Dairy News 31 October 2017

TPP 11 deal still ‘very alive’. PAGE 7

SAME HERD MORE MILK Tapping into new gene pool PAGE 21

NO-FRILLS BACKHOE Tailored for our farms PAGE 34

OCTOBER 31, 2017 ISSUE 389 // www.dairynews.co.nz

LET’S DO THIS TOGETHER “We need to form a body with some mana and authority to provide both wisdom and leadership directly to government and back through the sectors.”

– Minister for Agriculture Damien O’Connor

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DAIRY NEWS OCTOBER 31, 2017

NEWS // 3

New minister to ring changes PETER BURKE peterb@ruralnews.co.nz

One Plan woes. PG.09

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NEWS ������������������������������������������������������3-13 OPINION ���������������������������������������������� 14-15 AGRIBUSINESS ������������������������������ 16-17 MANAGEMENT �������������������������������� 18-21 ANIMAL HEALTH ���������������������������22-23 MILK COOLING ������������������������������� 24-31 MACHINERY & PRODUCTS �������������������������������������� 32-34

A TOP priority for the new Minister for Agriculture Damien O’Connor will be appointing a primary industry council and a chief agricultural advisor to Government.

This role is akin to that of the chief science advisor held by Sir Peter Gluckman.

The super Ministry of Primary Industries has been split into three ministries by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern; Forestry and Fisheries will be separate portfolios under different ministers.

O’Connor will also be Minister for Biosecurity and Minister for Food Safety.

O’Connor admits the last nine years in opposition has been a battle and it’s nice now to be able to do things. In some ways the future is daunting given the changes possible in the rural agribusiness sector, he says.

“I have stated publicly, and it’s no offence to individuals, that there have been lots of leaders but not enough leadership.

“At a time when the world is changing very quickly, disruption is constant, we have too many people, too many companies and too many institutions determined to hang out for as long as they can on the basis of the current paradigm. We need to wake up, look out, listen and be

Damien O’Connor in Wellington last week.

REGARDED AS A RIGHT WINGER DAMIEN O’CONNOR (59) was born in Westport and educated St Bedes College in Christchurch and Lincoln University.

He entered Parliament in 1993 and and has been there ever since, apart from a brief spell in 2008-09 when he lost his seat but later became a list MP. He was Minister of Tourism, Minister for Rural Affairs, Immigration and Associate Health in Helen Clark’s government.

He is regarded as being a ‘right winger’ in the party. He is now the MP for West Coast Tasman and until his elevation to the cabinet last week was Labour spokesperson for primary industries, biosecurity and food safety.

in touch with the trends, values and expectations of customers and consumers.”

O’Connor says there is a multitude of organisations in the primary sector, all doing their own

jobs for their members, shareholders and industry. But there is a need for greater collaboration and coordination.

“We have seen ad hoc attempts at this, but we need to form a body with some mana and authority to provide wisdom and leadership directly to government and back through the sectors.”

On biosecurity, O’Connor says this function is too important to compromise on and it is a top priority; hinting that the issues on biosecurity need to be better understood.

O’Connor promises to address the urban/rural divide, claiming some of this has been driven for political purposes.

As Labour takes office there is scepticism in some quarters of the rural community that they have lost their lifelong friend and advocate the National Party which grew out of the old Farmers Party. Many seasoned political commentators, with some validity, rate Labour ministers of agriculture ahead of many National ministers. One of these was Jim Anderton and another Jim Sutton. Not surprisingly O’Connor shares this view.

“Just go look at history books and at the record of Labour in government. We have delivered consistently huge improvements for the primary sector every time we have been in government and I stand by that record,” he says.

DAIRY NEWS OCTOBER 31, 2017

4 // NEWS

Chat soon, Feds tell O’Connor PETER BURKE peterb@ruralnews.co.nz

FEDERATED FARMERS president Katie Milne says the new Agriculture Minister Damien O’Connor is obviously well versed in agriculture, which many Feds members and all farmers will appreciate.

She knows O’Connor reasonably well and says he has been a farmer, has brothers farming and is well connected with the industry, making it easy to talk to him about the issues that affect farmers.

“He speaks about rural-proofing things that go through government and that sits quite close to what our role is

as we see it. This involves making sure that a rural lens gets properly applied to everything. We are looking forward to working with him and his team to get the best possible outcomes.”

Milne says farmers, like all New Zealanders, want the best for the environment and are committed to finding solutions that are science-based, costeffective and community-driven. She says people in farming and working in the wider primary industries have been actively making a difference for the last 20 years, investing money and energy in making this aspiration a reality.

“What farmers need from the new government in the climate change space is that any new regulation still enables growth, innovation and pro-

ductivity as it seeks to lower emissions. As the Paris Agreement says, it should not compromise food production in the process.

“It’s a big challenge and with science already working hard to find animal mitigations, regulation needs to avoid unintended consequences.”

Milne says the Federation welcomes the opportunity to assist the new government with planning for these goals and to make them achievable.

“This will ultimately require tailored solutions that will be fit for purpose for both rural and provincial NZ and the primary sector,” says Milne.

The Federation hopes to start talking soon with ministers allocated the new roles that affect its members.

Federated Farmers president Katie Milne.

Industry not immune to disruption

LIC chairman Murray King.

LIC CHAIRMAN Murray King says New Zealand dairy farmers must remain ambitious about maintaining their global edge in productivity and profitability.

Speaking at LIC’s annual meeting in Invercargill, King said NZ’s dairy industry is vulnerable to the same disruption other industries have experienced in recent years from new technology and innovation.

“There are also clear disruptive threats to the dairy industry and LIC from environmental challenges, to regulation, to alternative milk products.

“We have to be constantly improving and adapting the way we do business,” he says.

“Standing still is not an option.

In this age of disruption and radical change if we don’t continue to evolve we put at risk what you value most about your co-op and the industry.”

It was the first time the farmer owned cooperative held its annual meeting in Southland, attended by

local farmers, LIC directors, shareholder councillors and staff from the area and Waikato head office.

King outlined plans to protect and grow the co-op, and the roadmap for adapting to disruption. This included the separation of LIC into two businesses which was completed in 2016, the transformation programme now underway and defining the co-op’s core purpose.

“LIC is in a process of change and transformation. This is about protecting the fundamentals of the co-operative while making sufficient profits to enable LIC to reinvest for the future.

“The cost efficiencies and business growth delivered in the transformation programme have been key contributors toward a better result in the 2016-2017 financial year.

“As a result of the transformation we are also expecting a significant improvement in earnings in future years.”

The next step is share simplifica-

We know your weekends are workdays too.

tion. In response to concerns raised by shareholders, LIC began a comprehensive review of its share structure two years ago. This review found that the current two-share structure is not best for meeting the current and future needs of the cooperative and farmers.

“We believe that simplifying LIC’s share structure by moving to a single class of shares is an important step in better positioning LIC for the future and ensuring a resilient and adaptable co-op,” says King.

“The threat of disruption in the future means that we have to be able to respond in an agile way to changes and challenges that may lie ahead.

“Moving towards a simpler share structure will help in this process by addressing the growing disparity between LIC’s two classes of shares and making it easier in future to access capital if needed.”

The LIC board will update farmers next year; no final decision has been made.

DAIRY NEWS OCTOBER 31, 2017

NEWS // 5

Produce more from less, sustainably – DairyNZ LAST SEASON’S dairy

export earnings reached $13.4 billion, on par with the five-year average.

Speaking at DairyNZ’s annual meeting in Rotorua last week, acting chairman Barry Harris says this illustrates how well farmers have responded to the low milk prices of previous seasons.

“I see the decade ahead of us to be trans-

formational for our sector. Never before have we had a stronger mandate for the dairy sector to concentrate on productivity – to produce more from less, and to do so sustainably,” says Harris.

“We support initiatives that incentivise farmers to use the best environmental practices. While the 2010s have been about dairy

NEW DIRECTOR DAIRY HOLDINGS Ltd chief executive Colin Glass has been appointed a farmer-director of DairyNZ. Sitting director Jim van der Poel was reelected.

Acting chairman Barry Harris and Peter Schuyt were also reappointed as board-appointed directors.

positioning itself for the changes ahead, I see the 2020s as heavily focused on making those changes.

“New Zealand’s environmental reputation, the reputation that gives us an advantage on the global market, relies on us upholding and improving our sustainability.”

The dairy industry’s 2016-17 season’s economic success and the need to produce more milk sustainably were key themes at the meeting.

DairyNZ investment for the 2017-18 season includes $18.5m going into R&D, $16.1m on biosecurity and product integrity and $13.7m on farm profit.

New DairyNZ director Colin Glass.

“These are our key investment areas, making up 65% in every levy dollar. This will enable the continuation of key research into dairy cow fertility and forage improvement, and greater emphasis on cost control and high-

performing feed management systems,” says Harris.

DairyNZ chief executive Tim Mackle said in 2016-17 national cow numbers fell to 4.86m from 5m previously, with the average herd size dropping five cows to

414. Yet production per cow set a new record – increasing by 9kg per cow (381kgMS/cow).

Bay of Plenty’s 901 herds accounted for 6.6% of NZ’s milk production in 2016-17, producing 118.2m kgMS. This production was down 4.4% due to slightly lower stocking rates and herd numbers last season, combined with difficult spring and autumn conditions.

“Rotorua will provide an interesting case study in years to come, because historically there has been a significant variation in profitability.

I expect as we become better at increasing productivity onfarm these profitability variations will level out.”

IN BRIEF Co-op backs water pledge FONTERRA IS backing a pledge by local government leaders to lift freshwater quality around the country.

Local Government Leaders’ Water Declaration is a pledge by mayors and regional council heads.

Fonterra general manager sustainable dairying Charlotte Rutherford says she commends the local government leaders for taking robust steps to improve water in all regions.

“This is a challenging and complex area, and a collective approach will be key to getting it right. Local government is already working hard with a range of stakeholders, including farmers, to help lift the outcomes for all our waters and it’s pleasing to see success in some important areas.

The declaration will help accelerate this journey,” says Rutherford.

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DAIRY NEWS OCTOBER 31, 2017

NEWS // 7

TPP 11 deal still ‘very alive’ PAM TIPA pamelat@ruralnews.co.nz

THE POSSIBILITY is still “very alive” that New Zealand will get on board the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) trade agreement, says trade expert and consultant Stephen Jacobi.

He bases that on the comments made by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern on the proposed trade agreement by the 11 countries still left in the agreement after the US pulled out.

Important meetings on the agreement are imminent, culminating in leaders’ talks at the APEC meeting in Vietnam in November.

Labour supports the TPP but said during the election campaign it wanted to maintain the right to ban sales of farms and houses to non-resident foreign buyers.

Success in the TPP will depend on two things, says Jacobi, who is executive director of the NZ International Business Forum.

“One, how they (the new government) addresses the ban on overseas tax residents purchasing residential

property and, two, how far they really want to go on Investor State Dispute Settlement (ISDS).”

In her comments last week, Ardern said she and NZ First had reached consensus on those issues.

Jacobi says Ardern seems to be opening up the possibility – if unable to ban foreign buyers in the TPP – of then addressing that issue in some other way, maybe through the taxation system.

He thinks it may even be possible to include a ban under TPP, but it appears they are pursuing various options.

“But when it comes to the ISDS it is a little more complicated because if they are saying they can’t do TPP with ISDS I think that is a bridge too far probably for the other members.

But if they are saying they want to seek ways to New Prime Minister ameliorate it or Jacinda Adern will discuss TPP 11 with whatever, that world leaders this could be possimonth. ble. But time is

running out on that score.”

Overall Jacobi thinks the new Government has given itself plenty of flexibility and is not sticking fast to pre-announced positions.

“It doesn’t appear in the coalition agreement so one assumes they will be working with the officials, or the officials will be asked to work with them on how to find a way through.”

The flexible approach reflects the reality of being in Government rather than in Opposition.

“Being in Government, they have to think about exporters; Ardern said as much and said they are also united with NZ First on the need to help exporters and more opportunities for exporters in international markets.

“If that is the case you can’t simply turn aside from TPP.”

He imagines Ardern will be reasonably involved in the TPP negotiation because this is a litmus test of the Government’s new policy platform and also the coalition agreement.

Ardern will be getting briefings from MfAT officials who in turn will need to get fresh instructions from the Labourled government.

This week there are a series of TPP discussions in Japan before the APEC meeting in Da Nang, Vietnam in early November. There will be further preliminary discussions in Da Nang before Ardern arrives on November 8 or 9 prior to the TPP leaders’ meeting on November 10. Trade Minister David Parker will also be at APEC. Jacobi says Parker has been following the TPP for some time so will be up to speed.

Ardern will be in the room for the last meeting with the leaders of TPP countries such as Australia’s Malcolm Turnbill, Canada’s Justin Trudeau and Japan’s Shinzo Abe. So it will be “quite a big test for the new Prime Minister,” says Ardern. @dairy_news facebook.com/dairynews

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NEWS // 9

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Horizons Regional Council chairman Bruce Gordon.

Dealing with a dog’s breakfast PETER BURKE peterb@ruralnews.co.nz

IT’S A dog’s breakfast. That’s how

Bruce Gordon, chairman of Horizons Regional Council (HRC) in the lower North Island is describing the One Plan as it’s been handed to them by the Environment Court.

Last week the Council and DairyNZ held three farmer workshops to explain the problems it’s facing to implement the plan in the way the Environment Court has decreed it must be done. Gordon says about 170 -- just under half -- the 400 dairy farms plus 20 or more horticultural businesses simply cannot meet the standards the court has set for nitrogen leaching in the region and are therefore technically operating illegally.

The worst hit are in Tararua district who get heavy rainfall and farmers on the western side of the ranges who have light soils through which nitrogen flows freely.

Gordon says dairy farmers who want to intensify their farming operations or others who want to convert to dairying have virtually no show of

getting a consent under the court imposed rules.

This kerfuffle began when Fish and Game (FAG) and the Environmental Defence Society (EDS) took the HRC to court for what they saw as its failing to implement the One Plan that had earlier been agreed to.

The court sided with FAG and EDS and the council has to do its best to do what the court has determined, but this is proving nigh impossible.

The council is in a complete pickle and is hamstrung by the plan as it stands.

One option is a ‘plan change’ but this could take years given that all parties to it would have to agree on a solution and that is not happening now. Gordon says the council has tried to get alongside FAG and EDS without much success.

“EDS won’t talk to the council’s elected members but they have spoken to our officials. As for FAG, we addressed their annual meeting in Palmerston North and invited them to come and speak with our council and so far they have refused which disappoints me terribly.

“I believe if people sit around the table and eyeball each other they will

come to a practical solution. But the plan we have now doesn’t have any practicality and we are struggling with it,” he says.

Gordon says there is no science in sight that can help and the problem is creating uncertainty in the region.

“Who’s going to invest in a region when that uncertainty exists?” he asks.

Gordon says the problem is not just a dairy problem. Sooner or later sheep and beef will get caught, especially if they use irrigation and try to intensify, he says.

“Horticulture is in a lot of trouble and worse than dairy. Nobody can come close to the new limits and none of our growers, be they in Otaki or Levin -- a food bowl of NZ -or Ruapehu where carrots and spuds are grown, can meet the new limits,” he says.

In the meantime the long term economic future for the region looks grim unless Winston Peters or some other politician can see their way clear to intervene. Gordon say they have talked to NZ First and Labour, and to government officials, and all are aware of the problems the council faces through no fault of its own.

DAIRYNZ TRYING TO HELP DAIRYNZ’S ADAM Duker is charged with trying to help dairy farmers in Horizons region to do what they can to abide by the rules in place.

He says DairyNZ is doing basic work for free for farmers to get an accurate picture of the state of their farm in terms of how much nitrogen it is leaching and what their target must be for them to meet the new rules.

Duker says DairyNZ has assessed the 170 dairy farms in the region that cannot get a consent

and he says they cannot meet the new N leaching levels without this having a big effect on their farms, production and profits.

“I have modelled many farms and even with a low stocking rate and they are still a long way from achieving the required targets. The main reason is their free draining soils and the higher rainfall on the eastern side of the ranges in the Tararua District,” he says.

Duker says over the past

10 years the dairy industry has done much to improve and protect the environment.

Farmers have improved effluent systems, excluded stock from waterways and planted trees along waterways. More is needed, he says.

On its research farms DairyNZ has markedly reduced nitrogen levels and it now plans to set up case study farms in the Horizons region to see if these cuts are achievable on a normal commercial farms.

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DAIRY NEWS OCTOBER 31, 2017

10 // NEWS

Creepy EU cheesemakers guarding their patch PAM TIPA pamelat@ruralnews.co.nz

CHEESEMAKERS OF

the world need to make a joint stand for the rights of generic cheeses, says

Philip Turner, Fonterra.

Philip Turner, Fonterra director of global stakeholder affairs.

Otherwise we will be on a slippery slope of continuing ‘creep’ -- the European Union progressively protecting more

and more cheeses under the geographic indication (GI) registration as it has just done with Danbo.

“We need to put a stop to that and come up with a really clear and agreed view of what generic

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cheeses are,” Turner told Dairy News.

He says this is an argument about the point at which local producers of a specialty cheese, or one unique to a particular geography, can protect that name, as opposed to when does a cheese become a genetic varietal which is sold all over the world and can and should be produced by anyone?

tinue to produce them with security and provide consumers with what they have been consuming happily for some time.

The Europeans have been seeking the right of GI through bilateral trade agreements to apply to other countries, he says.

For example, in the recent EU-Canada (CETA) trade agreement there is a list of GI and the same in the

“We know they are also approaching other countries such as China and Mexico, again to get them to recognise the European lists.”

“Our concern is that the Europeans have been mounting a campaign for many years to claw back or allow creep around these geographical locations well beyond what is appropriate or economic or sensible for producers or consumers.

“This latest example of the [geographic] registration of Danbo is yet another example of the sort of creep we are concerned about.

“We want to see a more positive approach, to say there are many varietal cheeses which are now generic, which are accepted by consumers as being a particular type of cheese but are no longer connected to the geography where it may have been originally produced.”

Perhaps the best example of that is cheddar cheese which originated in a small village in southwest England called Cheddar but there is no longer cheddar cheese produced from local cheddar milk, he says.

It has become a cheese which consumers all around the world are familiar with, it is made in many countries and “that is the way it should be”.

“So we would like to stop the creep of this European campaign and see accepted rules in place which offer due protection for cheeses made in New Zealand and elsewhere and have been for a long time.”

He says this would allow producers to con-

EU recent trade agreement with Japan.

“We know they are also approaching other countries such as China and Mexico, again to get them to recognise the European lists.

“We are concerned about this kind of creep – encouraging others to join as part of broader trade agreements and gradually increasing the creep of these things without providing the same protection for generic cheeses.”

They are particularly struck by the example of Danbo because the Danish government is on record saying it is a generic cheese. So even in Europe there are a variety of views on this “but it seems the local guys are getting support,” Turner says.

“There were big arguments about feta with several countries in Europe producing feta including Denmark but again the commission came down in favour of Greece and said only Greece can produce feta cheese.”

There is a process for outsiders to object to the European Commission rulings but it is “pretty damn difficult,” he says.

“So there is some scope for outsiders to object or put an opinion but there is strong momentum politically apparently in favour of particular local cheeses.

We think that is a bit out of control.”

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DAIRY NEWS OCTOBER 31, 2017

12 // NEWS

Cheesed off with EU PETER BURKE peterb@ruralnews.co.nz

THE DAIRY Companies

Association of New Zealand (DCANZ) says it’s unhappy with the EU over its moves to monopolise the global cheese market.

Executive director Kimberly Crewther says the EU has registered the Danish cheese Danbo as a protected geographic indication (GI), meaning

that the name can only be used by cheese made in Denmark.

But she says Danbo is a variety of cheese, not one connected to a particular geographic region or town and says this move has heightened concern in DCANZ that the EU is adding new trade barriers to monopolise value in the global cheese market.

She says while NZ is not a big producer of Danbo there is a principle at

stake and risk of such a policy expanding.

“Can we now expect the EU to seek similar protection for other common cheese names, which have been manufactured and exported by producers in NZ and elsewhere for many years?

We don’t know where this will stop but you can think about a number of other common cheeses that have European origins like parmesan and

mozzarella.

“We are also awaiting a ruling on Havarti and Teleme which are cheeses increasingly seen on NZ supermarket shelves as some of our boutique cheesemakers’ best,” she says.

Crewther says DCANZ has no objection to the EU’s extension of GI protections for cheeses named for their genuinely unique origins in particular locations. But she

The EU is seeking protection for common cheese names.

says in the case of Danbo, every reasonable consideration for a cheese name to be considered a generic

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varietal term is present. She notes that this includes past acknowledgement by Danish dairy industry bodies that Danbo is a generic cheese name and that Uruguay is a significant global producer, as a result of Danish assistance to develop manufacturing of Danbo in Uruguay.

“Previously the Dutch sought to register gouda and edam. We went through a consultation process with them and

it was agreed that they would register Holland gouda and Holland edam so it has that clear geographic reference point.

The NZ industry makes edam; we don’t argue that it is Holland edam at all,” she says.

Crewther says DCANZ is pressuring the EU to change its stance and has also garnered the support of other cheese makers around the world as well as the NZ government to stop the EU’s moves.

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DAIRY NEWS OCTOBER 31, 2017

NEWS // 13

Milk prevents, eases dairy intolerance led by the University of Auckland’s Liggins Institute has found that a2 Milk prevents some symptoms of dairy intolerance and eases others.

This is even though it contains the same amount of lactose as conventional cow milk. The findings of the research, run jointly with AgResearch, were presented at a conference in Chicago on October 22.

Study leader Dr Amber Milan, a study research fellow at the Liggins Institute, says they found a strikingly different pattern of digestive symptoms in people they identified as lactose intolerant after drinking a2 Milk compared to conventional milk. “a2 Milk (the branded product produced by a2 Milk Company) was at least as effective as lactose-free milk at preventing or easing some of the symptoms of lactose intolerance including nausea, stomach pain and bloating, but didn’t reduce levels of flatulence and gastric reflux,” says Dr Milan.

“The women’s self-ratings of ‘overall digestive comfort’ were the same after a2 Milk as after regular milk, suggesting over the course of 12 hours, the other symptoms were unpleasant enough to not shift overall digestive comfort.”

Conventional milk contains both the A1 and A2 types of beta-casein, a protein comprising 25-30% of total milk protein. It is thought that all cows originally produced only the A2 protein type, and the A1 mutation appeared 5000-10,000 years ago. a2 Milk comes from cows that naturally produce only the A2 type.

“There is some evidence that the symptoms of lactose intolerance may be influenced by the proteins in milk,” says AgResearch senior research scientist Matthew Barnett. “We wanted to investigate this more closely.”

Globally, about 70% of adults consider themselves lactose intolerant, and experience bloating,

nausea or other unpleasant symptoms after consuming it.

The study was the first to compare the digestive response to conventional milk, a2 Milk and lactose-free conventional milk between people who are able to digest lactose, people with lactose intolerance and people with dairy intolerance. It was funded by the New Zealand Government HighValue Nutrition National Science Challenge, with co-funding from The a2 Milk Company Ltd. Participants were 30 healthy young women (aged 20-30, BMI in the normal range) who said they had trouble digesting milk, and a control group of 10 dairy-consuming women. First they drank 50g of lactose – equivalent to about a litre of milk – to determine if they had lactose intolerance or not.

Then, on three separate visits, the same women drank 750ml of the three types of milk.

Immediately after the women consumed the milk, and at 30 minute intervals for three hours, the researchers took blood, urine and breath samples, measured their waist and did MRI scans.

The women also recorded how they felt for the 12 hours following consumption.

Analysis revealed that the lactose intolerant women: • did not feel nauseous or have an urgent need to go to the toilet after drinking a2 Milk and lactose-free milk, but did after drinking conventional milk • had fewer bowel movements over the three hours both after a2 Milk and lactose-free milk compared to conventional milk • were half as likely to report abdominal pain, fullness and bloating over the course of 12 hours both after a2 Milk and lactose-free milk relative to conventional milk • experienced a smaller and later rise in breath hydrogen after a2 Milk versus conventional (breath hydrogen is a byproduct of gut bacteria digesting any lactose

that isn’t absorbed by the body, and is partly responsible for bloating and flatulence) • experienced the same levels of flatulence and gastric reflux after drinking a2 Milk and conven-

tional milk, self-reported similar levels of “overall digestive discomfort” both after a2 Milk and conventional milk (lactose-free milk was rated most comfortable on this measure).

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DAIRY NEWS OCTOBER 31, 2017

14 // OPINION RUMINATING

EDITORIAL

Safety first

MILKING IT...

There is something in a name HORIZONS REGIONAL Council scored a winner the other week at a farmers’ meeting to discuss the dogs breakfast that is One Plan. The first meeting was held in Bulls and it’s arguable that the plan delivered by the Environment Court is Bullshit.

Secondly the venue was a pub called the Rat Hole.

Surely there is significance in that as well.

The grass is high A NEW ZEALAND agri academic recently visiting the US met an American who clearly knew little about this country. The Kiwi was busy explaining to him that NZ has a grass based system for feeding its livestock. The American, taken aback by this news, kept asking if this was true and did the animals get sick by eating all this ‘grass’. Suddenly the NZer twigged that the American was from California where the word ‘grass’ means marijuana. For a few minutes the poor man had convinced himself that NZ was feeding its animals on the other green crop.

But then with the Greens in government, maybe this could happen in NZ. Getting high on milk could be a reality some day.

Nuts about milk

Watered down

WHILE MOST Starbucks bottled drinks contain dairy, four new options on the company’s ready-todrink menu scratched cow milk from the ingredients list.

In a press release, Starbucks announced that beginning May 2018, its bottled Frappuccino collection will expand to include two almond milk versions: vanilla and mocha. And, even better, those will have 35% fewer calories than the coffee and mocha versions that contain dairy.

Starbucks is also releasing new doubleshot coffee smoothies in May, also with almond milk. You can either grab the Dark Chocolate Banana or Vanilla Honey Banana to get a mix of your favorite nut milk, real fruit, and coffee, all in one.

THE FARMERS who booed Winston Peters at the water tax protest in Morrinsville in September may owe him an apology. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has revealed Labour’s contentious tax on water for commercial purposes was scrapped during postelection negotiations. The tax, maligned by farmers, horticulturalists and the National Party, was the only concession Labour made in its talks with New Zealand First. Peters was adamant that a water tax needed to be applied to those who exported our pristine water in the form of bottled water only, not extended to the agriculture sector.

IT MAKES grim reading to see farm deaths numbered 124 over the last seven years -- four times higher than in the construction or forestry industries.

Thirty-six people were killed in quad accidents.

At the time of writing, quad-related deaths were fewer than in 2016 and the terrible year 2015, but two quad-related deaths during the weekend of October 14-15 suggest the year-end numbers are likely to be similar to those previous years.

Much has been done in recent years to promote safe quad use, and employers now seem to be buying into safety --the use of some type of helmets seems to be rising -- but too many people are still dying.

All sectors of agriculture must buy into safety, particularly the over 60s who make up a disproportionate number of all types of farm deaths, and no doubt still hold a ‘she’ll be right’ mentality.

Safety must become a first thought, not an afterthought, which in the case of quads needs to start when someone buys such a machine. Manufacturers and retailers must insist on some form of compulsory rider training, which might have to be incorporated into the cost of the machine and, likewise, insurers must consider charging a premium for untrained operators or discounts for those who have done training.

Some will argue against the number of machines being sold second-hand, but we must start somewhere.

And though it’s heartening to see riders wearing inexpensive ag-hats, it needs to be understood that they are only rated to 30km/h and should be replaced by good quality, certified helmets. We hear the plea that ‘proper’ safety helmets are too heavy, too hot and no use on farms. Motorcyclists once had the same grizzle about their helmets, but they must wear one or face a fine, so why do we make exceptions for a sub-sector of the community who are at real risk?

We also need to ban the practice of allowing underage children to ride full-size machines; they are too powerful, too big and too heavy for youngsters to fully control. Again, we hear the cry ‘its different out on the farm’ but a logging operation would be quickly shut down if a 12-year-old was even on site, never mind operating a machine.

WorkSafe and its ambassadors have done much good work over the last three years to bring safety awareness to the forefront, but we still seem to suffer from a bravado that says ‘that’s the way we’ve always done it and never got hurt’.

Who in all honesty, with experience of a quad, can say they have never thought ‘blimey that what a close thing’? Not many I would wager. – Mark Daniel

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DAIRY NEWS OCTOBER 31, 2017

OPINION // 15

iCORE

HERD MANAGEMENT

DRAFTING

CLUSTER REMOVER

James Shaw and Jacinda Adern signing the deal.

Change – what change?

With the new Labour/NZ First/Greens government now in power, what changes can the rural sector expect?

Reporter Peter Burke offers his view.

IN PAST elections much of the talk

on the campaign trail has remained there then has quickly been cut from the agenda as the books are opened and reality has dawned.

In essence there will be change, but how much is another matter.

A quick read of Labour’s website tells much about what will happen.

Country of origin labelling is likely in, as is the splitting off of biosecurity and possibly the food safety functions of MPI. But with the coalition agreement signalling the establishment of a new forestry service, it’s possible these functions could remain under the MPI umbrella but with greater independence and more funding.

A review of the PGP grants is likely and Crown funding for irrigation is gone, though this seems to be based on the assumption that irriga-

tion means dairy. It’s possible this may be revised in time to cover just horticulture, especially in the light of the Greens wanting dairying scaled down and a move to other forms of farming of which horticulture is the obvious choice.

There will be a strong focus on cleaning up rivers and this is likely to be based on a new national policy statement (NPS). Expect to see plans to improve rivers to swimmable standards fast-tracked and the fencing of intensively stocked land near waterways with setbacks for riparian planting to filter and absorb silt and nutrients.

The Greens have cows in their sights and they will push to reduce the size of the dairy herd, but Jacinda Ardern is on record as saying Labour would not try to reduce dairy herd numbers but would look at restrict-

ing large scale intensification of dairy farming.

The Greens will come unstuck when they try to impose a levy on nitrate pollution from dairy farms.

Fed Farmers’ Andrew Hoggard has already labelled the idea “unfair, full of holes and likely to cost the environment”. Clearly the Greens have a thing about cows and are even talking about paying farmers to move away from dairying. Some are doing that; conversions to kiwifruit and avocados are gaining momentum. Not so conversions to growing hemp (sorry James).

Thanks to Winston the infamous water tax is gone and whether agriculture gets included in any emissions trading scheme will now be in the hands of a climate change commission. There will be a strong emphasis on regional development which will certainly benefit the agri sector and lifting the minimum wage to $20 an hour by 2020 will have some impact on farmers especially on their employing extra staff.

PRIMARY EXPORTS STRAINING AT THE LEASH NICK CLARKE

NEW ZEALAND’S primary sector

exports are expected to increase strongly in the current year, according to the Ministry for Primary Industries.

MPI’s September quarter ‘Situation and Outlook for Primary Industries’ predict primary sector exports will reach $38.1 billion for the year to June 2017 – up 2.4% on the previous year. This is mainly thanks to a 10.1% rebound in dairy exports after two poor years in 2015 and 2016.

However, meat and wool exports show a steep decline, dropping 9.2%.

Looking ahead, primary sector exports are expected to increase 9.2% to reach $41.6b for the year

CLUSTER REM

to June 2018, with dairy continuing its strong growth (up 18.5% to $17.4b) and meat and wool recovering slightly (up 1.5% to $8.5b).

Most other sectors are expected to post solid growth, with forestry up 5.0%, horticulture up 5.1%, seafood up 6.1%, arable up 7.3% and ‘other’ up 0.8%.

These forecasts are little changed from the previous June quarter ‘Update’.

Dairy prices slipped in the last Global Dairy Trade auction.

Overall, the GDT Price Index was down by 1.0%, with whole milk powder down 0.5% and skim milk powder down 5.6%.

The only product that rose in price was anhydrous milk fat, up 5.2%. The average winning price was US$3204 and 35,669 tonnes were sold.

This is the sixth decline out of nine auctions held over the past four months, with the index down by 5% over that period. However, prices are still 16% higher than the same time last year.

This week’s drop was a little unexpected given the impact of wet spring weather on milk production which saw Fonterra reduce its forecast growth in milk collection for the season from 3% to 1%. So far buyers seem unfazed.

Looking ahead, if New Zealand’s milk production remains flat this should provide support for prices but increasing European and US milk production could negate this.

Some but not all economists now think Fonterra’s $6.75/kgMS payout forecast will need to be trimmed.

• Nick Clark is general policy manager at Federated Farmers.

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DAIRY NEWS OCTOBER 31, 2017

16 // AGRIBUSINESS

Easier transition to fully sharing up NIGEL MALTHUS

APPROACHING THE

third anniversary of its establishment, the MyMilk business model is working well, says MyMilk chief executive Hamish Hobson.

The Fonterra subsidiary functions as a stepping stone for farmers who may not be able to afford the initial outlay for buying Fonterra shares. It buys milk from them at a slightly lower price, for a maximum of five seasons, and helps them transition to become full shareholding Fonterra suppliers.

“It’s a pathway,” says Hobson. “We’re an option for farmers supplying another processor, we’re

HEADER

an option for new conversions or someone buying their first farm.”

Three years in, Hobson says MyMilk has 80 suppliers, and 20% of the first year’s intake have already transitioned to full Fonterra shareholding. Although MyMilk contracts lock in suppliers for only one season at a time, none has so far left the scheme for another company.

Hobson says the MyMilk model attracts a range of farmers.

“The young farmers are the ones who excite me a lot, where they’ve gone and bought their first farm and they’ve used MyMilk as the vehicle to do that.

“Obviously the

share capital’s a push for them when they’re buying that first farm but they’re strong believers in the co-op so they supply us, the milk goes to the co-op and they start building up ownership through units then join the co-op down the track.”

It is too early to talk details, but Hobson says a scheme is in the pipeline looking at ways to bank the price differential so it builds up over time and makes it easier for farmers to make the transition.

Normally Fonterra suppliers need one share for every 1kgMS supplied to the co-op, which Hobson says could mean an outlay approaching

MyMilk signee Erik Lensen speaks at a DairyNZ field day on his farm.

$1 million for an average South Island dairy farm.

“At some point along their supply journey with MyMilk there will

HEADER

Ferist et quati aut pedici te vollab imod quamet atur soleniet quiatibu. PAGE 15

Ferist et quati aut pedici te vollab imod quamet atur soleniet quiatibu. PAGE 23

RURALNEWS

HEADER Ferist et quati aut pedici te vollab imod quamet atur soleniet quiatibu.

PAGE 24

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be an outlay for shares, we hope, as they join the co-op,” says Hobson.

“There’re other benefits in joining the cooperative as well that we hope will attract them across. Our initial challenge is attracting milk into MyMilk, then retaining it, then transitioning that into Fonterra. So there’re three pillars we focus on.”

A lean operation with just five staff, based in Christchurch, MyMilk operates anywhere in the South Island where Fonterra tankers go, but not the West Coast.

There are no plans to expand to the North Island because of the different dynamics and demographics of the industry there. Dairy conversions are still occurring in the south, says Hobson.

They will also talk with established dairy farmers considering a change.

“I wouldn’t say ‘poaching’, but we’re an option

for any farmer who’s supplying someone else. If they’re looking at supporting the cooperative and they see Fonterra as a strong company and they’re wanting to look at that as a supply option they can definitely come and talk to us.

“Our offer is one of the most flexible out there in terms of our contract,” he says. “A lot of processors will have a long contract period and lock the farmer in, so we’ll talk to our flexibility.”

One of MyMilk’s first signings is Erik Lenssen, equity lease partner in Birchdale Dairies, near Dunsandel in the Selwyn District. The third-year conversion, milking about 780 cows, is still in development after conversion three years ago.

Lenssen says the decision to go with MyMilk was primarily financial in not having to stump up for shares, as well as the flexibility to get out if

Sivit

stem with orate this sy . rp co in n ca We ossible ad where p your feed p ndly d pond frie Irrigation an ss with d I can discu Phone me an be achieved. n you what ca

required, at a time when they didn’t really know their long-term direction.

For a startup presented with a choice of MyMilk, Synlait or buying Fonterra shares, buying shares looks more like investing in the stock market rather than in dairying, he said.

Buying shares from the start would have cost about $1.76m, although the dividend would’ve paid the interest on a loan.

“Financially at that time we didn’t know how it was going to work out.

The payout was still very low and there was no promise of a high dividend.”

MyMilk is paying a fair rate for milk, said Lenssen. “What happens going forward.... if they start docking it just below the milk price and Synlait starts paying the milk price, it might have an affect on a few people but it’s not significant enough to worry about.”

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DAIRY NEWS OCTOBER 31, 2017

AGRIBUSINESS // 17

Careful of people, tough on issues PAM TIPA pamelat@ruralnews.co.nz

WE NEED to be tough

on issues but careful with people, KPMG farm specialist, agrifood, Julia Jones told an Auckland Climate Change conference.

She was talking about the introduction of new environmental requirements and the threat of alternative proteins to dairy and the agriculture sector in general.

the human aspect… we need to take people on this journey -- understand where they are coming from and what they are scared of. You’ve got to keep in mind, as soon as you say ‘alternative protein’ it tells someone they no longer have relevance….

“I think we need to be a little careful, a little cautious; though this doesn’t mean we don’t keep talking about it ….”

At the same time, she says, we are going to have scary conversations. “You

California-based Perfect Day has learnt how to make milk out of casein DNA: they inject it into yeast and it grows itself into vegan milk.

“For New Zealand it is about finding that

balance; I don’t think it needs to be all or nothing; I don’t think we need to shut down farming all together… it is about finding a balance. @dairy_news facebook.com/dairynews

Julie Jones, KPMG.

Beat the seasons!

“If we don’t have economic sustainability in this country we will not have environmental sustainability.”

“If we don’t have economic sustainability in this country we will not have environmental sustainability,” she says.

Jones says you can put in all the regulation in the world but things will fall through the cracks of economic sustainability.

“Without both of those we will never have social sustainability.”

And while she warned that change is coming faster than anyone realised, including the move towards alternative proteins, she says you have to also think about the well-being of farmers.

“Until something has happened to you which has a consequence, you tend not to do anything about it. That’s not the right way to be but it is a natural part of humans,” she says.

“We need to take people on the journey; that doesn’t mean we don’t have conversations, it doesn’t mean we are not honest and it doesn’t mean we are not hard. It means we don’t do the blame game, we don’t hammer people.

At the moment, farmers’ mental health is being severely affected, despite “people doing some fantastic things ….”

She says we need to celebrate the good, but not tolerate the bad.

“We need to be conscious of the people,

need to show people how it can help them.”

Earlier in her presentation Jones said her role is to help people understand change and move quickly. The world is moving much faster than we thought and people are not keeping up with that change, including towards alternative proteins.

‘Value-add’ is an overused word, very much like sustainability. “If you think of a value-add customer or a premium customer, imagine a pyramid upside down.

“At the bottom I still expect the food to be safe, I’ll spend a little more money on something that is going to be good for me and I will spend even more on something that has a positive mutual impact on animals, environment and people.

“We will pay even more money at the top of the upside-down pyramid if what you are producing is really regenerating the environment.

“I think there is enough science there that [shows] we can’t add any more animals, or if we do we have to be very smart. It will take a lot of technology to make sure we do it the right way.”

She has eaten an Impossible Burger made of plant based material that could not be distinguished from meat.

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DAIRY NEWS OCTOBER 31, 2017

18 // MANAGEMENT

Herds wintered on fodder beet need calcium – vet NIGEL MALTHUS

FEEDING DCP (dicalcium phos-

phate) to dairy springers is increasingly common for Canterbury dairy herds wintered on fodder beet, says veterinarian Chris Norton.

“Normally you don’t give calcium to a cow pre-calving; it’s a no-no. However we didn’t normally feed fodder beet either, 10 years ago, so things are changing,” he said.

Norton was speaking at the Lincoln University Dairy Farm spring focus day, following LUDF’s first season of wintering the herd on fodder beet and silage, on the Silverwood support block near Hororata.

Outlining the farm’s mineral management through winter and spring, Norton said Canterbury soils are low in selenium, copper, iodine and a few other things, which could lead to animal health issues including retained membranes, goitre, reproductive effects and weak bones.

On the winter block, a low measured level of phosphorus in the fodder beet was supplemented by 50g/cow/day

of DCP mixed in the silage. Both on the winter block and back on the farm, various minerals were added to the water by Dosatron.

Norton said that at calving, the bulk of the herd apart from some heifers had a very low incidence of retained membranes.

“That was either good luck or in and around mineral management. We only had less than 1% which as you know is very, very low.”

However, the milk fever rate was high, resulting in some deaths. Blood tests showed low levels of both calcium and phosphorus so DCP was added to the diet.

“Possibly more work is needed in this area. It’s becoming more common practice in Canterbury for people to use a lot of DCP in their springers if they’ve come off a fodder beet crop. So we started doing that at 100g a cow.”

Norton said the change seemed to work.

“It’s always hard to know, because we didn’t do half and leave half. We

did the whole lot. But the bottom line is, the number of down cows dropped right away.”

In the meantime, they had also tested the silage and grass for DCAD

(dietary cation anion difference) analysis.

That affects the pH of the rumen and therefore mineral absorbtion. The pasture sample had a DCAD of 453 and the silage 310, giving an average of about 400. The target is less than 300 and ideally less than 200.

However, Norton said that by the time the DCAD analysis came back, the down cow incidence had dropped, presumVet Chris Norton. ably because of the DCP addition, so changing their diet for a lower DCAD was considered but not actioned.

Changes could be made for next season, he said, such as adding low DCAD feeds such as ryegrass hay and

straw.

Norton said a dairy farm would never get no milk fever at all but ideally should never lose cows to the disorder.

“We are well up on that KPI and we’re not proud of that, so we’re hoping that next season we can just tweak the system a bit more.”

“I personally like hay but also I like biosecurity and I also like my farm looking nice and pure, and I know what hay’s going to do to that purity.

You can end up bringing seed contamination onto your farm so I know hay’s a bit dodgy on a Canterbury farm.”

“But I do know hay works,” he said.

Asked if the low phosphorus levels in the springers suggested the 50g/day of DCP fed on the winter block was too low, Norton said there are a lot of unknowns about phosphorus but the winter rates could possibly be doubled or even trebled.

“We don’t actually know the whole metabolism for phosphorus. This is still a new area in terms of the introduction of fodder beet into our industry and we still don’t really know how it is impacting our skeletal reserves and what it’s doing to our bones,” he said.

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DAIRY NEWS OCTOBER 31, 2017

MANAGEMENT // 19

Biosecurity was a major discussion theme at the recent Lincoln University Dairy Farm field day.

FMD outbreak ‘only a matter of time’ NIGEL MALTHUS

A FOOT and mouth disease (FMD)

outbreak in New Zealand is only a matter of time, says DairyNZ biosecurity readiness and response manager Chris Morley.

“We all hear about foot and mouth disease, and we assume it’ll never happen. I can guarantee that it will happen. It’s just a matter of time,” Morley told the recent Lincoln University Dairy Farm spring focus day.

With the Mycoplasma bovis outbreak uppermost in dairy farmers’ concerns, onfarm biosecurity was a major topic of the day’s programme.

Morley said increasing number of passengers are coming to NZ from increasingly higher-risk places and the dairy business is getting more complex.

“Everything’s starting to stack up against us; MPI cannot stop everything at the border,” he said.

“What does that mean at the farm level? Do we carry on as we have done for the last 50 -100 years or do we need some changes?”

An MPI assessment two years ago showed that just a small-medium FMD outbreak would take $16 billion off GDP, with borders closed and interest rates up.

“It’ll impact everyone in Auckland, it’ll impact our prices, it’ll impact everybody.

“That’s why it’s important to look at onfarm biosecurity because if it does come here, there are things we can do day by day to minimise the impact in terms of how far it can get before we find it and how quickly we can stop it moving around.”

Both Morley and the LUDF veterinarian Chris Norton had worked on the big FMD outbreak in Cumbria, northern England, in 2001. Norton told the focus day he went there as part of a NZ veterinary contingent.

“I wiped out hundreds of thousands of cows. I took out entire valleys.”

Norton said FMD is by far the biggest threat to New Zealand’s biosecurity. “It would cripple us.”

Norton said migrant workers returning to New Zealand from visiting relatives back home are one of the biggest risks and he suggested farmers impose a stand-down period.

“They’re over there for three or four weeks and they’re back on Sunday and they’re back milking

“MPI cannot stop everything at the border.” cows 3 o’clock Monday morning.

“They could have been through Asia in the meantime. Those places are full of bugs and exotic diseases that we don’t want on our farms and yet we let these guys back on our farms within literally hours of getting off the plane. I see that as a significant risk to my farm.”

Norton conceded it was difficult when migrants were on a roster and were needed back on the job.

He said that when he worked on the 2001 outbreak he was culling cows in Cumbria one Monday and delivering calves in Taranaki the following Monday. But he had soaked himself in a bathtub of Virkon disinfectant at Heathrow and again when he got to NZ. “It’s paranoia, I know, but I’d been on the front line. I’d seen the effects of an outbreak so the last thing I wanted to do was introduce the virus into NZ.” Morley added that with the ease of travel now it was quite practical for a dairy farmer to be on a farm milking cows in Chile or China and be back milking cows in NZ within 24 hours.

Dairy NZ imposes an eight-day standdown on its staff if they have been working overseas, or five days if they have not been in contact with animals, before going onto a farm

here.

“I wouldn’t be letting anybody come off a plane and come to a farm in NZ from South East Asia, from Africa and from parts of China, who have come from livestock and... straight into your milking shed or your calf shed. That’s absolutely nuts and irresponsible,” he said.

Visitor management, including contractors and service workers, would be the number-one biosecurity issue for farmers running a closed herd.

“But if you’re buying in dairy cows or heifers or bulls, then that’s right up there because most bugs will travel with the animal. So animal movements are number-one,” said Morley.

“If they’re going away grazing, or using a contract rearer doing that grazing and growing, they’re mixing.

Who are they mixing with, where have they come from?”

However, it is not just animal diseases to be aware of but also insect pests and pasture weeds, including velvetleaf -- “a disease I’d never heard of”.

“How come [we got the] supposedly worst weed in the world in fodder beet we’ve now imported into the country accidentally in seed and planted it in over 200 farms, and no-one was looking for it? I find that staggering.”

Velvetleaf came in with fodder beet seed grown in Italy and certified in Holland and Denmark.

“The people signing the certificates didn’t know we didn’t have velvetleaf. They also didn’t know that velvetleaf was growing in Italy because they weren’t interested quite honestly, because velvetleaf’s all over the place in Europe,” said Morley.

“Our own seed merchants were aware there was a risk and they never flagged that,” he said.

“If you see risk, it’s behoven on us to actually flag it.” @dairy_news facebook.com/dairynews

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DAIRY NEWS OCTOBER 31, 2017

20 // MANAGEMENT

Wet weather, planting delays and hybrid choice AS I write this article the rain is pelting down outside. A wet winter followed by a normal spring is presenting a real challenge in many regions, resulting in the disruption of the normal cultivating/ planting cycle.

If past experience is anything to go by, as the days pass, growers become more and more uneasy as seed continues to sit in the shed. The question on many minds is, “when is it too late to plant or is it time to switch my hybrid option?”

In recent years, huge advances have been made in breeding medium to short-maturity hybrids that require fewer days from planting to harvest but give excellent yields. Many growers have already made the transition to these hybrids as a result of their stable yield performance, relatively

early harvest, greater growth of the following grass crop and a much better overall fit with the whole farm system.

A wide planting window My colleague Dr Rowland Tsimba did research as part of his PhD thesis into ideal planting windows for maize silage. He showed that the optimum planting dates required to achieve a good yield are much wider than previously thought.

I was taught in my early days with Pioneer that the earlier you get maize in the ground the

better. However, Rowland’s work showed that crops planted in November throughout most of the North Island, and at times into December in some warmer North Island regions, can still give good yields of high quality maize silage.

In fact, field and modelling work in Manawatu and Waikato showed that a 91 and 103 CRM Pioneer brand hybrid can be planted until mid-November with an 80% chance of exceeding a silage yield of at least 17.5 tDM/ ha (versus 90% for midOctober planting).

Choose adaptable hybrids In regions where longer-season hybrids are more adaptable, changing to a shorter maturity may actually decrease potential yield. In most situations it might be best to stick with the higher yielding,

longer maturity hybrid and then harvest it a bit earlier than normal, e.g. 32% instead of 36% DM. Research shows that the yield of a silage crop harvested at 32% is not much lower than one harvested at 36%. Sticking with the most adaptable hybrid is very likely to deliver greater yields.

Often late planted crops catch up A two week planting delay may not necessarily translate to a two week harvest delay. Maize seed planted very early into cold, wet soils may take as long as three weeks to emerge. However, with late planting, since soils are much warmer, the crop can emerge as early as five days. For instance, seeds planted in cooler soils, e.g. 12oC, may take 19 days to emerge and only nine days when soil temperatures average 16oC. By

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A two-week maize planting delay does not mean a two-week harvest delay.

the time the plant reaches the silking stage the maturity gap would have narrowed further.

Wait until the soil conditions are right to cultivate and plant. Don’t be too impatient to get your seed in the ground; wait until the conditions are right. Soil crusting tends to be less of a problem with later planting, and the faster growing seedlings can compete better with weeds and have a lower risk of pest damage.

Planting should only be done when soils are dry enough to be worked and conditions that promote rapid and uniform emergence to occur are observed.

Achieving uniform planting depth, good soil-to-seed contact and management of in-row crop residue rate highly in determining the success of crop production.

Also if your chosen paddock is under water, you may want to think about whether the paddock will drain quickly enough once the rain stops so you can get your crop into the ground. If the answer is no, you may want to think about choosing a different paddock to grow your maize in.

What does the above mean?

I started this article by saying that the rain is pelting down outside.

This would have caused some stress before Rowland did his PhD. I am now a lot more relaxed because I know I can safely wait until midNovember before I start getting stressed.

Also comforting is the recent forecast from NIWA which indicates a 55 - 65 % chance of aboveaverage temperatures over the next few months for all growing regions. This scenario usually favours accelerated growth and development in maize crops once they are planted. Here’s hoping.

• Ian Williams is a Pioneer forage specialist. Contact him at iwilliams@genetic. co.nz

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DAIRY NEWS OCTOBER 31, 2017

MANAGEMENT // 21

Peak performance on the radar CLARE BAYLY

THE TERM ‘peak cow’ -- referring to

the national dairy herd -- is gaining relevance for more individual farmers as they turn from peak cow numbers to peak per-cow performance.

Bay of Plenty/Hawkes Bay/Central Plateau breeding consultant Will Blakeway says the new focus is evident in calls he gets from a growing number of farmers.

“The rising price of land, combined with ever increasing environmental pressures, is resulting in more farmers looking to improve the quality of their herd so they can improve and increase their farm’s profitability with the same or less cows,” Blakeway says.

Originally from South Africa, Blakeway grew up on his family’s Kwa-Zulu Natal dairy, beef and sheep farm with a fascination for the expression of genetics in animal conformation and production. He emigrated, with his young family, to New Zealand a decade ago, working in a sales and advisory role at LIC in the Bay of Plenty for eight years.

He then switched to World Wide Sires in the Bay of Plenty, Hawkes Bay and Central Plateau.

“It was a fantastic opportunity and one I jumped at because the company is in the business of producing cows which meet the production needs of farmers in more than 90 countries around the world, from grass based to TMR systems.

“There isn’t another company in the world with the size and depth of their genetic database, providing me with a real tool to help my farmers address the conformation and health issues which are now becoming common on farms around the country. This can only continue to improve as World Wide Sires have just increased their investment, in producing the next generation of elite bulls, from US$8 million to US$24m

per annum.”

Blakeway says he regularly speaks with farmers having to cull an unacceptably high percentage of their heifer replacements because they lack the physical fundamentals required of a commercial dairy cow.

Whakatane dairy farmer, Graham Lyford, said the level of inbreeding in his 180 cow herd caused him to move to World Wide Sires in 2016.

“It wasn’t until I got a printout from the company I had been with, advising what bulls I shouldn’t put over certain cows, that I realised the extent of inbreeding in the herd. I was shocked to see how many of the bulls couldn’t be used on a lot of cows; it was annoying mucking around having three or four different bulls in the row I would mate during milking. When I tried to get an outcross bull they all still seemed to come from the same family.

“That was when I moved to World Wide Sires. We run an organic farm with once-a-day milking and are changing the breed composition to Jersey because they seem to handle OAD well.

“I don’t really care about BW and PW, but I do want good producers.

To me, milking speed, shed temperament, udder composition and capacity come ahead of so-called best bulls with unbelievably high BW. “I’m in the dairy every day so it’s important that the cows have great temperament and milk well; if they lack either of those traits, they go.”

The result of those matings is now on the ground -- calves which Lyford’s father Rob says “look good considering the bloody hard winter and spring we are having”.

The real test, Lyford says, is when these calves go into the herd in two years. “Our goal is to maintain or improve production with the same or fewer cows and the way these calves look, behave and are growing makes me

feel confident we’re on the right track.”

About an hour east of Whakatane, Andrew Brown has also moved away from the New Zealand gene pool to address quality issues in his herd. His Gabriels Gully 184ha farm milks 400 cows, mostly Holstein-Friesian and Crossbred, once-a-day.

Inconsistencies in the size of the cows, coupled with conformation issues, led to him reviewing the genetics he had been using.

“We’re getting inconsistencies across the herd – small, medium and large – which creates problems in a herringbone milking shed where the smaller cows get pushed around. Our Top: Bay of Plenty farmer Andrew Brown.

Below: Farmer Graham Lyford is pleased with the quality of this year’s calves.

goal is to gradually change the herd to moderate sized Holstein/Friesians with high components and the udder support and capacity necessary to handle once-a-day milking.

“The farm is a mix of flats and hills so they also need to have strong legs and feet.

“The NZ-based breeding companies tend to have similar genes; it’s a narrow pool and we’ve been seeing the results

in the quality – or lack of it – in our heifers. This year, for example, we have had to cull 20% of our replacement heifers which is a horrendous figure.

“It is very frustrating to spend two years growing and caring for these young animals and then have them come into the herd with small, poorly attached udders, sickle or cow hocks and narrow pin bones so there’s no room for a decent udder, poor teat placement and blind teats. It’s an

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experience we couldn’t afford to repeat, and we won’t.”

In 2016 the Browns moved 50% of their mating plan to World Wide Sires to take advantage of its large gene pool with sires which will address the conformation and performance issues evident in the herd.

“Going 50% meant we could compare the resulting calves with the breeding company we’d been using.”

Based on the comparison, Brown will this year put 95% of the herd to World Wide Sires.

Calf rearing on the Brown farm falls to Andrew’s father Jack, who says the difference between the “two crops of calves” is easily seen. If they’re as good as heifers as they are as calves, we’ll achieve our aim.” @dairy_news facebook.com/dairynews

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DAIRY NEWS OCTOBER 31, 2017

22 // ANIMAL HEALTH

Wet woes hit cows’ feet JOE McGRATH

, THERE OW

’S

N

WET, VERY wet -- in just about all the North Island and even the South Island for quite a while.

Milk production numbers show this is tough on the industry, farmers’ back pockets and on the cows. The issues are obvious, but the standout is lameness, which may be a little more complicated on farms than first appears.

The key problem is that in constantly wet conditions the hoof undergoes softening of the hoof wall and interdigital space. This softening may result in tenderness, breakages, bruising, uneven wear and infections.

Often this can be exacerbated by the diet and feeding conditions. Feeding conditions such as available bunk space, level of appetite and time on the feed pad can all affect the incidence of lameness.

Recently I discussed with a farmer the changes he had seen in cows on a new concrete feed pad. Due to the wet weather his cows were spending more time on the feed pad and often fighting for space and available feed. This has caused wear at the back of the hoof, exacerbating lameness and hoof structure.

Diet can also be an appreciable cause of lameness: diets conducive to low rumen pH, even for short periods, can cause soft and tender feet and often result in laminitis, elongated hoof and white line disease.

Controlling rumen pH in New Zealand’s pastoral conditions is not as simple as one might think. While dietary starch level is generally considered to be the major driver of low rumen pH and acidosis, the absence of starch in our pastures does not mean they are low risk for acidosis.

Pasture has two aspects that can cause sub-clinical acidosis and low rumen pH -- high sugar and low effective fiber. High sugar means that lactic acid-producing bacteria are present, active and already producing a lot of acid. A lack of effective fiber means fast passage rates, low levels of salivation (the natural rumen buffer) and poor rumen activity.

On the other hand, diet can be an effective tool for combating lameness.

Diets correctly formulated and fed can result in optimum rumen health and contented cows, lessening the burden on feet. Furthermore, diets can be an effective tool for delivering nutrients known to aid foot health.

Many scientific publications refer to the effectiveness of dietary supplements containing zinc for improving hoof hardness and growth rates. Both organic and high quality sources of zinc oxide and zinc sulphate are effective for this purpose. It is often suggested that zinc is effective due to its ability to improve cell wall integrity and as a result hoof hardness; it is generally effective within a matter of weeks.

Another dietary addition is the vitamin biotin. The mode of action of biotin is a little different from that of zinc. Biotin is thought to be active in the intracellular space – between cells (think mortar between bricks). Typically biotin is active in the coronary band, and as a result it usually requires two-three months for the use of biotin to be noticed in a herd, and it takes this long to notice the absence.

One interesting aspect of lameness is timing: while continual wet condi-

1.

Cows’ hoofs softens in wet conditions, leading to injury and infection.

Inset left: Joe McGrath.

tions are an obvious cause of lameness, issues such as white line are a little harder to understand.

In the South Island, severe lameness in herds -- often up to one third – is often reported in late summer and autumn. The typical comment from farmers is that as soon as autumn rain falls, the cows go lame. But how would one decent rain event cause mass lameness in herds?

The answer is usually white line disease. Interestingly, with this, the initial damage often has occurred two-three months before. So when a dairy farmer says “autumn lameness starts as soon as we get rain, sometimes in January”, we have to ask what happened two-

three months before this; the answer will be grain and rapidly growing spring grass during August to October. Grain is often used in the South Island to fill the feed gap on the front shoulder. But who knew it to be a cause of late-season lameness?

As mentioned earlier, fast growing grass is full of sugar and low on fibre.

When grain is added to this diet the chances of sub-clinical acidosis is vastly increased, often because we add this grain in a ‘slug’ fed twice a day. The change in rumen bacteria and their activity increases the production of histadine which is a major cause of altered blood flow in the hoof and thereafter lameness.

White line disease refers to separation and haemorrhaging of the white line area of the hoof. It will often be of no real concern if conditions are dry,

but as soon as there is wet weather, mud and grit are forced into the white line causing severe lameness. In really bad situations I have even seen foreign material at the coronary band after travelling all the way up the hoof.

One of the unknown issues in lameness is metabolics. Sub-clinical milk fever and magnesium deficiency result in poor muscle strength, resulting in reduced strength and agility. This in turn can often lead to hoof abrasions and bruising.

So though there is not much we can do about wet weather, we can add supplements to diets to improve hoof conditions to reduce lameness, along with targeted trimming and correction and -- most important -- good clean races and steady moving of cows.

• Joe McGrath is a nutritionist with Sollus Nutrition.

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DAIRY NEWS OCTOBER 31, 2017

ANIMAL HEALTH // 23

Not too much of a good thing MARK DANIEL markd@ruralnews.co.nz

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The system also helps staff understand the impact of moving cows on to, or allowing them to stay too long, on acid pastures, which Thomas says only means positive results.

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can’t have too much of a good thing, but that doesn’t always ring true.

Consider the case of Kelvin Thomas’s farm at Reporoa, between Rotorua and Taupo.

Thomas is a thirdgeneration dairy farmer whose family took on the property in 1953 and has farmed it since. Milking 550 cows on 200ha, the farm is now three quarters of the way through a change to autumn calving, which will see it hitting 600 cows by March 1, 2018. Animals are boughtin commercial Holsteins that typically arrive on the farm at three and a half years old.

Located near the longestablished dairy factory at Reporoa, the land became a dumping ground for waste whey product from the 1980s which has left a legacy of high phosphorous (P) and potassium (K) levels which make the ground very acid.

Managing the area requires applying high volumes of lime to create a balance, but the practicalities mean that grasses are shallow-rooted, preferring to establish in the lime-rich upper layers rather than push down roots into the lower layers; this leads to plants being pulled if overgrazed. And the option of growing crops to use up the high P and K content such as maize is stymied by the region’s late frosts.

Along with the whey by-product, the land also got high doses of dairy effluent, so the property struggles with “toxic grass,” says nutritionist Pip Gale.

Particularly in the early part of the growing season, this shows up in cows coming into the milking shed in a lethargic

state – “skittish”, Thomas says, and showings signs of explosive excretion.

This sub-acute ruminal acidosis (SARA) is more commonly associated with farms attempting to feed high levels of grain in the diet. Gales suggests that high potassium levels and high sugar levels in the grass create much the same effect.

Typically, SARA can depress intake, reduce digestibility, reduce yield and butterfat percentage and result in lameness; it is usually found when rumen pH is between 5.2 and 6.1.

To help Thomas and Gale understand the impact of the farm’s feeding regime through the season, they have installed Smart Farm Data’s SmaXtec boluses in five cows in each of the two herds.

The device sends a reading to a smartphone or desktop PC every 6 - 8 minutes; it measures rumen pH for 180 days, plus general activity and body temperature. If any readings deviate from pre-set parameters, an alert is sent to the farmer and nutritionist, who can choose to take remedial actions. The system is sensitive enough to display when a cow takes a drink, which typically shows a drop in body temperature, or as happened recently when a cow jumped an electric fence break and gorged on fresh pasture.

From a practical viewpoint, indications provided by the sensors allow the team to add or remove minerals such as Acidbuf, which contain magnesium and calcium to tweak rumen pH. The tweaking is intended to keep the rumen in the middle-ground rather than reacting to the highs and lows of the desktop displays.

For an outlay of about $6000, Thomas sees major benefits being

Nutritionist Pip Gale (left) and farmer Kelvin Thomas.

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DAIRY NEWS OCTOBER 31, 2017

24 // MILK COOLING

Stick to the rules – MPI New milk cooling regulations are coming.

THE MINISTRY of Primary Industries says periodic checks of farms’ primary and secondary milk cooling capabilities will be undertaken.

This is to confirm that the cooling equipment in place is adequate to meet the minimum regulatory requirements.

“This is particularly

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important with controlled milk pumping, to confirm that the cooler and refrigeration unit are sized appropriately,” MPI says.

Twice per season the temperature will be recorded of the milk entering the bulk milk tank (after primary cooling) and the temperature of the milk in the bulk milk tank three hours from the completion of milking.

The temperature and time of either collection or use of the milk will be recorded. Any failure to cool the milk in accordance with this section will result in the milk being withheld from supply unless it can be shown that: (i) at no time was the milk more than 10°C above requirement (ii) the time the milk was above the required temperature was less than four hours (iii) the milk acidity does not exceed 0.165% (iv) the milk shows no signs of deterioration by sensory evaluation.

Whether the milk is withdrawn or supplied for further processing, the details will be recorded.

A new milk cooling standard has applied since

August 2016, though farm dairies meeting existing requirements are being granted an exemption to June 1 2018.

Since August 1, 2016 raw milk must: (i) be cooled to 10 degrees C or below within four hours of the start of milking, and (ii) be cooled to 6 degrees C or below within six hours of the start of milking and within two hours of the completion of milking (iii) be held at or below 6 degrees C until collection or the next milking (iv) not exceed 10 degrees C during subsequent milkings. Where there is continuous or extended milking, such as automated milking systems, the milk will be snap chilled so that it enters the bulk milk tank at 6 degrees C or below.

“Continuous or extended milking” is defined as milking for six hours or longer from the start of milking until completion of milking.

“To confirm the capability of milk cooling equipment, records will be kept to show that milk cooling requirements are being met,” MPI says.

MONITOR AND RECORD AS A minimum, full milk cooling performance will be monitored and recorded on at least three occasions per dairy season, including: (i) one performance check within the first two months of lactation, once the full herd has calved (ii) one performance check about the time of peak milk production; and (iii) one performance check in February each year.

Should the information collected show that milk is not being cooled within the required parameters then action will be taken immediately to correct milk cooling performance.

If milk is not being cooled within the required time/temperature parameters it is recommended that the performance of the milk cooler is assessed and the farm dairy assessor and refrigeration supplier consulted before committing to capital expenditure. Consideration should be given to improving the cooling performance of the existing equipment in place, and to technology options that improve existing equipment performance.

Independent advice can also be obtained from the EECA and through the MPI website.

DAIRY NEWS OCTOBER 31, 2017

MILK COOLING // 25

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Is Your Milk Cold Enough?

EziChill

Sharemilker Roy Willan with the Packo Ice bank.

Cold milk makes for proper sleep ROY Willan admits having sleepless nights when milk was entering the vat at 21˚C two years ago.

Because milk was collected from the Waharoa farm in the night, the milk temperature had dropped by the time the Fonterra tanker turned up.

Willan says it was obvious the two-plate cooler and vat chiller unit system on the farm wasn’t doing its job.

“It was pretty scary; also, around that time farmers were being told about the new milk cooling regulations the Ministry of Primary Industries was introducing ,” he told Dairy News.

“We had a chat with the farm owner about upgrading the milk cooling system.”

Willan contacted Waikato farm refrigeration specialist Centigrade, and project manager Paul Donderwinkel assessed the farm’s milk cooling needs.

With 400 cows producing SHAREMILKER

139,000kgMS, it was decided the Packo ice bank from Dairy Cooling Solutions was the CENTIGRADE PROJECT manager best option.

In April last Paul Donderwinkel says farmers year Centigrade should keep in mind the existing upgraded the coolinfrastructure onfarm when ing system, installupgrading their milk cooling ing a Packo ice bank systems. and double bank Some farms have old and plate heat exchanger underground pipe systems that resulting in milk entermay not cope with new milk cooling ing the vat at a constant technology.

5˚C. Willan says he can now sleep easy.

“With 40 cows at a time romp- for milk cooling after assessing each ing through the herringbone milking farm.

“There is no one-size-fits-all in shed the old plate coolers and vat refrigeration simply couldn’t cope,” milk cooling systems on the farm,” he says. he says.

He says the Packo ice bank is pop“We had no option but to change.”

Willian says the Packo ice bank is ular with farmers because it is environmentally friendly, easily serviced performing very well.

Donderwinkel says Centigrade and comes with full back-up service presents farmers different options from Centigrade.

C O S T- E F F E C T I V E P L U G A N D P L AY PRE- CHILLING SYSTEM

Advice...

Simple fast pre cooling Zero water usage Guaranteed results Milk entering vat at 6-8 degrees

SIMPLE - FAST - COMPACT Chilled water

Ice banks

Glycol

Vat chillers

BANKING ON ICE BANKS PACKO ICE banks come in different models to suit farms from 100 to 1500 cows.

The ice bank principle is simple: inside the stainless tank is a coil of copper tube and around the tube ice is built up during the refrigeration process, this ice is known as a thermal mass energy store.

This thermal store produces ice water; when milking cows, a farmer turns on the pump and the aerator to get ice water circulating at 0.5˚C through the plate heat exchanger.

PLATE COOLER SPECIAL $1,000 off every double-bank plate cooler till 25th November 2017

Team effort: from left Roy Willan, Paul Donderwinkel, Centigrade and Kelly Larritt, Dairy Cooling Systems.

This brings the milk temperature down from 36˚to below 6˚C. A condensing unit is attached to the ice bank; farmers can opt

for a new unit or use the existing unit attached to the milk vat, if compatible.

The aerator is to blow air up through

the tank and over the ice; melting the ice evenly and maintaining water temperature at 0.5˚C throughout milking.

Double-bank plate coolers High quality DairyChill plate heat exchanger Various sizes to suit all farms

dairychill.co.nz

DAIRY NEWS OCTOBER 31, 2017

26 // MILK COOLING

New shed had to embrace rules WAHAROA FARMER

Peter Lansdaal two years ago bought an adjoining farm, increasing his cow numbers to 600.

The 30-a-side herringbone shed on the old farm needed replacement to cater for the bigger herd.

Lansdaal turned to DeLaval and installed a 54-bail prototype rotary milk shed; milking time was reduced to just two hours.

Because Lansdaal’s supply was a new shed,

he had to immediately adhere to new milk cooling regulations imposed by the Ministry of Pri-

mary Industries. His old shed had a standard plate cooler, which used bore water for cooling the milk.

SAFEGUARDS QUALITY, PROFITS DELAVAL COMPACT chillers cool milk instantly to safeguard milk quality and profits.

As they enable the fastest method of cooling milk, DeLaval compact chillers are ideal for any dairy operation where the highest milk quality is required and traditional in-tank cooling is not sufficient.

The chillers come in 60kW, 90kW and 120kW models that can be combined to meet the specific capacity requirements of a dairy configuration. The compact and robust one-piece design of the chillers gives the flexibility to locate them wherever it suits best – away from high-traffic areas or even outside.

Cool your milk instantly!

with the revolutionary and efficient Haye Snap Chiller

MILK CHILLED INSTANTLY TO 4-5 DEGREES PRIOR TO ENTERING VAT This single large refrigeration system accommodates growth in milk volumes... ➤ Efficient ➤ Superb milk quality ➤ No risk of milk freezing ➤ Industry proven NZ & Australia ➤ Provides lower stresses on milk ➤ Fully installed and peformance guaranteed ➤ Compatible with Mahaha Blue & Desuperheater heat recovery systems DAIRY COOL LTD Lee Gilbert : Ph 03-307 8903 : 027-334 4365 email : lee@dairycool.co.nz • web : Dairycool.co.nz

Waharoa farmer Peter Lansdaal.

Lansdaal turned again to DeLaval and opted for a snap chiller and a plate heat exchanger with dual coolant systems. The old plate coolers were sold to another farmer.

His old farm had milk entering the vat below 18 degrees C, meeting the old standards but falling short of the new MPI standards.

The new DeLaval snap chiller cools the milk to below 10 degrees C; it also has built in heat recovery to reduce energy use. This recovered heat is used in two 500L hot water cylinders.

Lansdaal says he is happy with the new shed

Solids Damage k l i M r e w o L lk Cooling i M e v o r p m I

New rules The rules state that raw milk must: a) be cooled to 10°C or below within four hours of the commencement of milking, and b) be cooled to 6°C or below within the sooner of: i) six hours from the commencement of milking, or ii) two hours from the completion of milking, and c) be held at or below 6°C without freezing until collection or the next milking, and d) must not exceed 10°C during subsequent milkings.

Farms have until June 1, 2018 to upgrade their existing milk cooling systems, but converted farms need to adhere immediately.

and milk cooling system.

“It’s efficient and uses only a 60A supply instead

of a 100A supply so my daily electricity charges are lower,” he says.

THE NEW CSL FC280 MILKFLOW Improve Milk Cooling Retrofit to any plant between milkings.

Contact us

0800 10 7006

www.corkillsystems.co.nz

Plate heat exchanger with dual coolant systems.

DAIRY NEWS OCTOBER 31, 2017

MILK COOLING // 27

Correct cooling will protect farm income FARM TECHNOLOGY

company Tru-Test says dairy farmers can protect their income by having the right milk cooling systems.

“Efficiently cool milk before it enters the vat using reliable and costeffective systems to chill milk quickly,” it says.

It sells plate coolers,

so you know what you need to do to comply with current and incoming regulations.”

The Tru-Test ProCool range of pre-cooling gear can be configured to meet specific needs.

ProCool Water is a complete, all-in-one precooling water chiller system. It includes a plug-

Warmed water generated from the milking process is returned to the ice bank and cooled again.

“You need certainty that your milk will be down to temperature before the tanker comes to collect it.” water chillers, ice and glycol systems configured to farm needs Changes occur during any milking season to herd size, flow rates and water temperatures at source, Tru-Test says.

“You need certainty that your milk will be down to temperature before the tanker comes to collect it.

“Pre-cooling the milk before it reaches the vat is often the best way to confidently achieve low milk temperatures.”

When assessing the best method of cooling onfarm, a number of factors come into play: site constraints, power reliability, herd size, water availability and variable costs.

Selecting the right pre-cooling system for the farm can help reduce energy costs by reducing peak power loads and shed operating costs.

Tru-Test provides an end-to-end service including expert advice, components, installation and ongoing support.

“Before recommending upgrades we come to your farm to log its current system performance

Since you have to do it You may as well do it right

in chiller unit with the option of a pre-plumbed water holding tank; the mix-and-match system can be configured to meet a farm’s specific needs.

Heat recovery can be added to the water chiller to efficiently heat dairy shed water.

ProCool Glycol provides on-demand snap chilling. It uses a mixture of food grade glycol and water to create the chilled fluid on demand at milking time. With a correctly sized refrigeration unit, the system can chill milk to 4°C before it enters the vat.

The compact glycol solution is ideal for farms with high water temperatures and a good supply of power during milking.

ProCool Ice can be the solution when space and power are limited onfarm.

This works by building a mass of ice between milkings.

During milking water is circulated through the ice,reducing the water temperature to near 0 degrees C. The chilled water is passed through a double bank plate cooler to cool milk to about 4°C before it reaches the vat.

With the new regulations coming into force in June, in most cases doing nothing is not an option. Rather than settling for any solution, why not take the opportunity to get the best solution. With a DeLaval chiller you can actually reduce your current electricity bill which will help you get payback even faster.

Check out our websites

B&DEL0224/A

www.ruralnews.co.nz www.dairynews.co.nz delaval.com | 0800 222 228

DAIRY NEWS OCTOBER 31, 2017

28 // MILK COOLING

Two options to comply with new law CANTERBURY FARM

refrigeration company Dairycool is offering farmers two new options of packaged ‘Plug and play’ Haye chiller to comply with looming milk cooling

regulations.

Option one is high level snap-chilling: milk is cooled to 4˚C instantly, and high level heat recovery is used to heat water to 75˚C.

The second retrofit option is water chilling with water chillers: milk is cooled to 8˚-10˚C instantly. The company say this is a simple costeffective future compli-

ance solution for existing farms.

Dairycool reports Culverden farmer Simon Maxwell is a satisfied customer.

“Since installing the

Johan Blom, Dairy Cool, with a recently installed water chiller.

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Haye Dynamic water chilling system our milk is constantly entering the vat at 7˚C whereas in the past the milk entering the vat was 16˚-17˚C plus,” says Maxwell.

“Not only have we seen a high saving in energy costs, we also don’t have the stress of hoping the milk is going to cool in time before collection or the concern of grading.

“We are relaxed now that we are all set for the new milk cooling regulations.”

Dairycool says given that the Ministry of Primary Industries is proposing the tightening of the milk cooling regulations, high level snap chilling is increasing in popularity among farmers; they

are future-proofing themselves for the inevitable changing to the milk cooling standards.

Dairycool offer instantaneous milk cooling systems using water or glycol, storage or demand.

Milk is cooled instantly to 4˚-5˚C prior to entering the milk silo (by the second stage of the plate cooler) and a single chiller unit in most instances will do as many cows or milk silos as is necessary; milk is ready for collection at any time.

The company says a Haye Chiller gives top milk quality, negligible bug growth and simple design.

Glycol is able to cool any number of milk silos or calf milk vats (subject to dairy com-

pany approval to run glycol through silo pads), although it is recommended to retain conventional refrigeration on the milk silos to reduce reliance on a single refrigeration system. It is also capable of cooling primary cooling water if need be.

Haye Chillers are known for efficient use of power, lower running costs and there will be no more chiller capacity required for more cows or milk silos. “One chiller can do it all.”

Similar systems have been installed in Australia and the North Island and already over 40 have been installed in Canterbury, says the company. @dairy_news facebook.com/dairynews

List your dairy herd with the livestock experts PGG Wrightson Dairy representatives are experts at buying and selling dairy herds throughout the country. We can help you with herd sale preparation and method of sale and offer specialist advice and technical support on all aspects of dairy livestock.

If you’re looking to buy or sell livestock at the best price our team is dedicated to getting the results you’re after for your business.

To find out more visit

pggwrightson.co.nz/dairyherdsales Freephone 0800 10 22 76

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Helping grow the country

DAIRY NEWS OCTOBER 31, 2017

MILK COOLING // 29

Brainwave leads to money-saving device IT ALL started on the farm of Brad Sulzberger in Urenui, Taranaki, as he pondered his two-day collectioin and keeping the milk cool.

A brainwave led him to experiment and build some prototypes, then he contacted Steve Corkill of Corkill Systems Ltd with his idea; together they have developed a product to assist many farmers with their cooling problems.

The simplest ideas are often the best, and so it is with the CSL Chillboost, which has the potential to save many dairy farmers dollars and headaches as they strive to meet the new dairy cooling rules.

The Chillboost device is aimed at keeping milk below the 10 degree C threshold when adding fresh milk to the vat, says Corkill Systems.

Typically milk already held in the vat will be between 4 and 6 degrees C at the start of milking, with 4 degrees C being the cut-off point and 6 degrees C being the cut-in point for the chiller system.

“The device is essentially a timer encased in a waterproof module. It connects a shunt to the existing vat thermostat at preset intervals; the timer is set to activate the chiller system about 30 minutes before the start of milking, and it ‘tricks’ the chiller thermostat into thinking the milk is warmer than it really is.

“This causes the chiller to cool the contents

of the vat down to the normal cut-off point (usually 4 degrees C or just below) prior to milking, and it goes on to repeat this cycle every 30 minutes.

The result is that as milk is added it keeps the ‘blend’ temperature lower than under normal operation where it would wait until the set cut-in temperature (usually 6 degrees C) is reached before starting.”

In practice this means that the chiller will never wait to see the normal cut-in temperature during milking times and will hold the milk about the normal cut-off temperature.

The chiller kicking in earlier has the overall effect of reducing the incoming new milk blend temperature by about 2 degrees C; for a large number of dairy farmers this will allow them to stay under the 10 degrees C blend temperature limit imposed by the new rules.

The unit can be retro-fitted by any electrician to existing chiller systems.

The main advantage is that it uses the milk already in the vat as a cold storage bank to help lower the blend temperature as new milk enters the vat, it is easily adjustable to cater for different systems or milking regimes, and it lends itself well to two-day collection cycles.

The unit maximises the performance of the existing chiller system. All farms will have to adhere

to new milk cooling regulations from June 1 next year.

Article sourced from www. corkillsystems.co.nz

Freeze your power bill at the same time

DeLaval chillers use snap-chilling technology, which unlike other more basic methods, makes it possible for you to actually reduce your power bill.

In addition to this, for every litre of milk chilled, a DeLaval chiller can also produce 0.7 litres of hot water. And because they only run during milking you save on electricity costs at both ends of the process.

B&DEL0224/B

Since you have to do it You may as well do it right

Chillboost is a timer encased in a water-proof module.

delaval.com | 0800 222 228

DAIRY NEWS OCTOBER 31, 2017

30 // MILK COOLING

Plates take heat out of milk ACCORDING TO

DairyNZ, plate heat exchangers (PHE) are a very cost-effective way to

cool milk.

A PHE consists of a series of very thin stainless steel plates. Water

Plate heat exchanger.

flows along one side of each plate while milk flows along the other.

Heat is transferred from the milk to the water via the plate. The capacity of a plate cooler is adjusted by adding or subtracting plates.

The easiest way to check the effectiveness of a plate cooler is to compare the difference between the incoming temperature of the cooling water and the outgoing temperature of the milk leaving the plate cooler.

An efficient PHE should cool milk to within 2°C of the water before it enters the PHE. For example, if the temperature of the incoming

VAT REFRIGERATION IN REFRIGERATED/direct expansion tanks the refrigerant is pumped into jackets (evaporators commonly called ‘dimple plates’) on the internal surfaces of the bulk milk tank.

Here the refrigerant expands as it takes heat from the milk, is pumped out of the jackets, compressed then pushed into the condenser. The hot refrigerant is cooled by air (or water) flowing through the condenser fins. The cooled gas condenses into a liquid and is pumped back into the jackets around the bulk milk tank to start the cycle again.

Direct expansion has the disadvantage of maximum power draw during and after milking which is generally charged at peak rate. If large electric motors are used there can be problems in regions with poor power supply.

Direct expansion refrigeration systems are pressurised, which means they require a skilled technician for maintenance.

cooling water is 14°C, the temperature of the milk exiting the plate cooler

should be about 16°C. One simple way to check this is to use a

CSL Chillboost Introduces our new...

An inexpensive and novel device designed for use where milk blend temperatures are marginal or too high to meet the new cooling requirements.

CSL Chillboost is a simple solution to drop the blend temperature of milk in your vat.

CSL Chillboost quickly retrofits to your existing cooling system.

CSL Chillboost is easy to install and user programmable to fine tune your cooling.

Not the answer for everyone but will assist even if other cooling shortcomings exist. Talk to us today about this exciting new product.

NEW PRODUCT!

0800 10 7006 www.corkillsystems.co.nz

PVC strip thermometer.

These thermometers have a paper backing which is peeled off, allowing the strip to be stuck directly onto a clean, dry metal pipe.

DairyNZ’s website explains how to use a PVC strip thermometer. Locate the water inlet pipe and the milk outlet pipes as they enter and leave the plate cooler respectively; find a location for the thermometer that allows it to wrap around the outside of the water inlet pipe.

It must be placed on a metal pipe so you may need to move the rubber hose a little to make enough room. A piece of electrician’s tape on each end of the strip can help with initial positioning.

Rotate the thermometer to ensure the temperature range you expect from the pipe is visible. Repeat the process by apply-

ing another thermometer strip to the milk outlet pipe.

The temperature blocks light up, the brightest one showing the temperature of the pipe.

At the next milking check to see if the required temperature range is visible.

Remove the tape on the thermometer strips and once the pipes are clean and dry remove the paper backing and stick the strip thermometers permanently to their respective pipes.

Check the two temperatures during peak milk flow from the milk pump.

If there is more than 3°C of difference there is room for the plate cooler’s performance to be improved. In this situation consider checking the water and milk flow rates through the plate cooler. @dairy_news facebook.com/dairynews

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MILK COOLING // 31

Other options to consider PLATE HEAT exchang-

ers (PHE) are among the many options for milk cooling onfarm.

According to DairyNZ, if your current plate heat exchanger and refrigeration unit combination are not capable of meeting the new milk cooling regulations you may need to consider a secondary cooling option. These can involve a large capital outlay and long payback period but may come with the benefit of heat recovery, enabling you to save on hot water costs.

Carefully evaluate all options to ensure the system is fit for purpose without over capitalising.

Cooling towers can be very effective at cooling water especially in areas of low humidity. Water can be cooled to within 5°C of the wet bulb temperature in a properly designed plant.

The most effective plants are fan forced and turn over a large store of water every hour. They operate overnight to cool a large volume of water, usually 4.5 times the volume of the daily milk yield.

Ice banks generate ice along evaporator coils using night-rate power.

The ice is used to chill water for the pre-cooler.

The warm water is then returned from the precooler to the top of the ice bank and cooled again

as it runs down the ice.

If working on night electricity rates they may save money even though they use more energy. Ice banks take up less space than storage of chilled water.

Another option is to use a refrigeration system to cool water or a food grade glycol/ water mixture. Glycol systems tend to use a very small volume of fluid and create the chilled fluid on demand (at milking time).

Note that a system designed to chill milk to 4°C in line i.e. prior to vat entry, will need a much larger (and more costly) compressor than an in-vat system. Generally, these systems also involve a big capital expense.

Thermal storage systems chill water using offpeak power and require an insulated storage tank to hold a large (one day’s milking) volume of chilled water. Using more energy than a direct expansion tank, they have advantages relating to installation and maintenance procedures.

Vat wraps are only utilised by 20% of dairy farms in New Zealand but can save about 15-25% of milk cooling costs. They insulate milk from outside temperatures, preventing it from heating up and reducing energy used by the refrigeration unit.

Effectiveness of a

vat wrap will depend on whether your vat is inside or outside and where in NZ you are located.

Estimate savings from vat wrap installa-

ALL ABOUT QUALITY MILK COOLING affects milk quality. The quicker

the milk is cooled after milking, the better the quality when it is collected from the farm.

Choosing the right cooling system for your farm means: Lower energy costs ■■ Milk cooling accounts for about 30% of the total energy costs of running a dairy. Energy demand and farm dairy operating costs can be reduced using different options that involve heat recovery from your cooling system.

Less risk of penalties due to milk temperature ■■ Raw milk grows bacteria rapidly above 7°C. Meeting the new milk cooling standards, which come into effect for all farms on June 1, 2018, may mean changes are required to your system.

tion and payback using the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA) calculator. @dairy_news facebook.com/dairynews

We don’t just snap-chill your milk. We’re also freezing our interest rates at 0% on any purchase of a DeLaval chiller for the next 24 months.

This is a deal that will be hard to beat. Visit your local DeLaval dealer to put the best chiller on the market, onto your farm.

Since you have to do it You may as well do it right

B&DEL0224/C

s

DAIRY NEWS OCTOBER 31, 2017

delaval.com | 0800 222 228

DAIRY NEWS OCTOBER 31, 2017

32 // MACHINERY & PRODUCTS

Still going strong after 40 years LOADALL FACTS

MARK DANIEL markd@ruralnews.co.nz

■■

2017 MARKS the 40th anniversary

■■

of a machine that has revolutionised materials handling on construction sites and farms worldwide.

First made in 1977, the JCB Loadall uniquely lifts and loads by means of a large section boom which has telescopic action for perfect control and placement.

The machine quickly found favour for being able to lift heavier loads higher and reach further than traditional tractor mounted frontloaders

■■ ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■

30 base models 1000 individual configurations Production via 35 stations and eight hours assembly time Manufacture consumes 35,000 tonnes of steel annually 650 tonne press produces boom sections 70% of welding done by robots 73,000L of primer and 50,000L of gloss paint used annually.

or rough terrain handlers. It quickly brought about a re-think in materials handling with its ability to lift big bags of fertiliser or seed.

JCB Loadall

Typically the Loadall will clock up more hours than farm tractors on both dairy and cropping farms, no surprise when you see a range that extends

from the compact 516-40 (1600kg to 4m high) to the 560-80 (ideal for bulk handling up to 6000kg), or the 535-95 which is favoured by operators needing to stack products like hay and straw up to 9.5m high.

The range is versatile, e.g. the Smart Power for owners chasing economy, Agri, Agri-Plus and Agri-Super offering

a choice of options for power, cabin and control functions, and the latest version, the Dual Tech VT, combining the best of hydrostatic and powershift transmissions.

In 2016 the company made its 200,000th machine at the Rocester, Staffordshire factory, with a team of 300.

UTV WELL SUITED TO THE CHANGING WEATHER CONDITIONS SAID TO be the larg-

CF Moto U800 Farm Spec UTV.

est exporter of quads and UTVs in China, CF Moto has been 20 years in the sector, making 600,000 vehicles annually.

At its base in Hangzhou it employs 1600 workers, 25% of them in R&D, and makes machines to a zero-defect

model that meets ISO 9001-2000 and TS 16949 standards.

Closer to home, the CF Moto brand, distributed

by Australian owned company Mojo Motorcycles, is about to get a new New Zealand country manager -- Anton Giacon -- and is rationalising its product

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DEALERS NATIONWIDE

Oversize alloy wheels combine with the suspension to promote a feel of controlled stability. range and prices to appeal to farmers.

Dairy News, in muddy Waikato after the recent rains, recently tested the CF Moto U 800 Farm Spec UTV, a standard model with several locally sourced accessories that make it well suited to the changeable weather conditions.

A full-length toughened glass windscreen is fitted with a wiper pack, while the rear of the cabin is protected by a heavyduty PVC screen, and mud is kept off the vehicle with steel-mounted oversized rear mud flaps.

Power is provided by an 800cc V-twin liquid cooled motor that starts easily and delivers oodles of power across the whole rev range.

The Canadian CVTech transmission offers highlow, park and reverse choices, with selection direction being slick and no ‘clunks’ as often found on competitive vehicles.

Standard fitment includes selectable 2- or 4-wheel drive, front end diff lock and engine braking in all ranges.

Hitting the gas sees the UTV build speed smoothly and quickly,

and on to a top speed of 82km/h if required. The braking system has discs all-round, so no worries there.

Steering is light and positive, by an electrically assisted system, and comfort is by way of long-travel independent suspension with A-arm set-ups in each corner that combine to offer 280mm of ground clearance.

The ROPS safety frame imparts a sense of security, with the driving position accessed by saloon-style half-doors; on the passenger side a large grab bar is a great addition, and safety is assured by inertia-style seat belts.

Oversize alloy wheels combine with the suspension to promote a feel of controlled stability when making turns, and useful fitments include a 3500lb winch up front, a cab roof and direction indicators, horn and rear view mirrors.

At the rear, a gas strutassisted rear carry tray had a 230kg capacity and the towbar is rated to 550kg to deliver a package that offers real value to those who have an eye for detail. – Mark Daniel

DAIRY NEWS OCTOBER 31, 2017

MACHINERY & PRODUCTS // 33

Orange tractor does run forever MARK DANIEL markd@ruralnews.co.nz

DURING KUBOTA’S

recent celebration of 40 years in Australasia, dealers got their first look at the new BX 80 sub-compact tractors which will hit the shores of New Zealand in April 2018.

These will bolster a market segment in which Kubota created the subcompact category in 2000 with the first BX sub-compact tractor.

In three new models -- BX2380, BX2680 and BX23S -- these tractors offer the Swift-Tach loader and Swift-Connect backhoe as standard equipment, and are said to combine reliability and power with unmatched versatility and intuitive, easy-to-operate design, making the BX80-Series ideal for residential property owners.

Shaun (Monty) Monteith, sales manager for Kubota agricultural equipment NZ, says “Kubota’s previous line, the BX70 series, built a reputation on being ‘the little orange tractor that would run forever’.”

Now Kubota has upped the ante with the new BX80-Series, taking the sub-compact category to a new level with its Swift-Tach loader, SwiftConnect backhoe and Easy-Over mower deck option.”

The BX2380 and BX2680 are equipped with a rollover protection system, which conveniently fits through most standard 2.135m high garage door openings.

The BX2380 and BX2680 deliver 23 and 25.5hp, respectively. The 23hp engine brings Kubota reliability and superior torque to the new BX23S tractor-loader-backhoe model using Kubota’s liquid-cooled 3-cylinder diesel engines, combining with four-wheel drive to provide traction and confidence while using less fuel than gasoline engines.

The new BX80-Series makes it easier than ever to attach the complete line of tools and implements; and the LA344 Swift-Tach loader (offered for the BX2380 and BX2680) and the LA340 Swift-Tach loader (for the BX23S) are easily removed or attached without the operator leaving the seat.

A complete line-up of rear mounted Land Pride implements are easily attached using the standard Category I 3-point hitch, and all three tractors offer multiple deck options including the Kubota Easy Over deck.

The BX23S is said to offer increased versatility with its standard-equipped LA340 Swift-Tach loader and allnew BT603 Swift-Connect backhoe. The Kubota Swift-Tach system provides easy removing and attaching of the front loader, and the BT603 Kubota Swift-Connect backhoe is easy to remove without tools or pins to store or lose.

All BX80-Series loaders and the BT603 backhoe include upgraded flat-faced couplers that do not seep fluid when released or installed, and are easy to connect under

pressure. A boom lock, for increased safety, is standard on the BT603.

A mechanical thumb, for picking up items such as logs, is optional on the new BX23S.

Throughout the range, BX80-Series tractors build on Kubota’s operator ergonomics and user-intuitive controls for ease of use and comfort during long jobs.

These include easy-toread dash displays, a cubbyhole with a 12V outlet for cellphone charging

port, an improved deluxe seat and tilt steering on the BX2380 and on the BX2680 an improved ride

and more adjustability to suit a range of different size drivers. www.kubota.co.nz

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Agco buy forage unit AGCO, THE manufacturer and distributor of such brands as MF, Fendt and Valtra, is to buy the forage division of Lely Group, effective October 1, 2017.

Operating 40 years in the New Zealand market, Lely’s forage division has become a leader and innovator in hay and forage gear -- round balers, loader wagons, rakes, tedders, mowers and tillage products.

The deal will not include Lely’s dairy division which will stay focused on automated and milking robotic systems.

Kubota’s new sub-compact tractors arriving here next year.

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*Available while stocks last for a limited time only. Promotion prices are based on a new YFM700FBUSH (non-EPS), YXM700PSEUSH and YFM700FBPSE1USH purchased between 21 September – 30 December 2017. Product images shown for illustrative purposes only, actual product may differ slightly. Promotion available at participating Yamaha dealerships.

Yamaha-Farm-Saver-Rural-News.indd 1

2/10/17 11:24 AM

DAIRY NEWS OCTOBER 31, 2017

34 // MACHINERY & PRODUCTS

Backhoe loaders made for Oceania THE MANITOU Group,

best known for all-terrain materials handling, is offering a new range of GEHL backhoe loaders tailored to the Asia-Pacific region and to the Australian and Oceania markets.

With five models in the range, the product offering is said to offer a high level of performance and productivity in a package of exceptional value.

The first machine

MANITOU GROUP ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■

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Founded by the Braud family 60 years ago Headquartered in France 3300 employees 2016 turnover Euro 1.33 billion in 140 countries 1400 dealers worldwide Brands include Manitou, Mustang and Gehl.

for Oceania is the GEHL BL818 S 4WD, with a 92hp Perkins engine, power-shuttle transmission, a ROPS and FOPS air-conditioned cab and a rear digging element that includes side-shift and an extendable arm.

Optional specs will include 2WD in place of the standard 4WD set-up, and increased digging performance with the Extendahoe.

Proven components such as the Perkins Tier 3 engine, a Carraro drivetrain

and Cassapa hydraulic pumps should make parts availability easy and operating costs low, says Stuart Walker, managing director, Manitou Australia.

“The GEHL backhoe loader is a no-frills backhoe proven in

the harshest temperatures and environments.

It’s dependable, offers a high level of performance and when it comes to

value it blows the market away.”

GEHL backhoe loader.

T60 takes on the big boys LDV DISTRIBUTOR

Great Lake Motors says it expects to shake up New Zealand’s ute market with its new LDV T60.

At a recent gala event in Auckland to launch the new vehicle, attended by NZ dealers, executives from the Chinese manufacturer SAIC and about 50 Chinese journalists, GLM ‘van geek’ Warren

Great Lake Motors’ LDV T60 ute.

THE DAIRY DONGER SIDE MOUNTED POST DRIVER • Hydraulic folding mast • 900mm side shift • 4.2m beam with 227kg hammer • Hydraulic top link and angle adjustment rams • Free freight to dealer’s yard

SPECIAL PRICE

$

15,999+gst

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RRP $17,999 +GST

www.kinghitter.com 0800 476 868 sales@fairbrother.co.nz

Willmot said “NZers have been paying too much for too long for over-hyped utes”.

Priced from $28,990 + gst for a double cab, 4WD that doesn’t skimp on spec, and which comes with a 5-year/130,000km warranty, 10-year anti-perforation warranty and a roadside assist package, the T60 warrants a closer look.

Components from industry stalwarts Borg Warner, ZF, Sachs, Bosch and Eaton should impress would-be buyers, and the promised package suggests value for money.

A 2.8L Motori turbo diesel delivers 110kW and 360 Nm torque, mated to a six-speed manual or automatic transmission.

A full-size ute which doesn’t look out of place when parked next to its competitors, the T60 is the first Chinese vehicle to achieve the ANCAP 5-star safety rating, not surprising given its stan-

dard specification.

That list of standards includes ABS, EBD, EBA, blind spot monitoring, hill descent control, hill start assist, traction control, electronic diff lock, rear view camera, park assist and even tyre pressure monitoring.

Then there’s airbags and a 10 inch, full colour touch screen control panel and infotainment system. The latter includes Apple Car Play and Android Auto and a useful auto volume function. Specification includes the Elite, or the optional Luxury version that upstages the Elite with heated leather seats, running boards, sport bars and roof rails.

At the business end the well-deck has a liner and multiple tie-down points and is designed to carry a euro-pallet and weights of up to one tonne, while the towing capacity is rated at 3 tonnes. So what’s not to like? – Mark Daniel

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THE NEW HD5

TOUGH. CAPABLE. CLEVER. THE NEW MID SIZE ENGINE DEFENDER HD5 STARTING AT:

$15,261

*

EXLC GST

CLASS LEADING FEATURES:

ERGONOMIC FOLDABLE 3 SEATER BENCH

CARGO TRAY 96.5 X 138.4 X 30.5 CM

TOW RATING 680 KG

EXCLUSIVE TO CAN-AM:

200

HOURS SERVICE INTERVAL

WWW.CANAMOFFROAD.COM

0800 020 074

*Price on offer for HD5 Base. Offer only available for participating authorised Can-Am dealerships, for vehicles sold between September 1st 2017 and November 30th 2017, $1500 Rebate on MY17 Defender HD5 DPS and HD5 Base. ^3 year warranty covers MY16/17 Can-Am Defender models only. Always ride responsibly and safely. Always wear protective gear & approved helmet.

BRP reserves the right to change the promotion at any time.

FUEL CAPACITY 40 LITRES

GROUND CLEARANCE 26.7 CM