THE AVAILABILITY of quality labour remains the number one issue for many dairy farmers.
That’s the view of AgFirst chief executive and dairy consultant, James Allen who says while compliance issues tend to dominate the headlines around the dairy sector, it’s the ongoing problem of labour that occupies the minds of dairy farmers. He says any ideas that help resolve the labour issues are being looked at seriously by dairy farmers.
“That includes milking frequencies such as once a day milking or ten in seven or three in two,” he says.
Allen says they have a number of clients who are saying “can we review their farm systems and does that mean they shift to a lower input cost system”.
“I wouldn’t say it’s wholesale change but there does seem to be a bit of trend towards that rather than going the other way. If you could pick a trend, is it high or low input, it’s trending down rather than up,” he says.
Another factor of concern to farmers is their financial position and he says AgFirst forecast this some time ago. He says there has been some massive cost increases and people have just put on their spring fertiliser, cut their silage and done their cropping programme. He says as a result there’s been a lot of expenditure in the last couple of months.
Allen says at the same time interest rates have increased and many farmers are facing some pretty significant tax bills from the previous year.
“So, it’s all coming to a head at once and cash flows are reasonably tight on many farms.”
Commenting on the current season, Allen says it has been late and there have been “some unusual things happening”.
He says dairy production is certainly behind last season and most regions have had a pretty challenging spring, which has been characterised by heavy rain and a lack of sunshine. Allen says as a result there wasn’t much silage made until late into December and that was probably an indication of just how tough the season has been.
“A number of maize and forage and brassica crops had to be re-planted because it was so wet in a number of areas. The only region that seems to be enjoying the season so far is Southland which, by and large, has had a great season and from what we hear they are looking for a little bit of rain at the moment,” he says.
Allen says Fonterra is indicating a crop in milk production and that is consistent with what his people are seeing. He says, on the positive side,
most areas have had some pretty good rainfall in the past week or so and that bodes well for January/February production. The hope is that production can be maintained without having to feed out too much supplementary feed. He says with the good weather, a lot of late silage and hay is being made.
While Allen concedes it’s challenging times for dairy farmers, with a lot of negative talk, he says there is still a lot of positives and opportunities. He says one of the indicators of this may come in the following weeks when news about farm sales becomes clearer. He says up until now there have been both good and poor sales, but there is hope that things will improve.
DAIRY PRICES have started 2023 on a soft note.
However, analysts are banking on China ending its Covid-zero policy to lift prices in the coming months.
Westpac’s senior agri economist Nathan Penny says the bank is sticking to its forecast milk price of $8.75/ kgMS for this season.
“Prices in late 2022 had been weaker than we had factored in,” he says.
“At the same time, the change in Chinese Covid policy has come sooner than we had anticipated. On balance, that leaves our forecast unchanged.”
Fonterra narrowed its forecast milk price range last year to $8.50 - $ 9.50/ kgMS, with a midpoint of $9/kgMS. ASB has been forecasting $9.40/kgMS and is expected to review its forecast this month.
Penny notes that over the first two auctions of 2023, overall prices slipped 2.8%.
“However, we anticipate that this weakness will not last,” he says.
“Indeed, the abrupt end to China’s Covid-zero policy should see its economy rebound rapidly.
“For example, we expect the Chinese economy’s growth to double to 6% over calendar 2023, from around 3% growth over 2022.”
More importantly, Chinese consumers are now free to move about. That
will lead to a rebound in demand, particularly for dairy products (such as butter) used in restaurants and other food service outlets, he says.
Notably, by the end of 2022, the share of New Zealand’s dairy exports going to China had dipped below that of the rest of Asia.
But as Chinese dairy demand rebounds, this trend should reverse.
Penny points out that the counter argument to this view is the rapid rise in Covid cases in China.
And on this basis, Chinese consumers could limit their movements in order to avoid infection.
“However, the anecdotes that we’ve seen to date suggest that Chinese consumers are by and large preferring to embrace their newly found freedoms at the risk of contracting Covid,” he says.
“Moreover, international experience has shown that the Omicron variant moves so rapidly through the population that the associated Omicron wave
GLOBAL DAIRY Trade (GDT) auction prices were largely unchanged last week.
Overall prices were down 0.1%, while key whole milk powder (WMP) prices were up 0.1%.
Looking at January as a whole, dairy prices have started 2023 on a soft note.
Nathan Penny notes that cumulatively over the month, overall and WMP prices have fallen 2.8% and
1.2%, respectively.
“By product, most price movements were also small,” he says.
“Of the five products we monitor, four products posted prices changes of less than 1% either way.
“The outlier was cheddar, which saw a 4% price lift overnight. This result was largely in line with futures market expectations.”
passes quickly.
“In terms of timing, we expect dairy prices to begin to rebound over the next month or two.
“The Lunar New Year and existing stock levels may muddy the waters in the short term, but beyond that we expect underlying Chinese demand to lift.
“With that in mind, from around late February or early March we should have a clearer indication of whether our view holds either way.”
THE YEAR is 2010
and Loshni Manikam –co-owner of a Southland farm, wife and mother –tells her husband for the second time that she is unhappy with her life.
“I remember a moment when I could see the raw pain and confusion in his eyes and face,” she writes in her new book The Rural Women Dilemma. She describes that moment as a ‘breaking point’; she had to get up and do something.
conversations with women through my coaching sessions or workshops and I see the same struggles and patterns come up repeatedly – but each woman feels like she’s the only one.”
Manikam says a major part of writing the book is to bring awareness and attention to the fact that rural women are struggling.
everything is going well.
“It takes courage and vulnerability to take off the Mask and be your authentic, imperfect self. But I would encourage them [women] to find safe spaces to take off that Mask sometimes –otherwise you spend your entire life being a fake
version of you,” she says. “I encourage more rural women to talk about our imperfect lives and our struggles, so that we can start normalising it for all women.”
She says many women feel as if it’s their fault when they are unhappy, as though there’s
something wrong with them.
“That’s a key reason why I do the work I do –to help women see that there’s nothing wrong with them,” she says. The Rural Women Dilemma is available for purchase on Amazon or via thrivingfarmingwomen.com
Thirteen years on from that moment, and Manikam, originally from South Africa, has released a new book inspired by her experiences, both in those low moments and in her career since as a coach and facilitator working with rural women.
She has since gone on to win the Dairy Woman of the Year competition in 2018.
“I want to help rural women see that they are not alone and there is nothing wrong with them if they sometimes struggle,” she told Dairy News.
“I’ve been privileged to have hundreds of
“I’m inspired to write this book because I think we need more national action on this and I hope that the book will spark some of that conversation and action.”
She says the ‘rural women dilemma’, after which the book is named, is the battle between putting the needs of family, business and community and your own needs.
“A lot of women are stuck with this dilemma because they are expected to do the first and there is little support to do the second. But it’s very difficult to continue to look after others when you are struggling,” Manikam says.
She says there’s a need women feel to wear a ‘Mask of Perfection’, adding there is pressure on women to pretend
“I want to help rural women see that they are not alone and there is nothing wrong with them if they sometimes struggle.”
FONTERRA IS using an electric truck for the first time to cart its products in Auckland and upper Waikato region.
The Volvo FL Electric truck is the first step by the co-operative to reduce its scope-two emissions, i.e. emissions that a company causes indirectly when the energy it purchases and uses is produced. In July Fonterra also added its first fully electric milk tanker to its ranks.
The new Volvo FL Electric is powered by either a single 135kW/425Nm electric motor paired to a 600V system comprising four 66kWh batteries. It boasts a range of roughly 200km
per charge, making it ideal for delivery runs within the city.
Fonterra took delivery of the truck last month at its Fonterra Brands NZ Distribution Centre in Mangere and it’s now in use.
Fonterra Brands New Zealand managing director Brett Henshaw says that the new truck is an important step for the co-op as it looks to reduce emissions across its entire supply chain.
“Our objective is to fulfil our co-op’s longterm commitment to be a leader in sustainability, while also upholding our customer commitments.
It’s great to partner with Volvo Trucks NZ, and one of the largest groups supporting the New Zealand transport industry, Sime Darby
Motors NZ.”
The new truck is one part of Fonterra’s wider fleet decarbonisation plans. Last year it implemented a new policy that all light vehicles that can be electric be transitioned when they are next replaced.
Fonterra’s aim is for more than 300 light vehicles to be electric vehicles by the end of 2023.
The co-op has 13 trucks that deliver products to supermarkets and depots in Auckland and upper Waikato. It also has 50 franchisees operating 180 trucks from its 35 depots across the country, carting products to dairies and service stations.
Fonterra says it is working with its franchisees and helping develop a commercial case for them to
eventually switch to electric trucks.
The Volvo FL Electric is the forerunner of a stable of sustainable alternatives from the global truck brand. Paul Illmer, vice president emerging technology business development at Volvo Group Australia, confirmed that Volvo has a battery electric or fuel cell electric alternative for every internal combustion engine (ICE) model on the market, either currently in production or at trial stage.
Illmer says that the actual truck is only part of the solution when it comes to New Zealand’s transition to sustainable transport.
“Tools, expertise and infrastructure are essential to deliver operational peace of mind
for New Zealand transport companies as they make the shift to e-mobility,” said Illmer.
“Selecting the right model and specification for both application and route is critical, as is driver training, specialist after sales support, and charging infrastructure.”
At the Volvo FLE launch event last month, the Volvo Trucks technical team demonstrated route planning technology
and tools that support proactive route and battery management, giving transport operators confidence facing customer contract guarantees during their transition to more sustainable transport.
The Volvo Trucks NZ technical team has been preparing for electric trucks on the ground over the past year, flying to Volvo Global headquarters in Gothenburg, Sweden
for intensive training.
Volvo says this allow the team to certify technicians on the EV decommission / commission process and train the Sime Darby Commercial After sales network on processes required to prepare workshops to service electric trucks and become authorised EV repairers.
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TRADE AND Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor says that the global economy is moving through strong headwinds, which will buffet New Zealand this year.
“We’re focused on supporting our exporters and in particular our primary industries to adapt as issues like climate change challenge all economies,” he says.
“We will also continue to work with likeminded partners to reform the World Trade Organisation (WTO), which will provide stability and benefit for all members.”
He made the comments last week while leaving for a series of high-powered trade
meetings in Europe.
O’Connor was in Switzerland to attend the World Economic Forum and associated WTO meetings in Davos, before travelling to Berlin for the Global Forum for Food and Agriculture and meetings with German government and industry leaders.
The World Economic Forum brings together civil society, business and political leaders annually to discuss some of the world’s most pressing challenges.
This year’s theme was ‘Cooperation in a Fragmented World’.
O’Connor says the theme resonated
for New Zealand especially as we continue to reconnect with the world following the pandemic.
At the forum O’Connor participated in a panel on indigenous trade, highlighting New Zealand’s Trade for All agenda. He also held bilateral meetings with trade counterparts, attended a Swiss-hosted WTO mini-ministerial meeting and a Canada-hosted “Ottawa Group” session on WTO reform.
“An area of particular priority to New Zealand is the return to a well-functioning dispute settlement system as a critical and foundational pillar of the WTO.
“The Ottawa Group meeting presents the opportunity to discuss how we work towards this goal with our partners,” he says.
O’Connor said the Global Forum for Food and Agriculture provides a platform to showcase New Zealand’s global leadership and innovation in sustainable agriculture.
Both meetings will provide important opportunities to lobby for the ratification of the EU-NZ Free Trade Agreement as well as for New Zealand’s candidate for Director General of the International Organisation of Vine and Wine (OIV), Dr John Barker.
O’Connor returns this week.
SUDESH KISSUN sudeshk@ruralnews.co.nz
CHINA’S ECONOMY
could determine how milk prices trend this year, says NZX dairy insights manager Stuart Davison.
He notes that China’s recent relaxation of Covid-zero policies has built expectations of a rapid return to normality, with some commentators expecting dairy demand to increase during the first two months of 2023.
“However, reports from within China suggest
that dairy supplies are currently adequate, and imports aren’t cheap enough to drive increased importation just yet,” says Davison in his latest global dairy update.
“Not to mention that reports are arising that consumption continues to struggle as the country returns to normality.
“Looking at China’s economy with a wider lens, there are greater concerns about the speed of the recovery of this economic giant, such as trade partners in recession during the coming year, ongoing
THE NZX global report notes that with demand for dairy products easing slightly during Q4, dairy commodity prices eased throughout, finishing the 2022 year at two-year lows.
Skim milk powder (SMP) physical prices lost 38% of their value over the last nine months of 2022, from the peak achieved in March, breaking back below the US$3,000/t mark by the end of Q4.
SMP prices remain under pressure from the surge of unanticipated EU SMP production.
NZ exports of SMP continue to track above the year prior, as stream returns continue to dictate that the SMP + Milk Fats stream is the most valuable.
Whole milk powder (WMP) prices have eased 33% since prices peaked in March 2022, falling back below the
credit and monetary issues within the country and Covid related death and sickness impacting on the economy as the virus spreads throughout the population,’ says Davison.
Analysing the final quarter of 2022, he notes that it was as uncertain and interesting as the quarters preceding.
Global supply side dynamics changed into a positive aspect, while demand shifted from “firm” to “firmish-at-best”, while the macro-economic factors leveraged more pessimistic expectations
into the market going into 2023.
Davison points out that global milk production hit the middle of 2022 in the realms of slight milk undersupply.
European milk production lagged, as EU farmers dealt with dry and hot summer conditions, along with input price inflation creating downward pressure.
US milk production picked up, as cow numbers grew slightly, along with yield increasing.
The start of the NZ season commenced slowly, with negative growth figures punctuating the first four months of the season.
US$3,250/t mark by the end of 2022.
Milk fat values are better positioned than milk powders at the end of 2022, with butter prices easing 37% from their March peak, while AMF prices are currently only 24% lower than their peak.
Butter prices have lost more value during Q4 than AMF prices, with buyers moving to the pure milk fat option as consumers change their buying habits as inflation pressures arise.
Stuart Davison says a result of the current expectations that some of the world’s economies are likely to be in recession at some point during 2023, buyers of dairy commodities are very hesitant to be overbought with the prospect of demand easing further.
“This hand-to-mouth buying habit is unlikely to change in the first half of 2023.”
However, all of these factors were flipped during the last quarter on 2022, with a wall of late season milk in Europe surprising the market, forcing dairy processors to process more milk than expected, creating excess skim milk powder in the European market, along with a sense of desperation to move product in a hurry.
“US farmers over the last few months have also managed to increase production outputs, with four consecutive months of growth, derived from both increased cow numbers, but also from increased milk yield,” he
says.
“Unsurprisingly, this increase in milk production has also driven significant growth in US exports, with skim milk powder and milk fat exports increasing to both Canada and Mexico over the quarter.
“New Zealand milk production throughout the start of Q4 was still negative, with season to date milk production at the end of November at 2.8% behind the same period prior,” he says.
December’s milk production is likely to print slightly positive,
while a wet start to January has set the majority of the NZ’s dairy regions up well for good milk production throughout January and February.
“Our forecast is still for the full season’s milk production output to be lower than the season prior, but current weather conditions indicate that the margin might be tighter than earlier expectations,” says Davison.
Looking into quarter one of 2023, it is hard to be very optimistic from the sell side of
the situation, with expectations that farm gate milk prices in New Zealand will likely retreat for the current and coming season, while dairy commodity prices continue to retreat.
On the buy side of the market, buyers are expected to continue with their cautious approach while volatility and uncertain colour the global markets. How well consumers’ finances and sentiment weather the post-Covid era will determine the short-term outcomes of the global dairy market.
‘
DEFINING THE role of the agricultural consultant for the next generation’ is the topic that AgFirst chief executive and dairy consultant James Allen is about to pursue.
He’s just been awarded a prestigious Nuffield Scholarship which means for the next 12 months he’ll be able to research his chosen topic as well as undertaking a series of overseas visits aimed at widening his knowledge of agriculture.
Allen is one of four New Zealanders selected as Nuffield Scholars this year. They include Kylie Leonard who is a member of the Fonterra Co-operative Council.
Nuffield Farming Scholarships Trust is a charity organisation whose aim is to bring positive change to agriculture through the development
of its future leaders, sending them overseas to learn from others and helping them share their brilliant ideas when they return home.
Allen, 48, also chair of National Fieldays, says the reason for choosing as his topic the future role of ag consultants is that there is a huge amount of information available to farmers on the internet and from the data they collect on their own farms.
“But the role of the farm consultant has never been greater and nor has the need, because there is some sort of disconnect going on there about information verses the application of that information. I want to look at exemplars –companies who are the best in the world at undertaking agricultural consultancy around the world. As part of that would I will be spending time in Europe, the US and UK,” he says.
Allen says as well as studying the topic of his choice he’ll also be participating in a number of tours for all the Nuffield Scholars who come from all around the world. The first of these is in March when the New Zealanders attend the global scholars conference in Vancouver in March and will provide an opportunity to learn and share ideas. He says he will then go on a four week study tour to four countries to see a range of agriculture issues. At this stage Allen says the final arrangements still have to be worked out but they will probably visit Kenya, England, Spain and Italy.
Allen says he feels very privileged to obtain a Nuffield scholarship and hopes to have his personal research paper completed in about a year.
farmer Jimmy Cleaver is a 23-year-old farm manager who is passionate about his work in the dairy sector and looking after his team.
“I went dairy farming because of the possibilities it offers me. Not many jobs allow you to climb the ladder as quickly, becoming a farm manager by 19 and then be able to go off sharemilking by 26,” says Cleaver.
“I get to work with a fantastic team, be outdoors with animals,
while still enjoying a good lifestyle, including being able to get off farm and pursue my hobbies by going hunting or diving.
“I always encourage people to give it a go and see if you like it. I believe that you never know how you will find it until you just get stuck in.”
Cleaver was named Auckland/Hauraki dairy manager of the year at the 2022 New Zealand Dairy Industry Awards and received the national DairyNZ people and leadership award.
“The first year I
entered the dairy industry awards in 2021, I went in with an open mindset.
I was young and just wanted to see what a young person could achieve, and see what I could learn and improve on,” say Cleaver.
“When I entered this year, our farm had just had a very good year. I had taken on the feedback from the year before, and ahead of the awards night I knew that I had done everything I could do to win.
“Looking at my future goals, I want to
go sharemilking in a few years’ time, and I already own some of my own cows to help achieve this. My other goal is to be able to offer others the same opportunities I have received, as I am grateful and want to pass that on to others.”
DairyNZ’s GoDairy programme continues its recruitment drive showcasing careers, like Cleaver’s, in the dairy sector.
DairyNZ strategy and investment leader Nick Robinson says the sector continues to encourage
Kiwis to join the sector, as one-third of dairy farms seek to fill on-farm vacancies.
“The dairy sector provides 37,000 on-farm jobs for Kiwis. We want to continue to recruit good people, and there are plenty of opportunities out there for keen Kiwis to join us and get involved, while starting on great salaries and having clear progression
pathways,” says Mr Robinson.
There are plenty of opportunities for young Kiwis to start on a good salary and be promoted into management roles. Farm managers can earn over $100,000. Becoming self-employed as a farm owner or sharemilker is another option on the career ladder.
Many farms offer reasonably priced on-farm
accommodation, which means no commute to work or daily travel costs, helping them save for future goals.
Dairy farm teams work closely with animals, help protect the environment, contribute to their local community and are making a difference to the future of New Zealand.
• For more information about joining the dairy sector, visit godairy.co.nz.
Not known for its dairy herds, Southern Arizona typically resembles a lunar landscape with a few unhealthy patches of scrub scattered through the area. However, about 90 minutes southwest of Phoenix at Gila Bend, Sunset Farms and its Paloma Dairy operation displays a verdant green interruption and a scale that overshadows even the largest operations in New Zealand. Our machinery editor Mark Daniel took a closer look when he was in the area just before Christmas.
FARMED BY Robert T. van Hofwegen and his wife Andrea, alongside four sons and an extended family, the operation milks 8,000+ Holstein cows alongside another 7,000 followers on the 7,000-acre property.
They are fourth generation farmers and the business was founded in 2001. It currently employs 120 people on the dairy and another 20 people on the arable side of the business.
All cattle are housed in extensive open yards at the centre of the farm, calving at just over two years old, being sustained with farm-grown feed and a minimal number of bought-in supplements.
Total Mixed Ration (TMR) is delivered to the herd by oversized mixer wagons, loaded from multiple clamps located at the centre of the farm. The ration consists mainly of alfalfa and maize silage, complemented by barley grain, triticale, sorghum and cotton seed cake.
Feed is delivered to
barriers at either side of a covered central feed passage that splits each of the large outdoor pens.
Throughout the set-up, large cooling and misting fans help to reduce the effects of the high summer temperatures.
The farm uses sexed semen for insemination, helping to reduce the number of bull calves being born, with Kyle van Hofwegen noting
that they do have some problems getting some cows pregnant due to high daily temperatures.
A team of contracted vets work on site, overseeing animal health, while all milking animals are fitted with RFID collars/transponders for heat, general health and milk-yield monitoring, meaning workers can call up an individual animal’s history using hand-held
computers.
Milking is a continuous operation carried out 24 hours per day, utilising three milking barns that house double 30-aside and double 35-aside setups. Typical average production is 35 litres per cow, per day.
Elsewhere on the vast central location, calves are reared in individual pens, being fed milk before they are moved
into mobs of similar sized animals in rearing yards as they mature and head towards their first calving.
Transitional yards, walkways and the dairy barns are scraped regularly using a fleet of self-propelled units that “vacuum” up loose slurry, that in turn is delivered to an on-farm digester plant that feeds methane into a local gas delivery facility.
More solid manures
from the holding pens and loafing areas is piled up regularly, drying quickly in the Arizona sunshine. It is then moved out onto the farm into composting heaps, before being incorporated as organic matter into the sand loam soils with underlying gravels.
The growing operations extend to 7,000+ acres, which in this arid landscape are fed by one of many local irrigation schemes, typically seeing application rates of 6-7 inches of water being applied 6 to 8 times per season. Around 5% or 350 acres of the operation is under travelling irrigators, usually fed from underground aquifers, typically around 100 metres depth. The location means that water is a valuable resource, so the farm is currently investing large sums in water management: soil moisture measurement in real time, automation of sluices in the irrigation channels and targeted delivery systems.
Most of the cropping is centred around feed production for the dairy herd, with a small amount of cash cropping utilised to deliver an effective rotation. That rotation is alfalfa-maize, silagetriticale or barley-cotton and back to alfalfa.
The cropping includes
2,800 acres of alfalfa, that will last for three years, cut up to 10 times per season to deliver 10 tonnes per acre – utilised as chopped wet forage or made into large bales on a 50:50 basis. The 1,000 acres of maize for silage delivers around 28 tonnes per acre, 1,000 acres of barley delivers about 3.5 tonnes per acre and a further 1,000 acres of triticale provides 3 dry tonnes per acre.
On top of this, the farm grows 700 acres of sorghum and 300 acres of cotton, with the latter producing three 1,500 pound modules of fibre per acre that is sold, leaving a residue that is used in the TMR ration for the dairy herd.
While it’s hard to grasp the size of the operation, alongside its location in such an alien landscape, there is no doubt that this family business uses attention to detail while embracing modern technology to run a very successful business. By contrast with NZ, there also seems to be no problem with attracting labour, although the family ensures that its many workers are well rewarded and work “sensible” hours, so they are able to spend time with their own families.
www.palomadairy.com
LEADING IN sustainability is central to Fonterra’s strategy, both here and overseas, the co-operative claims.
The co-operative says that’s how it creates long-term value for the business and generations to come.
“We’re making sustainable improvements right across our business, including how we care for the ecosystems surrounding our manufacturing sites,” it says.
These improvements are not limited to New Zealand. In Gippsland, Victoria, Fonterra’s Darnum site is located on a 280-hectare property, of which only around 6% is used for manufacturing.
It’s here that the co-op kicked off its spring vegetation project, planting 20,000 native plants and trees across four hectares to form a riparian zone.
Paul Winfield, Fonterra’s environmental manager at Darnum, says that re-vegetation projects like these play an important part in protecting and nurturing the ecosystems surrounding its site.
“We want to ensure that we’re producing dairy nutrition in a way that cares for the environment, and part of this is caring for the land around us.
“To make this happen, we’ve partnered with Habitat Creations, a local family-owned company that specialises in conservation, land management and native plant supply via its Wholesale Nursery.
“While the high volume of rainfall we’ve had over the past couple of months delayed the start, it’s great to finally break ground and get the project underway,” says Winfield.
Using plants grown from local provenance seeds, Habitat Creations – along with some people from our site – took on the task to plant out the riparian area.
Michael Shore, general manager at Habitat Creations, says that planting a diverse mix of tall canopy trees and understory species complements the existing native plants already on site.
“These plants and trees will help absorb nutrient run-off and prevent it from getting into the waterway, and will also have significant advantages for local biodiversity – creating a habitat, refuge, and a corridor for wildlife movement to the neighbouring wetlands.
“When fully planted, this area will also have the potential to sequester significant amounts of carbon which will help reduce levels of CO2 –we estimate up to forty tonnes every year over a 25-year period,” says Shore.
This spring vegetation project is just one of many environmental initiatives taking place at Fonterra’s Darnum site.
The co-op has just started introducing solar energy to sites by commissioning a 66kw solar system on the administration building.
IRISH FARMERS are facing some hard times this season.
The latest outlook report by Teagasc, the semi-state authority in Ireland responsible for research and development, warns of continued financial concerns for Irish farmers as high costs exert pressure on ‘the three Fs’: fuel, feed and fertiliser.
Teagasc says along with other sectors of the economy, Irish farm-
ers are also faced with considerable uncertainty about input price inflation, which impacted production decisions. This they say is driven mainly by Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, which had on-the-spot consequences for the fuel, feed and fertiliser markets.
Teagasc says Irish farmers are feeling the biggest financial squeeze from soaring fertiliser costs, which have more than doubled, fuel prices up by 50% and feed prices rising by 33%. It says high input costs have negated any benefit from expected
higher incomes.
“Overall, significantly higher production costs across all sectors in 2022 are expected in 2023 – widening the gap between the cost of production for farmers and what they are being paid,” says Teagasc.
It says while the average farm income is up considerably, the increase is entirely driven by the strong performance of the dairy sector, which is likely to be up by 50%. But it concludes that the dairy sector outlook for 2023, however, is less than positive.
“These plants and trees will help absorb nutrient run-off and prevent it from getting into the waterway, and will also have significant advantages for local biodiversity.”Fonterra has kicked off its spring vegetation project, planting 20,000 native plants and trees across four hectares to form a riparian zone around its Darnum plant in Victoria.
THE GOVERNMENT’S so-called changes to the proposed emissions pricing system, announced four days before Christmas, are farcical.
The announcement that the emissions price will be set at the lowest rate needed and fixed for five years to give farmers certainty has gone down like a lead balloon.
Even DairyNZ says there is contention over whether the changes address farmer concerns.
Farmers rightly think they are the victims of the Government’s obsession with overseas plaudits and that the Prime Minister wants to go on the world stage and say that New Zealand is the first country to price agricultural emissions.
To win over farmers, especially in an election year, the Government will need to come up with something better, and fast.
THE NEW Zealand Institute of Economic Research’s (NZIER) latest quarterly survey shows the lowest business confidence in the survey’s history.
This won’t be good for a Labour Government seriously trying to reset its strategy and direction and avoid an election bloodbath.
Farmers, who form an important part of the NZ business sector, are already fed up with the Government’s push to dump regulation on the agriculture sector.
The Government’s immigration policies around ag sector workers also leaves much to be desired.
It seems the big donors are already preparing for a change in Government – the $2.4 million raised by National compared to $150,000 by Labour last year could be a sign of things to come.
LIME-FLAVOURED MILK may be a popular drink in New Zealand but for the Americans, that’s not the case.
A US women’s rugby star, here for the World Sevens Series leg, took to social media platform TikTok to let the world know about our “unusual” drink.
Fonterra’s Sublime Lime flavoured Primo caught the attention of US rugby player Ilona Maher after she arrived at Auckland Airport.
“We’ve arrived in New Zealand and they have this thing called lime-flavoured milk. I keep making fun of it but I think I should buy it and try it,” she said in a video on TikTok.
Despite the hefty $7 price, she purchased the milk, but admitted she was a little unsure about trying it.
“I’m trying the lime milk.” The verdict? “It’s not bad. I can’t place what it tastes like. I don’t think I could drink the whole container of this but it’s not too bad,” she declared.
ONE OF the world’s biggest dairy companies, Danone, aims to cut methane emissions from its fresh-milk supply chain by almost one-third over the next seven years.
It claims to be the first major food company to set targets in line with a pledge by 150 countries to reduce emissions of the greenhouse gas from cows.
Danone, which makes dairy products such as yoghurt and kefir, will focus on three ways to reduce methane starting with ensuring farmers take better care of cows.
It says a well-managed and healthy herd can result in lower emissions per litre of milk and improve farmers’ livelihoods through better efficiency.
The French dairy group wants to manage manure better too and has projects in Belgium, Spain and the US where waste is converted into renewable biogas to stop it fermenting and emitting more methane.
IT’S A New Year but apart from that nothing much seems to have changed, at least for farmers.
There may be plenty of green grass for cows to munch but fear is building about the same headwinds they faced at the end of last year: rising interest rates, subdued global dairy prices, soaring farm input costs and looming regulations.
There are some serious headwinds ahead. Economies across the world are under huge strain, Covid is still hovering. A looming recession means consumer household budgets are being purposely limited to curb inflation.
The labour market remains extremely tight, with many farmers forced to choose lower productivity because they can’t find staff.
One silver lining last year was a strong milk price, however, the first two Global Dairy Trade (GDT) auctions signal a further softening of prices.
According to NZX, whole milk powder (WMP) prices have eased 33% since prices peaked in March 2022, falling back below the US$3,250/t mark by the end of 2022. Last week it was sitting at US$3,218/t.
Skim milk powder (SMP) prices lost 38% of their value over the last nine months of 2022, from the peak achieved in March, breaking back below the US$3,000/t mark by the end of December. Last week it was around US$2,842/t.
For farmers the big worry is that while the milk price is coming back, the prices of farming inputs, namely fertiliser, feed and fuel, show no sign of abating.
Interest rates have risen significantly and will continue to rise in 2023. With many farmers floating their rates, farmer leaders warn that it will not be uncommon to see a 9% rate, translating into $1.50-$2/kgMS more than only a short time ago for the average dairy farm.
The latest Federated Farmers Banking Survey of 1,200 farming businesses in November reported that their average mortgage interest rate had increased to 6.29% from 4.59% in May (and 3.95% in November 2021).
While Kiwi households and businesses are also feeling the pinch, the average farm mortgage value has increased from $4.07 million to $4.19 million, while the median increased from $2.25 million to $2.50 million.
Even the most optimistic dairy farmers can see the pressures coming this year.
Most would have a contingency plan in place, saving some cash in the bank to get through the challenging times.
The potential for a significant lowering of the milk price and rise in interest rates is real. New Zealand farmers have been there before.
And as always, they will be prepared for the challenging headwinds ahead.
AUCKLAND SALES REPRESENTATIVE: Stephen Pollard .............................................Ph 021-963 166 stephenp@ruralnews.co.nz
WAIKATO SALES REPRESENTATIVE: Lisa Wise .......................................................Ph 027-369 9218 lisaw@ruralnews.co.nz
WELLINGTON SALES REPRESENTATIVE: Ron Mackay ...................................................Ph 021-453 914 ronm@ruralnews.co.nz
SOUTH ISLAND SALES REPRESENTATIVE: Kaye Sutherland .........................................Ph 021-221 1994 kayes@ruralnews.co.nz
I’VE BEEN reading a book recently, written by a farmer, that questions how we deal with (or react to) our changing seasonal climates.
The author’s challenge was that, as farmers, we try to solve current and future problems using historical methods and thinking.
Well, that certainly got me thinking!
Whether (or weather, pun-intended!) we like it or not, the seasons are changing and we’re getting intense seasonal patterns more often.
Total rainfall over the past years has been close to average, but the spread in the months has become extremely dry in autumn and very wet in winter.
We now have seasons occurring where, here in the Waikato, we can grow more in June than we can from February to April combined.
As a consultant I try to provide solutions to problems and adapt these to the physical and human capital available. This varies widely farm-to-farm. With cheap supplements now able to be delivered within 48 hours of making a phone call, many seem content to solve the lack of pasture growth with that quick option. Some are making money doing that, and some know they are merely running to stand still.
Some alternative ways to adapt to climate change that I see farms moving toward are:
Moving to either splitcalving or all-autumn calving has been increasing in the North Island. I think this trend will continue, but farmers will need increasing levels of compliance capital to manage the risks for the environment and animals.
However, with the lateness of the droughts breaking in mid-April to mid-May, even calving in the autumn has its challenges. That’s why many are slowing bringing the calving date to a winter calving event, with mid-June common.
The question to ponder is ‘what happens when
than that of ryegrass and clover?’
There’s still a lot to learn in the agronomy of these alternative species; for example, what combination can be planted, and then how is it best to graze and
manage these species so that the full potential of them (individually, and collectively) are realised.
We are in the early stages of this journey.
I think there is benefit in creating cropping blocks on set areas of the farm
that will suit certain crop rotations and repeated cropping (using no-till), simultaneously finding the best match of soil type to crop type.
This approach gives the best chance of creating maximum yield potential,
rather than rotating the same crop in a different paddock each year.
For now, the above offers three key areas for strategic review in the farming business.
At the very least, they should provoke the
thought, ‘am I trying to solve current problems with historical tools?’
For independent expert advice to improve your farming success, contact our knowledgeable team of consultants based across New Zealand.
a real rough and cold winter arrives back as an anomaly?’
As a way to reduce the effects on feed pressure from calving earlier, a small reduction in stocking rate can help offset this. Industry observers would agree that many herds miss an opportunity to express their full potential in ‘annual milksolids produced’ due directly to underfeeding.
When was the last time you looked at your comparative stocking rate (CSR)?
To maximise the efficiencies of cost-of-cows and cost-of-land, you’re looking for a CSR of 80kg of liveweight per tonne of feed supplied.
Another sweet spot is to look at whether you’re reaching annual milksolid production targets that are equivalent to 90% of liveweight.
If you’re not reaching those levels and have kindenough contour to manage surplus feed in spring with mowers, then lowering the stocking rate can help through the drier months.
and alternative pasture species
Also worth investigating is to ask, what pasture species and crops are better than ryegrass to buffer through the dry summers and autumns? A lot of good research is going on in this space, proving what can be grown either as a monoculture crop or as a multispecies pasture.
Again, there is merit in moving our thinking to:
- ‘how can I retain and farm the little water I have through these dry months?’
- ‘how can I retain the moisture I have, and what species have the ability to drag moisture from deeper
“We’re really impressed with this baler... and what’s even better is that our customers are pleased with the bales it produces.It’swaybetterthananythingwe’vehadbefore.”
Bay of Plenty dairy farm manager Dayna Rowe and her team are building a great workplace together –one so energising, no-one wants to leave. Here’s how they’re shaping up.
DAYNA ROWE’S into only her second season of managing a farm team, but she’s quickly found her preferred approach.
“It’s the way you develop your team, it’s the way you treat your team and really encourage them, that makes all the difference. That’s been a huge part of my own style as I’ve come into managing staff,” she says.
she spoke at DairyNZ’s launch of its Great Futures in Dairying workforce plan. The 10-year plan addresses the sector’s current labour shortage, and Rowe commented on one of its three focus areas: helping the sector to ‘shape up’.
“While the plan highlights what we already know – which is that we’re under-staffed as an industry –it actually turns the question back to our community and puts the ball in the farmers’ court,” she says.
“We know what support we need from outside the farm gates, but the Great Futures in Dairying plan asks us what we can be doing as managers and farm owners to open up those farm gates and make the industry more appetising.
Despite being brought up on the family farm, Rowe didn’t really fall in love with dairying until she got a summer job milking cows and spraying weeds at home during a university break. Four years, two farms and a lot of hard work later, Rowe was offered the 2021-22 season farm manager role on her parents’ farm at Pongakawa near Te Puke.
Rowe Farm runs 970 cows on 289ha (effective), on “dead flat” land. Its peat soils lie very low and close to the water table, so it has a onehectare herd home to feed and house the cows in during wet periods, and for calving in, in the winter months. The job offer topped off a great couple of years for Rowe; she’d won Bay of Plenty Dairy Trainee of the Year in the 2021 NZ Dairy Industry Awards, and been runner-up in the same category in 2020.
Now still only 24, her goal over the next three to five years is to continue building up the family farm, increasing her equity and purchasing some of the herd. Her passion and care for her farm team was clear for all to see when
“Shaping up is about being competitive with every other industry in New Zealand. It’s not just about the money – it’s about being competitive in the way we treat our staff; in the way we can develop them and grow them through the industry.”
Rowe and her partner Sam are keen surfers, heading down some
DAYNA ROWE says she and her team’s open discussions around roster-setting aim for maximum flexibility for all, “especially in the changing times of the seasons like calving”.
“I make an initial roster, then it gets redone about three times to accommodate everyone’s needs as best as I can. I like to make sure there’s time for everyone’s relationships and extracurricular activities: study, family time, whatever is important to them.”
Last season saw a move to milking ten times in seven days
(10-in-7), which has given more time for on-farm work, as well as family and other things like hobbies and off-farm activities. Over calving, milking shifts to three times in two days (3-in-2), with one of those weekend days being twice-a-day milking. They shift back to 10-in-7 at Christmas.
“A big part of it is flexibility,” says Rowe. “If people want to work through the day so they can get to their kids’ sport games by 3pm, or get to the doctor or other appointments, they’re more than
welcome to do that – so long as they communicate that with me.”
Funnily enough, showing care for her team has circled back to Rowe.
“People on my team now often ask what I would like time for. They’ve offered to do things like night checks for me on the evenings where I like to do my sports after work or something. That shows they’ve noticed and appreciated me doing it for them.”
Shaping up their workplace together has given everyone staying power too. Her whole
team has stuck with Rowe from the end of last season into this season. Nobody had to change over at the start of calving, which Rowe says can be much more challenging if it involves training new people.
“That was an awesome feeling, that what we’re doing together is working, people want to be here, and they want to stay a part of this team. If you get a name for yourself as a workplace environment that’s desirable to work in, you will attract people who want to work for you.”
“Shaping up is about being competitive with every other industry in New Zealand. It’s not just about the money.”Dayna Rowe says the way you treat your team and really encourage them, that makes all the difference.
lunchtimes to Pukehina Beach. Rowe also loves and teaches dancing.
Her off-farm talents echo two key elements in her management style: balance and keeping everyone happily on their toes. Importantly, Rowe does this with their input. She lets her team have a major say in roster-setting, divvies up jobs based on their personal skillsets and preferences, holds off-farm team-building activities at least twice a season, and has a weekly team meeting on Tuesday mornings.
“Those meetings are run by the whole team. They’re an open place for everyone to share, not just me speaking to them,” she says.
She takes a similar approach when she sits down with each team member for a three-monthly one-on-one.
“I really let them lead that conversation, so I’m not putting any ideas in their head.”
Rowe makes sure her team have an opportunity to upskill, too.
“They’re welcome to do any sort of education, whether it be people management courses or Primary ITO courses. If they pass their course, we’ll pay their fees – it’s a little bit of an incentive for them to actually go and do well.”
Role: Farm manager
Location: Pongakawa, Bay of Plenty
Farm size: 289ha (effective)
Herd size: 970
Production: 358,460 kgMS
DAYNA ROWE is acutely aware that changing the way people work on-farm will be a critical part of ensuring the dairy sector can offer great jobs and great workplaces. That’s why she’s such a supporter of the Great Futures in Dairying workforce plan led by DairyNZ –
herself and her team.
“We’ve got so many great opportunities in the dairy industry,” Rowe says. “It’s so flexible – you can concentrate on everyone’s skillsets to decide who gets what job, too. You can think really differently about how a farm works.
to
you’re starting to get a little over it, which I’m sure contributes to the empty rate. CowManager doesn’t allow you to do that. It just keeps telling you the cows.”
“YOU CAN’T have it both ways” was sage advice my father would give me when I was trying to discuss options with him about something I wanted to do. “You have to choose one or the other.”
At the recent Australasian Dairy Science Symposium, Dr Pierre Beukes from DairyNZ presented a paper which I, alongside Tai Chikazhe (a modeller with DairyNZ), helped co-author. It investigated the profitability and sustainability of feeding
maize silage which was grown on a dedicated cropping block within a dairy farm.
Pierre showed a great cartoon where a married couple in bed were
fighting over a duvet that was obviously too small to cover both of them. He made the point that, at a systems level, there will always be compromise as we seek to maximise profit and milk production while at the same time minimising nitrogen loss.
The paper showed that using a dedicated cropping block to grow maize silage in summer and grass silage in winter, dairy farmers could potentially meet their nitrogen loss goals without too much reduction in profit.
The study simulated three different scenarios over five consecutive seasons (2013/14 to 2017/18), using DairyNZ’s Whole Farm Model (WFM), Agricultural Production Systems sIMulator (APSIM) and the Urine Patch Framework (UPF). The scenarios were:
1) A typical Waikato dairy farm (P21 Base farm (CF) - 3.2 cows/ha, 125kg N/ha fertiliser on pasture 25% replacement, harvesting grass silage for use during periods of feed deficits, no standoff pad.
2) The P21 Future
Farm (FF) (2.6 cows/ ha, applying 85kg N/ha fertiliser, high genetic merit cows, imported maize grain as low-N feed, with a standoff pad.
3) The maize silageblock farm (Future Farm Plus (FFP) 3.2 cows/ha, high genetic merit cows, 85kg N/ha to pasture, feed pad, maize silage
low protein crop.
■ Effluent captured from the milking shed and feed pad is an excellent fertiliser source to grow maize.
■ Annual ryegrass is an effective winter catch crop.
■ The extra feed grown on the cropping block meant the farm didn’t need to reduce the stocking rate and the farm produced more milksolids per cow and per hectare.
grown on a dedicated block occupying 15% of the effective farm area followed by annual ryegrass).
Each scenario considered the production, profit and N leached implications, with profit calculations also including depreciation on the feed pad.
The results of the modelling exercise are shown in Table 1.
The results show that by adding a dedicated cropping block to a dairy farm and using a range of mitigation strategies, farmers can reduce N leaching by 26% with a relatively small (4%) reduction in profit. The reasons why this system worked were numerous:
■ Maize silage is a high N demand, high yielding,
Any change in farm system nearly always requires compromise of one metric compared to another. I started this article with the statement, “You can’t have it both ways”. This modelling exercise hints that maybe you can.
While the FF had the largest reduction in N leaching per hectare, it also had the largest reduction in profit when compared to the CF. The FFP farm still had a very significant drop in N loss, but the profit was close to breaking even when compared to the CF.
Many regional councils are requiring farmers to make significant reductions in the N loss from their farms. The FFP farm gives the industry some hope that, by including a dedicated cropping block on the farm, farmers may be able to meet these targets with very little reduction in profitability.
• Ian Williams is a Pioneer forage specialist. Contact him at iwilliams@genetic.co.nz.
Many regional councils are requiring farmers to make significant reductions in the N loss from their farms.
INTERNATIONAL
RESEARCH has confirmed that feeding probiotics, pre and post calving, has a material positive impact on the incidence of clinical mastitis, claims Chris Collier, agricultural scientist and founder of Probiotic Revolution.
“We started in 2017 focusing on calves and feed conversion in cows but soon saw some dramatic results with control of mastitis,” says Collier.
“One client, for example, who feeds our products pre and post calving, has not used antibiotics in the herd for three years – if he has any cases he simply treats them with a stronger dose of probiotics for five days.
“That level of impact is confirmed by the international trial which studied cows which had a previous history of mastitis one season and, if left untreated, repeated that incidence in the following season.”
However, he says feeding the probiotic mix in the second year significantly reduced the incidence of mastitis and also reduced cell counts.
Collier says that from 51-75 days after calving, cell counts were 1 million for untreated cows – and 10,000 for treated cows.
“The trial confirmed that using probiotics pre calving prevents cows going into serious negative energy balance and reduces stress at calving and if this is
followed up during lactation with probiotics it can also reduce cell counts. Maiden heifers who received probiotics also had significantly lower cell counts in their first lactation.”
Collier says his products are best given to springers daily in the water trough, but need to be fed to cows via in-shed feeding systems or a mixer wagon.
YOUR COWS don’t know it yet, but their life is about to change, for the better. So is yours.
Twenty-two years of research, input from a leading animal scientist, intense genetic selection and rigorous testing have led to a new, easy-eating perennial ryegrass with improved nitrogen uptake.
That means your cows don’t have to work so hard to consume the thousands of bites they need to sustain themselves each day, and you can utilise nitrogen fertiliser more efficiently, says Barenbrug pasture systems manager Blair Cotching.
The new ryegrass is called Array. It was bred for high intake and easy grazing with dense, erect tillers that stand tall and literally put themselves closer to cows’ mouths.
“A dairy cow might take 25,000 bites a day,” Cotching says. “That demands a lot of energy. Array takes some of the physical effort out of this process, so cows have more time to relax, ruminate and produce milk.”
In creating Array, Barenbrug sought advice from Dr Alastair Nicol, then senior lecturer in animal science at Lincoln University, and renowned for his work on grazing behaviour and plant preference.
Like all the company’s new grasses, Array was subjected to restricted inputs during development to help ensure it could cope with real-world conditions on farm.
Unlike others, however, it showed a rare ability to grow more than its peers under low nitrogen, Cotching says.
A specific trial, comparing the same cultivars sown and managed identically under high, medium and deficient nitrogen levels, confirmed Array had the edge when nitrogen was scarce.
“Herbage samples showed no difference between the quality or nutrient status of all the cultivars we compared under the three treatments,” he says.
“But Array grew significantly more in the nitrogen deficit plots than the others, showing it was able to extract much more nitrogen from the soil.”
What does this mean for your farm? First, more even pasture growth at
times when soil nitrogen is deficient, something that happens on virtually every farm at some stage during the year, says Cotching.
Secondly, it’s a win for the environment because it gives farmers the potential to utilise nitrogen more efficiently.
As for the amount of feed it
provides, Array is not only the highest yielding ryegrass Barenbrug has bred, but is unbeaten in the National Forage Variety Trials for both total yield, and winter growth.
Independent, industry-run and audited, these trials provide a forum for pasture companies to test their breeding material, and rank its
performance compared with others.
Array is the only diploid perennial ryegrass in the top 5-star category for all regions of the DairyNZ Forage Value Index, and has Barenbrug’s highest ranking for pasture persistence.
It comes with NEA2 endophyte and is available in limited quantities this autumn.
OVER THE warmer months, your cows are at a higher risk of heat stress. Cows will generate heat in the process of producing milk, digesting feed, as well as absorbing heat while out in the sun.
Heat stress in cows occurs when they are producing more heat than they are able to get rid of through sweating, respiration or air regulation (such as a breeze or wind, or by fans indoors).
An overabundance of heat in cows can lead to higher levels of stress, which can affect milk production, fertility, increase the risk of other diseases such as lameness, and impair immune function. Cows experiencing heat stress will exhibit behaviour such as seeking shade, loss of appetite, crowding together for increased shade, panting, drooling, and standing in water or next to troughs.
Heat stress in dairy cattle is probably the most overlooked seasonal problem here in New
Zealand. Production drops rapidly as the heat increases, and most farmers simply accept this as a normal seasonal issue that they are powerless to address. The truth is, there are a number of nutritional strategies that can be used in order to mitigate the effects of heat stress.
study of heat stress and how to mitigate the issues it creates. It is therefore important that ruminant animals during periods of high humidity are provided with sufficient nutrients in order to counteract heat stress and maintain strong immunity.
When a cow is suffering from heat stress, one of the major issues they face is a reduced feed intake. With reduced feed intake and an increase in drooling, availability of saliva is reduced, which can disrupt the pH of the rumen and lead to acidosis. A healthy rumen is needed for milk yield as well as animal health.
Much scientific work has been done around the
Feed additives shown to work well against heat stress are those that promote good rumen pH stability, and include additives such as rumen buffers and live yeast. Other additives that underpin healthy rumen function and immunity are trace minerals such as cobalt, selenium, zinc and chromium. Seaweed extract has also been well studied to show excellent results.
By providing your herd with an easily digestible, nutrient-packed animal tonic that can be blended easily into their feed or added into their water, you ensure that they have the correct balance in place to mitigate the effects of this summer heat stress.
• Chris Balemi is managing director of Agvance Nutrition Ltd
Heat stress in dairy cattle is probably the most overlooked seasonal problem in New Zealand.
Much scientific work has been done around the study of heat stress and how to mitigate the issues it creates.
A PRE-FIELDAYS dash down to Te Kuiti in the rolling south west of the
Waikato gave Dairy News a chance to catch up with New Zealand shearing legend Sir David Fagan and get his views on his latest side by side/UTV.
Needing a side by
side for his rolling home property, Sir David packs no punches when he says, “Every farmer should own a Can-Am.”
Having owned numerous machines over a lifetime of farming, here’s how the 16-times record winning shearer sums up the latest Can-Am Defender XT HD-10: “The stability, suspension, power and the handling means there is no comparison. Its features and technology make it incredibly safe for me and the family.”
through a rock-strewn stream and traversing some steep slopes, with the main man demonstrating the machine’s capability with ease, bringing into play controls such as low ratio, 4WD, diff locking and electronic Hill Descent Control.
At no point did the machine feel unstable or likely to be beaten by the gnarly terrain, but it also delivered the reassurance that it could be brought to a controlled stop at any time, using engine
Taking a closer look, the Defender XT HD-10 is powered by the company’s own V-twin, 976cc water-cooled engine that pushes out 82hp.
Power delivery is instant and smooth from a slow crawl at tick-over right up to maximum speed, with delivery linear, ensuring the operator has precise control at all times.
Much of that driveability also falls to a CVT transmission set-up that responds smoothly to changing throttle inputs, with Extra Low, High, Neutral, Reverse and Park choices, alongside integral features such as high airflow ventilation and an electronic drive belt protection system.
Taking Sir David’s machine – standard except for some grippy ITP Cryptid tyres –around the farm quickly establishes that its capabilities are never going to come into question. Travelling along metalled tracks, comfort is akin to any car on the public highway, delivered by double A-arm set ups in each corner with up to 11-inches of travel, twintube gas filled shocks and a large external sway bar on the rear.
Driving the machine off-road on the typical King Country property takes us across steeply undulating paddocks,
revs and the more than capable dual disc brakes all-round. This point becomes interesting as the HD-10 is no lightweight, tipping the scales at 736kg dry weight, no doubt combining with a low centre of gravity to give the feeling of stability.
It is also capable of carrying a load in the bed of up to 454kg and up to 1,134kg at the tow-bar.
In practice, the likelihood of loading the tray to its max is low, but hooking up to a heavyduty trailer loaded with fencing supplies showed the extended capabilities of the Defender, demonstrating oodles of power, plenty of grip and high levels of control.
To sum up the machine, using Sir David’s words, “Out on the farm the Defender is incredibly comfortable, stable, durable and more than capable for any of the tasks we throw at it… It
That’s probably the reason that Can-Am is claiming a market-leading position for 2022 with a share of 31.5% (YTD). www.can-am.brp.com/ off-road/nz
makes me happy to know that if I’m away from the property, my wife can go and get the jobs done and I know she will be safe.”Sir David Fagan says every farmer should own a Can-Am. MARK DANIEL
Needing a side by side for his rolling home property, Sir David packs no punches when he says, “Every farmer should own a Can-Am.”
DESIGNED TO counter the often-costly impact of uneven weight and vacuum distribution of a milking cluster, Lactalign has scooped a gold award for livestock innovation at the recent UK LAMMA 2023 Event.
With mastitis still being the biggest disease cost on dairy farms, typically averaging $430 per case, Lactalign is a simple but effective addition to the milking parlour that can help in the prevention of mastitis.
The product was developed after the herd management software used by Metcalfe Farms in North Yorkshire UK revealed twice as many mastitis cases in front quarters compared to the rear quarters, despite the herd having below average cases overall.
Individual and pivoted supports at each milking point just require the milking staff to raise the supports and quickly select one of three slots in which to place the long milk and pulsation tubes after attaching the cluster, depending on the profile of the udder. The ACR cord is slipped in or below the same slot, and when milking is complete and ACR activated, the retracting cord causes the support to pivot back to its rest position.
Lactalign was installed on all 72 points of the Metcalfe Farms Boumatic rotary milking parlour at its Washfold Farm in December 2020, resulting in a 59% reduction in liner slip, a 47% reduction in kick-offs, a 65% reduction in re-attachments and a 50% reduction in mastitis cases in front quarters.
Philip Metcalfe, who runs the 1,300-cow dairy unit on this diverse family business, says, “The significant impact has been better than we could have expected. The supports have paid for themselves several times over in the reduction of mastitis but also reduce operator frustration and improved animal comfort with less liner slip, kick-offs and re-attachments.”
Metcalfe also notes that the Lactalign supports have completed nearly 3 million milkings with only two parts requiring replacement, showing the quality and durability of the supports.
“We are extremely proud to receive the LAMMA Innovation Award for Lactalign,” says managing director of JF Hudson Ltd, James Hudson. “Helping farmers to maximise their operations while reducing inputs motivates us when designing products. Lactalign is a prime example of this philosophy.”
THE LAST decade has seen telehandlers becoming more and more popular on New Zealand farms for their performance and versatility.
Over that time manufacturers have chased higher lift capacities and greater lift and reach, but more recently smaller compact units have found increasing favour, not least for their manoeuvrability in yards and around buildings.
Always showing high in the telehandler charts with its Loadall range, JCB has released details of its smallest machine yet. The Loadall 514.40 has key dimensions of only 1.8m high and 1.56m wide, yet still lays claim to being the largest cab in its class.
On the performance side the machine offers a maximum lift capacity of 1,400kg to a maximum lift height of 4 metres, while importantly offering 525kg lift capacity at maximum reach of 2,510mm. This means it will lend itself to those looking to work in tight spaces, with regards to performance and manoeuvrability, but also to those operators looking for portability.
This last area is helped by a tare weight of 2,695kg, meaning it should be capable of being towed by a ute with a towing capacity of 3,500kg, obviously with a suitable
trailer.
The powerplant is a 3-cylinder 1,100cc Perkins delivering 24.7hp and 70NM, complying with Stage V emission regulations without the need for a Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) or Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF). The units are said to offer a 17% increase in power to weight ratio over the previous generation 516.60.
The driveline incorporates a
Bosch hydrostatic transmission, with a two-speed Linde motor driving all four wheels, with a maximum speed of 15km/h and four-wheel steering is standard for operating in tight environs.
Offering a cabin said to be up to 200mm wider that its competitors and 20% larger than the previous 514.60, the company also notes that around 82% of the machine components are shared
with other JCB models, meaning important areas such as ease of maintenance, maximum parts availability and reduced downtime are well covered.
Standard equipment includes a towbar and electrical connection, road lighting, reversing alarm, JCB Load Control and JCB Lie telematics. Optional extras include an LED lighting package, beacons and a JCB immobiliser keypad.
It is easy to operate and service and it has improved
We have always been impressed with Krone’s ability to put out
high quality bales, regardless of the changeable conditions where we work. All Krone gear is built really well. It is robust and it lasts.
Let the results speak for themselves.Lactalign is a simple but effective addition to the milking parlour that can help in the prevention of mastitis. MARK DANIEL markd@ruralnews.co.nz The Loadall 514.40is small but lays claim to being the largest cab in its class.
MARK DANIEL markd@ruralnews.co.nz
WHILE MOST of the exhibitors at the recent National Fieldays
Innovations Hub seemed to be taking a high-tech approach, two standouts offering practical on-farm solutions were taking a much simpler approach. Once again, students
from St Pauls Collegiate School in Hamilton had come up with a good idea; in this case, Jade Luxton and Ben Allen, both Year 13 students and co-founders of
Sterineedle.
Designed as a holster for needle-based vaccination guns, the plastic moulded device incorporates an integral reservoir to house a disinfectant solution to sterilise the injection needle each time the gun is replaced in the holster. This helps ensure that vaccinating a large mob is quicker, easier and safer, while removing the risk of disease transfer and the need to constantly change needles.
The clever duo came up with the idea when Ben’s grandfather, Linden Hunt, raised the issue of the tedious task of constantly changing needles or finding a way to disinfect them while velveting. Looking at the problem more closely, the team soon found there didn’t appear to a solution to sterilising needles in the marketplace. This led to collaboration with Hamilton-based DEA Plastics, who already operated in this field.
Suitable for all types of farming operations and for veterinarians, Sterineedle incorporates an integral clip for belt mounting, but could just as easily be mounted to a race or cattle crush for convenience. For more info, contact k.allen@ stpauls.school.nz.
Further north at Waipapa in Northland, Precast Products Limited were showcasing their
Paddock Podium.
Brought about by numerous conversations with beef and sheep farmers regarding livestock drownings in large concrete water troughs, the device takes the form of a galvanised steel grid that is attached to the trough with four hooks and sits about 200mm below the waterline. This allows free access to water, while also allowing a ball valve to function properly, but always keeps livestock safe.
Justin suggests that the device might be of particular interest to sheep farmers, as lambs typically love to climb to the highest point, so might jump up onto the rim of a water trough, then might fall into an unprotected trough, from which they are unable to escape. Jason also suggests that the device is easily moved from paddock to paddock as the mob is moved for grazing, meaning capital investment is kept to a minimum.
The device is currently configured to fit the company’s own 500 litre troughs at $857+gst, but can also be manufactured to suit other sizes, configurations or brands of trough. Ongoing R&D is currently looking at replacing the metal grids with recycled plastic items.
Visit www. precastproducts.co.nz
“We chose Dieci because of the functions – bigger engine, more oil flow, cameras; it’s a better specced machine than the rest. Once you’ve had one, you’ll never go back”
- Stu Russell, Dairy Farmer, Canterbury
