Real Farmer Autumn 2022 by Ruralco

RealFarmer

AUT U MN 2 0 2 2

A family legacy

Full circle with Andrew Barlass Recognition for hard mahi

AU TU M N 2022

Family in tune with bees’ needs

Methane mitigation tech not science fiction

RURALCO

From the Group CEO Welcome to the Autumn edition of Real Farmer, our first edition of 2022. The holiday season is long behind us, and we are looking forward to the year ahead. Take some time out to read over the latest in farming stories throughout the nation. In this issue, we meet the McKerchar family hailing from Cave, South Canterbury and discover their family legacy which has developed into a worldclass Hereford breeding operation. We congratulate Ruralco Chair, Jessie Chan who made the New Year honours list to be a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for her contributions to the dairy and agricultural industry.

PO Box 433, Ashburton 7740 0800 787 256 www.ruralco.co.nz EDITORIAL ENQUIRIES:

Our team welcome your contributions, enquiries and letters. Please email to: marketing@ruralco.co.nz ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES:

Please contact the Marketing Department on: Tel: 0800 787 256 marketing@ruralco.co.nz

DISCLAIMER: Views expressed by contributors are not necessarily those of Ruralco.

We meet Andrew Barlass, our newly elected Ruralco Director who was welcomed to the Board at last Novembers AGM. We learn about his extensive history in the finance sector, his directorship experience, and his passion for farming up in Methven, Canterbury.

CONTRIBUTORS

We also meet the Bluett family, who have mastered the art of beekeeping and producing honey in the Taranaki region. With a focus on family and quality product, we learn how they are diving into both the local and international markets.

PHOTOGRAPHERS

With government deadlines looming we also glance into the latest in emissions and delve into Methane mitigation tech as a possible solution to minimise greenhouse gasses. Despite the challenges we’ve faced with Covid-19 so far, we are still able to support your farming business. We’ve put measures in place to ensure the safety of our members and staff during the Red Traffic Light setting by splitting our customer facing teams into separate bubbles. The purpose of doing this is so that we can support our members, customers, and suppliers in the case of an Omicron infection. You’ll notice some different faces in our stores as our team adapt to this new way of working. Our team will still be able to visit farms and business premises with pre-arranged visits and following all government protocols for prevention and tracing. As government guidelines develop, we will remain flexible and adapt our business processes accordingly. We will keep our website and Facebook page up to date. Please take care of yourselves and your loved ones, if there is anything we can do to support you, please reach out to us, we believe that with resilience and the good old number 8 wire attitude of rural NZ we will get through the coming months together.

Anita Body Annie Studholme Brett Haldane Richard Rennie

Annie Studholme Laney Mahuika-Willis Tania Niwa

TECHNICAL ARTICLES

Agricom Tel 0800 787 256 ruralco@ruralco.co.nz www.ruralco.co.nz Ballance Agri-Nutrients Tel 0800 787 256 ruralco@ruralco.co.nz www.ruralco.co.nz Beef + Lamb Tel 0800 233 352 enquiries@beeflambnz.com www.beeflambnz.com DairyNZ Tel 0800 4 324 7969 info@dairynz.co.nz www.dairynz.co.nz FAR Tel 03 3455783 far@far.org.nz www.far.org.nz FMG Tel 0800 366 466

www.fmg.co.nz Irrigation NZ Tel 03 341 2225 admin@irrigationnz.co.nz www.irrigationnz.co.nz Horticulture NZ Tel 0508 467 869 info@hortnz.co.nz www.hortnz.co.nz Rural Contractors Tel 0800 424 266 office@ruralcontractors.org.nz www.ruralcontractors.org.nz Seales Winslow Tel 0800 287 325 www.sealeswinslow.co.nz

We hope you can take some time to boil the jug, relax and read over this issue of Real Farmer. ON THE COVER:

Hamish McKerchar and Abby Shaw are taking on the family legacy of Shrimpton Hills Herefords.

Rob Sharkie robert.sharkie@ruralco.co.nz

Contents

AUT U MN 2 0 2 2

Interest

COVER STORY

A family legacy

Full circle with Andrew Barlass

13 Recognition for hard mahi 16 Family in tune with bees’ needs 28 Methane mitigation tech not science fiction

Technical 19 Brits foil bid to protect Manuka 23 New EV charging station to be launched at Ruralco 25 Tupping and pregnancy in ewes 31 Timing is everything 33 Winter sown catch crops a win-win 35 The special power of oats

47 Smart ideas to reduce working hours on dairy farms 49 Fifty years of training rural workers

A family legacy

51 Legumes under the spotlight for Hill Country Futures Project 54 It’s a bread marketer’s dream… 57 The year’s realities already bite 64 Arable Ys staying true to its initial goals 67 Plan for Covid like you would the Irrigation Season 71 Take no chances with grass grub this autumn 73 Crop residue nutrients: retain or replace?

Full circle with Andrew Barlass

Recognition for hard mahi

Lifestyle 40 Autumn in style

Wellbeing 59 Meet Alana Hocking Ruralco Marketing Co-ordinator 59 Celebrating with our Whānau 59 Our focus on healthy eating & drinking 60 Beware of fires on farm 61 Doing it the right way

Card

Family in tune with bees’ needs

Methane mitigation tech not science fiction

DISCLAIMER: All information contained within Real Farmer is to the best of the author’s knowledge true and accurate. Opinions expressed are those of the author and not of Ruralco. Items herein are general comments only and do not constitute or convey advice. This publication is issued as a helpful guide to cardholders.

39 The Farmer’s Law Firm Argyle Welsh Finnigan

INTEREST

A family legacy

R E AL FARM E R

A family legacy of forward-thinking coupled with careful planning, worldclass breeding and a proud agricultural heritage, will ensure the McKerchar family’s Shrimpton’s Hill in Cave, South Canterbury, remains at the forefront for generations to come. WORDS & IMAGES BY ANNIE STUDHOLME

Twenty years ago, John and Liz McKerchar made the decision to switch from breeding bulls for the beef industry to dairy industry, ultimately setting Shrimpton’s Hill Hereford breeding programme on a new path focused on short gestation length (SGL). Today, the 1420-hectare Shrimpton Hill’s Herefords are New Zealand’s SGL specialists, servicing the dairy industry. Through an exclusive breeding partnership with Livestock Improvement Corporation (LIC) to supply semen and embryos, they became the world’s first Hereford stud to sell more than 1.5 million semen straws since SGL semen entered the dairy industry with their semen sold all over the world. The McKerchar’s remain committed to their SGL breeding programme, but with changes afoot in the dairy, and the wider agriculture industry they are looking for potential to diversify income streams while ensuring the property is in a better state than they found it to pass on to future generations. Together with son Hamish, and soon-to-be wife, Abby Shaw’s help, they’re in the process of setting up a hunting business on their tussock country to control wallaby and fallow deer populations, while moving down the regenerative route, lowering farm inputs and switching away from using synthetic fertilisers. The McKerchar family has a long, proud farming history in New Zealand. It’s not lost on John and Liz that Hamish’s recent return to the farm marks the sixth generation to be involved in farming pedigree stock since the first McKerchars arrived from Scotland in 1864. “It’s a huge privilege. Our history and heritage are very important to us,” says John. The McKerchars started out farming in Southland, where John’s great-great

grandfather established one of the early Border Leicester sheep studs in 1869. During World War I , John’s great grandfather sold the home farm and moved north to South Canterbury. His grandfather later purchased Shrimpton’s Hill in 1927, with John’s parents, Hamish and Jean, taking over in 1952. John’s parents established Shrimpton’s Hill Hereford Stud in 1969 purchasing stock from the Maungahina Trust (Wairarapa) dispersal sale. When John and Liz took over the stud in 1990, the stud had 200 cows. Originally a horned Hereford Stud, they introduced Polled Herefords to the breeding programme.

ABOVE: Shrimpton’s Hill Herefords are New Zealand’s

SGL specialists, servicing the dairy industry

BELOW: Bulls waiting for semen collection at LIC

Herefords were already the preferred choice for the dairy industry as every Hereford-cross calf has a white face. Not only was it an easily identifiable marker, but white-faced calves typically fetched a premium at sale time. “AI a cow with an Angus straw and you can’t tell whether it’s Angus or Friesian. But it’s easy to tell a white-faced Hereford beef calf.”

Though straight Herefords had long been popular with high country farmers, numbers were in decline. It didn’t take long for John and Liz to realise that if they wanted to expand the business, moving into the dairy industry was the way to go.

In the early 2000s, talk of induction being phased out of the dairy industry got the McKerchars thinking. With a passion for genetics, John and Liz recognised there could be a huge advantage in producing shorter gestation genetics over average or longer genetics. So, they started experimenting with SGLs as a sideline to the main stud.

“There are only 300,000 beef cows in the South Island and Angus is the dominant breed. That’s about the same number of dairy cows in South Canterbury alone,” explains John. “We could see the growth in the dairy industry, especially in the South Island. It was more by good luck than good management.”

“It gave us the point of difference we had been looking for,” says John. “We sourced the shortest gestation bull we could find on Breedplan, in the Hereford world, and started breeding from there single-trait selecting for SGL.” That included buying in semen mainly from Australia and some from the United States. For more than a decade, the McKerchars worked tirelessly on developing SGL genetics with little financial reward. “There were plenty of times there that we nearly gave it all away because the market wouldn’t buy anything, then you’d get the odd sale to a company and that would keep us going,” explains John. “It took a while for people to catch on. People didn’t equate shorter gestation with more days in milk, which equals more money,” adds Liz. But in 2012, the McKerchars got a call out of the blue from LIC, which persuaded them they were on the right path. For 15 years the co-op had been doing their own research on SGL, and when they went looking for the leading SGL R E A L FA RME R

INTEREST genetics in the country, that led them straight to Shrimpton’s Hill. “The semen contract [with LIC] was a huge vote of confidence in our breeding programme,” says John. “We were just ticking away doing our AI programme, but it gave us the confidence to crank it up and invest heavily in our genetics. With the LIC supply agreement in place, it was easy for us to commit the whole herd down the SGL path.” Working in partnership with LIC, the McKerchars were able to make significant gains through embryo transplants. Though costly, the genetic gains were massive, says John. The first year of calves from the new breeding programme was 2014, and the McKerchars’ top cow had 12 calves through embryo transplant from four different bulls. She produced one bull and one heifer that was born 30 days earlier than the normal gestation for dairy cows (282 days). They were not premature but born with normal birth weights and were extremely healthy. It was considered a massive breakthrough for the programme. John says the key is more days in milk at no extra cost. The revenue implications alone were in the tens of millions of dollars for the dairy industry due to increased productivity. Dairy farmers were also looking for low birth weight, high calving ease and high growth rates. It is coming up 10 years since the McKerchars joined forces with LIC. Through that relationship, the stud has sold more than 1.5 million straws. Currently, they have 15 bulls with LIC. Each year 10 bulls go to Excel breeding to be thoroughly tested for calving ease and SGL. The aim is for each bull to be put to 1000 cows all over the country. “We have an amazing relationship with LIC. The feedback we get from them is incredible. All that information helps us make those breeding decisions. We soon see which bloodlines work and those that don’t,” says John.

Though their focus has been on SGL, John says they’ve been careful not to lose sight of those special traits that the Hereford breed brings to the market. “At the end of the day Shrimpton’s Hill Herefords are run commercially and they have to work on our tussock hill country. We are always conscious of what works in our environment. To run our cows, we need them to be good-doing cattle, with good survivability.” John says the “Achilles heel” of their breeding programme is securing new genetics. They’re always looking for something new to pop up on Breedplan. Breedplan is the main performance recording programme for beef cattle in Australasia, and they swear by it. Through Breedplan, they have imported a lot of semen from Australia. They are currently getting semen from the Wirruna Polled Hereford stud, which is known for its low birth weight, high growth rate bulls with good carcass data.

ABOVE: Sale Day at Shrimpton’s Hill Herefords BELOW: Up to 200 R2 bulls go under the hammer at

the McKerchars September bull sale

Occasionally, they throw up the odd SGL bull and those are the ones the McKerchars are after. Today, Shrimpton’s Hill consists of 1420-hectares spread across three properties, ranging in altitude from 200m to 1100m above sea level. There is a big variance between the properties in terms of climate, but they complement each other. The home block has safe summer rainfall, while spring comes earlier on the flats and rolling country down the valley, but tends to dry out more in summer, explains John. Currently, their herd consists of 750 females and 750 support stock, with all the stud cows wintered on the 900-hectare native tussock hill country block. Heifers are mated in April for February calving, meaning there is less pressure on feed supplies and they’re six months older at calving. By weaning in winter, John says it gives them the opportunity to AI them again in the spring, and any they don’t like can still be culled and graded as heifers. Each September the McKerchars have an on-farm bull sale where up to 200 R2 bulls go under the hammer. Some are also sold privately to winter mating herds in the North Island that can’t wait for the sale. The McKerchar’s also still run the Border Leicester stud, making it arguably one of the oldest flocks of any breed in the country, still in the same family. Though they’ve kept it going largely for family reasons, Border Leicesters were once New Zealand’s “go-to” breed. Originally from the Borders between England and Scotland, the Border Leicester was bred from a cross between the English Leicester and the Cheviot. The breed was first introduced to New Zealand in 1859. The advent of refrigeration in the

R E AL FARM E R

1880s saw the Border Leicester used as a crossing sire to produce heavyweight lambs and whether muttons. A dual-purpose breed, they were known for their milkiness, superior fertility, and strong maternal qualities. While the popularity of the Border Leicester has waned in recent years, they played a huge part in the development of many of the more favoured, composite breeds on which New Zealand relies heavily. The McKerchars have retained a stud flock of about 70. Liz’s family had also had a Border Leicester Stud, so she too had a soft spot for the breed. “It’s here because of family linkage and it will stay here. It’s given us a lot of fun over the years, and we are just retaining it for family reasons,” says John. “It’s not as though we are waiting on the ram cheque,” laughs Hamish. “It’s a pretty cool history. Once it’s gone, it’s gone.” For the Mckerchars, the new focus is on regenerative farming with the view to becoming carbon zero in the future. Hamish believes the family’s strength has always lain in its ability to be forward-thinking and adaptable, and that’s something he’s committed to continuing. “We know we can’t always do what we’ve always done. You have to be willing to try new things.” He says the purchase of a neighbouring property a few years back gave them the “open slate” needed to try going down the regenerative route. “It had a lot of old, tired paddocks on it, so we had to do something,” explains Liz. “We wanted a farming system that improved what you can’t see, rather than just what you can see.” “We sort of fell into it [regenerative farming] a wee bit, but we have all grasped it,” says Hamish. “It makes sense to us, and it’s something we are passionate about.” They have since stopped using synthetic fertilisers in favour of making their own compost, using a tea-bag system where water is added and it’s sprayed on as a liquid fertiliser or by grinding it up and spreading it on. They have also trialed multi-species pasture crops, helping to build plant diversity on-farm with

combinations that can naturally counter pests and diseases, with great success. They’re heading into their third winter without using urea, and the results speak for themselves. “We wintered 4500 cattle—we are very proud of that,” says John. Having Hamish and Abby home to take over the Shrimpton’s Hill ensures the future of the property is in very safe hands, says John. “It’s amazing having them home. We never really expected it. Now that they are, it’s our turn to let the next generation do what they want to do. My father allowed us to do that. I just think it’s so important to give them a fair go and let them get on with it. Liz and I can’t wait to wind down.” Hamish’s sister, Fiona, lives in London and works in the IT business. It was Hamish who always showed an interest going farming, but his first passion was flying. “Since I was about three years old, all I wanted to do was fly.” After finishing school he trained as a helicopter pilot,

ABOVE: Having Hamish and Abby home to take

over the Shrimpton’s Hill ensures the future of the property is in very safe hands, says John BELOW LEFT: Hamish and Abby are determined to see Shrimpton’s Hill continue to be at the forefront for generations to come BELOW RIGHT: For the McKerchars, the new focus is on regenerative farming with the view to becoming carbon zero in the future

spending seven years in Australia mustering and shooting for the Government, before landing a job with the Helicopter Line in Queenstown doing heli-skiing. With COVID-19 looming, in early 2020 Hamish and Abby packed up and headed home to the farm. “I love flying, but the drawcard of coming home was pretty big. I love the history and the family,” says Hamish. Though Abby grew up as a “city girl” in Christchurch, she has embraced her new life on-farm much to the surprise of her family and friends. Having been a national representative swimmer in her younger years, Abby went on to study sports nutrition and became a registered personal trainer. She had her own business in Christchurch, before joining Hamish in Queenstown where she worked as swim coach at the Millbrook Resort. She currently works part-time for Sport Canterbury, based out of Timaru, and has also converted an old woolshed on the farm into a home gym where she runs local group classes and private sessions, as well as taking the odd swimming lesson. Abby says starting the gym had made her transition to farm life so much easier. “It was really important for me to keep part of what I did.” Together, Hamish and Abby are determined to see Shrimpton’s Hill continue to be at the forefront for generations to come. R E A L FA RME R

USE YOUR RURALCO CARD HERE

R E AL FARM E R

R E A L FA RME R

USE YOUR RURALCO CARD HERE

INTEREST

Full circle with Andrew Barlass

R E AL FARM E R

Newly appointed Ruralco Director Andrew Barlass has spent the last few years returning to his roots, in more ways than one. WORDS BY BRETT HALDANE, IMAGES BY LANEY MAHUIKA-WILLIS & FONTERRA

Andrew was welcomed to the Board at last November’s AGM, however his connection with Ruralco is longstanding. The family membership goes back to the co-operative’s establishment days. Andrew’s grandfather Ray was a foundation member and the family still use the membership number issued in the first 500. That commitment and relationship remains as important today. “I grew up in a world where farmers did it tough. Coming out of the 80s life was pretty difficult, and the banks weren’t out to make friends. Co-ops were there for you during those times because they had, and still maintain a strong shareholder focus.” Andrew is totally committed to the cooperative business model, yet ironically, much of his career has been in the world of corporate finance where large scale organisations are geared towards optimising profit. Growing up in Methven, educated at the local schools, a healthy interest in business and finance led to Canterbury University and an honours degree in Economics. He had holiday work during school and university at South Pacific Seeds. This was a valuable introduction to the wider Mid Canterbury farming industry and a specialised field totally different from the family farm. In his final year at Canterbury a friend encouraged him to apply for an internship with Credit Suisse First Boston (now the investment and advisory group Jarden), and this summer experience led to a job offer. “The next 15 years kind of just happened. I got to see the world, work in Auckland, London and Sydney, meet some amazing people and work

on some fascinating transactions”. However, the transactional focus of mergers and acquisitions left Andrew with a desire for longer term connections. “You come in and help buy or sell a company, work very intensely with a management team,

ABOVE: Checking a crop of Sainfoin, grown from seed

imported from Canada

BELOW: Andrew and wife Sarah returned to Methven

from Sydney in 2017 with their young family

but in the end leave them to carry on with their own business plan.” While working with Deutsche Bank New Zealand in Auckland, he was presented with an opportunity to transfer to their funds management business in Australia and it was here Andrew cut his teeth in governance roles, managing clients’ investments. While working with large and complex organisations, where the board is surrounded by a strong management team, Andrew had the space and challenges to develop real governance capabilities. “We’re there to provide direction, and importantly, allow the CEO and management the freedom to conduct the business day to day”. This governance experience was one of the platforms that supported Andrew’s application to join the Ruralco board, and it has been valued elsewhere too. With a history alongside infrastructure, since returning to R E A L FA RME R

INTEREST

experiences they had growing up and access to extended family. “Our eldest was turning five, and we wanted her to have her schooling in New Zealand. That was a prime motivator, but Dad was ready to transition the management of the farming business as well.” The family farm consists of two properties, Dalkeith and Kowhai, each located between Methven and the Rakaia Gorge.

ABOVE: Andrew is a strong believer in the co-operative

business model BELOW: Andrew and Sarah were keen for their children to grow up with the same sort of outdoor life experiences they had

Mid Canterbury Andrew has also taken up a directorship with Ashburton Contracting. A strong belief in the co-operative model is clearly another reason he’s a great fit for Ruralco. Andrew is also a Director at EA Networks—the only co-operatively owned lines company in New Zealand. “It drives a very interesting dynamic around the board table because we’re a co-operative. While we have all the usual discussions the focus is on achieving the best outcomes in terms of cost to serve, service levels and reliability for customers, not the bottom-line profit. We still need to be profitable, but it’s tempered by a broader view of shareholder value. It’s a really fantastic company, delivering great outcomes for customers in Mid Canterbury”. By way of comparison, Andrew recounts childhood memories of the power being out for days after a big wind or snow event, whereas now it can be back on in a couple of hours. Interestingly, Andrew was the recipient of an EA Networks Scholarship in his final school year, and he is now enjoying the opportunity to ‘give back’ to this local co-op. More recently, Andrew’s previous governance role with the Melbourne Airport has led to a board appointment at Christchurch International Airport. Taking on a portfolio of directorships is not unusual, and the wider governance can be advantageous—for example through cross pollination of best practice or exploring business synergies. The last two years have really shone a light on the importance of this aspect of governance, as different industries and businesses have

R E AL FARM E R

grappled with the everchanging challenge of the Covid pandemic. “There’s a variety of people juggling other roles on our board, and there are different farming sectors represented—so it’s great to see that diversity and exposure to other organisations, within Ruralco’s governance.”

“I grew up in a world where farmers did it tough. Coming out of the 80s life was pretty difficult, and the banks weren’t out to make friends. Co-ops were there for you during those times because they had, and still maintain a strong shareholder focus.” Andrew and wife Sarah returned to Methven from Sydney in 2017 with their young family. While Andrew was leaving funds management, Sarah’s career was in law. The primary motivation was a desire for their children to grow up with the sort of outdoor life

Ownership of Dalkeith dates back to 1947, when Andrew’s grandfather bought the land. Initially it was run as a traditional mixed farming operation with a herd of about 50 milking cows, sheep, and mixed cropping. However, over time the farm transitioned exclusively into sheep farming with a Coopworth flock. New Zealand’s dairy boom still lay ahead but in the early 90s Dalkeith added heifer grazing to the system. Eventually Dad said, “We should be doing this ourselves!” “The sharemilker model worked well because Dad was regularly off farm and overseas with other business interests and he had had some health issues which made some animal handling aspects of farming difficult.” Their switch to dairy in 1997 was still one of Canterbury’s early conversions, and Dalkeith’s 210ha milking platform now supports 675 cows. The remainder of the farm is reserved for young stock and winter crop. “The benefit of our system is that we’ve got 280ha accessible from the cow shed, so we rotate that winter crop through the milking platform over a seven or eight year period, giving an opportunity to re-grass at the same time.” Kowhai, which was purchased from the Wightman family and converted in 2012, is now running 750 cows. It’s a recent return to milk because the property has a rich history in dairy. It’s thought it was the country’s largest dairy farm at the beginning of the twentieth century, milking around 500 cows with its own cheese factory. Both farming operations involve sharemilkers. This allows the Barlass family to focus on the

non-milking side of the operation including young stock, winter crop, silage, and maintenance as well as the longer-term farm strategy. “I’m very aware of letting Al and James get on with their business—the livestock side of the operation, the milking herd, pasture management and their staff,” Andrew told ‘Dairy Exporter’ Magazine during a recent interview. Within that article you also get a real sense of Andrew and his father David’s approach to farming; it’s experimental and analytical. “I don’t really have any preconceived notions, and I haven’t been taught a particular way of doing things—but I respect the years of science and experience that underpin our farming systems. It’s good to be curious, to be open and be prepared to try something different if you’re analysing what effect that’s having. That is something I have observed and learned from Dad.” Methven’s climatic patterns bring uncertainty; while there’s enough rain to negate the need to irrigate, pasture growth rates aren’t as predictable up close to the foothills. To illustrate Andrew shares a quote he attributes to his father, David. “We always grow about the same amount of grass in a year, we just never know when it will come!” Clearly, the Ruralco board will be well served by Andrew’s dairy and wider business experience. His appointment comes at a time when the industry is under pressure. He’s concerned about the lack of advocacy for farmers, particularly when it comes to the greenhouse gas debate. Methane is a short-lived gas, relative to CO2, and New Zealand has led the way by adopting a ‘split gas’ approach within its Zero Carbon Act. However, it’s a view seemingly not shared on the world stage, as demonstrated at the recent COP26 Summit, where New Zealand joined more than 100 countries in agreement

to slash methane emissions by 30% (of 2020 levels) by 2030. “A static herd of ruminants has minimal warming impact even though at face value emissions are high. The science has been there for a while, yet the position that agriculture is responsible for 48% of our greenhouse gas emissions in New Zealand persists. While technically correct, if we are going to solve the warming issue, we need a more nuanced discussion that recognises the relative warming impact of constant emission stream of CO2 vs methane”.

“It’s good to be curious, to be open and be prepared to try something different if you’re analysing what effect that’s having.” He worries that a shift from dairy farming, and therefore available protein and other nutrients through milk and meat, will see the demand for processed foods advance further. It’s a position he sees as a worse outcome for the population’s health, the environment, and the land. “That said, we shouldn’t shy away from our obligations: we do have issues to tackle, and if we can also reduce methane then that’s a good outcome.” Andrew would like to see recognition that farmers are in a position to help with global cooling, through herd management, with positive incentives put in place—rather than the threat of taxes. “The milk production from the bottom 10% of your cows versus the top can be significantly different. Now that the herd size is static, or even falling, we’ve the opportunity to be more selective and remove poorer performing cows, while continuing to breed for and improve performance trait.” He likens the current situation to that of the sheep industry in the late 80s, where

ABOVE: The family farm consists of two properties,

Dalkeith and Kowhai, each located between Methven and the Rakaia Gorge BELOW: Andrew says that we all have obligations and if we can reduce methane, then that’s a good outcome

over time, the animal population shrank significantly without impacting the amount of lamb produced. “I think the dairy industry is at the start of that same cycle. It’s a journey that requires care. Pushing too hard on production per head can have unwanted results in terms of animal health and fertility.” However, Andrew believes the sector has a real opportunity to improve performance within the national herd. Finally, when asked about Ruralco, and its markets, Andrew is struck by the unique conditions the co-operative finds itself in while Covid-19 continues. “It’s an interesting time. Now that our regional borders are down, and people are holidaying, the disease will spread within the community. So, you need to be ready, for example thinking through what self-isolating really involves, what it means for your business, and how you’ll continue to operate.” Consequently, he sees the first quarter of 2022 as challenging, very aware members are also managing changing labour input costs, and Ruralco’s team are working hard to ensure ongoing product supply to farms. However, despite the pandemic he remains upbeat, confident in the co-operative’s strength and adaptability. “We have a very loyal membership, and on the flip side there’s always opportunity to find new ways to serve your customers well—and the Ruralco Card is a convenient way to introduce new services.” Andrew Barlass has gone from the farm to corporate finance, and back again. Ruralco welcomes him home, and onto the Board. R E A L FA RME R

USE YOUR RURALCO CARD HERE

R E AL FARM E R

INTEREST

Recognition for hard mahi

Ruralco Chair Jessie Chan describes her contribution to any leadership team as being a person who always looks for the ‘reality check’. WORDS BY BRETT HALDANE. IMAGE BY ANNIE STUDHOLME

While clearly qualified to be leading strategy, considering opportunity or risk, and reviewing financial performance, Jessie is very focused on people—their day to day lives, and the work they do. “I think I bring a grounded view of the realities of life, after all, every facet of any business involves working with people, we’re all different, and we all have different needs. To run a business well, it’s vital to have the right commercial drivers in place, but it’s really important not to lose site of the people and cultural drivers”. These principles Jessie attributes to her father’s influence, and it was through him that she first experienced farming. “Dad had a portable sawmill and he used to take us to farms, mill their shelter belts and make timber for them. Because he was a solo Dad, raising the four of us, during the holidays we’d end up kicking around farms with him”. So, it’s in his memory that she now dedicates her recent appointment as a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit for her services to Dairy and Agriculture. Jessie was deeply humbled to be included in the New Year’s Honours list, and now looks forward to being invested by the Governor-General in May.

While Jessie admits to being surprised by the nomination, it is a recognition of an industry contribution, through management and governance roles, that spans over 20 years. Originally from Palmerston North, her early working life included time in the Fonterra Research Institute laboratory and MAF Biosecurity, before moving on to Federated Farmers as a Policy Advisor and then Policy Manager in Wellington. “I learnt a ton about the regulatory system, how we can positively influence policy, and how legislation is created. But importantly, I also learnt a great deal about farming, because I met with farmers across the country, from all walks of life”. Jessie now lives in Rakaia, home to her two boys Adam and Noah. The move was originally due to a change in vocation; in 2009 she became a sharemilker, and eventually leased a 420ha dairy farm in Dorie. Passionate about the industry, she joined Federated Farmers as sharemilker Chair for Mid Canterbury—progressing through a series of local and then national executive positions. While representational by nature, her time in these roles with the Federation marks the beginnings of Jessie’s governance experience. Her first professional Directorship occurred in 2013 when she joined the Ruralco Board. Now our Chair, Jessie also fulfils directorships with Ngai Tahu Farming, Alpine Energy and Bio-Protection Aotearoa. She also is a Trustee

of ‘Meat the Need’, a charitable organisation providing meat for food bags going to families in need, and in 2017 she was named Fonterra’s ‘Dairy Woman of the Year’. Reflecting on her career, and the New Zealand Order of Merit, Jessie Chan feels privileged to be, in a position to advocate for the primary sector. She uses her involvement with Te Hono, a leader and partnership forum for the primary sector, as an example. “It’s important that people attending the forum understand that, while it’s fantastic to have ambitious goals for the primary sector, we need to consider how farming businesses can be supported to transition. It’s great to talk about carbon neutral exports and premium overseas markets, but let’s bring it back to the farm, the hard slog and the daily challenges, and understand how we get to these big visions from there”. Jessie is also vocal about legislative change, and a lack of consultation. “Government are not thinking through policy very well at the moment, and it’s having a detrimental impact on businesses”. She talks about business people feeling that they’ve lost their voice, over a wide variety of issues, and encourages Government to engage. “Stop and have a conversation, actually listen to those doing the hard mahi, and let’s work together so that New Zealand Inc gets the outcomes it needs”. R E A L FA RME R

USE YOUR RURALCO CARD HERE

R E AL FARM E R

RURALCO ENERGY R E A L FA RME R

INTEREST

Family in tune with bees’ needs

R E AL FARM E R

In the past decade the gentle art of beekeeping and honey making has been transformed into something of a Wild West experience for many throughout New Zealand . WORDS BY RICHARD RENNIE, IMAGES BY TANIA NIWA

The lure of high manuka honey prices has pushed the number of hives up to unsustainable numbers, putting pressure upon bee populations and the beekeepers tasked with looking after them. One Taranaki family has however managed to step aside from the whirlwind impact of manuka honey goldrush, keeping firm to their values of sustainable, healthy hives and good relations with landowners. Sonia and Bryon Bluett and their son Isaac, the owners of Eltham Honey, are seeing the family honey business ease into its third generation of ownership from the family’s base in south Taranaki. In many respects the most remarkable thing about the third-generation succession is how similar the business is to the one Sonia’s parents Trevor and Gay Rowe started back in 1965. “Dad had always had something of a passion for bees and beekeeping, and it soon came to be that I never knew anything else other than beekeeping as our family business,” says Sonia. But the family had started off dairying on the block. When compelled to seek more finance for the farm business, Trevor and Gay had been turned down by the Rural Bank and faced the possibility of losing the farm. “Dad sold the dairy herd in order to keep the land, only to find TSB would lend him the money, just as the cows went out the gate.” But rather than getting the herd back, Trevor committed to his beekeeping passion, built a honey house on the property and business began with the first honey being sold in the autumn of 1965.

With that came Sonia’s lifelong association with bees and honey, and she still recalls the front of the family home being converted into a honey shop, and her selling honey from the age of 12.

ABOVE: Isaac’s move into the family business fulltime

“At the time there were only two large beekeepers in Taranaki, at Mania and Okato. They were all good mates and kept an eye out on each other’s hives and worked with a MAF beekeeping officer, it was quite different to how things are today,” says Sonia.

their values of sustainable, healthy hives and good relations with landowners

Ever the capable ex-dairy farmer, Trevor took his farm handyman skills to the beekeeping enterprise, making all their own honey frames, hives and equipment, something that Sonia, Bryon and Isaac continue to do today. Meeting Bryon, an electrician for Kiwi Dairy Coop, proved to be timely for both him and Sonia. Years of shift work, repairing and “band aiding” equipment in the dairy factory was wearing thin for Bryon who was keen to commit not only to

alongside his parents Byron and Sonia, is ensuring Eltham Honey has good prospects for the next half century

BELOW: The Bluett’s have a focus on keeping firm to

Sonia as his wife, but to a business he had some say over and would prove more rewarding. “Sonia’s Dad had a sore back one year and I took some of the summer holidays to work moving hives for him, and thoroughly enjoyed it. He did say to me that if I wanted to go out with his daughter, I had to do some time on the bees!” “I enjoyed the work. You may feel physically stuffed at the end of the day, but you also felt you had something to show for your day’s work,” says Bryon. Bryon had been asked by friend to think about what he wanted and where he wanted life to take him and beekeeping seemed the natural, enjoyable answer to that. “So, in 1995 we took over the business from Trevor and Gay, knowing just what we were getting into and how the business can have a varying income level year to year, depending upon honey flow,” says Bryon. To this day they agree it was the best decision they ever made. “Working for yourself and being in charge of your destiny, despite the lack of guaranteed income, is very worthwhile,” says Bryon. Taking over from Trevor, Bryon and Sonia worked alongside him for a few years initially running 900 hives and lifting numbers to 1,400. But following Trevor’s sudden death in 2000 and the creeping impact of the varroa mite invasion, they stepped hive numbers down and today run between 700–850. The products the family specialise in today do not differ too much from when Trevor started R E A L FA RME R

INTEREST the business. “We have a good niche in the comb honey business, which is very popular with the Japanese export market, and also with tourists when they were coming here. We also do good volumes of bulk honey, and bees’ wax products.” While manuka honey is the high-profile product for the industry that has drawn more beekeepers than ever to the trade, the Bluett’s have kept it as only a small portion of their business, accounting for less than 20% of their operation. The bulk of their honey type consists of clover honey, combination pasture honey and a bush honey that includes a combination of kamahi, rewarewa and manuka. Sonia says her father would be bemused at the profile manuka has gained in recent years, given 25 years ago it was produced to feed bees with, rather than being a harvested honey. “It is ironic when you see more and more manuka scrub being planted, when I can distinctly recall it being cut out from farms all those years ago.” Isaac’s move into the family business fulltime is ensuring Eltham Honey has good prospects for the next half century. A love of timber work had him working as a furniture maker apprentice locally, but increasingly bought a sense he was “just a cog in the machine”.

reasons for staying echo those of Bryon’s 30 years earlier. “I enjoy the physicality of the work and coming home feeling tired for having done something that has very real results at the end of it,” says Isaac.

“I overheard Mum and Dad talking one day about how they were looking at wrapping up the business and interrupted them to ask if I might be able to be part of it, rather than them selling it.”

For Isaac one of the most satisfying aspects of the day’s work is opening up a hive to find a strong healthy golden comb with healthy bees busy within. His love of woodwork is not lost despite his change in career, with his skills invaluable in keeping the family tradition of making their own hives and frames alive.

His only hesitancy came from knowing he was sensitive to bee stings, with one leaving him knocked out cold and in anaphylactic shock when he had been out among the hives with Bryon.

Isaac’s participation has also prompted the family to undergo a recent re-branding exercise, renaming the business “Eltham Honey” rather than “Eltham Apiaries”.

But undergoing a treatment programme at Auckland hospital has meant Isaac has become effectively immunised to stings, and he gets a regular top up injection to maintain the immunity. Sonia and Bryon gave him a 12-month trial in the business just to ensure he was as keen as he thought he was, and his

“Most younger people don’t know what apiaries are, so it was worthwhile redoing our brand and website,” says Sonia.

R E AL FARM E R

The family focus strongly on keeping the business in tune with the very seasonal, environmentally dependent nature of honey production and bee health.

ABOVE: For Isaac one of the most satisfying aspects

of the day’s work is opening up a hive to find a strong healthy golden comb with healthy bees busy within BELOW LEFT: The bulk of the Bluett’s honey consists of clover honey, combination pasture honey and a bush honey that includes a combination of kamahi, rewarewa and manuka BELOW RIGHT: Sonia holds the diary her dad Trevor wrote from teenage years, documenting the bees

As a student of Trevor’s methods, Bryon has kept much of what he learnt from him in play. “Trevor was a bit unorthodox in his approach, and I have stuck with that. Like Trevor, I believe hives are designed to be part of their environment, and to stay within the environment they are in, rather than being moved around which many beekeepers do now to extend the hive’s production,” says Bryon. They only move a very small proportion of their hives during the season, with the bee populations tuning into their locale, remaining settled and healthy as a result. “We hear from farmers about how unhappy they get with some beekeepers moving their

hives almost overnight, and how it leaves those bees that were not in the hive at the time stranded and without a home.

the industry, particularly on hive health and biosecurity—we are struggling as an industry to be taken seriously by government,” says Bryon.

“If the SPCA covered bees as they do other stock, they would not be happy with what they would find,” says Bryon. “If you look after the bees, they will look after us.” For the Bluett’s this also extends to the landowners who they rely upon for hive locations.

“I think the only way the government will really take the industry seriously is when we can speak to them with a single voice,” says Bryon.

Many kids growing up on farms will recall the tubs of honey ‘paid’ to their family by grateful beekeepers for allowing the hives to co-exist alongside livestock on farms. The Bluett’s work hard to keep this age-old tradition of respect and reciprocation alive in an environment where beekeepers have become more aggressive in how closely they place hives to other operators, and how frequently they will move those hives to other sites often chasing the golden lure of manuka returns.

They are also concerned at the erosion of collaboration and camaraderie between beekeepers as hive numbers have grown, with far greater secrecy and lack of disclosure between even neighbouring beekeepers on where hives are located. As a company, the Bluett’s remain committed to doing what they have always done so well. That is producing high quality honey and honey

products in a sustainable way that is sensitive not only to the land, but also their clients, and their community where they play a big role with school fundraising and promoting healthy bees in the environment. Bryon describes bees as the “canary in the coal mine” for all the environment, and the first indicators if something is wrong in the environment. “Bees lack the ability to break down toxins that build up within them, so their health is a good indicator of the environment we all live in. For us, this is not a 9 to 5 job, it’s a passion, a way of life that requires us to ensure our bees can live as healthily as possible.”

As for all beekeepers, the past few seasons have been tough for the Bluett’s with global honey prices very depressed, often down to only $2.50 a kg, when production break even value is nearer $7 a kg. But Bryon has some cause for optimism with recent non-manuka honey prices starting to lift and interest remains firm from overseas for Eltham’s high quality comb honey. Meantime there is also some adjustment occurring on the supply side of the honey equation. New Zealand has become effectively overstocked with bees in the past few years as beekeepers ramp up hive numbers to secure manuka honey. This is despite experts cautioning that overstocking, just as in a pastoral farm, can lead to unhealthy bee populations and overall poor productivity. The Bluett’s appreciate this more than most, with the last apiculture survey showing their area, the lower North Island, comprises 42% of the North Island’s total hive numbers. “But we are also seeing a bit of a shakeout in hive numbers, which have dropped by 100,000– 150,000 in the past few months from a record high,” Bryon. Operationally the big disease challenge for the Bluett’s is varroa. Endemic in New Zealand since the early 2000s, it requires constant monitoring to keep mite numbers down from levels that can impinge on hive health. The increase in wasp populations over the years has also added stress onto hives. Bryon maintains minimising hive stress by less movement helps bees maintain more resilience in dealing with these health challenges. Fifty-five years ago, when Trevor started selling honey it was in an industry that had a good level of unity and collaboration, something Sonia laments is missing today, and is sorely needed back. “We have industry bodies, but they are quite separate, and as an industry we need a single body that speaks with a single voice for

Brits foil bid to protect Manuka Like many in the industry, the Bluett’s were dismayed to learn late last year New Zealand ’s efforts to protect the term “Manuka” had been rejected by the United Kingdom Trade Commission. The industry, with government backing, had been seeking to ensure the term would be protected for exclusive use by New Zealand honey makers alone, this would make the term protected in the way “Champagne” is for French bubbly and “Parma” is for ham from Italy.

to call it something else, often bush honey. New Zealand has done a lot of marketing and standards work for its manuka honey and has gained good traction. Other countries are now seeing this as a good thing to jump onto,” says Bryon.

Apiculture New Zealand CEO Karin Kos says she was dismayed at the commission’s ruling, which supported Australian honey producers’ claim to also use the title.

He likens the rights to having exclusive use on “Manuka” to that of French Champagne makers who sought successfully to pull back use of the term “Champagne”, well after other countries had started using it.

She said this was even more so, given the positive prospects the United Kingdom market held for further manuka honey sales. At present the United Kingdom and China are the two biggest export markets for manuka honey. “There is no argument the Australians were producing a manuka honey, but they used

“Just because someone else somewhere else has chosen to use the term does not mean they should be allowed to continue to use it.” Representatives of manuka honey manufacturers are hoping to appeal the commission’s decision this year. R E A L FA RME R

USE YOUR RURALCO CARD HERE

R E AL FARM E R

R E A L FA RME R

USE YOUR RURALCO CARD HERE

RURALCO ENERGY 22

R E AL FARM E R

New EV charging station to be launched at Ruralco

ENERGY

ARTIST’S IMPRESSION

Ruralco and Meridian are joining forces to install an electric charging station at Ruralco’s Ashburton store site. WORDS BY ANITA BODY

It’s planned the EV charging station will be open for business in late Autumn and it will be located on the Burnett Street side of the Ruralco farm supplies store premises. Ruralco Group CEO, Robert Sharkie says that establishing the charging station is a great opportunity for members and the wider Ashburton community as well as those passing through the district. “We have been investigating EV charging for some time. We are always scanning the international market to see what is on offer, exploring different fuel/energy source options and the potential benefits for our members. We want to ensure we stay ahead of the needs of all our members and if this charging station trial proves successful, we would consider it for other Ruralco locations.” Ruralco’s Energy Sales Manager, Tracey Gordon said there will be plenty of promotion and celebration when the charging station is opened. Tracey says “This is an opportunity for Ruralco to be forward thinking and to take a closer look at a sustainable carbon footprint. We care about the environment and the wider benefits for our

community, and we are looking towards the future to provide benefits for our members.” Rob Sharkie comments “We recognise the options for electric vehicles for farm use is still relatively limited, but the expectation is that we will see this increase as car manufacturers continue to develop their models to meet farmer’s needs.” Additionally, the Government rebates on offer make it an attractive option. Currently the Government’s Clean Car Discount encourages the purchase of electric or low CO2 emission light vehicles by offering rebates on eligible imported vehicles, and subject to controversial legislation plans, there could be even greater incentives for motorists to take a closer look at electric vehicles in the coming months. In addition to the environmental benefits, there are also economic benefits for the local community by establishing a charging station close to the middle of town. One of the criteria for the Ruralco and Meridian partnership was that the site had to be a place where people loved to go such as a popular shopping area, as well as having high traffic levels. Tracey said finding a spot or an area which was easy for motorists to access, while still being close to the middle of town was the key to the proposal. “We believe our site ticks all of the boxes. People can shop at the Ruralco store or with one of the many Ruralco suppliers around town while their vehicle is charging.” Plans are also underway to beautify the spot so motorists

IMAGE: An artist’s impression of the proposed EV

charging station at the Ruralco Ashburton store

can use the site to take a break and have a coffee and a bite to eat. There will be four charging points via two charging stations at the site. The 22kW AC chargers will be available free of charge for the first 12 months of the trial, with this being reviewed at the end of the first year. The team at Meridian will be responsible for the implementation and managing the EV chargers on a day-to-day basis and will offer full support via its Christchurch based call centre. Their customer service team will be available to answer any queries, and Ruralco will ensure it has a contact person in store to help connect customers to the right person if they need. This partnership is one of several Meridian has been involved in and builds on the longstanding partnership Ruralco has had with Meridian over many years. It is a testament to both organisations’ focus on delivering excellent customer service while also keeping an eye on the future and anticipating their customers’ ongoing needs. There will be more information about the launch of the Burnett Street EV charging station closer to the launch date, the Ruralco website and social media pages will provide updates through the process. R E A L FA RME R

USE YOUR RURALCO CARD HERE

R E AL FARM E R

ANIMAL NUTRITION

Tupping and pregnancy in ewes

Lambing success starts here. Would you like to know how you can best influence your lambing percentages and achieve a higher twin ratio? Consultant nutritionist, Paul Sharp, explains why pre-tupping management is a critical success factor. than during the first 10 days of pregnancy when feed restriction will, in fact, jeopardise egg survival. As a rule of thumb, feed allocation should be around 2.5% of LWT in daily intakes—around 1.5kg DM/day for a 60kg ewe—making sure that any shortages (in quality or quantity) are addressed with suitable supplements, or crops. It’s also a good idea to test for mineral deficiencies such as iodine and selenium, the latter being vital for cycling and embryo implantation. Seales Winslow’s Lamber Max blocks are an ideal way to boost mineral supplies during this period, as well as improve utilisation of summer feed. DIETARY TARGET Crude Protein

10–12% minimum 14% for hoggets

When you think of lambing success, you’ll probably picture healthy ewes with two lambs each, and in good condition. Well, this objective is eminently achievable, starting with pretupping management aimed at maximising ovulation rates and increasing in-lamb and multiple rates. Nutritionally, “It all hinges on the weight and body condition score (BCS) of hoggets and ewes,” explains Paul Sharp, SealesWinslow, Consultant Nutritionist. Ewes that carry some extra body fat and are “flushed” have a much better chance of twin pregnancies and will grow a healthy placenta promoting better foetus survivability.

Look at weight and preferential feeding “It’s important that weight is monitored regularly in the lead-up to mating,” advises Paul. “Don’t leave it until tupping time to achieve weight gains. By then it’s too late.” He illustrates the point with an optimum condition ewe in BCS 3; at 60kg she is about 8kg heavier than her counterpart at BCS 2. For the

lighter ewe to catch up and gain the additional weight it would take 53 days! That’s why you’ll want to identify these ewes early—ideally by putting your hand on their back to detect marginal differences. “Drafting will only establish the very lightest,” knows Paul. “You would miss the ewes that only need to gain half a BCS, and that’s precisely where your easiest gains are! With preferential feeding, those ewes are the most efficient use of available feed, and deliver the very best return for any purchased supplements.” For smooth ovulation and reliable pregnancies, ewes need to at least maintain condition, but ideally should be on a rising plane of nutrition. Flushing them prior to mating and for the first 17 days of mating on high quality feed yields optimum results. For hogget’s it’s critical to ensure continued growth in the lead up and during tupping.

Focus on feed Both quality and quantity of feed are important considerations, but perhaps never more so

ADF

16% minimum

Energy

10.5MJ ME / kg DM

The rewards for optimised feeding are worthwhile: Research shows that you can achieve 6% increase in twinning per 4.5 kg of ewe LWT, increasing in linear fashion to at least 70 kg LWT. Further, heavy ewes maintained in high condition from weaning to tupping show improved reproductive performance with increases in lambing up to 20% being documented. On the other end of the scale, barrenness surges below 45 kg LWT. In the final analysis, it pays to calculate the value of increased lambing in relation to additional feed cost; taking into account that each additional kg LWT for mature ewes requires 40–60 MJ ME, with a weight gain of 150g/day being the upper end.

Paul’s tupping tips: • Use ram harnesses and change colours every 10 days, for more accurate lambing times and better grass allocation; • Avoid tupping in paddocks that were used for intensive lamb finishing as the worm burden can be high (use a testing kit); • Keep the rams in top health; • Lucerne is suitable for tupping (free of diseases or insect infestations that affect ovulation). THIS PROMOTIONAL FEATURE WAS PROVIDED BY SEALES WINSLOW 1 Improved Lambing Percentage, KG Geenty, MeatNZ 1989 R E A L FA RME R

USE YOUR RURALCO CARD HERE

USE YOUR RURALCO CARD ON

THE WEST COAST WHILE AGFEST ISN’T GOING AHEAD AS PLANNED IN APRIL, YOU CAN STILL ENJOY GREAT DEALS AND DISCOUNTS FOR YOUR BUSINESS, WHERE YOUR CARD IS ACCEPTED ON THE WEST COAST UP TO

UP TO

20%

BNT

GREY FORD

UP TO

7.5% CABLEPRICE

POWER FARMING

UP TO

CB NORWOOD DISTRIBUTORS

DISCOUNT

PROMO SAFETY

15%

ON STOCK

DISCOUNT FOOD

SUPPLY POINT

10%

UP TO

10%

DISCOUNT

SPEIGHTS ALE HOUSE

DISCOUNT

UP TO

20%

DISCOUNT

UP TO UP TO

INDEPENDENT TYRE SERVICES

SUTHERLAND TYRES

DISCOUNT

MITRE 10 HOKITIKA, WESTPORT, GREYMOUTH

DISCOUNT

Reefton Hardware REEFTON HARDWARE

Remember to keep your Ruralco Card in your wallet when shopping. Businesses are obligated to request to see your Ruralco Card, prior to allowing you to purchase goods. This is a security measure to keep both you and the supplier safe.

SAVE AT THESE BUSINESSES AND MORE WHEN YOU PAY WITH YOUR RURALCO CARD.

DON’T HAVE A RURALCO CARD? Become a member today and start saving 26

R E AL FARM E R

0800 787 256

RURALCO.CO.NZ

R E A L FA RME R

USE YOUR RURALCO CARD HERE

INTEREST

Methane mitigation tech not science fiction Most farmers will be well aware of the approaching deadlines placed upon them to curtail their farm methane emissions which comprise about half of New Zealand ’s total green-house gas profile. WORDS BY RICHARD RENNIE

It is another pressure point for many, alongside the challenges of freshwater regulations, staffing shortages, and the usual array of everyday nuts and bolt jobs that entail running a modern farm. The demand to reduce livestock methane emissions is not in some distant timeline, and the first target point is in 2030. That is glaringly close for biological businesses that can take several years to adjust and respond to altered environmental expectations. The challenge for Kiwi farmers is also a peculiarly New Zealand problem. Despite being among the ranks of the world’s more developed nations, New Zealand has

R E AL FARM E R

a green-house gas (GHG) profile akin to a developing agrarian nation where methane from livestock dominates gas emissions. It is a reality the primary sector began facing up to almost two decades ago, with the government initiating the Pastoral Greenhouse Gas Research Consortium (PGgRc) in 2004. The consortium’s express purpose was clearly laid out from the start – to research methods to help reduce livestock’s methane emissions. After New Zealand ’s commitment to the Paris Accord in 2016 the proverbial heat has been turned up on the sector to present some viable, practical solutions to GHG mitigation farmers can incorporate into their businesses without compromising farm profitability, animal welfare and product quality. The foresight that had the PGgRc established is coming clearer as some critical dates near. To help meet its Paris commitments farming is required to do a significant amount of heavy lifting to deal with its high proportion of GHG

contribution, and the first target to hit is a 10% reduction on 2017 methane levels by 2030. Come 2050, the sector must take a further cut, dropping a further 24-47% of methane emissions. While many maintain the 2030 target is achievable, the 2050 target remains a major hurdle, and one where hope is being pinned upon emerging mitigation technology ultimately contributing to clearing that hurdle. The primary sector’s framework to achieve these targets came in 2019 with He Waka Eke Noa. It is a group of 13 partners from government, industry and iwi coming together to advance work on climate change action, not only to mitigate GHG losses, but to also improve the sector’s resilience to climate change impacts like drought and floods. The group has recognised that “what you don’t measure, you can’t manage” and first steps have been establishing means of measuring farm GHG emissions, then determining a

system to account for them that has to be in place by January 2025.

harvested red seaweed Asparagopsis armata as a methane reducing feed supplement.

matters, with growing stock requiring larger and larger doses.

This includes a mechanism for farm level emissions pricing, otherwise the primary sector will be folded into the existing ETS scheme, with little influence over how that is managed.

Raising over $4 million in a capital issue last year and working with NIWA, the company is claiming the seaweed could reduce animal methane emissions by 90%.

“It is far easier to maintain a steady state dose when delivering it to an adult animal.”

This summer the primary sector is touting two options, a processor-based industry levy, or a farm-based emissions charge, to gauge farmer response and preference.

Growing the spores on submerged ropes on an old oyster farm on the island, the company hopes to grow the industry to a $500 million industry.

Meantime, in the background some cutting edge research work offers some hope to pastoral farmers that dealing with biological methane is not an insurmountable problem.

CH4 Global was founded two and a half years ago by an international team of senior scientists, proven technology entrepreneurs, and business executives from Australia, New Zealand, and the United States.

He suspected final treatment of methane emissions may take a form similar to modern HIV disease treatment, mixing and matching a cocktail of drug/treatment technologies in a rumen environment that is a tough, acidic, reductive place to try and secure a treatment foothold.

Early in 2021 Fonterra joined forces with giant Dutch nutrition and science-based company Royal DSM to work on using that company’s ground-breaking product Bovaer as a solution here in New Zealand to reduce methane losses. Bovaer has proven highly effective in total ration feed systems in the northern hemisphere, reducing losses by over 30%. Fonterra Chief Science & Technology Officer, Dr Jeremy Hill says the co-op wants to explore and validate how Bovaer could work here in New Zealand , where cows are predominantly fed grass. Trials are now underway around New Zealand on undisclosed farms to determine if the same outcomes can be achieved, with hopes high that the compound while not a “silver bullet” will be at the very least a valuable weapon in the methane mitigation armoury. Bovaer was featured by the World Resources Institute as one of the ten global break-through technologies that could help to feed the world sustainably, and if trials prove successful, it could help continue New Zealand ’s leadership role in low carbon dairy production. Alongside this work, Fonterra is also pursuing some of its own in-house technology, developed after hunting through thousands of culture strains catalogued after almost a century of yoghurt and cheese production. Isolating strains exhibiting particular methane inhibiting genomics has led to “Kowbucha”, a protected technology now being trialled in feed rations with calves on dairy farms around New Zealand . Scientists are keen to study whether exposure to the product early in their life may promote rumen modifications they then carry with them into lactating adulthood. At a processing level Fonterra has also been actively pursuing lower emissions, achieving an 11% reduction in GHG emissions from coal in one year, largely from swapping it out for wood pellets in the Te Awamutu plant. The company’s Stirling cheese site in the South Island identified as the company’s first 100% renewable thermal energy site. Aquaculture start-up company CH4 Global has scaled up its operations on Stewart Island to develop its technology to utilise sustainably

They are actively working to leverage the ground-breaking research findings of Australia’s Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), Meat and Livestock Australia, and James Cook University that has led to the global recognition of Asparagopsis as a potential GHG mitigator. But before these promising technologies can be added into the daily diet of New Zealand ’s bovine population, the regulations will require some overhaul. Officials in MPI are being urged to revisit the Agricultural Compounds & Veterinary Medicines (ACVM) act and rework it to include methane inhibitors, a product not currently covered by this act. Regulatory experts are expressing frustration at the time taken to get those rules changed, given the tight time frame for New Zealand farmers to meet the 2030 methane reduction target. They also point to Chile and Brazil already approving Bovaer for farmer use. Technically, given they are not covered under the current rules there is nothing to stop a keen marketer putting a methane inhibitor on the market today. However, processors like Silver Fern Farms and Fonterra would have other thoughts about allowing their farmers to use something that has not been officially covered under food safety/animal welfare legislation. Dr Jeremy Hill points to four key parameters any product, whether for mitigation or otherwise, has to pass before it can be dispensed to cows. “It has to be good for the planet, good for the farmer in that it is cost effective and practical, and good for the cow, and good for the milk.” In a recent webinar update on progress at the PGgRc, lead researcher Dr Ron Ronimus revealed that after almost two decades of research, discovery and development, scientists had refined their options down to three classes of compounds, likely to be optimised as a capsule fed to livestock. He said the age of the livestock being fed the likes of slow-release capsules can complicate

He believed a commercial compound may still be two years away from final release.

If mitigation methods are still some way off full commercial approval, the researchers have made significant inroads into breeding lower methane emitting stock, knowing a good genetic solution can be distributed through the national herd in relatively short time, at relatively low cost. AgResearch and PGgRc scientists are three generations into lower methane emitting sheep breeding, and are now collecting data on feed efficiency, carcass yield and growth rates, all influencers on methane emission efficiency. On average, low methane sheep emit 11% less of the gas than the average, per kilo of feed. Dr Suzanne Rowe of AgResearch says the sheep are proven to be profitable and healthy, with no harm exhibited from being selected for lower methane emitters. Importantly, the scientists are finding the microbes these sheep carry have inheritable variations, meaning they are not “one off” in these particular sheep, and can be passed on. Sheep breeders can already choose to measure their animals’ methane breeding value, working with scientists to get rams measured so they can answer the question if clients ask about it. The low methane breeding value (BV) is available to any breeder choosing to measure it, or that has animals with a genomic profile very closely related to animals already measured. It is updated in the national system automatically with all other BVs on a fortnightly basis. Scientists are confident low methane genetics can be rolled out over a couple of years nationally. Their experiences with sheep are also now being applied to cattle, with LIC and CRV Ambreed working on genetic traits in sires, and as in sheep, create a BV for their methane reducing trait. Dr Harry Clark, Director of the NZ Agricultural Greenhouse Gas Research Centre likens the efforts in reducing livestock GHG emissions to the efforts of British Olympic cycling coach Dave Brailsford. “The gains he achieved involved breaking everything down that goes into riding a bike, and then improving each by 1%, achieving a significant increase when all put together.” R E A L FA RME R

RURALCO SEED 30

R E AL FARM E R

Timing is everything

SEED

Ask anyone who knows a thing or two about a good crop, and they’ll tell you timing is everything. Ruralco’s Seed Team don’t just know a thing or two, they’re your independent grain and seed experts, and they’re very conscious of timing. In fact, they like nothing better than to be involved early—to ensure the best beginnings. WORDS BY BRETT HALDANE. IMAGES BY ANNIE STUDHOLME access to all the top performing varieties. Each spring the co-operative produces a guide relating to both beets and brassica, with each publication offering an annual summary of the most popular varieties that can be sourced for cropping farms. As well as providing expect advice and seed varieties, Ruralco is also very active, as a buyer and seller in the New Zealand grain market, allowing members to benefit from access to markets, growers, and other farmers, with guarantee of quality products and payment. The whole process is managed by the Seed Team “we broker trade between farmers, and into the industry, we also trade in the common variety, offering contracts on Nui Ryegrass and Huia White Clover as well” says John. Ruralco provides members with updates on the local and international grain markets through its monthly Grain Report, available via email and on the Ruralco website. So, whether it’s products, information or advice, John and Kate are ready to help you get the most out of your crop—and now’s the time to start that conversation. LEFT: The Ruralco team can make expert

John Scott, Seed Sales Manager, has worked for Ruralco for seven years, exclusively providing service to the cropping sector. John’s the real deal, growing up in South Canterbury on a mixed cropping farm, before heading to Lincoln University to study Agricultural Science. One way or another he’s farmed for twenty years himself, so just ‘gets it’, whether that’s seed, grain, crops, your farm, and its yields.

seed from many of New Zealand’s leading brands, allowing them to find the best available options for your farm’s productivity, land and the environment. There’s a wide range of products available, including permanent pastures, Italians, herbs, brassicas, cereals, and fodder beet. The team can also make expert recommendations on fertilisers and agrichemicals.

Recently joining the team is Kate Waddell. After tertiary study, Kate quickly moved into rural sales before coming onboard as the Seed Sales Co-ordinator. Kate’s an Ashburton local, also raised on a mixed cropping farm, so she has a real empathy for member’s needs.

Ruralco also has great tools in place to make selecting pasture seed simpler for you with its ultimate Pasture Packs; these are ready to sow, proven premium seeds, geared to give you the results and pastures you’re looking for. There are several pasture packs available, with the Ultimate Pasture Pack Guide providing a detailed overview of ingredients, benefits, and suitability for use, ask the seed team for a guide or find it on the Ruralco website.

The team at Ruralco are your go-to for all things agronomy, and they’re keen to start discussions well ahead of spring. “Every year we run a winter planning programme with our members, in conjunction with the On-Farm Account Managers to ensure everyone is ready for the growing season ahead” says John. This year, with continued uncertainty surrounding the Covid pandemic, it’s even more important to be planning your crop early. As your independent seed suppliers, the team at Ruralco competitively, and locally, source

recommendations on seed, fertilisers and agrichemicals BELOW: Whether it’s products, information or advice, John and Kate are ready to help you get the most out of your crop

While the guides available are helpful tools, John explains “With seed there’s always new varieties, or specialities and no matter what it is, we’re often going the extra mile to source specific seed selections, and custom mixes, for our farms”. It’s no different for those farms looking for fodder beet or brassica, with Ruralco having R E A L FA RME R

USE YOUR RURALCO CARD HERE

R E AL FARM E R

FERTILISER

Winter sown catch crops a win-win Catch crops, commonly referred to as cover crops are nothing new. Already used extensively in cropping, they are traditionally sown in autumn to provide feed over winter for stock, conserve nutrients and reduce weeds, runoff, and wind erosion.

direct drilling. Four months later, the first crop, sown in early July on a grazed Kale paddock, was hitting 10 T DM/ha, compared to the approximately 7.5 T DM/ha of the oats sown a month later on a grazed fodder beet paddock (see Figure 1). In both paddocks, the cultivation and drilled oats

At another site in Canterbury, three different species of catch crops—oats, triticale and Italian ryegrass were compared. All were cultivated and drilled, and four months later, the oats had clearly outperformed the other crops, with more than 12 T DM/ha. The triticale and Italian ryegrass had 10 and 6 T DM/ha respectively and were ready for harvest as silage. Trails conducted in Southland’s wetter and more challenging mid-winter climatic and soil conditions had mixed results. On the downside, a site in Mossburn had the lowest dry matter yield and N uptake of all trials. But in Gore, a one-pass inversion or spader drill enabled a crop to be established six weeks earlier than if it had been cultivated and drilled, resulted in significantly more dry matter and N uptake. Catch crops can provide farmers with both financial and environmental wins. The calculated net gross profits for the oat crops ranged between $1600 to $2500 per hectare, and over 150 kg of N per hectare was captured, rather than lost over winter and spring before the next crop or pasture was sown. Ongoing trials will include a greater variety of sites to test catch crops effectiveness across a wider range of climatic and soil conditions. Along with further trialling new tillage technology such as spader-drill and investigate catch crop mixes where the cereal is sown with an annual ryegrass species or similar.

Results of trials carried out on Mid-Canterbury and Southland dairy winter forage blocks last winter were promising. The trails showed sowing a catch crop directly after winter forage grazing can reduce the amount of N at risk of leaching and significantly increase feed production, compared with leaving the soil fallow. To investigate tillage practices, oats were sown a month apart in two paddocks, and established by cultivation and drilling or

were doing slightly better than the direct drilled oats but the benefit was offset by higher establishment costs.

THIS PROMOTIONAL FEATURE WAS PROVIDED BY BALLANCE AGRI-NUTRIENTS

FIGURE 1. HARVEST DM YIELD FOR EX-KALE AND EX-FODDER BEET TILLAGE TRIALS (CULT = CULTIVATION AND DD = DIRECT DRILL) KEY DATES: Ex-kale sown 7 July; ex-fodder beet sown 8 August; harvested 8 November

12 DRY-MATTER YIELD (DM t/ha)

A Sustainable Farming Funding project is researching sowing catch crops in winter to early spring, directly after forage grazing, to grow valuable feed and reduce nitrogen (N) loss. Livestock grazing on forage crops in winter deposit large quantities of urine-N onto bare soil at a time when greater rainfall and little evapotranspiration means more N leaching. This project is investigating the use of different catch crops species and tillage practices across multiple locations and soil types.

The project was initiated and led by Lincoln Agritech, funded by the Ministry of Primary Industries and co-funded by Ballance AgriNutrients and others.

10 8 6 4 2 0

Cult DD 14 SEP

Cult DD 10 OCT KALE

Cult

DD 8 NOV

Cult

DD 10 OCT

Cult DD 8 NOV BEET

R E A L FA RME R

SHOP IN STORE WITH RURALCO FARM SUPPLIES

R E AL FARM E R

SEED

The special power of oats Following tough summer conditions, forage oats for fast grazing can be a get out of jail card for most farmers looking for quick feed in late autumn, while May and June sown oats provide valuable winter ground cover and an early spring silage opportunity. Oats also have a special power when it comes to catch cropping, being able to soak up excess nitrogen which can present a risk of leaching in fallow soil after the grazing of a winter crop such as kale or fodder beet.

Milton oats are a great option for quick, high quality feed. With their ability to tolerate cold soils, Milton oats can establish quickly while soil temperatures are declining in autumn, or alternatively sown in the middle of winter if planted as a catch crop once the winter crop has been grazed. Tom Kidner from North Green Arable near Rakaia experienced this when he sowed a paddock of Milton oats for green chop cereal silage on the 25th of July. “I was amazed how quickly the Milton’s got up and going considering we had snow on the ground five days after drilling,” said Tom, whose Milton oats paddock was cut on the 5th November where it yielded 9.3 t/ha. Harvesting date is crucial for determining the quality of oats if being grazed or taken for green chop cereal silage. Milton’s have good levels of energy, sugars, crude protein and digestibility when harvested at the booting stage (before the seed head

is out) however if the crop gets beyond this stage the quality will drop dramatically. Recent research from Lincoln Agritech has shown that sowing a catch crop such as oats in winter after grazing winter crops, can significantly reduce nitrogen losses by up to 49% compared to soil that has been left unplanted1. These crops can also be useful in providing ground cover for weed control and soil stabilisation as well as helping to increase the total annual production. If considering oats as a catch crop the following points are important: • Getting the crop in early produces the best results – don’t delay! • Where soils are friable and dry enough direct drilling is the preferred tillage option as cultivation stimulates nitrification when soils warm in late winter/early spring • Where soil conditions don’t allow direct drilling in the window available, tillage

IMAGE: Tom Kidner is his 9.3 t Milton oat paddock

ready to be cut for green chop cereal silage

technology like the spader drill may be the best option • Higher sowing rates (300 plants per m2 are recommended to get early canopy closure) • There are times when conditions may cause difficulties and make the practice less effective, but an 80% success rate is realistic Talk to your Environmental Specialist at your local Regional Council if you would like further information on current environmental guidelines within your specific catchment. Get in touch with your local Agricom Territory Sales Manager or your Ruralco Representative for more information on Milton oats as a catch crop or autumn sown option for winter feed. www.lincolnagritech.co.nz/capabilities/ capabilities-and-projects/catch-crops/ 1

THIS PROMOTIONAL FEATURE WAS PROVIDED BY AGRICOM R E A L FA RME R

R E AL FARM E R

R E A L FA RME R

USE YOUR RURALCO CARD HERE

SHOP IN STORE OR ONLINE WITH RURALCO FARM SUPPLIES

USE YOUR RURALCO CARD HERE

R E AL FARM E R

CARD

The Farmer’s Law Firm We all need help from professional services at times, whether that’s personally, or for our business.

home purchases, formalising relationship property, subdividing land, employment issues, dispute resolution and notarisation. However, it’s worth Ruralco members understanding that Argyle Welsh Finnigan is highly experienced when it comes to commercial and rural law. In fact, they have specialist teams in-house for each sector. When it comes to rural matters, in their view “if it’s rural, we can handle it”. The firm likes nothing more than to work with heartland New Zealand, and prides itself on prompt and professional advice. Expect a wise head, and a safe pair of hands, when it comes to farm sale and purchase, syndicated investments, water permit transactions and perhaps an issue affecting more and more clients today—farm succession planning. They’re also a great source of complementary information about the legal issues affecting farming. On Argyle Welsh Finnigan’s website you’ll find ‘Rural eSpeaking’, a periodic newsletter with interesting and useful articles. The last edition features information about a number of topics including the identification of ‘Significant Natural Areas’ and implications for landowners, the rules around leasing or buying Māori land, and legislative movement such as Climate Change Commission progress and dairy worker border exemptions.

In these situations, some of what you may look for in a representative, and their organisation, is understanding. An understanding of what it’s like to be in your shoes, or the challenges of running an agricultural business. You’ll find this awareness within Argyle Welsh Finnigan, Ashburton’s leading law firm. Argyle Welsh Finnigan is a local practice with a strong appreciation of the primary sector; many of its clients work the land, and some of its staff live on farms, were brought up on the farm or have family in agriculture. All of this makes the business a great fit for Ruralco and its members, and Argyle Welsh Finnigan have been accepting the Ruralco Card since 2019. The law firm put down its roots in Ashburton in 1983, and they’ve since become deeply settled in, and connected with the Mid Canterbury community. Alister Argyle started as a sole practitioner, until David Welsh joined him as a partner in 1992. Over the decades that followed

four more partners joined the law firm (including the late Paul Finnigan). The firm now employs 30 people, all of whom live, work, and play in and around Canterbury. Jumping onto Argyle Welsh Finnigan’s Facebook page is a great way to get a glimpse of their people and culture. It’s filled with posts celebrating staff milestones, welcoming young summer clerks, the social netball team in action and down to earth staff profiles. Argyle Welsh Finnigan has also taken a step north beyond Ashburton—recently opening an office in Rolleston. So, what sort of legal work does the firm specialise in? It’s wide ranging, including the help you’d expect, such as wills, trusts, arranging

Argyle Welsh Finnigan Westburn Courts, 201–203 West Street, Ashburton

The strong connection with Canterbury doesn’t just relate to the law firms work or team, Argyle Welsh Finnigan is clearly passionate about giving back. They’re hugely supportive of many local projects, organisations, and events. By example, you’ll find the firm connected with many vital organisations such as New Zealand Cancer Society, Ashburton Community Alcohol Drug Service, Community Trust of Mid and South Canterbury and Community House Ashburton, to name just a few. Argyle Welsh Finnigan is also a member of NZ Law Ltd, an association of 59 independent law firms throughout New Zealand. This membership is important as it enables the practice to confidentially access and leverage a wide range of skills, resources, ideas, and information for its local clients. So, if you’re in need of legal services, and want to work with a firm invested in their community and who understand farming, Argyle Welsh Finnigan are ready to help—with up to 5% discount for Ruralco Cardholders. THIS IS A PROMOTIONAL FEATURE SUPPLIED BY ARGYLE WELSH FINNIGAN, WORDS BY BRETT HALDANE

41 Shelley Street, Rolleston Tel 03 308 8228

UP TO 5% DISCOUNT with your Ruralco Card R E A L FA RME R

LIFESTYLE

Autumn

in style

TRAILS TO TRAMP & PEAKS TO SUMMIT

Autumn walking tracks

Details courtesy of the Department of Conservation Dawson Falls Track— Egmont National Park, Taranaki Walk to a picturesque 18m waterfall or through goblin forest to lavaformed pools that are good for a dip—these tracks are suitable for children and have plenty to keep them interested. KAPUNI LOOP TRACK TO DAWSON FALLS: 1 HR LOOP, 1.4 KM Walk through mountain rainforest to the picturesque Dawson Falls (18m). From Manaia Road, the track descends along the Kapuni Stream through ‘goblin forest’ passing the short steep track to the base of Dawson Falls/Te Rere o Noke (18m). Continue past the falls lookout point, cross Manaia Road and head uphill through forest to the visitor centre car park. Getting there: The track begins 75m down Manaia Road from the Dawson Falls Visitor Centre. WILKIES POOLS LOOP TRACK: 20 MIN TO THE POOLS, 1 HR 20 MIN LOOP, 1.9 KM LOOP Walk through young forest then subalpine (goblin) forest to a series of pools, scoured from 20,000 year old lava. Take togs and a towel and enjoy a refreshing dip in the pools. The first 900m of this track (to the pools) is baby buggy/ wheelchair friendly with the remainder of the track good for children. The track winds through ‘goblin forest’, crossing the bridge over the Kapuni Stream to reach the turnoff to the small lava formed Wilkies Pools. These pools were named after the Wilkies brothers who farmed locally. Families may want to return the same way – continuing around the loop requires some rock hopping across Kapuni Stream. Return

R E AL FARM E R

to the signpost to continue around the loop, past small waterfalls, bubbling springs and the intake weir for the power station. Recross the Kapuni Stream and head back to the visitor centre. Take care when crossing the Kāpuni Stream as the river bank may be eroded, making access difficult. There is no bridge across this stream. It may be impassable after heavy rain. Getting there: The track starts above the Dawson Falls Visitor Centre.

Little Mt Peel/Huatekerekere Tracks—Peel Forest Park Scenic Reserve, Canterbury LITTLE MT PEEL/HUATEKEREKERE VIA DEER SPUR: 2–3 HR ONE WAY, 4.6 KM ONE WAY From the car park at Blandswood, walk up the steep Blandswood Lookout Road to the top. Follow Fern Walk for about 350m before turning left onto Deer Spur Track. The track follows a ridge up to the summit (1,311m). There are magnificent views to Mt Somers, Mt Hutt and across the plains to the coast. Tristam Harper Memorial Shelter is just below the summit. Boardwalk on the track may have snow and ice in winter—wear appropriate footwear and consider taking walking poles. LITTLE MT PEEL/HUATEKEREKERE VIA SOUTH RIDGE TRACK: 3 HR 30 MIN ONE WAY, 3.5 KM ONE WAY An alternative to climbing or descending Little Mt Peel/Huatekerekere from Deer Spur is to use the South Ridge Track. The South Ridge is steep and involves a couple of rocky scrambles. South Ridge Track connects with Deer Spur at the top of the mountain and Emily Falls Track near the bottom. When descending from Little Mt Peel/Huatekerekere it is important to keep to the ridge until the track sign shows the route down a tussock-covered spur to the bush line and Emily Stream.

AT THE CINEMA

What’s on at the Movies With David Favel, Regent Cinema

Downton Abbey: A New Era OPENS 17th MARCH

Lord and Lady Grantham request the pleasure of moviegoers’ company at their Yorkshire country estate. Follow-up to the 2019 feature film in which the Crawley family and Downton staff received a royal visit from the King and Queen of Great Britain. Starring Hugh Bonneville, Michelle Dockery, Dominic West, Hugh Dancy & Elizabeth McGovern

The Lost City

OPENS 24th MARCH Reclusive author Loretta Sage writes about exotic places in her popular adventure novels that feature a handsome cover model named Alan. While on tour promoting her new book with Alan, Loretta gets kidnapped by an eccentric billionaire who hopes she can lead him to an ancient city’s lost treasure from her latest story. Determined to prove he can be a hero in real life and not just on the pages of her books, Alan sets off to rescue her. Starring Sandra Bullock, Channing Tatum & Daniel Radcliffe

The Duke

OPENS 24th MARCH In 1961, a 60-year-old taxi driver steals Goya’s portrait of the Duke of Wellington from the National Gallery in London. He sends ransom notes saying that he will return the painting if the government invests more in care for the elderly. Starring Helen Mirren & Jim Broadbent

IN THE KITCHEN

Pete’s Tomato Relish INGREDIENTS

• • • • • •

Peter Jacob, Ruralco Compliance Manager

4 lbs (1.8kg) tomatoes (or as many as you like) 1 ¼ lbs (567g) sugar 1 ½ tablespoons ground mustard 1 cup vinegar 4 large onions 1 tablespoon curry powder

METHOD

Cut up onions and tomatoes. Sprinkle with salt and let stand over night. Drain off liquid; boil for 15 mins. Add dry ingredients and boil for another ½ hour. Thicken with ½ cup flour. Add the vinegar (enough so its moist) and let boil for a few seconds. Pour into prepared jars and let cool before popping their lids on.

LIBRARY CORNER

Autumn reads

Something to Hide

BY ELIZABETH GEORGE, AN INSPECTOR LYNLEY NOVEL # 21

A Nigerian born detective sergeant working for the Metropolitan Police is found unconscious in her own flat and ends up in hospital where she dies of her injury. The post-mortem reveals that the subdural hematoma is the result of a blow to her head. DI Thomas Lynley, DS Barbara Havers and DS Winston Nkata are called in to investigate a case that touches upon not only the work and the life of the murdered detective but also upon a controversial cultural tradition that damages and often destroys the future of everyone it involves.

Life Support BY JIM DOWN

A very moving account of an intensive care doctor’s life on the frontline of the Covid-19 pandemic. As a doctor running the intensive care unit at one of London’s top hospitals, Jim Down has spent his life working as healthcare’s last resort, where the unexpected is always around the corner, and life and death decisions are an everyday occurrence. But nothing had prepared Jim and his team for the events of spring 2020, when the Covid-19 pandemic descended. In Life Support, he tells the extraordinary monthby-month story of how as the nation came to a standstill, he and his colleagues donned PPE, received an unprecedented influx of patients, transformed their hospital and took on the biggest challenge in the history of the NHS. The pandemic raised difficult questions for Jim- how

With Norma Geddes, Ashburton Paper Plus do you fight a new disease? How do you go home at night to your wife and young children when you’ve spent all day around highly infectious patients? How do you tell a mother that her healthy young son has died, only days after falling ill? With warmth, honesty and humour, this book is a gripping, moving testament to the everyday heroism of the NHS staff in a global crisis, and an unforgettable insight into what was really happening in the wards as we clapped on our doorsteps.

Again, Rachel BY MARIAN KEYES

No introductions are needed for this bestselling author. This is a sequel for much-loved character, Rachel Walsh who after some tough times is living her best life. But… a man she once loved makes a reappearance in her life and her new life wobbles.

Dark Horse

BY GREGG HURWITZ, AN ORPHAN X NOVEL #7

Evan Smoak—Orphan X aka The Nowhere Man— is back at break-neck speed in a thrilling new adventure from Gregg Hurwitz. Having just survived an attack on his life Evan Smoak isn’t interested in a new mission. But one finds him anyway. Aragon Urrea is a major drug-dealing kingpin in South Texas. But he’s also a local patron—providing legitimate employment, and a future to a people with little hope. However, for all his money and power, when a vicious cartel kidnaps his daughter, he is helpless. Not only must Evan break into the fortress of a heavily armed, deeply paranoid cartel leader—he must decide if he should help a very bad man, no matter how just the cause. R E A L FA RME R

LIFESTYLE

Open Season Pack the perfect lunch for the outdoors with our easy as Herby Bacon and Egg Pie recipe. Our Wild Country chutneys and sauces are the perfect accompaniment for an outdoor lunch to feed the whole crew. Pack a Swanndri picnic blanket and head for the Maimai or a family day trip and enjoy this kiwi classic.

Herby Bacon and Egg P ie • • • • • • •

Sheets flaky pastry 1 cup of roughly chopped bacon 10 eggs 1 tbsp chopped chives 1 tbsp chopped parsley 1 beaten egg Serve with one of our delicious Wild Country Chutneys Preheat oven to 200°C fan bake. Lightly grease an ovenproof dish. Line your baking dish with sheets of pastry covering the sides with enough pastry sticking over the top of your dish to seal the pie. Spread your chosen chutney over the base of the pastry. Scatter over half the bacon. Crack the eggs on top and sprinkle with half of the chives and parsley. Dot teaspoons of chutney over the filling to your liking. Season with salt and pepper and repeat this process. Lay pastry over the top and seal the edges by rolling the outer pieces and fasten to the top layer. Brush the pie top with beaten egg or milk and make a slit in the top to allow steam to escape. Sprinkle any remaining herbs on the top of the pie. Bake for 35–40 minutes. Serve with Wild Country Chutney.

WE LOVE

WILD COUNTRY ROAST TOMATO AND CUMIN CHUTNEY AND PLOUGHMANS PLUM CHUTNEY $7.40 EACH MAXWELL & WILLIAMS EPICURIOUS RECTANGLE BAKER $45.10 SWANNDRI PICNIC BLANKET $69.70 LINENS AND MORE TEA TOWL SET OF TWO $16.60 AVAILABLE AT RURALCO

R E AL FARM E R

AUTUMN ENTERTAINING AT HOME

Autumn evenings Now that the cooler months are just around the corner, you can still make the most of the warmer Autumn evenings by setting up a rustic tablescape outdoors. Take a look at our favourite Autumn look from the Ruralco Gift & Homeware team and some top tips to achieve a cosy setting for your harvest dinner party or get together with friends.

Begin with basics

Layer your dining setting with neutral tableware, our favourites are the Maxwell & Williams Casa Domani set. Grab your favourite bottle of pinot noir and choose elegant glassware like our Krosno Pinot Noir set. MAXWELL & WILLIAMS CASA DOMANI CORALLO COUPE 16-PIECE DINNER SET $129.60 HARMONY WINE GLASS SET OF SIX $43.78 AVAILABLE AT RURALCO

Centre of attention

A heightened centrepiece adds extra opulence to any setting. Use a footed cake stand to place candles or tealight holders that warm up your setting and create that cosy Autumn feel. ROBERT MARK WOODEN CAKE STAND $86.20 GOLD CANDLE HOLDERS SMALL $25.80; MEDIUM $29.30 AVAILABLE AT RURALCO

Fruits of Summer

We’ve added some Autumn fruits such as apples and pears to create that perfect Autumn harvest feel. Autumn leaves also add that seasonal touch so forage for beautiful reds and oranges in your own garden. Layer sprigs of rosemary and twine to your plate settings for a rustic look. We also added our own wooden fruit décor that double as beautiful centrepieces for your coffee table or a shelf in your home. APPLE AND PEAR – SET OF TWO $45.30 AVAILABLE AT RURALCO

Rug up

Add some rugs or throws to your outdoor seating to take off the evening chill. Bold reds and greens work well with an Autumn setting and make the colours on your tablescape pop. FURTEXT RHAPSODY THROWS $56.40 AVAILABLE AT RURALCO

R E A L FA RME R

RURALCO FUEL 44

R E AL FARM E R

RURALCO FUEL R E A L FA RME R

USE YOUR RURALCO CARD HERE

R E AL FARM E R

DAIRY

Smart ideas to reduce working hours on dairy farms

Recent data shows many dairy farmers are finding new ways to reduce staff working hours and achieve better work/life balance. WORDS PROVIDED BY SEONAID AITCHISON, DAIRYNZ SOLUTIONS AND DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST.

Last season, over 75% of dairy workers worked less than 60 hours on average per week in spring, and most worked less than 50 hours a week at other times of the year. This is an improvement from four years ago when most employees were working longer weeks.

Using a maximum milking time (MaxT) to reduce milking duration Introducing a maximum milking time can reduce milking times without compromising production or udder health. Leaving some milk behind in slow milking cows can increase the flow rate in the next milking, improving milking efficiency. MaxT has helped Bay of Plenty farmer Gordon McFetridge reduce the amount of time staff spend milking and reduced the time they spend moving around the shed.

With milking typically taking around 17 to 24 hours a week per worker, many farmers have been focusing on milking smarter to reduce hours. They are also coming up with other creative ways to shorten the working week.

Fonterra suppliers recently received Insights reports showing their milking efficiency compared to similar operations, and how much time they could save by reaching 80–100% milking efficiency. The average possible saving at peak was eight hours per week.

The benefits of flexible milking

Creative rostering and using casual staff

22 percent of farmers report they are using flexible milking. For Taranaki farmers Daryl and Karyn Johnson, using 3 in 2 milking meant their team’s working week shortened by six hours each per week. Many farmers are having similar success with a 10 in 7 milking schedule that maintains traditional morning and afternoon milking times but frees up a few afternoons each week.

Align Farms in Mid Canterbury get their team to pick shifts, with the first pick rotating between staff. The most popular shifts are morning and mid-day, leaving the afternoons free.

One of the main reasons farmers shift to flexible milking is to reduce hours, make rosters more flexible, and improve work/ life balance for their team.

Flexible rostering means the team control their work week – they can pick shifts around other commitments and hobbies. It also means Align Farms can take on people looking for work opportunities including part-time positions. They describe these workers as some of the smartest people, and the farm benefits from having a diverse and interesting workplace.

Reducing the hours your people work to 50 hours or less a week reduces stress, fatigue, and the risk of accidents, and helps you attract and keep good employees. Dairynz.co.nz/milking has more information on improving milking efficiency, MaxT and flexible milking.

Keep up to date with the latest in dairy with our Talking Dairy podcast! Talking Dairy is a DairyNZ podcast for farmers that covers a range of topics from animals, pasture and feed, farm environment, people, and business. Recent podcasts cover flexible milking, improving herd fertility, protecting profit in a high pay-out, and emissions pricing. It’s easy to keep up with the latest in dairy news, science, research and practical solutions through DairyNZ’s podcasts as you can listen while you’re out and about on the farm. Visit dairynz.co.nz/podcast to listen online. You’ll also find links to the podcast on your favourite podcast platform so you can subscribe to Talking Dairy and be the first to know when each new episode is live.

SEONAID AITCHISON DAIRYNZ SOLUTIONS & DEVELOPMENT SPECIALIST

R E A L FA RME R

SHOP IN STORE OR ONLINE WITH RURALCO FARM SUPPLIES

R E AL FARM E R

CONTRACTING

Fifty years of training rural workers IMAGE: When he wasn’t training thousands of Kiwis,

Noel restored old machinery like this 1886 chaff cutter

“I was training anybody who wanted to be trained.” He also joined the board of the then Chemical Applicators section of the NZ Contractors Federation and the Contrafed board. He became the rural contractors group President in the early 1990s until at one meeting of the NZCF board, its chair told Noel that the rural contractors funds were required to be handed to NZCF. “I hit the roof. I went berserk and stormed out saying we’d set up our own organisation.” Within two days he had the support of most rural contractor members. Rural Contractors NZ was formed and last year’s conference, delayed a year by Covid, marked RCNZ’s 25th anniversary. At an earlier conference, Noel was presented with the number plate I GRMPY— a title proudly earned for his refusal to see the organisation’s funds sequestered. He has only missed one RCNZ (and predecessor organisation) conference in 43 years—about the same period he has been doing agricultural spraying and contracting training.

Growing up on a farm near Napier, Noel Blackwell reckons he was stuck on a tractor by his father Lew as soon as he could walk so was never a top student. At intermediate a teacher chastised him saying, “You’ll only be as good as a dumb farmer or sweeping streets.” WORDS & IMAGE SUPPLIED BY RURAL CONTRACTORS NZ

At 15 he left school and started doing rural work which led to forming a shearing gang. At 18, he went to a reunion of his intermediate school. His teacher was there and asked what he did now? “I said I had 11 working for me including a former teacher. She turned and walked away.” Noel gained his National Shearing Certificate, took out the Waikato contest and entered the 1969 Golden Shears. “I beat Snow Quinn

(then NZ champion) in an early round, but he beat me in the eliminations.” After an OE in England and a spell loading fertiliser and sprays into aircrafts he began working for a Rotorua spraying contractor before buying him out. Noel’s company got up to seven trucks but after the loss of his son, he downsized to two units. In the early 1980s, Noel got a call from the hospital bed of a Pukekohe market gardener who’d poisoned himself spraying his own block and wanted help with training. Noel set up a demonstration on agricultural spraying best practice for the market gardener and others in the sector; collectively they then formed what became the predecessor to GrowSafe. Noel was among those on the board as well as doing the training.

This has included working with the various ITOs since first established in the late 1990s. He became an Assessor and Moderator in 1998 and helped set up the units and training notes for Agricultural Contracting, Chemical Application, and Infrastructure Works Supervision. He assessed all these qualifications plus rollers, tracks, and wheels endorsements for the NZTA. Noel helped to set up the RCC (Recognition of Current Competency) to allow the on-the-job skills of people to be taken into account in qualifications. In 2016, Noel and his wife Anne spent six months touring New Zealand from top to bottom in their mobile home, recruiting RCNZ members, many of whom were former trainees. There hasn’t been a lot of proper recompense for all he put into training, but Noel says he got other rewards. “The biggest payment I got was seeing the people smile. “ With more changes emerging in training/ vocational education, Noel decided to call it a day. At 70 plus, he late last year assessed his last trainees in their Certificates in Agrichemical Application and Agricultural Contractors through Recognition of Current Competence (RCC) for Connexis. The last in a long line of happy customers for Grumpy. R E A L FA RME R

USE YOUR RURALCO CARD HERE

R E AL FARM E R

BEEF & LAMB

Legumes under the spotlight for Hill Country Futures Project IMAGE: Alice’s block. With the correct management,

subterranean cover can grow a bank of high quality feed in the early spring period

is typically shut up in autumn to allow pasture covers to build for spring. Speaking at the field day, Lincoln Universitybased plant scientist Professor Derrick Moot described the mix of sub clover and cocksfoot as an ideal dryland pasture mix. The space between the drought-tolerant cocksfoot allows the clover to flourish without competition, while the clover supplies the cocksfoot with nitrogen, keeping the plant growing and palatable. The success of sub clover on this block has highlighted the potential of legumes in the hill country and now, under a new management team, the focus is on applying the same principals to other parts of the farm.

Satellite farming Legumes are the powerhouse of pastoral farming systems, and with the correct management, have the potential to transform farm businesses while protecting fragile hill country landscapes. WORDS & IMAGE PROVIDED BY BEEF+LAMB NZ

Capturing the power of legumes was the subject of a recent Hill Country Futures’ and Luisetti Seeds’ field day, which shone a spotlight how on how legumes can be used both on hill country and finishing country to drive economic and environmental efficiencies. The Hill Country Futures Partnership programme is a five-year project co-funded by Beef + Lamb New Zealand, the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, PGG Wrightson Seeds and Seed Force New Zealand. The programme is focused on future-proofing the profitability, sustainability and well-being of New Zealand’s hill country farmers, farm systems and rural communities. Mt Benger, a 2810ha hill country farm in North Canterbury’s Hurunui District hosted the field day and is typical of many east coast commercial breeding operations where the focus is on maximising the number of lambs sold prime at the weaning draft. This not only has financial benefits, but it also reduces the amount of methane produced by the lamb crop, takes pressure off hill country

landscapes, and allows summer feed to be partitioned back into the ewes so they are at optimum body condition going into mating. Mt Benger, like much of this country’s hill country, has subterranean clover as an endemic pasture species within the sward. This is a legacy of the 1950s and 60s when sub clover (usually Mt Barker) was flown onto hill country in the early days of aerial topdressing. What was lacking was an understanding of how to manage this clover so that it would create a bank of feed in early spring to drive lactation and maximise pre-weaning growth rates. Ten years ago, the management team on Mt Benger looked to augment existing sub clover with new varieties in a 25ha block known as Alice’s block.

Alice’s block on Mt Benger is a good example of the potential of “satellite farming” on hill country. These are intensively managed smaller farmlets within larger, more extensive blocks. Appropriate areas are identified for more intensive development and once fenced off, these are typically used for maximising preweaning growth rates in lambs or for growing out cattle. These satellite farms take pressure off the hill country landscapes and allow these areas to recover and build pasture covers during spring and early summer which can then be used to increase the body condition of breeding stock over summer and autumn.

Sub-divided from a larger 236ha block, Alice’s block was thick with matagouri and growing Danthonia and browntop. Small amounts of native suckling and striated clovers hinted at this block’s ability to grow legumes.

By giving livestock the opportunity to realise their genetic potential, these satellite areas drive profitability and the cost of the development is then disseminated over the whole area. Professor Moot commented that this concept is an extension of successful satellite areas of lucerne and red clover being used on small cultivatable areas that then support the hill areas around them.

In 2011/12 the block went through a transformation process cumulating in the establishment of a cocksfoot and sub clover pasture in the autumn of 2013. The sub clovers included Antas and Monti to give a range of leaf sizes and flowering dates.

Further sub-division of Mt Benger’s hill country is planned along with the development of 500-600ha hill country pastures. Manager Stuart Fraser intends developing around 100ha annually, into sub clover and improved grass pastures.

The results were and continue to be impressive.

For more information about the Hill Country Futures Project visit: www.hillcountryfutures.co.nz

Alice’s block is now rotationally grazed by ewes and lambs post-tailing to try and maximise preweaning growth rates and the weaning draft. It

R E A L FA RME R

USE YOUR RURALCO CARD HERE

R E AL FARM E R

R E A L FA RME R

SHOP IN STORE OR ONLINE WITH RURALCO FARM SUPPLIES

ARABLE

It’s a bread marketer’s dream… Currently, the majority of New Zealand bread produced is made from Australian grain; and even when the wheat is New Zealand grown, the end product is seldom labelled as such. Making all New Zealand bread from New Zealand grown grain would provide a number of environmental and economic advantages. WORDS BY ANNA HESLOP, FOUNDATION FOR ARABLE RESEARCH

New Zealand families could eat their daily bread, safe in the knowledge that it was the home grown product of an environmentally sustainable farming system and that its journey from paddock to plate produced fewer greenhouse gas emissions than market

R E AL FARM E R

alternatives. For this reason, many of them would be prepared to pay a little more. If this sounds too good to be true, think again. FAR-led project has produced evidence to support all of the claims above.

High quality New Zealand grown milling wheat

Research, found a clear overlap in flour quality parameters between New Zealand wheat cultivars and the three Australian wheat grades most often imported into New Zealand (Australian prime hard wheat (APH), Australian hard wheat (AH) and Australian premium white wheat (APW)).

There is a perception that the baking quality of New Zealand grown milling wheat is inferior to that grown in Australia. This myth has been busted by a FAR-commissioned study comparing Australian harvest crop reports from the last five years with New Zealand cereal performance trial (NZ CPT) results from the same period.

It also showed large variation in flour properties between batches of New Zealand milled Australian wheat. This was unexpected, as Australian wheat quality is generally perceived to be more consistent than New Zealand wheat quality, due to the mixing of lines that takes place during aggregation into grades before shipping to New Zealand.

The report, Quality attributes of New Zealand milling wheat cultivars, by Plant and Food

In short, a flour with comparable baking properties to Australian APH, AH and APW

New Zealand, vary considerably depending on the distance between the farm it is grown on and the mill where it is processed. For Australian wheat this may include hundreds of kilometres transport to the export port, a trip across the Tasman and more land transport from the destination port to the mill. New Zealand grown wheat can also travel long distances. South Island grain shipped from Timaru to Tauranga and then trucked to Tirau could travel up to 200 km by road or rail, plus 1200 km at sea. However, the emissions created during shipping are only about a tenth of those created by road transport, so distance isn’t the only factor to consider. In summary, the report showed that emissions from flour made in New Zealand from Australian wheat were 16% to 29% higher than those from flour made from New Zealand wheat (depending on the transport scenario).

Flour milling emissions One area where Australia wheat does have a slight emissions advantage over New Zealand wheat, is in the actual milling process. This is because Australian wheat generally has lower moisture levels than New Zealand wheat (around 10% compared with 13.5%) and so yields more flour per tonne than the New Zealand product. The report notes that, based on publicly available information, the milling process emitted 184 kgCO2eq/t flour for Australian wheat and 188 kgCO2eq/t flour for New Zealand wheat.

Consumer demand

grade flours, could be made by blending New Zealand wheat cultivars.

Environmentally sustainable production and a lower carbon footprint So, if flour made from Australian wheat isn’t better quality, is it kinder on the environment? Again, FAR commissioned a report to find out. A study by Agrilink New Zealand, Wheat flour carbon footprint, used life cycle assessment (LCA) to determine the carbon footprint, or greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, for 1 kg of New Zealand wheat flour and 1 kg of wheat flour, milled in New Zealand from Australian wheat. The study took a ‘cradle to mill’ approach, which included upstream, farming, transport, and flour milling emissions. It did not include emissions from the manufacture, distribution, end use, or disposal of the final product (bread).

Key finding One kilogram of flour, milled in New Zealand from New Zealand grown wheat, has a lower

carbon footprint than one kilogram of flour, milled from Australian wheat at the same mill. • New Zealand wheat flour, at the mill gate, has a carbon footprint of 560 kgCO2e/t flour (560g CO2e/kg flour). • Australian grown wheat flour, at the same mill gate, has a carbon footprint of 780 kgCO2e/t flour (780g CO2e/kg flour).

On-farm emissions • On-farm emissions for Australian grown wheat are 340 kgCO2eq/t wheat. • On-farm emissions for New Zealand grown wheat are 280 kgCO2eq/t wheat. – The higher on-farm emissions for Australian grain is the result of significantly higher fertiliser and agrichemical use per unit of flour produced. • New Zealand on-farm emissions are 13% less than those reported in 2011. Transport emissions

And finally, there is also data to show that the people who buy and eat bread in New Zealand care about the origins of their breakfast toast or lunchtime sandwich; and, that many of them would be prepared to pay more for a product that was clearly labelled as New Zealand grown. A 2019 survey carried out by Lincoln University’s Agribusiness and Economics Research Unit (AERU), found that 51% of respondents would be willing to pay on average $0.49 more for a loaf of bread made from New Zealand grain. The same survey also found that respondents were willing to pay extra for production systems that delivered environmental outcomes linked to carbon emissions and biodiversity, and that this was particularly true for bread made from wheat/flour produced in New Zealand.

Conclusion When the information from all of these reports is considered, it is clear that there is a real opportunity to produce and market bread products made from 100% New Zealand grown grain. FAR is working closely with some millers, bakers and retailers to explore this opportunity and bring it to fruition.

Transport emissions for both New Zealand and Australian wheat being milled in R E A L FA RME R

USE YOUR RURALCO CARD HERE

R E AL FARM E R

HORTICULTURE

The year’s realities already bite Labour Labour availability was always going to be a challenge, despite our industry’s best efforts to attract and retain New Zealanders. This situation is due mainly to the minuscule number of backpackers that remain in our country. Pre-Covid, there were more than 45,000 backpackers in New Zealand at the peak of summer, whereas this year, that figure is less than 5,000. Competition for available New Zealanders is fierce too with industries across the food and fibre sector, and most parts of the New Zealand economy competing for available workers. This competition means that employers need to plan ahead and make sure what they offer reflects the market.

What to pay for fruit and vegetables? Recent media coverage has focused on the price of fruit and vegetables. This coverage got me thinking again about attitudes to fruit and vegetable prices. It is being widely reported that across most industries in New Zealand, the cost of just about everything is increasing, from raw materials to labour to distribution. These cost increases are being reflected in the Consumer Prices Index (CPI), which rose by 5.1% in the 12 months to November 2021. This was the highest CPI 12-month inflation rate since September 2011, when it stood at 5.2%.

This year is already shaping up as a tough one for growers, New Zealand and the rest of the world. WORDS BY NADINE TUNLEY, HORTNZ CHIEF EXECUTIVE, IMAGES PROVIDED BY HORTNZ

Labour is short, inflation is high and supply chain disruption is having an impact. On top of that, January has brought the tsunami in Tonga and the anxiety that creates for Tongan Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme workers and their employers; and New Zealand moving to red on 23 January, under the traffic light Covid-19 management regime. Our industry was already predicting shortages of leafy greens in February, due to heavy rain disrupting planting for several

weeks in December in the key areas of Pukekohe and Horowhenua. Now also, there will be the impact of Omicron on getting fresh produce harvested and transported around the country, as well as Omicron’s impact on the export fruit and vegetable harvest. The government has stated that its priority is to support critical workers in the food supply and infrastructure sectors. New Zealand’s domestic food supply is the priority. Our industry is working with the Ministry for Primary Industries to ensure the government understands what it needs to do, to make sure that our sector can continue to operate to provide New Zealanders with fresh, healthy vegetables and fruit, now and over the coming months.

But when it comes to fruit and vegetables, it would seem that most New Zealanders expect a bargain, no matter what time of the year it is. Just before Christmas, thanks to bad growing weather, it was widely reported that strawberries and other berries would either not be available for the big day or would be ‘expensive’. Tell that to the growers who are facing ever higher costs and took the risk to grow the berries, which for several late last year, did not pay off. I know that the cost of just about everything is increasing it is a worrying situation for all industries and consumers. But let’s not have a double standard around healthy, fresh fruit and vegetables, particularly when farm gate returns have not increased for at least a decade. If New Zealanders want ready access to locally grown fresh fruit and vegetables, they must be prepared to pay more for them. I know this won’t make us popular, but growers cannot be expected to shoulder the latest cost increases—in particular wages, compliance and distribution cost increases— without an associated increase in returns. R E A L FA RME R

SHOP IN STORE OR ONLINE WITH RURALCO FARM SUPPLIES

R E AL FARM E R

WELLBEING THE RURALCO WAY

Meet Alana Hocking Ruralco Marketing Co-ordinator TELL US ABOUT YOUR CAREER JOURNEY WITH RURALCO I was lucky enough to join the Gift & Homeware Team in the Ruralco Ashburton Store almost six years ago, with my emphasis being on Clothing and Footwear. During my time in that role I took a particular interest in the digital realm. This naturally led me to working with some of the Marketing Team and when an opportunity came up to join the Marketing Team for a year as a maternity cover, I jumped at the chance. I was fortunate enough to be given a permanent role as a Marketing Co-ordinator and then headed off for my own maternity leave in December 2021.

WHAT ENCOURAGES YOU TO CONTINUE WORKING FOR RURALCO? The support and encouragement you receive as an employee of Ruralco is like nothing I have experienced before in my work life. They don’t just talk the talk here; they will back up everything they say and show compassion and support when you need it and present you with opportunities when you ask for them. This is the place to be if you want a long-term career, and not just a job.

HOW HAS RURALCO SUPPORTED YOUR CAREER PROGRESSION? There have always been a lot of questions asked about where I see myself in the business, what skills I’d like to learn, and how Ruralco could help me achieve these things. These open and

Celebrating with our Whānau The Ruralco whānau includes not only our work family but our families at home too. 2021 was a challenging year in both camps, so it was wonderful to be able to celebrate the highs and lows all together at our annual Christmas party.

honest discussions with my leaders have given me the opportunity to figure out what my career direction at Ruralco could look like and helped me understand my valuable skills and where they fit best in the business.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE PART OF YOUR JOB? The people—both internally and externally. I enjoy catching up with Ruralco members at our events, I’ve got to know some of them well when I was working in the store and looking after sponsorship has meant I’ve been able to work with community and industry groups. Internally we have an amazing team who have a variety of backgrounds and skills that you can learn so much from. Everyone is willing to help others and they have all become great friends as well as colleagues.

WHAT DOES “THE RURALCO WAY” MEAN TO YOU? The Ruralco Way is all about the culture here at Ruralco and how we are all one team who work together and want to do the best every day. When I think of my career progression at Ruralco I think it is easily summed up with one of our cultural principles ‘Dare to be better’, as there are always opportunities at Ruralco to go further and be more if you just take the first step and ask.

Our focus on healthy eating & drinking Ruralco’s commitment to wellbeing includes making sure our teams understand and have access to healthy nutritional choices. The Wellbeing Committee launched an education campaign providing information and samples of sugar free alternative drinks at the recent staff meeting. Ruralco have a healthy eating policy that helps guide our team towards selecting healthier alternatives when catering for meetings and events. Knowledge and skills gained in relation to healthy eating and drinking in the workplace can also be transferred through to whānau at home, improving the health of children and the wider community.

R E A L FA RME R

WELLBEING HEALTH & SAFETY

Beware of fires on farm IT’S TIME TO START THINKING ABOUT WHAT YOU WOULD DO IF THERE WAS AN OUT-OF-CONTROL FIRE NEAR YOUR PROPERTY. We have paid almost $6 million in claims for rural fires over the past five years, a quarter of these being in late summer. We have had claims where controlled fires have reignited six weeks later, so to help you and your business remain fire safe this season, we’ve provided a few insights.

You’ll need a permit Burn-offs are a legitimate land management tool but it’s important to plan them in advance. Take into account upcoming weather conditions, fuel conditions and any regulatory requirements you need to meet ahead of time. Head to checkitsalright.nz to request a fire permit. It’s also good to let your neighbours know so they can move livestock away from smoke drift and be aware of any risks to their property.

Work smart on high-risk days An extra level of care needs to be taken when using machinery like welders or chainsaws in hot, dry conditions, particularly over the summer period. Where possible, avoid placing equipment or parking vehicles on dry grass and install fire extinguishers on all machinery. You should also make sure machinery is serviced annually.

Create a fire escape plan Even if you are cautious, it doesn’t completely remove the risk of fire. We recommend having an escape plan and practising it regularly with your family and staff. Make sure your RAPID number is displayed at the end of your drive and is easy to see from the road. You should also make sure you have enough water supplies available with clear signage. Rural homeowners are at a greater risk of wildfires than residential homeowners, and emergency services will take longer to reach you if a fire starts near or at your property. Extra safety measures should be taken to safeguard what is important to you, remembering the most important assets are yourself and your loved ones.

R E AL FARM E R

WORDS & IMAGES PROVIDED BY FMG INSURANCE

TRAINING

Doing it the right way IT DOESN’T MATTER WHAT YOU DO ON THE FARM, DOING THE TASK THE RIGHT WAY TO MEET BEST PRACTICE IMPROVES STANDARDS AND EFFICIENCY. What is Best Practice? According to the dictionary “best practice (noun) is commercial or professional procedures that are accepted or prescribed as being correct or most effective. It is a method or technique that has been generally accepted as superior to any alternatives because it produces results that are superior to those achieved by other means or because it has become a standard way of doing things”. We may all agree that’s what we want and what we do, but regrettably when it comes to our light 4wd’s, LUV’s (side-by-sides) and Quad bikes on farm, the stats from ACC and Work Safe NZ speak for themselves.

many moons ago to better equip people to safely operate vehicles with best practices On and Off-Road. Often people who attend courses have good ability, but it’s the habits and lacking techniques that can often only be identified by trainers who have an expert eye to see these things. By rectifying these areas, safety of the individual is enhanced. Ask yourself: would you fly a plane or ask anyone to fly you with no recognised training? The benefits of quality training include:

 Efficient procedures for vehicle checks;  Capabilities and limitations of your vehicle/s;  Understanding the technology, functions, and modes of your vehicles correctly;

 Reading terrain and ground composition to maximise traction;

 Safety margin risk assessments before navigating varying terrains;

How do we improve?

 Driver / rider techniques and practices for

Besides following the many other recommendations on work safe information sheets, they all advise to get some formal training.

 Understanding dynamic stability and how

There is no substitute for quality training. Like anything in life, if we want to get better and more skilled, whether it be at sport, farming or business practices etc, we need training from recognised organisations or persons to enhance our strengths and improve on areas we may be lacking in. Training courses run by recognised training providers are the best option to make sure people learn the right techniques and have best practices in place. Often the kiwi way is “I got taught by so and so, who got taught by so and so”, and we pass this experiential knowledge down, often not recognising the bad habits we have passed on. In some cases, we learnt by being thrown in the deep end, handed the keys, given a quick brief and away you go. Although learning through doing is beneficial, having the right fundamental (best practice) skills to build upon starting out, makes for a more accomplished operator in the long term.

WORDS & IMAGES PROVIDED BY ADRIAN BOWEN, ADVANCED VEHICLE TRAINING

safer negotiating of terrain;

to minimise this, including load and trailer safety;

 What to do before it goes wrong;  Confidence;  Best practice techniques to build experience upon.

Keep it current. So, you did a course 5+ years ago. Attending a refresher course every few years is beneficial, not only to brush up any skill fade or bad habits that may have crept in, but also to better understand your current vehicle in this age of rapidly advancing vehicle technology this includes quads and side-by-sides. You and your team might just walk away from training realising you got more from it than you thought, along with improved knowledge of best practices. Adrian Bowen is the Specialist Rural Vehicle Training Team Consultant & Manager for Advanced Vehicle Training.

I know, I grew up and have worked on farms. That’s what led me into getting into training

R E A L FA RME R

USE YOUR RURALCO CARD HERE

R E AL FARM E R

R E A L FA RME R

USE YOUR RURALCO CARD HERE

SPONSORSHIP

Arable Ys staying true to its initial goals Today’s arable farmers are constantly dealing with new technology, compliance and management practices… but that’s nothing new. In fact, as outlined in the quote below, it was the logic behind the formation of FAR’s Arable Ys programme in 2008. WORDS BY ANNA HESLOP, FOUNDATION FOR ARABLE RESEARCH. IMAGES BY ANNIE STUDHOLME OR PROVIDED

“Arable farming is rapidly becoming an information and technology hungry industry in which farmers need to upskill on modern agronomy and management techniques and operation of a complex farming business.” FAR-MPI SFF Application 2008

“The solution was quite simple…setting up a group where the topics, presentations and culture were tailored to that demographic. There was no expectation of technical or agronomic knowledge, and questions were encouraged at all times.”

FAR’s Richard Chynoweth, who was involved in Arable Ys 2008 set up, says a great strength of the programme is that it has stayed true to its initial goals of providing an opportunity for young arable farmers, their partners, workers and the wider arable workforce, to build confidence and improve their arable farming knowledge and abilities.

FAR Communications and Events Manager Anna Heslop says it’s hard to think of an agronomic, agri-economic or farm business topic that has not been covered by Arable Ys over the last 14 years.

“We set up Arable Ys when we realised that over 90% of the people attending FAR field days and events were over the age of 35. We did a bit of asking around and learned that many younger growers found attending these events a bit daunting.

R E AL FARM E R

“We try not to repeat topics too often, but one that definitely comes up every couple of years is crop growth staging. Understanding crop growth stages is an absolute Arable 101. It’s the key to getting agronomic inputs like fungicides, irrigation and closing dates right. “In these workshops FAR provides plants straight from the field, scalpels and magnifying glasses and training guides,

ABOVE: Overseas study tours were a popular Arable

Ys option when such things were possible. Here are some young growers at Cereals 2018 in the UK

and staff work, with groups, through the process of dissecting plants and identifying key stages such as GS 30 stem elongation, GS 31 1st node formed and GS 39 flag leaf emergence.” All farmers like road trips and Arable Ys members are no different. Before COVID appeared on the scene, Arable Ys ran regular national and international trips. There have been two training tours to the UK and Europe, where members have attended the UK Cereals event, visited farms, flour mills, machinery manufacturers and chemical companies, and one to the USA where members learned about everything from grass seed production in Oregon, to cotton,

peanuts, soybeans and sweet potatoes in North Carolina. Closer to home, small groups have frequently attended the GRDC’s Innovation Generation conference in Australia and toured other growing regions in New Zealand—Southland provided lots of learning. Field trips, to members’ farms, seed cleaning facilities, vegetable processing plants and more recently, the Pure Oil plant in Rolleston are also well attended, extending knowledge of the arable value chain, and providing an opportunity to see why some of those annoying clauses in crop contracts are so important. But it’s not just about agronomy and agribusiness. Arable Ys has also proved a winner when it comes to people development, for FAR staff and growers alike. FAR’s Anna Heslop says it’s been fantastic to see younger staff and growers developing in confidence over the years. “Many Arable Ys newbies, whether they are young growers or company reps, start off very quiet. They sit in the back row, avoid making eye contact with speakers and definitely don’t ask or answer questions. However, as time goes by and they get to know others around them, they roll up, say g’day, move a bit closer to the front, start asking a few questions and volunteer to host farm walks. It’s great to see. For younger FAR staff, often straight out university, it’s a great opportunity to learn with their grower peers while developing some event organisation and public speaking skills. “Another key contribution of Arable Ys has been the identification of some of our future BELOW: Crop growth staging is a frequent flyer on

the Arable Ys calendar

community and industry future leaders. Arable Ys alumni are represented on school and community boards, irrigation groups and within Federated Farmers. They’ve become Kellogg and even Nuffield Scholars, where the links they have formed with FAR and international researchers have informed their study plans. Brent Austin, from Mayfield, one of the original Arable Ys grower members, got involved to gain some direction on where to

head with his farming career. He says while field days with older growers could be a bit intimidating, Arable Ys was very easy. “It provided an opportunity to talk to other people in the same boat about things like coming home to the farm, “battling with old man” and succession. Just knowing that other people are working through all the same issues is really good for your mental wellbeing. “The other key thing for me was the tours. They were a great way to learn so much about how other growers do things and to meet people from all around New Zealand and the world.” Tim Brooker, Sales Agronomist at Yara New Zealand and former FAR Graduate and staff member is another Arable Ys fan. “Arable Ys provided the opportunity to catch up with like minded people. The topics were interesting, the farm and factory visits always worthwhile and the end of year farm tour and barbecue was always a highlight.” So, if you are 35(ish) or under, involved in the arable industry and interested in up-skilling in all areas of arable farming in a relaxed and social environment maybe you should head along to Arable Ys. Meetings are generally held on the third Wednesday of the month, either at the Hotel Ashburton Hotel or elsewhere when trips are involved. FAR is very pleased to have Ruralco as their ongoing Arable Ys sponsor. Their support affirms the role Arable Ys has in the arable community. R E A L FA RME R

USE YOUR RURALCO CARD HERE

R E AL FARM E R

IRRIGATION

Plan for Covid like you would the Irrigation Season

Bucket testing is a great way to ensure your irrigation systems are working correctly. WORDS BY VANESSA WINNING, IRRIGATION NZ CEO, IMAGES PROVIDED BY IRRIGATION NZ.

It is crazy that January is already over, and we are setting up for the next season and into a new year managing through a global pandemic. There is a mixed bag of irrigation restrictions across the Canterbury area for water takes. It’s not as bad as we have had in the past, or what we had expected before the rains in the latter part of last year, but it is summer, and we know those nor-westers can dry conditions out quickly. As the days go by and so does the irrigation season you must continue to check on the performance of your irrigators, ensuring they are working correctly, not wasting water, and not unintentionally watering the roads. Like all farming and growing practices, the more you plan the more you stay ahead of issues and can manage the uncertainty and challenges that pop up unexpectedly.

This year is starting no different from the last. Covid is back in the community and from all the discussion this time it looks likely to impact even in the more isolated areas as the contagiousness of this strain is higher. While it may be a milder version, it could have significant impacts on your team and your business. So, it is important to have a plan. MPI and the Food and Fibre Leaders’ group have been working on practical solutions to managing an outbreak on your farm. There are some excellent guides on the Beef and Lamb website www.beeflambnz.com/news-views/ coronavirus-covid-19. It is key that you and your team know how you will approach a situation, and that if you have any symptoms that you get tested. Our supply chain and our exports rely on our farmers and growers being safe, well, and able to carry on. Even talk with your neighbours about a joint plan in case you end up having to isolate, or one of the team gets sick. Even things like who will get groceries etc.

IMAGE: Bucket testing is a great way to ensure your

irrigation systems are working correctly

have contingencies and if you get rain and the moisture on your farm means you don’t require the pivots to be turned on, save for another day when they do. Our farmers are some of the most innovative and resilient out there and have kept the country ticking over despite the uncertainty and pressure of the virus and the policy upheaval. We appreciate that we are one of the ‘lucky’ countries, but we also know good management is better than good luck. Have a productive end to the summer, and as always when you need help with your irrigation or advice let us know.

VANESSA WINNING CEO, IRRIGATION NZ

The more you plan the more you can adapt. Just like with irrigation—have all the data, R E A L FA RME R

SHOP IN STORE OR ONLINE WITH RURALCO FARM SUPPLIES

R E AL FARM E R

R E A L FA RME R

USE YOUR RURALCO CARD HERE

SHOP IN STORE OR ONLINE WITH RURALCO FARM SUPPLIES

R E AL FARM E R

FARM SUPPLIES

Take no chances with grass grub this autumn “You’re dealing with a pest that lives underground and is far from predictable in terms of timing.” Grass grub larvae can be present in the soil from autumn through to the end of winter, meaning it is almost impossible to predict timing or length of feeding. Short term protection products are unable to cover the whole risk period except via a programme of multiple applications. Grass grub damage costs NZ more than people often realise, Christie says. A recent study led by AgResearch estimated irrigated Canterbury dairy farmers lost $1.8 million a year in dry matter yield, highlighting potentially significant economic gains from better pest control. AgResearch scientist Dr Sue Zydenbos presented the work at the Grasslands conference in Napier late 2019. It modelled data and pasture measurements over three years to quantify the scale and cost of the yield gap between pastures affected by grass grub, and those which were not. The yield gap was calculated at 6,800 kg DM/ha, modelled at an annual profit loss of $650/ha. “Those are big numbers,” she says. “If you’re aiming to grow 20 t DM/ha/year on irrigated land in Canterbury, losing 6,800 kg DM/ha/year would be a third of your total DM production.”

Grass grub larvae may be small, but as many farmers found in autumn 2021, they’re capable of causing major problems. Even at relatively low numbers, they can make a meal of new grass paddocks in the weeks ahead, not to mention autumn sown cereals, and clover seed crops.

newly sown pasture and protects cereals and clover seed crops for the life of the crop. A tiny green polymer granule which is drilled down the spout with the seed at sowing time, it is the only controlled release formulation of its type for grass grubs. suSCon Green is impregnated with chlorpyrifos which is control-released into the surrounding soil.

For best results, suSCon Green should be drilled at 15 kg/ha in the same furrow with the seed at 15cm row spacings. It’s critical to have sufficient granules per metre along the seed row. Drilling into sprayed out pasture or bare ground is also key, because it forces grass grub to move into the drill row to feed, and thus ingest the chlorpyrifos released by suSCon Green granules. suSCon Green is not suitable for broadcast or roller drilling methods of sowing.

The released chlorpyrifos degrades in the soil but is constantly replenished from the granule for the duration of its active life.

Seed and granules should not be sown in different rows, nor should seed and granules, or granules alone, be under sown into unsprayed pasture.

The economic threshold for control of grass grub in newly sown pasture is as little as three larvae per spade square, or 75 per square metre, so it doesn’t take many to create an issue.

That means reduced environmental impact, a less hazardous formulation, low toxicity to earthworms and a granule that is free flowing, dust-free and very easy to handle.

For more advice on protecting new pasture, cereal, and clover seed plantings from grass grub with suSCon Green, talk to your Ruralco Representative today.

Seed treatment will protect newly germinated seedlings over the establishment period. But after that, what are your options?

Cynthia Christie, technical specialist for Nufarm, says grass grub may be one of New Zealand’s most common and costly pasture pests, but that doesn’t make them easy to control.

®suSCon is a registered trademark of Nufarm Technologies USA Pty Ltd

Significant losses were reported this time last season, because by the time farmers realized what was happening it was too late to save their paddocks.

Controlled release suSCon® Green from Nufarm gives up to three years’ control of

Zydenbos et al, Journal of New Zealand Grasslands 81: 163-170 (2019) 1

THIS PROMOTIONAL FEATURE WAS PROVIDED BY NUFARM R E A L FA RME R

R E AL FARM E R

FERTILISER

Crop residue nutrients: retain or replace? than wheat straw. Smaller pieces of residue decompose faster than larger pieces. Incorporating residues back into the soil by using discs instead of ploughing mixes them more thoroughly into the soil, so they break down faster.” Residues can also be left on the surface and the next crop can be direct drilled into them. Both incorporated and surface-retained crop residues have a high carbon to nitrogen ratio, which can affect the availability of soil nitrogen. As the soil organisms decompose residues, they take nitrogen from the soil. Using fertiliser containing nitrogen to support decomposition is not always reliable, but drilling nitrogen fertiliser, such as DAP, with seed provides sufficient nitrogen (and phosphorus) to support early crop development.

Crop residues are a useful resource for returning nutrients and building carbon and organic matter into the soil. Crop residue management determines whether the nutrients they contain are returned to the soil or removed and replaced via fertiliser. Grain crop residues contain varying amounts of plant nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, sulphur, and magnesium (see Table 1).

Weighing up the options “The various options for managing crop residues—whether it be removing, burning, or incorporating them back into the soil—all have their own challenges and opportunities,” says Ballance Agri-Nutrients Science Extension Officer Jessica Hall. “Residue that is baled and removed off farm has an economic value, but you also lose almost all of the nutrient content of the residue. So, it’s wise to compare the value of the straw to the cost of replacing the nutrients via fertiliser.” The economic cost of straw nutrient losses can be calculated using the Foundation for Arable Research (FAR) spreadsheet. Results can be tailored by changing the bale weights and fertiliser prices.

“When plant material breaks down, the rate of nutrient release varies. Potassium’s generally released pretty quickly as it’s not ‘built in’ to plant cells; after five weeks about 50 to 90 per cent of the potassium content will be released. Nitrogen, phosphorus and sulphur are integrated into plant cells so are released more slowly.”

Burning residue results in losing most of the nitrogen, sulphur, and carbon content of the residue as gas. But about 80 per cent of the potassium, 60 per cent of the phosphorus and most of the calcium and magnesium content of the residue are retained, and are returned to the soil as ash.

FAR research has concluded different residue management systems are unlikely to result in major differences to soil organic matter, but recent research suggests removing crop residues limits earthworm abundance and biomass.

“By letting the crop residues decompose, nutrients will slowly be released. The rate of decomposition and release depends on the residue type, size, if and how it’s incorporated back into the soil, and the nutrient itself,” she says.

“Whichever residue management option you choose, ensure you consider the nutrient removal or retention when selecting the right fertiliser for your next crop,” says Jessica. THIS PROMOTIONAL FEATURE WAS SUPPLIED BY BALLANCE AGRI-NUTRIENTS

“For example, barley straw decomposes faster than oat straw, which in turn is faster TABLE 1: NUTRIENT CONTENT OF CROP RESIDUES (SOURCE FAR ARABLE EXTRA, ISSUE 103, DECEMBER 2013)

APPROXIMATE CONTENT (KG PER TONNE OF RESIDUE) WHEAT STRAW

BARLEY STRAW

OAT STRAW

RYEGRASS STRAW

NITROGEN

5.9

4.6

5.3

10.1

PHOSPHORUS

0.7

0.4

0.5

1.0

12.8

12.9

21.2

13.8

SULPHUR

1.2

1.3

1.0

1.4

MAGNESIUM

0.7

0.4

1.2

POTASSIUM

R E A L FA RME R

USE YOUR RURALCO CARD HERE

R E AL FARM E R

Ruralco Filming Week Behind the scenes During February, we took to the road to capture footage and imagery on farm for us to use in our promotional material and publications. Thanks to all the farmers and their families that allowed us to come to their homes and their farms. We’re excited to show you the finished product. Keep an eye out for any familiar faces in our upcoming promotions.

Will Prosor getting some shots of Stuart Marr and Meredith Kinzett

Josie watches on as mum & dad, Sally & Steve Sim get in front of the camera

Photographer Annie Studholme gets some shots of Stuart Marr and Jono Pavey

Camden Group’s Travis Gordon discussing dairy farming with Ruralco’s Maree Smith

The Keely family pose for The Kit Catalogue 2022

We enjoyed capturing many furry friends on film

Supported by Ruralco

SPONSORSHIP

Ruralco is proud to support local equestrian events

Tracey Pierce’s Stonefields Wizard winning at the Ruralco sponsored Mill Creek Pony Club Show. February 2022

Lucy Honeywell 85 & 95cm winner at the Ruralco sponsored Methven Pony Club Show Jumping. November 2021

Paige Fitzgerald, Ruralco Pony Preliminary winner at the Ashburton Dressage Championships. January 2022

R E A L FA RME R

Co-op News Ruralco Energy are your independent energy specialists and we are here to ensure you’re getting the best deal.

Introducing

We provide independent price checks on any quote or bill provided by your electricity company and their partners.

Customised blend to suit your herd, delivered direct to your farm.

We can explain offers and help you find the best deal specific to your business. We can also offer you our exclusive energy monitoring service which identifies opportunities to reduce your energy spend with real time data analysis. We identify the right solution across all energy demands of your operation, ensuring the current supply is fit for purpose through a fact-based assessment including: • Account analysis, recommendation, and management; • Energy use assessments and reduction plans; • Energy efficiency upgrades; • Capacity Management; • Monthly Bill Management. Contact the Ruralco Energy team today for your independent analysis on 0800 787 256 and we can talk through your energy requirements.

Our new Boost Dairy Mineral Custom Blend is a specifically formulated watersoluble, multimineral blend, providing essential trace elements for animal health. We customise the mix to suit your dairy herd’s requirements, delivering it direct to farm. • Suitable supplement for dairy cows. • Easily dissolved via addition to drinking water through a Dosatron or water dispenser. • Flavoured with aniseed for improved palatability. • Can be packaged as convenient individual day packs for the whole herd or as a bulk bag for self-measuring. • Active ingredients are subject to herd requirements but can include trace elements, minerals and vitamins, and other additives that may be required. Talk to your Ruralco Representative today to discuss the best mineral mix for your dairy herd.

Animal Health Guide 2022 Our extensive product range will ensure you maximise production and ensure the health of your animals. Check out the latest guide in letterboxes now or at www.ruralco. co.nz/animalhealth

Looking for the perfect wedding or engagement gift?

Presenting your Ruralco Card

Choose from our wide range of quality brands and get the perfect gift, in store or online delivered direct to you, including: • Fine crystal, silverware, glassware and serveware; • A wide range of kitchenware including Cuisinart mixers and small appliances; • Photo albums; • Beautiful linens and throws for the bedroom, bathroom, living, and dining room; • A wide selection of home and garden accessories.

Please ensure that you keep your Ruralco Card with you when shopping. Suppliers are obligated to see the Ruralco Card prior to allowing you to purchase goods. This is a security measure for both the Cardholder and the Supplier. It also ensures the correct Ruralco Account is being charged.

R E AL FARM E R

Let us know as soon as possible if you misplaced your card so that it can be canceled.

New Ruralco Card Suppliers

Ruralco and Ballance are here to help you grow the future of your farm Our partnership with Ballance Agri-Nutrients gives you access to local fertiliser experts that can tailor a solid fertiliser plan to maximise your on-farm production potential. Together we can bring you science backed and innovative nutrient solutions that will maximise your on-farm production potential delivering a measurable return on investment. Make the switch to Ballance through Ruralco for all your fertiliser requirements. Talk to your Ruralco Representative today.

Ruralco Pasture Packs Ruralco’s Ultimate Pasture Packs provide you with the right mix necessary to produce ultimate results and ultimate pastures. Grab a copy of the guide today from the Ruralco team or visit www.ruralco.co.nz/ pasturepacks for more information.

Endura Dryland Pack

MAXIMUM PRODUCTION

ULTIMATE DRYLAND

PERFORMER

NATIONWIDE / MULTIPLE LOCATION SUPPLIERS VEHICLE CablePrice SERVICING Up to 7.5% discount Locations nationwide – Auckland, Rotorua, Hastings, Palmerston North, Hamilton, Lower Hutt, Christchurch, Invercargill, Dunedin, Greymouth, Nelson, Timaru, Blenheim

SOUTH ISLAND SUPPLIERS Ashburton

Dip Pack

PALATABLE & PERSISTENT

RELIABLE PERFORMANCE

RESTAURANTS & LIQUOR

Noble 600 3% discount

We’re working for you this dairy season and offering competitive pricing with real value on products to maximise your production on farm. Check out the latest guide in letterboxes now or at www.ruralco.co.nz/ dairy.

Christchurch VEHICLE PARTS

Faast Fitt Batteries City 15% discount Farnleys Jetskis Up to 5% discount

JETSKIS & ACCESSORIES

FERTILISER

United Fisheries Ltd Convenience 306 Motel Apartments Up to 10% discount

Supercharga Pack

ANIMAL FEED

Hekeao Feed Company Ltd 5% discount

Dairy Guide 2022

T-ploid Pack

Visit www.ruralco.co.nz for a full list of participating businesses near you. Remember to always bring your Ruralco Card with you when shopping.

ACCOMMODATION

Supercheap Auto Rolleston 10% discount

VEHICLE PARTS

Dunedin Faast Fitt Battery & Auto 15% discount

VEHICLE PARTS

Timaru

Renovator Pack

The Ecotain Pack

GREAT VALUE

INNOVATIVE PERFORMANCE

The Kit 2022 is out now We’ve got you covered with our wide range of new season wet weather, work wear, fashion and footwear. Check out the latest catalogue in letterboxes now or at www.ruralco.co.nz/thekit

ASURE Avenue Motor Lodge Up to 10% discount Pronto Hair Design Up to 7% discount

ACCOMMODATION

HEALTH & BEAUTY

Wanaka Hireworx 12% discount

FARM MERCHANDISE

R E A L FA RME R

USE YOUR RURALCO CARD HERE

R E AL FARM E R

ACCOMMODATION

USE YOUR RURALCO CARD HERE

Classifieds AUTOMOTIVE

AUTOMOTIVE

PANEL BEATING SPRAY PAINTING

Insurance Work

Repairs, Refurbishment and Maintenance of…

AUTOMOTIVE

Trucks, Buses, Coaches & Motorhomes, Caravans, Trailers & Farm Machinery, Horse Coaches & Floats, Jet Boats & Light Engineering. 17 Range St

(Industrial Estate)

Ashburton Phone 307 0378

BUILDING SUPPLIES

BUTCHERY SERVICES

R E A L FA RME R

USE YOUR RURALCO CARD HERE 80

Classifieds COMPUTERS

DRYCLEANING

FENCING

FLORISTS

HOSE & FITTINGS

R E AL FARM E R

EQUIPMENT HIRE

FENCING

GLASS

LAWNMOWERS

MOTORHOMES

PEST CONTROL

PHOTOGRAPHERS

SECURITY SYSTEMS

USE YOUR RURALCO CARD HERE

PAINTERS/DECORATORS

MAKE THE

SWITCH Already using one of the businesses below, but want to conveniently charge it through your Ruralco account? Switch it to your Ruralco account today and enjoy the convenience of one consolidated statement and monthly savings with Ruralco.

INSURANCE

FUEL

FERTILISER

FMG

Allied

Ballance

INTERNET

PHONE

ENERGY

Spark & Ultimate Broadband

Spark

Meridian

Complete the online form at www.ruralco.co.nz/ maketheswitch

THIS IS JUST A SNAPSHOT OF THE MANY GREAT BUSINESSES FOR YOU TO USE YOUR RURALCO CARD AT AND SAVE.

0800 787 256

RURALCO.CO.NZ ASHBURTON / METHVEN / RAKAIA

R E A L FA RME R

Real Farmer Autumn 2022

Articles inside

Plan for Covid like you would the Irrigation Season

Take no chances with grass grub this autumn

Doing it the right way

Arable Ys staying true to its initial goals

Beware of fires on farm

The year’s realities already bite

It’s a bread marketer’s dream

Autumn in style

Smart ideas to reduce working hours on dairy farms

Fifty years of training rural workers

Legumes under the spotlight for Hill

The Farmer’s Law Firm

Full circle with Andrew Barlass

Timing is everything

The special power of oats

Recognition for hard mahi

Methane mitigation tech not science fiction

Family in tune with bees’ needs

Brits foil bid to protect Manuka

New EV charging station to be launched at Ruralco