Real Farmer Summer 2021

RealFarmer

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Resilience behind Ruralco success

Never one to stand still

S UM ME R 2021/ 22

Shipping hits heavy seas

Northern paradise an export earner

Keeping up with the Jones’

RURALCO

From the Group CEO Welcome to the Summer Edition of Real Farmer. The countdown is on to Christmas and the New Year. I hope you can enjoy some time with friends and family after what has been a busy and disruptive year. Take some time to relax and read this edition of Real Farmer where we cover a multitude of stories and insights from our New Zealand farmers and growers.

We have just held our 58th Annual General Meeting and would like to congratulate Kate Acland, who was re-elected to the Ruralco Board and Andrew Barlass, who has joined the Ruralco Board of Directors. Kate and Andrew both bring a wealth of knowledge to the Board, and we look forward to having them on the team. Read on to find out more about the Ruralco AGM and the year that was.

As well as welcoming a new Shareholder to the Ruralco Board, we also wish Gabrielle Thompson farewell. Gabrielle was elected in 2012 and has brought great knowledge and fresh perspectives to the Board over the years. In this issue, we look back at Gabrielle’s history with Ruralco and celebrate her achievements over the course of her directorship.

We meet the Culham’s, farmers from Northland who are making the most of their sub-tropical climate growing avocados for both the local and global markets. We get some insight into the avocado industry as demand increases globally.

We meet the Jones’ who have embarked on a new sheep milking venture in Kirwee, Canterbury and how they’re dipping into this profitable and environmentally friendly market. We also take a look at the latest forecasts in shipping and logistics around the globe and how the pandemic has affected supply chains in both New Zealand and abroad.

We also reflect on the successes of our Ruralco Card partners following on from the Ruralco Card Supplier Awards this year. A big congratulations to Neumann’s Tyres for taking out the Members Choice Award for their fifth year in a row as well as FMG for taking out our Supreme Supplier Award. It has been a great pleasure to take the opportunity to thank the businesses we partner with through our Card Supplier Network.

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.

FAR Tel 03 3455783 far@far.org.nz www.far.org.nz FMG Tel 0800 366 466 www.fmg.co.nz

CONTRIBUTORS

Anita Body Annie Studholme Brett Haldane Rachel Rickard Richard Rennie PHOTOGRAPHERS

Annie Studholme Laney Mahuika-Willis Sarah Marshall

Irrigation NZ Tel 03 341 2225 admin@irrigationnz.co.nz www.irrigationnz.co.nz

TECHNICAL ARTICLES

Ballance Agri-Nutrients Tel 0800 787 256 ruralco@ruralco.co.nz www.ruralco.co.nz

Nufarm Tel 0800 683 276 nzinfo@nufarm.com www.nufarm.com

Beef + Lamb Tel 0800 233 352 enquiries@beeflambnz.com www.beeflambnz.com

NZ Pork Tel 0800 697 675 info@pork.co.nz www.pork.co.nz

Corteva Tel 0800 803 939 www.corteva.co.nz

Rural Contractors Tel 0800 424 266 office@ruralcontractors.org.nz www.ruralcontractors.org.nz

DairyNZ Tel 0800 4 324 7969 info@dairynz.co.nz www.dairynz.co.nz

Seales Winslow Tel 0800 287 325 www.sealeswinslow.co.nz

Rob Sharkie robert.sharkie@ruralco.co.nz ON THE COVER:

Whangarei couple Sue and Shane Culham have been growning avocados commercially since 2004

Contents

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COVER STORY

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Northern paradise an export earner Resilience behind Ruralco success and positive financial results 16 Never one to stand still 18 Keeping up with the Jones’ 34 Shipping hits heavy seas

Technical 23 Optimising summer productivity for Hinds and Fawns 25 Fertigation’s pastoral potential 39 Introducing a better way to control forage brassica pests 43 Four blokes, 3,000km of cycling and a $25,000 fundraising goal 46 Hopes review will shed light on pricing 49 A passion for fuelling your farm 51 Corteva Agriscience, has announced the successful registration and launch of the new selective herbicide 53 Pick the right brassica herbicide and get better crops and greater flexibility with crop rotations 60 Greenhouse gas emissions: pricing for arable 67 Pigs over dairy make’s business and environmental sense for Taranaki farm 69 Reversing triple drench resistance is possible 71 Can you save on N applications over summer?

73 Rural contractors put their Hanzon a solution 75 The world of water and policy— an update from IrrigationNZ

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Northern paradise an export earner

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Resilience behind Ruralco success and positive financial results

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Never one to stand still

Lifestyle 26 Summer living

Wellbeing 56 56 57 57 58

Growing the mo to save a bro Rural Support is here to help Supporting your employees Keeping your tractor on track Farming Tips for COVID-19

Card

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Keeping up with the Jones’

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Shipping hits heavy seas

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.

13 Not just Ashburton Glass Ashburton Glass 37 Ruralco Supplier Awards: Neumanns and FMG reign supreme 41 Everyone has time for diamonds Time For Diamonds 64 The Ruralco Dining Guide

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Northern paradise an export earner

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Northland’s humid sub-tropical climate means avocados have always thrived in the top part of the North Island. But the gradual drift to plant them has become a flood in recent years as dairy farms are converted and irrigation projects open up more land for orchard plantings.

BY RICHARD RENNIE, IMAGES BY SARAH MARSHALL

Through the Far North, vast expanses of the crop are now being planted or recently established, offering a welcome boost to the region’s economy. But Whangarei couple Sue and Shane Culham have been well ahead of the recent arrivals, having grown avocados commercially since 2004.

Today their orchard is a slice of tropical paradise, giving them an enviable place to call home and to earn a living from a fruit that captures all that makes New Zealand produce in demand around the world-quality crops grown sustainably, in stunning locations.

The 17-hectare block just out of Whangarei at Glenbervie was a block of land Shane had long coveted when he lived nearby.

“Every day I went past, I used to wish I could own the place. Then the elderly lady who owned it passed away, she had no immediate family and when her nieces subdivided off 80 acres, I approached them to purchase the property. At the time I paid more than I should, it seemed a lot then but is certainly a lot less in today’s market.”

Both Shane and Sue felt the property was in something of a sweet spot. Comprising high quality volcanic soils with good contour and located at only 80m above sea level made it ideal orchard country, being only 5km from the coast as the crow flies, it promised lower frost risk than higher, more inland properties.

Sue moved in with Shane in 2000 and with them both being busy with their engineering company, they sold off 8ha to the neighbours, but still ran stock on the property.

“When the neighbour opted for avocados, we both decided this would be a great option rather than running stock,” says Sue.

ABOVE: Whangarei couple Sue and Shane Culham have

“We originally put in 4ha of Hass for export but have also trialled Maluma variety which ripens earlier, which enabled us to get the fruit off earlier, around June-July for the domestic market. We also have the Reed Variety, another export variety. We were looking for an almost year-round supply and almost achieved that with these three varieties.”

engineering business Sue is hands on in the orchard, and pays close attention to tree husbandry

But they could soon see the impact of the Far North plantings, with their earlier ripening

been well ahead of the recent arrivals, having grown avocados commercially since 2004 BELOW: Despite Shane being busy with their

crops affecting any advantage Sue and Shane may have had in the domestic market and have since grafted Hass onto the old Maluma rootstock.

“The cost to the industry to gear up for another variety for the export market is significant, and we could see this would be the best move.”

The couple have 300 trees they have grown themselves, something that is relatively rare in an industry where most orchardists source their stock from nurseries.

“A problem for the industry is phytophthora root rot, which means you have to use clonal trees on ground that has had avocados previously planted, but in virgin soil you can plant seedling rootstock, so we have been lucky to do that on extra land we had not yet planted.”

They also inject with phosphites, choosing to avoid spraying which the industry is moving to.

Despite Shane being busy with their engineering business Sue is hands on in the orchard, and pays close attention to tree husbandry and crop management on an almost daily basis.

“We work hard on pruning to keep the trees to an 8m x 8m footprint, and only about

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INTEREST 4–5m high, which is relatively compact by avocado tree standards. That regular pruning encourages more new wood to grow from below, and keeps the trees’ cropping ability high,” says Sue. In an industry averaging 10t a hectare, the couple achieved 29.9t a hectare last year, and over the past four years have averaged 20.5t a hectare. This year they expect to crop about that average again.

Irregular bearing has been an issue in the avocado industry, particularly further south through Bay of Plenty, but Sue maintains with good management and a careful eye on tree development it can be minimised.

“Irregular bearing can be a slippery slope too— if an orchardist has a poor year they will earn less, cut back on key items like fertiliser, maybe spray, and then you find your crop volumes overall start to slip every year.”

The couple have invested heavily in their own plant and equipment, providing much of the manpower and inputs alongside a staff member.

Sue has drawn strongly on her years on systems in the engineering company to ensure they have some clear, practical policies in place around routine jobs including spray rotations, pruning and regular fertiliser applications.

“Having that ability to work on all aspects ourselves just gives us a lot more flexibility and timeliness around the orchard, and it does mean we can work to keep our overheads down if it is mainly us having to do the jobs,” she says.

After becoming enthusiastic about planting avos, Sue got herself back to the classroom, studying horticulture at RuralTec at Whangarei, achieving her Level 3 production management qualification.

“I found the business side of things was pretty much covered by my experience in the engineering business, and it was really about

understanding the growing and management side of the plants better, knowing to question advice when it was given, and understand better why things were being done the way they were.”

It was this attention to detail and a holistic, environmentally sensitive approach to orcharding that helped the couple claim the first ever orchard award in the esteemed Ballance Farm Environment Awards in 2011 for the Northland region.

“We had been one of the first avocado orchards to start using the NZ GAP (Good Agricultural Practice) standards, we had always tried to be as sensitive as possible to the environment we are in,” says Sue. NZ GAP provides assurance for the safe and sustainable production of fruit and vegetables in New Zealand, and today is now a required

ABOVE: In an industry averaging 10t a hectare, the

couple achieved 29.9t a hectare last year RIGHT: Shane and Sue were one of the first avocado orchards to start using the NZ GAP standards

operating standard for all horticultural exporters. We have now upgraded to the Global GAP Standard.

“We really try to keep our spray use to a minimum, and only use soft sprays and oils where we can—we are conscious that our house is right in the midst of the orchard and we are not wanting to have any more chemicals used than anyone else,” says Sue. The couple also have 20kW of solar power being installed alongside the 20kW they already have, helping power the orchard.

The property has pockets of council covenanted bush scattered throughout it, providing valuable corridors for native birds in the nearby Glenbervie forest. It is not unusual to have drunken Kereru dodging the windows and flitting overhead between avocados and natives—and fortunately not having a taste for their valuable crop.

The couple have had an on-going pest management programme for over a decade, with possums, rats, and feral cats all high on the hit list as they work to try and make it as welcoming as possible for the burgeoning native bird population.

Recently the tough market for New Zealand avocados in Australia has received some coverage in mainstream media, but Sue and Shane are overwhelmingly positive about broader market prospects for the crop, despite any setbacks this year may bring.

“The reality is that there simply are not enough avocados grown in the world to meet demand, and the greatest challenge the industry faces this year is not so much what is

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Avo industry upbeat on future prospects While the surplus of avocados in Australia has raised some concerns about this season’s payout to growers, longer term prospects for the industry remain positive, despite the inevitable disruptions Covid has also bought with it.

The industry surged over the $200 million mark in earnings for the 2020-21 season, including $167 million earnt in exports and $60 million to the domestic market.

happening in Australia, but the fact shipping is so hard to secure for exporters.”

Australia, a traditional market for New Zealand avocados has undergone expansion of orchards similar to what has happened in Northland, with regions like southern Western Australia surging in crop volumes, and some good growing seasons in the eastern states offsetting some earlier tough drought years.

They, like all growers, have been advised that this year could prove a tough one, but it does at least come after last year’s rewarding top end payment of about $17.75 a tray average for their 121t crop, of which 73% was sold for the higher earning export value.

“The domestic market is always worth less, but we were really pleased with that payment in a Covid year, and that will help make this year easier to get through.”

They are also encouraged by the efforts to promote New Zealand avocados beyond Australia, with initiatives including India, and their fruit’s main market, south-east Asia. They export through Freshmax, having remained loyal to them from their early days, appreciating the personalised contact and knowing there is a buyer for their fruit before it has even been picked.

Between them, Shane and Sue have no plans for significant expansion or scaling up in their idyllic location, and with the impending sale of their engineering business, each is looking forward to more time either in the orchard or, Covid willing, travelling.

“We really appreciate living where we do, and as a crop avos have proven ideal, the global demand for them is high, and we have tried to work our orchard environment alongside the natural environment—it’s a great place to work, and to live,” says Sue.

NZ Avocado CEO Jen Scoular says the result was extraordinary given the level of disruption faced, particularly regarding lack of freight capacity and the inability to meet face to face with existing and prospective customers.

“It is a credit to the entire value chain to achieve this record result,” she says.

The 2020 season marked a record export volume and total crop volume, totalling 44,000 tonne or 5.1 million trays, exported to 11 export markets. This was an increase of 10% on the year before under trying export conditions.

Just over half New Zealand’s avocado production comes from the Bay of Plenty, and 40% out of Northland.

In recent years Northland has experienced significant growth in plantings as major water development schemes in the Far North open up the area’s fertile soils, enabling growers to capitalise on its sub-tropical climate so well suited to growing the fruit.

land specifically for horticultural development, with avocados a favoured crop.

The value from the project is set to deliver some significant gains to Northland, long deprived of development opportunities, with major horticultural investors now committing to infrastructure and nursery projects in anticipation of the scheme’s completion.

Developing more markets for avocados remains a priority for 2021, particularly given the impact of the surge in Australian supply which is predicted to continue over the coming five years. Australian production this season is anticipated to be up 50% on last year’s and will be double the 2020-21 production volume of 80,000t by 2026.

“Demand for avocados continues to increase in markets across Asia, the key challenge will be meeting export plans and delivering premium quality New Zealand avocados to these markets during a time of continued disruption to global freight and logistics” says Linda Flegg, NZ Avocado Growers Association Chair.

In 2023, New Zealand will be hosting the World Avocado Congress, a four yearly event aimed at showcasing avocados and an opportunity for New Zealand to promote the crop’s sustainable vibrant contribution to the New Zealand horticultural sector.

Certainty for more development was sealed in September when an application by Far North landowners to extract water from the region’s enormous Aupouri aquifer was granted.

The news was particularly well received by iwi in the region, long looking for more horticultural potential in the Far North to employ its high proportion of young people.

“Instantly we are talking about jobs and we’re talking about jobs that are meaningful and that are related to your own whenua,” says Te Runanga Nui o Te Aupouri CEO Mariameno Kapa-King.

Other water schemes include the Te Tai Tokerau water project that was fast tracked under the government’s Covid-19 Recovery plan.

It includes the construction of a 4 million cubic metre reservoir in the Far North, with the first 750,000 cubic metre reservoir near Kaikohe the first of four planned and now under construction.

Further south the Kaipara project under the same scheme promises to open up 4000ha of

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Resilience behind Ruralco success and positive financial results Despite uncertainty around Covid and regulatory compliance issues, Ruralco has shown it is more resilient than ever, recording positive financial results for its 2021 financial year and by hitting a significant shareholder base milestone.

WORDS BY ANITA BODY

Coinciding with the recent 58th Annual General Meeting, Ruralco has attracted its 4000th shareholder. This is a fantastic milestone for the co-operative which was

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started by a small group of like-minded farmers looking for competitive pricing for their businesses and a sustainable future for tomorrow—and these same values still hold true today.

“We are pleased to have successfully come through this year and to have also continued to grow our shareholder base. There is a level of pride and accomplishment that we have been able to do this in some difficult times,” said Ruralco Chair, Jessie Chan.

Group CEO, Rob Sharkie agreed and said the co-operative’s differentiation is always its people—its staff, members, suppliers, their

families and the farming community. “We recognise we are all in this together and we are one team. We are bold and dare to always do better, we are honest and accountable, and we always go the extra mile. We have worked hard to put measures and plans in place for our members in these difficult times. This is who we are and links back to our values of being progressive, transparent, and driven by integrity.”

ABOVE: Group CEO Robert Sharkie with Jessie Chan,

Ruralco Chair

The 2021 financial year was one of disruption, but Jessie said Ruralco is more resilient than ever thanks to strong relationships between its businesses, suppliers (both card and retail), its members, staff and board. “It is a resilient eco-system of businesses which has served the company well this year and it relies on all contributors respecting and connecting strongly with each other. We all belong to this eco-system, and the key to its success is that we can all speak directly to those that we are doing business with. There are not too many layers to the business which allow us to achieve our goals and objectives effectively and efficiently—we all roll our sleeves up and there are no passengers.”

“We are pleased to have successfully come through this year and to have also continued to grow our shareholder base."

“Covid and regulatory compliance issues have continued to create challenges for Ruralco and our wider farming community, but 2021 has also been one of the best years for commodity prices for arable and dairy, with market prices also strong for lamb and beef.” said Jessie.

“These issues may still be with us, but they are not holding us back—we have a proven track record of agility and knowledge to keep us moving forward. Adversity does not constrain us in doing business and these challenges have not deterred Ruralco from forging ahead with its planned direction and alignment of its business.”

Ruralco continued to grow its Group Turnover, recording $245.3 million compared to $241.3 million last year. Gross Profit slightly increased to $10.6 million compared to $10.3 million in the previous year, and EBITDA remained constant at $1.2 million. Group Equity at the end of the 2021 financial year was $16.9 million, up from last year’s $16.7 million.

For the fourth time in a row Ruralco will pay its shareholders a bonus rebate thanks to revenue growth and careful management of expenses.

During the last financial year Ruralco increased its shareholders by 2.4%, with account numbers growing by 6% and card suppliers growing by 7.8%. It has stayed true to its course of increasing market share while also focusing on efficiencies within the business Board Director, Gabrielle Thompson, retired after nine years of service. While she will no longer be actively involved on the Ruralco Board, Gabrielle will continue with her roles on the Boards of Silver Fern Farms and Lincoln University. She was farewelled at the recent AGM and thanked for her dedicated contribution to the Board and her eagerness to constantly look for new and innovative

ways to influence direction and success for the co-op. Gabrielle was the first woman elected to the co-op board, which proved to be a milestone for Ruralco and paved the way for greater diversity over recent years.

All Directors are on a three year rotation, and this year Kate Acland indicated she would seek re-election. It is an exciting time to join Ruralco’s highly professional and experienced Board of Directors. The calibre and capabilities of the Board is extremely high, with much work done in recent years to grow skills and competencies of those around the Board table. As a result, two very strong nominations were received—Rhea Booker, a Mid Canterbury based chartered accountant who farms as an equity partner in a small dry stock farm and calf rearing operation, and Andrew Barlass, a Mid Canterbury farmer and independent director.

"For the fourth time in a row Ruralco will pay its shareholders a bonus rebate thanks to revenue growth and careful management of expenses."

Kate Acland and Andrew Barlass were successfully elected to the Board. Both were delighted with the result, saying shareholders had great candidates to choose from and they were both honoured to have been voted in.

Kate, who owns and operates Mt Somers Station with her husband David, and currently sits on the Board of WRONZ and Beef + Lamb NZ, is looking forward to continuing the journey on the Board and seeing projects through to fruition.

ABOVE: Kate Acland, who was re-elected to the

Ruralco Board this year ABOVE LEFT: Andrew Barlass who has joined the Ruralco Board this year

New Director, Andrew Barlass will bring with him a passion for co-operatives and his extensive governance experience, which includes current director roles with Electricity Ashburton Limited, Ashburton Contracting Limited, Christchurch International Airport Limited and Kowhai Farmlands Limited. He also currently oversees management of two family-owned dairy farms each milking 700 cows, raising all young stock and providing on farm wintering. They also finish approximately 170 dairy beef cross heifers.

Andrew said he and his family have a long association with Ruralco and he is a strong believer in the co-operative model. He is keen to bring his skills and knowledge to the table to add to the discussion and future of Ruralco.

Looking ahead, Ruralco will keep working towards its 2035 Vision. “This long-term strategy is a guiding beacon for the cooperative and is providing us with a road map to get there. It will be dependent on Ruralco continuing on its course of achieving a sustainable profit level which allows it to both sustain and grow the business, while continuing to deliver value to its shareholders,” said Jessie.

The strategy has been designed to ensure the business is mentally prepared to achieve the capital requirement to reinvest for the future of Ruralco and its future shareholders, and remains an ongoing focus for the Board of Directors.

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CARD

Not just Ashburton Glass Glass is one of those things you take for granted. Probably because you look through it, rather than at it, distracted by what’s on the other side. However, when glass breaks, our mind is suddenly very focused on it, how to replace it, and who to call.

LEFT: The Ashburton Glass team: Adam, Peter, Mandy,

Heather & Shane

BELOW: The team are the very definition of a family

business and go above and beyond for their customers

positions Ashburton Glass to respond without delay to the unforeseen.

So, what else can cardholders expect from this glazing specialist?

The answer is really anything involving glass around your home. Warm homes are important, and retrofitting double glazing is an Ashburton Glass specialty. They can handle aluminium surrounds and offer a full paint service for wooden joinery. However, services extend well into the house, with solutions for shower glass, splashbacks, mirrors, picture frame glass and fire doors. And let’s not forget the smallest members of the family; they can assist with pet door supply and installation.

Finally, Ashburton Glass deals in automotive flat glass for a wide variety of vehicles and mirror glass for your vehicle side mirrors.

Fortunately, for local Ruralco members, there’s an easy solution for glass repair; Ashburton Glass Ltd. In fact, that name’s misleading, as this business regularly responds to jobs all over Mid Canterbury.

When you talk to the team at Ashburton Glass, a few things become very clear. Firstly, they’re the very definition of a family business, and secondly, they really go above and beyond for their customers.

you’d expect this sort of responsiveness for local homes, their commitment to call outs extends to the farm, its house, shearer’s quarters, or dairy shed.

To safeguard their quality and inventory, the business deals exclusively with leading and nearby glass manufacturers - as a result, product is delivered on a daily basis from Christchurch. Importantly, this arrangement

Of course, you can also expect a great deal.

With already competitive prices, Ruralco Cardholders receive an additional 10% discount on all purchases. So, the next time you find yourself enjoying the view from your lounge (or John Deere), just think about that wonderful transparent material in front of you—and who can help you fix it, should you need to.

THIS PROMOTIONAL FEATURE WAS SUPPLIED BY ASHBURTON GLASS. WORDS BY BRETT HALDANE.

Husband and wife, Shane and Mandy Woods, bought the company in 2020. Born and bred in the province, they’re passionate about their community and their local businesses (also owning Inside Out Property Services).

Wisely, they’ve surrounded themselves with a fantastic team—one that mixes experience with enthusiasm. Peter Broome is their Glazier, armed with over 40 years of industry knowledge, there’s nothing he hasn’t tackled before. Peter is assisted by an Apprentice Glazier he knows all too well—his son Adam. However, the family connections don’t stop there. When calling the business, you’ll be greeted by a very engaging Heather Mackenzie, the Office Manager, and if you happen to spot a glazing assistant on occasion, that’s her daughter Brooke.

Ashburton Glass offers 24/7 emergency care, answering the phone at all hours, responding when a ‘make safe’ is needed to secure a property— then returning soon after to replace the broken window. While

Ashburton Glass 214 Will St, Ashburton Tel 03 308 3918

office@ashburtonglass.co.nz www.ashburtonglass.co.nz

10% DISCOUNT with your Ruralco Card

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Never one to stand still 16

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There’s a saying, that if you are standing still, you’re in fact going backwards. It’s clear when talking to Gabrielle Thompson, about all aspects of her life, that she’s certainly not content with ‘status quo’.

WORDS BY BRETT HALDANE, IMAGES BY LANEY MAHUIKA-WILLIS

This November, after nine years of excellent service, she will attend her last AGM as a Director of Ruralco. “I’ve given what I have to give, so it’s time for someone else, with different experiences, to have the opportunity to share,” says Gabrielle.

Elected as the first ever female Director, and certainly as a younger voice, Gabrielle has witnessed much change within the Board. However, change she talks about isn’t gender or age, it’s about knowledge and perspective. “The Board has rotated nicely to achieve great diversity, attracting people with different farming backgrounds.”

Gabrielle Thompson has had an interesting career to date, and she’d probably be the first person to say, a somewhat unexpected one.

Originally from the North Island, she didn’t grow up on a farm. However, an interest in animals, and an openness to opportunity, has led to a life firmly in agriculture.

Gabrielle knew as a young student she needed to have a job that allowed her to be outdoors and active. So, while interested in biology, she pursued veterinary studies over medicine. Ironically, as a small animal vet, and then practice owner, she found herself mostly indoors. Despite that she enjoyed significant success as a vet. Admittedly feeling unprepared, she took the opportunity to become the owner of a small practice just four years after graduating from Massey University. “I wanted the place to run differently, but to make the changes needed, I realised I had to own the business.” She learnt as the business grew, and the establishment of a partnership, saw the practice expand to five clinics. Eventually, in 2015, the decision was made to sell the business to VetEnt, with Gabrielle staying on for 18 months, running 20 companion animal clinics.

Selling the clinics meant that she and her husband could pursue their dream to expand their farming venture, and to concentrate on family. Together they own and operate farming properties in Dorie, and nearby Chertsey. They’re surrounded by ever changing crops (with rotations including wheat, kale, peas, potatoes, and clover) and thousands of store lambs.

The local community is clearly very important to her, with Gabrielle talking fondly about her neighbours, and their generosity. From regular meetings in the local hall, to mobilising with a minivan, she’s proud of their efforts; from planting natives and to helping families in need.

She’s also a fierce advocate for the industry.

“New Zealand has a great story to tell. Our farmers understand sustainability better than anyone because their livelihood, and their intergenerational land, depends on it.”

It’s clearly rewarding for Gabrielle to step down whilst feeling a great sense of confidence in the Board, and Management Team, as they navigate the next stage of Ruralco’s journey.

Recently, the Government announced a free trade deal giving our country an important head-start in the post-Brexit British market.

This agreement will facilitate significant growth opportunity for the export of farm produce, so Gabrielle hopes that a marketing effort focuses strongly on the quality of our farming practices, not just the quality of our products. “We’re leading the way in rotational grazing and water conservation—through variable irrigation and routine use of tools like moisture probes,” she says. Gabrielle also acknowledges the role legislation has played, feeling that, water schemes have encouraged more progressive farming practices in Canterbury. “We’re probably a long way ahead with our environmental planning, benefiting from ten years of learning as a region.”

However, an obvious question remains: what’s next for her?

She also has plenty of advice for those thinking about a life in agriculture; you need to be on your game! “I know people thought that the sale of my veterinary business to pursue farming was a step down—it wasn’t. They don’t understand that farming takes intellect, talent, and experience. Our mortgages can be huge, by comparison, so we manage exposure to real risk— with little room for error.” Warning aside, Gabrielle brings plenty of encouragement too. “Agriculture is a great career, if you’re young and seeking employment, look out for an employer who is adaptable. Someone embracing technology and striving for improvement every day. That way you’ll learn a lot!” She herself confesses to being a knowledge junkie, attending webinars, reading a lot, and plugging in to podcasts.

Drones and palletisers are of real interest.

“We’ve always believed that the practice of organic farming would be short lived, as technology would find a way to keep your crop looking as it should be—free of weeds and pests”. Gabrielle talks about progress in Australia, with self-driving tractor drones.

“We talk about the internet of things, but it does seem a slow journey.” Similarly, she’d be keen to put the right palletiser to work tomorrow (if it was available). As a wheat grower, Gabrielle is highly conscious of fully using the resulting wheat straw following harvest. “It’s used for growing mushrooms and as pig bedding, but we could do better—if palletised it could be burned (alongside wood chips) replacing coal as a fuel.”

As any chapter comes to an end, it’s natural to reflect. When asked about her time with our co-operative, Gabrielle readily talks about important milestones.

She remembers her first Board meeting very well, and she’s pleased to say that the organisation has continued to mature, with the Board now exploring a wide variety of opportunities together with the Executive team.

Arriving just as the Ruralco Card was launching, Gabrielle saw the brand change to Ruralco as a game changer - enabling the Ashburton Trading Society to expand beyond market perceptions and cross geographic boundaries.

She acknowledges the Board’s appoint of Rob Sharkie, as Group CEO, and his success in the role. “Rob has an excellent manner, and he’s built a culture of inclusion rather than centred on hierarchy. I’ve been pleased to see this work reflected in surveys completed by happy staff.”

Firstly, she remains a Director with Silver Fern Farms and Lincoln University, both reasonably newly appointed positions in comparison. For Gabrielle each governance role offers unique responsibilities, challenges and learning opportunities.

Beyond those Directorships, life is all about family, friends, and farming.

In terms of their farm, there’s interest in expanding for greater diversity. And, like many farmers, Gabrielle and Peter see technology playing a big role in their day-to-day work.

Although, they feel technology is just not advancing fast enough for their innovation appetite.

Family includes daughter Francis, raised on the tractor, and downtime means outdoor pursuits like fishing and skiing. Gabrielle doesn’t like cooking, but she enjoys the preparation. “Pete’s a great cook, so when I’m finished chopping things up, I just turn to him and say 'make that tasty'.”

Her charity ‘Pretty in Pink’ will also continue to be a focus. Along with three friends, Gabrielle organises fundraisers (such as an annual ball, auctions, and high teas), for the Mid Canterbury Cancer Society. Successfully raising around $25,000 each year, the proceeds help families dealing with the impact of cancer. Taking the form of petrol vouchers, wood deliveries, meals and other help, these funds ease the load for those caring for a loved one.

Regardless of what the future holds it’s very clear that Gabrielle Thompson won’t be standing still, you’ll likely find her in the field, or at the board table.

On behalf of the Directors, the members, and all employees, Ruralco acknowledges a significant contribution. Thank you and good luck, Gabrielle!

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Keeping up with the Jones’

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Born out of a need to find a solution to their daughter’s dairy intolerance, Kirwee farmers Matt and Tracey Jones have embarked on a new venture milking sheep, producing skincare products, farm-made cheeses, yoghurt and bottled milk. They’re also behind a push to prove sheep milking is a profitable and environmentally friendly alternative to traditional dairying.

WORDS AND IMAGES BY ANNIE STUDHOLME

At a time when New Zealand is reevaluating its farming practices due to environmental concerns, sheep dairy owners and entrepreneurs Matt and Tracey Jones believe they have found the answer. They’re convinced sheep milking has the potential to be Canterbury’s next big thing, replacing their bovine counterparts.

Since launching Sheep Milk New Zealand in mid-2019, the couple has developed their own fresh milk product range, Jones Family Farm, and skincare range, Sabelle, as well as selling raw milk to other producers.

Interest in the South Island’s sheep milking industry is on the rise. This season they have five farmer suppliers on board collecting milk from 3000 sheep with more lined up for next season. Plans are also progressing for a milk drier plant in Ashburton, capable of drying half a tonne per hour, with hopes it will be up and running by 2023.

The business has developed into something much bigger than the Jones’ ever anticipated when they first got into milking sheep more than a decade ago. “One idea just grew into another one,” says Matt. “We do enjoy doing business and developing business ideas, and this time it’s in the food sector. We didn’t set out to get this big. It’s just happened. We are only at the start of the journey.”

For the Jones’, it’s just the latest business venture in a long list which includes recruitment and training companies covering agriculture and construction. Their roots are firmly

entrenched in the farming industry though.

Tracey grew up on a sheep and cropping farm at Lauriston, near Methven, while Matt grew up in Ashburton, leaving school as a 16-year-old to work on farms. Later, he did a farm cadet scheme, before setting himself up in south Otago, living in a house bus, with a team of dogs, working as a casual labourer.

Matt returned to Mid Canterbury in the 1990s.

Seeing a need for casual labourers, they started the Mid Canterbury Casual Employment Service. Having first met as teenagers, Matt and Tracey got married 20 years ago. Together they started the agricultural recruitment company, AgStaff, in 2001, which now has offices in Ashburton and Pukekohe. While another company, Canstaff, specialises in construction industry jobs and now has six New Zealand locations – plus Sydney, Manila and London.

They have a City and Guilds-accredited training company in London, teaching construction trades, and are behind the new agricultural training venture Agri-Training Limited, based at the former Winchmore Research Station.

They are also involved in a Wagyu breeding and feeding company.

ABOVE: Matt & Tracey run a hybrid farm system with

sheep free to graze paddocks all-year-round

BELOW: The Jones' are milking 600 ewes, made up of

250 hoggets, 200-second lactation ewes, and mixed aged ewes

Despite their sheep farming background though, the couple did not know the first thing about sheep’s milk when their youngest daughter, Gabrielle (now 15), was diagnosed as gluten and dairy intolerant as an infant.

Determined to find an alternative to cow’s milk that supported gut health and provided muchneeded nutrition without exacerbating her eczema, Tracey started researching plant and other animal products. “I was mixing up the goat milk powder for my daughter when she was only two, which you know can taste and smell a bit like a goat, and I thought to myself ‘there must be something better than this’.”

The deeper Tracey dug, the more they became convinced sheep’s milk was the best option. Although the centuries-old practise never really took off in New Zealand (until now), it’s popular across Europe and the Middle East.

“What sold us on it was just how good the product was when you compare it to other milk and juices (coconut, oat, almond, rice and soy),” says Matt. “It’s not only more gentle on your gut, but it’s also more gentle on the environment. Cow’s milk is absorbed in four hours, whereas sheep milk is absorbed in just 20 minutes.”

The nutritional value is quite different to cow’s milk. Sheep milk contains 68 per cent more protein and twice as much calcium, zinc and leucine. It contains B vitamins, vitamin C and is naturally low in sodium. Sheep milk infant formula is easier for babies to digest due to the fat and protein components. It contains only A2 beta-casein, which is suitable for those who react to the A1 beta-casein in cow's milk. Its fat is also naturally homogenised and has smaller

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INTEREST

fat globules that make for creamier milk that's easier to digest.

When they moved to Kirwee in 2011, Tracey and Matt purchased part of an East Friesian stud from Central Otago. “They certainly weren’t the best ones, but at the time it was all that was available. We were just breeding a few rams at the start.”

In 2015, Matt and Tracey started visiting farmers and processing companies around the world, including in the UK, Ireland, Canada, Switzerland and the Netherlands. “It not only gave us a good understanding of what the industry was like overseas but what it could be here [in New Zealand]. We could see huge potential.”

“There was hours of research and hours of work before we could even start. When you’re starting from zero, there is an element of: ‘How are we going to do this?’ There was a lot that had to happen first,” adds Tracey.

From the outset, they knew success hinged on securing the right genetics to breed a sheep suited to milking in Canterbury’s extreme conditions. Before 2017, virtually every sheep milking operation in New Zealand was dependent on a tiny shipment of old East Friesian genetics that had arrived in 1992.

Originally brought in to lift fecundity and put more milk into meat and wool breeds, they were never intended to create a sheep dairy industry. That all changed when Maui Milk got approval from MPI to import genetics from France, opening the door on the importation of semen and embryos, explains Matt.

“The East Friesians have terrible feet, horrible udders, have no vigour and tend to die on a whim, but they are very fertile and produce a huge amount of milk. The lamb rearers wouldn’t touch them.”

While they had been working away, slowly improving their flock year-on-year, the advent of bringing semen and embryos from the UK and Europe allowed for massive genetic gains to be achieved in a short time frame.

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Through Maui Milk, the Jones’ brought in frozen semen from progeny tested Lacaune sires. Developed to support the extensive and popular sheep dairy industry in France, the Lacaune offered good yield, components, milk quality and good functional udders.

Predominantly an inside animal in France though, they are born with little to no wool, don’t have great vigour and have feet problems.

“It gave us a good starting point though,” he says.

In recent years, the Jones’ have brought in new bloodlines of pure East Friesian and Lacaune through embryos and semen. Rather than going down the Awassi route, a milking sheep breed popular in the Middle East, they have also introduced Manech tete Rousse bloodlines from the western Pyrenees.

“They are milking them a couple of hundred metres above sea level. They are very hardy, have smaller ears with some pigmentation and black feet. They’re well adapted to long treks along the steep slopes of the Pyrenees,” says Matt. “Ultimately, what we are trying to produce here is an animal that can live outside all year round, have the feet and the ability to walk and milk for 280-300 days of lactation, producing 80-plus milk solids in a season.”

While the bulk of the milk production comes from the East Friesian, the Jones’ have teamed it up with the Lacaune and Manech to produce a strong, hardy flock suited to their environment, delivering nutrient-rich, high protein milk, but they don’t think they’ve nailed it for South Island conditions quite yet.

“We are still playing around with it, but we’re getting close,” says Matt. “Everyone wants production, but in the North Island, the focus is on facial eczema, whereas we need to focus on breeding for extremes. Down here we can go from -10 degrees in the winter to 40 degrees in the summer.”

After years in the pipeline, the Jones’ finally took the plunge and began milking in 2019.

ABOVE: Matt and Tracey are supported by farm

manager and head cheesemaker, Juan Cavallott ABOVE LEFT: All Matt & Tracey's sheep are EID tagged, recording every drop of milk from every animal

They converted an old deer shed on the property into a barn and installed a 12-bay herringbone milking plant from Nelson. And they haven’t stopped milking since.

Matt says producing milk was the easy part, they still had to find a market for it. “We had a cheesemaker that wanted the milk, but when he took a holiday, we didn’t have anywhere to send the milk.” It wasn’t long before they realised they needed their own on-site processing and cheese-making plant.

Having suffered for many years with her own allergy problems, Tracey had a gut feeling that people with skin problems could benefit from skincare made from sheep milk, blended with the natural healing properties of Manuka honey.

That led to the production of Sabelle, a skin and body care range, made in Nelson. Sabelle is a combination of their three daughters’ names— Annabelle, Samantha and Gabrielle.

Under the Jones Family Farm brand, they have also started selling sheep milk Gouda and Havarti, with plans to launch an aged cheddar and creamy blue cheese. “We wanted it to be an everyday cheese that anyone can eat. We want people to eat it because they want to, not because they have to,” says Tracey. They have also just started selling fresh, pasteurised sheep milk in supermarkets, and have plans to move into yoghurt next year.

Today, on their 48-hectare milking platform they are milking 600 ewes, made up of 250 hoggets, 200-second lactation ewes, and mixed aged ewes. They run a hybrid farm system with sheep free to graze paddocks all-year-round. Sheep are fed indoors using a conveyor belt on a daily ration of lucerne silage, grains and minerals. Outside, pastures are predominantly herb-based with a mixture of

plantain, chicory, and red and white clover, along with straight stands of red clover and lucerne.

They also bring in feed grown off-farm. It is irrigated with water from CPW. On average, the ewes lamb at 180 to 200 per cent, with lambing starting in July. Lambs remain on their mothers until four days old, after getting essential colostrum. They’re then removed and put in a shed and transitioned onto automatic feeders. They receive ad-lib milk for the next 20–25 days, along with silage and muesli. They’re weaned off milk at around 25 days.

All lambs are weighed and tagged at four days old, and again at weaning. Their goal is to get the lambs to 5.5kg at four days old, and over 15kg at weaning, but they’re not quite there yet, says Matt.

Though Matt believes they still have a lot to learn, he’s confident they’re on the right track.

“Last season, 330 hoggets went to the ram and we only got 26 empties. Even though they are artificially reared, we must be doing something right if we are getting those kinds of conception rates.”

He attributes much of their success down to the constant recording of data. All their sheep are EID tagged, recording every drop of milk from every animal. The best ewes are transferred to the milking herd, with the culls going into the breeding flock, while the best rams are retained for the stud. “We work on the philosophy that if we don’t measure, we can’t improve it.”

Matt and Tracey are supported by farm manager and head cheesemaker, Juan Cavallotti. Originally from Uruguay, his heritage is Italian, from a family who has milked sheep for generations.

Early in the piece, Matt and Tracey realised sheep milking had huge potential in Canterbury and were determined to bring others along for the ride. They established Sheep Milk New Zealand to build a thriving South Island sheep dairy industry, providing ready-made markets and investing in infrastructure. They are also setting

up a farmer-owned co-op which will give farmers access to high-value genetics.

“We are running this farm as a bit of a pilot farm to help other people so that they have access to the genetics and information to be successful. You can’t just go and buy a milking flock like you can a dairy herd.”

After 10 years of staying under the radar, in February, the Jones’ welcomed more than 300 people onto their home farm for a Sheep Milk New Zealand open day. It was the first time they had opened the lid on what they had been doing. It was attended by industry people, dairy farmers, and sheep and crop farmers looking for alternative income streams from throughout the South Island.

“The level of interest completely blew us away.

Of the 300 people who attended, 45 were keen to do something within the next two years. We are still working with that group.”

Matt says it’s no secret that traditional dairying in Canterbury cannot keep farming with the

IMAGE: Farm Manager and Head Cheesemaker,

Juan Cavallotti is originally from Uruguay—his heritage is Italian, from a family who has milked sheep for generations IMAGE: From the outset, the Jones' knew success hinged on securing the right genetics to breed a sheep suited to milking in Canterbury’s extreme conditions

same intensity that it has been. He genuinely believes there will be fewer cows in the South Island in the future.

“Sheep milking’s environmental footprint is 50 to 70 per cent less than our bovine friends. The economics also stack up. We’ve got lambs on the ground from second lactation dams that have done 180 milk solids in a season, that’s 1000 litres in a lactation. That’s the potential you can get to. Last season the price for milk solids for sheep milk was $14.20. At that rate that would blow bovine away when you consider you can run about 14 sheep per hectare.

The potential is huge, we just have to get the animals to produce it.”

Sheep Milk New Zealand was limited not only by milk supply to grow production but also by processing capacity. As more suppliers come on board, a bigger facility will be needed. Despite the uncertainties caused by COVID-19, the Jones’ are pressing forward with a multimillion-dollar processing and drying plant in Ashburton. They had originally hoped to have it open in 2022, but it has been delayed 12 months. They have fielded calls from plantbased industries, as well as goats and bovine to use it as well.

“That’s when things get really serious. We are talking about a huge investment. It’s already started with all the money being spent on consultants,” says Matt. “It is really exciting.

We’re only just getting started. The job is not even half done.”

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USE YOUR RURALCO CARD HERE Cardholders

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ANIMAL HEALTH

Optimising summer productivity for Hinds and Fawns

Over summer balancing the need to grow out fawns, while maintaining hind condition, to ensure a successful mating and early conception in the autumn is crucial for the deer industry.

Key to these often-competing ambitions is the quality and quantity of pasture on-offer through the summer months.

Paul Sharp, SealesWinslow Consultant Nutritionist, is familiar with this scenario and well placed to offer advice. First of all, he suggests being prepared. “Planning ahead using a feed budget is the simplest way to gauge the quantity of pasture, crops, and supplements available and identify any summer shortfalls early,” explains Paul.

The fundamentals Getting the basics right sets you up for success.

To achieve calf growth rates of 400g/day+ both the hinds and calves need: • 4–5 kg DM/day/hind of high-quality feed for hinds with red calves at foot. Hinds with Wapiti calves should be allowed an additional 1–1.5 kg DM; • High quality feed > 10.5 MJ ME/kg; • Pasture offered > 2500 kg DM/ha, to ensure high intakes.

Young calf growth rates are most influenced by the hind lactation and therefore how well hinds are fed.

Live weight gain in un-weaned calves ranges from 220 to 700 g/day over January and February1.

What about poor-quality pasture?

Where pasture quality is poor, a summer feed deficit can be compounded. Firstly, the pasture delivers reduced energy (MJME/kgDM) and other nutrients, while secondly the hind and calf will in fact choose to eat less, thus further reducing vital intakes.

“The culprit is the high fibre content of poor pasture,” says Paul “High fibre requires more chewing before the pasture can pass through the rumen. This all takes time, therefore reducing pasture intakes.”

As fibre increases within pasture, the MJME and protein naturally decrease. Low protein can restrict milk production and by default reduce the nutrient supply for the calf, compromising growth rates.

“When faced with low quality pasture, the recommendation is to target the specific nutrients to balance the diet.” When considering supplement types, factor in the energy (MJME), protein, and the minerals.

Bringing it all together When pasture or crop quantity is limited through summer, supplementary feed is a valuable tool to fill the dry matter gap and supply the essential nutrients needed to improve calf growth rates and hind condition.

When determining the type of bulk supplement to incorporate, “It pays to calculate the cost of supplementary feed based on MJME and protein,” Paul suggests.

“There’s more to it than the cost on weight alone.” It’s an important distinction as not all supplements are created equal interms of animal performance. High protein supplements can make all the difference when pasture protein is down.

For low quality summer pasture one simple method to improve digestibility, is utilising SealesWinslow Forage Max blocks. The dehydrated molasses supplement, aids in helping rumen microbes extract the maximum nutrients from the grass. As well as providing a range of key nutrients and trace elements essential for optimum performance. “Forage Max can also boost microbe population, increasing the rate of digestion of high fibre feeds.” Subsequentially increasing the amount of pasture that can be consumed.

Finally, any supplementary feed or crops being considered for the summer to help balance the diet or feed budget should be offered early. This enables the hinds and calves to become familiar with them and adapt to the change in diet.

For more information talk to your local SealesWinslow Sales Representative or Ruralco Representative today.

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DeerNZ www.deernz.org.nz

THIS PROMOTIONAL FEATURE WAS PROVIDED BY SEALESWINSLOW.

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USE YOUR RURALCO CARD HERE

R E AL FARM E R

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FERTILISER

Fertigation’s pastoral potential Could applying fertiliser together with irrigation water help farmers meet the nitrogen cap rule?

With new limits on nitrogen (N) fertiliser coming into play, pastoral farmers are looking for ways to reduce N fertiliser use, while making the most of every kilogram of N applied.

It has been thought that fertigation—applying fertiliser with irrigation water—could be part of the answer.

In New Zealand, fertigation has mainly been used in horticulture, viticulture and a few largescale arable operations, and overseas in arable and horticultural cropping systems.

It is known to distribute N more uniformly than granular fertiliser application, especially at low application rates, but beyond that, its potential to help New Zealand pastoral farmers reduce their environmental footprint has remained largely unknown.

A Sustainable Farming Fund (SFF) project has been investigating fertigation’s potential in Canterbury. Can applying urea by fertigation increase N use efficiency, clover content, and pasture production and quality compared to solid urea?

What difference can fertigation and frequency make?

The first year of the project, in the 2019/20 season, focused on fertigation’s potential to increase pasture production and pasture

quality. Also, as fertigation enables smaller amounts of N to be applied more often, frequency of application was investigated.

To look at the effect of fertigation compared to the standard method of application, solid urea fertiliser was applied and irrigated either immediately or two days later, or was fertigated (dissolved in water and applied with irrigation) onto mixed perennial ryegrass and white clover pastures. Over a period of eight months, seven harvests were taken, with each of the three application treatments producing similar amounts of dry matter (DM).

A second trial compared pasture production across different fertigation application frequencies. Nitrogen was either fertigated once a month or weekly onto mixed perennial ryegrass and white clover pastures. An identical total amount of N was applied in both cases—25 kg N/ha once a month or 6.25 kg N/ ha per week. Both approaches again produced similar amounts of DM. Overall, fertigation did not result in increased pasture production or quality across different N treatments. All treatments produced similar pasture quality measurements, including crude protein, neutral detergent fibre content and metabolisable energy.

What about timing and application rate?

The second year of the project, during the 2020/21 season, looked at the effect of fertigation only in shoulder months, and of varying application rates.

One trial tested whether applying fertiliser only in shoulder months (as opposed to throughout the season) would produce similar pasture production and quality, due to increased clover content boosting production throughout the summer season.

A second trial, looking at fertigation application rates, compared the pasture production, pasture quality and clover content produced by fertigation at 16 kg N/ha, 20 kg N/ha and 24 kg N/ha.

The SFF project began with small plot trials at Lincoln University as well as on-farm monitoring at Pāmu’s Waimakariri Dairy Unit. Ballance AgriNutrients is collaborating with IrrigationNZ, the Ministry for Primary Industries, Pāmu Farms of New Zealand and others on the project.

The project’s year one summary results report is available at bit.ly/3zeEuwj, while the year two results were released by IrrigationNZ in spring 2021.

THIS PROMOTIONAL FEATURE WAS PROVIDED

BY BALLANCE AGRI-NUTRIENTS.

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ummer S LIFESTYLE

living

THINGS WE LOVE

WE LOVE TEMPA AURORA COCKTAIL SHAKER $45.30 Impress your Christmas guests with this modern cocktail shaker. Featuring 8 classic cocktail recipes, wow your friends and family with your bartending skills.

AVAILABLE AT RURALCO

Check out this delicious recipe from Instant Pot, perfect for BBQs or your kiwi Christmas: 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa rinsed 1 cup water 1/2 cup fresh or frozen corn 1/2 cup shelled edamame 1/4 cup drained and rinsed canned black beans 1 tbsp lemon juice 1 tbsp lime juice

2 tbsp olive oil 1/2 tbsp rice wine vinegar 1 tbsp chopped coriander 1/4 tsp salt 1/16 tsp ground black pepper 1/4 cup cherry tomatoes 3 tbsp crumbled feta cheese

1. Add quinoa and water to the Instant Pot. 2. Close the lid, turn the knob to sealing mode.

3. Press Manual or Pressure Cook button and adjust time to two minutes.

4. When the timer beeps, allow 10 minutes to naturally release the pressure, then remove the lid.

5. Stir in corn, edamame, and beans. Take the Instant Pot liner out of the base and let stand eight minutes to cool quinoa and warm the corn, edamame, and beans.

6. In a small bowl, whisk together lemon juice, lime juice, oil, vinegar, coriander, salt, and pepper.

7. Add tomatoes and feta to quinoa mixture, then toss with the dressing. Transfer to a bowl and serve immediately or refrigerate and served chilled.

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INSTANT POT $234.00 This 7 in 1 pressure cooker is a sauté pan, slow cooker, rice cooker, food warmer and yoghurt maker all in one. With 13 preset programs, you can access the Instant Pot app for thousands of recipes, tips and more.

PYROLUX ROAST & GRILL SET $269.30 This roasting dish is the perfect staple for your kitchen. Suitable for all cooktops including induction it has excellent heat conductivity and even heat distribution. A great quality edition to your home or the gift for those who love cooking.

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SWANNDRI TEES From $44.40 Stay cool this summer with our range of Swanndri T-Shirts. The perfect addition to your summer wardrobe for beaches and barbeques.

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YOUR TRAVEL GUIDE

MOVIES

Summer escapes With Maxine Whiting, Ashburton House of Travel

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

Rakiura Track, Stewart Island Stewart Island is a true nature’s paradise and offers a special experience—a glimpse into a simpler, slower lifestyle, in rhythm with the sea and the tides. Eightyfive percent of the island’s 1570 square kilometres is a National Park—Rakiura National Park. Stewart Island also has a Dark Sky Sanctuary accreditation by the International Dark Sky Association. Whether you want to enjoy the land, sea and night-scapes, view the wildlife, walk, boat, fish, dive, kayak, hunt or just relax—a Stewart Island holiday is an experience that you will treasure for ever and a must-do experience.

Three nights & activities from $1,095 per person, twin share

Encanto

OPENS 2ND DECEMBER

Walt Disney Animation Studios' upcoming feature film “Encanto” tells the tale of the Madrigals, an extraordinary family who live in a wondrous, charmed place called an Encanto. Each child has been blessed with a magic gift unique to them—each child except Mirabel. But when the family’s home is threatened, Mirabel may be their only hope.

Fiordland Cruise Explore Doubtful, Breaksea and Dusky Sounds, including Preservation and Chalky Inlets, aboard the Fiordland Jewel Soak in the atmosphere and pristine wilderness of New Zealand’s largest National Park on this six-night expedition. Part of the Te Wahipounamu World Heritage site, Fiordland’s Doubtful, Breaksea and Dusky Sounds are rich in history and spectacular scenery. Experience the area’s native birds and sea life up close and personal, with opportunities for kayaking, short walks and fishing to catch a feed, if you so wish, from our purpose-built catamaran, the Fiordland Jewel.

With a maximum of just 18 passengers on board, there will be many opportunities to soak up stories of the area from our knowledgeable crew, and to take in breathtaking vistas from the deck or from any of our nine climate-controlled cabins, all of which have sea views and private ensuites. Relax in the hot tub on the top deck and enjoy all your meals prepared by our talented on board chef, with seafood/kaimoana pulled fresh from the surrounding waters.

Dune

OPENS 2ND DECEMBER

A mythic and emotionally charged hero’s journey, “Dune” tells the story of Paul Atreides, a brilliant and gifted young man born into a great destiny beyond his understanding, who must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe to ensure the future of his family and his people. As malevolent forces explode into conflict over the planet’s exclusive supply of the most precious resource in existence—a commodity capable of unlocking humanity’s greatest potential—only those who can conquer their fear will survive.

Spider-Man No Way Home

Individual cabins can be booked for yourself, your small group of family and friends, or as a couple, for an experience you’ll be talking about for years to come.

Six nights / seven days from $5,500 per person, twin share

OPENS 16TH DECEMBER

Hawke's Bay Family Break Take the family to Hawke's Bay. Enjoy fabulous cycle trails your way with a full day bike hire, ride as long as you want, wherever you want, with support from the rental company so you can ride without a worry. Treat yourself to a Triple Chocolate Dipper experience at Silky Oaks including museum entry, chocolate tastings and a chocolatey treat from their café.

Three nights & activities from $279 per person, family share, based on two adults & two children (aged 1–12 years)

With Spider-Man's identity now revealed, our friendly neighbourhood web-slinger is unmasked and no longer able to separate his normal life as Peter Parker from the high stakes of being a superhero. When Peter asks for help from Doctor Strange, the stakes become even more dangerous, forcing him to discover what it truly means to be Spider-Man.

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IN THE KITCHEN

CHRISTMAS INSPIRATION

Christmas Table Style This summer, focus on bright colours and modern accents to achieve a less traditional look for your 2021 Christmas table setting.

AVAILABLE AT RURALCO

Roast Carrots and Parsnips Tossed in Onion Balsamic Marmalata

Transform your home this Christmas with top tips from Tiff, Ruralco's Gift & Homeware stylist.

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Start with basics

2

Block colour brilliance

3

Blooming beautiful

4

Light it up

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Say Cheers!

White brings light and brightness to your table and is a great simple base to add colour. For your tablecloth use soft white linen fabrics or dig out a classic lace tablecloth you might have hidden away.

INGREDIENTS:

4 medium sized carrots, peeled and cut in half 4 medium sized parsnips, peeled and cut in half Olive Oil Wild Country Onion Balsamic Marmalata In a large roasting dish, place the carrot and parsnip pieces. Toss the vegetables in a little of the olive oil so they have a light sheen.

Roast in the oven at 180ºC for 30 minutes or until just softened. Test with a fork. Before serving, toss a tablespoon or two of the Onion Balsamic Marmalata through the vegetables.

SKELLERUP RED BAND JANDALS Adults $19.50 Junior $11.70 Take to the beach in style with the Skellerup Red Band Jandals. Red Bands are a kiwi icon so what better way to spend summer in these stylish jandals.

The perfect Christmas gift for both farming and city folk.

Available in both adult and children sizes.

AVAILABLE AT RURALCO

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The Casa Domani Corallo Coupe Dining Set (pictured) will add some colour to your dinner party or Christmas get together. Layer your plates to create a formal atmosphere and you can even mix and match your stack with our pastel or white set to create a different look.

Bring a pop of colour with some flowers and vases. The Harmie Vases from the Ned are a great addition for a modern look. Peonies are great at this time of year, layer up some gorgeous blooms that add some height and elegance to your setting.

Candles and tealights add ambience to any table setting. We’ve used our white tealight houses (pictured) that add a subtle, yet traditional Christmas feel. Add a tealight and you’ve got an instant warm feel to your table.

Pop the bubbles, it’s time to sit down with friends and family and enjoy your Christmas brunch, lunch or dinner. The Luigi Bormioli Champagne Flutes are the perfect addition for your celebrations.

NED COLLECTIONS HARMIE VASES MAXWELL & WILLIAMS FOOTED CAKE TEALIGHT HOUSE MAXWELL & WILLIAMS RAMEKINS 6 PIECE CASA DOMANI CARRALO COUPE 16 PIECE DINNER SET KROSNO 6 PIECE PROSECCO GLASS AVAILABLE AT RURALCO

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LIBRARY CORNER

GETTING CREATIVE THIS CHRISTMAS

Spring reads With o N rma Geddes, Ashburton Paper Plus

Windswept & Interesting

BY BILLY CONNOLLY

This is an unforgettable, lifeaffirming story of a true comedy legend.

Wrapped in something special Add an extra personal touch to your Christmas wrapping this season with your own hand painted Christmas paper. A really fun activity to do with the little people in your family too.

You Can’t Stop The Sun From Shining

BY SONNY BILL WILLIAMS

One of the world’s most recognised sportsmen. This is an open and honest memoir of his amazing sporting life and his love for his family and beliefs.

A Funny Life

All you need is some brown paper and acrylic paint—then let your creativity shine!

Twiggy Christmas Trees The Christmas decoration that starts in the garden, then moves to the kitchen table and ends up on the tree. And one the little people love.

• Go foraging and find as many different sized twigs as you can.

• Find a good twig for the trunk of your tree, then order your twigs from longest to shortest.

• Starting at the top of your tree, glue on the smallest twig (a hot glue gun works a treat).

• Repeat with the next size and so on until you have filled up your tree trunk twig with all its branches.

• Tie or glue a ribbon onto the top of your twig tree to hang on your Christmas tree.

• If you like, decorate your twig tree with your own mini decorations—beads, glitter, cardboard shapes, ribbons.

BY MICHAEL MCINTYRE

As you’d expect Michael gives an honest (and hilarious) account of his rise to fame.

The New Kingdom

BY WILBUR SMITH

It wouldn’t be Christmas without a new Wilbur Smith book. This is the first book in the new Ancient Egyptian series.

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One for the tree and your tummy A Christmas decoration that looks festive but tastes great too and is sure to keep everyone in the family entertained.

• Choose your favourite shortbread or gingerbread recipe.

• Roll the dough out as the recipe states then use your favourite Christmas cookie cutters to make your decoration shapes.

• Place onto a lined baking tray.

• Using a straw, make an indent in the top of each decoration.

• Cook as the recipe instructs and then transfer to a cooling rack. While the decorations are still warm, press the straw back through the hole indent to make a proper hole.

• Use some Christmas ribbon or string to hang your editable Christmas decoration.

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RURALCO GIFT & HOMEWARE

RURALCO GIFT & HOMEWARE

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Ruralco Kids Christmas Colouring Competition Once completed, get it to Ruralco by 22 December and you’ll be in to win great prizes!

NAME

AGE

MEMBER NO.

TERMS & CONDITIONS: • There are two age groups and prize packs allocated per age group: age 4–7 and age 8–11.

• Please ensure the family Ruralco account number, age and name of the entrant is submitted with the entry.

• All entries must be received by Ruralco no later than 4.30pm, 22 December 2021. Either drop it in to any of the Ruralco stores or post to PO Box 433, Ashburton 7740.

• Winners will be announced by 29 January 2022.

• One entry per child only.

• Ruralco reserves the right to publish all entries and details of the winners. The judge’s decision is final and no correspondence will be entered into.

• Once the judging has taken place, winners will be notified by telephone.

• The prize is not transferable or exchangeable and Ruralco reserves the right to change the prize to the same or equal value at any time if the prize becomes unavailable. No responsibility accepted for late, lost or misdirected entries.

Additional copies can be downloaded from www.ruralco.co.nz/kids

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INTEREST

Shipping hits heavy seas The average number of containers shipped every year is a mind-boggling quarter of a billion across the globe, all moving in a carefully choreographed logistical dance of machinery, ships, schedules, and manpower.

WORDS BY RICHARD RENNIE

Early last year that modern day dance initially tripped when Covid first struck Chinese ports, and since then has taken a staggering crash, to be a ragged imitation of its pre-covid rhythm.

Major ports around the globe are clogged with containers, while dozens of container ships await at anchor to be unloaded. Latest estimates are that Long Beach California alone has 160 ships awaiting unloading, at a port where typically ships never anchor and berth bang on time.

The current chaos around shipping has its roots back in Covid’s early days, but as is often the case, Covid can’t be held responsible for all the issues being experienced here in New Zealand.

When the epidemic struck in China, supply chain problems initially arose as factories and ports were forced to idle or scale back manpower, creating initial issues, including the slump in log sales from New Zealand as demand wound back and shipping supply slumped.

But the crisis quickly moved from the land to the sea as China re-opened for business, but much of the Western world went into assorted lockdowns.

Americans in particular were starved of services to spend on as hospitality and

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entertainment services shut their doors. With income support helping, if not completely replacing lost earnings, populations sought out stuff – stuff to buy to help ease the passage of long lockdowns, whether it was X-Boxes, exercycles, home cooking kits or Lego sets.

Online ordering has made “one-click” shopping almost painless and deceivingly simple, and Americans in particular exercised it with a vengeance.

American’s online shopping spend had already lifted 32% in 2020 year on year and is estimated to be up a further 40% post-Covid. That surge put unprecedented demand upon supply chains, which have been finely tuned to “just in time” delivery, from the manufacturer to the final courier delivery company.

Reliable shipping schedules had until then meant that orders for parts and components could be easily met, under normal circumstances.

But things rapidly became far from normal as the world’s finely balanced supply chain fell into disarray.

Huge container jams started quickly emerging in key European and United States ports like Long Beach California and Hamburg in Germany

among the many mega-ports jammed up, with long time shipping agents and managers reporting never seen before delays and cancellations. Port capacity was often already severely curtailed by the very disease causing the surge in demand, with staff either off sick or in isolation.

This has come when simply adding more ships to ease demand is not an option.

Until early last year global shipping companies were barely profitable with combined losses for 2020 prior to Covid on target to exceed US$15 billion, and to rival losses experienced over the GFC. Global shipping trade has become highly concentrated after a decade of low returns, leaving two major alliances, Maersk-MSC and Ocean Alliance accounting for 70% of global container trade.

The surge in demand for goods came as ships were retired, leaving companies ill-equipped to cope with the ensuing demand for freight space, and now charging accordingly.

Here at the bottom of the world on a route to nowhere else, New Zealand’s vulnerability as an exporting country of perishable food has become severely clear with both exporters

and importers now paying dearly for freight space to and from distant markets.

These companies are now finding significant profit opportunities to recoup past losses exist on high volume routes like Europe-Asia, and United States-Asia.

Maersk the world’s biggest shipping liner and provider to New Zealand ports has had its profit forecast revised up for 2021, from US$4.5 billion to $14.5 billion, and has made more in the first six months of 2021 than in the past decade.

Collectively, the shipping sector is likely to earn $100 billion in profits, almost rivalling tech giant Apple in an average year.

New Zealand freight rates are now far from immune. Container rates on routes like Tauranga to Shanghai have almost tripled, while bulk imported products like fertiliser are experiencing similar surges in price. For many in the primary sector the challenge is not to sell product, but the difficulty and cost in accessing shipping to get product to market.

Scheduling reliability here at the bottom of the world has also dropped to an all-time low, with ports reporting reliability dropping to single figure percentages, from their business as usual 80-90% levels.

The head of the country’s largest export port, Port of Tauranga, has cautioned exporters are likely to continue to experience shipping issues.CEO Leonard Sampson quantified the decline in scheduled services to New Zealand by taking the 63-day rotation being experienced by most ships and comparing that to their usual 49-day rotation.

He said this equates to about nine less sailings a year, and over three shipping companies this is 24 fewer a year.

Tauranga had already had 106 fewer container vessels dock between October last year and July this year, due to delays and schedule changes.

Problems here in New Zealand have been hampered even further by Ports of Auckland having to abandon its automation commissioning and return to human driven straddle cranes and operations. Those challenges were expected to last until at least the middle of next year.

“I do not see the shipping issue being resolved until more ship assets were commissioned or until a point where more money was being spent on services, such as tourism, rather than goods,” he says.

Some of the world’s largest ship builders hit their 12-month order targets by June this year, but new ships resulting from those orders are not expected for another two years.

Kiwi primary sector exporters have reported major headaches in getting products to market.

Jon Sadler, founder of Mountain River

Venison said exporting to the East Coast of United States has become near impossible due to shipping issues.

His company also had a container of frozen venison that took over 80 days to reach Long Beach California port, having spent 35 of those days on the wharf at Tauranga.“Costs are going up throughout the entire supply line, including 50% on sea freight alone.”

Simon Limmer, CEO for Silver Fern Farms told shareholders and farmers recently he expected the problems to remain for “at least” next season.“We are having to plan back upstream in terms of how we configure our products, our cool storage capacity to adapt, and leave some value on the table.”

He said the frustrations at landing product at ports like Long Beach California and Dalian, China were worsened by shipping costs that had risen 50%.

seasonal export patterns.“New Zealand container processing facilities are overloaded with containers that are not suitable for exporters or require a lot of work to upgrade.”

His company’s usual 21-day stock of export grade containers has shrunk alarmingly to only five days.“Shortage and surplus problems continue to affect the supply chain and seem set to stay for another two years when delivery of new shipping builds is expected to alleviate capacity shortfalls.”

Meantime he expected exporters will be examining the options including the chartering of ships and transport of their cargo in bulk ships.

BELOW: David Ross, CEO Kotahi

Ken Harris, Managing Director of New Zealand’s largest container company ContainerCo said problems for New Zealand were compounded by this country requiring a high standard of container for shipment, often refrigerated.

These have to be relocated in and out of the country every year, matching New Zealand’s

Kotahi boss sees rough sailing ahead David Ross, head of New Zealand’s largest freight conglomerate Kotahi sees many of the shipping issues experienced last year likely to continue over this year’s busy primary export season.

Kotahi’s principal primary export member companies include Fonterra and Silver Fern Farms, but it also accounts for another 60 primary sector exporters, and 30% of New Zealand’s total exported products.

“With New Zealand’s shipping schedule reliability currently lower than the global average, we are going to see some level of capacity pinch points and delays moving around the New Zealand coast, as shipping schedule disruption and delays effectively remove significant levels of capacity from the market.”

He said the global schedule reliability has averaged around 35% for the past year, but at times New Zealand’s has fallen even lower, sometimes approaching 10%.

“At present about 10% of the global shipping capacity is lost at congested ports. When you have a reasonably finely balanced global

supply chain, that is a real problem, with no indications it is changing.”

On the positive side he said Kotahi’s strong relationship with its principal shipper Maersk has meant that company has been able to secure an additional vessel to its Southern Star service to increase export capacity to south-east Asia and beyond.

Ship and container capacity tend to go hand in hand, and he agrees with ContainerCo’s Managing Director Ken Harris that container supply will also remain a challenge.

Longer term David Ross says it is unclear whether the current Covid-induced issues will play into shifts in New Zealand’s shipping routes and patterns.

“What we are seeing right now is that exporters with time sensitive cargos that are trying to get to destinations that require three steps of shipping are finding that quite problematic and shifting to markets with safer time windows for delivery.”

Like many in the industry, he suspects it will take the arrival of new ships to help ease the global capacity issues, starting in late 2022.

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Ruralco Supplier Awards: Neumanns and FMG reign supreme

For the past 10 years the Ruralco Supplier Awards have been an opportunity to recognise and celebrate the mutually beneficial relationship between Ruralco suppliers and co-operative members.

WORDS SUPPLIED BY RACHAEL RICKARD

Sadly, the pandemic has seen another year of disrupted events. Inspite of that Ruralco has again decided to forge ahead and name two Awards which recognise excellence and resilience in business, alongside outstanding customer service. Ruralco are proud to announce the Members Choice Winner, Neumanns Tyres and Supreme Supplier Award Winner, FMG. With a significant growth over the last year as well as continually acting in the spirit of the Ruralco relationship, FMG was the 2021 Supreme Supplier Award winner.

Mel Harrison, Area Manager at FMG said “Following the 2019 title, FMG again is thrilled to win the Ruralco Supreme Supplier award.

It is wonderful to be associated with a great co-operative like Ruralco. Being a mutually owned insurer, we exist for the same reason as Ruralco—to provide a better deal to rural New Zealand. Being acknowledged by an

organisation that really understands what this means makes the award even more special.”

Ms Harrison acknowledged “The ability for Cardholders to pay via Ruralco makes it so easy, for our clients and for FMG. It's great to be able to provide this additional option that clearly suits many of our clients and helps streamline things for our business.”

To be voted the Members Choice Award, Ruralco asks its cardholders to choose a supplier who they feel have given exceptional service and value for money. For the fifth consecutive year this award was won by Neumanns Tyres, and this is certainly no accident.

Owners and brothers Ian and Alan Neumann, agree that their level of customer service is maintained through continually offering a consistent service by their experienced, highly trained staff and they encourage their team members to always make customer service a priority. For over 75 years this has been the business's main focus, and they believe the team of long-serving, knowledgeable staff who offer a high level of customer service have been a big contributor to the success of Neumanns Tyres.

Ian said “The partnership between Neumanns Tyres and Ruralco is a longstanding one, with both companies continuing to work hard together for shareholders. The ease

IMAGE: Owners and brothers Ian and Alan Neumann, agree that their level of customer service is maintained through continually offering a consistent service by their experienced, highly trained staff.

of doing business with Ruralco is of benefit to Neumanns Tyres, and being able to advertise widely through Ruralco’s platforms of Facebook, email, and the Real Farmer magazine direct to customers and potential customers is a great tool for us. It is also wonderful to be able to offer discounts to all of our loyal Ruralco members and we hope to continue to exceed your expectations and live up to our reputation by continuing to provide the best local, friendly service.”

Established in 1945, the Neumanns Tyre Group have grown from a small family-owned business into a large family-owned tyre company boasting 16 stores throughout the South Island. Whilst the business has grown, the emphasis has always been on maintaining core founding principles of providing quality products and exceptional efficient service.

Neumanns Tyres received a $1,000 voucher for a supplier of their choice and FMG received a $500 Ice House voucher and a Financial Wellbeing Workshop both sponsored by BNZ.

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38

Introducing a better way to control forage brassica pests

Forage brassicas are a great source of home-grown feed at times when pasture is not enough.

They’re nutritious, palatable and usually very cost-effective, plus they give you a chance to improve overall farm performance through sowing new pastures after they’ve been grazed.

But two things can make it difficult to end up with the dry matter yield you originally planned for.

The first is that insect pests like eating forage brassicas as much—if not more—than your animals do.

The second is that forage brassica leaves are naturally waxy, and difficult to wet.

You’ve probably noticed that after rain or irrigation, water sits in discrete droplets on top of the leaves of a brassica crop. These droplets look little individual bubbles, and in technical terms they have high surface tension.

Discrete droplets are prone to bouncing or rolling off the plant surfaces due to the angle of the leaf, movement of leaves during spraying, or if conditions are windy.

Why is this a potential problem? It means that crop protection products mixed with water and applied to the crop to control insect pests, and

stop them eating your valuable animal feed, often don’t cover the leaves thoroughly enough to catch all the insects.

By this time of the season, too, crops are well advanced, with plenty of canopy, and pests like caterpillars of white butterfly or diamond back moth have many places to hide where they are protected from the spray.

They particularly like getting deep inside the crown of the plant, and on the underside of the leaves.

Now, however, there’s a new product called Flume you can add to the spray mix to stop the liquid getting stuck in little discrete droplets on the leaves of the crop, and help it reach all the nooks and crannies where insect pests like to hide.

Flume, from Nufarm, is a super spreader. It reduces the surface tension of the spray droplets, flattens them out, and combines them into a thin, consistent film all over the surface of sprayed leaves, even wrapping around the underside.

This technology is commonly used in horticultural crops, and it is very effective.

Flume spreads so well that you don’t need as much water in the spray solution when you use it for ground applications.

FARM SUPPLIES

ABOVE LEFT: Kale upper leaf surface sprayed with

water only/dilute spray ABOVE RIGHT: Kale upper leaf surface sprayed with 0.15% Flume concentrate spray

In fact, if you don’t adjust the amount of water applied per hectare, the spray can run right off the plant when Flume has been added If you’ve previously used 200-300 litres of water/ha to improve spray coverage on forage brassicas – even if only by a little bit – you need to reduce that with Flume.

Appropriate water rates depend on the maturity of the crop, and the variety of forage brassica being grown.

A minimum of 50% water reduction is typical, but it’s important to talk to your Ruralco Representative or your Nufarm Territory Manager to get the right rate for your situation.

Flume is compatible with most commonly used insecticides.

To find out more about using Flume to protect your forage brassica yields this summer, talk to your Ruralco Representative or ask in store today.

Flume is a registered trademark of Nufarm Australia Limited

®

THIS PROMOTIONAL FEATURE WAS PROVIDED BY NUFARM.

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CARD

Everyone has time for diamonds Everyone also has time for a good, heartfelt, story. Time For Diamonds is nestled in the Ashburton township, and while the jewellery they sell is precious, so is the story behind each sale. Every customer has a tale, one that may be filled with dreams, memories, beginnings, milestones, and surprises.

LEFT: The search for the right diamond starts with a

conversation

BELOW: Nicola Crossan with Poppy, Bridget Danielson

and Shelly Thomson

necklaces to earrings and rings. They also offer a large collection of sterling silver and pearl jewellery. The jeweller also has a watch for all occasions, with quality brands such as Citizen, Olympic, and Oui & Me. Fortunately, there’s also G-Shock, a model tough enough to take the knocks around the farm and keep you running on time.

Whether it’s family, club or community, celebrations are also important, so if you need to mark an occasion or accomplishment, Time For Diamonds even supplies trophies and cups.

Your Ruralco Card also unlocks an excellent range of services, including ear piercing, hand or machine engraving, and repairs.

You’ll find Time For Diamonds at 86 Tancred Street in Ashburton, open from 9 till 5.30 weekdays, and then on Saturday mornings.

This is something that Nicola Crossan, the owner of Time For Diamonds, understands all too well. She has spent her working life in the jewellery industry, and literally travels to the other side of the world for her customers.

Prior to the Covid pandemic, Nicola regularly undertook buying trips to Belgium, visiting the Antwerp District - the internationally renowned ‘diamond capital’. It’s there where she can deal directly with diamond companies in the largest market, be assured of the highest quality, and hand select which stones to bring home. With exceptional personal service, Nicola usually had an individual customer’s desires in mind when buying. As soon as it’s safe to travel, she’ll return to buy in person, until then Antwerp diamonds continue to be sourced online.

Clearly, great people to deal with. Within a beautifully presented shop, beside Nicola you’ll find her friendly team. First there’s Shelley, an excellent engraver with over five years’ experience, and then Bridget, who’s been busy soaking up knowledge during her year in the industry.

Time for Diamonds offers a wide range of products, from bracelets, pendants, and

Speaking of their website, it houses glowing endorsements from happy customers.

Each story is different; however, they’re all written thanking a jeweller for their quality workmanship, expert recommendations, and unique creations.

THIS PROMOTIONAL FEATURE WAS SUPPLIED

BY TIME FOR DIAMONDS. WORDS BY BRETT HALDANE.

The search for the right diamond starts with a conversation. Nicola sits down with her clients to understand their needs, whether it’s a new design or the restoration of an existing piece of jewellery.

The same care applies for those seeking engagement and wedding rings. Nicola and her team want your experience to be memorable, so they really take the time to talk. With an outstanding show of service, Time For Diamonds can even accommodate private and after-hours viewings. And should you have something particularly special in mind, they also offer custom ring design and manufacture.

What else can Ruralco members expect to find at Time for Diamonds?

Time for Diamonds 86 Tancred Street Tel 308 6722

nicola@timefordiamonds.co.nz UP TO www.timefordiamonds.co.nz 12.5% DISCOUNT with your Ruralco Card

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SPONSORSHIP

Four blokes, 3,000km of cycling and a $25,000 fundraising goal

Odds are that you, a friend, or a close relative will require the services of the Westpac Rescue Helicopter. To help ensure you’ll never have to think twice about the level of service you’ll need when ringing 111, four Ashburton men are on a serious fundraising mission to ensure this life preserving service remains.

WORDS BY RACHAEL RICKARD, IMAGE SUPPLIED

Fitter than most 40-year-olds and averaging the age of 62, “The Rescue Warriors” aka Willy Leferink, David Keeley, Bruce Kell and Warren Harris decided earlier this year that the 3,000km Tour Aotearoa Brevet, which commences in February 2022 - from Cape Reinga to Bluff - would be a great way to prove that their bodies are not yet ready for retirement. To help keep them inspired, they decided they’ll need the boost of a great cause, and what better than a medical service that they joke “we may require during our adventure.”

Like many thousands of Cantabrians, the motivation for raising funds for the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Trust comes from personal experience of the service and an expectation that it will just always be there. In fact, almost

all recipients transported by the Westpac Rescue Helicopter assumed the same, not realising that it takes hundreds of thousands of fundraised dollars to keep this service in the air.

Personal reasons also helped motivate the men as both Bruce’s father and brother-inlaw and Warren’s mother had been in the rescue helicopter. And surprising to many, Mid Canterbury rescues average around 25% of all Canterbury missions for the year, a number that is on the rise, due to an increasing number of inter-hospital transfers from Ashburton to Christchurch, farmers who have accidents, and acute requirements such as those required following weather events such as the May flooding, and flow on effects from the closures and stoppages on the Ashburton Bridge.

Tour Aotearoa is a bike-packing event where riders are self-supported for the entire 3,000km journey. The event is not a race, it’s a ride which follows a set course, with participants navigating through 30 photo checkpoints, all of which must be completed between 10 and 30 days – no more and no less. The Brevet attracts like-minded people as you must make a $100 donation to a charity of your choice.

Besides this donation, all entrants are asked to offset their carbon emissions from travelling to the start and from the end. In 2020 just over

IMAGE: Willy Leferink, Bruce Kell, David Keeley and

Warren Harris

750 riders started, with the event run annually, beginning in February each year with the exact time depending on tide times at 90 Mile Beach.

The four intrepid riders start their campaign on February 25, 2022 (Bruce’s 60th birthday!) They aim to complete the journey in 25 days.

With the team including three shareholders and one retired Board member, Ruralco are incredibly proud to be supporting the Rescue Warriors and their mission to help support the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Trust.

Any donation to the Rescue Warriors will be gratefully received either directly through their bank account: The Rescue Warriors 03-0835-0090956-00 or via their Give a Little fundraising page: www.givealittle.co.nz/fundraiser/ rescue-helicopter-bike-3000km For those wishing to follow The Rescue Warriors progress head to their Facebook page: www.facebook.com/TheRescueWarriors

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ENERGY

Hopes review will shed light on pricing Electricity users throughout New Zealand, including irrigation users have been grappling with ever rising electricity costs for the past five years, a fact confirmed by the recent Electricity Authority market monitoring review of the wholesale electricity market.

WORDS BY RICHARD RENNIE.

In late October the Electricity Authority released papers outlining the main conclusions it had drawn from its review of the wholesale electricity market. The review was prompted by the surge in prices since the unplanned outage of the Pohokura gas facility three years ago.

After the Pohokura gas outage prices rose and have on average been above $100MWh

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since, with the average spot price for 2019 at $127/MWh, the highest annual average since 2008 when the market was hit by severe hydro shortages over winter. In contrast the average spot price between then and Pohokura in 2018 was only $67/MWh. The Authority noted that prices over the review period have to a certain extent reflected underlying supply and demand conditions, a sign of a competitive market. The economy has been growing strongly over this time, hydro lakes have been lower than average, gas outages have occurred and all fuel costs including the carbon component have been moving upwards.

Most recently, the lift in electricity prices has accompanied an ever-growing inventory of cost pressures upon producers, exacerbating the

effects of Covid’s impact on freight price rises and labour cost movement.

Calculations by investment company Forsyth Barr are that the energy component for commercial contracts has surged from $82/ MWh in 2018 to $99/MWh in 2021, a rise of 6.2% a year, over double the annual inflation rate.

But there is also a portion of unexplained cost rises the Authority has identified postPohokura. One example was in 2019 when low lake levels only existed for 4% of the year, yet the average yearly price remained stubbornly high above $100MWh. For anyone buying electricity in commercial quantities, including Canterbury irrigators, interest will be high in whatever recommendations come from the Authority’s review on competition and pricing.

greater pressure upon thermal generation, in turn pushing up consumers’ power prices, particularly in dry years.

future demand increases. More scrutiny of the market to ensure greater consumer confidence in fair prices was also sought.

John Harbord, chair of the Major Electricity Users Group (MEUG) said the review is critical, with confidence in the wholesale market’s ability to deliver good outcomes for users at stake.

The MEUG has gone so far to claim one gentailer had outperformed the level of profit making seen by the Commerce Commission in the retail fuel and supermarket sectors, both subject to Commission scrutiny recently.

He said in the last three years some MEUG members have experienced rapid and sustained increases in wholesale electricity prices, which have given rise to significant adverse effects on productivity, investment decisions and hiring intentions.

“We will spend the coming period to identify any potential areas of common ground, including issues we believe could improve outcomes for consumers.

“An issue we will be considering is whether the scope of the review was too narrow, and whether that has affected the recommended areas to focus on to improve the market.”

The MEUG has earlier pointed to market complexities at play that are giving rise to levels of profitability that significantly outperform the Commerce Commission’s criteria for ‘persistent excess profit’.

“This raises some complex questions relating to largely unexplained pricing events, which we believe the regulator needs to work through and answer with the sector, households, SME’s and major electricity users,” he said.

The Authority has noted the New Zealand supply market is dominated by a few large generators, requiring Meridian in particular to meet demand over 90% of the time. While prices have increased since Pohokura, it also acknowledges the higher price offers may reflect some uncertainty over on-going gas supplies, including disruption risk.

The Authority has noted its investigation into wholesale pricing is not focussing solely upon any one company, and that it applies to every large gen-tailer in New Zealand. This includes comparing relevant businesses to determine if there is a market issue needing to be addressed.

The MEUG has also called for a market that more closely reflects the fundamentals of supply and demand, and for work to determine in investment in supply is adequate to meet

MEUG has pointed out that unlike the retail fuel market with its price volatility, the hydro generator had experienced no volatility in the past seven years, with increased profits being largely constant year on year since 2014.

However, the MEUG’s claims have also been countered by a Forsyth Barr report that concluded electricity generators have only averaged a 1.6% return on their assets over the past 15 years, below the average annual inflation rate for the same period of 1.9%.

Electricity users are hoping the Authority’s review will shed some light on two very diversionary views about pricing levels.

The Forsyth Barr report attributes much of the price increases that have happened to an increase in carbon costs, which have almost tripled in only three years, and higher fuel costs for coal and gas.

Some possible outcomes of the Authority’s review could include reducing market concentration through forced generation asset sales, wholesale electricity price caps, and the introduction of a capacity market.

History suggests it is unlikely generator-retailors would be separated, with a 2019 Electricity Price Review rejecting this move with the benefits of integration outweighing the costs.

The review board also found it would stall or delay the amount of generation investment needed to decarbonise New Zealand’s economy.

The Authority has released two documents on its review that are open for consultation until early December.

It also noted some prices offered by electricity generators did not reflect underlying supply and demand conditions.

The review also determined there was some evidence of an incentive, and ability, for generators to structure offers to the market in such a way they could keep prices high.

Perhaps unsurprisingly to many in the industry, the review also determined NZ Aluminium Smelter which consumers 13% of the country’s electricity was also offered a low power price to encourage it to stay longer in New Zealand.

Estimates are this amounts to about $200 a year more per householder on their annual power bill.

Overall, the Authority has raised concerns the smelter is subsidised by generators to the tune of $500 million year, with its demand putting

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RURALCO FUEL

Not only that, we negotiate on your behalf to ensure that as a Ruralco member, you’re always getting the best possible price on your bulk fuel.

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FUEL

A passion for fuelling your farm Here at Ruralco we have been driving our passion for fuelling farming businesses since the early 2000s, offering the full fuel package with competitive pricing, to ensure farmers and business owners can keep their operations moving.

WORDS BY ANITA BODY

Through our long-standing relationships with key fuel partners, we cover all bases including bulk deliveries right to the farm gate, fuel cards for use nationwide and efficient fuel storage options, making farmers and business operators’ lives a little easier around the entire country.

Our Fuel Sales Manager Don Joseph and Fuel Account manager Sarah Bennett are key components of this service. Don works closely with our fuel Partners to ensure the best deals for our members, while Sarah focuses on our bulk fuel offering.

With over 14 years of experience in the bulk fuel industry and a wealth of knowledge, Sarah is motivated by her passion for exceptional service and meeting the needs of her customers. “It’s not your typical nine to five job —the phone never stops.” Understanding that farming also doesn’t stop, it is important to Sarah that she is as available as possible. “We always make sure we can action queries as soon as possible.” As a fuel account manager, Sarah meets with existing and new farming and business customers to ensure their needs are best met.

“We want to make it as convenient as possible, with fuel delivered direct to your farm gate Not only that, we make sure you have access to the best possible bulk fuel pricing that we’ve negotiated on your behalf.”

Sarah’s role sees her in the office some of the time keeping up to speed with the ever-changing demands of the fuel market, and the rest of the time she is on the road meeting customers and doing on-site visits.

“I love the personal engagement with people and especially the face-to-face contact.

We are real people dealing with real people, so it makes sense for us to visit farmers or businesses on site. I’m happy to meet people to better understand their business and for them to get to know me too.”

With everchanging workplace health and safety regulations in the farming and the fuel industry, Sarah has a solid understanding of fuel compliance and keeps her customer base updated with the latest regulations, particularly when it comes to fuel storage.

“We are able to provide farmers with a range of compliant fuel storage options that will not only

IMAGE: Ruralco Fuel Account Manager Sarah

Bennett and Ruralco Member Glen Whyte discuss Fuel storage requirements on farm

be safer, but can help them better monitor and understand the level of fuel usage.”

Sarah has strong relationships with farmers nationwide and understands that when running a farming business, there’s no time for standing still.

As well as providing excellent bulk fuel rates and service, Don and Sarah work hard to ensure our members benefit from the best possible fuel prices at the pumps, with you, our members consistently saving at least 12¢ off the pump price at over 300 nationwide outlets, when using your Ruralco Card.

With single monthly billing system, you will save time, and money as well as getting a clear view of your monthly fuel consumption.”

To find out more how Ruralco Fuel can help your farming business contact us on 0800 787 256.

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FARM SUPPLIES

Corteva Agriscience, has announced the successful registration and launch of the new selective herbicide Extensively evaluated for weed control efficacy and crop safety in local product development trials, Milestone is a selective, post-emergence broadleaf herbicide.

There are several attributes of Milestone that benefit forage brassica growers. These include the combination and concentration of aminopyralid and clopyralid, which provides

effective control of a wide spectrum of weeds commonly found in forage brassica under both cultivated and direct drill scenarios.

The combination of these two powerful herbicides that have been widely used on pastures and crops throughout New Zealand ensures Milestone provides control of some of the toughest broadleaved weeds in brassicas and is particularly strong on weeds

such as spurrey, amaranthus, willow weed, fathen, black nightshade, hairy nightshade and thistles.

With all post-emergence herbicides, timely application to young weed seedlings and the encouragement of a strong crop canopy is important to maximise weed control.

Milestone can be safely applied to leafy turnips, bulb turnips, forage rapes, kales, swedes and raphanobrassica, although guidance on application rates on raphano need to be followed carefully.

The new high strength formulation of Milestone means less product to transport and handle, as well as minimising the environmental impact by reducing packaging requirements. Formulation advancements have also delivered greater crop safety when compared with T-MAX™ which Milestone replaces in forage brassica. The improvements in crop safety gives the grower the greatest confidence that not only will Milestone control the weeds present but also leave the crop in excellent health.

If circumstances require it Milestone can be safely applied following pre-emergence applications of trifluralin, Magister® + Monarch™, Ombre® and Telar® in Cleancrop™ programs. Milestone is also compatible with most commonly used grassweed herbicides and insecticides.

For further information contact your Ruralco Representative and always refer to the product label for further guidelines on timing and use.

THIS PROMOTIONAL FEATURE WAS PROVIDED

BY CORTEVA AGRISCIENCE. IMAGES: Control of Heavy Amaranthus and Willow

weed. Top left: untreated; Left: early Milestone application

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FARM SUPPLIES

Pick the right brassica herbicide and get better crops and greater flexibility with crop rotations IMAGE: Ideal time for post-emergence herbicide

application. Weeds are 2–4 leaf

brassica should not pose any restrictions for typical rotations in pastoral farm systems. This is a key advantage over many existing postemergence herbicide options which have longer plant-backs.

Korvetto controls many weeds commonly found in forage brassica. Arylex™ active and clopyralid combine to kill a broad spectrum of weeds including fathen, black nightshade, hairy nightshade, shepherds purse, fumitory, thistles, yarrow, dandelion, narrow leaf plantain and many more.

Application timing is important as best results are achieved on weeds at the 2-4 leaf stage.

Delaying application often leads to poor control of some harder-to-kill weeds, by which time they are already competing with the crop and will not be suppressed by canopy.

Poor plant populations or crop establishment e.g. due to unforeseen pest damage or adverse weather events, often leads to a poor canopy and exposes the crop to weed pressure throughout the growing season.

These scenarios require careful assessment so talk to your Ruralco Representative as soon as possible for advice.

Forage brassicas are particularly susceptible to weed competition during establishment. This is especially the case when sowing into scenarios with moderate to high weed seed loadings in the soil, such as previously cropped ground or runout pastures. Cultivation can also bring dormant weed seeds to the soil surface enabling germination within the crop.

Most brassica crops will benefit from a herbicide while the crop emerges and establishes. Control of weeds during brassica establishment relies on choosing a suitable approach for your scenario (pre- or postemergence programme) and then selecting herbicides that best fit the weed spectrum and crop rotation.

Post-emergence weed control programmes are all about spraying if and when weeds have emerged. Select a herbicide that best controls the key weeds present, with a manageable grazing withholding period and a plant-back suitable for the following crop. There are several post-emergence herbicides to choose from, each with their own weed spectrum. All of these herbicides have plant-backs that need to be considered for broadleaf pasture species like clover or other crops such as beet or lucerne.

Corteva Agriscience have developed Korvetto™, a unique post-emergence broadleaf herbicide, for scenarios where a wide weed spectrum and short plant-back are important. The plant-back for clover following application of Korvetto is just three months, while fodder beet, lucerne and many other crops is six months. An application of Korvetto to spring or early summer sown forage

Walk brassica crops regularly and thoroughly to identify issues early for timely treatment.

When assessing brassica crop for weeds, consider the opportunity to control pests which may be present or are building up in the crop. SpartaTM provides control of springtail, leaf miner, white butterfly caterpillar and diamondback moth while aphids can be controlled using TransformTM. For more information, contact your Ruralco representative.

THIS PROMOTIONAL FEATURE WAS PROVIDED

BY CORTEVA AGRISCIENCE.

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USE YOUR RURALCO CARD HERE

WELLBEING COMMUNITY

Growing the mo to save a bro YOU MAY SEE 11 MALE STAFF MEMBERS AT RURALCO LOOKING LIKE THEY HAVE NOT WASHED UNDER THEIR NOSES FOR A WHILE. FEAR NOT THESE GUYS ARE “GROWING THE MO TO SAVE A BRO”.

• Men’s health is in crisis. Men are dying on GAVIN TEMPLETON, average five years earlier than women, and PARTNERSHIP SERVICES for largely preventable reasons.

REPRESENTATIVE • A growing number of men—around 10.8m globally—are facing life with a prostate cancer diagnosis.

• Globally, testicular cancer is the most common cancer among young men.

• And across the world, one man dies by suicide every minute of every day, (that’s 525,600 males p/a) with males accounting for 75% of all suicides.

“If our actions or funding saves one life then it’s worth it” – Gavin Templeton, Partnership Services Representative and member of the 2021 Ruralco Movember team.

Visit www.nz.movember.com to take a peek at this website for all the information about Movember.

Rural Support is here to help OUR PRIMARY GOAL IS TO SUPPORT RURAL PEOPLE AND COMMUNITIES TO DEAL WITH ADVERSITY IN THEIR DAILY FARMING LIVES AND TO HELP THEM BECOME MORE RESILIENT TO THE DAILY CHALLENGES FARMING AND LIFE THROWS AT THEM. The Rural Support Trust is a charitable trust part of a nationwide network that helps in many different ways to support farmers and their families through whatever challenge they may have.

We have a free and confidential service where a friendly trained co-ordinator can help you deal with an issue or challenge, farmers can reach out through the 0800 phone number or by emailing their local trust.

The local trusts all have people on board who are either farmers themselves or can connect people with a trained professional to help.

The co-ordinator will organise a trained facilitator to sit down with people and help them find a pathway to a solution. A way forward with a plan to help them make sure they are getting the assistance they need to help them along.

The Rural Support Trust has been supporting farmers to get through the M.Bovis outbreak, by having trained facilitators support the very stressful process.

Also this year the unfortunate event of the big floods in Mid Canterbury meant many farmers have had a lot of challenges and stress added to their already big workload and the Rural Support Trust has supported many farmers through the process of dealing with the devastation.

The support is all free.

To contact the Rural Support Trust just phone 0800 787 254 or go to rural-suppport.org.nz to connect

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MAINTENANCE

Keeping your tractor on track A SIMPLE ERROR CREATING BIG PROBLEMS Tired tractor drivers have been creating costly repairs by pouring a diesel exhaust fluid into their diesel tanks. It’s an issue Brian Lett of TransAg in Palmerston North would like to raise awareness about, especially with supply lines choked due to COVID-19 restrictions.

“Often it’s drivers who are tired after a long day and they’ve gone to refuel at night and poured the AdBlue into the diesel tank. It doesn’t take long to take affect and the fuel line packs up and the tractor is stuffed. It’s an expensive fix and one that’s easily avoided,” says Brian.

AdBlue is stored in a small tank and, just like diesel fuel, the driver must ensure it’s kept topped up in their vehicle. The team at TransAg have come up with a solution they think could be adopted widely to prevent this massive cost and business interruption.

“We’ve been painting our tractor fuel caps bright yellow which is the universally recognised colour for diesel to try and eliminate the confusion,” says Brian

“AdBlue (available at Ruralco stores) plays an important role in reducing emissions and the last thing a farmer wants is a brand-new tractor in the shop after a mix up.

These are expensive pieces of machinery and you might not be covered by your insurance policy” Brian says the impact of COVID-19 on supply lines is another reason to do everything to avoid this avoidable problem. “There’s real issues with getting parts from overseas which means long waits and tractors out of action for long periods of time. It also sometimes means we have to sometimes come up with our own fixes which is time consuming in its own right,” says Brian.

With contracting season in full swing and people working long hours it’s a timely reminder about this easily done but expensive error. “Spread the word and paint those caps yellow! You’ll save yourself heartbreak and time wasted and your mechanic and insurer unnecessary headaches.”

HEALTH & SAFETY

Supporting your employees IT IS A CHALLENGING TIME FINDING SKILLED AGRICULTURAL MACHINERY OPERATORS UNDER COVID-19 RESTRICTIONS. One of your most valuable assets is your employees, so prioritising wellbeing and providing training and development opportunities can increase skill and engagement in your business.

Fatigue is a significant factor in accidents when there is a shortage in skilled employees. Long hours can cause stress coming into peak season. Keep your team well hydrated, eating well and take regular breaks––especially during hot and busy periods. Ensure rosters are continually monitored to avoid driver fatigue.

Fatigue can cause damage to core mechanical components if time is not taken to assess your surroundings. Before driving into a paddock, check for debris and low-hanging wires. Also check that the gap from gudgeon to post is wide enough for your vehicles (including tyres and implements).

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HEALTH

Farming Tips during COVID-19 TOP TIPS FOR FARMERS DURING THE PANDEMIC. 1. Practice good personal hygiene • Sneeze into elbow.

• Wash hands often (for at least 20 seconds).

• Stay at least two metres apart from people not in your family unit.

– This includes smoko. Try to have smoko outside, not in the shed or staff rooms if possible and if you must, make sure chairs are two metres apart.

• Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces and objects (eg. door handles, steering wheels): – Keep a container of teat wipes in lots of different locations (eg. in the tractor and utes) and encourage people to use them—not just to wipe their hands, but to clean their phones and other surfaces often.

– Wipe the wheel and stick shift down before and after you use them. Tractor cabs especially are little incubators! Keep the windows of all vehicles open if possible.

– Wear gloves during milking. Ensure that you remove gloves when leaving the dairy to go home or to other areas of the farm.

After you remove your gloves, wash your hands thoroughly with soap and warm water.

– If possible one vehicle per person. If not possible then gloves in the vehicle (e.g., tractor) and wipe down steering wheel and controls before leaving.

– Use technology rather than meeting in person, eg. WhatsApp, Viber, Messenger, Facetime, Skype, Zoom, etc.

• If anyone feels unwell, they need to stay at home.

• Stay in your "bubble" if the country is in lockdown.

2. Wear a face covering You must wear face coverings when required to by Govt protocols, check the latest requirements before you leave the farm, refer to covid19.govt.nz.

Because farms are an essential service, it is mandatory when a contractor or external service provider comes on farm to work with you, that the hosts and contractors are wearing face coverings. This will not only help you keep your farm bubble safe but will mean your service providers are able to continue their essential work.

3. Look after yourself Exercise, good nutrition, sleep, healthy thinking.

Visit Farmstrong.co.nz for more information.

4. Communicate with your staff In this time of uncertainty, it’s a good idea to check in frequently with your team and understand the questions they have about the effects of COVID-19 and its potential impact on your farm.

Keep communicating regularly about what the team needs to do to keep those hygiene practices up.

Make a set of COVID-19 rules for all people on farm. Agree them. Stick to them. Print them out where staff will see them.

5. Farming is an essential business In the event of a lockdown, you and all your staff are able to continue working whether people live on farm or off farm. The exceptions to this are if people have tested positive to COVID-19 or are required to be in self isolation.

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WORDS PROVIDED

BY DAIRY NZ

When you and your staff travel to and from work, ensure you carry the following at all times: • Identification (eg. Drivers Licence).

• A letter from your employer confirming you are conducting Essential Business work on a farm.

Employers with essential workers needing to travel, will need get approved travel documentation issued by MBIE. To find out more visit the DairyNZ website.

For further advice for farms and agriculture businesses visit the MPI website.

6. Do what rural communities do best—look after each other • Check in on older relatives or vulnerable people over the phone, to make sure they have everything they need.

• Talking to friends, whānau and neighbours over the phone to see how they are and if they need support.

• Drop off essential supplies, like food, to those that can’t or won’t leave home. You can leave them at the door.

7. Think through scenarios if the current alert level is extended • How will you look after the wellbeing of yourself and the team, while keeping up with the demands on farm?

• Reach out to DairyNZ or your other key partners if you need any support or advice.

To make sure you’re prepared for the unexpected, such as a positive COVID-19 case on farm, take a look at the checklist enclosed in this issue so you can get your farm, your staff and your family prepared.

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ARABLE

Greenhouse gas emissions: pricing for arable Climate change, greenhouse gas emissions and carbon taxes have been in and out of the news for decades.

But as the discussions are often highly politicised and the language extremely scientific, many New Zealanders have found it easier to dismiss them as ‘theoretical’ or ‘future problems’.

Unfortunately, they are not; they are real and they are here now.

WORDS BY ANNA HESLOP, FAR

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New Zealand is committed to emissions reductions, and from 2025 our primary sector businesses will face payments on the amount of GHGs they release. Given that short time frame, it’s time all farmers begin to understand how this payment is likely to be calculated. So when will that information be available?

• More detail, including modelling and case studies showing how much each approach might cost different farm systems, will be shared in February 2022; • In April 2022, He Waka Eke Noa will provide a recommended pricing option to government.

Here’s where things are at as of November 2021: • He Waka Eke Noa* has developed preliminary information on the two pricing options under consideration, and the “backstop” of the ETS at the processor level;

What are the pricing options?

The two pricing options being considered are a farm-level levy and a processor-level hybrid levy. The third, default option is the ‘backstop’ of Agriculture in the Emissions Trading

Scheme (ETS).

Farm-level split-gas option A (methane) + B (nitrous oxide & CO2) – C (sequestration) = $ The farm-level split gas option would apply to farm businesses with one, or more, of the following: 550 stock units (sheep, deer, cattle, goats); 50 dairy cattle; 700 swine; 50,000 poultry; apply over 40 tonnes of nitrogen through synthetic fertiliser per farm per year.

3. Understand your number… is it low, medium or high for an arable system? FAR is gathering information to help guide you on this.

He Waka Eke Noa—industry agreed targets

End of 2021

25% of New Zealand farms know their GHG emissions number

End of 2021

25% of New Zealand farms have a written GHG management plan

End of 2022

100% of New Zealand farms know their GHG emissions number

End of 2024

100% of New Zealand farms have a written GHG management plan

From 2025

Emissions pricing and payments come into effect

Farms would calculate their emissions using a single calculator, with actual on-farm emissions being used to determine pricing.

Processor-level hybrid option A (methane) + B (nitrous oxide & CO2) = $ Processors would pay for emissions based on a charge applied to products supplied (meat, milk) or bought (fertiliser). Processors would likely pass on these costs to farmers.

Separate charges for short, and long lived, gases would be set by an independent advisory body. To receive payment for sequestration, farms would have to develop and sign up to an emissions management contract (EMC). The framework for this is still under development.

ETS backstop Under the backstop ETS approach, emissions would be calculated using national average emissions factors for milk, meat and synthetic fertiliser, and then charges would be applied per kilogram of meat or milk or tonne of fertiliser.

Methane and nitrous oxide emissions would be priced at the same rate ($/tonne of CO2 equivalent). and initially, farmers would get a 95% free allocation. This allocation would reduce gradually over time.

Which option will work best for arable?

Split-gas levy approaches These two options involve setting different levies for short lived (methane) and long lived (nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide) gases, with levy rates being set by an independent advisory body. Methane would be calculated by weight of gas and have a unique levy rate. Long lived gases (nitrous oxide from livestock and fertiliser and CO2 from urea) would be calculated in weight of CO2e. There is an option to link the rate for nitrous oxide and CO2 to the NZ ETS carbon price or have a unique rate.

They both seek to recognise on-farm sequestration not currently in the ETS, including riparian planting, shelter belts, perennial cropland and woodlots.

Farms could work as individuals or collectives, and revenue raised would be invested in research and development to support emissions reductions.

As yet, FAR doesn’t have sufficient information to support any particular approach. In the meantime, we are considering some of the other issues attached to the different pricing approaches; things like: Which approach will actually encourage individual farmers to take actions to reduce on-farm emissions? Which approach will be most efficient to run? Which approach will provide funds for research into mitigations?

We expect to have a better understanding of the pros and cons of each option for arable growers by February, when other partners are doing nationwide workshops. Noting this is not especially good timing for arable farmers, expect to hear more from us between now and then.

In the meantime, there are a few things you can do to get ready for emissions pricing.

1. Work out your farm’s GHG number. a) Use E-Check, Overseer or one of the other tools.

2. Understand where your emissions are coming from and consider how to reduce them. a) FAR’s GHG farm plan module will help with this.

The development of processes for measuring, monitoring and reducing New Zealand’s on-farm GHG emissions and identifying an effective pricing option for them, is managed

by He Waka Eke Noa (HWEN). A collaboration between primary sectors, iwi and government, it was formed in 2019.

It comprises several sub-groups focusing on things like farm planning, emissions reporting tools, sequestration, farmer extension and emissions pricing options. FAR has staff involved in many of these groups to ensure that arable issues are considered in all discussions. *

Emissions tools at arable fingertips FAR has released a greenhouse gas emissions calculator and a greenhouse gas emissions planning module that will allow arable farmers to meet their GHG reporting and planning obligations.

FAR Environmental Researcher Turi McFarlane says E-Check is a DIY tool that uses information around farm size, fertiliser applied and stocking units on and off, to calculate the farm’s GHG number. Once growers have identified their number, they can move on to completing their written management plan using FAR’s Greenhouse Gas Planning Module.

E-Check and the Greenhouse Gas Farm Planning Module, along with written and video user guides are available on the FAR website www.far.org.nz/environment.

Contact Turi.McFarlane@far.org.nz or Dirk.Wallace@far.org.nz

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RURALCO FUEL

Ruralco on 0800 787 256.

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SHOP IN STORE OR ONLINE WITH RURALCO FARM SUPPLIES

THE RURALCO DINING CENTRAL CANTERBURY

7%

7%

DISCOUNT

7%

DISCOUNT

DISCOUNT

SILVER DOLLAR RESTAURANT & BAR

THE GOOD HOME WIGRAM

QUARTZ RESTAURANT @ THE ROCK

Visit the Silver Dollar Restaurant & Bar to experience a selection of cold beers and great food. It’s a place where you can relax, either in the amazing indoor surroundings or the sun-soaked courtyard.

Welcome to the South West’s favourite Gastropub! Great meals, amazing homely atmosphere, craft beers, function space and staff who cant wait to welcome you!

Come and see us at The Good Home Wigram.

The friendly team at Quartz offer great service in a comfortable, stylish setting.

The perfect spot for a family get-together, date night or a catch-up with friends.

Quartz has something for everyone with a delicious selection of restaurant favourites—steak, schnitzels, pizzas, burgers and salads, with a great range of beverages to enjoy with your meal.

Function room available.

Monday–Sunday 10.30am till late

Monday–Sunday, 11am–11pm

Monday–Sunday from 5pm

Phone 03 341 7227 andy@tghwigram.co.nz www.thegoodhomewigram.co.nz 100 The Runway, Wigram Skies

Phone 03 347 0386 www.silverdollarbar.co.nz 871 Jones Road, Rolleston

Phone 03 347 4192 www.quartzrolleston.co.nz 82 Rolleston Drive, Rolleston

MID CANTERBURY UP TO

5%

5%

DISCOUNT

ALLUVIAL Alluvial Restaurant, part of the Tinwald Tavern Complex at Archibald St, Ashburton is a must for an authentic contemporary New Zealand dining experience. We are proud to include locally grown and raised produce within our menu. Our warm and inviting dining area, draws colour and design from our unique Mid Canterbury Plains.

Tuesday–Sunday 5.00pm–12pm Phone 03 308 7505 manager@alluvial.co.nz www.alluvial.co.nz 103 Archibald Street, Ashburton

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UP TO

5%

DISCOUNT

DISCOUNT

BLUE PUB

BROWN PUB

The Blue have an extensive all day menu including an array of delicious burgers, nachos, soups, salads and steaks. Not only that but also a selection of tasty mains that won’t break your budget but are sure to satisfy. From dining on the outside tables in the sun to a casual meal in the bar (with cold beer in hand…) watching your favourite game, or perhaps a more classy evening in our restaurant.

The Mac’s Backyard Eatery and Craft Bar offer more than one would expect from your standard pub fare. Classic country pub favourites, a range of tasty mains dishes to suit all tastes, and an extensive restaurant quality takeaway menu. Sit by the fire in the Craft Bar, in our gorgeous cosy restaurant, or enjoy our “backyard” outdoor dining space.

Tuesday–Sunday 12am–9pm Phone 03 302 8046 www.thebluepub.com 2 Barkers Road, Mt Hutt Village, Methven

Wednesday–Friday 4.30pm–8.30pm Saturday, Sunday, Monday 12pm–8.30pm Phone 03 302 8045 www.brownpub.co.nz Cnr Main Street & Forest Drive, Methven

GUIDE

Started thinking about your staff function for Christmas?

Book early to secure your spot at one of the following cafes or restaurants and conveniently charge it to your Ruralco Account.

GET THE MOST OUT OF YOUR CARD

MID CANTERBURY UP TO

10%

10%

DISCOUNT

CROSSROADS RESTAURANT & BAR At the centre of the Mt Hutt ski village Methven, you’ll find Crossroads Restaurant & Bar. A relaxed, cosy restaurant and bar that offers fresh, heart loving meals. From chef's homemade bread to “nothing from freezer” and “sharing is caring” approach to cooking, you can’t help but feel a little special when your fork hits the plate after the last mouthful.

Monday–Friday 4.30pm–2am Saturday–Sunday 12pm–2am Phone 03 303 2000 info@thelodgemethven.co.nz www.thelodgemethven.co.nz 1 Methven Chertsey Road, Methven

NOBLE 600

At Indian Minar we offer meals of excellent quality and invite you to try our delicious food. The key to our success is simple: providing quality consistent food that taste great every single time. We pride ourselves on serving our customers delicious genuine Indian dishes.

Eat delicious food. Grab a drink. But most of all, relax! We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your continued support.

Noble 600 is a restaurant that encompasses different cultures in its culinary conception. Our influences combine Aotearoa and South America.

The menu is Peruvian inspired and brings to New Zealand an emerging desire of encounter between two cultures. The combined spaces in the restaurant can seat 200, catering for large groups and functions with ease.

Monday 4.30pm–9.30pm Tuesday–Sunday 11.30am–2pm; 4.30pm–9.30pm

Tuesday 10am–9pm Wednesday – Thursday 10am - 10pm Friday–Saturday 10am–11pm Sunday 10am–9pm Phone 03 308 7149 www.ashburtonclub.co.nz 231 Burnett Street, Ashburton

Phone 03 308 1076 www.indianminar.nz 300 east street, Ashburton

SOUTH CANTERBURY

5%

7.5%

DISCOUNT

SPEIGHTS ALE HOUSE Award winning beer & great food enjoyed the Southern way! If you’re after hearty Southern fare, all matched with exceptional beer, including exclusive seasonal brews, then the Speight’s Ale House Ashburton is for you. Famous for its lamb shanks and blue cod, among many other delicious treats, you won’t leave hungry!

Phone 03 308 5980 www.speightsashburton.co.nz 245 Burnett Street, Ashburton

DISCOUNT

INDIAN MINAR

MID CANTERBURY

Monday–Sunday 11am till late

2%

DISCOUNT

5%

DISCOUNT

DISCOUNT

THE FINE LION

@USTIN 92

With a traditional bar feel, The Fine Lion is open for brunch, lunch through to evening meals or just a tasty bar snack with your drink. In addition to the welcoming interior and bar seating there is also an outdoor balcony area for those warm sunny nights.

Bookings can be made for large groups, just contact us and discuss your requirements.

Welcome to @ustin92.

The name you ask? Quite simply my surname and 92 the year culinary fun began in the kitchen. Our menu? Simply stripped back classics refined and twisted for you to enjoy. Enough reading “let’s eat” For fantastic dining, six days a week.

Classic favourites with a twist, priced @ $15 onwards. An affordable experience for all to enjoy.

Monday–Thursday 11am–11pm Friday 11am–2am Saturday 9am–2am Sunday 9am–11pm Phone 03 307 0629 www.thefinelion.co.nz 152 Burnett Street, Ashburton

Tuesday–Sunday Lunch 11.30am–2pm Evening dining from 5.30pm Phone 03 615 7202 www.austin92.co.nz 134 King Street, Temuka

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PORK

Pigs over dairy make’s business and environmental sense for Taranaki farm IMAGE: The Stanley Brothers switched from a

70-year tradition of dairy farming, to expand their piggery and cropping operations

team in the 1960s, dividing their time between developing the piggery and managing the dairy farm. Currently, the piggery has 400 sows and 3,800 growers. However, five further sheds are going up, with plans to expand to 500 sows and 5,000 growers.

“A lot of planning went into the switch from dairy,” says Karl. “We recognised that we could use the land and the effluent from the piggery to better advantage. On the cropping side, we are now averaging about 24 tonnes per hectare of dry matter annually and we’ve done about 1,600 hay bales this season, all to be sold off locally.”

All effluent from the piggery goes into a 70m by 5m deep pond and is directly pumped into the irrigation system, with controls to ensure it is applied evenly.

“Growing and selling crops, rather than producing grass for our own cows, means that we are effectively transferring all nutrient produced by the pigs off farm, rather than the cows putting more nutrient into the ground,” says Karl.

Switching from a 70-year tradition of dairy farming, to expand their piggery and cropping operations, has paid off for the Stanley family, who were finalists in the 2020 Taranaki Ballance Farm Environment Awards.

WORDS AND IMAGES SUPPLIED BY NZ PORK

The 131 Ha Stanley Brothers farm at Oaonui, near Opunake, has not needed to use any commercial fertilisers for the past 20 years.

Instead, effluent produced in their indoor piggery is piped through an irrigation system.

The effluent was previously used to produce grass for the dairy herd but now the maize, hay and silage produced instead is sold to other local farms.

“When we had the cows, they were putting more effluent onto the land,” says Karl Stanley, who runs the farm with his father Noel and his uncle, Ron.

“Now we can put controlled amounts of pig effluent exactly where we need it, not where the animals decide to put it. Selling the crops to local farms as feed also cuts down on fuel use, as it isn’t being trucked from further away.”

The comparatively small environmental footprint of commercial pork farmers in New Zealand provides opportunity for the sector. Pig farming currently contributes just 0.2 per cent of New Zealand ’s total Greenhouse Gas agricultural emissions.

New Zealand Pork is working with farmers to achieve a carbon neutral commercial pig farming sector by 2050.

The late Noel Stanley and his brother, Ron, now deceased, purchased the land in 1947 after returning from military service in WWII. They established the dairy herd and a small piggery—balanced with Noel senior’s duties as manager of the All Blacks during the 1970s.

Noel Stanley senior welcomed his two sons, also named Ron and Noel. They joined the

In other measures, to reduce energy use, all lighting in the business is being converted to LED. The farm also has a licence to import grain from Australia to feed its pigs, which comes in to their local port, minimising road transport.

“Visitors to the piggery and farm are amazed at what we are doing,” says Karl. “They see the high welfare standards and conditions for our pigs and they are very interested in the changes we have made to create both business and environmental benefits.”

New Zealand Pork is supporting its farmers to understand the emissions profile of their farms, understand options for emissions reductions at farm level and helping them implement mitigation measures to reduce emissions.

The organisation is committed to ensuring every farmer has conducted an environmental assessment and has a Farm Environment Plan in place to manage the environmental risks and opportunities on their farms. It is also promoting the adoption of Good Farming Practice principles on farm to support improvements in the ecological health of freshwater environments.

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SHEEP & BEEF

Reversing triple drench resistance is possible IMAGE: A study is showing that by working together, breeders and lamb finishers can prevent triple drench resistance developing

the source of refugia to reduce the risk of introducing more harmful parasite species and then every 28 days to monitor parasite burden Andrew says results to date show an improvement of the drench status with both approaches, as well as a reduction in overall drench use.

“However, as it takes time to improve the drench status on farms, the study is being carried out for three years to ensure these results are reliable.”

The next FECRT to assess the drench status of the study farm will be carried out in Autumn 2022.

Based on these early results, Andrew recommends finishers know the drench efficacy status (FECRT) of the worms on their farm and the worm challenge (FEC).

He says using highly effective drenches, maintaining refugia and reducing the number of drenches each lamb receives will slow the development of drench resistance.

Triple drench resistance threatens the viability of intensive lamb finishing systems, but a recent study has shown that by working together, breeders and finishers can address the problem.

WORDS AND IMAGE PROVIDED BY BEEF + LAMB NEW ZEALAND

The study was initiated by the Wairarapa Producer Group which included breeders and finishers working together in a lamb trading arrangement. It was led by Renee Hogg from Inside New Zealand with technical expertise from PGG Wrightson vet Andrew Dowling, AgResearch’s Dr Dave Leathwick and Aiden Smith from South Wairarapa Vets.

Andrew Dowling says information generated from faecal egg count reduction tests (FECRT) inform the breeder about which drenches are working on their farm and is valuable information to a finisher.

“Ineffective drenching costs money in lost production and time.”

Recognising the value of working together to address the issue of drench resistance, the group found there was little practical advice on introducing refugia into a lamb finishing system and the impact this would

have on drench efficacy. They also wanted to understand any negative outcomes from introducing refugia.

Before the study started, and before the lambs left the breeders, a FECRT was carried out on all breeder farms and the finishing farm (study farm) to know the drench resistance status.

Two areas of the study farm, diagnosed with triple drench resistance, were used to try different parasite management practices so that lamb finishing would still be a feasible option.

On one area of the study farm, a percentage of lambs (ranging from 5 to 25%) sourced from a farm with drench susceptible parasites (source of refugia) were left undrenched for a full grazing rotation while the remainder received their quarantine drench.

On another area of the study farm, all lambs were quarantine drenched with a novel active drench as has been farm practice for many years. Subsequent drenching was with a triple combination or a novel active depending on the results of the drench check (a faecal egg count (FEC) was carried out 10 days after drenching to confirm drench and drench protocol is working).

Faecal Egg Counts and larval identification were also carried out on the lambs that were

“You can only identify drench susceptible parasites from a recent FECRT on the farm supplying the lambs.

“Know the parasites you are purchasing and if you’re selling animals, having drench susceptible parasites could be valuable.”

Effective quarantine drenching is also an important part of drench resistance management to prevent any new parasites or resistance arriving on farm via new stock.

Andrew says maintaining a population of drench susceptible parasites is vital to the continued preservation of drench efficacy in any farm system.

“Drench resistant parasites cost you money in lower growth rates and wasted investment on ineffective drench.

“Build good relationships with people you trade livestock with and keep up the dialogue on your resistance status.

“If you have a good FECRT then your parasites could be a valuable source of new refugia for a finisher.”

He says drench resistance on finishing farms is a serious risk to those selling store lambs, however, even farms with a good FECRT result can make improvements in their drench resistance management practices.

This study was funded by B+LNZ and Silver Fern Farms.

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DAIRY

Can you save on N applications over summer?

With some good forward planning, a number of partner farms in Canterbury have reduced N applications to 15–20kg a month in January and February. Many have applied other nutrients through fertilisers, so that they can apply N at low levels.

Some farmers skip N applications in January and February on areas which don’t benefit from it—like areas with high clover content or which receive effluent.

Deciding on reduced N applications is something best discussed with a trusted advisor. Some partner farms found the changes didn’t work for them, as it affected milk production, so plan your approach and talk through the issues with an advisor, to consider if it suits your farm. They can also help consider local issues, such as rainfall and weather conditions, which affect N response.

If changes this summer can’t be made, you may want to focus on improving your clover cover for next summer to give you the option to make future changes.

You can find more advice on managing N fertiliser use online at www.dairynz.co.nz/N-use.

Fertiliser is one of the biggest operating expenses on farm, and the response to N fertiliser in summer can be low and unprofitable on some farms.

WORDS BY VIRGINIA SERRA, DAIRYNZ PROJECT LEADER, SELWYN HINDS

With the new cap on synthetic nitrogen (N) fertiliser in place this season, reducing nitrogen applications over summer is a strategy many farmers are considering.

In summer, soil mineralisation rates are high and clover is growing. If soils already have enough N, applying more may not result in additional growth or be economic.

As part of DairyNZ’s work with partner farms in Selwyn and Hinds, some farmers have significantly reduced N applications over January and February, with little impact on pasture consumption. This has required careful planning but resulted in farmers saving money on fertiliser, while maintaining production levels.

Not every farm is in a position to make these changes, but it’s worthwhile considering if it’s right for your farm.

Clover cover is one factor that will affect whether you can reduce N applications— clover fixes N in the soil, providing an alternative N source to fertiliser. Established pastures with good clover cover could receive less N, whereas new pastures or areas with less clover cover will benefit more from continuing N applications.

In addition, check your soils have good PH levels and adequate levels of potassium, phosphorus and other key minerals. A deficiency in any key mineral can limit pasture growth. A clover health profile is also recommended to check if clover will flourish over summer.

Spreading effluent on paddocks is an alternative source of N to fertiliser and can allow you to reduce applications. You’ll also need to consider if you want to apply N to boost pasture growth for feed in future months.

VIRGINIA SERRA, DAIRYNZ PROJECT LEADER, SELWYN HINDS

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CONTRACTING

Rural contractors put their Hanzon a solution IMAGE: Trainee's hands on HanzonJobs app

weather/conditions to provide the work necessary to learn these jobs.

When I joined Rural Contractors in June, it quickly became clear that we were facing a labour crisis.

RCNZ, Telford and Taratahi had done some great work last year and pre -season to develop and support training. Enrolments were lumpy, Covid didn’t help and it’s become evident that new recruits to the sector are down and training falls away as a priority for contractors under the pump. I see how training organisations and HanzonJobs could operate together.

While HanzonJobs is not yet linked any qualification, it provides the sort of supporting evidence required with trainees able to record all the work they do by machinery type, terrain, weather conditions and tasks e.g mowing, cultivating, bale wrapping, harvesting.

HanzonJobs was introduced in rapid fashion last year and Richard personally mentored the 70 trainees who effectively trialled the app which records all the activities they do, producing a database with multiple benefits for trainee and employer alike.

Rural contracting is facing its toughest-ever season, with major implications for farmers and the economy, not to mention contractors, their staff and families.

WORDS AND IMAGES PROVIDED BY NZ CONTRACTORS LIMITED

It’s driven by labour shortages and when a few weeks ago I talked to Parliament’s inquiry into the future of our rural workforce. I didn’t mince words. It was put plainly to them we need support for the entire primary industry.

The MPs on the Primary Production committee are all from rural areas and I got a good hearing. I told them the brutal reality was rural contractors were short 500 skilled machinery operators this season.

Our members are working every hour, but there are only so many hours a day you can safely operate a complex piece of kit like a foraging machine.

We’ve managed to get in around 125 skilled operators for the 2021/22 season and every

one of them helps but as an organisation we are having to do that ‘pivot’ that people talk about.

Do as much as last year with less.

Our Board, along with MPI, is backing an initiative called HanzonJobs. It’s a phone-based app used by trainees in our sector to daily record the activities they’ve been engaged in.

It provides both them and their employers with good evidence of the work being done.

There’s minimal paperwork to do to sign-up for this free initiative - it really is simple and quick. Once a contractor gets started they can actually see how much training they provide. All of this data is also critical for the future of our workforce including next year’s labour imports.

We now have multiple contractors in all four RCNZ Zones signed up for HanzonJobs.

I saw the early results from HanzonJobs, engaged with Richard and was sufficiently impressed to ask my Board to back it. They are all contractors, all facing the same labour shortages and wanting to see our industry come through this. Our President and some Board members are among those who’ve signed on for HanzonJobs.

Richard Houston has been on the phone to many contractors and remains the key point of contact in guiding trainees and their mentors: work@hanzonjobs.co.nz or 027 615 6693.

While most of those who are joining are young, there’s a few more mature people who see this as a pathway to develop their own skills.

I mentioned to MPs how I hope HanzonJobs will help the industry attract more young women as part of the mix, as some are very impressive workers. One of the women MPs talked about helping her Dad who was a rural contractor in Hawkes Bay when a youngster. Perhaps we could have saved her from a life in politics if there’d been something like HanzonJobs in her day.

ANDREW OLSEN IS CEO OF RURAL CONTRACTORS NZ REPRESENTING 600 MEMBERS FROM THE FAR NORTH TO SOUTHLAND WHO MAKE UP A KEY PART OF THE $2B SECTOR SUPPORTING FARM PRODUCTION.

Richard Houston drew from his own background as a rural contractor in developing the free HanzonJobs app. He saw that every season, rural contractors train new people and see on the job learning as the best way to develop the skills. We are a seasonal industry and need the right season/

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IRRIGATION

The world of water and policy— an update from IrrigationNZ In the past few months, IrrigationNZ has been busy addressing a schedule of submissions on relevant public or ministerial consultations. Our submissions reflect our specific expert knowledge built on wide industry and policy experience. We are deeply involved with a program of wide collaboration with government agencies, regional councils, and freshwater end users.

WORDS BY STEPHEN MCNALLY, IRRIGATIONNZ PRINCIPAL TECHNICAL ADVISOR

Some of the key consultation and advocacy work performed by IrrigationNZ has included: Submission on the Regulatory Reform of Energy Efficient Products and Services The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) currently manages a system that looks at energy efficiency labels you might more commonly see on household whiteware appliances. In this legislation change, there are future options to include high energy equipment such as pumps used for irrigation systems in agriculture.

In our submission, we advocated for the adoption of IrrigationNZ’s existing codes of practice in irrigation system design and operation that already includes best practice consideration of issues related to irrigation pumping efficiency. We expressed our support for a strong safety culture in the agri-sector and suggested highlighting safety labelling considerations with systems involving electrical energy in water pumping systems. Importantly, we mentioned our reluctance to see additional compliance inspections potentially just for energy efficiency imposed on the irrigation industry.

Submission on proposed cost-recovery fees and charges under the Water Services Bill regulations This submission was part of the overall process The Department of Internal Affairs (DIA) is addressing small rural drinking water suppliers in proposed legislation changes. Whilst we agreed with the intent of the Taumata Arowai initiatives to ensure rural communities have access to safe drinking water and prevent unnecessary risks to human health, we had some reservations about the process sequence. We did not agree with the setting of any fees for small drinking water suppliers until the frameworks for activities and processes are

agreed upon. Instead, we emphasised that any fee should reflect the scale of risk of activity, and without knowing what the activity is, setting fees is premature.

Submission to MfE on the Draft Freshwater Farm Plan Regulations Discussion Document In this major legislation submission, IrrigationNZ provided a comprehensive document setting out our industry views and recommendations.

IrrigationNZ supported the intention of the proposed Freshwater Farm Plan (FW-FP) regulations but presented some compelling statements of principle and detailed responses to specific questions.

There was an emphasis in our submission on making any regulations workable in terms of getting buy-in (i.e., people accepting and using FW-FPs as a tool) rather than seeing the regulations as another compliance tick-box exercise.

Concern was expressed that highly prescriptive regulation may restrict agricultural land and water use management changes that will need to happen in the future arising from innovation and externalities.

IrrigationNZ’s five key points were highlighted as follows: 1. Certainty for the farming community will come from nationally consistent regulations but with flexibility in some regions to adopt and adapt well-established locally focused farm planning processes.

2. Timing must reflect, different regions and farming communities are at different stages of dealing with farm environmental plans. IrrigationNZ agrees that transition to a fully implemented FW-FP system needs to acknowledge existing processes and knowledge relating to those plans.

3. IrrigationNZ accepts the fundamental concept behind the FW-FPs as being the National Policy Statement for Freshwater Management – Te Mana o te Wai (TMoTW) principles. These principles establish joint obligations of communities, tangata whenua, and regional councils of New Zealand to work together in a partnership.

The TMoTW principles of environmental, social, and cultural concepts are stated in the encompassing languages of the Treaty Partners, yet they are not the sole preserve of any one party. While the NPS-FM is quite directive towards the relationship between regional councils and tangata whenua as needing renewed effort, the NPS-FW

does not require the only decision-making process to be between these two parties.

The role of the community is highlighted throughout as being critical in establishing freshwater values and actions to address risks. The reference is clear in the NPS-FW Governance and Stewardship obligations— the onus is placed on 'all New Zealanders to manage freshwater'. The language and intent of the proposed FW-FP regulations need to be drafted to reflect the active role of the food and fibre sectors accordingly.

4. There needs to be a nationally integrated approach to capacity building, through training and accreditation of FW-FP certifiers and auditors to support the development of functional FW-FP regulations.

5. Finally, IrrigationNZ advocated that any regional plan drafting, and implementation timeframe should be in alignment with the nationally determined general regulations and guidelines to enable and ensure relative consistency of processes across the country.

Submission to MfE on the Managing our Wetlands: a discussion document IrrigationNZ provided a submission on the consultation process by the MfE on. This discussion document focused on proposed changes to the definition of natural wetlands in particular relating to modified pasture that had greater than 50% of exotic plat species.

IrrigationNZ also provided commentary on how other land use activities that could impact on the protection of natural wetlands could fall under the same level of consenting scrutiny as required under the freshwater farm plan polices. Those to the activities included wet land maintenance and external activities such as quarrying.

IrrigationNZ’s knowledge and relationships enable us to present soundly based commentary and recommendations on how national and regional regulations can be refined to allow practical implementation. We are focused on how our members can meet requirements for water resource efficiency and environmental management matters within their food and fibre production operations.

STEPHEN MCNALLY, IRRIGATIONNZ PRINCIPAL TECHNICAL ADVISOR

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Co-op News New Ruralco Card Suppliers

Dates for your diary

NATIONWIDE

CHRISTMAS DAY & BOXING DAY

Porter Mechanical

All Ruralco stores will be closed from Saturday 25 December–Tuesday 28 December and will be reopening on Wednesday 29 December.

NEW YEARS DAY

All Ruralco stores will be closed from Saturday 1 January–Tuesday 4 January and will be reopening Wednesday 5 January.

For any urgent issues, call our after hours phone number: 03 307 5100

MACHINERY

Convenience

NORTH ISLAND Gisborne Rural Coach 5% discount

BUSINESS COACHING & SUCCESSION PLANNING

Tauranga

If your electricity is shortly coming off contract or you need to have a review done? We can help.

Fanlight

We have sourced great deals through our energy partners, specifically for 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.

SOUTH ISLAND SUPPLIERS

MARKETING SERVICES

5% discount

Ashburton

This includes identifying the right solution across all energy demands of your operation, ensuring the current supply is fit for purpose through a factbased assessment including: • Account analysis, recommendation, and management • Energy use assessments and reduction plans • Energy efficiency upgrades • Capacity Management • Monthly Bill Management

Ashburton Long Run Iron

Contact the Ruralco Energy team today on 0800 787 256 and we can talk through your energy requirements.

Hokonui Rural Transport

BUILDING

Up to 5% discount

Christchurch FOOD & BEVERAGE

Henrys Hornby Convenience

Gore TRANSPORT

Quoted Pricing

Rakaia

Card Supplier Award Winners 2021 Tripod fuel tanks no longer compliant As at 31 December 2021, fuel distributors will no longer supply fuel to any on-farm tripod tank.

We can help you find the best possible replacement fuel tank. Whether you are looking for an on-ground or gravity tank, we have some great alternative options which will provide you with on-going compliant fuel deliveries.

To find out more contact Sarah Bennett or Don Joseph from Ruralco Fuel on 0800 787 256.

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Rakaia River Holiday Park

Congratulations to the winners of the 2021 Card Supplier Awards

Up to 5% discount

Rolleston

MEMBERS CHOICE AWARD:

Neumann’s Tyres.

SUPREME SUPPLIER AWARD:

ACCOMMODATION

2021

FMG

Planning a Christmas function for your staff?

Check out the Dining Guide in this Real Farmer for a list of restaurants where you can use your Ruralco Card and receive a discount.

For a full list of the discounts and contact details for planning your next staff function, check out the Ruralco website, at ruralco.co.nz.

Specialty Seeds

SEED

5% discount

Timaru Absolute Flowers

FLORIST

Up to 4.25% discount Mrs M’s Café 4% discount

FOOD & BEVERAGE

Get Christmas all wrapped up with Ruralco

Working at Heights—Silo Safety Course

Christmas is just around the corner and the team at Ruralco have thought of everything, so you don’t have to.

Shop our fabulous range of pre-made gift hampers with something for everyone. Or, if you’re after something in particular, our gifting experts can craft your hamper to suit any budget in one of our elegant gift boxes. The perfect gift to send by post as a corporate gift or a treat for someone special. Choose from a range of high-quality gifts from our timeless range in store or online. Check out the latest Last Minute Gifts Flyer out now!

Ruralco will be holding two Working at Heights (Silo’s) courses in December, at the completion of this one-day training you will receive a Unit Standard qualification. There will be a half-day theory session followed by an offsite practical exercise. Course cost $295 plus GST. If you are interested, please contact: peter.jacob@ruralco.co.nz or 0800 787 256.

Join us for late night shopping at Ruralco Ashburton 9, 16 & 23 December.

Check out some of our great gift ideas on our new Facebook page @Ruralco.home

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.

Fodder Beet & Brassica Guides The latest information on Ruralco’s top selling fodder beet and brassica varieties.

Get your copy from the Ruralco team today or visit www.ruralco.co.nz for more information.

Ruralco referral Feel free to refer a friend to Ruralco or do you have new neighbours or staff that would like to know how to open a Ruralco Account? Contact Membership through the Ruralco website, by calling 0800 787 256 or visiting one of our stores.

Through our fuel partners, we make it as convenient as possible, with fuel delivered direct to your door. Not only that, Ruralco members benefit from bulk fuel pricing, so you’re always getting the best possible price that we’ve negotiated on your behalf.

Our obsession is fuelling your farm

Not a member?

Start saving today 0800 787 256

RURALCO.CO.NZ

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ACCOMMODATION

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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

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Classifieds BUTCHERY SERVICES

COMPUTERS

DRYCLEANING

ENGINEERING SUPPLIES

EQUIPMENT HIRE

FENCING

FLORISTS

FLORISTS

GLASS

HOSE & FITTINGS

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LAWNMOWERS

MOTORHOMES

PAINTERS/DECORATORS

PEST CONTROL

SECURITY SYSTEMS

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HOSE & FITTINGS

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