles are already responding to climate change and from 2040-2060 there is expected to be substantial expansion, including in parts of the South Island.

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2021

DAIRY & CALF

SHELTERS FF O NDEDS A ST SH

A warming climate will encourage the spread and severity of black beetle, among other pests.

Black beetles are already responding to climate change and from 2040-2060 there is expected to be substantial expansion, including in parts of the South Island. Sleeper pests such as earth mites, redlegged earth mite and blue oat mites, will all potentially become ‘awake’ in NZ with increasing temperatures. Extreme events are also favourable for pests to thrive, where after periods of drought insects will peak in numbers, she said. With the use of new forage species, there is also the potential to provide new food for pests. The increased use of plantain is a good example, with how it provided a good buffet for plantain moths. “We have to be aware that if you change the types of food that is available, insects might colonise that food source.” On the flip side, plant quality reduces under more CO2 and insects don’t get as good nutrition, which could reduce numbers. However, in a recent experiment, they saw one pest thrive under those conditions. Porina in the lab were fed ryegrass grown under normal conditions and enhanced CO2, in soil that was in normal conditions, and soil under enhanced CO2. When fed ryegrass tillers under elevated CO2 in normal soil, there was a reduction in pest growth rate, which was an expected result. However, when fed normal ryegrass

tillers in soil with enhanced CO2 there was an unexpected increase in weight gain and scientists don’t know why. “That is scratching the surface of some of the complications around the response to climate change. “There are multiple interlinked responses of pests to climate change. We can expect the unexpected under climate change. “Climate change will act on all aspects of the pastures, the plants, pests, natural enemies of the pests. Resilience is possible if we invest now, forewarned will be forearmed.” The warmer temperatures are already here in the Waikato, DairyNZ farm systems specialist Chris Glassey says. Since 1920 there has been a significant increase in soil moisture stress and 60kg DM/ha/year reduction in the summer period on the two DairyNZ farms. What is required is an adoption of farm systems or alternative pastures to maintain homegrown feed, he said. “If this trend continues, we are going to need to adapt to have more resilient/ alternative pastures.” • Read more from the NZ Grassland Resilient Pasture Symposium in the upcoming issues of NZ Dairy Exporter.

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2021

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LF ERS A C LT E SH

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WELLBEING FITNESS

Staying strong onfarm Managing farm work, motherhood and millions of other tasks is all in a day’s work for rural women. However, that also means they don’t get a chance to visit the gym. Sarah Martelli has come to the party with an online fitness business. Sheryl Haitana reports. Photos by Emma McCarthy.

ural women are busy juggling farm work, the bookwork, kids, all in relative isolation, and driving into town to go to the gym for a workout or getting healthy meals delivered to the door isn’t a realistic option. Sarah Martelli has started up a fitness business that reaches out to rural women to become the healthiest and strongest version of themselves. Strong Woman is an online community where women can find tailored workouts to do from home, with quick and easy healthy recipes, goal planners, and a platform to connect with other women. If women can prioritise their own health and fitness, they can inspire their partners, their children, and the community around them, Sarah says. Sarah encourages women to ditch the diets and unrealistic expectations. Her philosophy is to help women create healthy, sustainable habits. “Start small. If you aren’t drinking much water, start by having one glass of water every morning. Then increase it to drinking one bottle a day. Then two bottles of water a day. “Motivation and willpower only last so long and then they leave. You have to create healthy habits that are sustainable long term.” Sarah started Strong Woman from her 82

I am woman: Strong Woman founder Sarah Martelli is passionate about helping rural women get fit and healthy with her online programme.

dairy farm at Reporoa after a faceoff with cancer. In 2016, she was diagnosed with a rare gynaecological cancer that first presented as a false pregnancy. After the first two chemotherapy regimes didn’t work, an intensive third round of chemo was a success. From being too sick to even get out of bed to look after her three young children, when Sarah was announced cancer free she was determined to get strong and healthy again for her family. Her first challenge was to be able to walk to the letterbox and back. Then to the end of the road and back. She thought there might be other women out there, not necessarily on a cancer journey, but on a health journey.

DETERMINED TO HELP WOMEN

“I can be quite determined. I made it my mission to be fit and healthy again and I’m a bit of a sharer so I started up a Facebook page to share my story. “I thought if I could do it, after being literally at rock bottom, that anyone can do it, they just have to believe in themselves.” The name Strong Woman seemed quite fitting at the time. Then it grew from there. Strong Woman has evolved into a full time fitness business for Sarah, who retrained to be a personal trainer, then continued with further studies in nutrition. “Now I know how good food makes you

feel and you want to fuel your body right. Food is medicine. You only have one body, if you feed it full of crap and don’t move it, you lose it. You have to look after what you’ve got.” Sarah doesn’t want the story of Strong Woman to be centred around her cancer story. It shouldn’t take a close call with cancer to inspire women to eat better or get fit. She is a small bundle of positivity and she would rather focus on today and tomorrow and helping rural women reach their goals. She is passionate about getting other rural women to prioritise their health and create habits which are sustainable. Making small changes that naturally become part of their daily routines. Start with doing small swaps such as swap the milk chocolate for dark chocolate, the white bread for brown, swap wine during the week for kombucha and just have the wine on Friday night. “I don’t live for fitness and sport, but I know how good you feel, and to get through life as a mum, if you are fitter, stronger and healthier. “But I have to work at it. It doesn’t come naturally to me, it never has. But I’ve been doing it long enough now that I’ve created healthy habits, so it’s just part of my routine.” Sarah keeps it real online and shares her own journey to remain fit and healthy.

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2021

I am invincible: Karla Shaw, AKA Coach Karla, is Sarah’s friend. Karla also runs the heavier workouts.

She is cutting through the fake, perfect images shared online and telling it how it is, from the realities of mum life to having a healthy body image. “Being alive, hanging out with your kids and being grateful for what you’ve got every day, that’s what is important.How much cellulite is on your arse is the least of your problems. “You can still be fit and strong and healthy and have fat - we all have fat.” After chemo, Sarah has been diagnosed with arthritis, which sometimes hinders her ability to do high impact workouts. She has employed her close friend and fellow Reporoa dairy farmer Karla Shaw, ‘Coach Karla’, who now leads the sweatier, harder workouts. “Karla is a massive part of the team, she is a huge support to me. It’s so awesome having my dear friend on the Strong Woman journey with me.” Sarah has also recently trained to be a pilates instructor, as she is passionate about offering workouts that cater to different

able bodies, no matter people’s ability. “You want to be able to move your body for the rest of your life. Move your body, it doesn’t matter how you move, it’s how it best serves you.” Sarah is passionate about fitness regimes that are tailored specifically for women. A lot of trainers out there have not been taught how to train a woman’s body, she says. They don’t ask about a woman’s pelvic floor, or check for abdominal separation, prior to starting exercising. Women are often doing exercises that they shouldn’t be doing, ultimately doing more damage to their bodies. “I encourage all women to be checked out by a women’s health physio, after having a baby, prior to starting exercise. Then they know what they’re dealing with, and can modify exercises if required.”

DWN CALVING

Sarah is running an eight week Strong Woman challenge with Dairy Women’s

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2021

Network to help women get fit for calving. When the first calves are born this year, hopefully there are less injuries on farms from lifting calves and buckets of milk. “Having a strong core is incredibly important.” The challenge is aimed at getting women fit and healthy now the cows have dried off, so they can go into calving feeling stronger. “Knowing they can chase that calf around the paddock, and not feel out of breath and generally having more energy to get through the day. “We are all time-poor, so the workouts are quick to fit into our busy lives.” The Strong Woman calving challenge starts on June 7. To sign up visit www.dwn.org.nz To join Strong Woman visit www.strongwoman.co.nz • To listen to the podcast with Sarah visit nzfarmlife.co.nz/staying-strong-onfarm 83

WELLBEING CONVERSATIONS

Conversations save lives Harriet Bremner urges people to talk about known dangers that could prevent accidents or deaths onfarm.

T Harriet Bremner and Poppy.

hey were stone cold dead when they were found. Gone. Others knew not to go there but maybe if that person had used some common sense they would still be alive”. This was what I heard someone say in relation to an accident that happened years ago. It quite simply made me feel deflated, that it was said with little care for the person who died and suggested that if they hadn’t been so stupid they would not be dead. I am absolutely 100% sure that if it was their precious family member who had passed - their opinion around the matter would be very different. My argument is that all that had to happen was for the people who knew about the danger to inform others of it. A simple conversation that would have saved a life and a family from a lifetime of grief. I am not going to go into details about what, where, why, who and so on because that doesn’t actually matter and it is not the point. The point is that conversations save lives. We cannot assume that someone will look at something and see the imminent danger right in front of them, therefore, we cannot assume anything. Assumption is something I have learnt, can get

you into trouble with many different things in life, yet we tend to assume many, many things. For instance; we assume that because someone is an ‘adult’ that they are able to drive a car. I have personally never asked anyone to prove to me that they have their licence before they jump behind the wheel, have you? It has just been that time of year again where many of you will have gone through a change of job yourself or a change in staff on the farm coupled with drying cows off, organising grazing and more. In the thick of it, it is very easy for us to drop into this assumption mode as we like to believe that the people who are standing in front of us are competent at what they do. We assume that because they have worked on farms before they are able to drive the tractor or move irrigation… but are they competent at it and do they understand your systems? It is during a time like this that people are tired, stressed from moving their lives and families, thrown into the unknown and wanting to make a good impression. This, mixed with many things needing to be done on the farm, can be a disaster waiting to happen because when our mind is not 100% focused on the job, we are more likely to have an accident. Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2021

“We assume that because they have worked on farms before they are able to drive the tractor or move irrigation... but are they competent at it and do they understand your systems?” THINK ABOUT THE NEW ARRIVAL TO YOUR FARM: SMOOTH STAFF TRANSITIONS

I spoke to a farmer who underwent staff changes this year with his contract milker and asked him how he made sure that the process was smooth, straight forward and happened with little stress on both parties. He had been with his previous contract milker for nearly seven years and so it had been awhile since he had had to go through the process of change. The first thing he said is that it comes down to planning and this needs to happen well before June 1. If the prior preparation is done, it prevents piss-poor performance! It also means that you aren’t all running around like headless chickens trying to farm, plus do the formal side of things at the same time. If this is the case, people will not have their focus where it needs to be and things can unravel, resulting in an accident or something worse.

• How are you going to support them in learning about their new role? • What steps can you take to make sure that they know they are up to speed with what they need to do? • Have you had a chat with them about being an open book who they can approach about things when they need to, from mental health to learning how to operate new equipment? These are some of the things that quality leaders will be doing daily. I do hope that everyone had a smooth transition onto a new farm or with new employees. Remember that sometimes people do not admit when they are struggling with something, so take time to get to know each other and form strong, positive and open relationships as this can be a lifesaver.

Top tips

FROM ONE FARMER TO ANOTHER: Always have good relationships with your current employees so that if they do decide to move on you know that they will come and speak to you about it. This allows you to start the planning process early. We knew last December which gave us all plenty of time to sort the nuts and bolts out of the process really well and it was clear what was going to happen moving forward. Round table discussions were held on a regular basis to make sure we were all on the same page. Always plan well in advance e.g. For succession planning to work well we have a folder that includes everything from diagrams and maps of water lines and power, hazards and paddocks, just to name a few. Paddock, fert and rotation history allows people to quickly access what has been happening previously on the farm. Access to phone numbers and contact list for local contractors and service providers in the area saves time. Allow the new person to come onto farm several times to work and learn alongside the current contract milker so that they know all the niggly things like; where taps are, so that when the cows come back in spring things can move forward smoothly. The later in the season you leave this, the busier it gets and the harder it is to find time with the person leaving. Communication is key. If you have been used to the same person you get stuck in a comfort zone with the routine that you know, so stopping and thinking about your role in the process is really important as well. Making sure that houses, yard, shed, farm are all tidy and clean when new people arrive so that they feel appreciated. We fill the woodshed up for new employees - it is a cost but it goes a long way and starts the relationship off on the right foot. Anything that is a kind gesture like this makes people feel valued. Do not assume that they are going to do things the same way that you do, if you have an expectation then this needs to be discussed from the beginning through the contract so that there are no grey areas. This needs to be a two way discussion. If they are from out of the area, make an effort to get them involved in the community.

Writing up hazards and communicating knowledge to team members is important to keep everyone safe.

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2021

An organised workforce is a happy and productive one. 85

DAIRY 101 WAGES

Minimum wage rise no joke

Story and photos by: Karen Trebilcock

f you didn’t realise, the minimum wage went up from $18.90 to $20/ hour on April 1. Far from being an April Fool’s joke, it was the start of the financial year for many businesses, but not farmers. If you’re a farm owner with sharemilkers or contract milkers you may think it won’t affect you but it does. The profitability of their business, and so yours, just took a hit. Back in 2015 the minimum wage was $14.25. That’s about a 40% increase if my maths is right. For farm staff, employees must be paid at least the minimum wage for every hour they work on farm whether they are employed on an hourly rate or on a salary and it can’t be averaged out over a season. If you pay weekly it has to be weekly, if you pay fortnightly it has to be fortnightly but if you pay monthly it still has to be for a fortnight. Two weeks is the most you can average the hours out over. 86

“…. you can’t give them a load of firewood or some meat in the freezer to compensate for a late night milking because the power was out.” If you have employed a staff member on a salary, the number of hours they can work for that salary have now been reduced. Someone on $40,000/year can now only work 38 hours a week, on $50,000/year they can work 48 hours a week. If they work more hours than that then you have to pay them more. And no, you can’t give them a load of firewood or some meat in the freezer to compensate for a late night milking because the power was out. The minimum wage has to be paid in real money.

DEDUCTIONS AND BREAKS

Such things as housing, firewood and meat

Staff must be paid for 10 minute breaks after more than two hours is worked – time for a coffee and some breakfast.

can be deducted from the wages if the employee agrees to it first and it has to be recorded separately on the employment contract. It also has tax implications so always talk to your accountant about it.

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2021

Make sure your staff accurately record their hours worked – an app on their phone makes it easier.

As an employer, you must keep accurate records of hours worked per week, wages paid and leave taken to show you are doing everything right. If an employee is lax about giving you their hours then put a system in place to make sure it gets done every time correctly so there is no come back on you later. And this includes breaks – don’t forget the 10 minute paid break after more than two hours has been worked. If milking takes two and a half hours you have to pay your relief milkers two hours and 40 minutes for it. If the pay is a set amount it must be at least $53.34 for that two hours and forty minutes to meet the minimum wage requirements. I know it’s only 10 minutes for a break you hardly ever take but during a season it adds up, as does a possible legal bill if you ignore it. There are a few groups of people who don’t need to be paid the minimum wage. The first is under 16 year olds. You can pay them what you like but if they’re doing the same job as older employees on the farm and are doing it just as well maybe you should consider paying them the same. If you were their parents you would want that, and 15 year olds are usually getting ready to buy their first car, save for tertiary education and might even want to buy the calves you don’t want. Giving them a step up will always be remembered. The second group is those aged 16 and 17 who have not worked for a continuous six months for you. The minimum wage rate, called the starting out minimum wage, for them is $16/hour. It also applies to 18 and 19 year olds who have come off a benefit. Six months continuous work means simply they must have worked for you for six months, regardless of the hours. If they have worked for someone else for six months and then come to you, they are back on the starting out minimum wage all over again. Unless, of course, you recognise they know what they’re doing and you want to keep them around and not have the neighbour entice them away with better pay. But there is another minimum pay on farms as well – for migrant workers. If you have an employee onfarm under a Skilled Migrant Category Resident Visa (skill level 1 -3) they must be paid a Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2021

minimum of $25.50/hour or equivalent annual salary. If they work 40 hours per week that’s a salary of $53,040 per year. Whatever you pay in wages over the minimum wage should reflect the employee’s skill level including qualifications and years working on farms. It has to be good enough to attract workers away from off-farm jobs which usually have day-time hours and all weekends off. Living the good life onfarm is not enough. Milking cows is long hours and the work is often physically and mentally exhausting. As well, we don’t want a generation of farm staff who are only ever paid wages. If they are paid well enough so they can save, then they can start out as contract milkers and build their own businesses and pay their own employees. But the minimum wage is not just about how much to pay your staff. It also sets a benchmark for business owners as well. If contract milkers and sharemilkers are not being compensated at least the minimum wage for the long hours they work, both on the farm and in the office, through their business profit then they might think twice about doing it. Sure they are gaining through their stock and write offs due to being in business plus they get to be their own boss, but there is nothing that quite deflates the ego as much as when you realise you would be better off on wages. This is something all farm owners need to think about.

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SOLUTIONS What’s NEW? NEW ROTARY

An efficient rotary system

illed as the trouble-free system that keeps on going, the GEA iFLOW rotary is the New Zealand made all-rounder when it comes to driving efficiencies onfarm. The iFLOW has a simple yet clever design, proven as a versatile and costeffective solution in a range of dairy farming environments. Perfect for retrofit and new build situations, the modular platform offers improved milking performance while remaining simple to operate and easy to maintain. The flexibility of the modular configuration allows farmers to customise the iFLOW to suit their farming needs, with options for basic automation to total

The GEA iFLOW rotary milking platform in use on a farm in Matamata.

herd management, adjustable neck rail positions and heights. It is available in a range from 28 to 100 clusters. One feature is the ability to reduce labour while increasing throughput, enabling just one operator to milk up to 600 cows. It is ideal for one-person operations or those looking to decrease worker load in the shed without affecting milk quality. The system is also future proof with automation upgrades such as automatic cup removers, automatic teat sprayers, milk metering, drafting and herd management easily added at any time. Simple and ergonomic, the iFLOW utilises nylon rollers every 600mm, doesn’t require a wear strip and has no

bearings - meaning less wear and tear and reduced maintenance costs. With the largest circumference drive wheels on the market, there’s less pressure on the beams to drive the platform, resulting in fewer maintenance issues than ‘steel on steel’ systems. In most circumstances, one annual service is required to keep the iFLOW operating at optimum performance. Whether dairy farmers are looking for increased cow throughput, reduced worker load, a simple yet reliable system that is low maintenance and futureproof, the GEA iFLOW rotary ticks all the requirements. • For more information visit www.gea.com

Four attributes of colostrum management

t is critical that newborn ruminants receive colostrum in the first 24 hours after birth. This enables them to maximise absorption of antibodies from colostrum before gut closure occurs. Maximum absorption takes place as soon as possible after birth, whilst passive transfer of immunity (the process by which antibodies pass through the walls in the gut to be absorbed directly into the bloodstream) is also influenced by the quality, quantity and cleanliness of the colostrum fed to the newborn. Four attributes of colostrum management that increase the probability of your animals’ acquiring adequate levels of antibodies are: 88

• Quickly: The first feed of colostrum should be as soon as possible following birth, preferably within 1 to 2 hours. • Quality: Quality maternal colostrum should have a drymatter content of at least 22%. This can be measured using a Brix refractometer. If the colostrum is less than 22% MS, consider enriching it with AgriVantage’s Launchpad18 Colostrum Powder. • Quantity: Calves should receive a minimum of 100g of IgG. To account for variability in maternal colostrum quality and efficiency of absorption by calves, a minimum of 4L of maternal colostrum is recommended. • Cleanliness: It is vital that bacterial

contamination of colostrum is minimised during collection, storage and feeding of maternal colostrum. High bacterial levels not only pose a risk of causing disease in newborns, but also dramatically reduce the absorption of antibodies - meaning calves have less protection against disease. If colostrum is not fed within 1 to 2 hours of collection, it should be refrigerated or frozen. • For more information on the importance of colostrum for animal performance, how to ensure passive transfer of immunity and a guide to colostrum enrichment, visit http:// agrivantage.co.nz

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2021

Generating value from dairy beef

ecognising the important role dairyderived beef plays in the industry, Beef + Lamb New Zealand invests along the supply chain to generate greater beef returns for dairy farmers. B+LNZ’s chief executive Sam McIvor says there’s enormous potential to extract value from dairy beef, from increasing the value of calves born on dairy farms through to the end product. According to McIvor, the organisation works on behalf of dairy farmers to ensure market access for their beef products. “Dairy beef sold under B+LNZ’s processorsupported Taste Pure Nature brand is attracting significant attention from ‘conscious foodies’ in the US and China who’re looking for naturally-raised, grass-fed meat – and are prepared to pay a premium for it.” According to McIvor, results from B+LNZ’s Dairy Beef Progeny Test have shown that up to 45kg of additional carcase weight can be achieved by mating dairy cows to the appropriate beef bulls. “There’s a huge pool of bulls available that can be safely used over dairy cows, offering improvement in gestation length and calf value as well as environmental benefits.” A recent study comparing the climate footprint of dairy beef with traditional beef systems in NZ highlighted the potential to reduce the impact of beef production by around 20% by switching to dairy beef. ”All this work is extremely important given the pressure to farm with minimal impact on the environment and to continue driving efficiencies.” Together with DairyNZ, B+LNZ is working on a research programme to capture more value from bobby calves. This includes identifying opportunities for new consumer products such as rose veal, examining implications for processing and testing onfarm systems - considering issues like greenhouse gases, calf rearing/genetics, and solutions such as sexed semen. McIvor is encouraging dairy farmers to take part in B+LNZ’s levy referendum. Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2021

A tiny home could be the way to help family members onto the property ladder.

Income gains from tiny spaces

n times of economic uncertainty, we’re all looking at ways of increasing our income streams. With the house-prices of late, wouldn’t it be nice if we could help our children into their first home? Well, if you’ve got land – or access to some - you’ve got options. Amazing Spaces’ tiny homes are a luxurious, yet affordable solution that, with its triple-axle wheel base, can be driven straight onto a paddock or any flat space. Once plumbed in and connected to power, these liveable tiny homes can be used as short-term holiday accommodation to generate some extra cash, or as a cost-effective way for family to get their foot on the property ladder. They may be portable, but with full-sized kitchens and proper bathrooms, there are no compromises on quality because of limited space. Beautiful kitchen designs include a proper oven and stone top benches, full-sized fridge, stylish tapware and cupboards… and plenty of space. With house designs ranging from one to four bedrooms, including stairs to a second level, a lounge area, and bathroom with laundry facilities, these homes are also perfect for permanent living. You can even design a home to suit your needs. This means they are great solutions if you want a long-term rental, you are down-sizing from a larger home, or if you just need a nice selfcontained space for when you have extras staying. In winter, double glazing, full insulation and a heat pump ensure you can keep cosy and warm. However, with options for French doors and bi-fold windows, design your home to open out onto a deck with awning – and you can make the most of summer too. Plans start from $139K and range up to $155K, which despite the expansive size, inclusions and design, is the best price per m2 on the market for any portable home. If you are interested in checking out one of Amazing Spaces’ tiny homes for yourself, head along to National Field Days and chat to one of the team. 89

OUR STORY 50 YEARS AGO IN NZ DAIRY EXPORTER

50 years ago in the Dairy Exporter June As NZ Dairy Exporter counts down to its centenary in 2025, we look back at the issues of earlier decades. 50 Years Ago – May 1972. LIFTING MAGNESIUM CONTENT

The discovery by the Grasslands Division that there are differences in magnesium content between ryegrass varieties, and that these differences are probably inherited, will interest dairyfarmers with grass staggers problems. A few years ago, Mr R. Ball of the soils and plant nutrition section, and the Chief Plant Breeder, Mr P. C. Barclay, investigated the mineral uptake of several varieties of ryegrass sown on the same soil at Palmerston North. They found the striking difference to be in magnesium content. The Grasslands Manawa ryegrass (previously known as H1 or shortrotation), bred from crosses of perennial and Italian ryegrasses, showed a decidedly higher magnesium content than any of the others under trial. (The measurements were taken in the early spring in a period of exceedingly rapid growth when staggers problems would normally be expected.)

WHY MORE DAIRYFARMERS ARE NOT USING AB

Dairyfarmers have been told by experts and advisory people for many years now, why they should use AB. Although AB has been operating commercially in New Zealand for 20 years now the Dairy Board is artificially inseminating less than half the dairy 90

cows in the country. If AB is as good as many people reckon it is, why aren’t we inseminating around 2 million dairy cows per year instead of struggling to get past the million mark? The heavy users of AB (i.e. those farmers who put more than 70 per cent of their herd to AB), produce an average of 23 lb milkfat per cow more than the non-users of AB in the 1968-69 season.

DAIRY BOARD’S SECOND LARGEST MARKET FOR CONSUMER PACK PRODUCTS

The Caribbean has been developed in recent years into the largest market outside the United Kingdom for New Zealand dairy products in consumer packs. A decrease of 10 to 15 per cent in Caribbean tourist traffic in the past season, mainly due to the tightening of the United States economy and the uncertain future for the area’s sugar exports in the event of Britain’s entry into the EEC, is having a dampening effect on the economy at present, but consumption of dairy produce is likely to show a steady increase through 1971. Canned corned beef, until recently a staple food of the Caribbean lower income groups, is in short supply. Already milk products – and particularly cheese – are taking up a greater share of the protein intake.

Cover photo: Mr Bruce Pollock (holding fork), who farms near Cambridge, says he can grow much more in the form of maize silage than he can in grass. By growing maize he hopes to get a year ahead with his silage making.

WOULD MILK ALL THE COWS POSSIBLE – BOARD CHAIRMAN

“If I was a young dairyfarmer, I would milk the maximum number of cows that I could milk next season – and you can hold that against me next year if you want to do so.” The Dairy Board chairman, Mr F. L. Onion, replied in these terms to the comments of Mr Slater (Bell Block) during question time at the Taranaki ward conference. Mr Slater said that as one of the young directors, he had been perturbed at some of Mr Onion’s remarks in his address about markets which we would not exploit because of shortage of supply. Five years ago they had been urged to produce to the maximum, next they had a 5 per cent cut in the basic price, then they were urged to produce dairy beef and now they were told that there were more markets than they could meet with the current season’s production. “There is also widespread concern about the increasing regulations creeping into our industry,” Mr Slater said. “In most cases they are costing the farmer more and in many cases are forcing farmers out of dairy production.” • Thanks to the Hocken Library, Dunedin.

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2021

DairyNZ consulting officers

June update

North Island – Head: Rob Brazendale 021 683 139 Northland Regional Leader Far North

Leo Pekar

027 211 1389

Hamish Matthews

021 242 5719

Wilma Foster

021 246 2147

South Auckland

Mike Bramley

027 486 4344

Te Aroha/Waihi

Euan Lock

027 293 4401

Cambridge

Lizzy Moore

021 242 2127

Huntly/Tatuanui

Brigitte Ravera

027 288 1244

Talking Dairy

Matamata/Kereone

Frank Portegys

027 807 9685

Pirongia

Steve Canton

027 475 0918

Can’t get to an event?

Otorohanga/King Country

Phil Irvine

027 483 9820

Andrew Reid

027 292 3682

Whangarei West Lower Northland

Waikato Regional Leader Hauraki Plains/Coromandel Hamilton Waipa South

Bay of Plenty

Listen to our podcast series instead.

Regional Leader

Gain tips on a range of topics from how to make contract milking

South Waikato/Rotorua South

and variable order sharemilking work to clarifying what is happening

Central Plateau

Colin Grainger-Allen

021 225 8345

Eastern Bay of Plenty

Ross Bishop

027 563 1785

Central Bay of Plenty

Kevin McKinley

027 288 8238

Mark Laurence

027 704 5562

South Taranaki

Ashely Primrose

027 304 9823

North Taranaki

Ian Burmeister

027 593 4122

Abby Scott

021 244 3428

Rob Brazendale

021 683 139

Hawke's Bay

Gray Beagley

021 286 4346

Northern Manawatu/Woodville

Janine Swansson

027 381 2025

in the climate change space. Visit dairynz.co.nz/podcast.

Taranaki Regional Leader Central Taranaki Coastal Taranaki

Take a 360 view at your workplace Workplace360 is an online work environment and leadership

Lower North Island

assessment tool, designed to help you be the proud owner of a

Wairarapa/Tararua

great workplace.

Eketahuna Central Manawatu/Rangitikei/Whanganui

Workplace360 helps you: •

identify strengths and weakness in your work environment

•

determine actions for improvement

•

monitor progress

Horowhenua/Coastal and Southern Manawatu

South Island – Head: Tony Finch 027 706 6183 Top of South Island/West Coast Nelson/Marlborough

Mark Shadwick

021 287 7057

West Coast

Angela Leslie

021 277 2894

Rachael Russell

027 261 3250

North Canterbury

Amy Chamberlain

027 243 0943

Discussion Groups

Central Canterbury

Alice Reilly

027 379 8069

Mid Canterbury

Hugh Jackson

027 513 7200

Interested in farm systems, reproduction, progression, pasture

Southland/South Otago

management, budgeting, people management, or milking smarter?

Regional Leader

We hold a range of different discussion groups on specialist areas

Western Southland

Take a Workplace360 assessment at dairynz.co.nz/workplace360

Canterbury/North Otago Regional Leader South Canterbury North Otago

of interest as well as other topical field days and road shows around the country. Find out what’s on near you at dairynz.co.nz/events or phone your local consulting officer.

Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2021

0800 4 DairyNZ (0800 4 324 7969) I dairynz.co.nz WITH DAIR

Ollie Knowles

027 226 4420

West Otago/Gore

Keely Sullivan

027 524 5890

South Otago

Guy Michaels

021 302 034

Northern/Central Southland

Nicole Cochrane

021 240 8529

Eastern Southland

Nathan Nelson

021 225 6931

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Dairy Exporter | www.nzfarmlife.co.nz | June 2021

Dairy Exporter June 2021

Articles inside

Income gains from tiny spaces

Four attributes of colostrum management

Meal not metal

Off for a comfy liedown

Kitted out for calving

TO BE REGENERATIVE: verb, not noun

European market rebounding, but Chinese risk

Editor's note

50 years ago in the Dairy Exporter June

Generating value from dairy beef

An efficient rotary system

Minimum wage rise no joke

Conversations save lives

Staying strong onfarm

The perfect farming match

How resilient areNew Zealand pastures?

The good soil: Reducing nitrogen fertiliser

Making a game plan to improve the whenua

The effluent efficiency experts

The science-based organic advocate

Taking grazing to the next level

On a ‘regen journey’

Aligned for the future

Engage but ground the practice in science

Once-a-day milking stigma a “thing of the past”

Eliminating human error

Once-a-day ‘OKIE DOKIE’ for Oaklands

Want to change milking frequency? Plan for it

Connecting on the rural business journey

NZ Merino embraces regenerative agriculture

One shot at wintering right

Chinese tea, with a cream twist

Farming with a higher purpose

Steady as she goes for dairy market

A lifetime of memories

Irish margin biggest in Europe

Embracing change for good

Younger than 50, older than 60

Breaking barriers