Dairy News 28 October 2014

Motion to curb Fonterra spending. PAGE 3 LIVING WATER

Bringing life to catchments PAGE 12

VERSATILE UTILITY Smart and nimble PAGE 35

OCTOBER 28, 2014 ISSUE 323 // www.dairynews.co.nz

VOLATILITY’S THE NEW NORM

“We have made minor changes to the overall business strategy but these amount to trimming the sails, fundamentally not changing the course of the boat.”

Dean Bell, Waikato Milking Systems PAGE 6

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DAIRY NEWS OCTOBER 28, 2014

NEWS // 3

Motion to curb co-op spending tabled BORROWING UP, EQUITY FALLS

ANDREW SWALLOW andrews@ruralnews.co.nz

FONTERRA’S EXPANSION strategy should Hitting the sweet spot. PG.05

Cow breed likes it hot. PG.10

Weaning time for calves. PG.22-23

NEWS ������������������������������������������������������ 3-17 OPINION ����������������������������������������������18-19 AGRIBUSINESS ����������������������������� 20-21 MANAGEMENT ������������������������������� 22-27 ANIMAL HEALTH ��������������������������28-30 FARM DAIRIES & EQUIPMENT ������������������������������������� 31-34 MACHINERY & PRODUCTS ��������������������������������������35-38

go on hold when its farmer suppliers aren’t getting a good return, says a shareholder who has tabled a remit for the cooperative’s annual meeting November 12.

“They’ve just got to stop spending for a while and consolidate a bit,” Murray Beach, Marlborough, told Dairy News. “I feel they’re doing a lot of spending while we’re not getting a lot of money.”

Beach says his remit isn’t a knee-jerk reaction to this year’s low forecast. Rather, it reflects two poor years, followed by one good, and now a “really bad year.”

Murray Beach “We should be getting more money from Fonterra than the other milk companies are paying their suppliers but we’re not.”

Beach’s remit, resolution 7 in Fonterra’s notice of annual meeting document, says overseas investment and New Zealand development spending should be put on hold when the payout is below $7/kgMS. “They’ve got to think about the farms which aren’t going to make it. There are going to be a lot of farms sold up at the end of this season.”

And it’s not just farmers: staff and local economies are already feeling the hit, he adds. “We’ve already had to put one worker off.”

With 130 cows producing about 40,000kgMS off his farm at Havelock, $5/kgMS means “there’s not a lot of income” to meet ever-rising costs.

Beach says he’s not totally against Fonterra’s development plans, particularly those in New Zealand, but believes the cooperative should reduce debt (see sidebar) before embarking on more expansion which is effectively at farmers’ expense.

Asked if Fonterra is ‘living beyond its means’,

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FONTERRA’S FINANCIAL statement for 2014 shows the group and parent business had combined net finance costs of $399m to July 31, a 64% increase on the 2013 figure of $244m.

The increase reflects

combined group and parent current liabilities climbing 18.6% from $13.4bn to $15.9bn over the same period, and non-current liabilities lifting 11% from $6.4bn to $7.1bn, putting total liabilities at $23bn

he says: “That’s what the bank manager would tell us!”

Fonterra released its notice of annual meeting, including Beach’s resolution, to NZX on October 17. It includes a letter from chairman John Wilson which refers to all resolutions but Beach’s.

In the explanatory notes to resolutions, a statement that the “board unanimously does not support [Beach’s] proposal and recommends that you vote against it” is highlighted in bold, the only bold text used in the document other than headings and remuneration figures.

Beach says the board’s recommendation “isn’t

against $19.8bn a year previously, an increase of 16%.

Meanwhile total assets were only up 9% from $31.4bn to $34.2bn, resulting in a fall in total equity from $11.6bn to $11.2bn.

cricket”. “Voters should be able to make up their own minds.”

He also says postal voting on such a resolution before the issue is debated at the annual meeting “doesn’t seem very democratic.” “I’ve been asked by [Fonterra] management if I want to go to speak at the meeting out of courtesy but by then 80% will have already voted.”

The notice also includes a shareholders council recommendation to vote against Beach’s proposal, saying the council debated the resolution at its September meeting and unanimously voted not to support it.

Look ‘em in the eye’ FONTERRA SHAREHOLDERS council chairman Ian Brown is urging farmers to attend the director candidate roadshow starting this week.

The roadshow starts Tuesday, October 28 and ends Tuesday, November 4. All six candidates – sitting directors John Monaghan and David MacLeod and aspiring candidates Gray Baldwin, Leonie Guiney, Garry Reymer and Grant Rowan – will attend.

Brown says the election is important because at least one new director must be elected.

“Attending the roadshow will provide farmers with a greater understanding of each candidate’s governance ability and experience,” he told Dairy News. “This is vital in helping us decide which candidates are best suited to drive Fonterra’s success now and in future.”

Brown says the roadshow also allows farmers to meet the candidates and ask them questions.

“It is a more personal environment where shareholders can look potential directors in the eye.”

Four seats on the shareholders council are also being contested.

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DAIRY NEWS OCTOBER 28, 2014

4 // NEWS

Labour and enviro questions flow ANDREW SWALLOW andrews@ruralnews.co.nz

STAFFING AND environment

issues dominated the discussion at DairyNZ’s annual meeting earlier this month.

After formal presentations from chairman John Luxton, chief executive Tim Mackle, and chief financial officer Jeremy Hood, the meeting was opened to the floor of 10-15 farmers dotted among the DairyNZ staff, directors and other interested parties who made the trip to Timaru.

“Staffing is the most serious issue,” said Brian Stratford, a largescale crop farmer and, for the past three years, a large dairy farm owner from just north of the town.

DairyNZ had done well to get 500 people into diploma-level training programmes, but with 120 farms converted for this season alone, and

an average six staff per farm, it is woefully short of what’s needed, as is the 2% of DairyNZ’s budget dedicated to staffing, he said.

“We had a young guy who was going to come on board with us this year but we lost him to another dairy farm locally that was offering a nineto-five job…. Another left us last year to go to a 500 cow farm milking oncea-day.”

Other delegates picked up on the problem of migrants who want to stay to work not getting visas renewed. “There needs to be pressure put on Government because there are huge problems in Canterbury… Very good people are having to leave the industry and go home when they don’t want to.”

Mackle acknowledged the problem but defended DairyNZ’s efforts, saying the published 2% of budget figure is an understatement as in total the “people spend is $8m, so it’s

about 10% of the budget if you add all the bits together”.

DairyNZ’s strategy and investment leader for people and business, Mark Paine, pointed out levy money is leveraged with other organisations and Government, for example its $2.5m on industry training primes a $10m programme. A lot of work also goes into informing early career decisions in schools from year 10, not to mention the primary school targeted Rosie programmes and Go Dairy for those already in the job market.

Chairman John Luxton chipped in saying he thinks progress is being made “but we have seen such growth in the industry I think the education system has fallen behind”.

Another local farmer, John Saywell, Geraldine, said the biggest challenge for the industry is public perception. “It’s probably more acute in this area of the country because we’ve not had decades

of dairying.”

He called for DairyNZ to “engage” with people such as Mike Joy, and when Luxton said DairyNZ has “perhaps the best water scientists in the country now,” Saywell retorted “How come there’s only one [ie Joy] we ever hear from?”

A farmer from North Otago echoed Saywell’s concerns.

“As an industry I don’t think we’ve done a great job explaining how we need to be part of the [environmental] process as farmers.”

DairyNZ strategy and investment leader for sustainability, Rick Pridmore, said 500 farmers had now been trained as “environmental leaders” so that they could participate effectively on committees on environmental issues.

“You’ve got to seperate the people who squawk from the people who get results. Mike Joy hasn’t overturned one of our results yet….

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Van der Poel elected RETIRING FONTERRA director Jim van der Poel is back on the board of DairyNZ having retired from it in 2009. He was one of five candidates (Dairy News, Sep 9) for Barbara Kuriger’s seat on the board following Kuriger’s resignation in order to stand for Parliament.

“We had a fantastic line-up of candidates, all of whom could have added to the board, but the successful candidate is Jim van der Poel,” chairman John Luxton told the annual meeting.

Luxton, who has chaired DairyNZ since it was formed in 2007 from the merger of Dexcel and Dairy Insight, is one of three farmerelected directors due to retire by rotation next year. The other two are Ben Allomes and Michael Spaans.

Turnout by voter was 19.31% with a total of 2719 valid ballots cast. Weighted votes were 525,897,398 giving a 28.46% turnout. DairyNZ was unable to provide the breakdown of votes before this article went to press. The unsuccessful candidates were Donna Smit, Greg Maughan, Murray Jamieson, and Dirk Sieling.

DAIRY NEWS OCTOBER 28, 2014

NEWS // 5

Chocolate milk hits the sweet spot SUDESH KISSUN sudeshk@ruralnews.co.nz

WHAT IS so special

about this chocolate milk?

Made from organic New Zealand milk and Whittakers chocolate, the four-month old Lewis Road Creamery product has taken the retail sector by storm.

The first week’s production of 1000L sold out within hours; today the company makes 40,000L of chocolate milk a week and consumers are clamouring for more.

Lewis Road Creamery owner Peter Cullinane believes the 100% New Zealand product has hit the sweet spot with consumers. “We’re thrilled with the feedback; 99.9% of consumers speak glowingly about it,” he told Dairy News.

Cullinane decided to introduce flavoured milk while one day watching the dairy section in a supermarket. “Right next door to fresh milk is flavoured milk packed in great 2L bottles but I thought they are not the finest examples of what New Zealand dairy can offer.”

He floated the idea with Whittakers and within a month Lewis Road Creamery chocolate milk was born.

Cullinane says the success of chocolate milk He gives credit to Porirua-based Whittakers is putting strain on organic company is working with Green Valley to maintain milk supply. Cullinane for supporting the organic milk supply yearsays the company’s focus venture. Lewis Road round.

Creamery chocolate “There is milk is available “We’re thrilled with no doubt that in 300ml and the feedback; 99.9% in the future of 750ml bottles. The New Zealand company also makes of consumers speak dairy, there is organic fresh milk glowingly about it.” a big role for and organic and value powders… artesian butters. but there is also a huge on organic milk means it Lewis Road Creamery opportunity for quality is “walking over thin ice”. products are made by products. We believe Demand for organic milk Green Valley Dairy at its organics is part of the products locally and for plant in Mangatawhiri, export is greater than milk picture; our products have south of Auckland. proven that.” supply.

The phenomenal

Green Valley general manager Corrie Den Haring says the chocolate milk launch has “gone well beyond expectations”.

He confirms the strong demand is putting more pressure on a limited organic supply base.

“Domestically and for export, demand is greater than supply; however price expectations are unrealistic from the supply side.”

He wants more done to promote organic dairying in NZ considering

public concern over sustainability and the environment.

“Organics could and should be seen and embraced as one of the models that alleviates general consumer concerns,” he says.

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DAIRY NEWS OCTOBER 28, 2014

6 // NEWS

Milk meter accuracy just the beginning THE COMMERCIAL

launch of Waikato Milking System’s electronic milk meter couldn’t have come at a better time according to chief executive Dean Bell.

After four years development the meter – designed by Waikato Milking Systems and manufactured by Millennium Plastics – was launched mid-2014. It won the Supreme Design Award at the Plastics Industry Biennial Design Awards in Auckland early October.

“We couldn’t have predicted this when we first began work on the meter,” Bell says “but the timing couldn’t have been better

for farmers, because they now have access to probably the most accurate meter ever offered in New Zealand to measure per cow production on a daily basis. This contrasts with traditional herd testing which captures production at points of time during the season.

“Farmers can look at rolling averages of milk profile details and see where individual cow production has dropped, giving them an ability to take remedial action. This type of insight pays dividends in times of reduced payout and when the environment’s working against you, like in a drought,

because you can identify the cows which aren’t making money and put more emphasis on the ones which are.

“Farmers in the early years of their careers are looking for ways to save money without impacting operational performance.

This contrasts with more established farmers who are able to weather the volatility of the market a little better, and are continuing to invest in automated milking technologies.

“As we’ve done in the past with our mechanical herd test milk meter and speed sampler, we worked with the International Committee for Animal

Recording (ICAR) and used their performance criteria to ensure that whatever we launched to market would meet their formal approval standards.

“We looked at a lot of different meter designs… and initially we developed a few concepts which were similar. But in the end we developed something which is unique for its accuracy, simplicity and lower cost of ownership.”

“We could have launched the new meter a year ago, but held it back to design some of the complexity out of it. The end design is simple and effective: servicing will be minimal and farmers will be

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Waikato Milking Systems chief executive Dean Bell.

able to do it themselves if they choose.”

Bell, chief of Waikato Milking Systems for six years, says milk payout volatility is the new norm.

“As an organisation we’re not spooked by it.

This business has a flat operational structure with all direct areas of the business reporting to me. I’m also active in the marketplace – at home and overseas. We take pride in being close to farmers and farming so we can anticipate and respond to changes. [We] work closely with farmers so we can understand and anticipate the challenges they’re facing onfarm.“ “We have made minor changes to the overall business strategy but these amount to trimming the sails, fundamentally not changing the course of the boat.”

The ownership of Waikato Milking Systems changed in April 2014 when majority shareholder UPC Capital

and Waikato Milking Systems’ managing director John Anderson sold the company to three institutional investors and members of the company’s senior management team.

The institutional investors are Tainui Group Holdings, Ngai Tahu Capital and Pioneer Capital in equal shares.

Bell says the new ownership has not changed the essence of the business.

“There’s always been a strong sense of ownership amongst our staff, and the change simply meant some of those people could become owners in the real sense of the word.”

The designer of the electronic milk meter, Jim Pharoah, is a case in point. “He’s been with the company 35 years and has remarkable attention to detail; you can see his touch in most of our products. He’s part of an exceptional design team – people who can and do turn their hands to anything.

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“We like to think people come to work at Waikato Milking Systems for something more than a pay packet; there really is a shared commitment to being part of a truly iconic New Zealand business.

Our iwi owners share this commitment. They are multi-generational investors who want a tangible return now and into the future.

“This has always been an innovative company but in the last ten years we’ve matured somewhat to know where we win and where we have an edge. It’s not a matter of designing or producing the cheapest product; there’s no money or pride in that.

Hand to heart we need to know that what we do is the best in the market, and will remain the best for the entire time farmers own it.

It’s a standard the whole team buys into.

“When you get that type of commitment, it’s not hard to run a successful business.”

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DAIRY NEWS OCTOBER 28, 2014

NEWS // 7

Smiling over cheese OCTOBER IS New Zealand cheese month and Dairy News is teaming up with Kapiti Cheese to bring a smile to three lucky people.

To get into the draw to win one of three Kapiti gift packs (pictured), simply ‘like’ Dairy News on Facebook or follow us on Twitter – https://twitter.com/Dairy_News.

Entries close Novmber 14 and winners will be announced in Dairy News November 25th issue.

Kapiti Cheese, owned by Fonterra, is inspired by its New Zealand

heritage, known for its original flavours. The award-winning Kapiti Kikorangi and Tuteremoana Cheddar have secured places on the Kiwi cheeseboard alongside acclaimed peers. Recently added was Kapiti Baby Kikorangi, a 200g creamy, blue-based cheese with a mild flavour, of premium quality and taste consistent with the rest of the Kapiti range. www.kapitistore.co.nz/ @dairy_news facebook.com/dairynews

Women’s critical role affirmed PAM TIPA pamelat@ruralnews.co.nz

THE ROLE of the Dairy

Women’s Network (DWN) is especially important this season when the resilience of farming families will come under pressure with the current milk forecast, says Jason Minkhorst, Farm Source managing director.

“You will have a huge role Jason Minkhorst in helping with cashflow management onfarm and ensuring we maintain the wellbeing of our dairy farmers,” he told the network’s annual meeting last week.

“The connection the Dairy Women’s Network has with our New Zealand farming families is very similar to the connection Fonterra aims at through Farm Source.”

He says in strategy it is important not to try to be everything to everybody because you won’t be successful. The Farm Source strategy is simple – around dairy farming, our Fonterra farmers and our place in the community.

It fits well with the choices DWN has made with its focus on its strategy of finance and cashflow, the work environment, the importance of farmer wellbeing, the role of compliance and the importance of developing and recognising talent. RD1 recently become the network’s major conference sponsor and major ‘gold’ partner.

“It’s important for us to have a relationship with what we truly believe to be one of the industry’s most prestigious networks,” Minkhorst says.

DWN chief executive Zelda de Villiers said subtle changes had been made to the network in the past year including in the management office. DWN now has just under 6000 membership; in the last three months they had added 300 members.

An important highlight in the year was the Pathways programme – collaboration between DWN and the AgriWomans Development Trust. “It is a pilot programme aimed at developing the skills and confidence of dairy women to influence and lead positive change in their business and communities. The North Island programme will be launched on November 4 and 5 and the South Island pilot in May next year.”

While there are other rural leadership programmes available, this one is specifically for dairy women. A unique aspect is AgResearch will interview participants to see how the sessions are going and evaluate the process.

The trust developed the programme after the network and the trust consulted dairy women on what they needed to gain the confidence and influence onfarm and in the community.

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DAIRY NEWS OCTOBER 28, 2014

8 // NEWS

Co-op confident $1b turnover possible with farmer focus international business ($300m) and about half from growth in the core sector in the dairy business – but via new products and services, some already under development – and about $150m though acquisition, McNee told Dairy News.

They have made one small acquisition, Dairy Automation Ltd, and are

PAM TIPA pamelat@ruralnews.co.nz

A FARMER focus will be at the centre of LIC’s ambitious strategy to at least quadruple business to $1 billion by 2025, says chief executive Wayne McNee. About a third of that is expected to come from

looking at other opportunities to acquire businesses mostly in New Zealand.

Annual results released last week show revenue in the financial year to May 31, 2014 was $211m.

The dividend was $11.17m, down from $16.75m last year, with 8.65c per cooperative control share and 35.90c per

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investment share.

McNee says the key thrust of the new strategy is helping its farmers become more prosperous and productive and delivering the kind of services and solutions farmers will need for the future.

“A part of that is about growing our offering – the range of services we have, improving on the core business we have in genetics and providing more aggregated systems and devices.

“You’ve got data feeds going into the information systems now… it is bringing all that together and trying to provide an integrated offering to farmers so they don’t have to go into this system, that system or the other system…. We are listening to what farmers need from us.

“We got a strong message when we were developing the strategy that farmers want to be part of the process of helping us decide what the new products and services are going to be. So we’re bringing them inside that process rather than doing it all at Newstead and putting it out from there.

“We’re using a

LIC chairman Murray King (left) and chief executive Wayne McNee at the annual meeting last week.

better design thinking approach… you bring the farmers in and talk it through with them, understand what their needs are and develop products that can meet those needs.”

LIC plans to at least quadruple its business to $1 billion per annum by 2025, along strategic lines outlined by McNee during the annual meeting: genetics and information for superior livestock (development of genetics and the information needed to develop genetics, plus ongoing focus on the traditional core business of the co-op); and information to help farmers improve decisionmaking to enable superior livestock performance.

During his weekly visits to farms and staff McNee gets a lot of feedback about the need for systems to be better integrated between those LIC has and other systems used onfarm.

Also in view is improvements to Minda and the apps, and the hardware and systems onfarm that help provide the information to feed those systems; the Dairy Automation Ltd

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acquisition earlier this year is an example of that.

“We are looking at other opportunities as well.”

On international business, McNee says they have learned a lot by working with businesses overseas.

He recently spent two weeks in Europe visiting 13 companies in 13 days.

“It was an opportunity to see what technology is being developed, what the other herd technology companies are doing and the challenges and opportunities.”

LIC’s dairy cow performance strategy builds on the core of what the co-op exists for, arising from strategy developed in 2011-12.

“We are strong in the areas of genetic merit, production and reproduction. We have some work

in health on diagnostics.

As part of reorganisation I created some new roles which will also focus on nutrition and environment – particularly thinking about the information side and how we can help [farmers] collect information needed to make better decisions.”

“There was a lot of feedback through the change process from farmers and our own staff that said we were not focused on the needs of the customers. [LIC will make] sure we know what you need from us, now and into the future [and that we inject] really good input into decisionmaking about where we focus investment, where the priorities are for the future and that we understand your needs going forward.”

MILK METER BUYOUT WIDENS SCOPE LIC IN February 2014 bought Dairy Automation Ltd, the inline milk meter company with a long history in Waikato.

The DAL meters provide in-shed data on protein, fat, volume, lactose and somatic cell count.

The co-op’s R&D staff saw much potential for the information milk meters can provide, McNee says.

“The reason we looked to acquire the company is that we were trialing the meters on our innovation farm and realised that, based on the information being fed, the R&D team thought they could provide much better information out of the meters than is currently being provided to customers.

“We are looking at providing in-shed herd rankings as effectively as in-shed BW. We also found a way of automatically calibrating the meters; a problem with these kinds of products in the past had been that you had to herd test [every month] to calibrate….

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DAIRY NEWS OCTOBER 28, 2014

10 // NEWS

action Heat tolerant Kiwi cows Quick needed on bound for the tropics award entries

ENTRIES IN the 2015 New Zealand Dairy Industry

A NEW Zealand company has

developed a heat-tolerant cow that produces more under heat stress.

Developed by a genetics team led by Dairy Solutionz Ltd, Hamilton, the composite breed will be used on large-scale dairy farms the company is now helping set up in the US, Colombia and Ecuador, says chief executive Derek Fairweather.

Governments and land owners are also involved. Demonstration farms will open in Colombia and Ecuador by the end of the year.

Cash from Callaghan Innovation is helping fund the project.

Some of the breed’s origins are based on work at the University of Florida where researchers had bred a recently discovered ‘slick locus’ (originating from Senepol cattle) into American Holsteins.

This better enabled the new American composite breed to regulate its body temperature while maintaining milk yield under heat stress.

“The Dairy Solutionz team has now taken the slick locus and introduced it into New Zealand pasture genetics for the first time as part of what is now a seven-year programme.

The cows will be branded Kiwipole. The company has a range of cows and bulls all containing DNA proven as holding the slick locus.

“The Kiwipole dairy cow… has great heat tolerance coupled with the best pasture genetics in the world,” said Dr Vish Vishwanath, genetics consultant to Dairy Solutionz. “This creates an animal ideally suited to maximise production in grass-based, tropical dairy systems.”

Research earlier this year by Serdal Dikmen and the University of Florida indicated up to 2L/ day improved milk yield per animal through better heat tolerance.

“Multiply this increased milk yield over a large or national herd and the end result is a significant

Derek Fairweather with Kiwipole Slick Grazer, who is 50% Scotts Comanche.

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Since 2007, Dairy Solutionz has integrated best-of-breed technologies into its large-scale offshore pastoral farms. @dairy_news facebook.com/dairynews

Awards close November 30 online at www.dairyindustryawards.co.nz The awards include New Zealand Sharemilker/ Equity Farmer of the Year, New Zealand Farm Manager of the Year and New Zealand Dairy Trainee of the Year competitions.

National convenor Chris Keeping says the organisers hope for numbers similar to the 2014 awards, when 572 entered the three competitions.

“A key message this year will be to encourage people to enter so they are better positioned to capitalise on opportunities that may arise from a forecast period of lower milk payout.

“We recommend people use the entry process to do strategic planning for their business and career, and the judging process to fine tune their budget. The judges may also identify opportunities where other gains can be made.”

Keeping says the “phenomenal” response to the dairy trainee competition, with nearly 300 entries received in 2014, has led to changes in the timing of entries.

The trainee competition began in 2008 with just over 100 entries received and grew to 292 entries last year. www.dairyindustryawards.co.nz

DAIRY NEWS OCTOBER 28, 2014

NEWS // 11

Co-op, state team up to help overseas farmers FONTERRA IS teaming up with the Government to help develop farmers in our key export markets.

A partnership – Framework for International Development in Dairy Excellence – between Fonterra and MFAT aims to help develop food security, knowledge and nutrition in countries whose dairy industries are ‘underdeveloped’.

Chief executive Theo Spierings says New Zealand and its dairy industry have a ‘global’ role to play in promoting dairy for good nutrition and helping developing economies meet the demands of their populace for dairy products.

Fonterra’s work under

the partnership will be in markets where the co-op is reaching more consumers and is seeking to lend more support to local dairy farmers and communities.

“We’ve been dairy farming and processing for over a hundred years, and sharing that expertise with others ensures a strong reputation for dairy quality and safety globally.

This is important in developing economies where an increasing knowledge base and rising incomes cause more consumers to turn to dairy products.”

The partners will work to raise onfarm milk safety and quality, increase farmer productivity and profitability, build coop-

erative governance, and improve milk collection and transport and education nutrition with local communities.

MFAT chief executive John Allen says the goal is to enhance food security,

income and nutrition by promoting dairy development and food safety and quality.

“New Zealand is a highperforming agricultural nation. That is why MFAT is seeking to use its

W E’ VE

Theo Spierings

expertise and innovation, and Fonterra’s…. to investigate potential for building the capability of farmers in developing countries, or enhancing co-opmodels and business structures.”

ADDED

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Nestle pumps $39m to lift dairy farming in China THE WORLD’S largest dairy company Nestlé has

launched a $39m Dairy Farming Institute in northeast China.

One of Nestle’s biggest dairy investments, the institute will help modernise Chinese dairying to enable farmers to meet fast-growing milk demand in a sustainable way. It is located in Shuangcheng, Heilongjiang Province.

Nestlé says it has long sought to share technical knowhow and to improve dairy farming worldwide via training, responsible practices and partnering with stakeholders including governments and universities.

“We have a 25-year history of developing milk districts and the Nestlé Dairy Farming Institute is an extension of this,” says John Cheung, Nestlé China chairman and chief executive.

The institute reflects Nestlé’s belief that for a company to be successful over the long term and create value for shareholders, it must create value for society.

Nestlé has three milk districts in China – Shuangcheng, Laixi in Qingdao and Hulunbeier in Inner Mongolia. It says the China market could almost double in volume by 2020 from current levels.

“Milk is becoming a vital part of the Chinese diet, so the institute will help China [develop] its dairy sector… in a sustainable and efficient manner,” says Hans Joehr, Nestlé’s head of agriculture.

Principles and practices for sustainable dairy farming will underpin the institute’s teaching curriculum and training activities, in addition to the expertise of Nestlé and its partners.

Nestle says the institute will help modernise Chinese dairy farming practices, allowing “responsible production of safe, quality-assured dairy products” via a wide range of dairy management disciplines, including animal health and welfare, milking hygiene, animal nutrition, environmental protection and socio-economic management.

The institute will include classrooms, laboratories, dormitories and three different sized training farms.

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DAIRY NEWS OCTOBER 28, 2014

12 // NEWS

Locals learn about co-op’s water quality work FONTERRA IS inviting people near four key catchment sites to hear about a new plan to improve water quality.

Field days were held last week to mark a 10-year ‘living water programme’ at Hikurangi catchment,

Matarau School students from left, Hayden Chaplin, Isaac Williams and Samuel Williams at the open day.

Kaipara Harbour and Lake Ellesmere, Christchurch.

Fonterra and DoC organised the field days.

At Jordan Valley Farm, Northland, visitors heard about work in the Hikurangi catchment

by Fonterra and DoC to

improve water quality and increase the numbers and variety of native species.

The Hikurangi catchment covers about 55,000ha feeding the Wairua River that flows into the Kaipara Harbour.

Within the catchment is

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a 13,140ha floodplain of which 5670ha is included in a swamp drainage scheme.

The work is being done with local dairy farmers Nga Kaitiaki O Nga Wai Maori and other stakeholders, including the Integrated Kaipara Harbour Management Group, Whangarei District Council and Northland Regional Council.

The day included activities run by The Whitebait Connection and NgaKaitiaki O Nga Wai Maori.

Local primary school children took part.

Fonterra living water project manager Tim Brandenburg says it has spent the first year bringing together organisations and people to focus on the right projects and build on work already underway in the catchment.

DoC commercial partnerships director Geoff Ensor says the open day allowed people to learn about the work and share ideas for how they can get involved.

LIVING WATER The Living Water scheme involves organisations and communities at four catchment sites in the main dairying regions.

The other catchments are Pakorokoro / Miranda at Takapa Moana / Firth of Thames; three Waikato Peat Lakes - Areare, Ruatuna and Rotomanuka; and Awarua-Waituna in Southland.

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Innovation Park will add blending, separating and injecting equipment to the spray drying plant. Callaghan Innovation will inject $3m for equity.

The new equipment will allow ingredients such as vitamins, minerals and oils to be wet blended with milk or fruit juice before being spray dried.

“The current facility doesn’t support the on-site mixing required to manufacture formulated powders, and it hasn’t had the capacity to have milk solid standardisation,” says the park’s chief executive Stuart Gordon. This has restricted customer numbers and the park’s ability to sell into nutritional markets.

At full capacity, the new plant is expected to add $38.5m per year to NZ export revenues from sales of new valueadded consumer products.

“With this expansion, FoodWaikato will provide a greater level of development and innovation capability to dairy companies – cow, goat and sheep – and fruit and vegetables producers.

“We’re moving from helping our customers manufacture ingredients that sell for about US$4700 per tonne to US$20,000 per tonne. At full capacity, we will produce about 2500 tonnes of new, value-added products,” says Gordon.

The expansion will better support “smart ideas” from the food and beverage sector, Gordon says. It will help more companies take their innovations to new export markets.

“There’s no other open access spray drying facility in Australasia where companies can manufacture smaller runs of their first commercial batch of a new product. The only option for them is to build their own plant, which is too expensive for most companies, especially new market entrants.”

Construction starts this month and the spray dryer will be commissioned and operating in March 2015. Jobs at the plant are expected to increase from 8 to 20.

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DAIRY NEWS OCTOBER 28, 2014

14 // NEWS

Leading farmers head to pre-G20 summit meeting FIVE LEADING New Zealand farmers will take part in international discussions on global food security ahead of the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Australia next month.

The Rabobank Global Farmers Master Class, which begins on November 5, will see about 40 of the world’s leading primary producers gather in Victoria and New South Wales to share ideas on the future of farming.

They will then join 600 participants from government, industry, academia, media and advocacy groups at the inaugural Rabobank F20 (Food) Summit in Sydney.

Chosen from New Zealand to attend the Master

Class and F20 Summit are dairy farmers Michael Horgan (Southland), Jane Nugent-O’Leary (Manawatu), and Mark Townshend (Hauraki Plains), and livestock farmers/graziers Dan Jex Blake (Gisborne) and Nelson Hancox (West Otago).

Rabobank executive board member Berry Marttin says the Master Class and F20 Summit programmes bring industry participants together to look at securing a sustainable future for the food and fibre sectors around the world.

“The world’s population is forecast to grow from seven billion today to over nine billion by 2050

and at the same time we are nearing the limits of our natural resources,” Marttin says. “So the challenge for farmers and food producers is to feed more people with fewer resources while also being sustainable.

“Rabobank is committed to developing the agriculture sector and through the bank’s global Banking4Food vision we have taken a leadership role in bringing the industry together.”

Based on the theme ‘The rise of the rural entrepreneur’, the Master Class will have the farmers sharing information and experiences during travels in key producing regions in eastern Australia. They

will hear from leading agricultural thinkers and learn about techniques and developments in the supply chain.

New Zealand chief executive officer Ben Russell says the Master Class programme will be “a mix of farm-stay visits, educational opportunities, best-practice demonstrations and experiences that showcase the best of what this region has to offer, and focus the minds of the farmers on what they can do to innovate and improve farming practices.”

Taking part will be seven Australian farmers and others from Chile, Brazil, US, Ecuador, Mozambique, Canada, Ire-

land, the Netherlands, UK and Zambia.

The 2014 Master Class concludes in Sydney on November 13 with the inaugural Rabobank F20 (Food 20) Summit. Titled ‘Global food security: shared responsibility, collective solutions’, the summit will hear speakers on food production, improving access to food, encouraging balanced nutrition and strengthening stability in markets and production chains.

“This is the first event of its kind, gathering farmers, academics, policy makers and key influencers from agriculture and food production, including processors and major agri corporates,” Russell says.

Hauraki Plains farmer Mark Townshend is one of five farmers chosen to attend a pre-G20 food summit.

“The key themes of the F20 summit will form part of a submission to the G20 agricultural working group and will become a platform for the broader food

and agribusiness industry to [contribute] solutions to the global food security challenge.” @dairy_news facebook.com/dairynews

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DAIRY NEWS OCTOBER 28, 2014

16 // WORLD

Irish wants focus on labour and efficiency IRELAND’S NATIONAL research

body Teagasc says dairy farmers need to examine labour use and efficiency.

Speaking at a Teagasc/ ICOS Dairy Expansion Seminar last week, dairy specialist Pat Clarke said that to efficiently use their work time farmers must simplify their operations, provide facilities adequate to their herd size and make timely use of contractors.

Those who start evening milking about 4.30pm are consistently found more labour

efficient by having organised themselves between morning and afternoon milkings, he said. Studies have shown that 4.30pm milkings have no detriment to milk yield while allowing time for family and lifestyle.

Clarke emphasised suitable buildings, machinery, equipment and farm infrastructure are important to optimise labour efficiency, in particular adequate milking machine capacity, as milking typically consumes 34% of a dairy

farmer’s total working time.

Clarke’s colleague John McNamara, Teagasc’s health and safety officer, cited international research showing the three main farm workplace stressors are long working hours and poor safety conditions, worries about money, and poor health.

McNamara urged farmers to look after their health because of the stress poor health causes, and its impact on income by limiting a farmer’s capacity to farm.

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He referred farmers to the health booklet ‘Staying Fit for Farming’ on Teagasc’s website. It has also been circulated as hard copy nationwide.

He also reminded farmers of their responsibility to make their farms “a safe and comfortable place to work for everybody.”

At the seminar Peter Byrne, chief executive of Farm Relief Services advised farmers to “gear up for more efficient labour use by looking at farm layout, roadways and buildings and identify changes necessary to improve labour efficiency.”

He outlined labour options including family, direct employment, student, contractor, Farm

Milking typically consumes 34% of a farmer’s total working time, according to research done in Ireland.

Relief Services and various collaborative farming arrangements.

“Each comes with advantages and disadvantages and the first thing every farmer should do is to identify which option suits their situation best.”

If employing extra labour he advised, “be aware of your legal requirements relating to the provision of a

contract of employment, a payslip and a method for recording hours worked.”

Tom O’Dwyer, Teagasc’s head of dairy knowledge transfer stressed the importance of getting labour efficiency right before adding more cows. Currently the most labour efficient farms in Ireland manage 100 livestock units per labour unit, he pointed out.

“This has to be the

benchmark in labour efficiency. But it is also important that dairy expansion does not take place at the expense of the farmer’s physical, mental and social health.”

The Farmer Health Booklet ‘Staying Fit for Farming’ is available at http://www.teagasc.ie/ publications @dairy_news facebook.com/dairynews

Pizza chain to spread only local cheese DOMINO’S PIZZA of Canada is now using only cheese

made from 100% Canadian milk on all its offerings.

The Ontario company, which owns 380 stores in the country, announced a partnership with Dairy Farmers of Canada. Domino’s is the first national pizza company in Canada to have made this commitment. It buys 4.8m kg of cheese each year.

“We are proud that Domino’s has made this commitment to our Canadian dairy farmers,” says Wally Smith, president of Dairy Farmers of Canada.

“Canada has some of the greatest cheeses in the world, and with good reason, since its main ingredient, Canadian milk, is renowned for its high quality, purity and great taste.”

Domino’s decision to use cheese made only from 100% Canadian milk is a natural one, says Michael Curran, president of Domino’s Pizza of Canada.

“Domino’s is a strong believer in fresh, high quality and local products and is a proud supporter of Canadian dairy farmers.”

Canadians will now see the 100% Canadian milk symbol on all Domino’s menus, pizza boxes and online.

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DAIRY NEWS OCTOBER 28, 2014

NEWS // 17

Oz farming green paper to reduce red tape PRICE NEGOTIATIONS between super-

markets and farmers tops the Australian Federal Government’s green paper on competitiveness in the agriculture sector.

Farmers have welcomed the paper, released this month

by Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce at the National Farmers Federation annual conference in Canberra. It calls for changes to the way supermarkets and farmers negotiate prices, and suggests more farmer-owned cooperatives could play a key role in such talks.

The paper recommends ways to improve relations between farmers and supermarkets. It comes after years of talks on a code of conduct, with only an interim voluntary code currently in place.

Joyce told reporters that prices paid to farmers is an issue seen repeatedly in submissions received by the Federal Government to the green paper.

“We believe unconscionable conduct should be controlled,” he says.

More needs to be done “to bring about a more honest approach by those who wish to exploit their market position in a way that is hardened and discriminatory against smaller players trying to supply them.”

Water storage is

another key issue in the green paper. Joyce says the Government is seeking to identify new dam and infrastructure projects.

National Farmers Federation president Brent Finlay says the green paper identifies nine policy principles, including greater returns to the farmgate, secure futures for family farms, infrastructure for the 21st century and a stronger voice for Australian farmers.

“Australian agriculture needs certainty for the long term, so that we can invest in our businesses and our futures.

This in turn, benefits the Australian economy as a whole.

“The green paper builds on many of the NFF policy priorities, including rebalancing competition policy, support for drought-affected farmers, greater access to labour, reform of coastal shipping and removing unnecessary regulation in work health and safety laws.

“The commitment to further explore water infrastructure opportunities is an important acknowledgement that infrastructure investment, including in water, must grow to promote increased capacity and development in rural and regional areas.”

Finlay says Australia is lucky to have an agricul-

ture minister “with such a passion for the agriculture sector”.

Submissions on the green paper will be accepted until December 12.

“We’re looking to

farmers to tell us about the most important ideas and the policies we should focus on to take agriculture forward,” says Joyce. @dairy_news facebook.com/dairynews

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DAIRY NEWS OCTOBER 28, 2014

18 // OPINION RUMINATING

EDITORIAL

Innovators all smiles

MILKING IT...

Governance gravy train?

ANOTHER WEEK, another annual meeting, another reminder that big pay packets are handed to the people directing our industry organisations and cooperative’s, e.g.

Fonterra chairman John Wilson. He collects a cool $405,000/year – that’s $1110/day, 365-days/ year, aside from any farm investment income. In a year when many producers will struggle to make a profit should he get so much? That’s for Fonterra shareholders to decide when they vote on Resolution 1 at the annual meeting. A salary linked to the payout could be a more ‘cooperative’ arrangement. At $8.40 Wilson’s wadge equates to 48,214kgMS. At $4.80/ kgMS it’s 84,375kgMS, so how about giving him whatever 50,000kgMS is worth? Now there’s a thought.

Teen time tactics

TEENAGERS LOVE to sleep in so why, in the dairy industry, do we expect them to survive and thrive starting work before five? Readers unfamiliar with dairying should know we mean five in the morning, not the afternoon. Some teenagers tough it out of course, doing a good job regardless of what their body is trying to tell them.

And the naturally early risers actually enjoy the dark starts. But for most 16-19s it’s too hard. Little wonder they don’t want to go dairying. If the sector truly wants to appeal to youngsters it must wake up and get flexible. A few innovative farmers are leading the way.

Milk is best

ANOTHER REASON children should drink milk: to provide adequate vitamin D. Non-dairy beverages like soy, almond and even omega-3-rich hemp milk are big business, such products seen by many consumers as healthier than cow milk.

These products also ease parents’ minds when their children with milk allergies or lactose intolerance crave a pour-on for their morning cereal.

But switching out of cow milk, say the authors of a new study, may put children at risk of low vitamin D, added to cow milk to help maintain bone strength.

“Children drinking only non-cow milk were more than twice as likely to be vitamin D deficient as children drinking only cow milk,” says study author Dr Jonathon Maguire, a pediatrician and researcher at St Michael’s Hospital, Toronto, Canada. “Among children who drank noncow milk, every additional cup of non-cow milk was associated with a 5% drop in vitamin D levels per month.”

Hand milking par excellence

SCANDAL CLOUDED the World Hand-Milking Championship at the Branzi Fair in Lenna, in northern Italy. Two competitors must hand-milk one cow each for two minutes: top volume wins. Usually a machine-milked cow will produce 25L in a day. The former Guinness World Record for hand-milking is 2L in two minutes, smashed in Italy over the weekend, but not without controversy.

Gianmario Ghirardi (31) from Malonno, Brescia, Italy, milked an astounding 8.7L from Mirka the Cow. Very impressive! But last year’s champion, Maurizio Paschetta, stayed out, insisting that the absence of checks for doping in the cows made it unethical for him to enter. “At this level I would have expected strong anti-doping checks on the cows and milkers to protect the animals and guarantee transparency of the top positions,” he told reporters.

NEW ZEALAND’S dairy industry has many success stories; hard work, R&D and sacrifice have paid off for innovators and entrepreneurs.

This month the industry celebrates two such stories: the development of a cow breed that will produce more milk in tropical climates, and organic chocolate milk that is taking the domestic market by storm.

Dairy Solutionz Ltd, Hamilton, has led an expert genetics team to develop a cow that thrives in lower-altitude tropical climates and achieves high milk production under heat stress.

Soon these cows will be milked on large-scale farms in the US, Colombia and Ecuador.

Earlier this year, research by Serdal Dikmen and the University of Florida pointed to 2L/day improved milk yield per animal through better heat tolerance. Multiply this increase over a large or national herd and the end result is a whopper.

Since 2007 Dairy Solutionz has worked with international partners to design and integrate best-of-breed technologies into its large-scale offshore pastoral farms. Their hard work is paying off.

For the small dairy company Lewis Road Creamery it took only two years to hit the sweet spot. Its fresh chocolate milk is said to be flying off the shelves in supermarkets and boutique stores. Its key ingredients are organic milk and Whittakers chocolate.

Consumer demand is phenomenal. This small company works 24/7 pumping out the product, each week consuming 3000kg of Whittaker’s five roll-refined creamy milk chocolate and 24,000L of milk.

Security guards are monitoring supermarket fridges containing the product and customers are queueing to buy it.

One Auckland supermarket operator says his stocks have run out every day since it was launched: 500 bottles delivered each morning were selling out within 90 minutes.

He’s immensely surprised, says the retailer. “We’ve had some pretty good product launches in the past but this takes the cake.”

Since dairy is New Zealand’s top industry it needs continuing innovation along the whole value chain to anchor it, and the New Zealand economy, in position.

Dairy Solutionz and Lewis Road Creamery are two shining examples of this.

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DAIRY NEWS OCTOBER 28, 2014

OPINION // 19

No people, no industry Federated Farmers chief executive Graham Smith last week spoke at the Future Farms Conference in Wellington. Here are excerpts from his speech.

IT IS an exciting time to

be in the farming sector, as pastoral farming lies at the heart of our economy and how we see ourselves as a nation.

We are a primary superpower that ranks among the best on earth in production efficiency, environmental outcomes and emissions. We are on the world stage and everyone is watching.

Federated Farmers has been a part of NZ Farming Inc since 1899, delivering the farmers’ message from the back ends of the country to the decisionmakers and influencers in our capital city.

the environment and requires a balance with economic growth. Farmers are ‘stewards’ of their land and must ensure their properties continue to be improved for the next generation.

As Peter Kendall, president of the World Farmers Organisation (WFO), said, “Farmers have daily interaction with the environment. Thus farmers are key drivers of the development of sustainable agricultural practices that provide food and renewable materials to support livelihoods. We must reposition farmers at the centre of the agriculture

Young people need to believe farming is an attractive career option in New Zealand.

Federated Farmers plays its part in making farming in New Zealand profitable and sustainable, by representing the views of its members, the farmers, to central and local government. We give farmers a voice on the important policy issues facing farming.

We may be a small country by population and size, but we hold our own as a primary exporter: agribusiness is our one competitive advantage.

The key megatrends we are seeing today include the rise of the consumer, the environment, increased competition and volatility (including biosecurity and infectious diseases) and food security.

We now live in a world evolving at an unprecedented rate. China is a shining example: in 1978 it was among the poorest countries; now it is the world’s second-largest economy. Its middle class is growing rapidly, they have money to spend and their dietary tastes are changing, presenting us with lots of export opportunities.

For farming to remain competitive, we need more skilled people, we need farming to remain profitable and we need to spend more on science and innovation to develop more valuable products and services.

Farmers clearly understand that farming affects

sector to become more resilient to climate risks.”

It is essential that farmers and environmental groups talk and work together, because an adversarial approach will ultimately not help. For example, the Land and Water Forum has been a positive development and a well-recognised example of collaboration. But engagement and collaboration doesn’t just happen; it takes time and effort.

People are farming’s most precious resource.

They deserve every opportunity to maximise their potential in the best possible working environment, but right now the industry demand for skilled labour exceeds the market.

If we don’t have the people we don’t have an industry.

Recently Federated Farmers received, under the Official Information Act, data comparing primary industry graduates at certificate, diploma and degree level with graduate numbers in other disciplines. Last year New Zealand graduated 20 more people with music degrees than with degrees in a primary industries discipline; the primary industries graduating 365 people at degree level (all disciplines) and 287 at certificate and diploma level.

Though the trend in the number of primary industry graduates is upward,

we have a long way to go.

Science disciplines are not easy but they are critical for our prosperity and to maintain our place in the world.

It is forecast that by 2025 two-thirds of primary industry roles will

demand a tertiary qualification. The challenge these figures issue is, are we moving fast enough?

Expert knowledge is vital to keep farmers competitive and we must attract more people into the industry.

Young people need to believe farming is an attractive career option in New Zealand. It’s why we need to encourage more schools like St Paul’s Collegiate, Hamilton, which has begun an elite agribusiness course.

Graham Smith

DAIRY NEWS OCTOBER 28, 2014

20 // AGRIBUSINESS

Negotiating with eyes wide open NEGOTIATING A fair contract will

be the first topic offered by Dairy Women’s Network (DWN) at its new Dairy Modules events for members, starting next month.

DairyNZ is funding the event, titled ‘Eyes wide open – negotiating a fair contract’.

DWN, Federated Farmers and DairyNZ developed the training to help contract milkers, sharemilkers and owners to negotiate a fair contract.

The network has contracted Lee Astridge from No.8 HR to lead their sessions and Federated Farmers has contracted Tony Wilding and Ciarán Tully. These 10 sessions will be held in Stratford, Cambridge, Ashburton and Winton (Federated Farmers) and Dannevirke, Gore, Ngatea, Greymouth, Rotorua and Oamaru (Dairy Women’s Network).

“It is expected there will be

keen interest in these sessions where the new herd owning sharemilking agreement and variable order sharemilking agreement (Federated Farmers) and other contractual and budgeting issues will be addressed,” says DWN

chief executive Zelda De Villiers.

The second DWN module will cover goal setting, run by jointly by DWN and DairyNZ “DairyNZ staff will train two DWN volunteer regional convenors to deliver the training to their peers,

DAIRY MODULES LOCATIONS AND DATES: Dannevirke, Thursday, October 30

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Stratford, Tuesday, November 4

Greymouth, Friday, November 7

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Rotorua, Friday, November 14

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Gore, Wednesday, November 5

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Oamaru, Friday, November 21

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Ashburton, Tuesday, November 25

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Winton, Wednesday, November 26

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Ngatea, Thursday, November 6

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Cambridge, Thursday,

November 6

in keeping with the network’s goal of empowering and developing the talents of its members,” says De Villiers.

“The sessions are Zelda de Villiers developed with the the first session only, or the first and members’ knowledge of on-farm training needs to ensure second sessions,” says De Villiers.

The topics for the sessions are the training is practical, farm-focused and delivered in a way in which our discussed and decided annually at the DWN regional convenors’ members prefer to learn.”

Dairy Modules in development meeting in April each year, when for 2015 include technology onfarm relevant professional and personal (smartphones), rostering onfarm and development topics are identified and prioritised. animal welfare.

“The development and delivery of The modules replace Dairy Days and Financial Days – nationwide the Dairy Modules is collaborative, and uses feedback from network roadshows that began in 2005.

“The new Dairy Modules members, network volunteers and programme is more flexible. The experts in the subject areas we’re sessions are offered in two two-hour covering.” blocks. Women can opt to come to www.dwn.co.nz

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DAIRY NEWS OCTOBER 28, 2014

AGRIBUSINESS // 21

Get staff to work harder not smarter WHETHER MOTIVATED by

profitability or a drive for continuous improvement, growing staff productivity is an ongoing challenge facing all businesses.

It is especially relevant given the current pressures on dairy returns. With staff costs about 20% of operating expenses, productivity is an obvious place to look to achieve efficiencies.

Review and restructure requires judgement, communication and leadership. It always works better when there is full consultation with the team, fresh thinking by professionals and, most of all, transparency to protect and encourage a trust culture.

The starting point to maximise people’s effectiveness is to ensure they are clear on what is expected of their role. This depends on job descriptions that describe measurable outcomes against which performance can be assessed. Putting these together needn’t be a time-consuming process: there are plenty of templates available through industry publications like those available on DairyNZ and my website.

The next ingredient is building a high trust culture. This will be fostered by behaviour that demonstrates mutual commitment to loyalty and support. When the pressure is on there must be total belief in the people who are going to be asked to do more with less. In a high trust environment there is greater ability to confront barriers and challenge through courageous conversations.

The absence of trust leads to artificial harmony, defensiveness, resistance to change and restricted ability to deliver feedback that will challenge team members to new levels of performance. This is characterised by negative mindsets, reluctance to collaborate and avoidance of conversations that could otherwise deliver real returns to the team and business. Left unaddressed this type of culture becomes

a constant source of stress and a catalyst for relationship breakdown.

Encouraging team dialogue about what a high trust environment looks like builds a foundation for interactions that empower the team to explore previously no-go areas. Topics that increase understanding of this should be a regular feature of agendas for staff meetings. Balancing them between a focus on functional, day to day issues (getting the job done) and developing or reinforcing culture and values (how the team works) enhances variety and relevance of content for team discussions.

In this environment team leaders are better able to assess how efficiencies could be captured and float their ideas for refinement and feedback from the team.

The productivity review process will be advanced by incorporation into the regular performance reviews that should be happening in the business. These must be simple, time efficient and focus on areas where performance gains will add value. They are not just a box ticking exercise, they involve planning and evaluation to talk about what matters.

To be effective, performance review needs to link to assessment against measurable outcomes described in job descriptions. These discussions can be enhanced by involving an independent facilitator or senior staff not directly involved in the relationship to reinforce key messages and ensure they are delivered with minimum risk to day to day working relationships.

They should end with a clear action plan for improvements that will benefit the business and grow prospects for the staff member. The focus should be to secure commitment to values and culture, engagement with best practice for farming roles and commitment to training (and consequent growth and career opportunities).

They should include how efficiencies can be gained

to their role. Those who excel at the tasks of their job but lack character and commitment to team and business values can be deceptively destructive.

Confronting this by challenging leaders and staff about both what they do and how they do it is fundamental to moving forward.

by focusing on time and cost efficiencies including temporary strategies that will support the business through this period of lower milk prices.

It’s important to recognise that highperformance teams comprise people who bring the right balance of character and competence

There is plenty of good reading to support full understanding of these topics. I’ve have found Stephen R Covey’s The Speed of Trust and Patrick Lencioni’s The 5 Dysfunctions of a Team thought-provoking and empowering.

Continuous engagement in developing

people offers real energy to the business, promotes team dynamics that deliver a more positive and solution focused culture, reduce tensions and grow capabilities for a rewarding future for all involved.

• Kerry Ryan is a Tauranga agribusiness consultant. www.kerryryan.co.nz

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DAIRY NEWS OCTOBER 28, 2014

22 // MANAGEMENT

Out to pasture for first calves PETER BURKE peterb@ruralnews.co.nz

IT’S WEANING time for

the first of the calves from the trial at Massey University looking at possible benefits of differing milk diets and machine feeding

compared with hand feeding on calf growth rate and subsequent performance of dairy cattle.

The project, which will be running for the next few years and is a long term study being completed for Bell Booth Ltd, Palmerston North, to

assess the effect of early life nutrition on subsequent milk yield, cow performance, longevity and farm economics. Its goal is to provide accessible systems-level solutions for profitably increasing pastoral production and reduce herd replacement

Student Georgia Glover helps with calf weaning.

rates, while farms’ environmental footprint.

But right now Massey Researcher Dr Jean Margerison and her team of student helpers are busy weighing and weaning the 180 heifer calves, which are the progeny of the 650 cows which are part of Massey University agricultural experimental station (MAES), at the number 4 dairy farm.

It’s just like any farming operation and Margerison and her team are working seven days a week to get the task completed.

Weighing the calves is an integral part of the research and each week the animals are weighed manually or their weight collected automatically by the calf feeding machine to measure the progress of each calf. As part of the trial, the calves are fed differing amounts of

Massey University researcher Dr Jean Margerison says good shelter is an essential part of successful calf rearing.

milk and types of milk diet along with 20 % protein meal, pasture hay and fresh clean water up until weaning. Some groups get less milk and tend to eat more meal, while claves offered more milk eat less meal.

“In the early growth phase we want to make

70%

sure they are growing quickly because that means that you get more mammary development, healthier calves and they grow more easily while at pasture and subsequently yield more milk and have greater survivability as adults. If they are managed and fed well they get to

target weaning weight earlier and they have better chance of having a good first and subsequent grazing season,” says Margerison.

An important facet of successful calf rearing after weaning says Margerison is making sure that there is good quality grass

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DAIRY NEWS OCTOBER 28, 2014

MANAGEMENT // 23

at Massey Uni supply, meal and a sheltered aspect for the animals. She says this applies to both indoor and outdoor systems, when claves are turned out to pasture.

“Even during spring the weather can be pretty nasty and when it’s cold and unpleasant then the growth rates are lower so you want good sheltered conditions to make sure they use the milk and meal to grow and that you feed them enough milk during cold conditions to achieve good growth rates on average between birth and weaning of 650 g/d for Jersey to 750 g/d for black and whites.

If the conditions are colder it means that the calves will need more milk or else they will grow slower and not be as healthy. When it’s cold they use more energy from milk to keep warm, then there is less available for them to grow, so in cold years don’t underestimate that need for feeding more milk to young calves not old enough to be eating meal. For example if you normally feed them four litres you should feed them five or six litres a day,” she says As part of the trial a group of calves are being offered milk on a semi ad-lib basis rather than the normal once or twice a day feeding regime. The feeding machine has a small feeding station which the calves can go into and get their milk feed. They get as much as they want in the first week or so but then they are put into groups and get a pre-determined daily milk feed amount.

This is done by using an EID or NAIT tag system which monitors their milk intake. They also get free access to meal, pasture hay and fresh water.

What’s especially different says Margerison is that the milk is warmed up and they feed when they want to have their two meals daily, you could set it up to feed more often if you wanted them to be able to do so.

“We have some calves that are fed cold milk and some that are fed milk that’s warmed to 30 degrees, so it feeds stored colostrum or any sort of milk diet you want it to.

The fact is calves do better

on warm milk, but the issue is that it should be a consistent heat and not over heated and should not fluctuate if you try to do this manually,” she says.

Margerison says the calves fed more milk grow faster and wean earlier – in some cases within eightand-a-half weeks while calves on other feeding regimes take about nineand a half weeks and on the standard diet can take up to ten to twelve weeks.

However, we have yet to see how well calves wean from higher milk feeding levels. The target weaning weights vary according to breed with approx.

90 kilograms the target for the back and whites, 85 kg for the kiwi cross and around 75 to 80 kg for the Jersey type calves. The main thing is that they can double their birth weight plus about ten percent by weaning time on the system.

In the next few weeks results of the trials will start to show as the calves are transitioned onto pasture and their post weaning weights are monitored.

Margerison says they like them to transition from milk onto pasture without live weight loss, but they will see how the higher milk intake calves manage.

“The environment is challenging for calves in the early days and the control of disease and parasites is an important part of heifer rearing. We do vaccinate and feed a minimum of two kilograms of meal for each calf daily, changing to a 16 % protein meal when they are at pasture. We aim to give weaned calves the best quality pastures we can and rotate them around paddocks and use cows to clean off paddocks or top them if needs be. We like to offer them the opportunity to eat some hay when we turn them out and are careful to make sure they eat up the meal which they are used to eating and this helps transition them nicely onto pasture,” she says.

Of the heifer calves reared at Massey will make their way into the main herd as replacements, being mated at 65 % mature weight at 13 to 14 months of age and calv-

ing at 85 to 90 % of mature weight at 22 to 23 months of age. The next phase of the trial will assess the effect of calf diet on the production and survival traits of these animals in the milking herd in 2016 onwards.

It’s early days for the heifers in this trial, but the

painstaking and detailed work by Margerison, the students and Massey staff involved in this work will hopefully produce some hard data that commercial dairy farmers can utilise in their farming systems soon and in investing in the future of their dairy herds.

Weighing calves at Massey’s research farm.

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DAIRY NEWS OCTOBER 28, 2014

MANAGEMENT // 25

Best cultivation for spring, summer BALA TIKKISETTY

MECHANICAL CULTIVATION of paddocks for

producing summer forage or fodder crop happens at a time when high intensity local storms are common, adding substantial risk to the practice.

To help maximise production and protect soil properties and the environment, consider these matters when planning for cultivation.

The physical, chemical and biological soil environment will be impacted by cultivation, and the effect of this on erosion differs greatly depending on the soil type, slope, moisture levels and cultivation methods.

Topsoil erosion of bare or cultivated land undercuts a farm’s production system and can also disrupt infrastructure and increase the costs of maintenance, such as cleaning culverts and drains and repairing tracks and races.

The resulting sediment and nutrients in waterways can smother and disrupt the ecosystem, reducing biodiversity and fish stocks.

There are ways to help reduce the environmental risks of cultivation, and erosion generally, and to protect soil resources.

Contour cultivation – sowing at right angles to the slope – helps prevent sediment and nutrient running off paddocks to places they’re not wanted.

Avoid large, unbroken areas of bare soil at any one time. If a large sloping paddock is to be cultivated, leave strips of undisturbed land at intervals across the slope where possible.

Soils should be cultivated when moisture content is neither too high nor too low. To assess if soils are suitable for primary cultivation, take a piece of soil (half the volume of an index finger) and press firmly to form a ‘pencil’.

Roll the soil into a ‘worm’ on the palm of one hand with the fingers of the other until it is about 50mm long and 4mm thick. Exert sufficient pressure with fingers to reduce the diameter of the worm to 4mm in 15-20 complete forward and back movements of the fingers.

Conditions are suitable for cultivation if the soil cracks before the worm is made. The soil is too wet to cultivate if the worm can be made.

If good precautions are observed, a two-pass cultivation is often all that is needed to prepare a seedbed.

Other conservation cultivation techniques include minimum tillage or no-tillage. These include spraying chemicals to remove vegetation and direct drilling of seed into soil.

If soil has been continuously cultivated for many years, the structure is likely to be poor because cultivation reduces soil organic matter levels. Minimum or no-tillage will not repair the damage overnight but, with residue retention, it will eventually. Where the soil structure has been damaged by repeated cultivation, consider maintaining pasture on the damaged area for a year or two to enable the soil to restore itself.

Because of certain textural differences, in some soils the natural rate of water infiltration is low.

But the infiltration rate can also be low due to soil structure damage caused by frequent tillage or other management-related issues like compaction.

Runoff from these areas increases the risk of erosion, so more care is needed in such cases.

To assess the current condition of your soils, consider engaging a soil consultant, or use the visual soil assessment tool designed for use by nonscientists. You will find information on this tool on our “For Farmers” pages (http://www.waikatoregion. govt.nz/Community/Yourcommunity/For-Farmers/ Soil-management/). Our catchment management officers are also able to advise on soil condition.

As an extra protection measure an effective filter strip needs to be established and maintained between any cultivation and water bodies.

Healthy riparian vegetation in these areas including dense ground cover or rank grass should be maintained to improve bank stability, increase water quality, filter surface runoff and to provide habi-

tat for wild life.

Studies show that up to 90% of sediment can be caught in an effectively constructed filter strip.

Any faecal bacteria trapped in long grass filter strips will die off in sunlight.

In the filter strips, generally, grasses should be kept to a height of at least 10-15cm with a high den-

sity of stems and leaves at ground level for maximum trapping effect.

Remember too that Waikato Regional Council has a rule in the regional plan which says farmers must not cultivate paddocks within 2m of a river, stream or lake bed. This is designed to prevent contamination of waterways.

And finally, be cautious when moving cultivation equipment between farms so as not to spread pest plants and other soil borne diseases. Decontaminate the equipment by thoroughly washing it before taking it to another farm.

• Bala Tikkisetty is a sustainable agriculture co-ordinator at Waikato Regional Council.

Protect the soil while cultivating paddocks.

DAIRY NEWS OCTOBER 28, 2014

26 // MANAGEMENT Meet the team: John and Cara Gregan (2nd and 3rd from left) with their farm team.

Flexible approach DairyNZ faced pointed questions about the sector’s staff shortages at its annual meeting earlier this month, but the day after, on a field trip, the board and senior management heard one farm’s solution. Andrew Swallow reports.

FORGET YOUR stan-

dard rosters and work out what will work for you and your employees if you want to find, and more importantly keep, good staff.

Such a flexible approach to employment, and investing in their team’s training and futures, is helping South Canterbury dairy farmers John and Cara Gregan

get good local staff when many in the area are struggling.

The couple converted part of their former sheep and beef farm to dairying five years ago, putting a 40-aside shed and 450 cows on a previously leased dryland property they’d just bought. Two years later they converted their home farm too, with 550 cows and a 48-aside shed.

It’s an unashamedly low cost approach, producing a touch over 1100kgMS/ha and 400kgMS/cow with farm working expenses budgeted at $3.65/kgMS. But while every cost has been scrutinised and in many cases cut in light of the lower forecast payout this year, one area they won’t prune is their people. “It’s too important,” says Cara. “You might save thirty or forty thousand but you just put pressure on everyone and everything else.”

Each farm has a manager and they employ an overall operations manager, Wayne Pritchard, with them since before their dairying days.

Officially, the roster is 12 and two, but by adding six days of annual holiday, all the stat days, and six extra days, it becomes 11 and three for all but the first couple of months of the season.

“Even for the first month-and-a-half of the season when we’re calving it means everybody has at least a day off per week.

For the juniors it’s usually taken as a full day but the managers usually take two half days,” explains Cara.

“For the rest of the year they get three days in the fortnight, and those days are always over a weekend,

either Friday to Sunday, or Saturday to Monday. It means they have a business day off when they can do all their banking and town stuff if they need to, and the weekend which is when most people want to socialise.”

It’s with the juniors that the flexible hours come in. One works 5am to 1pm, another starts 9am and finishes 5pm. The ‘job share’ arrangement means they now only need two relief milkers, where they used to have four.

One of the farm managers’ wives works as a milk harvester 6-9am, and, owing to injury to another staff member, is also helping with calves this year.

“But everybody milks, and everybody helps with the calves. It means if we have someone off on either farm for whatever reason we have cover for them.”

Having slightly more staff than the bare minimum also means less pressure on everybody, making for better working conditions across the board and less risk of burnout.

It’s a lesson they learnt the hard way from a promising young employee a few years back. That’s also why they encourage staff to have a life off the farm, playing sport or some other community involvement.

“One of our juniors just got an award from the local school for coaching their basketball team. How many dairy farm workers have time to do that sort of thing?” Gregan asked the Dairy NZ visitors rhetorically.

Another strategy making for better working conditions is not to have too many cows going through the sheds, so

STAFFING STRATEGY

❱❱ Understand people’s drivers and needs. ❱❱ Ensure employees ‘fit’ farm culture. ❱❱ Use telephone and email to pre-screen applicants. ❱❱ Recognise staff social needs with free weekends. ❱❱ Work-life balance for all. ❱❱ All inclusive team meetings.

DAIRY NEWS OCTOBER 28, 2014

MANAGEMENT // 27

We used MULTIMIN® prior to calving and can see better animal health through the first three months. A very good product. Will use MULTIMIN® in the future.

to staffing pays off milking is done in a couple of hours maximum, and not to start too early. “We cup on at 6am and 2.30pm so nobody is out before 5am.”

Labour costs come in at just over 90c/kgMS but as Cara points out, that includes everything from calf rearing costs to ACC and training allowances.

“It’s really hard to compare like with like.”

All staff complete at least one training course a year.

“Josh and I have just done a welding course,” Pritchard told Dairy News during the Dairy NZ visit. It’s testament to the farm’s work-life balance that they were able to do the six week evening class course starting in the middle of calving.

Pritchard and his wife Kirsty are on an “unconventional sharemilking arrangement” as Gregan puts it. They can add 10 cows/year to the herd of their own, up to a maximum of 50. Currently they have 32, including a couple

of dries. “Their expenses are our expenses.”

The managers got a big bonus last year and this year the whole team’s on board looking to make cost savings, well aware the farms are facing a $1.2m income hit.

Two quads were traded in for two-wheelers, yielding savings in capital, fuel and maintenance. “We can do most of the maintenance on the two-wheelers ourselves whereas with the four-wheelers you could be looking at $500/ service.”

Each farm still has one four-wheeler but they’re only used for calving, dusting or when they’re safer than a two-wheeler, such as on slippery races. “But most of the time the twowheeler’s safer.”

Some big savings have been made in animal health too, for example, using CIDR sponges twice and identifying cull cows at calving so they don’t get metri-checked, served or any non-essential treatment. “If they get mastitis

they might get one treatment but after that they’ll be gone.”

Every paddock has been soil tested yielding fertiliser savings. Reviewing insurance, banking and accounting arrangements has also saved money.

Cara’s already capitalising on the offers from Fonterra’s recently launched Farm Source initiative.

“We’ve saved $50/month with Telecom – that’s $600/year – and it looks like we’ll make big savings on fuel too.”

Claiming the duty on petrol is another trick they’ve realised they’d been missing. “We don’t have any petrol cars which makes it easy as all the petrol goes in the farm bikes.”

From an initial budget of $3.83/kgMS they got it down to $3.64/kgMS at the start of the season, assuming 390kgMS/ cow, but given a decent summer and production over 400kgMS/cow, plus extra savings they’re finding on the way, John says

[ ANDREW DALTON | TAUPIRI ]

Walk and talk: DairyNZ chairman John Luxton (left) with Gregan’s operations manager Wayne Pritchard.

he thinks they’ll be able to drive that under $3.50/ kgMS. The whole team gets an update every two months on actual costs versus budget to date “so they know what every cost is as we go through, and they know we’re facing $1.2m off the top line,” adds Cara.

While it’s not a new economy measure, starting the season

with just one shed, then opening the second one once 400 cows are in milk, typically about September 1, yields another saving, as does the farm’s unusual “replacement” policy: rearing and selling all heifer calves in DecemberJanuary then replacing them with empty would-be second calvers in May. “Cost-wise it’s pretty much a straight swap” notes Gregan.

CROPS AND ALTERNATIVE PASTURE WHILE THE Gregan’s farms at the foot of the Hunter Hills pick up more rain than those closer to the coast they can get summer dry. To mitigate that risk feeders were built into their two herringbone sheds but they have no intention of pulling the barley cord this year.

“We probably pulled it a bit too much last year,” admits John.

Historically, turnips were used as a summer crop but now lucerne, and possibly fescue are providing a summer buffer.

“We often take the first cut of lucerne for silage… put it in the stack for the summer.” Later on cows are grazed on it, but only for an hour or so just prior to milking. “They never go onto it empty and it’s never more than 10% of the diet.

The quality is still fantastic when the grass is going off a bit.”

A third paddock going into lucerne this spring means 10% of the milking platform will be down to the legume for next season.

Fodder beet is used to extend the

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ARE YOU PICKING UP

WHAT THEY’RE PUTTING DOWN?

it full-time in winter. “That transition period is really important.”

A paddock of fescue is looking promising, the alternative grass being known for its superior summer production to ryegrass. “It’s also got a lot more clover through it so it should be higher quality.

I think the slower establishment and more upright growth helps the clover.”

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DAIRY NEWS OCTOBER 28, 2014

28 // ANIMAL HEALTH

NO RISK TO HUMANS ❱❱ Theileriosis only affects cattle and is transmitted by cattle ticks

Vet Mark Anderson says every herd in Northland may have Theileria.

❱❱ Theileriosis causes anaemia in cattle and can sometimes be fatal ❱❱ Cows during calving and young calves (2-3 months) are at most risk from infection ❱❱ There are no human health or food safety risks associated with Theileriosis.

Treat now to fight Theileria – vet GARETH GILLATT

FARMERS COULD

Are your cATTle AT risk?

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safeguard next year’s calves against Theileria by treating cows for ticks in summer according to senior Vets North vet Mark Anderson.

Anderson recently told 60 farmers at a Beef + Lamb NZ event at Tomarata, near Wellsford, that while little was known about the potentially disastrous condition there could be a way to combat it.

A tick-borne disease caused by an intracellular blood parasite, Theileria can result in anaemia, lethargy, lack of appetite and can cause a drop in milk production, rising somatic cells and even death for cows and calves in extreme cases.

As the parasite can only travel from host to host through tick bites Anderson says this has limited the spread of the disease to farms in Waikato (a moderate infestation in

ments from local sources is relatively easy, Anderson says protecting calves from Theileria can take a little more planning, especially as it takes very little for the parasite to spread.

“It just takes a bite from an infected tick and all your calves have got it.”

“It only takes one tick with the parasite to infect your calves but if you can kill all the ticks with the virus then any that bite calves won’t be able to pass Theileria on.” son expects it to stay in the area it has infected and only pose a serious risk to stock not exposed to it before.

“The two classes of animal that will get sick and could die from Theileria are cows that have been shipped into the area that haven’t been exposed to it and calves going onto grass for the first time.

The rest of your herd probably have the disease and it doesn’t bother them.”

While buying replace-

While nothing can be done to treat the parasite when animals have it, Anderson believes farmers could prevent young stock contracting it when they are at their weakest with the use of a pour-on drench.

The parasite is believed to pass from cow to tick and back to cow as the tick can’t pass on the parasite itself through genetics or in its eggs, Anderson says. This means farmers could kill the ticks with the parasites before stock

have the chance to pick up the parasite.

Ticks emerge as larvae in January-February, maturing and becoming adults in November-January.

The critical times for dairy farmers are December, when ticks bite cows with the protozoa parasite, and again in JulyAugust when calves go from the calf shed to the pasture for the first time.

“It only takes one tick with the parasite to infect your calves but if you can kill all the ticks with the virus then any that bite calves won’t be able to pass Theileria on.”

He says the pour-on Bayticol works to kill ticks successfully while also not having any withholding period for either milk or meat.”

As ticks contract the parasite by biting infected cows, Anderson says drenching the main herd now should mean that ticks bite calves free of Theileria because they haven’t had chance to bite cows yet.

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Reporoa), Whanganui and Eketahuna.

While the disease has been spreading rapidly across these regions over the last 12 months, to the point where animal health professionals now suspect every herd in Northland has the disease, Ander-

A parasite which causes destruction of the red blood cells in cattle and is spread by ticks Occasionally fatal (approx.

1%) Can cause significant productivity losses

■■

Usually seen in cows around

■■

Tick treatments help keep tick numbers lower which may slow the spread of the disease in some circumstances

■■

Unclear if immunity develops and persists

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No vaccine available

calving, or beef calves 5-10 weeks old ■■

Majority of infected animals are subclinical

■■

Usually introduced by stock movement

DAIRY NEWS OCTOBER 28, 2014

ANIMAL HEALTH // 29

Untreatable mastitis can find new entry AUSTRALIAN DAIRY

farmers must watch out for mycoplasma as an emerging cause of untreatable mastitis, says Dairy Australia.

The disease has troubled Australian dairy herds since 2006, and though few farms are affected, the disease caused by Mycoplasma bovis can curb production, push up cull rates and lead to cows and calves dying.

“The good news is a relatively cheap and sensitive test for mycoplasma is available on bulk milk samples,” says Dairy Australia’s programme manager of animal health and fertility Dr Kathryn Davis.

“It is important not to buy in this disease when purchasing cows; with concerted action now we can stop it from spreading.”

Mycoplasma is most likely to enter a herd via an infected carrier animal and cows may carry mycoplasma without signs of infection. Antibiotics do not cure it.

It can readily spread during milking from one quarter to another in the same cow or other cows via milkers’ hands or liners. Cows can also become infected via contact with infected cows’ nasal secretions or uterine fluid.

Semen, embryos and contaminated equipment

are also potential causes of spread.

Calves can become infected by consuming milk from infected cows, or contact with contaminated surfaces or with other infected calves.

“Special tests are required to diagnose mycoplasma infection, so ask your vet about the available options,” says Davis.

A PCR (polymerase chain reaction) test detects the genetic material from the mycoplasma species and is very sensitive.

PCR tests also don’t cost much for screening bulk milk samples.

Mycoplasma can be economically monitored at herd level with regular bulk milk samples that include all the cows on the farm.

This means a sample from the vat and from any cows excluded from the vat, e.g. the hospital herd.

Good biosecurity is essential to protect a herd from mycoplasma and a variety of other serious diseases such as Strep agalactiae, Bovine pestivirus, Johne’s disease and digital dermatitis.

“Work with your vet to develop a farm biosecurity protocol and make sure it is followed every time you introduce stock,” Davis says.

“Remember, even healthy looking animals can carry mycoplasma

DISEASE NEW BUT COMMON

and break down with the disease later on, especially when under stress. Ideally source all new animals from herds testing negative for Mycoplasma.”

Dairy Australia is hosting a farmer webinar on mycoplasma biosecurity on December 2. A new fact sheet on mycoplasma is

also available on the Countdown News webpage:www. dairyaustralia.com.au/ Animal-management/ Mastitis/Countdown-News.

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DAIRY NEWS OCTOBER 28, 2014

30 // ANIMAL HEALTH/FEED

  Are your cows   producing enough?    

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achieve high per-cow performance: getting a good peak production level and having good persistence throughout the lactation. This is achieved by minimising the rate of post-peak decline and achieving a long lactation length.

How much milk a cow produces at any time in the lactation will be influenced by a myriad of factors including genetics, stage of lactation, lactation number, amount and types of feed eaten, walking distance and climatic factors. It would be impossible to discuss all these in one article so I’m going to look at a few common nutrition related reasons why cows underperform relative to farmer expectations or compared to the herd next door.

Drymatter intake The amount of energy a cow can eat determines how much milk she can produce.

Bigger cows eat more and therefore produce more milk. Typical peak drymatter intakes for pasture-based cows are in the Table 1: Nutrients first limiting milk production on high quality pasture diets3 range 3.2 – 3.5 %1 of bodyApprox Nutrient first limiting milk weight, while cows on a kg milk/cow/day kgMS/cow production total mixed ration can eat as much as 3.8 %2 of their Energy 20 1.6 bodyweight. (protein in pasture >18%) I have heard farmEnergy ers say their 450kg Kiwi25 2.0 (protein in pasture >24%) cross cows are eating 18-19kgDM, so they 30 2.4 Energy and protein should be producing 35 2.8 Protein more milk. The reality is, these cows might be offered 18-19kgDM, but it is highly those feeds being fed per cow, or $24,000 unlikely they are consuming this in the highest volume. for a 300-cow herd.

Often supplements much pasture.

Maize silage For most New Zealand herds get the blame for poor Maize silage is energy is the key limiting factor to production, when the one of the best sysachieving higher milk yields (see key issue is either too tems feeds for protable 1). In many cases the issue is little pasture or poor ducing more milk. the amount of feed offered rather quality pasture. This is It is a high-energy than the amount or quality of feed particularly relevant at silage which can be the cows can physically eat that limits this time of year when used to plug feed production. In saying that, in pas- pasture heads into deficits, increasture-based systems there is a close its reproductive phase and quality ing lactation persistence and days in relationship between pasture allow- declines. milk. It can be fed on a feed pad when If you are chasing really high pro- either there is not enough pasture or ance, pasture intake and pasture utilisation. Offering more feed will result duction make sure you test the qual- when the soil is wet and is therefore in in higher intakes but pasture utilisa- ity of supplements and pasture on danger of being pugged. Energy from tion will be reduced. As pasture util- a regular basis. Rations should be maize silage is used 50% more effiisation decreases, residuals rise and put through a ration-balancing pro- ciently for condition score gain than pasture quality falls. Lower pasture gramme to ensure cow nutrient energy in autumn pasture. Because of quality means lower intake and there- requirements are being met. its high starch content, maize silage Condition Score fore lower milk production. produces more milk protein and less Well conditioned cows produce milk fat than a more fibrous feed like Feed quality Feed quality plays a crucial role in more milk than cows that are too PKE. 1 determining milk production levels. skinny or too fat. The target body Glassey et al. 1980. New Zealand Higher energy pastures and supple- condition score at calving is 5.0 for Society of Animal Production 40:59 2 ments will generally deliver higher mature cows and 5.5 for first and Kolver, E.; Muller, L. 1998. Permilk production levels than lower second calvers. formance and Nutrient Intake of High Cows calving 1 BCS lower than Producing Holstein Cows Consuming quality feeds, providing the diet contains enough fibre to maintain rumen target will produce about 15kg less Pasture or a Total Mixed Ration. Jourhealth, and protein and minerals are milksolids the following lactation. nal of Dairy Science. 81: 1403–1411 3 They will take 8-10 days longer to not limiting.

DairyNZ, 2010. Facts and Figures If your cows are underperforming, start calving, resulting in a later calv- for New Zealand Dairy Farmers. first look at the total drymatter ing date next year.3 • Ian Williams is a Pioneer forage intake then consider the quality of At a $5.30/kgMS payout the extra speciaiist. Contact him at the feed being offered, starting with production generates a return of $80 iwilliams@genetic.co.nz

DAIRY NEWS OCTOBER 28, 2014

FARM DAIRIES & EQUIPMENT // 31

Robotic farmers won over by nifty navigator THE OWNERS of the

world’s largest robotic farm under one roof, Aad and Wilma van Leeuwen, say they were particularly attracted to the DeLaval robotic milkers due to the Herd Navigator technology.

The van Leeuwens, who by Christmas will be milking 1500 cows with 24 DeLaval robots, say the information made available by Herd Navigator would help them make crucial decisions.

The aim is to have 12 robots operating with Herd Navigator by the end of next year. The farm in South Canterbury is a $22m investment.

The scale of the instal-

lation was a challenge in itself, with 2.5km of milk lines in the barn alone.

Added to this, the barn had been designed already, meaning the DeLaval team needed to work with what had been created. Ideally, the barn would have been wider, so they needed to adapt to the building.

DeLaval automatic milking systems technical specialists Jon Nurse and Adrian Garner worked with the global planning department in Sweden and kept communication lines open about the size of the building and how things could fit in it.

The barn has several unique features, including the milk transport system.

Because of the large number of robots, getting the milk to the vat proved complicated.

They came up with eight lines, split into four areas on each side of the barn. This means that at any one time there will be at least one VMS able to milk 24/7.

Another feature is the centralised chemical line. Because of the sheer volume of robots needing chemical (acid, alkaline and teat spray) to operate and clean, the chemical goes straight to the robot rather than being manually directed.

It is the first centralised vacuum system in Oceania and creates efficiency of

There are 2.5km of milk lines in the barn.

The aim of is to have 12 robots operating with Herd Navigator by the end of 2015.

power use, reducing capital costs and the number of vacuum pipelines needed.

The same system will be installed for colostrum milk, which will be delivered to a central point and pumped from there.

The computer network was also tailored to meet the needs of the van Leeuwens, with six PCs installed for 24 robots, as opposed to the usual one PC for up to eight robots. This is to provide an enhanced service for users, with all screens able to tap into the same database.

The van Leeuwens themselves say the workmanship is second to none.

“It was breaking it down into components and planning each component of the system. The volume has been the big trip. Part of the brief from

Aad was that the aesthetic look was important. It was a massive challenge doing the pipework,” Garner says.

“We are immensely proud. A lot of what we are trying to do is make things work as well as they can, to get the best result for Aad,” Nurse says.

The van Leeuwens already have Lely robotic milkers installed at another farm, but went with DeLaval for their new

barn.

Wilma van Leeuwen says what won them over was the prospect of using Herd Navigator.

“Costs were pretty similar and we know robots are robots and will do a good job. Both Lely and DeLaval have a good reputation but what attracted us was Herd Navigator. We feel the manager needs a bit of assistance on such a large scale farm.

“We like a challenge and thought it would be interesting to compare.

We’re not afraid to step outside the square. It keeps competition in the market.”

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DAIRY NEWS OCTOBER 28, 2014

32 // FARM DAIRIES & EQUIPMENT

Get the clusters off in time CLUSTERS LEFT on too long result in overmilking, liner creep and teat end damage, says DairyNZ. Milking machine function must be maintained to ensure cluster removal is easy for the milker and causes no cow discomfort or teat damage; all milkers should know how to remove clusters correctly.

It says automatic cup removers (ACR) can create substantial increases in productivity per milker, in rotary

and herringbone dairies.

Working conditions are also improved by reducing cluster handling requirements. ACRs are designed to remove a cluster from individual cows at a predetermined end point of milking.

A large percentage of New Zealand’s dairy cows are regularly over-milked resulting in reduced milking speed, poor udder health, and cow discomfort. ACR can provide a solution to these issues as it ensures the cluster

is removed at the correct time.

The benefits of correct cup removal include correct timing of cluster removal, ensuring cows are milked out but not over-milked. It maintains milk quality, increase milking efficiency and reduces animal health issues.

It’s also important that milking clusters be removed at the appropriate time to avoid over- or under-milking. As overmilking is a more common

problem than incomplete milking it is better to remove the cluster too early rather than too late. Clusters should be removed when there is less than 100ml of milk in any quarter; there should be a dribble of milk flow in the sight bowl.

Over-milking is when cups remain attached to teats after a cow’s milk flow rate has fallen below a certain end-point (traditionally 200ml/min). In New Zealand herds, overmilking can be excessive

Automatic cup removers can create increases in productivity per milker.

in the range of 2-5 min/ cow for many herds, in herringbone and rotary

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dairies. It is particularly common during late lactation or in dairies that have too many clusters for the number of people milking.

Extensive international research indicates that cows giving 10L/milking (not per day) can be milked in 5 min, while cows giving 15 L/milking can be milked in about 6 min. This may be about a minute longer in New Zealand where cows commonly have less preparation, e.g. teat washing, before milking.

Even so, considering typical rotation times are 12 minutes for many rotary platforms (with some cows going around twice), many cows are being severely over-milked. This can be caused by clusters being attached too early or left on too late.

It is also important to take care when removing clusters as careless removal may cause teat damage, leaving teats susceptible to mastitis.

The first step is to break the vacuum. Kink the long milk tube or pull the vacuum cut-off valve

and wait 1-2 seconds while the claw fills with air at atmospheric pressure. Then rotate the cluster 30 - 60° to break the seal and assist with cluster removal. Clusters which do not slide off freely slow down the milking routine.

When the clusters are not sliding off freely check that the vacuum to the clusters is being fully cut off. Also check the setup of the milking machine, including the compatibility of the liners with the cows and the working vacuum level.

For large volume clusters (400ml plus) it is necessary to kink the long milk tube and pull the vacuum cut-off valve to break vacuum in a timely manner. Even so it can take the claw up to 4 seconds to reach atmospheric pressure.

Once the cluster is removed the milker should be able to hang it on a convenient hook or swing it over to another cow.

Check teats for damage 30 seconds after the cluster is removed.

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DAIRY NEWS OCTOBER 28, 2014

FARM DAIRIES & EQUIPMENT // 33

Time to change milk liners WHEN WAS the last time you changed your milking liners?

If you’re like many New Zealand dairy farmers, you probably change them only once a year between milking seasons. So what’s wrong with that?

Modern dairy rubberware has come a long way since the first milking liners were produced in 1939. But no piece of rubber lasts forever, especially working as hard as these. The average liner expands and contracts two million times in its lifetime. After that, not surprisingly, the properties of the liner begin to break down.

Once that point is reached – at 2500 milkings – liner deterioration can and does have a big effect on milk harvesting efficiency, cow comfort and udder health and milk quality.

On average, New Zealand dairy farmers expect their liners to last for about 4900 milkings – nearly twice their effective lifetime. That’s like expecting the average cow to milk well for 20 years.

Farmers who have tried replacing liners during the season, instead of milking through with the same set from start to finish of the lactation, say they didn’t realise what they were missing out on until they made the change.

On some large herd operations, liners reach the end of their 2500 milking lifespan and are changed as often as every two months as part of standard farm protocols to protect milk quality.

Old, worn or ill-fitting liners can waste energy, cause grades and damage cow teats. They are one of the single biggest factors influencing milk production. They are also one of the cheapest things to replace.

Proven gains from replacing liners after 2500 milkings include shorter milk-out times, reduced cup slip, lower somatic cell counts (SCC) and increased milksolids (MS) yield.

It’s all to do with fast,

efficient milk harvesting, putting less stress on the cows and leaving more time for grazing. Savings include power, labour, animal health and milk quality.

Farmers who continue milking with over-used liners often don’t realise they’re missing out, says Skellerup national manager Perry Davis.

“The nature and role of milking liners means they are likely to have more impact on milking efficiency, hygiene and cow comfort than any other component of a milking machine. Liners are the one part of the machine that comes into constant physical contact with the cow. But because they’re mostly hidden inside the shell, it’s easy to assume they’re working properly even when they’re not.”

By the time cups start falling off cows during milking – the first major sign liners are worn out – the damage could already have been done, either because of wasted energy, milk hygiene, cow health or all three, Perry says.

A good liner, well-fitted, will completely milk a cow out quickly and efficiently. It doesn’t slip, and it leaves the teats looking similar in size and colour to how they looked before milking.

“A badly fitting overused liner is just the opposite. It could leave milk in the udder, slip off the teat and/or leave noticeable rings at the top of the teat.

Permanent teat damage is not only possible, but common. On top of that, any cracks in the rubber are likely to harbour bacteria.”

How do you know when it’s time to change?

There is a simple formula to calculate how many milkings your existing liners have already done this season. If the answer is more than 2500, the sooner you change, the better, for you and your cows.

Here’s how to do the sums: divide 2500 by the number of milkings each set of cups is doing every

day, i.e. 2500/the number of cows in the herd x the number of milkings (once, 1.5 or twice a day)/number of clusters. www.dairybestpractice.

co.nz

• This article first appeared in Getting the Basics Right 2014 edition @dairy_news facebook.com/dairynews

The average liner expands and contracts two million times in its lifetime.

DAIRY NEWS OCTOBER 28, 2014

34 // FARM DAIRIES & EQUIPMENT

Clean dairy, quality milk THE CLEANLINESS

of a milking system and dairy is a critical determinant of milk quality. The New Zealand Food Safety Authority has strict guidelines for cleaning plant which relate to maintaining milk quality standards.

Cleaning must be done properly as bacteria can build up in the plant and

Cleaning must be done properly as bacteria can build up in the plant and contaminate milk.

contaminate milk. The bacteria affect milk quality by breaking down the components in milk. This reduces the shelf life of milk and milk products and produces off flavours in cheeses and milk powders.

Machine cleaning maintains milk quality by aiming to removing milk

residues from plant and destroying resident bacteria.

Milk is a difficult material to clean from surfaces because it has many different components, each requiring different temperatures and chemical environments to aid removal.

Cleaning does not

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allow shortcuts, but good equipment and systems will minimise the time it takes. Adopting a cleaning routine tailored to a milking plant and other available resources (volume and quality of water) will reduce the need to manually scrub or ‘bomb’ clean a plant.

The benefits of ensuring you have the correct cleaning process include: Maintain milk quality. Put in place a process which ensures cleaning is done properly, so that all residues are removed and bacteria are destroyed.

Ensure safety issues are considered.

Bacteria can enter the plant from cows (teat skin and infected udders) and the environment (drawn into the cluster). The

milking environment is ideal for bacteria growth.

Effective machine cleaning will control the presence of bacteria in a plant.

The quality of water used is important in achieving a successful clean. There are four key elements to a cleaning routine: Thermal energy from hot water.

Time taken for effective cleaning. This is often dependent on the type of cleaning system.

Kinetic energy from water turbulence: dictated by water volume and flow rate (hence the use of a flushing pulsator to improve the cleaning of milk lines and receivers).

Chemical energy from acid (pH 2.5-3.0) and alkali (pH 11.5-12.5) detergents.

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AN EXAMPLE of an ideal cleaning sequence which includes the minimum requirements is as follows: Cold water rinse The post milking rinse needs to be completed immediately after milking or milk collection.

It rinses most of the residual milk from the milking system and bulk milk tank.

Hot water alkaline / acid wash The milking system should be hot washed as least once a day and twice a day during high risk periods (e.g. when grading, calving).

The bulk milk tank should be hot washed after every collection. The purpose of the hot detergent wash is to remove any adhering non-rinsing milk residue. This process should alternate between acid and alkaline in some systematic way to ensure all residues are removed on a routine basis.

Alkaline detergent wash A hot water alkaline wash should be done at least twice weekly on the milking system and bulk milk tank. The wash water should be recycled for 5-7 minutes once water discharging the plant/tank is hot.

Cold water acid wash A cold water acid wash is normally carried out at night and hot alkaline washes done after the morning milking.

Acid sanitiser detergent wash This should always be the final wash through the milking system and bulk milk tank.

Acid sanitiser washes can be used hot or cold.

NOW READ IT ONLINE READING THE PAPER ONLINE HAS NEVER BEEN EASIER

■ BREAKING NEWS ■ MACHINERY REVIEWS ■ MARKETS & TRENDS ■ MANAGEMENT STORIES ■ COMPETITIONS ■ AND MUCH MORE...

All the latest stories and more at www.dairynews.co.nz

DAIRY NEWS OCTOBER 28, 2014

MACHINERY & PRODUCTS // 35

Versatile utility tractor offers fuel efficiency NEW HOLLAND’S new TT4 economy utility tractor range is set to redefine the economy tractor market, the company says.

The new range, for release this month, offers three models: the TT4.55,

TT4.65 and TT4.75, with engines from 55 to 75hp. The TT4 is set to replace the original Series TT, released in New Zealand in 2005.

New Holland in New Zealand says the Series TT tractor “delivered proven technology, reliability, simplicity and low cost of ownership at a very economical price. Since its introduction, New Holland dealers have sold the TT model into many different applications nationwide”.

The new lineup offers farmers, small holders, local government/municipalities and other operators a “highly versatile” tractor, the company says.

“It offers excellent manoeuvrability, ergonomic comfort and fuel

New Holland’s new TT4 range.

efficiency…. It suits agricultural and non-agricultural tasks, including front loader activities, hauling and PTO work. The TT4 series benefits from New Holland’s acclaimed ergonomic excellence and distinctive styling cues.”

Power will come from FPT Industrial S8000 turbocharged mechanical fuel injection engines – 2.9L power plants with two valves per cylinder and maximum torque of up to 300 Nm. The engine uses Tier 3 technology to meet engine emission standards. A 540 eco PTO speed enables the engine to run at a lower working speed for lower fuel use.

A new 12x12 transmission offering is standard, as is a dash-mounted synchronised shuttle control. Its lever can be operated without removing the hand from the steering wheel, enhancing safety and loader productivity.

An optional 20x20 creeper trans-

mission is available for all models, with speeds as low as 0.27km/h (270m/hr).

“The transmission controls will be familiar to users of New Holland tractors,” the company says. “Situated either side of the operator, all gear changes can be carried out from the seat without the need to stretch and reach, enabling the operator to easily switch from the steering wheel to the lever.”

The implement pump has flow of

52L/min, good for demanding tasks including front loader and hay and forage work.

A dedicated 28.8L/min independent steering pump assures steering accuracy without compromising loader cycle times or three point linkage operation A canopy for the ROPS frame is standard equipment.

Tel. 0800 667 9663 www.newholland.co.nz

Reese Agri’s range of UFO Mowers are known for their robustness, dependability and honest ability to get the job done. With 8 models to choose from, there is a mower to suit your every requirement.

Built with the quality workmanship you’d expect from a company that has been building and marketing agricultural mowers for more than 40 years, the UFO range consists of 5 drum mowers and 3 disc mowers, from 1.6m up to 3.4m cut.

So if you are in the market for a mower, look no further than a UFO Drum or Disc Mower.

UFO DRUM MOWER FEATURES ❱❱ ❱❱ ❱❱ ❱❱

FROM O N LY $ 6 ,9 9 5 + G S T !!

Available in manual and hydraulic models Cutting widths range from 1.6 to 2.4 meters Heavy belt drive system Low maintenance, low cost operation

SPECIFICATIONS Cutting width No. Drums / Blades Type

UFO1600 UFO2070W UFO2400 UFO2400HL 1.6m 2.0m 2.4m 2.4m 2/6 2/6 2/8 2/8 Manual Manual Manual Hydraulic

Weight Power requirement (at 540rpm)

390kg 30hp

460kg 45hp

580kg 65hp

690kg 65hp

UFO 3400 TRAILED DRUM MOWER FEATURES ❱❱ Popular 3.4m cutting width ❱❱ Height adjustment from 25mm to 300mm (1” to 12”) ❱❱ Proven design, rugged, dependable construction

FROM O N LY $ 2 0 ,4 9 5 + G S T !!

SPECIFICATIONS Cutting width No. Rotors / Blades Type Weight Power requirement (at 540rpm)

3.40m 4 / 12 Hydraulic / Trailed 1190kg 80hp

All prices are exclusive of GST. Freight charges may apply

Reese Agri | Ph: 1800 140 196 | Email: reeseagri@bigpond.com.au | Ph Murray: 0400 540 300 | www.reeseagri.co.nz

DAIRY NEWS OCTOBER 28, 2014

36 // MACHINERY & PRODUCTS

Flexible pond liners conform to any shape

Pondco says the flexible pond liners bring new possibilities to the industry.

Pichon tankers feature: · · · ·

Fully welded and galvanised tank – inside and out for long trouble free life.

Auto-filler options with operation on either side of tank for fast and easy filling without leaving the tractor seat.

Sprung drawbar for high speed yet stable operation with maximum operator comfort.

High capacity vacuum pumps for fast filling and discharge offer integrated oil reservoir and pump for long life operation.

·

Retro-fit tank agitation system to prevent sludge and solids build up for trouble free spreading without constant clearance.

Handling muck or slurry, Pichon spreaders are second to none!

See for yourself how Pichon can be integrated into your slurry and muck handling system.

Ask your dealer for a demo today!

Phone 0800 667 9663 to find your local Pichon dealer or visit www.equipnz.co.nz.

IN SHED FEED SYSTEMS FIRST SYSTEMS INSTALLED IN 1967

DISC MILL – LATEST BREAKTHROUGH IN MILLING

Industries Ltd

The name is spreading

MS1486 - Imported by C B Norwood Distributors Ltd

POND SPECIALIST Pondco Ltd says it is now the sole New Zealand distributor of Aquaflex pond liner.

Aqua-Flex is a flexible thermoplastic VLDPE pond liner made using virgin resins. It contains no plasticisers, which can migrate to the surface causing premature ageing and degradation, the company says.

Pondco director Hamish Forbes says the product brings new possibilities to the pond lining industry – for dairying, livestock and landscaping, and for back yard DIY water features and fish ponds.

Flexible pond liner allows the buyer to create a pond of any shape, such as kidney shapes and natural-looking streams, says Forbes.

“Aqua-Flex pond liner makes an imaginative pond – a back yard oasis.”

Panels come up to 15m wide and 30m long and have fewer seams than traditional liners.

EFFLUENT SEPARATOR – FIRST INSTALLED IN 2002

Over 50 years in business and a trusted name in farming systems

www.pondco.co.nz/products

POND LINER FEATURES ■■

Custom made panels available on request

■■

Excellent elongation

■■

Impact resistance at low temperatures

■■

High tensile and tear resistance strength

■■

20 year material warranty available.

AUTOMATED CALF REARING – EUROPE’S BEST SELLER

0800 901 902

Email: sales@pppindustries.co.nz Website: www.pppindustries.co.nz

DAIRY NEWS OCTOBER 28, 2014

MACHINERY & PRODUCTS // 37

Applause for refined wagon PEUGEOT’S LATEST

offering, the 308, is now on sale in New Zealand.

Launched at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 2013, the model has won 2014 European Car of the Year and ‘Most Beautiful interior of the Year’ at the 29th International Automobile Festival.

Three trim levels are offered in New Zealand.

The car is available in hatch (petrol and diesel) and wagon (petrol only) versions, positioned as a “strong and different” alternative designed on the themes of efficiency, design, driving experience and quality.

Due to the new EMP2 modular platform, the model is more compact and is lighter (-140kg), the company says.

“Its driving experience is unprecedented and its CO2 emissions are among the best in class (with the BlueHDi turbo diesel version at 107g/km).

“A refined interior and innovative instruments and controls (the Peugeot i-cockpit) promise a great driving experience.

Its high level of quality and intuitive 9.7” multimedia touch screen are the result of an ambitious initial design brief.

“The wagon has a wide stance – length 4.58m and height 1.47m. … Customers attach great importance to the fundamental values in a station wagon – volume, spaciousness, modularity and practicality.”

With a volume of 610 dm3 to the VDA 210 standard, the boot has simple forms that create a practical and clear space.

Its modularity is achieved with unparalleled simplicity (seats are folded with a single action from inside the boot) and effectiveness (perfectly flat floor).

Available from launch, the maker’s Euro 6 PureTech 1.2 e-THP

130hp petrol and 2.0 BlueHDi 150hp diesel engines ensure remarkable levels of performance, the company says.

Price: from NZ$30,990.

Peugot 308 is now available in New Zealand.

www.peugeot.co.nz

BEST VALUE HANDS DOWN. THE EXEPTIONAL VALUE, HEAVY-DUTY FARMER’S BALEHANDLER. CXR SOFTHANDS

MONOQUE MAIN FRAME

OPTIONAL PATENTED FLOATING EQUALISER

NORMALLY $3,100 + GST

HEAVY DUTY PIVOTS

BALE SUPPORT

The heart of the CXR bale handler is the uniquely formed main frame, which is both strong, light weight and smooth to reduce bale damage

The ultimate in precision bale handling, the optional Equaliser keeps both hands moving simultaneously for accurate bale placement. The 50mm of float makes loading and stacking easier

Large 32mm pivot pins, with massive surface area provides years of trouble free use. Greasable pivots also provides easy maintenance

The RHS centre bars provide unparalleled bale support to reduce bale deformation during handling, and provide a better grip of the bale

NOW $2,699! + GST* - INCLUDING EURO HITCH

308 IN NUMBERS ■■

4 million test km

■■

116 patents filed

■■

15,000 hours of endurance tests to meet the target of “new after 3 years/60,000km’’

■■

140kg lighter than its predecessor

■■

70kg attributed to the new EMP2 (efficient modular platform 2)

■■

3kg saved by a world-first tailgate of composite thermoplastic

■■

3g/km of CO2 can be saved when fitted with ultra low rolling resistance tyres.

UNIQUE HAND SHAPE

• • • • • •

The unique hand shape follows the radius of the bale for a perfect grip and the straight ends extend past the centre point of the bale which allows the hands to easily slip between bales and eliminates damage to wrapping.

Free freight Made in New Zealand Ultra compact design No pinch points Unique hand shape Fully enclosed Hydraulic Ram

*CRX Softhands offer valid through November 2014.

Subject to stock availabilty. Limit 2 per customer. Secure yours now.

COMPACT SOFTHANDS

LOADER BRACKETS

TOP EXIT HOSES

SLIM HAND DESIGN

Standard with integrated EuroHitch brackets. Other bracket available on request.

The hydraulic cylinder is fully protected inside the main structure and the top exit hoses are out of harms way.

The slim hand design slides between bales easier and simplifies stacking, loading and unloading.

MEGA SOFTHANDS

DEAL $3,999 + GST - Including loader brackets

DEAL $3,499 + GST - Including loader brackets

THE ULTIMATE CONTRACTOR’S BALEHANDLER

FARMER BALEHANDLER FOR ROUND & SQUARES

RETHINKING APPLIED

Katipo 680

Katipo 1150

Katipo 890

Fox 1500/1800

Columbia 2000

Advance 3000

Check out Hustler’s expanded range of spray equipment.

Now equipped with new Hustler features for greater ease, precision and speed.

The car comes with a refined interior and innovative instruments.

CHECK OUT OUR FULL RANGE OF LEADING PRODUCTS AT HUSTLEREQUIPMENT.CO.NZ OR CALL US ON 0800 487 853

DAIRY NEWS OCTOBER 28, 2014

38 // MACHINERY & PRODUCTS Reduce risks when towing a boat or caravan.

Don’t take towbar for granted BEFORE HEADING

in the welds or structure and that the towball itself is secured properly to the tongue, says towbar maker Best Bars.

“Even though a towbar may look OK, all may not

MS1523 - Imported by C B Norwood Distributors Ltd

off with a trailer or caravan in tow, first check the towbar to ensure all bolts attaching it to the vehicle are tight, there is no corrosion present or cracking

6 loader combos 6 tractor models 6 percent deposit* 6 unbelievable prices 6 pack of New Holland gear 6 months deferred payment* Visit your New Holland dealer to get your 6 PACK DEAL Terms and conditions apply. *Subject to normal lending criteria. Offer valid until 31st January 2015.

be right. Some towbars are made from inferior steel which doesn’t meet the vehicle manufacturer’s guidelines.

“If a new towbar is required, ensure it has been designed to NZ Standard 5467:1993 and carries a metal tamper-proof label to identify it. Cheap imported towbars or those available online may use inferior parts and/or be poorly designed.

“Make sure the towball is correctly matched to the trailer or caravan coupling – there are two main sizes of towball used in New Zealand (1 7/8-inch and 50mm).”

A safety chain must be used between the towing vehicle and lighter trailer/ caravan; double chains are required if the weight of

the towed load exceeds 2000kg.

When packing a caravan, trailer or boat, ensure the load on the towball tongue does not exceed the recommended tongue weight (stated on the label). Too much weight may cause stability problems and put undue load on the towbar and connection to the vehicle chassis.

Incorrect loading leading to trailer ‘snaking’ or swaying in motion indicates load imbalance.

A load leveller that fits onto the drawbar of the trailer and connects to the towbar on the towing vehicle can help to redress the imbalance through redistributing the load, so the weight is transferred further forward. www.bestbars.co.nz

Vehicle design and a new identity for dealerships are said to have helped the Kia brand rise 480% in value since 2007.

Car maker’s branding soars KOREAN CAR maker Kia claims a 480% jump in the

value of its brand in seven years because of its R&D and marketing spend.

The ‘100 Best Global Brands 2014’ list values Kia at US$5.4b, up from US$929m in 2007.

The company says the increase in brand value has outpaced the 11 other vehicle makers on the list, and the rate of growth over the past year alone is double the average for all companies in the top 100.

“An increase of that magnitude is outstanding,” says Todd McDonald, general manager of Kia Motors New Zealand.

“The appointment of Peter Schreyer to transform Kia into a design-led company was a brilliant strategy, and there has also been a great deal of investment in aligning Kia with high-profile sporting events and stars.

Here in New Zealand we have been able to capitalise on that strategy and drive the profile of the brand, as well as sales, in this market.”

The ‘100 Best Global Brands’ rankings are compiled

by US-based brand experts Interbrand. Kia entered the list in 2012 in 83rd place. It has risen to 74th place in the 2014 list.

Says Interbrand, “As a result of its continued branding efforts, expressed in the slogan ‘The Power to Surprise’, the Korean car maker has repositioned itself from an image of affordability, and is now targeting more design-conscious consumers.”

Another Interbrand study released in June showed Kia had risen from 37th to 35th place on the list of ‘50 Best Global Green Brands 2014’.

TOY4567_FP_DN

WE’VE BEEN FINANCING TOYOTAS FOR 25 YEARS SO WE’RE CELEBRATING WITH A 2.5% DEAL ON ANY NEW YARIS, HILUX OR COROLLA*

FINANCE

SERVICING

AA ROADSERVICE

DON’T MISS OUT. VISIT TOYOTA TODAY. *Offer ends 31 December 2014. The service plan covers parts and labour costs of scheduled service items for 25 months or to a maximum of 45,000km (whichever occurs first under normal operating conditions). On road costs (including the initial WOF) are not included. The advertised 2.5% (pa) finance rate is available on any new Yaris, Hilux or Corolla that is purchased between 1 October and 31 December 2014 from participating Authorised Toyota Dealers in New Zealand.

The advertised 2.5% (pa) finance rate is only available on a Classic Finance loan through Toyota Financial Services with a minimum of 10% deposit for terms up to 36 months. Offer is subject to Toyota Financial Services normal lending criteria.

A $350 establishment fee is payable. For full terms and conditions visit our website, www.toyota.co.nz/legal-privacy-policy/.

Irrigate-IQ

TM

Your smarter irrigation solution Available exclusively from PGG Wrightson Water

Irrigate-IQ™ is a sophisticated web-based control system for pivot and linear irrigators. Using GPS and cellular technology, the system provides accurate position, speed control and direction in real time. It is a variable rate irrigation system (VRI) which allows you to apply the right amount in the right place by controlling each nozzle individually.

Benefits of Irrigate-IQ™ include: > Full remote operation via a web-based interface and smart phone app > GPS based control of every sprinkler > Targeted application of water and nutrients > Save money and reduce water consumption > Rugged hardware > Simple and easy to use

Freephone 0800 864 774 www.pggwrightson.co.nz

PGG Wrightson Water is your exclusive national supplier of the Irrigate-IQ™ system. Contact your local branch today: Auckland Hastings Kaiapoi Christchurch Ashburton Timaru Cromwell

2/4 Sultan St, Ellerslie, ph 09 582 0570 1203 Omahu Road, ph 06 873 9230 530 Mill Road, Ohoka, ph 03 311 8505 44 Mandeville St, Riccarton, ph 03 968 3220 447 West Street, ph 03 307 8590 7 Eversley Street, ph 03 684 2440 16 Pinot Noir Drive, ph 03 445 0467

Helping grow the country