Rural Lifestyle Magazine April

Page 1

RODNEY'S

APRIL 2012

The lowdown on leptospirosis pg 3 The new world of hearing pg 6 National alpaca open day pg 8 The lazy man’s guide to fencing pg 10 Horsin' around: Chewing on tack pg13

ISSUE 54


EDITORIAL Liam and Brianna can hardly keep up with the feijoa volume this year.

With each day the afternoon shadows are longer, and I know you’ll probably be thinking, what happened to our summer? Easter has come and gone and we find ourselves yearning for long, fine weekends to eke out the remaining warmth from the autumn sun. But autumn has so much to offer and it’s harvest time for many of the season’s delicious treats. Given the wet summer the feijoas this year are huge and drive our children, Brianna (and Liam, to collect basket after basket of the exotic fruit.

However, I’m over feijoa chutney and find I’m now rummaging through the recipes for something different to do with them. I have found some fresh ideas in The Feijoa Recipe Book by Wyn Drabble. I’ve also found a recipe for honey feijoa cake with vanilla sugar and almonds, so can’t wait to try my hand at that. I’ll post that recipe along with the fresh ideas list on the website (rurallifestyle.co.nz), with hopefully a photo or two before the cake ‘disappears’.

traditionally served after the chestnut harvest in the Ardeche region of France. A good excuse to have everyone over for a chestnut harvest party I feel!

While I’m rummaging I’m also keeping an eye out for ideas for my other two bountiful autumn harvest foods — pumpkins and chestnuts. I have found a delicious looking recipe, garbure catalane, the Catalan version of the French main course soup which has both roasted pumpkin and chestnuts as ingredients and is topped with a picada (a fragrant blend of toasted almonds, breadcrumbs garlic and spices). Another fabulous soup to make with chestnuts is chestnut and celeriac soup with mushrooms. I’ll add these to the website also. This next one has to be a winner. Le Castanhet cake (and yes that’s the correct spelling) is a vanilla-scented chestnut cake which was

Neville Walker – Editor & Publisher Visit rurallifestyle.co.nz for a FREE subscription Letters or enquiries to Rodney’s Rural Lifestyle, RD Marketing Ltd, RD1, Kaukapakapa. Phone 09 947 3580. Email: neville@rurallifestyle.co.nz Advertising enquiries: Marlene Brown 021-854-946 Rodney’s Rural Lifestyle ©2012. All rights reserved. Reproduction in any form without permission of the publisher is prohibited. No responsibility accepted for any direct or indirect consequences arising from reliance on any content within Rodney’s Rural Lifestyle. Editor: Neville Walker. Sub Editor: Helen Martin. Writers this issue: Helen Martin, Ben Longwell, Neville Walker. Designer: Dan Stenhouse, Bgraphix. Printing: PMP maxim.

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FARMING MATTERS

The lowdown on By Helen Martin

leptospirosis

Leptospirosis is like rust, it never sleeps. RRL magazine became aware the disease is back in the news from recent reports that the Famer Leptospirosis Action Group (FLAG), which is funded by the Government Sustainable Farming Fund, Agmardt, has recently contracted Massey University researchers to find out if the disease affects productivity. Other members of the project team include Rural Women New Zealand, the Deer Farmers’ Association, Beef

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and Lamb NZ, Federated Farmers and the NZ Veterinary Association. As explained by Massey University Associate Professor Cord Heuer in VetScript (April 2012), loss of productivity in infected deer herds has been proven and “Infection in deer herds has been shown to lead to up to a 6.4kg lower average liveweight at slaughter and up to a 10 percent reduction in weaning rate.”

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Leptospopirosis is always on the radar, says Mark. It was particularly prevalent here in the human population in the 1970s, then declined markedly in the 1980s when dairy herd vaccination was introduced. Following that development, the number of people presenting with leptospirosis has markedly decreased. But, in spite of this improvement, it remains New Zealand’s most common occupationally acquired infectious disease. Unfortunately, since 2007 there has been a rise in notified cases in meat workers. This is a result of an apparent increase in the rate of infection in sheep and lambs. It is not known why this is, but it may be due to changes in management, the climate or bacteria. It is known that now 97 percent of flocks show evidence of infection to some level.

The best way to stop leptospirosis is to keep your animals’ vaccinations up to date.

I met with Mark Anderson, who has practised as a vet in Helensville for the past 25 years, to learn about the current status of the disease. Just back from a conference on the subject in Auckland, Mark explained that leptospirosis can cause meningitis and organ failure in humans and in extreme cases can cause death. At its most dangerous it can get into a community’s water supply, as recently happened in Fiji after the floods, and can threaten a whole population.

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Mark explains that leptospirosis is caused by the bacteria strain leptospira, and can occur in a wide range of animals worldwide. In New Zealand it occurs in its various strains in pigs (Mark has encountered at least one home where the pet pig lives inside!), cattle, deer, sheep, hedgehogs, possums and dogs. Rats and mice are also common carriers of the disease. Living in an animal’s kidneys, the bacteria are excreted in the animal’s urine and can be transmitted to other animals or humans in contaminated water or other contaminated matter – a dog drinking from a puddle or biting into a rat, for example, or a person rubbing her eyes after coming in contact with infected urine in a milking shed (unvaccinated dairy cows are more likely to transmit the disease to humans than beef cattle, which have less contact with humans). The mouth, eyes and broken skin can provide an entrance point. In rare cases, close contact with blood of an infected animal can transmit the infection. Leptosira bacteria love hot, humid conditions, so it is possible that the disease may become more prevalent as the planet continues to warm up, says Mark. As always, prevention is better than cure. The Department of Labour website, which defines leptospirosis as a ‘significant hazard’, offers guidelines for prevention, with cautionary case studies including “The man who dropped in an effluent pond as a joke”, “The man who lost four years of his life“ and, even worse, “Covered in shit from morning to night - the pig slaughterman.” Mark explains that the best way to stop the disease at source is to be vigilant in keeping your animals’ vaccinations up to date. Dogs, pigs and cattle can be vaccinated and all require an annual booster. There is no vaccine against leptospirosis in humans. Mark advises people to be thorough in their personal hygiene, with frequent hand washing when in contact with animals, to wear shoes at all times outside and to keep open wounds covered. In association with Rural Women New Zealand, FLAG is developing a leptospirosis website and plans to hold regular famer field days where information of the disease will be disseminated.

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Useful websites: Department of Labour www.dol.govt.nz/publications/research/leptospirosis2007/index.asp

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International Leptospirosis Society www.med.monash.edu.au/microbiology/staff/adler/ils.html


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ADVERTORIAL

hear well, participate fully in conversations, they look, act and feel younger. However, if people delay getting help for their poor hearing, they can actually appear older than they are”. Lesleigh says, “There just isn't any need for it anymore."

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Have you ever said "yes" when you should have said "no"? Do you need the TV louder than the rest of your family? Are other people mumbling? When someone’s hearing starts to fade it’s a slow, gradual process and it can be difficult to determine if there actually is a problem. One of the first signs is that the clarity of words becomes difficult to understand. People report that they start to "miss the punchline", or that they "cannot hear in background noise", or that "everyone mumbles these days". Lesleigh Smith, clinical leader and audiologist at HearingCare, has a hearing loss herself and wears two hearing aids. She says, "sometimes not hearing, and getting the wrong end of the stick makes people look more doddery than they are! If they could

If you aren't sure about your hearing, the first step is getting it checked. HearingCare has clinics in Warkworth, Sunnynook and Browns Bay. They have professional, highly trained and fully qualified audiologists who will give you a full hearing test (not just a screening) so that if there is a problem they can tell you what sounds you might be missing, and how to help. Some hearing problems are only temporary — such as a blockage of wax, or fluid behind the eardrum. In which case, they can tell you the best way to resolve these issues. Ms Smith says, "Hearing aid technology these days is miles ahead of where it was even 18 months ago. Nearly all aids are automatic, so you don't need to push any buttons, you just turn them on, pop them into your ears and off you go! Some of them even connect wirelessly to your TV so that you can listen at your own level with the sound going directly into your ears. Others can wirelessly pick up your mobile phone calls and act as a hands free system in your car. They can reduce background noises, and are more stable than they used to be, with fewer annoying issues like feedback or squealing that was common with older hearing aids." If you do need a hearing aid, then there are several avenues for funding available to you. The friendly staff at HearingCare can help to walk you through the options, and even help you with the applications and paperwork.

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ADVERTORIAL

National alpaca open By Helen Martin

day

Valerie’s focus for this year’s open day is on alpaca sales and, because she needs to reduce her over-full herd (there have been several cria born recently), there will be some good bargains. With 2 or 3 alpacas in a package, sale packages include, for example, a pregnant female with a cria at foot. In another package you can buy two females past breeding for the price of one. As Valerie says, many people are interested in owning a couple of the animals as pets, and her sale offers the opportunity to purchase some at bargain prices.

Tiger Hill Alpacas

On May 6, alpaca farms around the country will once again be open to the public. Organised by Alpaca Association NZ, this is a day when enthusiasts and breeders share their enthusiasm for and knowledge about alpacas. Children especially will enjoy the opportunity to pat and hand feed alpacas and to walk those which are halter trained. Alpaca owners will be on hand to provide information and answer questions. Below we profile three of the Rodney alpaca farms taking part.

Silverhill Alpacas www.silverhill.co.nz Established in 2004, Silverhill Alpacas is situated on 5 acres 7km north east of

Wellsford. Owner Valerie Bushell focuses on breeding huacayas but also has some coloured suris. Both huacaya and suri stud males are available for servicing females, with a live birth guarantee of a free re-mate if the dam does not have a viable cria (baby alpaca). Information on studs available can be found on the website. Silverhill alpacas are regulars on the show circuit, with competition successes showing Valerie she is on the right track with her breeding programme. Her farm shop, which is open by appointment and which will be open on May 6, sells handcrafted alpaca knitwear, felted alpaca accessories, alpaca yarn and carded alpaca fibre.

www.tigerhill.co.nz Puhoi couple Don and Melissa Bell have been breeding huacaya alpacas since 2005. Beginning with two females, they now have a herd of 40. Their strong interest is in breeding for multi-coloured fleece (light fawn to black) as this does not require dyeing. Don and Melissa are rightly proud that their alpacas and fleeces perform exceptionally well at local shows and have won several champion ribbons for both breed and fleece. Don and Melissa sell 100% alpaca knitting yarns, which are spun commercially by Mesa Fibre Mill in the Hawkes Bay. Currently in stock are yarns in black, brown, medium fawn and cream. Carded alpaca fibre ready for the home spinner is also available in a variety of natural colours.

OPEN DAY 6 May 2012 10am – 4pm

OPEN DAY 6th May 2012

Open Day Over 200 beautiful alpacas. Demonstrations of wool carding, felting and machine knitting. Alpaca clothing and gift shop. Great experience, lots of fun.

107 Monk Rd, South Head, Helensville 09 420 2185 info@waitakerealpacas.co.nz

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RURAL LIFESTYLE ISSUE 54

10.30 am to 3pm

Sunday May 6th 10am – 4pm Alpacas For Sale: Pet Males (halter trained) Pregnant females Stud Male Services And in our farm shop: Carded Alpaca fibre Alpaca Knitting Yarn Alpaca Knitwear (cash sales only) Valerie Bushell

739 Silver Hill Road, Wellsford Ph 09 423 9668 / Mob 0274 868 756 valerie@silverhill.co.nz www.silverhill.co.nz

See our herd of white and coloured huacaya alpacas at

80 Tunnel Road, Puhoi. Phone: (09) 422 0112 E-mail: tigerhill@ihug.co.nz Check out our website www.tigerhill.co.nz


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A boutique operation, Tiger Hill Alpacas provide stud services and detailed information on the studs available can be found on the website. They also sell females for breeding and males for pets. In keeping with accepted practice, they stipulate they will sell only to homes with adequate grazing where there is at least one other alpaca, as they are herd animals. All their pet males are halter trained and most have been taken to local shows.

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With a herd of over 200 alpacas, one of NZ’s largest, Hans and his team, like the Silverhill and Tiger Hill breeders, sell the animals for breeding and as pets. Bred from top blood lines from Australia and Peru, these alpacas are frequent prize winners, including 26 ribbons from 20 animals at the 2012 Easter Show.

fo CA rF L R L an EE N d m OW qu e ot asu e re

A few years ago, while still working as a chef, Hans Roecoert went to a Kumeu A and P Show and “looked into an alpaca’s eyes and fell in love.” Waitakere Alpacas was the result. The operation was moved to South Head in March 2007 to enable Hans Roecoert and Christine Walton to turn this growing business into a showpiece facility. They now sell alpacas locally, export them to Europe and Japan and run an export quarantine facility.

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Visitors on open day will hear about the history and breeding of the Tiger Hill Alpacas. Visiting hours begin at 2pm.

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STOCK

The lazy man’s guide to

fencing

Attach handle wire grip to fence wire and close grip.

By Neville Walker

Most of us don’t relish maintaining our fences, but from time to time (usually the most inconvenient time) we find ourselves battling to contain stock in their allocated pasture. As this can be the busiest time of year for contractors, getting one in now to tidy up our fences may not be an option.

Insert chain end into claw.

It’s difficult re-straining and/or replacing wires or battens without the right gear. A useful time-saver is to have with you a few essential items in a first-aid fencing bag. Stuff it with a pair of fencing pliers, some insulators, staples, a wire strainer or ‘Ezepulls’, spare crimps and safety glasses to protect your eyes. Glasses are especially important for protection from un-coiled wire that might spring back unexpectedly.

For end strain place wire strop around the strainer post. Take up as much slack in the wire a possible and attach the remaining wire grip.

Fence maintenance Where battens are leaning over at odd angles, stop and straighten them to keep the tension on the wires evenly spread and to keep the stock from getting through. If you need to tension the wires again, make sure the staples are not hammered in tight against the wire, as they will keep you from applying the right tension. Don’t over tighten wires, as when the cold weather kicks in you may find wires breaking all over the place. In fact, if you’re going to replace or install battens you can use either an adjustable batten clamp or

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batten holder to help with hammering the staples in (see Strainrite’s web site www.strainrite.co.nz) or you can hire a staple airgun if you have a few dozen to do (see www.oikoumene.co.nz).

Post installation Operate the handle back and forth to tension thea wire

Tie the wire off in a conventional knot or use a crimp sleeve.

Place anchor chain around strainer post and attach chain to grab. Remove the slack, place wire in grip and use handle to tighten the wire.

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Removal or replacement of a post can be a major drama without access to a tractor and post rammer. Strainrite have one of best instructional websites I’ve seen for us part timers, with videos covering a range of common fencing applications. Without going into too much detail, they feature a tool for lifting out an existing post (or waratah) when you don’t have a tractor handy. I would say these Strainrite lifters will cope with most situations. For re-installing posts without a tractor mounted post rammer you could either use a petrol powered post hole borer and hand rammer or an ingenious device we featured a while back (you can reference the story under “latest news” at www.rurallifestyle.co.nz), the Terraxe, which is now called the Ground Breaker Bar after Cyclone Industries bought it off the NZ inventors. While it maybe slower (and true, it’s hardly the lazy man’s ideal tool) it is simple and gets the job done - I can see proof of its effectiveness in the posts and strainers I put in a couple of years ago.

Handy reference wesbites for DIY rural fencing; strainrite.co.nz

2farm.co.nz

lifestyleblock.co.nz

Weed Control • Specialists in environmental weed control in bush blocks & wetlands • Pasture spraying – Dock, Carrot weed, Thistles • Gorse and Blackberry spraying • Woolly Nightshade (Tobacco weed) • Wandering Jew • Revegetation projects for subdivision or farm/lifestyle block beautification • Pest control

Dave Beattie 027 551 9851

09 420 6304

dave.beattie@vegetationspecialists.co.nz

www.vegetationspecialists.co.nz

Despite what many think, normal household filters don’t stop contaminants such as E.Coli from birds’ poo! Your roof and TV aerial create a very effective way to ensure E.coli goes straight into the water you and your family are drinking as soon as it rains.

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www.purewaterservices.co.nz 12

RURAL LIFESTYLE ISSUE 54

David and Christina Clee. Phone 09 422 0492 Fax 09 422 0493. Email cleedavid@gmail.com

www.lowlines.co.nz


HORSIN' AROUND

Training tip – Chewing on By Ben Longwell

Horses biting or chewing on tack is a common issue that can be very frustrating and costly. Most often, a horse will find the end of the lead rope he’s tied with and a few minutes later we find it covered in green slobber. It can be especially destructive if the horse turns his chompers onto his blanket/rug, or your bridle reins or saddle. It’s possible for a horse to develop this habit out of nervousness or a mental avoidance of your work with him. Be aware there could be aspects of your approach to horsemanship that may have inadvertently helped cause this behaviour.

tack

hidden area to avoid staining and don’t rub your eyes after tying your horse up!). Most often, it will not take long for him to discover he doesn’t like the taste. If the habit seems to die hard, you can try smearing a length of rope you no longer need with a variety of distasteful flavors (vinegar, lemon, chili powder or a specially-formulated deterrent available in some horse retail stores, for example). You can place the rope in his stall or pasture, where he can become accustomed to the idea of not chewing on rope!

As with any habit, the sooner you can address it, the easier it will be to break – don’t let it get to the stage where it becomes such a habit you can’t even walk away for a few minutes without your horse starting to munch something, as changing this extreme behaviour can take some time and consistency in re-training.

Make sure you correct the destructive behaviour whenever you observe it and can address it quickly (e.g. while grooming or saddling up). Setting up a scenario for training while you are tacking up can help provide consistency in breaking your horse of the habit. Watch him as you are grooming and brushing and use a specific verbal cue when you catch him reaching for the lead rope. Then when you’re at a distance and not able to correct it directly, at least you have a verbal cue he is familiar with.

One solution is to apply a few drops of cayenne pepper oil to the object in the area he habitually chews (test leather items in a

Remember, a horse seeks his own comfort. Make the right thing easy and the wrong thing difficult!

Rt Hon John Key MP for helensvi lle

365 Main Road, Kumeu p 412 2496 e John@Johnkey.mp.net.nz w w w.johnkey.co.nz

www.national.org.nz

RURAL LIFESTYLE ISSUE 54

13


SERVICE DIRECTORY

Round Baling/wrapping • Cultivation Digging • Effluent Pumping

New Service: Water delivery

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SERVICE DIRECTORY REGISTERED VALUERS Lifestyle Block Specialists for Southern Rodney.

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Need Sales? Talk to us now... Deadline for May issue is 27 April. Deadline for June issue is 25 May. For rates and availability, email neville@rurallifestyle.co.nz or phone 09 947 3580 / 021 377 580 or Marlene on 021 854 946. Don’t delay – space is limited.


Ea

(plus relocation costs)

 

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 

Handicrete Ea High Strength $  

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25kg Dry 40Mpa Concrete   

  

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

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Handicrete

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E! TO US YOUR MAKE EASY DD WATER Dairy $ Broom JUST A Rap 22 1250 PROPERTY 3295 Yard Shed 350mm 14CFP St High OUT STAND Floor Handle with Rapidset YOU AT Squeegee #3 2.4m Strainer Post E E S 25kg Wholesafe 95 $ High Strength 19 95 $ Safety Pack 30Mpa 39homes Tornado We25kg now offer a great range of kitset and Broom farm$buildings $ $ Containing: IELDAYTS 2475 - pick 22F95 12 Top Trade Specs N Trade Grade 4 Earmuff $ of our one LE9E1 65 Leather Canvas Handy GlovesSITEELH 1250plans or we’ll design & build from concept$to completion. Ea

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ly from on $

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