Rodney's
JULY 2011
Issue 46
National Fieldays Feature: Visit www.rurallifestyle.co.nz for our innovation showcase
People making an impact: Warren Agnew, Inventor pg3 Horsin around: Herbs to calm horses pg5 Health Feature: A phone for vision- & hearing- impairments pg6 Farming matters: Stocking your block with sheep pg8 Landscaping: Which trees and plants cope with wet areas pg11
Breaking the productivity barriers editorial
Our cover shows Prime Minister John Key opening this year’s National Fieldays in June. A much improved mood was clearly evident at Mystery Creek this year. Our particular area of interest was in finding innovations that would help break barriers to greater productivity and we were impressed by some truly ground-breaking ideas that would have marketability on the world stage. There was so much to cover we just simply couldn’t talk with every innovation entrant present, but we have managed to showcase a number on our website. We’ll be featuring stories on a few of them in future issues, but if there are any you would like more information on in the meantime just drop us an email via the “contact us” link on our website www.RuralLifestyle.co.nz Getting an invention successfully to market can be like the Holy Grail. We saw many inventions that would undoubtedly satisfy a need, but few inventors can turn their ideas into a product that can be manufactured and brought to market for a price people are prepared to pay for. A local inventor has achieved this feat, not
once, but several times. Helen Martin’s profile of Warren Agnew from Scott’s Landing gives the background to his remarkable story as an inventor selling his products locally and internationally. In this issue Logan Tudehope reports on another useful innovation we spotted at Fieldays, a telephone handset designed specifically for the hearing impaired and ideal for rural settings where power outages can be commonplace. Uniden have kindly offered one of these phone systems to give away… go on, jump onto the website (or post in your details) and enter by 22 July… you never know, you might just be the winner! Horsin’ around this month takes Sandy Reid down the herbal remedy path and in response to a reader enquiry find out which areas in Rodney you need a permit to ride (visit our website for details). Grant McKechnie shares his knowledge about trees that work well in very wet areas… and let’s face it, we have a lot of those at the moment. Lastly, as promised, Duncan McNab shares his ideas on how to stock your lifestyle block with sheep.
Enjoy the read and do visit the website to sign up to our free subscription so you can read Rural Lifestyle Magazine online and receive updates and access to the additional articles we’re adding right now…
Neville Walker – Editor & Publisher 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 Logan Tudehope 021 483401 Rodney’s Rural Lifestyle ©2011. 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, Sandy Reid, Logan Tudehope, Grant McKechnie. Cover image: John Key breaking the barriers of productivity. © Stephen Barker, Barker Photography. Image pg5: Wikimedia Commons/Aelwyn/Hypericum perforatum NRM.jpg Designer: Dan Stenhouse, Bgraphix. Printing: PMP maxim.
Fencing • Retaining • Decking • Landscaping • Gates • Hardware • Nails • Staples • Concrete • Plywood
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RURAL LIFESTYLE ISSUE 46
Innovation
Warren Agnew:
inventor By Helen Martin
Standing on Warren and Lois Agnew’s patio at their Scotts Landing property, you can see and hear dozens of the some 200 beautiful, cheeky tui they feed daily. It’s an amazing experience and, for the Agnews, is one of the many advantages of running an innovative business from home.
schools around the country, firstly in Warkworth, where they met.
Warren is an inventor, responsible, with plenty of input from Lois, for a number of ingenious creations that have caught the public imagination and are in hot demand. Included in these creations is the water purifying device, Tank Vac, which we profiled in Issue 42.
and music lover, developed a unique music programme for
Before setting out on his current path, Warren and Lois had a rich and varied life working as primary school teachers in a number of
school orchestra, for which he wrote the music for some 10 years.
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While teaching at Warkworth Primary School Warren, a pianist the students, initially arranging for renowned conductor Juan Matteucci to bring the Auckland Symphonia to stage concerts for both adults and school children. Matteucci’s insistence that Warren conduct the Symphonia during rehearsals lead him to setting up a This was an orchestra where children were taught by teachers who
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did not themselves play the instruments. By the third year of the programme Matteucci was sending overseas soloists to Warkworth to admire ‘his children’. The programme was so successful that, in time, the school orchestra was invited at times to play with the Symphonia, including in concerts at the Auckland Town Hall.
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After a year’s secondment to the Race Relations Office, where he was employed to write a cross cultural programme for primary schools, Warren came back north with Lois in the early 1990s to teach at EBH252L Oruawharo Primary School in Wellsford. It was there that he came up with his first invention, a device that both solved an immediate problem for his students and set him off on an exciting new career path.
animals. This compound has now been
Always keen to get his students involved in understanding the natural world, Warren had given a class the task of watching a grey warbler nest from a hide. When a stoat predated the nest, Warren found that DOC had no satisfactory solution and realised a new kind of trap was needed. Warren’s idea, an electronic
involved in - footprint monitoring as part
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h Performance Light Weight BBA520 uced Exhaust Emissions $ y Starting Loop Handle ionmentally Friendly 4cc While the students loved their music, an unexpected bonus came in the form of better literacy results. In a few short years it became readily apparent that there had been a dramatic improvement in children’s literacy skills. Warren attributes this to the fact that learning to discern musical notes helped children hear the individual sounds in spoken language more clearly. At this time many 5 year old children with high frequency hearing loss were simply not detected.
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invited to spend two years running small country schools, firstly in Te Whaiti and then in Minginui. Warren greatly enjoyed his time there “hunting and fishing doing all the Barry Crump things” and while in Te Whaiti was invited to be a member of the Te Whaiti Nui a Toi Trust, the only Pakeha to be honoured with such a position at that time.
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patented both in NZ and internationally. An offer by the Todd family to direct research developments led to the Tank Vac P-49208 invention, and offers of partnerships with university researchers followed. Warren now has inquiries from all around the world and locally about one of the most exciting developments he is of pest eradication. It was one of Warren’s
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horses By Sandy Reid
While there are many products on the market for horses and many brand names to choose from, more and more horse owners are turning to natural therapies.
Come along and hear Robyn Mauger from Nutritech who will be talking about equine nutrition and common problems. Takanini Feeds will also showcase their equine feed range with lots of free samples and information to give away. We’ll also tempt you with delicious sausages from the BBQ! Where: The Farm & Lifestyle Centre, 2-4 Morrison Drive, Warkworth When: 12pm - 1.30pm, Thursday 28 July
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Herbs can help take the edge off excitable or over-anxious horses, particularly when travelling, float loading and at shows, without there being a strong sedating effect. Please consult with your vet when combining these with any medication. Below is a list of herbs that may help with calming or behaviour issues. As all horses are different, you may have to experiment a little with blends and dosages to get it right.
Bacopa Bacopa monniera is used with Ayurvedic human-healing practices for improving memory and learning. It is thought that Bacopa works on specific pathways in the brain (for people and horses) for memory, learning and relaxation.
Hypericum A rather slow acting herb which works primarily in the brain. As it takes time you may not notice results for a few days. Could be useful when bringing an anxious or nervous animal back into work.
Valerian A calming herb known widely in the equine world. (Humans use it for insomnia, nervous tension and anxiety.) Also useful for muscle cramp. Takes effect about 30 minutes after being taken. Taken twice a day for a week hopefully gives you a calm horse for four days or so. Note that its use is banned by FEI or Racing Rules. To avoid a positive swab you need to stop using it for at least three days before competition. An equine herbal consultant will be able to give you the best advice regarding this. You could probably give 15/20ml of a 1:2 extract.
Rescue Remedy I have found this works with our equine friends as well. So when your horse is a little tense, a squirt under the tongue can work wonders and make your ride a lot more relaxed and enjoyable for you both. As I mentioned in a previous article, do not discount the effects of the toxin binders already on the market. As with herbal remedies, trial and error will help you see what works for individual horses. Happy Horsin’ References: www.equineherbals.com www.thehorse.com
RURAL LIFESTYLE ISSUE 46
5
horsin' around
Herbs to calm
Equine Nutrition and Health
Health Advertorial
Phone help for the vision- & hearing-
impaired By Logan Tudehope
We rural folk are all too well aware of how frustrating power outages can be, especially when our flash, cordless bells 'n' whistles phone is also on the blink. It’s worse for the vision- or hearing-impaired, for whom the phone can be a lifeline. For these folk its loss is not only stressful, but potentially hazardous. With this in mind, the cunning team at Uniden have produced a highly featured phone with a base unit that works during power cuts and has a cordless remote handset. This phone, which has been specifically designed for the vision- and hearing-impaired, sports a number of innovative features. Particular attention has been paid to the design of the antenna and reception systems to maximise clarity and signal strength.
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Perhaps the most interesting feature is the Text To Speech technology. The phone effectively 'reads' text and generates speech. I first came across this Jetsonesque technology as a result of the recent driving legislation regarding the use of cell phones. I bought a hands-free kit which claimed it could read all the names recorded in my cell phone and say them back to me, without my physically connecting the two together. I was very sceptical but have found it works remarkably well. The integrated digital answering machine has a slow-playback option and can be accessed from the cordless. A “Do Not Disturb” function mutes the ringer, and the user relies on the visual alert for incoming calls on both the handset and the base. Alternatively, the ringer can be made extra loud - volume controls are conveniently located on the handset. The units feature large, brightly lit buttons and screens and are, of course, hearing aid compatible. Affectionately known as the SS E27+1, the phone has all the features one expects from a top of the range unit such as intercom, conference calling and phone books. In addition to assisting the vision- and hearing-impaired, this product has broad applications across particularly quiet, or overly noisy workplaces. With a twoyear warranty and a very snappy look, the Uniden SS E27+1 is well worth considering. For details of retail stockists please visit www.uniden.co.nz. We have one of these wonderful Uniden phones to give away and all you need to enter the draw is to visit our website www.rurallifestyle.co.nz where you’ll see the details, or send your name, including a contact number to us at Rural Lifestyle Magazine, RD1 Kaukapakapa, Auckland 0871. Ed.
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GORSE GONE IN A DAY Improve your land’s value in hours by removing gorse and other noxious weeds without chemical sprays Transforming paddocks from unusable eyesores into great looking areas that help pay for themselves is keeping Ken Borg’s company busy. Ken has been in business since 1997 as a qualified builder and started All About Earth Moving in 2005 to offer clients a range of land enhancement services. The purchase of an $80,000 mulching attachment to his digger gave the company an edge and led the company into a whole new area of land clearing services. The firm’s go-anywhere digger is able to clear acres of gorse, long grass and noxious weeds in a matter of hours. “Land is expensive and so owners need to make every inch pay for itself,” says Ken. “Whether they want to increase grazing land for their cattle or increase the land’s resale value, removing unwanted shrubbery such as gorse can make a big difference.” All About Earth Moving’s services really is a case of ‘no job too big’ as its machinery is able to access any gradient and plough into gorse the size of trees — and mulch it down to nothing. “The mulcher is very powerful and can turn gorse into tiny fragments,” says Ken. “Getting good results is far quicker than spraying which can take months to kill gorse. Even after gorse is dead, it still sits on the land looking brown and horrible – it can take years to deteriorate and break down. “Using the mulcher gives an instant result, the gorse is there one moment and gone the next.” Mulching gorse saves on using expensive and dangerous chemical sprays too, says Ken. “There is a place for spraying gorse because we all know that this is a hardy weed that doesn’t die easily,” says Ken. “Gorse seeds can live in the ground for up to 50 years — so the best anyone can do is manage the problem.” Ken recommends people save money by using a selective spray on gorse re-sprouting that may appear the following season after the machine has been over the land. “Gorse can really choke up the land, so by removing it we give grass a chance to grow,” says Ken. “Of course, gorse may begin to sprout in time, so we recommend the land owner keep an eye on this and perform targeted spraying when required, normally the following season. “This saves a fortune in chemicals and is better for the land. Mass spraying of large areas is not something I would recommend as it can also take out native bush that you are trying to keep.
“Mulching breaks up the gorse so it rots down and puts nutrients into the soil to promote grass growth, the mulch also stops soil run off when it rains. Ken says real estate agents value the work his firm does as removing gorse increases the chances of land being sold. “Real estate agents know we can make land far more attractive and sellable — after all — who wants to buy land covered in acres of gorse and other noxious weeds? “What we can offer people is a very quick way to add value to their land. So it is a perfect solution for land owners who need to free land up for grazing live stock.” Apart from gorse, All About Earth Moving can remove all sorts of noxious weeds on steep hills, including trees still standing in place down to ground level. “Using track grips fitted to our digger means our machinery can go anywhere,” says Ken. ”And while long grass may not be such a big problem during winter, in summer it can be a fire hazard. We can remove it quickly and easily and give landowners peace of mind.” Some people find it hard to understand what an effective job the company’s machinery can do.
“So we had a video made so people can see with their own eyes how we can transform a paddock in hours — anyone can watch it on our website,” says Ken. Using such powerful machinery, health and safety comes first, second and third for Ken. “The safety of people, livestock and property is the top priority for us,” he says. “We understand we are working on other people’s land with very powerful machinery. So health and safety is a priority.” Naturally, the company is fully insured so landowners can be confident that if anything untoward did happen on site, they will not be left out of pocket. “Our business is built on our reputation, people trust us and building on that trust is very important to me personally,” says Ken. Watch All About Earth Moving’s video at the company’s website: www.allaboutearthmoving.co.nz For more details about the company’s range of services, call: 0800 600 500, 09 425 4520 or 021 635 577. Email: Ken@allaboutearthmoving.co.nz
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We’ll make quick work of the tallest gorse on steep, hard-to-reach sites. Steep gullies and hillsides are often left for gorse to overtake because it’s too difficult to control. Spraying requires a lengthy die-off period and still leaves the problem of removal. Burning can promote rapid re-growth and can damage non-target vegetation. With our new 22.5 tonne machine and its fixed tooth
mulching head we go where no others have before. We’ll turn gorse-ridden land into productive farm land quickly and efficiently. You’ll save on spraying costs and re-vegetation or re-sowing can start immediately. Any gorse regrowth can then be more easily managed and maintained.
Also ask us about mulching whole trees in place, storm damage work, shelter belt removal, scrub and other noxious weed removal - spray-free! $5,000,000 Public Liability Insurance covering all fire risk
Call Ken Borg 0800 600 500 | 021 63 55 77 A/Hrs 09 425 4520 | Fax 09 425 4521 ken@allaboutearthmoving.co.nz www.allaboutearthmoving.co.nz
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Helen Martin talks to Duncan McNab about stocking a lifestyle block with sheep.
You need to capitalise on farmers’ good work breeding and selecting for 100 years in New Zealand. They select them from between three to four thousand sheep
Look for your meat breeds. In most areas in New Zealand you’ll find Suffolk, South Suffolk and Poll Dorset. Texels are popular, and there are very good quality Southdown in the South Island. Look Custom-made sliding at cross breeding. You can hybrid-cross or bi-folding Wardrobe them. For example, for a first cross you Custom-made sliding Door System allows may use a Suffolk or a Poll Dorset over or ewe. bi-folding Wardrobe a Romney That develops hybrid efficient access to Door System allows vigour, which brings outstorage the good traits space access to a of both breedsefficient and generally gives you stronger, healthier storage lamb. space New Zealand for a hundred years. It’s
By Helen Martin
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become stressed because lambing’s a new experience, so they tend to get up and run away, rather than stay with the lamb.
How do you go about buying your sheep?
and is prone to lameness. Managing the ewes’ feed requirements pre- and post-lambing is an experienced farmer’s forte and avoiding/treating lameness is a thankless task.
Buy from your local farmer. Most farmers start culling in December. Find one who’s worked hard breeding a line of sheep and buy the old ewes he’s culling because they’re four to six years old and struggling to handle the pressure of competing for grass (because their teeth have changed shape and are worn down). Those sheep do really well on a quiet, user-friendly ten or twenty acre block. They can live till they’re eight years old, still producing quite comfortably.
When you pick your breed you need to avoid over vigorous sheep. Avoid the Cheviots, which can clear a small building in a single bound! Your Border Leicester is generally a quiet breed, but can be hard to handle because of their size.
Work out a deal with the farmer so you pay whatever he gets for the sheep he’s culling by selling them to the yards or the meatworks, or you might pay a percentage more if you get the pick of them. That’s fair for both parties.
Dorpers shed their wool so you don’t have to shear them, but you have to put up with wool around your paddocks and it takes years to break down. Dorpers don’t do well in our wet climate. Because their toes grow very fast they can get scald or footrot very quickly. They’re new to New Zealand, so let the breeders breed them for another 30 or 40 years to get rid of all those problems before you go near them.
What about buying a ram?
Poll Dorsets: fast maturing and great composition.
Go to a ram fair or a local breeder, or ask a farmer where he buys his terminal sire rams, or buy an older ram that will do for a season.
What’s your advice on stocking rates?
Generally in this area you can comfortably graze 80 sheep on 20 Proof Sheet for Ad Booking # acres and 40 sheep on ten acres, but it depends entirely on your
The Texel was in fashion a while ago. They’re a good meat sheep, land (contour and soil type), fencing, fertiliser, grass species and they’ve got double muscles, but they have trouble lambing because water supply. You should need only one ram, so a proven sire is Date: they have a very thick head and shoulders. They grow well, but safer for fertility. If you overstock you bring in a lot of problems, so they’re not as fast maturing as a Poll Dorset. get advice from a local farmer or farm advisor.
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Besides breed, what else do you need to consider?
Do you have any thoughts on pet sheep?
Age is important. If you buy young sheep you get four or five From: Pet lambs are one of life’s childhood pleasures. Try and rear a years’ breeding out of them. But when you buy a two-tooth you ewe lamb that can be re-introduced into the flock to become a Phone: also buy its breeding problems. Young maiden sheep have a higher productive asset. Any pet lamb will bring joy and laughter, but percentage of birth problems so you have to be a lot more handsavoid leaving any as rams. Later in life when they want to play it Number: on with them. The birth has to be quick and efficient. Two-tooths Faxcan be dangerous to your health!
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• We specialise Size:in taxation advice and Size: services to farmers and lifestyle Advertisement is iscorrect: Yes Alterationrequired required correct: Yes m Alteration mm •Advertisement We specialise in taxation advice and services block owners. Signed: Date: Signed: Date: to farmers and lifestyle •block owners. Expert knowledge on the taxation • Expert knowledge on theof taxation of and subdivisions. landsales landsales and subdivisions. •• WeAdvice on the best structure for andand • We specialise specialiseinintaxation taxationadvice advice • Advice on the best structure for you - lifestyle services to and you Company, Trust, Partnership. services to-farmers farmers andlifestyle Price: Price:
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landscaping
Water, water
everywhere
By Grant McKechnie
As I write this, it’s raining again. I’ve just come inside, having got a machine stuck in a water-logged paddock, and when I look at our lawn, I doubt it will be dry enough to mow before spring without risking the ride-on becoming a submerged hazard. So, writing this column about plants for wet places seemed an obvious choice. By wet, I’m not talking about damp soils, or soils that are wet for the first 5 to 10cm (2 to 4 inches) and okay underneath. By wet soils, I mean soggy, boggy, swampy bits of ground that ooze over your boots if you walk on them. And even if the ground
dries up a bit in summer, it’s the winter wet that you need to plant for. There’s a limited selection of plants that will cope with these conditions, but before I get into specifics, here are a couple or three tips to consider. It’s asking quite a lot of a plant when you take it from a nursery situation where it has had good drainage and then throw it in the deep end (so to speak) by planting it in that
brown porridge-like slurry you’re calling soil. If you can plant just back from the wet a fraction, this allows the plant’s roots to migrate over time into the wet, acclimatising as they go. Something else that’s worth thinking about, particularly when planting
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RURAL LIFESTYLE ISSUE 46
11
Big trees Black alder Evergreen alder Swamp gum Poplars Weeping willows Kahikatea Swamp cypress Pond cypress River birch
Medium growers Swamp flax Manuka Cabbage tree
Taxodiums will grow in swampy ground or standing water.
Small growers revegetation natives in a wetland area, is to delay planting until late spring. Generally, we aim to get rural planting done between May and September, so that the plants get themselves semi-established before the first summer dry comes along. However, if it’s a wet area, planting can safely be delayed a month or two because there will be an underlying dampness in the soil. By planting later, the soil is over the worst of the wet and starting to warm up and your plant is more active. As it is putting on spring growth and transpiring it is much more able to use the moisture. (In summer, wet soils can look drier than
normal soils because they get hard and crusty on top, but underneath the crust they will have an underlying level of moisture.) The exception to the ‘plant later’ rule are the bare-root willows, poplars and alders, which are better planted through the winter months. Taxodiums (swamp cypress and pond cypress) don’t care how wet it is when you plant them either, and they’ll grow happily in standing water. Here is a selection of plants suitable for wet soils — but they don’t have to be in boggy soils, they’ll also grow in damp or normal conditions.
Wet tolerant members of the carex (native grass) family Cyperus ustulatus (native sedge) Ficinia nodosa (knobby clubrush) Juncus gregiflorus (common rush) Juncus pallidus (giant rush)
With any planting it’s important to choose the right plant for the right place, and it’s even more critical when dealing with wet areas. If you’ve made the wrong choice, it very quickly becomes apparent. Enjoy the mud while you can.
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RURAL LIFESTYLE ISSUE 46
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